16
Chapter 16
I stared blankly at the building in front of me.
A combination of white and gold that gave off a classic, elegant vibe.
Artistic designs seamlessly melted into every nook and cranny.
It was far more luxurious than most modern buildings I had seen.
However, that wasn't what was important right now.
'The security is much stricter than I thought.......'
Since we were in a position where we had to infiltrate this place.
The reason was simple.
Rubia lived here.
A role that would support the protagonist both materially and physically.
The financial backer, the backstage support, the information network.
An existence that would take on all sorts of odd jobs, someone absolutely indispensable for our future life.
She was someone I absolutely had to bring into our fold. I had to meet her no matter what and request her cooperation.
But the problem was that Rubia was a Noble and a successful Entrepreneur.
There was no way we could meet someone like her through normal means.
That was obvious.
It was like calling a major corporation's headquarters and asking to meet the CEO.
You needed to be of a certain status to even get an appointment, so how could a penniless Commoner schedule a meeting?
So, I was planning to hide our appearance with Ciel's magic, infiltrate, secretly contact Rubia, and persuade her to join our side.
'This is a problem.'
It didn't look like a situation where we could infiltrate at all.
But I couldn't just back down either.
Because there was something I had to take care of as soon as possible.
The Empire's worst cold-blooded figure.
Originally a capable Entrepreneur, but someone who gradually becomes corrupted as they get involved with the Empire, eventually reduced to the Empire's loyal lapdog.
I had to urgently stop the worst Villain who would drive countless people to their deaths without batting an eye.
However, the only one I could ask for help with this was Rubia.
In the first place, I didn't know who that Mastermind was.
The author of the spoiler post had meticulously written down the female characters' names, but only vaguely described the appearance of the male characters.
Thanks to that, I was now in a situation where I had to find out who the Mastermind was among a bunch of suspicious-looking misters with receding hairlines.
But if I asked Rubia, it would be a different story.
Even if I didn't know the Mastermind's name, I knew what kind of business they were trying to start.
And if it was Rubia, a successful Entrepreneur, she would definitely know who that Mastermind was.
If I was lucky, she might be able to stop them with her power.
As long as that balding mister could become corrupted and slaughter people at any moment, there was no time to waste.
I had to get inside today, no matter what.
I needed to get inside, but...
"Ciel, is there really no way?"
At my words, Ciel placed her hand on the ground, pouring a dark aura onto the floor.
Ciel kept her eyes closed like that for a while before shaking her head.
Meaning infiltration was out of the question.
Well, I had expected as much to some extent.
Look at the Mana Engineering Equipment installed at the entrance.
I had seen that before in the previous installment.
It was a piece of furniture usable in the game's housing content.
It was ridiculously expensive, but its performance was top-notch; just getting near it would drain the power of most Disguise Magic.
In the end, it meant sticking to the original plan was impossible.
"Should I just kill them?"
......Ciel asked that with an incredibly nonchalant expression. I freaked out and stopped her.
Well, of course, if we killed all the Bodyguards, infiltrating would be possible.
If we left dealing with the other security equipment to Rien, there wouldn't be a problem either.
The issue was that if she attacked first, she'd end up killing them without a second thought; it wasn't that she was weak.
But we were going there to ask the owner of that house for help.
Going to ask for help and killing all their employees in the process—even a good character wouldn't just let that slide.
Even if she's a complete saint, she wouldn't want to grant a favor to someone like that.
'What in the world should I do about this......'
I was deep in thought, agonizing over this for a while.
"I know this might sound stupid......."
Rien, who had been quietly standing by, suddenly opened her mouth.
Naturally, both of our gazes focused on Rien.
Perhaps feeling burdened by the attention, Rien continued in a shrinking, unconfident tone.
"Do we really need to go in through the front?"
"Are you saying we should infiltrate through a detour?"
Was she suggesting we dig a tunnel or something?
I had some doubts about whether that was actually possible.
"Since security is concentrated at the entrance, I thought we could just go in somewhere else."
......That was certainly true.
I recalled the spy movies I had watched in the past.
Scenes of people cutting holes in glass to infiltrate flashed through my mind.
I didn't have the equipment for that, but I did have Rien. It didn't seem like cutting a piece of glass would be a problem for her.
"Ciel, do you think you can do it?"
I looked at Ciel with anticipation, but she shook her head once again.
It seemed that obvious entry points like windows were protected by intruder-detecting Alarm Magic.
I fell into a deep dilemma, wondering if I should finally just give up.
However, Rien didn't give up and opened her mouth again.
"Couldn't we just make a hole or something?"
"Make a hole in the wall? There's no way that's possible......."
My words trailed off naturally.
It was definitely possible.
With Rien's power, something like that would be a breeze.
I looked at Ciel once again. She pondered for a moment before...... nodding her head.
As long as we avoided the Disguise Magic nullification device near the entrance, maintaining our Invisibility Magic wouldn't be an issue.
Now that we knew it was possible, there was nothing holding us back.
"Rien, I'm counting on you. Keep the noise to an absolute minimum. Just make a tiny hole."
Rien nodded with a confident expression.
......Looking back on it, I really should have asked Rien one thing right then.
After her powers had suddenly increased following that incident, had she tested them enough? Was she truly confident in her control?
However, regret only ever visits when it's already too late.
-KABOOOM!!
Along with a deafening roar, the wall crumbled as easily as a cookie.
Shouts erupted from all over. Honestly, it would have been weirder if we hadn't been caught after pulling a stunt like that.
The mansion's security system activated, and the moment a red light washed over us, the effects of our Invisibility Magic vanished.
"......."
Rien stared at me with wide, trembling eyes.
It was time to make a decision.
And...... since we had come this far, there was no turning back now.
'I guess we have no choice but to push through.'
There's no use crying over spilled milk.
Therefore, it would all be for nothing if we didn't somehow manage to meet Rubia.
Honestly, crossing the line is the hardest part; after that, everything else is a breeze.
Let's be a little more flexible with our thinking.
Come to think of it, whether we threaten her or ask for her help, as long as the result is good, does it really matter?
We're doing this to save the world, after all.
*****
The interior of the luxurious mansion.
Dazzling decorations showed off a classical, elegant charm.
In such an elegant room, Rubia leisurely savored her tea.
Everything she saw before her was entirely the result of Rubia's own achievements.
This mansion, all the ornaments, and her current status.
Because she had always stood on the winning side.
She had never missed out on success, not even once.
A smile naturally formed on her lips.
Today was a day worth celebrating.
A business she had invested in from early on had finally borne fruit today.
If she presented this, gaining the Empire's High Command's recognition was a given. She would soon hold an unrivaled power.
With those thoughts in mind, Rubia leisurely savored her Black Tea. ......Or rather, she tried to.
-BOOOOM!
A deafening noise.
Along with it, the ground shook.
The beautifully stacked macarons on the plate fell to the floor. Rubia's situation wasn't much different.
As she tumbled to the floor, she ended up dumping hot Black Tea all over her face, causing an undignified, high-pitched shriek to erupt from Rubia's mouth.
"What are you doing! Don't just stand there, go figure out the situation right now!"
Rubia screamed, her face flushed red.
Her Guards quickly ran toward the source of the sound.
However...... even after waiting for several minutes, no report came back from the Guards saying the situation was handled.
Instead, only an incomprehensible video was sent through Communication Magic.
A golem worth the price of five buildings was shattered into pieces by a single kick from a mere girl.
The magic of the Mage she had graciously brought from the Magic Tower was blocked by the white-haired girl with her bare body.
The Guards she had sent were just sitting on the ground with looks of absolute despair.
Those swords, those spears. They were all unnaturally bent.
As if someone had crushed them using only their grip strength.
Those monsters simply marched forward, completely ignoring common sense.
Smashing everything that stood in their way.
And...... Rubia realized it.
The true identity of the roar she had been hearing for a while now.
And the fact that the sound was gradually growing louder.
-BOOOOM!
With a deafening sound, the wall next to her crumbled.
A giant hole.
Human silhouettes could be seen through the dust.
Unidentifiable monsters wearing black hoods were staring at her.
......Rubia felt like she could cry at any moment.