Chapter 424: Meeting Mommy [Part 1]
Northern breathed as he placed the golden helmet on his head and looked down at the almost naked man who was knocked out cold in a corner.
"Full of shine," he whispered in compliment as he observed the armor of gold he was
wearing.
Every single soldier within the compound was clad in radiant gold armor, so of course, it would be out of place for him to move around in rugged leather armor.
Another thing Northern had managed to discover from stealthily observing the palace for the past few hours was that there were different sections.
And although every soldier's armor was gold, there was a different pattern to their helmets. And it wasn't even hard to notice. It was the first thing that he caught wind of, in fact.
For example, the soldiers from where he was coming had three pointed edges like a trident, and their armor was face-revealing.
In another place, their golden helmets covered their entire face, and at the edge of the helm was a white, flowing, horse-tail-like hair.
Another had horns curving towards each other, with their eyes covered and revealing only their face, and there were two more distinct ones Northern noticed.
Northern moved his hands around for a moment. "Good mobility."
The main sections of the armor, such as the breastplate, pauldrons, and greaves, were intricately detailed with layered plates, giving it a robust and battle-ready appearance.
The gauntlets and boots were equally well-crafted, with segments that allowed for flexibility while maintaining strong protection.
The armor's design was both elegant and intimidating, with a modern twist that made it stand out.
Northern watched for a couple of seconds and finally set out, walking with the golden spear as if nothing was wrong.
The palace was in sections; each section had its master building that somehow connected to the main pyramid-like building in a strange maze twist, making it especially difficult to navigate at night.
But currently, Northern was also using spatial awareness. Since assimilating with a larger part of the Void, his spatial awareness had gotten better.
He could sense almost everything within a radius of four to two hundred meters, unless they were masters at stealth themselves.
Because in conjunction with his spatial awareness, his heightened senses and danger sense were also acutely functioning.
It was very hard for him to miss a thing.
Already, Northern could tell the number of soldiers that were roaming around the palace. Because he had been here and there in stealth.
It was an intentional action because the first thing he wanted to do was have a mental map of the place.
He wanted to sense everyone in the palace and segregate them based on the amount of soul essence they were exuding.
Even when some were masters at concealing their soul essence, making it seem so little, almost like that of a mundane human, Northern could tell they were hiding it.
And there were numerous cases like that. One-on-one, he was confident he could defeat everyone he had noticed so far.
But if they were to all gang up on him, it was a different story. But he also thought,
'I have an army of my own...'
He smiled shortly and continued forward with his head held straight into the air.
After a couple of steps, he cut into a corner and raised his head to the window in the building that could be seen in the backdrop of many walls.
The walls were like a maze, as if to make further journey difficult for anyone.
Northern paused as he stared at the window, alight with a golden hue even in the midst of the night.
He narrowed his eyes and thought to himself.
'What do I say to her?'
He had no idea. At this point, he began to feel like turning back would be a better choice.
'What if she does not recognize me...'
At the thought of such a possibility, Northern's hand holding the spear trembled.
Suddenly, someone interrupted, calling,
"Hey!! What are you doing?! Standing like that?!"
Northern staggered as he turned around to face the person calling him.
The man was wearing the kind of helmet that covered his face, revealing only his eyes.
'From the Tower...'
He came closer and stopped in front of Northern. "The Commander has ordered that we find an intruder. What are you doing here?"
Northern frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but I am not a part of the Tower Garrison."
The soldier took a step closer, looming over Northern in an intimidating way. Northern couldn't see his whole face, but his eyes were currently glaring with bloodthirst.
"So because you are a member of the Imperial Garrison, you think it's just okay to disobey orders from your superior?"
'Oh, I see... I see what this is... a bully.' Northern flashed a small smile and frowned in return. "As far as the word 'superior' goes, I have a responsibility to answer to those in my garrison first, before any other."
Northern responded with an unintimidated look in his eyes.
This caused the other soldier to grow intensely angry, glaring into Northern's eyes.
Then he noticed something, and his eyes widened.
"Blue..."
Immediately after Northern heard him mutter, he wasted no time and drove a punch into the guy's stomach, blasting a large propulsion of air from his back.
The soldier collapsed unconscious, his mouth foaming.
Northern swiftly turned around, his feet barely touching the ground, and he dashed away like
a gunshot, cutting through different corners of the wall.
Finally, he reached the gate where two soldiers were positioned.
Before they could see him, he disappeared-both of them looked at each other because of the
sudden wind blow and shrugged.
Northern softly landed on the roof of the window and looked down.
His heart thumped as he stared. The final step was entering through the window, and then he would get to meet his real birth mother.
He gently touched his chest.
'I had thought this meant nothing to me, so why exactly am I so tense?'
He steadied his breath and dropped his hand slowly. He closed his eyes and opened them,
then walked towards the edge of the roof with feather steps, letting himself fall off.
As he fell past the window, taking a good glimpse of the interior, Northern's figure suddenly disappeared.
As he appeared out of thin air, Northern's boot softly stepped on the embroidered red rug. The focal point of the room was a large canopy bed, draped in rich, dark curtains with plush, burgundy or deep red bedding.
The bed was positioned under an archway, which added to the grandeur and historical feel of the space.
The room was framed by stone arches and columns with intricate carvings, contributing to the sense of age and architectural beauty.
Candlelight provided a warm, flickering golden glow, enhancing the room's intimate and somewhat mysterious atmosphere.
The walls were a deep, earthy tone, likely a rich shade of red or brown, complementing the overall warmth of the room.
A few pieces of dark wood furniture could be seen, including what seemed to be a chest or cabinet at the back and possibly a small table to the side.
The presence of the ironwork on the bed and the overall design elements suggested a
luxurious taste.
The combination of the rich colors, candlelight, and heavy fabrics gave the room a cozy yet
imposing atmosphere.
Northern slowly walked forward after breathing in all the scenery. He stood right next to the
bed and frowned.
Immediately from behind, a knife was put across his throat. The hands wielding the knife
were pale, cold, and bony.
They were the first thing he noticed.
'My mother's hands,' the words occurred to him almost like an epiphany.
"Who sent you?"
Her voice was thick, with a tender undertone.
'Perhaps she is trying so hard to sound intimidating,' Northern couldn't help but smile.
"Are you Lady Henai?"
The lady raised a brow. "You should know that very well before sneaking in here. Why are you
asking me?"
Northern chuckled, 'She's fierce...'
Suddenly, he vanished from her grasp. Her eyes widened, but immediately he appeared right
in front of her, but facing her instead of backing her.
Her eyes widened even further as they beheld his face. Her hands began to tremble.
Northern frowned at first, thinking, 'What is wrong with her?'
She stumbled backward first, then stopped herself. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she
wanted to speak but she couldn't.
Then her hands slowly stretched forward, her legs following, softly and slowly taking one
step after the other.
She paused in front of him, taking a tense gulp. Then she moved her hands slowly once again, touching Northern's helmet gently and removing it from his head.
The metal cap clanged on the ground with a grudge as she dropped it.
She didn't care how disturbing the sound could have been, but it was surely heard by several
people.
His white hair unfurled and fell down his face immediately after the metal cap was taken off.
Her facial expression finally broke into tears. She shook and fell to the ground, looking up at Northern's face.
Northern, meanwhile, was observing her with a slight frown etched upon his features. Thinking, 'It can't be... did she recognize me? Immediately? That's, that's impossible!'