Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 135: Arc 3, - 45: Operation Time Shenanigans
’What, happened...?’ Jotou let out a breath—some of her sweat soaked into the bedsheets and a mild headache. Her eyeballs felt warm and her mouth dry.
She moaned awake, groggily lifting herself from her pillow to the sound of chirping crickets out the moonlit window. "Huh?" Jotou scratched the back of her head.
"Oh, you finally woke up." Jotou turned to see a dim yellow light and a brunette reading documents by the bed. She wore a light nightgown of magenta and her hair was cut shorter, still long enough to tie into twin-tails.
"What happened?" the blonde realized her ponytail had been dishevelled and her hair was left drifted on the pillow while she still was in her usual adventuring attire.
"You fell asleep from mental exhaustion—at least that’s what Hotaru diagnosed. Which, makes complete sense from the amount of stress in that paranoid head of yours," the brown eyes stared at the blonde and observed her body.
Jotou looked to herself as the sweat permeated through her clothing, "Ewgh... I didn’t realize this is how the sweat got out of my adventuring gear... At least I feel dry." Jotou raised a brow, "We’ll get you enchanted clothing soon." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"How did you," Fumeko halted herself, realizing how Jotou would know of her envy, "Well, you all better."
"What have you been up to?" Jotou rubbed her forehead.
"While you were knocked out, we continued with the plan."
"What?" Jotou’s eyes bubbled, "You just, did it all?"
"Well, the plan was taken care of pretty easily. Since everything you said and gave us was easy enough to follow. As long as what you gave us, was right, right?"
"Yeah, it was... I was just, I thought I would be of help more," Jotou eyes fell, "Hm, you guys all did it."
"All you need is rest. It’s already, uhm, I don’t have a watch and this room doesn’t have a clock... Well, at least nine or ten. Hotaru and Asobi are probably already asleep. We need you fully rested for tomorrow Jotou."
Jotou sighed, still massaging her head, "No protests there... Ugh, why does my body feel so tired? It should’ve reset with the time loops."
"If your mind’s protected from the bad effects, then it’s still exhausted," Fumeko snarked.
"Okay? How does that affect my entire body?"
Fumeko grunted, "I don’t know, I’m not a doctor! You should just get some rest!"
"Yeah, yeah. What’re you reading?" Jotou gently rubbed an eye, careful not to press too hard.
Fumeko took a breath, "Most of the documents with Frye and everything is with Hotaru to read. I just grabbed these ones. It has to do with the ’grass border’.
Apparently, it’s a huge radius of how far the ’device’, which is whatever’s causing all of this, can affect—I think at least. Otherwise, why would they mark these coordinates?
Trailonian soldiers are in constant patrol around that radius, inside and out," Fumeko shifted the papers and showed a map, "They go in a circle. Any way we go, we’d meet a soldier.
I’m trying to figure out a right time when and where there would be a gap in their schedule so we can go there to investigate. If we go one way, we meet Trailon soldiers in disguise.
If we go some other way, we meet with the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard being here already casts suspicion; they’re mainly posted near the palace and well, anywhere royal.
The Royal Guard also can be requested by most nobles in Cravolta, also anyone in high standing, which includes the minister."
"How did you get all this information from letters between Minister Saady and Frye?" Jotou cocked a brow.
"Oh, that’s because I didn’t. I stole a lot more than a briefcase and some letters—which are with Hotaru. I found the documents, requesting the Royal Guard from the capital and the palace itself," Fumeko flaunted a document.
A wax seal in goldish-bronze was stamped at the end of the formal letter. "And what reason did he use to request that? Surely that needs some clearance," Jotou queried.
"Security concerns; he put in an application more than a week ago. It apparently has to do with the Trailonian forces in the west of Galuvit," Fumeko furrowed her brows.
"Well, that’s already suspicious, but the princess just, approved that without looking into it?"
"I know, seems careless. It’s sealed by the princess herself; or at least the seal is supposedly stamped by her. It might not even be the princess," Fumeko shrugged, "Maybe there’s some kind of overthrowing of the government."
"Eh, we’ll get to that bridge when we get there—if, we get there. Besides, it can’t be the same thing that happened in Kria happening in Cravolta."
"Who knows? Maybe it’s not Trailon, but it could be some rich nobles all starting a rebellion."
"You should get some sleep detective," Jotou fell back and hit the pillow, able to rest within a moment’s notice again. Her head lightly buzzed and her muscles felt a little sore.
She weaved fingers into her blonde hair, watching the ceiling, "So many conspiracy theories inside such a tiny head," Jotou shook her head on the pillow.
"HA!? What’s that supposed to mean? Besides, you’re the paranoiac! We’re going to these coordinates on the map tomorrow based on your plan!" her finger almost poked a hole in the map as she pointed.
The sound of flapping paper hit the blonde’s ears, "What’s the matter detective? I don’t suppose you’re doubting my plan now?" she smirked.
Fumeko fell silent, staring at the blonde from her bed. Her legs stopped swinging, "You have some nerve calling me that after you rejected me Jotou Howllett!"
"Call you what detective?" Jotou purposefully made her voice deeper and more elegant, adding the hint of an English accent.
"THAT! You know it makes me feel better to hear you call me that and you’re just using it to manipulate me to make me softer!"
"Am I know?" a cunning tone.
"Don’t play dumb!"
"Good night detective, sweet dreams," Jotou sided her head into the pillow and closed her eyes. A low growl come from the other end of the room.
"I guess you never technically rejected me," the brunette sneered in a whisper and a glare. She placed the documents aside and fell into her own bed.
"You only asked me to not keep my hopes up Jotou. Oh, I’ll keep my hopes up alright; I’ll keep my hopes up high," the devious snicker concocted as she silently went to sleep.
_
"It was fairly easy actually," Hotaru relayed.
"So I’m told. What did all of you actually do?" Jotou queried. The Sun beamed down onto the roof of the restaurant they ate breakfast in.
"Shh! There might be spies everywhere," Asobi snuck a glance around them. People went about their day, fanning newspapers, checking watches and eating breakfast.
Fumeko stopped her munching, "There aren’t any spies..." she went back to chowing down, shifting her twin-tails from falling into her food.
"After you collapsed, we headed into town and got some clothes for the heat, Fumeko got a haircut and I even got a pretty parasol-"
"Really important information wolfy..."
"Hey Jotou asked, not you," Hotaru pouted to Fumeko before looking back to the blonde, "Anyway, once we found our way to the minister’s office building you gave the directions to, we made a plan.
We got closer after Asobi made us all invisible, Fumeko blinked in through the window when the minister wasn’t present and got any important documents."
"Then we had lunch! Then we had dinner! Then we went to sleep with all the info," Asobi hushed the last part.
"Huh, well, after your guys’ split up plan in Kria, I can’t say I wasn’t worried when I woke up," Jotou raised her brows.
"That was one time!" Hotaru’s ears bristled.
"Yeah and Fumeko was really scared!"
"Don’t drag me into this! I was in emotional distraught!" the spoon fell as she glared to Asobi.
"Ai, ai, ai..." ’If there are any spies listening, send help for my soul...’ Jotou shook her head in a little laugh, "Alright, what did we get, other than what Fumeko told me last night?"
"Well, the letters back and forth were not very constructive to our efforts. Other than all the obvious illegalities going on, there was a lot of back and forth of how much Minister Saady would be paid for this.
They settled on five hundred armite after a starting of two hundred."
Fumeko gulped her meal—her eyes popping out of her skull, "WHAT!?"
"Shh," Jotou sneered in a wrinkle of her nose, "There might not be spies, but we can’t draw suspicion."
"Yes, shhhhh," a small illusory white gloved hand appeared out of Asobi’s wand to grab Fumeko’s mouth.
"It is a lot," Hotaru sighed, "But keep in mind these numbers are coming from high positions. If nobles could have more than this, think of how much countries would be able to pay; we’re not in Kria for small tax numbers and incomes."
Fumeko waved off the hand over her mouth like a fly, "Okay, okay. Then it confirms that this ’rogue’ battalion isn’t actually rogue, right?"
"Yeah, all to do their experiment, which I assume are these time shenanigans. Nothing in, nothing out; but they can’t control every little bug and bird, so what’s the full story?" Jotou plotted.
"More importantly, isn’t that battle supposed to happen today? Should we be preparing something?" Hotaru placed her fork and spoon on the plate.
"Not exactly. I’m not sure of the outcome of us sitting still and not doing anything, but I did say we’d go investigate that grass border. If it yields nothing... Do we have no information on the ’device’?"
Hotaru hummed and then shook her head, "Other than an experiment of science, which means this is less magical than we think, the only documents that I read through were about the minister’s pay.
That, and that no one is to leave or enter Hartamat. Soldiers are supposedly posted around any path to keep things in or out. Nothing saying about what the experiment was or is doing."
"If you guys so easily broke in and stole these, it makes sense why Frye wouldn’t just giveaway all the info to Saady. So, did you find an opening for us detective?"
"I did. None of the paths would work, there’re always soldiers. But if we travel through the grass where there’s no path, we can head northeast completely.
The guards only walk by there once in the early morning at five and once at night at nine. It’s the midpoint between the eastern roads and the northern ones.
If we cut straight through there, we’d have hours of investigation time without worry," Fumeko rubbed the side of her face.
"Investigation..." Asobi whispered.
"Will you stop it with this spy shit!?"
"Alright, grab some pen, paper and some string," Jotou smirked.
