In the pitch darkness, the four members of the 'Red Oath' set out.
Their destination was five makeshift huts of the beastmen.
They had sufficiently adjusted their eyes to the darkness, but many beastmen had excellent night vision. Moreover, with their enhanced hearing and sense of smell, it seemed they would have little chance of success without the camouflage cardboard.
However, they couldn't afford to be picky. Now, they had to do their best with their own strength.
The three of them, tense, moved forward.
...Yes, it was the 'three' who were tense.
As for the remaining one...
(I've cast a barrier to prevent the particles of smell and air vibrations from leaking, so as long as we're not seen directly, it should be fine...)
She wasn't particularly tense.
"The suspicious one is the hut at the front.
Compared to the other huts, there are fewer people, and most of them are huddled in one part of the hut. Only two are in the other part, and their reactions seem more human-like than the other beastmen..."
Actually, she could tell more, but explaining that much would be overkill. This should be enough.
"Let's go..."
Reina nodded to Mile and gave a whispered command.
Everyone nodded and, avoiding the open areas, slowly moved through the trees.
"Get down!"
Mavis suddenly gave a suppressed voice command with a gesture, and they all crouched down.
As they reflexively crouched, a beastman passed by very close to where they were hiding.
Thinking they were in trouble because they crouched a bit late, but the beastman didn't seem to notice. Looking at his back, there was something like a tail feather...
"It's a bird-type beastman..."
"Yeah, a bird!"
Reina let out a sigh of relief at Mavis's words.
"The bird is doing the night patrol..."
Mile seemed unconvinced but couldn't complain.
At least, the security was lax, almost nonexistent, which was fortunate.
Well, it was unimaginable for ordinary humans to move through the forest at night, and until just before it got dark, there were guards covering a wide area, so they were probably feeling safe. It was thought that even with a stroke of luck, it would be impossible to find this place before sunset, unless they had a guide.
And the female hunters approaching this area were probably thinking of fleeing straight back to the human village at the edge of the forest...
The 'Red Oath' finally reached the target hut, moved away from the trees to the side of the hut, and quickly pressed against it.
The hut, like the other four, didn't look like it was made with the intention of being a hut. It was as if, after cutting down a tree that was in the way of an excavation site, they suddenly thought, "Let's make a hut with this."
So, there was a slight gap between the wall and the roof.
Well, the maker might claim, "I left it open on purpose for light and ventilation!"
Anyway, this gap was very convenient for Mile to peek inside and cast her magic. That's all it was.
Mile climbed up the wall, peeked inside through the gap, and then cast her magic.
"Sleeping potion mist, envelop the beastmen..."
And the two beastmen, who seemed to be on guard, fell asleep in their chairs.
Mile didn't realize, but such casual incantations only worked exceptionally well for her.
For others, no matter how they spoke the words, it wouldn't work unless their thoughts were aligned with the effect. However, because Mile had a Level 5 authority over the nanomachines, verbal commands were also effective, not just thoughts. So, even a casual statement would make the nanomachines work, quite enthusiastically.
After all, those commands were 'orders' to the nanomachines.
Mile simply thought, "They must be reading my thoughts as I speak," but...
The entrance to the hut was on the opposite side of the wall where Mile and the others were, facing the other huts and the work area.
And opening the door would let light from inside be seen.
They couldn't take the risk of being seen by anyone, so everyone followed Mile, climbed the wall, and squeezed their bodies through the gap.
"Ugh!"
They heard Pauline's groan, but Reina and Mile ignored it expressionlessly.
Probably, some part of her body got stuck. Some part of her body...
They were the two who felt very unpleasant, even though they had smoothly slipped inside.
"Who's there?"
Inside, a woman's voice called out from a corner of the hut, dimly lit by burning wood, likely to save oil or candles.
There, a sturdy wooden lattice divided the hut into a cell-like area, where about a dozen humans were imprisoned.
"Thieves... No, no, we are hunters who received a search request."
"Young girls, what a reckless request to take on..."
A middle-aged man, who seemed to be a hunter, muttered this, but it couldn't be helped that things turned out this way after accepting the request.
The others, waking up, looked at the unconscious beastmen with puzzled faces, which was understandable. Status-altering magic and drug-based magic were not common in this world.
There were 18 people imprisoned in the hut: 16 men and 2 women, one of whom was around the age of becoming an adult.
The investigation team consisted of 6 hunter guards, 2 scholars, and 1 guild staff member.
Indeed, there was a man in his forties who looked like a scholar and a beautiful woman in her twenties who seemed well-bred. They were likely the scholar and his assistant. Their clothing was not armor but sturdy and easy to move in, made of ordinary cloth.
There was also a lively girl in her mid-teens, wearing leather clothing that prioritized mobility but had minimal armor to protect vital areas. She was probably the guild master's daughter.
The rest were likely the hunter guards and ordinary hunters who happened to be captured. It seemed that dangerous requests were usually taken by all-male parties, as women were not included.
"How much time do we have?"
"It's fine, the guard just changed, so no one will come until dawn," the assistant woman answered Reina immediately.
As expected of someone who worked as a scholar's assistant, she was quick-witted.
"Just to confirm, you are all part of the guild's investigation team, right?"
Mile asked, just to be sure.
If they answered, "No, we're all ordinary hunters," it would be disastrous. If this was discovered after returning to the capital, the 'Red Oath' would be dead.
"Ah, yes. We are the 6 guards, 2 scholars, and the guild staff member, a total of 9 people, and fortunately, we are all safe.
In addition, there are two groups of hunters captured separately, 9 people in total, making a total of 18 people."
Confirming that the investigation team was included and that everyone was safe, the 'Red Oath' members smiled.
Honestly, they thought the survival rate was only 2-3%. They were hoping to recover bodies at best, or at least learn how they met their end. The fact that they were captured by the beastmen might have been fortunate.
In fact, there were more than two missing parties. They could have been killed by the beastmen or attacked by powerful monsters...
"Let's escape first. We can talk after we get away."
"Understood!"
Reina's command was immediately acknowledged by the 'Red Oath' members, but the reaction from the captives was poor.
"Even if we say we're escaping...
The enemy is beastmen. They have excellent night vision, a keen sense of smell, strength, and agility. I don't think we can escape.
But if you haven't been discovered yet, you might not be pursued. Please, deliver this information to the guild and the lord! And gather a large force..."
"I refuse."
"Eh?"
The leader of the guard party, whose proposal was immediately rejected by Mile, was speechless and stunned.
"Because if we don't bring you all back, the reward will be reduced!"