Chapter 319
Chapter 319
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Invisible Footprints
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Roberts' private mansion was located on the outskirts of the fortress.
That didn't mean she was poor just because it wasn't in the central district.
Even if the status of this military stronghold had faded, the security inside the fortress remained exceptionally high. Warriors patrolled the streets, and massive warships flew overhead at regular intervals. There weren't many fools bold enough to commit crimes in a city like that.
Besides, the Water Fortress was a city that had amassed wealth over a long time, so its residents were quite affluent. Most had no need to resort to crime just to get by.
With safety guaranteed everywhere, there were no small number of people like Roberts who deliberately chose to live in the outer areas. They preferred the quiet atmosphere over the noisy central district.
The airship carrying Roberts passed over several houses before stopping above one mansion.
In the center of the mansion was a small artificial lake, surrounded by a pentagonal building. Between the building and the lake, plants imported from other planets had been planted.
The airship landed on the platform in the lake. The moment it touched down, the surface of the water rippled violently.
"What the?"
Startled, Roberts checked the airship's camera. Water droplets clung to the lens, probably from the splash on landing. There didn't seem to be any other damage.
"Talk about bad luck."
Grumbling, she stepped out and crossed the bridge connecting the platform to the garden planted with those exotic flora. As she walked, sensors and cameras inside the mansion reacted.
"Welcome home?"
"Yeah. I'm going to take a bath, so grab a decent bottle of wine from the cellar."
"Understood."
"And the airship's landing system seems faulty. Check it out."
"I'll look into it."
Having given orders to the slave somewhere beyond the cameras, she headed to the bathroom.
The mansion's bathroom was large enough to accommodate dozens of people. She stripped off her clothes and sank into the steaming hot tub.
"Hoooh."
The rising heat from the hot water flushed her pale, delicate skin pink. As the tension melted from her body, a languid moan escaped her lips unbidden.
'Feeling better already.'
She'd arrived home in a foul mood, but it lifted quickly. A short nap before the wine arrived didn't sound half bad. Closing her eyes, she surrendered her body and mind to the warm water.
Just as sleep was about to claim her.
Beeeep beeeep beeeep.
A blaring noise assaulted her ears. Roberts jolted upright, sloshing the water in the tub violently.
"...An alarm?"
It took her a moment to recognize the sound—she'd rarely heard it before.
The noise echoing from outside the bathroom was the alarm triggered by an unauthorized intruder.
Meaning someone had entered her home without permission.
"What's going on out there?"
Her voice boomed through the bathroom. As if in response, the alarm outside cut off abruptly.
"......"
Silence returned, but she couldn't relax.
This mansion had no dedicated guard slaves. Instead, speakers were installed everywhere so slaves could hear and obey her commands from any location.
So when she gave an order, a response was the norm. Silently shutting off the alarm was anything but.
Sleep vanished in an instant. She climbed out of the tub without drying off and grabbed her terminal pad first.
'Gotta report it!'
It might be nothing, but better safe than sorry. She hurriedly alerted the fortress warriors and threw on a robe.
Warrior squad members would arrive within five minutes. She had to hide in the shelter before then.
Stepping out of the bathroom, bright lights greeted her. The mansion's interior looked no different from usual.
Except for one thing.
"Where is everybody?"
There wasn't a soul to be sensed anywhere in the mansion. Forget intruders—the slaves were nowhere in sight either.
The situation was far from normal. The tremor in her body wasn't just from the cool air conditioning.
'G-Gotta get to the shelter... quick...'
Roberts shuffled along, trembling. The home that had felt so comfortable just minutes ago now seemed utterly alien.
Exiting the building with the bathroom, she entered the corridor—and spotted traces of the intruder.
"Wh-What is this?"
Clear wet footprints marred the floor laid with expensive stone. The size and shape didn't look human at all. And they were bigger than her head.
The footprints led out of the corridor—toward the wine cellar.
"...Damn it."
Roberts formed a psychic whip with her psychokinetic power and gripped it. She'd never imagined something like this happening in the Water Fortress. Once it was over, she vowed to station her combat slaves here.
The silver lining: the wine cellar and shelter were quite a distance apart. With the unknown beast chasing a slave that way, she just needed to flee to the shelter fast.
Half-naked, she ran. No sign of pursuit.
Reaching the shelter safely, she immediately checked the mansion's surveillance cameras. From here, she could monitor every inch of the interior, just like the control room.
The Cult-style computer activated, projecting footage from the cameras into the air. She scanned frantically for intruders.
'Nothing?'
But no intruders anywhere. Not even traces of the slaves presumed attacked by the beast.
"What the hell..."
As she panned through the cameras in confusion, a noise came from outside.
Beeeep beeeep beeeep.
The same alarm from the bathroom. Starting faint, it grew louder. The intruder was approaching.
She hurriedly pulled up cameras from the corridor where the alarm blared.
"What is this? Where's the thing? Where the hell is it?"
The corridor was empty, yet the security system screamed that someone was there.
Searching the footage for the alarm's cause, something caught her eye.
Beeeep beeeep beeeep beeeep.
She leaned close to the floating image.
"......"
At first, she thought it was just a smudge or pattern—a common geometric decoration in the corridor.
It wasn't.
It was a wet mark.
Something invisible to the cameras had left footprints as it walked the corridor.
Beeeep biiip.
And the trail ended precisely at the shelter door.
Her head turned slowly backward.
The alarm cut off, replaced by another sound.
The grinding noise of something heavy being dragged.
It resembled the sound of a thick alloy door opening.
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"Ahem, so everything's fine now?"
"Yes. Seems the outdated security system glitched. I'm truly sorry for dragging you out over nothing."
"You sure you don't want us to take another look?"
"I think we're good. As you can see, I'm not exactly dressed for it."
The armed warriors glanced at her body sideways before averting their eyes hastily.
"Er, ahem, right. Understood."
"We'll be off then. Get some rest."
"Thank you."
They bid her awkward farewells and withdrew.
"Of all times, showing up while she's bathing. Could've just sent a slave."
"Maybe she was having fun with the slaves? Looked like it."
"Enough idle chatter."
The voices beyond the closed mansion door faded quickly. Soon, the small fighter parked outside took off and left.
No sign of more outsiders coming, so I reentered the mansion.
'That was close.'
When I'd first clung to the airship and arrived, I hadn't been too worried.
Unlike Alcadi's mansion, the Water Fortress had no armed guards. The city was so safe that only a handful of slaves resided in most mansions.
While submerged in the lake where the airship landed, I'd used my auxiliary organs to roughly gauge the occupants inside and made my move.
Starting with the slave heading to fetch wine, then the mansion's owner—I planned to handle them swiftly.
'If not for that damn noisy bell.'
In my "Clever Prey" transformation, the "Unknown Creature's Fur Pelt" trait made me immune to detection systems. Waves emitted from the fur disrupted all sorts of scanners. Even vibration sensors were no exception.
But water was the culprit.
The soaked fur must have malfunctioned, failing to neutralize the detection properly.
And while my form evaded cameras, the wet footprints didn't. Anyone sharp-eyed would notice something invisible was there.
'Never saw that weakness coming.'
I knew the Unknown Creature's Fur Pelt wasn't invincible. But such a simple, lethal flaw?
'Desert planet or not, this is the Water Fortress. Gotta be careful.'
Engraving the need to avoid water in Clever Prey form, I returned to the shelter and retrieved the pad terminal left by the mansion's former owner.
'Good. Now for the last bit...'
I had questions for the slave trader Roberts, whom I'd devoured. Normally, I'd use parasites, but my "Parasite Swarm" trait was sealed right now.
So face bug it was. I summoned the one that had replaced an existing member.
The insect with a Cult woman's face tore out from the nest on my back. Summoned in my shrunken Clever Prey state, it was much smaller too.
About the length of an adult man's arm, it shook off its wings and landed before me. The slave trader, aware of the changes to her body, had gone deathly pale.
"I have questions for you."
When my mouth produced a voice identical to hers, her eyes widened.
But with all control of her body vested in me, she had only one option.
"...Ask away."
To fulfill her duty as a minion.
-
Sihyun Yujin realized he was dreaming that familiar dream again.
The white room.
Himself sitting in the center.
Faceless ones whispering something to him from nearby.
The recurring dream he saw every time he slept had become part of his life.
Lately, he even felt like he couldn't do without it.
"You ■■ the ■■■."
"She" seated in the chair spoke. As always, he couldn't make out a word.
Sihyun thought.