Chapter 13
AFTER LISTENING TO THE REPORTS Wasranvel had relayed to Martel, Mira and her companions exterminated the bizarre monsters prowling about the area before heading off to where Bruce was.
It was a bit of a tight fit getting all five of them into the wagon, but it wasn’t much of a problem since they’d just be sitting around talking.
“…And so, if the one behind all of this is hiding in…”
“…Yeah, leave it to me. I can expand it to cover a wide area…”
Mira and her companions were going over the situation on Bruce’s end, and also figuring out what they’d do if they managed to find a dark demon.
First, when it came to the situation with Bruce, it seemed that he’d managed to identify who was selling the monster-repelling amulets, and he’d also discovered where they lived.
Bruce and Cat Sith had shown up to the flea market first thing in the morning and discovered who was selling the amulets. Then, making use of Wasranvel’s powers, they’d tailed the seller and located their residence.
In addition, after getting tipped off, Bruce had his associates purchase all the monster-repelling amulets so they wouldn’t make their way into anyone else’s hands.
They’d taken a quick nap as they made their way there, and it was just after noon.
“Sorry for the wait. We had a bit more company than usual,” Mira said.
Halfway down the main road that headed west from the Empire of Nirvana stretched a forest, deep within which was the cabin they were looking for.
Alighting from the Garuda wagon at the foot of the forest, Mira and her friends met up with Bruce and his companions, who were hiding in the grass about sixty-five feet away from the cabin in question.
“Wow, these are all specialists I’ve heard stories about. My name is Bruce; it’s a pleasure to meet you… And I feel like I’ve met him somewhere before…” Bruce said the moment he caught sight of Barbatos and Marchosias. Then, his gaze fell next on Wallenstein and he stopped.
Unlike Wallenstein now, the Wallenstein of the past had very much been dressed like an edgy tween, and he’d had black cloth wrapped around his entire body, including his face.
But, unlike Mira, he was still in the same exact form. For that reason, Bruce seemed to have picked up on something and was racking his brain to figure out just where he’d met him.
Bruce hadn’t just figured out Mira’s true identity; he’d picked up on Meilin’s as well.
And yet, everything regarding the Nine Wise Men was a state secret. And so, hoping to prevent any other sensitive information from leaking, Mira said, “N-nah, you must be imagining things. But more importantly, how do things look?”
Desperate to change the subject, she emphasized how the most important thing at the moment was the matter of the monster-repelling amulets.
“Ah, yes. Good point…” he said.
Perhaps because he revered Danblf…that is, Mira…so much, he quickly switched gears.
According to him, the seller had entered the cabin that was straight ahead of them and had yet to emerge. What’s more, their target didn’t seem to be doing anything particularly notable. Or so he’d heard from Cat Sith, who’d ventured next to the cabin to listen in and check if anything was going on.
“In that case, all that’s left is to bust in,” Mira said.
The seller they were after was inside the cabin. From the report they’d gotten from Cat Sith, they could assume that they were already relaxing inside.
And so, Mira thought it’d be best to burst inside and strike while the seller still had their guard down.
And truth be told, the fighting force they had there might very well be considered the cream of the crop. Each member of the group was capable of handling whoever might be waiting inside the cabin with brute force alone.
“I think that’s best too! Let’s bust right in through the front door!” Meilin, who always fought on the front line, eagerly agreed. Cat Sith had also finished making sure there were no traps or anything along those lines in the cabin.
And so, there was no longer much point in sitting around pontificating.
“That would indeed be fastest,” Wallenstein, also seeming to think it was the quickest solution. Nodding in agreement, Barbatos said, “Sure thing, let’s do it.”
“Sweet, we’re gonna storm the place! It doesn’t get any simpler than that,” Marchosias said, suddenly enthusiastic.
With his ability to convert demonic power now sealed, just how much power was he capable of using? His expression seemed to indicate that he hadn’t gotten a good enough idea of this yet.
“I might’ve figured…” Bruce murmured.
Was this the end of the cautious way they were proceeding with their plan? Looking at Mira and Meilin, who were the best at raids out of everyone in the group, Bruce backed down with a word of protest.
“But of course, they can only go ahead like that because we completed our mission so flawlessly,” said Wasranvel, the only one in the group to sympathize with Bruce. He then praised Bruce, saying that they only been able to gather intel, expand their intelligence network, and locate the cabin thanks to his skills.
Bruce answered that, rather, it was all thanks to Wasranvel’s power of silence.
Following behind Mira and the others, who were fired up to charge into the cabin, the pair quietly applauded each other for a job well done.
The cabin the seller was holed up in didn’t seem big enough to fit a whole family. At most, it looked like a living space with rudimentary plumbing that doubled as a workshop.
At first glance, the small cabin looked more like a way station than any kind of residence.
Furthermore, there was only a single person inside. Meilin had used [Biometric Scan], and so they knew this for a fact.
“…Okay, I’m ready over here.”
“Hrm, I’ve got everything in position too.”
Wallenstein had expanded a barrier around the hut, while Mira had summoned several holy knights who were now lurking hidden in the shadow of the trees. They were stationed there just in case the seller tried to make a run for it.
“All right, then I’m going in!”
“Yeah, let’s do it!”
Meilin and Marchosias were speaking as if they could hardly wait.
The pair were gazing directly ahead at the door of the cabin. Meanwhile, the seller was sitting somewhere a little ways away from that very door.
No doubt because of this, the two moved in perfect sync, simultaneously dashing forward and vigorously kicking down the door in one go before bursting inside.
They hadn’t just busted the door open; they’d smashed it to pieces. “Looks like she’s in even higher spirits now that she’s found a kindred spirit,” Mira said as she and her companions followed the two into the hut.
But only a couple of moments later, she heard Meilin’s voice ring out, “All right, surrender!” Then, there was a brief pause, before she continued, “I feel like this isn’t quite right.”
“Umm…” Marchosias mumbled bemusedly, with his fist raised.
“Well, this isn’t really what I expected…” Mira said, also pausing when she caught sight of the scene. Likewise, so did Wallenstein and Bruce.