Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Infiltration
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Loan spoke.
“What exactly is the support mission you received, Senior?”
“A request came from the Responsibility Division. They probably need personnel for intelligence gathering or espionage.”
“Ah… then it might be better to join up with the Responsibility Division quickly.”
Sienna was lost in thought for a moment.
“There are Nostra members who escaped. They likely have a well-organized communication network, so word of what happened here will spread throughout the region in no time.”
In other words, the information they could gather by visiting other villages would be limited.
It was also an agreement with Loan’s point that joining the Responsibility Division immediately would be for the best.
“Let’s share our progress here and any information we gather on the way with the Union right away.”
“Yes. This is a time-sensitive matter, so we can’t afford to fall behind on intelligence.”
The situation was spiraling into one where it was becoming harder to trust anyone, but the Union was an organization built on mutual trust.
They had to do so without a shred of doubt.
Both Loan and Sienna knew well that the moment they betrayed that trust, the Union would cease to be the Union.
Sienna said,
“We should return via the central road. It will take time to cross the mountains, but we can’t just leave them be.”
After discussing their immediate course of action, the two spoke with the villagers again.
Most of those capable of fighting had died during Nostra’s invasion, leaving only the elderly and the weak.
This meant that once Loan and Sienna left, those who couldn’t protect themselves would be left to tremble in fear.
Sienna said,
“If we head toward Ferrara’s central road, we’ll come across the northern city of Como. The Union’s Responsibility Division should be there, so let’s head that way instead.”
The village had essentially lost its function.
Even if they planned to return someday, this was the right thing to do for now.
And so.
Loan and Sienna led several dozen people over two mountains, arriving in Como in two days.
It was astonishing that the exhausted group had crossed the mountains at such a speed.
It was thanks to them pushing themselves, not wanting to be a burden to their gracious saviors. Loan was touched by their consideration.
“We received your messenger bird. You’ve been through a lot.”
A Seeker from the Responsibility Division greeted the two.
A scholarly-looking man with gentle eyes looked back and forth between Loan and Sienna and asked,
“We were just forming a team to send to Chamonix, where you came from. We’d like to hear what happened, but you’re in a hurry?”
Sienna replied.
“We’re here on a mission, so it’s difficult to delay. We ask for your understanding.”
“Hmm. Well, you sent a very detailed report, so we grasp the situation, but I asked just in case. You must be tired from your journey. Are you leaving immediately?”
From here, it would take three days to reach Felsina, where the council was to be held.
That is, if they didn’t ride horses but instead poured out their mana and ran at full speed.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the two agreed to do so.
They completely released the speed they had been reining in for the sake of the villagers.
The people who had expressed their gratitude throughout the journey tried to convey their disappointment in their farewells.
But Loan and Sienna’s forms had already vanished.
The two of them ran like the wind.
For two full days, they focused solely on running.
Despite using his mana generously, Loan’s reserves were replenished just as quickly, so it was no issue.
Sienna, too, possessed outstanding fundamental abilities, and with some help in her mana circulation, her speed never dropped.
The last day was no different.
Following behind Sienna.
Loan recalled the moment he had first chased after her while learning movement techniques.
He hoped she would master mana circulation quickly, so she could run faster without losing mana.
He hoped she would learn mind-speak so they could talk while running.
And a thought he had held for a long time.
He wished for her aura to extend more vividly and dazzlingly.
And finally, Loan.
He coolly analyzed the thoughts he was having and the emotions that drove them.
There was no basis to call it love.
Admiration and respect for his senior.
The entirety of his feelings was a simple ‘wish for her to do well’ that arose in response.
Right now, there were no elements that would interfere with the tasks he had to perform.
He was proud of himself for not falling into the trap of adolescence, where one is prone to making misguided judgments and actions out of defiance and narcissism.
‘I’m doing well.’
Running like the wind, Sienna felt something was off and glanced back, meeting Loan’s smile before quickly turning her head away.
Wondering if his senior had been about to say something, Loan closed the distance.
“Senior, what is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
“…”
Since Loan’s comment about adolescence, Sienna had tried to maintain a strictly professional attitude.
Feeling confident and in control of both his body and mind, Loan moved up right beside her and asked,
“What’s Nostra’s command structure like?”
In the chaos, he was still ignorant of the information the Faith Division had gathered on the Graves.
Sienna stared straight ahead and spoke.
“The one confirmed as the boss is named Luciano. He’s an archer who was once notorious in Ferrara. He’s classified as a Master-rank, which is rare for a pure archer.”
“Does that mean he’s on the same level as Captain Mika?”
“You could see it that way.”
As expected of the leader of the Graves, he was on a different level.
Libertha, which had been annihilated, was little more than a mob of riffraff gathered by a demon.
Or perhaps, considering their objective, they were merely an advance party.
“He has two lieutenants under him, and the third-in-command, the Consigliere, originally numbered three, but now there are two.”
“I see…”
“It’s also been confirmed that there are many other Expert-ranks who, while lower in the hierarchy, are just as skilled.”
“They’re quite well-established.”
“That’s what’s strange. The boss, Luciano, has a history of seclusion and doesn’t engage in much external activity, so it’s a mystery how he formed such a large organization.”
“Is that so.”
“Their objective is also ambiguous. We’ve assessed their nature as prioritizing the group’s interests above all else, rather than trying to realize some ideal…”
The process of absorbing minor criminal organizations throughout Ferrara and expanding their influence had been remarkably swift.
While they engaged in plunder, that alone wouldn’t be enough to cover their operational costs.
One could tell just by looking at the attire of each member.
How did they secure the massive funds needed to run the organization? The Faith Division suspected there was a benefactor behind the scenes, enabling them to carry out such a large-scale operation.
“It certainly seems we can’t rule out a connection to the Ferrara families.”
“The probability is high. Though we don’t know which family it might be.”
If that family belonged to the council, they would surely be closely involved with the ‘Agenda’ and the ‘Carnival.’
“And they’re probably in there.”
As they crested a hill.
A landscape of winding stone walls and ancient buildings filled their view.
This was Felsina, the second city of Ferrara.
Despite the rainy weather, the streets leading to the central district were bustling with merchants.
This was because it was a strategic hub in the north-central region, connecting to Versa in the west, Sion in the north, and Rhodes in the southeast.
This place, at least, seemed peaceful and vibrant.
If it weren't for the stern-faced figures in heavy armor standing guard everywhere.
“Security is tight.”
Loan and Sienna passed through the gazes of friendship and caution directed at them, arriving at the large plaza where the city hall was located.
In the middle of the plaza.
A group of people was waiting, as if they knew they were coming.
Among them was a figure whose head stuck out even in the crowd.
Seeing the face of Responsibility Division Commander Garcia was quite reassuring.
While it was an undeserved welcome, there was also a slightly awkward aspect for Loan.
He had requested a private meeting during the last commanders' conference, but Garcia had not responded.
Sure enough, there was a subtle edge to the welcoming greeting.
“Loan. Did you mistake the meeting place? No, it seems you got the time wrong as well. To see you in Ferrara after two months have passed. In my day, an appointment with a senior was considered equivalent to a mission…”
“Welcome.”
Garcia was about to launch into a long speech when he was cut off by his adjutant.
A pale-skinned woman with short hair and slightly pointed ears.
As if she didn’t feel the cold, she wore a form-fitting sleeveless top, and the dark tattoo running from her face to her shoulder was vaguely intimidating.
She continued,
“Sienna. It was a difficult request, but thank you for coming all this way.”
“You called me because you needed me.”
A blunt reply flowed from Sienna’s lips, but they seemed to be quite familiar with each other.
As Loan carefully observed the tattoo, which resembled a magic circle.
“You must be Loan. I’m Licha, Vice-Commander of the Responsibility Division. Sienna and I are from the same hometown.”
Loan, keeping his fist raised in the salute he had offered Garcia, simply turned his body to salute Licha.
“Runner Loan of the Faith Division.”
“Of course, I know. You’re the most famous person in the Union right now.”
As Licha praised him, Garcia let out a loud cough, showing his displeasure.
“Don’t praise him like that. He’s starting to look the part of a Union member, but shouldn’t he have already possessed that level of spirit before joining? Back in my day, the concept of learning after joining didn’t exist, but these days…”
“Let’s go inside. You must be tired from the long journey.”
Contrary to her first impression, Licha had a rather friendly personality.
Yet, the way she completely subdued her superior, Commander Garcia, suggested she was either highly trusted or exceptionally skilled.
As Loan quietly marveled, Sienna whispered to him.
“They’re married.”
“Ah…”
He naturally recalled the stories the married seniors in the Faith Division would tell at every opportunity.
The times when those brave men would declare without hesitation that the scariest person in the world was their wife.
The countless pieces of advice they had sincerely offered Loan, who was being inundated with marriage proposals from all over.
He also remembered them telling him that while he might face many temptations due to his looks, he should delay marriage as long as possible.
Having been brainwashed by those words, he immediately understood Garcia’s behavior.
But regardless of his seniors' warnings, he honestly thought they looked good together.
Even that dynamic felt peaceful.
It felt like a fairy tale, somehow detached from the current era of demons, monsters, and worries about the apocalypse.
“What is it?”
Sienna nudged Loan, who had been staring blankly for a moment.
Loan’s face reddened for no reason as he followed her.
Felsina’s city hall had just finished renovations.
This was because its primary function had been shifted to that of a council legation.
Now the core space responsible for the duchy, it was lavishly decorated and heavily guarded.
Behind the main building was an annex.
This was the place the Union’s Responsibility Division would use during Ferrara’s stabilization period. A place had been prepared for Loan and Sienna at the meeting of the Responsibility Division’s leadership, which was being held here.
Among the Responsibility Division’s Commander, Vice-Commander, and the leaders of the Seeker-level squads, Loan reported on the situation up to their arrival.
It was quite a heavy story, yet even those he was meeting for the first time listened intently to Loan’s report with pleased expressions.
“…That is all.”
Licha spoke.
“Combining the information we’ve gathered so far with the Faith Division’s latest intelligence, there’s a high probability that the ‘Carnival’ and the ‘Agenda’ are related to the council.”
Immediately after, the members of the Responsibility Division began to freely voice their opinions.
“We won’t know what will be proposed on the council’s agenda until the day of, will we? We can’t surmise anything just from the fact that the Carnival is on the agenda.”
“Even if we could, stopping it would be interfering in domestic affairs. The Union can’t draw its sword over something that hasn’t happened yet.”
“We still can’t prevent a Nostra-affiliated individual from being elected as chairman on the day.”
“That’s true, but we can’t just use force without evidence when we’re attending the council as observers.”
“Security will also be tight. It’s a matter of national importance, so it wouldn’t be strange for the best of the best to be there in droves.”
Sienna, who had been listening, suddenly interjected.
“Excuse me, just a moment. Does saying a Nostra-affiliated person will be elected chairman mean you’ve identified the family connected to the Graves?”
Licha answered.
“We have our suspicions. That’s why we needed you, Sienna, with your quick feet.”
“Hmm… Loan’s feet are probably faster, but anyway, what do you need fast feet for?”
At Sienna’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to Loan.
The surprise was immense, as they all knew that Sienna’s movement technique was among the best in the Union.
“It’s what the Faith Division does best. Infiltration, espionage, information gathering, that sort of thing.”
“The target?”
“The Basini family, who we suspect is Nostra’s main base of operations.”
Infiltrating Nostra’s main base.
It was an unexpectedly large-scale mission.