Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: 33rd Floor (2)
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The follow-up meeting ended on a bland note.
Because of my overwhelming presence, any further discussion was pointless.
The king and the prime minister decided to entrust everything to me.
They began bustling about, promising to provide me with the kingdom's finest hospitality.
“Enough, that's fine.”
Such things would only delay the clear time, or worse, get the prisoners killed—a massive loss.
There was no time for this kind of reception.
I was just about to leave my seat.
“Wait, hold on!”
A youthful voice grabbed me.
When I turned my head, there stood a girl.
She looked a bit older than me, but still too young to be called an adult.
“Ranger?”
Leather armor and a bow.
Her class was easy to guess.
And the reason she approached me.
She came up to me with a resolute expression, as if she'd made up her mind about something.
“My name is Sharon, and I've volunteered for this rescue operation! Please take me with you!”
“Huh?”
“I'm the kingdom's top ranger! I'm confident I can be of help!”
“Well, if that's the case...”
Her voice carried strong determination and confidence.
But I could read a faint tremor of anxiety deep in her eyes.
It felt like she was desperately hiding her unease beneath that boldness.
Sharon spoke in a polite tone.
“First, I'd like to explain the operation in detail to you, Wise One!”
I looked at her for a moment before nodding.
She must be the NPC who gives the quest briefing.
Sharon pulled out a detailed map from her bosom.
“This is the information I've gathered over the past few days while scouting around the enemy fortress.”
Her finger moved quickly over the map.
“The enemy's patrol routes are divided into three groups, circling this area every 30 minutes. There are eight watchtowers in total. Especially the northern and western ones have the widest fields of view.”
The detailed explanation continued.
Enemy patrol routes, guard shift times, watchtower positions.
Sharon seemed to know orcs better than orcs themselves.
The information was astonishingly precise and meticulous.
“...And so, my plan is this.”
Sharon drew a red line on the map.
An infiltration route that cleverly exploited the enemies' gaps.
“Tonight, we'll time it for when the moon is obscured by clouds. We'll infiltrate silently along this path and head straight for the underground prison where the prisoners are held.”
“The route looks incredibly complicated.... What's the time limit?”
“We have to finish everything and escape within about 10 minutes after infiltration.”
“That seems awfully tight on time.”
“No worries! According to my calculations, even if things go wrong, we can complete the rescue in 9 minutes and 20 seconds!”
Sharon's explanation was nearly perfect.
But one fundamental question occurred to me.
“Why not just blow up the entire fortress?”
I tapped the map.
“I could charge in with a sand giant or summon sandworms from underground and wipe them out in one go. That seems much faster and more reliable....”
I had dozens, hundreds of ways to wipe out the enemies completely.
There was no reason to go through this complicated, risky infiltration.
But at my words, Sharon's face went pale.
She shook her head firmly.
“No! Absolutely not!”
Sharon's voice trembled faintly.
“Orcs are far more cruel and merciless than we imagine.”
Terror and anger flickered in Sharon's eyes simultaneously.
“The moment we attack with a large force or you strike the fortress with powerful magic...”
“They'll kill all the prisoners? That's a problem.”
Sharon's voice grew desperate.
“No, they'll probably do something even worse. They'll push the prisoners forward as shields in the front lines.”
“Meat shields, you mean?”
“Yes, mocking us to kill them ourselves and advance.”
“Hmm....”
Her words made me fall silent for a moment.
She wasn't wrong.
No matter how strong I was, with over ten prisoners held hostage.
Rescuing them all safely while exterminating the orcs wasn't easy.
“What to do?”
I pondered briefly.
Honestly, her plan was a huge hassle.
Crawling through narrow caves and filthy waterways? No thanks.
“Hmm....”
I looked steadily into her eyes.
Desperation shone in Sharon's gaze.
Something far deeper than a knight's sense of duty to save comrades.
‘There's more to her story.’
I didn't ask further.
All that mattered to me was clearing the quest.
I shrugged and said,
“Alright. Let's go with your plan.”
Relief flashed across Sharon's face at my response.
She bowed her head repeatedly.
“...! Thank you! Truly, thank you...!”
I thought to myself.
For now, I'll play along with the young lady's plan.
It wouldn't be bad to enjoy it like a stealth game.
I had new skills I wanted to test anyway.
‘And if the plan goes awry or things get annoying...
I can just flip the board then.’
I had more than enough power for that.
And so, our two-person rescue team—me and Sharon—was formed.
“Oh, right, Super Flag.”
I found Super Flag still sprinting around the palace making fanfare noises with the banner, shrank it down, and recalled it to my shoulder.
***
A short while later, Sharon and I lay prone on a hill overlooking the fortress.
In pitch-black darkness.
Only the orcs' camp was lit by torches.
“......”
Sharon relentlessly observed the camp's movements through a small telescope in her hand.
Tension radiated from her entire body.
Meanwhile, I felt a touch of boredom as I gazed at the night sky.
“The patrol routes match what I scouted. They circle a 50-meter radius around the main gate every 30 minutes. The watchtower guards are awake too.”
Sharon's voice was low and rapid.
Like muttering the operation plan to herself over and over.
‘No need to be that tense.’
Suddenly, I recalled the new skill from floor 32.
Mirage.
A skill to create illusions on sand.
If used well, it could lower the mission difficulty several times over.
I rubbed sand on my robe and hair.
No need if I were naked, but.
Even if I died, I had no intention of strolling around naked.
I activated the Mirage skill.
At first, I projected an illusion of nearby rocks over my body.
“Hmm, not quite.”
But it felt somehow clumsy.
Above all, it didn't blend with the surroundings at all.
A rock walking around.
“Maybe use my head a bit more....”
This time, I tried a different approach.
I projected the image of the rock and dirt behind my back onto my entire body.
“Tricky.”
Controlling it was hard, giving me a slight headache.
But now that I'd learned Gerard's mana manipulation techniques, it was doable.
After a bit of trial and error, I quickly got the hang of it.
Ssslruk-.
Something amazing happened.
My form melted into the air and vanished.
Like wearing an invisibility cloak.
“Perfect.”
I smiled in satisfaction.
Now it was time to cast this magic on Sharon.
“It's fine, my plan is perfect.... After ten footsteps forward, turn right after 3 seconds for five steps. Then wait 15 seconds and....”
Sharon was still muttering beside me, reviewing the plan.
“Great plan. Very detailed.”
“Th-thank you. I've been planning for days for today....”
Tension and confidence flickered across Sharon's face.
“But there's an even better way.”
“Huh? A better way?”
“Making our bodies invisible.”
“What?”
Instead of answering, I dumped a handful of sand over her head.
“Kyaa! Wh-what are you doing!”
“Just stay still a moment. I'm doing something good for you.”
I didn't give Sharon time to resist and began rubbing sand into every nook and cranny of her body.
“Wise One? It tickles! Hold on!”
Sharon twisted in resistance, but I ignored her.
I meticulously applied sand particles to the gaps in her leather armor, her bow and quiver, even between her hairs.
“Done.”
With all preparations complete, I stepped back from her.
“Now, watch closely.”
“Huh?”
I cast the Mirage magic on myself again.
My form melted into the air and disappeared.
“Huh...?”
There was nothing where I'd been standing moments ago.
“Wise One? Where are you?”
Sharon looked around in panic.
I revealed myself right beside her and said,
“Right here.”
“Kyaa!”
Sharon nearly toppled backward in fright.
She stared at me like she'd seen a ghost.
“How... how is this possible?”
“It's magic that refracts light to create an illusion. Now it's your turn, Sharon. Don't close your eyes—look straight ahead.”
I focused my mana on the sand coating her body.
Sharon's body began to fade like heat haze.
“...!”
She barely suppressed a scream and looked down at her hands.
Starting from her fingertips, her arms, then her whole body turned transparent, revealing the rocks and night sky behind her.
“Good heavens....”
She was entranced by the wondrous sight of her body vanishing.
“Now, let's head out.”
“Huh? Just walk in like this?”
Sharon whispered in bewilderment.
Still anxious, she hunched over, scanning the surroundings.
Soon, the first orc patrol approached us.
I felt Sharon's shoulders stiffen.
I lightly tapped her shoulder and whispered,
“Relax.”
The orcs passed in front of us, chatting noisily.
“Loktaa daramla.”
“Loktaar.”
They didn't spare us a glance as they brushed past.
Only after they were completely gone did Sharon exhale the breath she'd been holding.
“...They really didn't see us.”
“Told you.”
“My days of planning....”
Sharon looked down at her transparent hand with a dazed expression.
She looked so pitiful that I comforted her.
“Hey, it'll come in handy sometime.”
“Y-yeah, you're right?”
We pressed on.
It was as if we'd become invisible.
We encountered patrolling orcs several times, but they never spotted us.
Sharon seemed a bit more at ease now.
Of course, we couldn't ignore every obstacle perfectly.
“Hmm, have to go around?”
An orc guarded a firmly shut door.
No path around.
I paused and muttered,
“Should I just kill that guy and put up an orc illusion in his place? Or turn the corpse to sand....”
At my words, Sharon grabbed my arm in horror.
“No! If anyone talks to it even once, we'll be found out....”
“Got it, got it.”
I agreed to her caution for now.
After all, she was the commander of this operation.
“So, is there a way past here?”
“Yes, please wait here a moment.”
Sharon crossed to the opposite woods.
A moment later, she shouted in an unfamiliar language.
“Kaa! Bin mog grutazag cha!”
The door-guarding orc startled and ran toward the noise.
I saw Sharon quickly slip away.
Even invisible, she was visible to me anyway, so no big deal.
I called out to her as she headed the wrong way.
“Sharon, not that way—this way.”
“Oh.... Sorry. Since I can't see you, Wise One, I just....”
“Hmm. Need to work on that part.”
Anyway, I had one question.
After quickly passing through the door, I tossed a question at Sharon.
“You speak Orcish?”
“Yes.... But I don't know why.”
“Huh?”
“I've been able to use it naturally since I was little. Like I already knew it.... Does it seem strange to you too, Wise One?”
“No? I think it's impressive.”
Sharon's eyes widened at my nonchalant reply.
“R-really? Then I'm truly relieved....”
Sharon let out a small sigh, her tension easing.
A faint confidence returned to her face.
After that, we lured enemies away a few more times the same way.
We finally reached our destination: the temporary prison.
A cave deep in the camp.
The entrance was barred by thick iron grates.
Two elite orc guards stood before it.
“Last hurdle.”
Sharon threw a stone far off.
Clang! Crash clang!
The sound of distant glass shattering.
Yet the orcs didn't budge.
“Looks like we really have to take them out this time?”
Sharon nodded at my words.
“Quietly, without a sound. As stealthily as possible.”
Sharon drew an arrow.
“I'll take one out. I'll need to account for the wind, so when I give the signal....”
“I'll handle both.”
I floated two small, silvery glowing sand grains between my fingers.
Smaller and more discreet than usual bullets.
Pshuk.
Two faint sounds rang out in succession.
Bullets pierced precisely between their eyes.
The orcs toppled forward without a scream.
“Whoops.”
I quickly piled up sand to support the orcs.
A big one falling would make noise.
I fixed their poses as if they were alive.
That should buy some time.
“Good heavens....”
Sharon stared at me with eyes mixed of shock and admiration.
I casually passed the fallen orcs and approached the iron grate.
In the dark cave depths, under faint torchlight, human shapes were visible.
“More than I thought....”
Over ten at a glance.
Was it possible to sneak all these people out of the camp silently?
I started to worry a little.
Sharon ignored my concern and rushed straight inside.
She pulled a small bundle of metal picks from her waist.
She jammed the picks into the grate's lock and struggled.
“Please wait just a moment. I'll have it open soon.”
Her hands were hurried, but from tension, the lock wouldn't yield easily.
Only the clicking of misplaced picks echoed in the cave.
“Just a bit more... Almost there!”
I watched her for a moment before stepping forward.
“Hold on.”
I lightly touched the lock with my finger.
Ssslrak.
The sturdy iron lock crumbled into a handful of sand and scattered.
“......Huh?”
Sharon's eyes went wide.
Ignoring her, I turned to the prisoners inside.
I reached for the shackles on their hands and feet.
Ssslrak. Ssslrak. Ssslrak.
Each time I touched them, the chains binding the knights turned to sand and vanished.
In under a minute, every prisoner in the cave was free.
The knights looked down at their wrists and ankles in bewilderment.
They couldn't believe the shackles that had tormented them for days had vanished before their eyes.
Among them, a man sitting deepest inside stood up.
Though stripped of his armor and his clothes in rags, his eyes still burned with life.
More wrinkles than 15 years ago, more scars on his face.
I recognized him at a glance.
Knight Commander Seymour.
The moment Seymour's gaze reached Sharon, his eyes widened in shock.
“Sharon...? Why... how are you here....”
His voice trembled severely with shock.
The next instant, Sharon threw herself into his arms.
“Father!”
Sharon hugged Seymour's waist and burst into tears.
All her pent-up emotions exploded at once; her small shoulders quivered faintly.
Seymour held his daughter, speechless.
I watched the father-daughter reunion for a moment.
Why Sharon had been so desperate for this mission.
Why she couldn't tolerate even a single sacrifice.
Now it all made sense.
After sobbing in her father's arms for a long while, Sharon suddenly came to her senses and ran to me.
Her tear-streaked face grabbed both my hands tightly.
“Wise One...! Thank you. Truly... truly thank you! I'll never forget this grace!”
Sharon bowed repeatedly, choking back sobs.
Hot tears plopped onto the back of my hands.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I awkwardly pulled my hands away.
“Save the thanks for later. First, think about getting out of here.”
At my words, Seymour snapped to attention and looked at me.
“Good heavens, you are....”