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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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And after a slightly boring wait, we hit the jackpot.
“Wow, so that was today?”
“Hahaha. Good work on your shift!”
A little past 11 o’clock, the guys who had joined hands with the demons were happily leaving the dungeon in droves, laughing their hearts out just to go to a single tavern.
Anyone who saw them would think they were the most diligent adventurers in the world.
Come to think of it, they might have aimed for that on purpose.
To instill the delusion that their actions were righteous and noble.
“The night shift today is going to be damn intense.”
“When was it not?”
“Damn it. Don’t be late. Remember last time when you were an hour late and we had to send someone?”
“The mood is already bad, so I have at least that much sense. I’ll be there right at 6 o’clock, so don’t worry.”
“As if.”
The moving group consisted of 7 people.
After lightly greeting the guards, they began to naturally gather and advance into the forest.
Since they would definitely return on the same path, I immediately adjusted my posture and informed Gaendal.
“I’ll follow them and check the route a bit.”
Leaving Gaendal, who nodded slightly in response, behind, I crouched and moved.
It wasn’t difficult to keep a distance or to conceal my presence from them.
From their defenseless yet familiar appearance, I could tell how long this routine had been repeated and maintained.
Come to think of it, I only heard about them being demon worshippers, but I never heard what they did in the abandoned dungeon or how they got caught.
Since it was a request from the royal family, could it be that they were monitoring people who might become seeds of rebellion in their own way?
If these guys hadn’t been connected to demons, would they have been purged in a different form anyway?
“I never knew being able to go out once every 3 weeks would make me this happy, seriously.”
“We’re doing this because we don’t have to worry about money, but I still wish the gate would be completed soon so we could get out a bit.”
I don’t know about many other things, but they seemed like the type to meet their demise for having loose tongues.
A gate? Were these bastards really helping to build a gate near the capital that demons could use?
Since I had almost no knowledge in that area, I couldn’t tell if it usually took a long time to build, or if it was taking a long time because of the scale.
I hoped Rellie would know a bit more as I continued tracking, but in the meantime, while chatting excitedly, they didn’t mention any more useful information.
The only additional thing I learned was that their long, confined life had only strengthened their friendship.
They hastened their steps, eager to rest even a moment sooner, and it took about an hour to completely leave the forest.
It would take more than twice as long for them to return completely drunk.
I could understand why they didn’t even listen to the idea of arriving right on time.
But even so, it would also mean they wouldn’t be more than an hour late.
I used mana to hurry back a little.
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It took about 30 minutes to return to Gaendal, and another 10 minutes to return to the campsite with him.
As soon as we returned, savoring the warm stew welcoming us, Gaendal conveyed the information we had gathered overnight to the others, who reminded me once again of the importance of comrades.
When I finished by adding the story of the gate I had heard while tracking them, Rellie explained it with a serious expression.
“I’m not an expert in this field either, so I don’t know the specifics, but I know that creating a gate itself doesn’t take that long. Those guys are probably aiming to expand it to an appropriate size.”
“Expand?”
“First, you create a gate, fix the spatial coordinates, and then gradually widen the passage while solidifying it, to ensure safety. In other words… it’s like drilling a needle-sized hole through a mountain and then using that hole as a basis to dig a tunnel.”
“That’s a perfect analogy. It must be a huge construction project.”
As Gin said, it was a metaphor that made it instantly understandable, so we non-mages could nod our heads and grasp the situation.
“It’s important to note that it doesn’t mean that the gate can’t be used right now. While a tunnel has to be dug from the front, a gate is about gradually widening that needle hole. I don’t know to what extent they want the size to be, but judging from the time that has passed, it’s safe to say it’s been drilled enough for one person to pass through standing up without any issues.”
“If it’s opened like that, can’t they just line up and cross over?”
Yekaterina’s question, while quite amusing to imagine, was valid.
Even if they just prepared individual supplies and crossed over, couldn’t it form an army?
However, even with the size limit of the dungeon entrance, there must be a good reason for why they were concerned about the gate’s size.
“It’s certainly possible, but the fact that the demons aren’t doing that means they have another ulterior motive. It’s just that we can’t figure that out at this point.”
“One thing for sure is that whatever their ulterior motive is, it definitely won’t be beneficial to us. At least according to what Eldmia heard, the completion is still far off… Could that possibly act as a variable?”
“Who knows? For now, what I can confirm is that there’s a mage on this side capable of constructing a gate. Whether it’s a demon or a human, both possibilities exist, so it’s quite ambiguous.”
A request from the royal family.
Perhaps its true purpose was to execute the traitor who could open a gate.
There was also a reasonable possibility that they wanted such a significant figure to die as a mere demon worshiper, without even having a chance to find out why they rebelled against the kingdom.
Since they mentioned there was one mage, it was a situation where suspicion was inevitable.
“Other than that, the only other thing would be that the gate can’t be used during the expansion work. In fact, it’s not completely impossible, but it’s very dangerous. If you’re not careful, you could disappear within this space or even pop out in a completely unexpected place.”
“Like in the middle of the sky?”
“All variables apply. It could be deep underwater, or you could die instantly by being half-stuck in a rock.”
Hmm.
That’s quite horrifying.
The fact that such examples popped up right away made me think they might be actual cases.
While the others shared a horror similar to mine, Rellie finished speaking.
“What’s certain is that someone capable of creating a gate is currently inside of the dungeon. No matter how much they want to cut off the expansion, they can’t do it right away. If they cut it off like that, the gate would be completely shattered. It would be a different story if they gave up altogether and closed the gate, but that wouldn’t be too bad of a condition for us.”
In any case, even if the gate was intact, we couldn’t even cross over, let alone find a way to destroy it.
If they hastily shattered it for us, it would be nothing but a blessing.
Once the matter of the gate was settled, what we had to do became extremely concise.
“Eldmia, Yekaterina, and Gin, will you take care of the 7 returning members?”
Killing the 4 guards on shift, including the relief personnel, and the 7 members who would return drunk and off-guard.
Since they had to find their way back, I was naturally included, but I wondered if we really needed two more people.
“Actually, if they’re drunk, I could handle it alone. But to make it a bit easier… Yekaterina’s war hammer could certainly cause some confusion.”
“Huh? Mine?”
“Yes. It’s a size that can’t help but intimidate a person when you see it.”
If a person was smashed right in front of their eyes with that while they were drunk and returning home, they would definitely lose their minds.
Unless they had the title of “Drunken Sword,” an ordinary person could only be utterly bewildered.
“I see. Then, just in case, I’d like Yekaterina to accompany you. It’s not a situation where we can’t prepare for contingencies, and there’s no harm in doing so.”
“That’s a reasonable suggestion.”
I believed it was only natural to go along with it if a teammate wanted to eliminate any unease.
Even if I could do it alone, as long as we were moving as a team, so I readily agreed.
“Let’s see. Even if they really move to arrive at 6 o’clock, with their drunken steps… We still have about 4 hours to spare, right? Eldmia, Where do you plan to start the ambush?”
“I’m thinking of just hitting them near the entrance of the forest. There’s no harm in striking early.”
“Then you’ll have to move from around 3 o’clock at the latest. There’s no need to waste energy on the way there for no reason. Come to think of it, you were able to return quite quickly, but will there be any problem with Yekaterina following along?”
“Since I used aura to some extent to hurry back, it would be a bit overexerting to do so again, considering the upcoming battle. It would be better to hurry only to the extent that it doesn’t interfere with combat.”
Swift and precise is the motto of the Eldmia ambush.
With Yekaterina’s help, it wouldn’t even take 5 minutes to kill all 7 drunks.
The rest was purely travel time.
Normally, I would at least try to interrogate them, but considering the bond I had seen between them in a short time, I boldly decided to give up as it would likely be a half-baked waste of time.
“If they’re very diligent and have considered their slowed walking pace, they’ll leave at around 4 o’clock. Even if not, they’ll start leaving the village by 5 o’clock as they’ve always done. They’re not in the military, so just because it’s until 6 o’clock, they won’t arrive right on time or hurry. They’ll move based on the time it took them to get there. You can assume we’ll be able to regroup in about an hour.”
In the end, it meant either regrouping at 5 o’clock or around 6 o’clock.
Gaendal nodded in understanding and responded.
“Hmm. Even if you’re late, I’ll take care of the guards as soon as the shift change starts at 6 o’clock.”
“Yes. If there’s any disruption to the plan, I’ll run over and let you know in advance, so feel free to execute boldly.”
It’s a distance I could break through in 10 minutes flat if I used mana and sprinted at full speed anyway.
In my previous life, I couldn’t have done such a crazy thing as sprinting through the forest, but now I can do it very easily.
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