Robell set down his pen. The tint of his glasses reflected the lamp as he stared intently at Elrik.
"The castle…" he whispered, as if the name alone could trigger alarms. "That is no longer just a place, boy."
Robell looked at him with serious eyes.
However, observing Elrik's expression, Robell realized the boy harbored no ill intentions.
Elrik was an extremely intelligent youth, one whom he admired as a student.
Unfortunately, being rejected by the kingdom's knights had affected him deeply.
Perhaps this was why Robell was lenient with him after such a bold request.
Strangely, he concluded that Elrik's objective was simply to make himself noticed.
Without further ado, he rose, limping slightly, and approached a locked oak cabinet.
He carefully turned the key and extracted a black leather tube.
Unrolling it on the table, a yellowed parchment map appeared, covered in tiny annotations: tunnels, security chambers, etc…
"I'll only show you this once," he explained, pointing with a worn quill. "The ventilation ducts are accessible from the castle basements. And here…" —he traced a red line— "…is the aqueduct that connects to the Hylia River. If someone—" he raised an eyebrow— "…wanted to enter unseen, that would be the least guarded path."
Elrik nodded, memorizing every curve.
"And the center of Hyrule?" he asked. "The inner streets, the markets, the districts where soldiers change shifts…"
Robell sighed and produced another, newer roll with freshly cut edges.
It displayed the residential district, the Clock Plaza, alleys leading to blacksmith workshops, and noble houses.
In a margin, a shaky note read: "Patrol: 2:30 a.m."
"I drew this years ago," he said, "but the routes change."
Then the professor looked deeply at Elrik.
"Elrik. Some people sell themselves for a rupee, and others sell secrets for less. Keep in mind that I do this only because of you."
Robell carefully rolled up the maps and stored them again, then pushed the bag back toward Elrik—but tactically kept the polished Centaleon horn.
"I don't want these," he said softly. "Just… be careful. The castle does not forgive. And if your goal is what I believe it is… remember that even shadows have eyes."
Elrik nodded slowly.
At the door, Robell stopped him with a frail but firm hand on his shoulder.
"One last piece of advice from an old fool," he said. "Trust not even the echoes. And if something calls your name, do not answer. It is not your voice seeking you."
Robell knew of the trap formations set around the castle by his tribe; in fact, he had placed many himself.
These formations toyed with the mind in the form of illusions.
Like a sacred chant, if you responded to their call, you would be trapped.
Robell decided to summarize it in one simple yet impossible piece of advice.
Elrik barely turned, showing a hint of a smile.
"Thank you, master.
Good luck—I hope you achieve your goal."
Elrik sensed there was some misunderstanding in the conversation; otherwise, he would not have expected such words of encouragement from Robell when he was about to break into the castle. But he paid it no mind; he already had what he came for.
...
Two days later. Center of Hyrule
Gongol Hill
"Gahhhh!" x2
Two Moblins flew back with a single strike of Elrik's sword.
"I haven't been practicing long, but I didn't know I had this much talent as a swordsman," Elrik murmured.
Guided by the system, Elrik had not neglected his sword training.
Rejected by the Royal Guard, the system became his mentor.
Daily, he swung a very heavy sword around 1,000 times since beginning his training.
Now he could swing a standard sword around 3,000 times before collapsing from exhaustion.
And when testing the results of his training, it had truly paid off.
Elrik had been training for nearly three days on Gongol Hill, northeast of Hyrule Castle.
He studied the castle guard's movements at night with his telescope.
He had to admit—they were very disciplined.
This mission was currently the hardest he had ever attempted.
Not even killing the Centaleon had shaken his confidence this much.
And, to make matters worse, the map function did not work.
A kind of shadow enveloped Hyrule Castle, and not just the castle—many regions on the system map were dark.
Elrik felt powerless against this.
Yet he would not give up. After gaining such an opportunity to become strong, how could he surrender?
He waited for nightfall to act.
...
(Night)
The moon barely traced a silver glow.
Elrik knelt among the tall grasses of Gongol Hills.
In his left hand, he held an ebony telescope; in his right, a small crushed Silent Princess orb, which would grant him fifteen minutes of absolute stealth, thanks to the floral essence that nullified sound waves around him.
.
.
.
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