The Enemy Stronghold

Thud— thud—

The summons who emerged from the cave glanced back over their shoulders.

"There shouldn't be any trouble."

Ingrid's voice was thick with confidence.

"I suppose not."

"Isn't my Master truly incredible?"

"He is my Lord as well."

"To read the grain itself... that isn't a realm talent alone can reach."

"It is thanks to my instruction."

"Ahh. Truly a magnificent person."

The two of them spoke as if addressing their own reflections, each simply saying whatever they pleased.

Zaug slipped in sideways.

"This humble servant has a confession for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lords and ladies."

"I already know it was not because of the monsters."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You share our Lord's talent."

Isra's gaze grew still and heavy.

"You ought to have been able to evade the notice of mindless monsters at the least."

"Is that so, milady?"

"You discovered a hostile force, then."

"Whoa. For real?"

Ingrid yelped in open shock.

"It may break our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lord's concentration. Be careful."

Three pairs of eyes fixed on Zaug.

"As expected, I cannot deceive milady."

Zaug gave a light shrug of his shoulders.

Megus's eyes flared faintly.

Why did you summon this old man, thief?

"Because I needed my junior's abilities, that is why."

I am a complete outsider when it comes to combat, you know?

"You will understand once we reach the site."

"Thief. How far is the distance?"

"At this humble servant's pace, about thirty minutes, milady."

"That would be the estimate for avoiding combat, I take it."

"Quite right."

Dame Isra rubbed her chin with her right hand.

It was a gesture Minho often made when deep in thought.

Unconsciously, she too had begun to pick up his habits.

"I never expected I would end up carrying anyone other than my Lord..."

"What?"

"I told you to get on. Mage."

"Uuugh. I don't really like it."

"Nor do I find it agreeable."

Shall this old man ride upon the thief, then?

"A corpse is a bit much for that, if you will forgive me."

After some bickering, the summons finally paired off and began to move.

"Milady. Your footsteps are remarkably quiet, are they not?"

"Have you forgotten that your talent is shared among all of the summons?"

It was the concealing talent that had allowed Zaug to thrive as both thief and assassin.

The ability inherited by Minho was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shared among every undead.

Dame Isra was putting that talent to full use, suppressing her presence to the utmost.

"Then I should be able to do it too, right?"

"Having a talent for magic does not mean I can cast Fireball."

"Ugh. Rebutted with theory by an iron-headed knight."

"Honestly, milady's words are correct, that they are."

Talent was, so to speak, a raw gemstone.

It only shone once it had been cut and polished.

"How do you walk without making a sound?"

"Simply imitate the thief's movements."

"That actually works?"

"After observing him a few times, one can at least mimic them."

Even without a stealth-type skill, if one grasped the subtle principle contained in Zaug's movements, a measure of the effect could be achieved.

Skills were power granted to Hunters.

Yet even without that ability, if one comprehended the profound meaning within the motion itself, the same result could be produced.

Just as, in the past, a living armor of solid metal had been carved apart with a bone blade.

"That stings a bit, milady."

"What stings?"

"This gait, milady. I put tremendous effort into crafting this footwork specifically to reduce my presence."

"Indeed. It did take some time to master, so it was no ordinary technique."

"How long did it take you, milady?"

"Ten minutes."

"……."

For the continent's greatest sword, learning the light-footed gait of a skilled thief had required no more than that.

"You can reduce presence itself, but once you enter their field of vision it is over, milady."

"Worry not. I have already taken the monsters' lines of sight into account."

The two summons used tree branches as stepping stones, leaping in continuous succession.

Even while carrying Ingrid and Megus on their backs, not a single sound of noise issued when their feet touched the boughs.

"That way?"

Hrm. It appears to be a barrier constructed with considerable effort.

Riding on the summons' backs, Ingrid and Megus reacted first.

Magic deployed on a massive scale.

The effective range covered the entire mountainside.

Spells designed to provoke instinctive revulsion and bar entry, or to obscure vision and naturally guide travelers elsewhere.

Megus clicked his tongue.

And yet it is crude.

"Did you not just say they put effort into it?"

I meant that those of insufficient skill put effort into it. Is that not so, Lady Witch?

"Agreed. They compensated for lacking skill with raw output."

I should like to pluck out my eyes and wash them.

The scathing reviews continued without pause.

To two summons who had reached the absolute pinnacle of magic and alchemy, the magic draped over the mountainside was nothing more than a shoddy farce that papered over inadequate ability with cheap tricks.

"Hrm. I do not particularly understand, but..."

Dame Isra tilted her head at their harsh critique.

"Then let us enter."

Still suppressing their presence, the summons slowly began to climb the mountainside.

Whoosh!

A monster burst up from the ground.

Dame Isra gripped her sword—

but Zaug stretched out an arm and barred her way.

"Simply watch quietly, if you please."

The newly spawned High Orc surveyed its surroundings, then—

"Kururuk."

—let out a long breath and walked out beyond the barrier.

Though the magic circle had no effect upon the summons, the mindless monsters were being naturally guided outside its bounds.

"We will reach the summit soon."

"It should come into view any moment now, milady."

Zaug raised his hand once more.

Thud— thud—

Figures descending from the mountain peak.

Three fully armed Hunters came down the path, chatting among themselves.

"What a pain. Why do we even have to patrol?"

"The monsters can't leave because of the barrier anyway."

"Quiet. Principles are principles."

The Hunters passed right beside the summons, still talking, their voices gradually fading into the distance.

"Those who installed the magic circle, I take it."

"It would seem so, milady."

"Thief. Declaring them a hostile force when we have not even clashed yet—is that not premature?"

"Does milady not know the reason?"

Zaug shook his head vigorously from side to side as if clicking his tongue.

Ingrid crossed her arms, looking displeased.

"How are you supposed to tell just by looking at people?"

"No. I believe I understand."

"Why are you taking the thief's side now?!"

Dame Isra pointed to the ground where the group of Hunters had passed.

"When we were attacked on the uninhabited island. Do you remember?"

"How could I forget that?"

"Their footprints closely resemble those of the masked ones."

Footwork similar to that of the Tourang Hunters.

It was clear they had received the same style of training.

"Milady. How can you tell from footprints alone?"

"Spare me the false humility. You discerned it from the same thing, did you not?"

"Not at all, milady. It is because they were speaking the exact same language those masked fellows used before."

Ingrid and Megus fell silent for a moment.

Dame Isra's intuition, reading even the method of training from a single set of tracks.

Zaug's experience, matching a remembered language.

Neither was ordinary in the least.

For what reason did you call this old man?

"This humble servant learned something from the previous incident."

Zaug gave a short, soft chuckle.

"Namely, that if there are no witnesses, it is an assassination."

"Thief. What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Last time, the lords' and ladies' movements were exposed exactly as they happened, and it caused no small amount of trouble, did it not?"

The summons' actions, recorded on CCTV.

What should have been a perfect social gathering that day had been live-streamed across social media.

"The Cross Gate does not have facilities like that."

"We must also cut off any request for reinforcements from the hostile force, milady."

There is merit to that. A professional thief is indeed different.

"I gratefully accept the praise—no. Not a thief, but an archaeologist, junior!"

"Megus. Can you do it?"

Dame Isra cut Zaug off.

This old man's alchemy skill is limited to the opening of mana circuits, I am afraid.

"So even the abilities of a great alchemist have their limits."

Hmph! Do not underestimate this old man. Intervening in an already installed magic circle is well within my power.

Trismegistus.

The ultimate realm of alchemy.

Though Megus had lost most of his power upon inhabiting a Revenant, the ultimate techniques he had mastered in life allowed him to 'interfere' freely.

"Heheh. That is precisely why I brought my junior along."

"Severing their lines of communication. Is it possible?"

Keh keh. If I alter the structure of the magic circle, it should manage somehow.

Megus answered with confidence.

"These are the ones who sought to harm our Lord. Mercy is unnecessary."

Killing intent gleamed in Dame Isra's eyes.

Though each expressed it differently, every summon was honing a blade of vengeance.

From the Gate assault incident to the present moment, they had always been on the receiving end of attacks. This was their first chance to strike back.

"Milady. Will it be all right?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Should we not report this to the Great Lord first, I wonder?"

"……Once preparations are complete, I shall inform him myself."

Once again, it was Dame Isra who took the lead and shouldered the responsibility.

The other summons quietly let out sighs of relief.

One week had passed since we entered the Cross Gate.

I had expected all sorts of extraordinary incidents to erupt left and right just because it was a rift between dimensions, but it had been surprisingly uneventful.

"Hyung-nim. You aren't disappointed, are you?"

"Uneventful is good."

"You just sounded awfully regretful, that's all."

At Seongsu's pointed remark I scratched my head with my right hand.

Hmm.

Had I been lacking stimulation lately?

"Maybe it's because I've been doing nothing but pickaxe work."

Unplanned pickaxe labor.

I had thrown myself into training Focus Strike and ended up with blisters.

I had invested a fair amount into my Toughness stat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as well, yet the recoil when Focus Strike failed to trigger was simply too much to endure.

Force. Heal.

"Kyaaaaah!"

The healing effect was certain.

It just hurt like absolute hell.

I secretly wiped away the moisture gathering at the corners of my eyes.

Still, there had been results.

"Swing three times and it triggers once."

As the probability of Focus Strike triggering rose, so too did my comprehension jump noticeably.

At this rate, even my underlings would be able to benefit from the effects of Focus Strike.

As for incidental income—

Two kilograms of mithril obtained while training Focus Strike.

I shall refine the raw ore for you.

Thanks to Master Craftsman Han Yohan's consideration, I was able to acquire fully refined mithril.

Two metal bars gleaming with a silvery light.

They said it was dozens of times more expensive than gold, so selling even a single bar ought to easily fetch several billion won.

"Eheheheh!"

I had no intention of selling it.

A mineral whose price was whatever the seller asked the moment it hit the market.

Once my skills rose further, I planned to use it when forging Dame Isra's weapon.

That aside.

I had intended to land a solid blow against the Chinese Hunters, but after entering the Cross Gate I realized it would not be so simple.

Apparently the distance between Hyunmoo Base and China's Cross Gate entrance was considerable.

A straight-line distance of roughly thirty kilometers.

About the same as Seoul to Paju, they said?

It was a bit far to land one hit and then return.

Hnnngh.

Leaving things like this felt unsatisfying.

Even after the escort mission for the two blacksmiths ended, I did not plan to leave the Cross Gate immediately.

Even so, the environment made it difficult to land a proper blow against the Superhuman General Bureau, and that left me troubled.

While I was mired in thought for some time—

"My Lord."

Dame Isra addressed me in a grave voice.

"Why the heavy atmosphere?"

"In truth, there is a matter I must report to my Lord."

You caused another incident, didn't you.

Judging by the mood, that was definitely it.

"Very well. Speak."

I would decide whether to scold her after hearing the details.

"In truth, we have discovered the stronghold of the hostile force that once attacked my Lord."

"Huh?"

"Preparations to subjugate them are complete. However, should my Lord command us not to proceed, we shall pretend we never knew of it."

What was this.

They had gone and done something praiseworthy behind my back.

"Are you taking full responsibility again this time?"

"I am."

"Ahem ahem, this maiden knows nothing at all."

This old man merely did as he was told.

"This humble servant also knows very little, that he does."

Dame Isra squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

With my right hand, I gently stroked her rigid head.

"Well done."

"?!"

Dame Isra's head dropped heavily.

Mm.

I had stroked her because she was being so admirable, but to a prideful knight it might have felt humiliating.

I ought to remove my hand before any scolding started.

"Then let us go and investigate thoroughly."

A stronghold of the Superhuman General Bureau.

I wonder if our government is already aware of it?