Chapter 12.1

Chapter 12.1

This is Snake. I see the infiltration target ahead.

Cut out the gags, will you?

The day of their infiltration mission had arrived. Hiroshi, who had been hiding out in the forest behind the Castle of Wulls since noon, had begun rapid-firing unnecessary gags with a tiny sense of reckless abandon. The party to sneak Aearis back into the Temple was comprised of Hiroshi, Haruna, and Mio. All four of them, including Aearis, were wearing capes that covered them head to toe. They were as conspicuous as could be. To make it worse, everyone but Aearis was wearing a mask.

So, how does it look?

Well, they got security’s, obviously.

Naturally, the castle was very heavily guarded, taking any straightforward approach out of their options. It would have been a different story if these guards were just for show, but the soldiers on watch duty were high in both skills and morale. It seemed firmly impossible to climb over the tall walls surrounding the castle without alarming them and make it through the courtyards and hallways without being spotted by the patrolling soldiers.

Besides, anything that required physical exertion wasn’t Hiroshi’s forte. The only skills that provide him with any modification to his Speed were Wanderlust, Advanced Sneaking, as well as Novice and Intermediate Short Sword. Save for Advanced Sneaking, all of the modifiers were negligible, putting Hiroshi far below the benchmark of 100, even after all modifiers were applied. Without Advanced Sneaking, Hiroshi would not have been able to even tag along to this mission.

So, how did Hiroshi achieve Advanced Sneaking, out of all things? Simple. It was all to avoid being detected by active monsters as he collected materials. With Advanced Sneaking, he could be excavating behind a dragon’s back without being detected. It was nuts.

Looks tough, huh?

We can’t sneak past them with Elle, at least. We could probably do it with just me, Hiroshi, and Haru…

Thought so. Not being able to use magic really puts a damper in things.

Guess we gotta fall back on that hidden path…

I agree.

Ditto.

They were told of a hidden pathway, with the stipulation that they would only use it as a last resort. Alas, Haruna, Mio, and Hiroshi decided it was time for their last resort. It was understandable that they didn’t want the enemy finding this pathway, but being spotted on their way in would be worse.

So, let’s abandon our plan A of findin’ an openin’ and sneakin’ in.

Okie dokie.

With their next move decided, they swiftly went on the move. At the moment, it wasn’t like they were anywhere they weren’t supposed to be, so they wouldn’t be trouble if they were spotted by the watchmen. There were a few things they could pick around here that could be used for food or medicine, so some people did come out here to harvest, albeit only in a pinch.

Haruna lightly tapped Aearis on the shoulder to calm her down, as she had been listening nervously to their strategy meeting. In the meantime, Mio and Hiroshi scanned for enemies. Although they could probably get away with being spotted, staying hidden was much more favorable.

「So, it’s this way, right?」

「I reckon so…」

「Here.」

Mio pointed out the location, and the other two linked it to the map they had memorized the day before. They were relying on their memory as they had already burned off the map.

「Yep. That’s it.」

「Yeah, looks like the right spot.」

「Open says me.」

With that, they expanded the opening, hidden through the roots of the trees. It was barely large enough for an average adult male from Farlane to walk through, standing up.

「Looks pretty legit. I’m startin’ to feel like we’re bona fide adventurers.」

「Sensei. We are.」

「I mean, we’ve been making our living with odd jobs, the food stand, and singing on the streets.」

「Alrighty. Y’all don’t need me, then. I’m out.」

「Sensei. Give it up.」

Even as they joked around, they cautiously proceed into the pathway, with Mio at the front.

(But for real. What have we got ourselves into with this adventurer shenanigans…?)

While he tried to keep it light and cheery with some jokes, Hiroshi still didn’t like the idea of being on this mission at all. Even as he was on alert to do his job here and now, a part of his mind wandered back in time in search of where he went wrong, or what he could have argued to get out of this mission. It was all too late for those things, but nevertheless this cowardly man wouldn’t stop thinking about it.

It all started the previous day.

「Infiltrate? Why?」

Hiroshi asked, confused by Layotte’s outlandish idea on how to get Aearis back into the Temple. Douga and Rayna were apparently assigned a different task, and were preparing for that elsewhere.

「If we bring Aearis through the front gate, she could end up in a spider’s web again.」

「…Y’all run this country, right?」

Layotte couldn’t deny the shortcoming on their part. Aearis’ absence had harmed the Alfemina Temple more than expected.

「Well, shouldn’t we look into the situation and see if there’s any other option?」

「You have a point. I suppose I shouldn’t expect you guys to infiltrate the Temple inside the castle.」

「Well, that would make us criminals, won’t it?」

「Besides, the castle isn’t a place someone unwanted could easily sneak into.」

Hiroshi and Mio both had excellent points. Besides, there would be a bigger issue on Layotte’s hands if this ragtag band could simply infiltrate the castle with no guidance.

「Our biggest issue is that almost no one knows what Aearis looks like. It’s not like we were keeping her hidden.」

「Huh? Anyone could see y’all are related.」

「That doesn’t amount to irrefutable proof.」

What a bunch of bologna, Hiroshi couldn’t help but mumble. In the world of politics, any obvious fact could be endlessly debated if there wasn’t absolute proof.

「The other hiccup is that Aearis isn’t popular with the people. The popular opinion still villainizes Aearis. Most people think we prosecuted that servant as her scapegoat.」

「How does that translate to obstacles for this mission?」

Haruna asked.

「Easy. There are scoundrels who clamor that Aearis, who, according to their narrative, has run off to who-knows-where abandoning her duties as the Priestess Princess should not be allowed to return as a member of the royal family. The people would never stand for it, they claim. The problem is, they hold a decent amount of power. If we walk right through the front gate, the worst case scenario is them claiming that Aearis is an imposter, taking advantage of the fact that almost no one would recognize her, and moving to execute her as such.」

The group sulked a bit. Imposter? The king and Crown Prince would testify to who Aearis was. That would seem like better proof than anything.

「The Priestess Princess doesn’t hold any political power, right?」

Tatsuya asked, unsatisfied.

「That’s true, save for an event of an emergency… But under the right circumstances, she could represent more clout than the King himself. If your house is recognized as an ally of the Princess Priestess, things would go a lot more smoothly. So, while it may not benefit them directly, many people feel like it’s worth their while to stick their noses in the matter.」

Layotte responded with some backstage info of the royal family and their surroundings. Any position, with or without power, can come with all sorts of exasperating responsibilities. Even the Priestess Princess who has no power most of the time, and is replaceable… Perhaps precisely because of that nature, the responsibilities seemed to weigh heavier on her shoulders.

To boot, the new model of governing, crafted by the previous king through a revolution, had unfortunately come back to bite them. Repeatedly. The king before him had gone mad, almost overthrowing the country in cahoots with some of the nobles. As a reaction to that event, the laws established by the previous king upon stabilizing the nation heavily restricted the powers of the royal family and nobles.

As a result, no noble could easily punish a peasant, and even royalty could not eliminate a noble, no matter how much chaos they brought to politics and society as a whole, without tangible damage to the people.

Of course, they couldn’t execute Aearis simply based on an accusation of being an imposter, there was the risk that they could be taken into court. Aearis aside, the Japanese adventurers could be in for some trouble. While the royal family would do their best to keep them from being prosecuted for kidnapping and other crimes, but in the meantime, corruption would ensue. In the current system, even royalty didn’t stand a chance against the power of the masses.

「I got a question for ya.」

「What is it?」

「What’s it matter to ‘em if Elle keeps bein’ the Priestess Princess?」

「Aearis is the youngest in our family, and no one paid much mind to her. So, Ernest is just about the only ally she has, save for most members of the royal family. As soon as there was a divine calling that brought her up to be the Priestess Princess in no time, House Douga had gained too much power for some. The Dougas are a loyal family that has served the king since our nation was formed. The majority of nobles don’t want him anywhere near power.」

“Jeez, what a mess…” Hiroshi mumbled from the bottom of his heart. He really didn’t want anything to do with all this politics.

「But if that’s all, can’t the royal family and the Temple and overpower all ‘em?」

「Not likely. Even the Temple is split down the middle. Once she’s in the Ritual Room, there won’t be much opposition, but with things are going now, who knows how long it will take for her to even be allowed in the Temple through the front gate. Besides…」

「Besides?」

「The man who trapped Aearis in those spider webs could have a similar trap laid out in the entrance of the Temple.」

「So the only way in is to sneak her in?」

「That’s why I opened with that.」

The party couldn’t help but sigh in despair. It seemed irrefutable. But what madness that they had to sneak in a princess back into her home, that wasn’t seized by an enemy or anything. Bologna indeed.

「Alright. We gotta sneak in. Are ya sure the back door’s safe, though?」

「One of them, I’m not sure. But if they have discovered the other back door, we’re doomed anyway. One of the routes is a hidden pathway, known only to the King, Crown Prince, and the Priestess Princess.」

「…And you’re gonna let us in on somethin’ like that?」

「It’s worth getting Aearis back in there. Besides, no one can even use it unless a King, Crown Prince, or Priestess Princess is actually there.」

「Alright. Then let us know if there’s any stipulations to how we get this done.」

「Let’s see. Don’t use any magic. You could easily be spotted. Same goes for any magic-powered items. As much as possible, of course.」

「That’s a tough one right off the bat.」

Tatsuya pointed out. Layotte could only frown and nod.

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