Chapter 70: The Infiltration Mission Part 4

The following morning, Mika swiftly disassembled a basket full of sea fish and promptly served them to us. The cooking method was as simple as yesterday: just grilling them.
 
However, unlike yesterday, currenty we were in enemy territory. So to minimize the visibility of smoke, Mika used his spiritual power to control the wind and disperse the smoke produced while grilling. It seemed that he was more skilled than I thought.
 
I devoured the fish from head to tail, bones and all, just as I had done the previous day. The three of them exchanged subtle glances as I munched on the bones. Even if you look at me like that… Since I can eat bones, then there’s no problem whatsoever; moreover, it would actually be more troublesome to avoid them altogether, right? No amount of criticism would deter me from savoring the bones.
 
Mika, with an exasperated expression, used some kind of spiritual art on the dismantled fish. It appeared to be a method of extracting moisture and desiccating them, resulting in the fish becoming stiff. Given his mention of the need for provisions the previous night, this must serve as an additional source. Clearly, replenishing supplies on-site was vital for extended operations.
 
“Well, today I want to secretly investigate that facility. Any ideas?”
 
After saying that, Marcellus took out the tool he used before and projected an image of a facility with numerous towers enclosed within a wall.  It seemed that the facility would be difficult to secretly investigate unless we destroyed it completely. The reason being, I had a thick and long visible tail.
 
Even if I were skilled at concealing my presence, I couldn’t completely vanish like Woodsorrel using spiritual arts. Being physically large, I would undoubtedly be discovered, no matter what.
 
“I’ll go. Illusion arts are my specialty,” 
 
Rinne raised her hand. She was originally adept at illusions when she was human, and her power had been further enhanced through synthesizing with the Illusionary Dream Sheep. Turning invsible shouldn’t be much of a challenge for her.
 
“I’ll… Wait, are you planning to go alone?”
 
“Hiding the presence of four people simultaneously is easy. But maintaining that state while moving around raises the difficulty level of control. One more person is my limit.”
 
I see; I understood her point well. Spiritual arts that require delicate control are often more challenging than simple, powerful techniques. As someone who conducted daily training to control the spiritual power and fighting spirit within my body, I was fully aware of that.

So, who would accompany her? It was Mika who immediately raised his hand.
 
“Well then, I’ll go with you. I’m skilled at concealing my presence, and even if we happen to be discovered, escaping will be easy for me,” Mika said.
 
“You seem sure of yourself, huh? Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Take this. Do you know how to use it?” 
 
Marcellus handed Mika the tool used for capturing visual images. Mika nodded as he received it and turned to face Rinne. Understanding his intention, she cast an illusion on both herself and Mika.
 
“Whoa! Y-you’ve become… transparent!?” Marcellus exclaimed.
 
“…”
 
As soon as the illusion was activated, Mika and Rinne gradually disappeared from sight. They blended seamlessly into their surroundings, to the point where even their outlines couldn’t be discerned. Marcellus openly showed his surprise and glanced around, unsure of where they were.
 
However, as someone sensitive to spiritual power, I could sense the presence of the illusion’s spiritual power itself, making it obvious where the two who were using the technique were.  This revelation only served to highlight the exceptional skill of Woodsorrel, who had managed to keep her presence hidden from me back in the arena, where I didn’t discover her until she made physical contact with my body.  
 
“I see, overconfidence is definitely not advisable,” Mika remarked.
 
“…It’s a bit disheartening,” Rinne added.
 
Realizing that I had noticed them, Mika acknowledged that their concealment was not flawless, while Rinne expressed her frustration. The presence was so faint that it could easily go unnoticed if one wasn’t attentive, but it was better for them to assume that there might be someone capable of detecting it.
 
The two of them walked silently towards the facility, making no sound with their footsteps. In the event that a battle ensued, Marcellus and I would launch an attack on the facility to buy them time to escape. We positioned ourselves low in the wheat field, keeping a watchful eye on the facility from the outside.
 
◆◇◆◇◆◇
 
In their hidden state, Mika and Rinne entered the interior of the facility through the sole entrance in the surrounding fence. Although there was no gate, there were soldiers on guard, as to be expected, so the two proceeded cautiously, careful not to be noticed.
 
Fortunately, the armored soldiers within the facility didn’t possess the same sharp senses as the Hades scorpion demon. Likewise, their advanced armor appeared to lack such capabilities either. Without drawing any suspicion, Mika and Rinne easily infiltrated the area and began exploring the inside of the fenced facility.
 
They refrained from unnecessary conversation, relying on hand signals to communicate their intentions. However, they had not undergone extensive training to convey complex messages, so it was mainly Mika leading the way, signaling for pauses and advances.
 
As they circled along the fence perimeter, Mika captured the images of the buildings, patrolling soldiers, and a peculiar cart-like metal box vehicle that differed from the fire-breathing war chariots. After completing the reconnaissance round, the two attempted to infiltrate the interior of the facility next.
 
To achieve that, they needed to slip through the small gap as soon as the door opened. The two pressed their bodies against the facility’s walls, patiently waiting for the opportune moment.
 
“By the way, it’s quite convenient that we can see each other despite the spiritual art in place… a handy spiritual technique,” Mika commented.
 
“Before becoming a demon, it would have been impossible for me. Although I have mixed feelings about being turned into a demon, as a spiritualist, it’s quite gratifying… because with this power, I might be able to save my comrades,” Rinne responded.
During this rare moment of leisure, Mika sincerely praised Rinne’s illusion skills. And although her response lacked inflection as always, there was a sense of pride in her tone. Following that, Mika briefly showed a somewhat sorrowful expression before quickly masking it with a smile, saying, “I see”.
 
At that moment, Rinne sensed something vulnerable or murky within Mika. Without thinking, she grasped the hem of his clothing with her fingers. Mika stared at her hand in surprise, and this time, Rinne spoke hurriedly, trying to cover up her actions.
 
“B-… by the way, even though yesterday’s meal was just a simple dish, it was delicious. Next time, teach me how to cook.”
 
“Sure, I don’t mind. Ah here it is…!”

At that moment, the door they had been keeping watch on swung wide open. About ten armored soldiers emerged from within, and the two exchanged glances before silently slipping into the facility through the gap.
 
The place they entered was one of the tall towers. Walking along the metallic corridor without making a sound, they proceeded with their investigation. The ground floor appeared to be a barracks for the soldiers, as there were several invading army soldiers not wearing their armor.
 
It was the first time both Mika and Rinne had seen the faces of the invading army soldiers inside that armor. The rough outline of their bodies was similar to that of the Furu race. They didn’t have a third eye on their foreheads like the Reka race, nor did they have elongated and pointed ears like the Eru race.
 
Although Mika briefly considered them to be Furu race members, it seemed they were different after all. Apart from their black hair, their blue-toned skin clearly indicated a distinct race. Mika made sure to capture their appearance firmly with the recording tool.
 
Finding a staircase, the two climbed it, only to realize that the exit was not on the second floor. They continued ascending the winding stairs tirelessly until they finally discovered an exit, which was almost close to the roof.

“The door is locked. Please wait a moment,” Mika said.
 
Mika pressed the pad of his thumb against the keyhole. While in this position, he performed some kind of spiritual art, and with a click, the lock opened.
 
Rinne looked at the keyhole in surprise, but there didn’t seem to be any visible changes on it. Unable to comprehend Mika’s method, she became more engrossed in the keyhole than what lay beyond the door. Mika chuckled and patted Rinne’s shoulder.
 
“I’ll teach you about this spiritual art later. For now, let’s focus on the mission.”
 
“Understood. It’s a promise, then,” Rinne replied.
 
Reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the keyhole, Rinne moved to the other side of the door. Beyond the door was an extended platform, cluttered with numerous iron crates tightly packed around their foothold.
 
After capturing some images, the two climbed over the railing of the platform and landed on top of the crates. They proceeded to open the lids of the containers. As expected, every container was locked, but Mika effortlessly unlocked them as well.
 
“Is this a bag? And it is filled with… flour?”
 
“Could it be that all the boxes here contain nothing but flour?”
 
The crates were tightly packed with burlap sacks. If the two were ordinary humans, they wouldn’t have been able to discern the contents of the plain sacks just by looking at them. However, with the keen senses of the demons, they could identify the contents solely by their scent.
 
Curiosity led them to open some other crates, only to find that they also contained flour. It seemed that this was how the invading army stored the harvest from the unbelievably vast wheat field outside. Naturally, the two made sure to record images of the contents of the crates.
 
Just as they were considering leaving, a loud noise emanated from beneath the tower attracted their attention. Cautiously taking cover and peering down from above, they observed a large double door, which appeared to be hidden beneath the tower, swinging open.
 
From the outside, that cart-like metal box, which was also present inside the fence, was brought in. Accompanying it were armored soldiers, who began carrying out the containers filled to the brim with flour and loading them onto the back of the cart. The two made sure to record the entire scene on the tool.
 

“You can consider this facility as the enemy’s food production and storage facility. That’s all we need to know. Let’s make our escape.”
 
“Okay.”
 
With caution, they sealed the crates of flour and secured the entrance they had used, taking care not to create any noise. They descended the stairs, silently maneuvered outside, and exited the facility from behind the armored soldiers who were also going out. All of this felt like retracing their steps in reverse, making their escape surprisingly effortless.
 
As they headed towards the exit, they noticed several cart-like metal boxes entering the facility from the outside. Mika made sure to capture this scene on the tool as well. Concerned about what over thirty of these metal boxes, now inside the walls, were meant for, their curiosity compelled them to pause their escape and investigate the inner side of the walls once again.
 
Rows of cart like metal boxes stood in front of the other towers in the surrounding area, including the tower the two had infiltrated. One by one, the carts entered the towers and emerged after a while, repeating the process many times. Undoubtedly, these cart like metal boxes were carrying the same iron crates the two had just seen inside the tower. Mika had captured this scene as well.
 
With nothing else worth recording, the two concluded their mission. They vanished and clung to one of the cart like metal boxes exiting through the entrance. From there, they ventured through the wheat field, pushing through the crops as they made their way towards the rendezvous point where Marcellus and the hades scorpion demon awaited their arrival.