第３７８堀：キャッスルアタックと忙しい裏方 (Part2)
In that case, I would have had to knock out a guard somewhere and swipe a keycard, which would have sent the difficulty level skyrocketing.
Regardless, I’m truly grateful to Wai-chan and Amanda.
They really are perfect decoys, literally.
I never expected to get an opportunity to infiltrate the office, which I otherwise would have had to leave for later.
*Creeeak.*
The door opens with that sound.
It’s a design meant to alert occupants to visitors, much like a "nightingale floor."
A bit of wisdom using materials that make noise to signal an arrival.
Well, it’s meaningless if there’s no one inside.
I quickly shut the door and check it from the inside.
In places of such importance, people sometimes wedge a scrap of paper or something similar into the door to detect if anyone has broken in.
It’s primitive, but extremely effective.
I check for such traps and, as expected, a scrap of paper falls to the floor.
Well, this would reveal an intruder.
There are various ways to deal with this, but for now, I need to gather information.
I quickly approach the desk in the office, checking for traps as I carefully open and inspect the drawers.
I don't bother reading the details.
I photograph everything one after another and send the data immediately.
I feel like there was some important information in there, but analyzing it in depth isn't my job.
I return the documents to the drawers, making sure they are in the exact same order.
Some drawers are locked, but they aren't high-security locks, so I pick them quickly and check the contents.
Naturally, I make sure to relock them when I’m done.
There are also books on the shelves, but checking those would take far too long.
That’s a "maybe next time" kind of task.
Now, as planned, I’ve already photographed the documents waiting for processing and review, so it’s time to leave.
I take a mouse out of the pouch hanging at my waist.
Of course, it’s no ordinary mouse.
Though it looks like one, it’s a high-level monster, a clever little thing that understands human speech.
It’s my partner for deceiving traps like the paper scraps meant to signal intruders.
"I’ll be heading out the window, so I’ll leave the rest to you. We’ll rendezvous at the planned location."
"Squeak."
I leave the mouse behind and exit through the window.
After confirming I’ve left, the mouse will lock the door. After some time has passed, it will knock over some items in the office to force the guards to open the door.
Even if the guards don't have a key, the mouse will remain there until someone opens it, making it look like the mouse was the culprit.
I’ll continue to gather information as long as the situation permits.
The armory, perhaps?
Still, infiltrating castles like this reminds me of *Assassin's Creed*.
Steve and his group are more of the *Metal Gear* type, but we Dullahan Assassins are definitely *Assassin's Creed* fans.
Not that I actually do any assassinating, though.
***
Side: Yuki
It’s quiet at first, but once the information starts pouring in, that doesn't last long.
"The goblin squads, aside from Steve’s unit, seem to be duds."
"Steve’s unit, split into two teams and begin gathering information on the city within the dungeon."
"Kirika has sent over the document data from the office."
Progress reports and information pile up one after another, keeping me busy.
"Pull back the duds from the goblin squads. Reassign them as support for Steve’s unit."
"Understood."
"Consolidate the reports from Steve’s unit and hurry up with the map production."
"Understood."
"Print the document data Kirika sent immediately and bring it here. I’ll check it. Also, create a floor plan of the castle by cross-referencing the testimonies from Popuri and the others."
"Understood."
*Sigh.* In games, the protagonist on the front lines always looks incredibly busy, but the support staff is just as swamped with information analysis and the like.
It’s a reality I neither wanted to know nor experience.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, I just realized once again that the support staff has it just as rough as anyone else."
"There’s no such thing as an easy department. Well, I’ll help out, so do your best."
"It helps that you’re helping, Taizo-san. My wives are helping too, but they’re still beginners."
"I imagine so. That’s precisely why you kept me here, isn't it? Under normal circumstances, I should have been heading to Ex."
That’s right. Taizo-san didn't go along because he was needed for information processing.
I judged that having him stay here would be more advantageous.
"So, do you think anything will come of this information?"
"Usually, no. If you could get perfect results from a single round of information gathering, no one would ever struggle. Everything is about building things up over time."
That’s true.
In light novels, manga, or movies, you always get some cliché, earth-shattering revelation, but the real world isn't that simple.
Ah, I miss being a regular employee.
In this world, there are support staff, and then there are the support staff who follow up on them.
Anyway, no suspicious movements from the enemy so far.
It’s Deryu and the others' turn to uncover Arne’s true identity.
(Author's note: Aside from the main story, I think I’m coming down with a cold due to the drastic temperature changes. Everyone, please take care of yourselves. Because of that, I couldn't focus on writing today, so I might end up rewriting quite a bit. I’ll let you know if that happens, sorry!)