Chapter 479: Infiltration

“You’re sure it’s here?”

“If the address you gave me is correct, Lord Bruce, then it’s here.”

In the Lower District, outside a certain extremely remote alley, Muen and Rat King Sam hid in the shadows, secretly observing the small courtyard not far away.

It was a duplex building occupying quite a wide area. A two-meter-high outer wall encircled it; from here, all they could see were eaves no different from ordinary houses, and a bell tower hidden in the darkness.

At first glance there was nothing special about the place. Compared to the grand mansions and manors of the Upper District nobles, it was at best a country farm level of luxury. The rusted iron gate out front already showed that this small courtyard had some age to it.

But Muen sharply sensed that in the depths of the yard, beyond the wall, even atop that bell tower, there were extremely well-hidden auras constantly sweeping over the surroundings.

The place was tightly guarded, like a prison.

“Sam, you go over there.”

Muen swept his gaze around once, pointing toward a dark side alley on the far side of the courtyard.

“From there, aim at the top of the bell tower and loose one shot, then turn and run.”

“Th-that won’t get me killed, right?”

Sam wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Clearly, he had also noticed something wrong with this small courtyard.

“If you run fast, you won’t get killed. This isn’t the Guard; they won’t hunt you to the ends of the earth. Meet me at our designated spot afterward.”

“...Alright then.”

Sam knew there was definitely some degree of danger, but he grit his teeth and still accepted the job.

With Old Ghost tightening the noose on him step by step, if he wanted to maintain his status in the Lower District, the only thing he could do was cling hard to this thick thigh in front of him.

Now that he’d boarded a thief’s ship, if he didn’t work hard, the first big wave might throw him overboard.

“I’m going.”

Sam slipped into the shadows.

As the Rat Society boss who had prowled the Lower District for so long, he obviously had his own way of hiding his presence. It might be useless against mages skilled in detection, but it was more than enough to slip past the eyes lurking in the dark.

Sam sneakily reached the designated position, lifted the repeating crossbow in his hand, aimed at the bell tower in the night, and held his breath.

In the dimness, his excellent eyesight picked out a shadow in the distance, shifting slightly.

That was the signal to move.

Without hesitation, Sam pulled the trigger.

The bolt pierced the silent night sky like a girl’s distant, gentle humming.

He didn’t even have time to check if he hit. Sam stowed the crossbow and, without the slightest hesitation, turned and bolted!

The instant his bolt tore through the air, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze slice toward him.

“Someone has infiltrated!”

A low shout boomed from atop the bell tower.

The dead-silent courtyard suddenly came to life. The sound of blades leaving sheaths and scales scraping filled the air as who knew how many figures shot out from the darkness, their senses rapidly sweeping in Sam’s direction.

Sam ran with his head down, not daring to look back.

Several formidable auras flared up inside the courtyard. His instincts told him that one more glance and he’d explode where he stood...

Under that terrifying threat of death, Sam’s fleeing speed actually exceeded Muen’s expectations; in a blink he vanished into the night.

Looks like I don’t need to worry about him...

While Sam briefly drew the attention of some guards in the courtyard, Muen had already slipped up to the wall.

Through a few cracks he saw shadows moving around; the guards were searching the alley where Sam had fired, but they hadn’t actually left their posts.

Just as Muen had guessed, the people guarding this place weren’t here to chase down intruders at all costs. The thing they were protecting was what truly mattered to them. There was no way they’d pursue someone to the bitter end.

So he had to be fast.

Muen lightly ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) crossed his hands. As his arms brushed, the blades hidden in his sleeves touched, producing a faint, nearly inaudible ring.

Alchemy Domain—unfold.

Silent arcs of lightning wrapped around Muen’s whole body, completely masking his aura.

But that wasn’t enough.

Muen thought for a moment, then suddenly flicked out a few motes of light.

The motes melted into the air around him; the space nearby rippled, and his figure began to twist, then turn transparent, slowly blending into the surroundings.

Illumination Spell · Modified · Invisibility Form One.

“To think I’m using a god-tier skill perfect for sneaking into girls’ bathhouses for something like this... what a waste...”

Muen let out a soft, regretful sigh, then collected his thoughts and lightly vaulted onto the wall.

The moment he reached the top, he sensed an almost imperceptible thread of mana stretched across in front of him.

Threads crisscrossed the entire outer wall; there wasn’t even enough of a gap for a rat to slip through.

This was a formation trigger. Whether he tried to sneak through or smash his way in, it would undoubtedly set off the array.

Muen took a deep breath and didn’t make any extra moves. He simply stepped straight toward the threads.

The mana-constructed warning lines brushed over him, already merged with the environment, but nothing happened. They glided across the arcs around his body as if over smooth glass, sliding past without detecting a thing.

“I should buy a few extra strawberry lollipops for the little old loli later.”

Feeling the tension in his chest loosen slightly, Muen leapt down into the yard—but he didn’t rush straight through the open courtyard.

Sam’s single bolt had stirred up quite a few silhouettes. Some sentries Muen had not even noticed before were now exposed. He carefully, cautiously slipped around the guards.

“But... which room should I go to?”

Curled up in the corner where the corridor forked in two directions, Muen felt a bit stuck.

Even with his information network, all he knew was that it was here. The exact location, however, was not something any outsider could know.

Was he supposed to search room by room?

Impossible. Not only would it waste huge amounts of time, the odds of getting caught would skyrocket.

If he were exposed here, the consequences would be severe.

“What should I do...”

While Muen was racking his brain, his expression suddenly hardened.

Someone’s coming.

Without the slightest hesitation, he braced his hands against both walls, pushed hard, and lifted himself up, wedging his body into the blind-spot shadows above the corridor’s corner, holding his breath.

Clack, clack...

Armor creaked and clanked with each step.

Through the faint light spilling from the lamps, Muen saw the ornate golden light armor.

—The Royal Knight Corps. So it was their people guarding this place.

Muen grew even more alert, fully sinking into the darkness, silently watching as two squads of knights met and crossed paths here.

“Shift change.”

“Right. You all go rest.”

“Someone broke in just now, didn’t they?”

“Third Squad has gone to search. They haven’t caught anyone yet, and we suspect it was a diversion, so they didn’t pursue far.”

“Need backup?”

“No. We just have to guard the most important spot. Little thieves from the Lower District are always popping up.”

“Understood.”

The two squads exchanged a few brief words, then quickly parted ways again; the whole scene took less than a minute.

But in the shadows, Muen’s eyes lit up.

As one squad disappeared at the end of the corridor, he slipped down without a sound and quietly followed behind the other—apparently the ones heading to relieve a post.