My Goblin System : Levelling up with my SSS Class Devouring skill-Chapter 313

The city itself sprawled beyond the walls, lights from thousands of windows creating a warm glow against the night sky. Valstrath was old civilization, established and prosperous—the kind of place where security was taken seriously because there was wealth worth protecting.

"The monastery is inside the city," Sylvara said quietly, studying the layout. "The Sanctum of Eternal Wisdom sits in the northern quarter, near the noble district. We’ll need to get through the city gates first before we can even approach it."

Satou’s enhanced vision focused on the main gate below. Even at this late hour, there was still a trickle of traffic—merchants trying to enter before curfew, guards checking papers, the organized chaos of a functioning checkpoint.

"My shadow abilities work better with more light," Satou pointed out, noting the numerous torches illuminating the gate area. "More shadows to manipulate. The brightness actually helps me. We could slip past the guards using Shadow Step and Perfect Stealth."

"We could easily pass through using your abilities," Sylvara agreed, her tone thoughtful but cautious. "In pure stealth terms, getting past the guards would be manageable. But there’s a significant problem—the gates have detection spells."

"Detection spells?" Satou asked.

Sylvara nodded, her professional experience showing. "Magical wards that track unknown movement and body heat temperature. They’re designed specifically to catch infiltrators who try to bypass official checkpoints. If anyone slips through without being officially checked and registered by the guards, the wards trigger an alarm immediately. The entire garrison would be alerted within seconds—bells ringing, gates sealing, soldiers mobilizing to hunt down the intruder."

Satou cursed quietly. "Of course they do. After demon sightings in the region, they’d have increased magical security."

"Exactly. These aren’t just physical defenses—they’re layered protections. Physical guards, magical detection, systematic registry. It’s designed so that even if you bypass one layer, the others catch you." Sylvara’s expression was calculating. "We can’t just sneak past. We need to go through the official checkpoint, which means we’d need convincing disguises, forged papers, a believable cover story. And even then..."

She trailed off, her eyes moving to Satou’s distinctive dragoblin features—the scaled skin, the clawed hands, the sharp teeth visible when he spoke.

"Even then, my appearance would be difficult to hide from close inspection," Satou finished her thought. "A hood and shadows might work from a distance, but if a guard decides to look closely..."

"It becomes very risky," Sylvara confirmed. "And if we’re caught trying to infiltrate with false papers, we’ll have the entire city garrison hunting us before we ever reach Richard Clay."

They sat in silence for a moment, both tactical minds working through options. Every possibility seemed to have significant drawbacks. Going over the walls would trigger alarms. Trying to bluff through the checkpoint was risky. Waiting for another opportunity could mean Richard leaves before they can strike.

"So what do we—"

Satou stopped mid-sentence, his enhanced senses detecting movement approaching from behind. Fast footsteps, deliberate approach, not trying to hide but not announcing either. The rhythm was familiar—confident, purposeful, moving with supernatural speed.

His hand moved toward his weapon, Shadow Blade beginning to form before he consciously thought about it.

" Lord Satou," a familiar voice called softly from the darkness. "I’ve been waiting for you."

Satou relaxed immediately, the Shadow Blade dissipating as he recognized the voice. "Cassius."

Sylvara had also tensed, her daggers half-drawn before she identified their approaching visitor. She sheathed them smoothly. "You have impeccable timing, vampire."

A figure emerged from the shadows, and both Satou and Sylvara did a double-take.

Cassius looked completely different from his usual appearance. Gone were the dark infiltration clothes, the practical traveling gear, the nondescript merchant disguise. Instead, he wore the full uniform of a Valstrath city guard—polished armor bearing the kingdom’s tower insignia, a proper longsword at his hip, a helmet tucked under one arm, even a red cloak denoting regular garrison duty rather than elite forces.

He looked every inch a legitimate soldier—professional, well-equipped, completely unremarkable among the dozens of other guards visible at the gate below.

Sylvara’s eyes widened slightly, professional appreciation clear in her expression. "You’re disguised as a guard?"

"Not disguised," Cassius corrected with a slight smile, his red vampire eyes gleaming with amusement in the torchlight. "I am a guard. Officially hired, properly registered, drawing regular pay. Guard Cassius Drake, assigned to Gate Watch Third Company, serving with distinction for the past week."

"You infiltrated the garrison," Satou said, understanding immediately dawning. "How?"

"It’s amazing how easy it is to join a city watch when they’re desperate for recruits," Cassius explained, settling into a crouch beside them in the shadows. "Valstrath increased security after demon sightings in the region—added fifty new guards to the garrison in the past two weeks. They’re hiring anyone with basic combat skills and no obvious criminal connections. I simply walked up to the recruitment office seven days ago, demonstrated adequate sword work, answered a few perfunctory questions about my background—all lies, naturally—and was hired on the spot. No background checks, no magical verification, no questions asked. Just another mercenary joining the city watch for steady pay and room and board."

He gestured to his uniform with evident satisfaction. "They even gave me a signing bonus. Paid me to infiltrate them."

Sylvara laughed quietly, the sound carrying genuine appreciation. "That’s brilliant. Hide in plain sight by becoming exactly what they’re looking for."

"The best cover identities are the ones where the system itself validates you," Cassius agreed. "I’m not pretending to be a guard—I am a guard according to every official record in Valstrath. I have papers, I draw pay, I attend roll call, I follow orders. If anyone checks, they’ll find I’m completely legitimate."

"And you’ve been working the gates," Satou said, understanding the full scope of Cassius’s preparation.

"Every night shift for the past six days," Cassius confirmed. "I always volunteer for gate duty specifically because I knew you’d be arriving eventually and would need a way through those detection wards. Lord Loki’s message said you were coming. I figured the hardest part wouldn’t be finding Richard—it would be getting into the city past layered magical security. So I positioned myself to solve that problem before you even arrived."