Chapter 203 - Planning a Breaking and Entry

Anlesa tried re-debating their approach to everything.

Like all their past encounters, there was so much they didn’t know, but they were learning and stepping into the enemy's advancement. Unlike before, they hadn’t been caught by surprise by a trigger incident suddenly interrupting their life. The bomb in this situation hadn’t even gone off yet, as both sides were dancing on the boundaries.

The game of chicken between both sides all moved the pendulum closer to Anlesa’s victory the longer it went on. Syrus knew that unless the enemy went loud, they wouldn’t get what they wanted.

Killing them would require an extreme amount of effort. Not that it was impossible, but so far, whoever their attacker was incapable of that. They hadn’t even reached the point where Anlesa had to use anything they kept hidden. It was an approach that, unless it underwent some changes, was going to continually fail.

Of course, their weakness lay in what they needed to protect. Which was everyone they came with. If any of them died, then they had failed in their duties to protect. Protecting the royalty first was probably what the older men wanted, but everyone was important.

[We have been put in quite a bind.] Luna recalled everything they knew. [Physical evidence has been almost impossible to find, and the people who could provide testimonies are dead.]

[A right awful situation, that is for sure.] (Syrus)

[But there has to be SOMETHING.] Eva was determined to find any answers. But the situation did look bleak. Every new lead they tried to uncover was met with another dead end. [We must just be looking in the wrong places.]

They looked over old documents as they tried to find a new lead that they could explore. They had some ideas about exploring certain parliament members, but that was less feasible due to all the factors.

Then they did look at one lead they overlooked.

The royal family had a large house of their own, but thirty years was a lot of time for things to change. Eva never knew in her first life that such a building even existed. To hide the traces of the past, one of the main signs of the royal family had to go. So the whole place was bricked up. The front ornate gate and open area around the large manor itself were destroyed, and new buildings were made to act as storage and block the view.

From asking Lord Hall, destroying the house, while deeply unwanted by many, did end up passing, but the project stopped almost immediately. When one of the demolition workers broke a wall, which caused a trap to be set off, killing five people. Afterwards, despite some opposition, no one wanted to participate in destroying the house. But the other projects to use the land around the house to block the view still went ahead.

[So if they had completely held off on further investigations, then there could be some hidden goodies within the walls.] (Syrus)

[Or information about the plague.] (Luna)

[That is part of the goodies.] (Syrus)

[It certainly seems like a good opportunity. Unlike everything else, it could be a time capsule of the time.] (Eva)

[And speaking of the time, we have someone who could tell us about some of these hidden aspects of the house.] (Syrus)

[Would she even know…?] Eva realised her question was a little redundant as they would just adjust when they spoke to her. [So if this is successful, what are we going to do about sneaking in?]

[If we are going to sneak in, then we can’t do it as ourselves.] (Syurus)

[Obviously, but what disguise?] (Luna)

[Do we make a new one? A blank slate?] (Eva)

[That could be good, but too many new people investigating could be suspicious in its own way.] (Luna)

There were good reasons for and against.

[Do we use Rose?] Eva suggested. It was already one they were using in this city.

[If we do, it is likely important that we show her face. Eva has done a fantastic job at making her look different from our normal appearances.] Luna sighed. [Though perhaps we should’ve chosen a different colour hair.]

[My red hair is vastly different from Rose’s hair.] Syrus was a staunch believer that Rose’s hair was completely different. Eva had hit the nail perfectly on the head with Syrus’s request. The dark blood red of the Rose disguise was almost the opposite of their normal crimson red. If their normal hair reflected light, this one absorbed it.

[It could also be a good chance to test out the potion!] (Eva)

A few days later.

“You want to know about the secret rooms in my old home?” Mary’s eyebrow raised in deep concern. “Don’t tell me you are going to try to enter that place.”

“I’m not.” Syrus raised her hands defensively. “But I found someone who can.”

They had thought about this for a few days while doing other tasks, and Syrus doing this job would be a little risky, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be the ones to break inside.

“Nope, they are an outsider like us, but they came to the city over a week after us if their word is to be believed.”

“Why do you trust them then? If you can’t even trust them when they arrive in the city.” Mary didn’t want Syrus to be dragged into danger.

Anlesa played their first card. “Well, I got the information about a secret room from them, and they appeared to be a fan of the royals.”

Mary paused. “Meaning?”

“They threatened to kill me if I was going to put you in harm's way.” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Mary’s mouth opened slightly before she snappily closed it.

“I don’t see how you can trust a person like that?”

“I’ve met some wild people, and more importantly, we could use someone to get the heat off our backs.” Syrus leaned back into their chair. “And, I think they are from this country. From when the plague happened.”

“...That… is interesting… but just because they left and returned…” Mary paused her words, picking up on the small hints within Syrus’s words. “Wait, are you saying they are someone who needed to escape to survive the plague?”

“Not confirmed, but I believe so.” It wasn’t their original plan for Rose to have an Exotic Attribute, but what could be an Exotic Attribute was a complete unknown at this point. So some horns, blood, and enhanced strength should make a wonderful mask.

Mary thought about it, and she couldn’t lie, she was curious about the secret rooms. They were built long ago, and very few people knew about them, and if they knew they existed, the entrances were a complete unknown. Even members of the parliament weren’t privy to that knowledge, as they were supposed to be the royal family’s safety and security.

Mary had left early into the plague’s disaster, and what could be in the main secret room could reveal what happened to her family in their final days. It thankfully was the only one she actually knew the entrances for, as it was meant to be an escape in an emergency.

“I… will let you know about the one I know,” Mary explained to Anlesa how to find the room. “Please be careful, I don’t know what traps exist within that house. I was always forbidden from touching objects in most rooms in case I triggered something.” It certainly wasn’t always exactly the safest place to raise a child in that sense.

[The investigation effort into what remained of the Royal Family’s assets and belongings was also stopped for similar reasons to the destruction of the house.] (Luna)

[Fair. If you don’t know where the traps are. Is it even worth trying to explore a possible death box? That would be the question they asked themselves a lot, and for them, they said no.] (Syrus)

[The fact they had a trap that could take that many lives…] (Eva)

“Thank you.” Anlesa, with that information, formulated a plan of attack. “Also… can you let it be known later that you have found someone to do this?”

“Why…?” Mary had a feeling she knew the reason.

“A trap.”

“Would that put you in danger?”

“No, it was the other party that suggested this.”

“For what reason?”

“If I had to guess?” Syrus rubbed her chin. “To generate fear for their enemy. My best guess is they want to be attacked and to destroy everyone who attacks them.”

“Sounds like what has been happening with you.”

“Well, I am not trying to be attacked.” Syrus looked offended. “I do prefer to be out of conflict when not needed, but they… seem to be ready to swim in it.”

“That… doesn’t exactly demand confidence from me.”

“Neither from me. It is nearly the actions of a psycho, but… they seem to care about your safety at the very least, and my instincts are good enough to at least trust that.”

[Talking about ourselves like this…] (Luna)

[I know I’ve said this before, but this is kind of fun.] (Syrus)

[And you are insane.] (Luna)

[Thanks, but I am quite sane.] (Syrus)

[Sure you are.] (Luna)