"I added a bit of honey. It doesn't affect the efficacy but makes it less bitter-a custom formula."
"No wonder... But I feel like I've seen you sowhere before. Is it just my imagination?" Sherry stared intently at John for a long ti before finally shaking her head with a wry smile.
"Sorry, just ignore my ramblings. Didn't an to trouble you."
"No problem."
In less than five minutes, the effects of the advanced HP potion beca evident.
Sherry's wounds began to visibly heal, and her complexion improved significantly.
From initially leaning against the wall, she was now able to stand on her own without support.
The results were impressive.
Seeing this, the guards exchanged glances and then said, "John, your skill has clearly passed the test. Please, go ahead."
"Before I go in, can I ask a few questions?"
"Well... we don't have the authority to answer your questions. You'll need to find soone inside to help you with that."
"Alright."
With that, John didn't press further and walked into the walled area.
Elaria and Lily were already out of sight, presumably having entered the palace.
As John proceeded down the pathway, the magnificent palace that had stood underwater for countless years finally ca into view.
In truth, John was not unfamiliar with this place.
He knew the patrol schedules, the shifts of the guards, and the layout of the palace like the back of his hand.
In his previous life, he had managed to infiltrate and stay in the palace for a long ti without getting caught.
Of course, now without the skills of an assassin class, John's thods of moving in and out of the palace had greatly diminished.
He could no longer blend in as easily as before.
Following the guards' lead, John entered the palace.
As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed that the place was quite crowded.
A quick estimate suggested there were around seventy people, mostly female players.
It made sense, considering that Priest was a class not particularly suited for combat, thus not typically chosen by male players.
Male healers were a rarity.
Soon, John spotted Elaria and Lily in the crowd, positioned at the back, just like him, gathering information.
Sensing John's gaze, Elaria turned and gave him a aningful smile before turning back around, leaving John puzzled.
"What are those two up to?" he wondered.
Just as John was about to approach them for so answers, a middle-aged man of notable stature walked to the front and signaled for the crowd to be quiet.
John looked over and imdiately recognized him as Duke Faris, the younger brother of the king of Atlantis.
Duke Faris was known for his cunning nature, and in John's previous life, he had nearly been caught by him several tis.
It was odd to see soone of Duke Faris' rank in such a setting.
"Please, everyone, quiet down. I'm glad you could all make it here. Allow to introduce myself. I am Faris, Duke of Atlantis. I'm sure you're all wondering why so many Priests have been invited to the royal city. I won't hide the truth.
The fact is, our princess has fallen ill with a strange disease and is now in a coma. We have tried many treatnts, but none have worked. So we have turned to you adventurers in hopes that you can help us save the princess."
Hearing this, John frowned, finding the situation peculiar.
As far as he knew, there was only one princess in the Atlantis royal family.
John had never heard Dolores ntion that she had ever been seriously ill.
Moreover, if he rembered correctly, the main quest in his previous life didn't unfold this way.
Still, since he was here, John intended to get to the bottom of this.
Duke Faris continued to give so instructions, primarily advising the adventurers not to cause trouble in the palace.
John paid little heed to these warnings.
He knew the layout of the palace intimately-where the dangers were, where the heavy guards were stationed, and where the security was weak.
These threats ant nothing to him.
After explaining the princess's condition, Duke Faris had the guards lead groups of players to a side hall to examine the princess in hopes of finding a cure.
Being the last player to enter the palace, John naturally ended up at the end of the line.
Given the number of people, it was clear he wouldn't get his turn today.
Faris arranged for the guards to escort the later-ranked players to their respective resting places.
Taking this opportunity, John finally caught up with Elaria and Lily.
"What's up with you two? First, you pretend not to know , and then you rush off. Elaria, Lily, what's going on?"
"We were just giving you a chance to rekindle your relationship with the princess," Elaria teased.
"Exactly," Lily chid in.
"Wait, hold on. When did I ever say I wanted to rekindle anything?"
Elaria pouted, "With the way you were lost in thought earlier, who couldn't tell you still have feelings for her? Lily and I were just trying to help, and now we're the bad guys?"
John felt a headache coming on.
"Stop fooling around. Last night, I sensed the presence of a Divine Emissary. We're still not out of danger, and this is not the ti to be concerned with such matters. Besides, this doesn't match my mories. I don't rember Dolores ever being seriously ill. Sothing's not right here."
Hearing this, Elaria and Lily's expressions turned serious. "What should we do now?" Elaria asked.
"I'll go gather so information. You two stay put and don't do anything that might alert them. I'll see if I can find out why things have suddenly changed."
Unfortunately, after dealing with [gluttony] and Miles, Deception had left. Otherwise, getting information would have been much easier with him around.
"John, be careful and stay safe," Lily urged.
"Don't worry. I'm very familiar with this place. I'll be fine."
After reassuring the two won, John waited for a mont when the guards weren't paying attention and slipped out of the room.
He knocked out a guard around the corner, put on the guard's armor, and started wandering around the palace.
Aside from this incident not matching his mory, everything else seed unchanged.
The layout of the palace and the guard positions were very similar to what he rembered.
It didn't take John long to find the entrance to the royal bedchambers.
The only problem was the guards stationed at the entrance.
Forcing his way in would surely alert them, so John needed a different approach.
This was where the importance of his Trickster class ca into play.
Following Deception's approach, John crafted a quick plan in his mind and confidently walked up to the guards. Before they could stop him, he spoke up first, "I thought my eyes were playing tricks on , but it really is you two! Don't you rember ? It's Leonard! We took the guard exams together! Unfortunately, I didn't make the cut, but you two did.
I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Leonard? Oh... I rember now. You were the one who almost cried when you didn't pass, right?" one of the guards said.
"Hey, let's not bring that up, my friend. Looks like you two are doing well, working as royal guards. Unlike , still stuck in the inner city. If it weren't for this temporary draft, we might not have seen each other for many years."
John walked up to them in a familiar manner, but the next second, two spears were pointed at his chest armor simultaneously.
"Hey, what's this all about?"
"Leonard, friendship is one thing, duty is another. The bedchamber is off-limits. Don't make things difficult for us."
"Misunderstanding, I didn't intend to go in. I just wanted to say hello! Co on, put those things away. We're all friends here, no need for this."
"...You better not try anything funny. It's a sensitive ti now. Don't do anything rash."
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