Elbrite is made up of three main structures.
First, there’s the ‘Outer Fortress’ that wraps around the interior of Elbrite.
It has the most expansive size, housing countless NPCs who live their own lives.
While there are guard soldiers and troop-sized armies stationed in the city, Ayane didn’t see them as a concern.
“At best, they’re level 50 to 60. They’re wearing expensive magical stone equipment, but that’s about it.”
While they might be quite a nuisance to regular users, they were far easier opponents than even lifting a finger for Ayane.
Ayane actively utilized her Puppet Technique to evade the eyes of the guards.
She wanted to use the ‘Short-distance Teleportation Tower’ to move quickly through the castle, but…
“…It’s not in operation?”
“That’s correct, little one.”
Of course, it had stopped operating right at the start of the Siege War.
It was expected to quickly ‘fly’ with guests using magic rather than crossing spaces, so she thought it would be operational.
“Did they anticipate this and shut it down? No, it’s only natural to block it…”
Who would leave means of freely moving within the castle open when starting a Siege War?
Ayane would have definitely blocked it, and indeed, the Medium and Small Alliance had shut down all such means of transportation.
Even if they existed, only core figures with guaranteed identities could use them.
However, Lily had declared she wouldn’t participate from the start, so Ayane had held a bit of hope.
“Normally, it would be in operation without breaks except late at night, but it just happens to be closed today… If you want to use it, you’ll have to come back tomorrow morning.”
“Is that so…?”
“By the way, where are you trying to go?”
“I’m trying to go to the opposite Outer Fortress. I need to meet a sister I know…”
“To the opposite Outer Fortress? That’s quite a distance.”
“Do you perhaps know a way to get there quickly? It’s quite urgent…”
“Hmm. In that case, try going like this.”
The manager of the Short-distance Teleportation Tower kindly provided the route to the young girl.
Despite being just a little girl, she seemed to have quite a bit of money and appeared to be from a distinguished family, so transportation shouldn’t be a major issue.
So she was here to use the Short-distance Teleportation Tower, which was several times more expensive than a carriage.
After hearing a fairly detailed route, the girl nodded and left the spot.
“What a cute child… Oh?”
Who was I just talking to?
Feeling a bit dazed, the manager scratched his head and enjoyed a rare moment of rest.
■
According to the information the manager provided, to get to the opposite Outer Fortress, Ayane would ultimately have to enter the Inner Fortress.
To reach the opposite outer fortress, you ultimately have to enter the inner fortress.
Of course, it’s possible to go from the outer fortress to the opposite outer fortress, but if you’re going to take that long way, you wouldn’t have entered the castle in the first place.
Ayane arrived at the inner fortress entrance area on a self-propelled carriage using the fastest magical stone in this place.
“Alright! Show your identity badge clearly!”
“Stand in a straight line~”
“Isn’t that the Cavalry Commander?”
Unlike the relatively relaxed outer fortress, the security at the inner fortress entrance was quite strict.
There were almost ten guards soldiering there, and the NPCs’ entries were being meticulously checked.
“Ha…”
What stood out the most were about three people quietly standing against the castle wall.
A stylishly robed man and woman, both around level 90, were mages chatting happily with each other.
A regular user definitely couldn’t beat them, and a ranker with some standing could handle them easily.
With their abilities, even ‘Puppet Technique’ could easily toy with them, but the problem was the woman at the back.
She quietly stared ahead, her face half-covered by a white mask.
“That’s the Cavalry Commander.”
“It’s rare to see her face. Must be a special occasion today?”
“Wow!”
“So cool…”
The Cavalry Commander.
A woman in charge of a unit made up of mages, she wielded the strength of level 110.
Her power and equipment were extraordinary, making it impossible for even top-ranked users to take her lightly.
However, Ayane could handle her.
With Ayane’s level at 124, she could easily kill that woman in under a minute using Puppet Technique.
But.
‘I must avoid friction as much as possible. Once I get noticed, there’s no going back.’
I can kill her, but I mustn’t.
So the only remaining option was to pass quietly like I always do, but…
“…Hey! What are you hiding while entering?”
“Y-yes? What do you mean…”
“Show me.”
“Y-yes, ma’am, I mean Commander!”
“P-please wait a moment!!”
Just a moment ago, she had been leaning against the wall, but now she called over an NPC who was about to pass through.
The guard soldier didn’t catch on, but her eyes flashed sharply as she picked up something, signaling her subordinate in front of her.
The NPC was quite flustered, but upon realizing he’d been caught with a prohibited item, his expression soured.
When he got caught with restricted items, his expression soured.
He had hidden them in a magical space instead of his pocket, avoiding detection by the guard soldiers.
“T-This is, um…!”
“Drag him away.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Oh no, don’t!!”
“Come here!”
The NPC was immediately pulled away by the guard soldier.
‘…That ‘eye’ is the problem. They should be able to figure out if I’m a user or NPC.’
Most NPCs can identify a user’s identity.
But Ayane was cleverly hiding her identity with her puppet technique and magic.
An average mage wouldn’t be able to figure her out, but a cavalry commander level strongman could definitely do it.
The cavalry commander wasn’t just passing by; they were checking each final entrant one by one.
Though she was queuing normally, the chances of getting caught were high by the time she reached the final stage.
“Next.”
‘What to do…’
“Next!”
‘Am I really going to have to go back? But I’ve already spent so much time just getting this far. I can’t push it any further.’
“Next!”
‘Create a commotion with puppet technique and run? No, that would be even crazier. Let’s save that as a last resort. Stimulating Lily is dangerous.’
“Next!”
‘To have such a strong person just assigned to guard means they’re prepared for a siege war. Damn it, they said they wouldn’t do anything, but they’ve taken such thorough precautions? There has to be a way…’
“Next… Hmm? You?”
With about ten people left until her turn.
A rather distinctive man, who had shouted “Next!” dozens, if not hundreds, of times today, was swaggering up with a cheeky grin.
He boldly displayed his identity badge, carrying a long spear on his back.
Is that…
‘A user?!’
“You… are an outsider?”
“That’s right. Open the door. I need to pass through.”
‘?????’
Can he just step forward like that?!
Ayane’s eyes widened as she quietly observed the man, the guard soldier, and the cavalry commander standing behind them.
Entering someone else’s castle without permission during a siege war is basically asking, “Please kill me~!”
No matter how confident Lily was in her skills, she wouldn’t allow such a thing.
Thus, Ayane was just waiting for this foolish user to die and was planning to use the ensuing chaos to her advantage.
“What is your purpose in trying to enter the inner fortress?”
“To study.”
“…Study?”
“Here’s my academy student ID. If you don’t believe me, feel free to call a superior to check.”
“Student ID. If you don’t believe me, call a superior to check.”
‘…Student ID?’
The guard soldier seemed slightly flustered but quickly approached the cavalry commander standing right behind him to ask.
The cavalry commander waved her hand dismissively without even looking at the student ID.
“Let her through.”
“Passed! Just don’t do anything ridiculous.”
“Okay, okay.”
‘?!!!’
Is that really going to work?
Now that I think about it, didn’t they say there’s some academy run by Lily?
I thought it was just a game, but I didn’t expect her to run it during a siege war.
‘Hold on, shouldn’t that kind of thing be stopped? What kind of nonsense could they pull off?’
Ayane was astounded by Lily’s bravado that was so bold it could barely be contained, but this was actually an opportunity.
‘If I just get the student ID, it’s a free pass.’
Ayane quickly scanned her surroundings, but the other user from earlier was nowhere to be seen.
They must have already passed or just didn’t show up at all.
Focusing too much on the cavalry commander made her miss spotting the user back then.
In that case, there was only one option left.
‘I’ll forge it.’
Ayane hastily conjured a rough copy of the user’s student ID using mana and the puppet technique.
It could be detected as forgery, but given the cavalry commander’s attitude earlier, the chances of getting caught were low.
She had let someone through without even looking at the ID, so it should work.
It had to work.
Ayane stepped back slightly, reasserting the user’s presence in line.
After about 10 minutes, her turn finally came.
“Next! Hmm? Outsider?”
“I’d like to enter.”
“The identity badge… another bizarre nameplate group.”
The guard soldier immediately asked the cavalry commander, and she again waved her hand without glancing.
Inside, Ayane cheered silently.
“Passed! Don’t do anything ridiculous.”
“Yes.”
Phew…
‘It’s not like I’m passing a world boss or anything, what a hassle…’
This is tough.
Ayane vowed to give the alliance leader a smack when she got back, letting out a sigh of relief as she stepped into the inner fortress.
“……”
All while feeling the strange gaze of the cavalry commander on her.
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