The inside of the power plant was, to put it nicely, “strategic,” and to put it harshly, it was a complete mess.
I muttered to myself without even realizing it.
“…Seriously, the structure is incredibly messed up.”
Well, I could excuse the security employees I kept bumping into out of boredom. They had their jobs to do after all.
But this design strayed so far from any reasonable perspective that I just couldn’t understand it.
Yeah. It might be some sort of ‘game allowance.’
Am I wrong?
The game map designer usually doesn’t consider efficient layouts when drafting the plans, right?
Anyway, the layout of the power plant was extremely odd.
““…….””
I thought Catherine and Eve would agree with me, but for some reason, they kept silent.
It seemed like their MBTI wasn’t an ‘F’ type.
Well, we’re in a situation where we snuck in. They might just be trying to keep quiet so noise doesn’t escape.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head and added half-heartedly,
“…No, realistically, it makes sense.”
Think about it.
Considering there’s a secret facility attached to the power plant, I can understand that the layout is “a bit” complicated.
After all, we came here to check that facility, so I expected some level of complexity.
…But.
To move to another area, I had to change elevators six times, and the employees had to go up and down the stairs three times, and for reasons I couldn’t fathom, I had to pass right through the middle of the restaurant to get anywhere. That completely shattered my sense of reason.
I really want to see the face of the person who designed this power plant.
Fortunately, since I’m a wizard overflowing with mana, it was a relief; otherwise, I would have dropped from ‘wizard’ to ‘fragile ordinary person’ class.
(That’s how a wizard who can’t cast magic is treated.)
…And what sin have the employees who commute here every day committed?
With this much hassle, it would feel like being punished with Sisyphus’s fate every time they had to move locations.
I mentally sent a short prayer for the waste heat power plant employees, then continued speaking to Catherine and Eve.
“Seriously, why did they make it like this? No matter how suspicious the facilities are inside, I mean. Do they have a pile of gold hidden somewhere? There’s no need to make the structure this complicated otherwise.”
I looked at Catherine and Eve again, hoping for some agreement.
…….
Yet, for some reason.
Catherine and Eve were avoiding my gaze as if feeling a bit guilty. Sweat was even trickling down their faces.
I tilted my head at their reaction.
What’s up with them? Do they need to visit the restroom or something?
…Ah.
Feeling their presence, I quickly spoke up.
“Another patrol employee is coming.”
“…Uhm, er.”
“…….”
Really, what would they have done if I weren’t here?
As I thought that, I wrapped them close and used my invisibility magic.
—
41. A Lie-like Truth (5)
Indeed, it seems people should express their complaints.
I had just been mumbling when we soon arrived at the elevator heading to the mana power plant.
If I’d known this, I would have just stayed quiet earlier.
“Is this the right place?”
“…Yes.”
Eve answered in a strange voice. She seemed to be feeling some guilt.
I didn’t pay it much mind and looked up at the elevator.
…Hmm.
It looked like a similar location and shape to the elevator we took earlier.
It must be just my feeling.
I brainwashed myself and stepped into the elevator.
The surveillance cameras would probably show the fake screen Eve had set up. As long as we were careful inside the elevator, we would be fine. Luckily, there was nobody inside.
Eve, who approached me, manipulated the hologram panel of the elevator.
It looked like a device to input the floors; I wondered if we needed a separate password. Even a quick glance revealed more than eight digits.
Soon, the elevator doors began to close.
Catherine was stretching her wrists and ankles with a relaxed expression.
“So now the real infiltration begins.”
It sounded as if she meant that up until now hadn’t been an infiltration.
However, if I pointed out each of Golden Boy’s statements, it would only complicate my life (day and night), so I let Catherine’s words slide through one ear and out the other.
Hmm.
To be honest, I thought there might be hidden spaces leading toward the secret facility.
Well, I guess there are employees who come to the mana power plant every day. There wouldn’t be any reason for the facilities to be complicated.
I felt the elevator descending rapidly.
It dove deep into the ground. It seemed to be heading down to the depth where the incinerator was located.
The hologram numbers above the elevator door kept increasing endlessly.
B7…, B13…, B21….
Maybe because the mana power plant was getting closer, the ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ of the mana felt significantly stronger with each passing floor.
Eve subtly approached me.
“The estimated arrival floor is L1 Floor. Also, a biological signal is detected from the elevator exit direction. According to what was confirmed through the surveillance cameras, it is registered as a ‘security employee.’”
“Oh, really?”
Hearing Eve’s words, I used my invisibility magic again.
Without needing to say anything, Catherine and Eve naturally huddled close to me. I had gotten quite used to their nesting into my arms by now.
But… L1 Floor.
What does that mean?
The notification sound of the elevator answered my question.
– Ding dong.
《L1 Floor, Mana Research Institute.》
“……?”
…What research institute?
I frowned in confusion.
We came here to find the mana power plant. Is there another facility here? …Probably not. Eve wouldn’t make such a mistake.
From what I heard, there was only ‘one’ facility attached to the waste heat power plant.
Slowly, the elevator doors opened.
I instinctively held my breath. It was a nearly instinctual move.
Right in front of the entrance of the elevator we were in stood a heavily built man.
By the looks of it, he had probably been waiting there since before the elevator doors opened.
Oh man, that scared me.
He must have done some serious training. On his shoulders, he had boulders sitting there like cannonballs.
And the gear he was carrying was top-notch.
Of course, the ‘security employees’ we had passed by at the waste heat power plant were also well-equipped, but… this guy felt a bit different.
Full-face helmet, tactical belt, muscle reinforcement tubes bursting through his arms.
Even mercenaries active on the front lines rarely match that level of gear.
He wasn’t dressed in any organized uniform, but he strongly gave off the vibe of the Monolith’s Asymmetric Security Department, Kojaka’s Ninja Unit, and Heishukai’s Tactical Organizers.
Having already seen that appearance through the surveillance cameras, Eve naturally burrowed into my arms.
Catherine, surprised like I was, slightly flinched; I felt that through her arm (and chest).
He looked a bit intense.
“…….”
“…….”
We were currently invisible.
However, since I wasn’t very accustomed to invisibility magic, I was certain even a slight movement would get us caught.
The employee still hadn’t noticed our presence. He seemed to be suspicious of the elevator suddenly arriving.
…What to do.
It would be a choice to deploy Catherine and have her neutralize the entire facility, but that would only be a last resort.
Above all else, it was crucial to avoid letting anyone discover that we had infiltrated the facility.
As I was pondering, I saw the round mechanical light on the full-face helmet of the employee flicker.
I knew well what that indicated.
It was a precursor to detecting biological signals.
Eventually, as I was about to signal to Catherine, the light on the man’s full-face helmet suddenly turned off.
As if his sight had vanished, the employee took a low groan and took a step back.
“Crrk…?”
Eve gently tugged on the sleeve of my coat.
Though I couldn’t see her expression due to the invisibility, I could tell she was sending me a signal.
I held Catherine and Eve close and slowly moved my body through the gap between the employee blocking the elevator’s entrance.
Today, I was fortunate to have instinctively worn the tactical shoes I used on-site when I went out.
The shoes I was wearing were a special product that made almost no sound.
To survive in this harsh world, ‘preparing for outings’ is incredibly important. I realized that fact once again, carefully taking the next step.
Seeing the security employee’s state not appearing normal, another security employee, who had been waiting on the other side, started walking over.
He was wearing the same type of full-face helmet.
“What’s going on?”
“…I just had a visual error for a moment. Nothing. It was probably just a simple bug.”
“…Sigh, I told you to fix this elevator.”
Thanks to that, his gaze was focused on the elevator. I was relieved that he didn’t see our shimmering invisible forms.
…Phew.
Letting out a silent sigh, I slowly surveyed the surroundings.
It seemed like this was the ‘real’ facility.
Rather than a power plant, it felt more like a research institute.
The lights were bright, and everything around was neatly decorated in white and blue.
We safely moved to one side of the corridor.
After passing around the corner, I finally let out the breath I had been holding.
This is a heart-pounding game of hide-and-seek.
With security this tight, it might be better to move around while using invisibility magic.
Eve’s voice came from within my arms.
It was a strange sound, but it seemed like Eve’s voice was slightly trembling.
“I have verified the overall condition of the facility. Also, the security employees we encountered earlier are preparing to patrol this way.”
…Hadn’t they just been waiting there?
Eve replayed the conversation records of the security employees through my visual interface.
[That’s a bit unsettling.]
[Really?]
[Uh, I should take a look around. You should definitely keep the biological detection on.]
Oh my… what a sincerely hardworking employee.
“…And.”
Eve, who had opened her mouth, paused for a moment.
It seemed she had seen something difficult to say. Even though I couldn’t see her expression due to the invisibility magic, she must have been sporting a confused look.
However, the silence didn’t last long.
“…This way, for now.”
Eve opened a sturdy security door that had been tightly closed.
It had the same structure of requiring a password like when we entered the elevator, but this time she didn’t manipulate any panels.
I continued to move in the direction Eve indicated to avoid the patrolling security employees.
Just in case, I continued to use invisibility magic.
We walked quite a long corridor, passing through several security doors along the way.
…Where are we trying to go?
Then, the security door blocking the corridor opened.
I shut my mouth at the sight before me.
I saw several children isolated behind glass walls. Each space had only a bed, with no other furniture in sight.
All their expressions were gloomy, and some were wrapped in red bandages, hinting at their injuries.
It seemed none of these children wanted to live here.
…Something must have happened in the city?
I frowned as I looked around.
Their clothing was pitifully ragged. They only wore scraps of fabric in a sleeveless style.
“Ghost.”
…Ghost?
I turned my head towards the voice I suddenly heard.
It was the little one closest to me. Though the child had short hair, they had soft features that made it look like a girl.
I moved closer to hear what the child was saying.
…Nope.
I need to smash all these glass walls first─.
“…It’s a ghost!!”
“……?”
Ah.
If a transparent silhouette was swaying suspiciously from an open door, it could easily lead to misinterpretation like that.
