Chapter 164 - Unexpected Raid
Following Rosmerta’s hurried pace, we slipped into the next room, where I made a quick check.
"By the way, who was that guy?"
"That dimwit is the third prince of Berliza. But that’s not the urgent part."
Berliza! A prince from a major kingdom called a dimwit. That’s harsh, even for me.
Well, being the third prince of a major kingdom, he’s probably a spoiled brat who does whatever he wants. Yeah, that’s probably just my bias.
But if he’s from Berliza’s royal family, I wish we had a bit more of a connection. Just a little. I don’t want to be mistaken for a pick-up artist, though. It’s fine.
"What’s the emergency?"
Hearing the tension in Rosmerta’s usually relaxed voice, Siegrune and I exchanged glances.
No matter how casual we were, Rosmerta’s serious expression told us this was serious.
"They’ve confirmed the eye tattoo. Do you understand what that means?"
Could it be...
"Surely, the Legisamo Cartel!?"
This was completely unexpected. The Royal Capital is under the control of House Oversta, both above and below the surface. I thought there was no room for foreign forces to infiltrate. The Kikyo Society had completely overlooked this.
Hmm, the Royal Capital is as vast as Exembra, and people from all over flow in and out. Even with a lot of power, it’s impossible to keep track of everything.
Still, I never thought we’d get information on a drug cartel here. With the Kingdom of Brenark’s revival, Exembra will likely fall under its control again. It makes sense that Rosmerta and her team would gather information and act accordingly. They must have caught a lead in the Royal Capital. But at this timing? Oh well, it’s fine.
"We can’t play around anymore. Where is it?"
"West of the Royal Capital, in a slum area. We can’t spare any of our guards here. Can you handle it?"
Of course, we can’t spare anyone from this place where important people are gathered. They must have called us because they have no other immediate options. This is our moment to shine. Actually, I want to go. Their information would be valuable to the residents of Exembra. I want to see and engage with them myself, not just hear stories.
"I’ll change quickly. Just give us a guide."
"Of course, I’ll have them explain the situation directly to you."
Ah, right, I should bring the deputy head of the Intelligence Bureau.
"Our Margaret will stay behind, so please take care of her. Call Graylease over."
Unexpected as it is, this is much better than a formal party. I’m actually excited now.
We changed quickly, shedding our dresses and slipping into our usual outfits or combat gear. In the parking lot, we held a brief meeting. The group that had been exuding charm just moments ago was now gone, replaced by fierce warriors. The contrast is part of the charm.
The guide turned out to be the one who discovered the enemy. Getting information directly from him will be efficient and prevent us from getting lost.
"Give me a quick rundown. How many enemies are there?"
"They’re still confirming, but the hideout is a small warehouse, so it can’t be many. Probably a few people, hiding out. Assuming the main force hasn’t arrived yet, it’s likely a small group. Perhaps a vanguard or a reconnaissance team."
I see. They’re probably still scouting the area before setting up roots in the Kingdom of Brenark.
"What about their strength? If there are so few, you could have handled it on your own, right? Are they that tough?"
"We could manage with the knights, but not with our intelligence agents. They’re few but formidable."
That’s actually welcome news. I don’t want to deal with weaklings.
"Got it. Mary, looks like we have some good prey."
"Can I lead the charge?"
Mary smiled, a vicious but beautiful smile. She’s more attractive to me when she’s being herself.
"Sure, it’s yours."
I’ll leave this assault to the Second Combat Unit. Even if they’re strong, I doubt anyone can match Mary. With so few enemies, it’s safe to let her handle it. We haven’t confirmed if this is the only hideout, so we need to conduct thorough reconnaissance and allocate resources for that.
We can’t ignore the possibility that they have connections in Exembra. Ideally, we’ll capture all the enemies in the Royal Capital and cut off their coordination.
The rest is about how much information we can gather.
"That’s the brief. Let’s move."
No one hesitated at the sudden combat. The relaxed atmosphere was dispelled, and we climbed into our vehicles, heading out into the night.
As we left the noble district and entered the general area, then the outskirts of the Royal Capital, the meticulously maintained streets gradually deteriorated.
The slum we arrived at was exactly that—a slum. Debris and shacks from a bygone era of the Royal Capital, along with destitute people lounging or sleeping on the ground, were everywhere. The stained walls and litter on the streets were also noticeable. Bodies could be found in any alleyway. At least the streetlights were working, providing some light in the darkness.
There were also concerning groups of young men standing on the street corners, eyeing us with predatory gazes. Their initial wary looks turned to predatory ones when they realized we were women. Their intense gazes were unsettling, but their hunger was commendable.
What are those guys doing, standing there all day? Are they really just looking for potential victims?
Then, an older man approached the young men, apparently mistaking us for passersby. He handed them something and was promptly led into a dark alley. I was curious, but couldn’t see what happened as we were on bikes.
Even in this short time, I could sense the tense atmosphere. The groups of young men, standing at a distance from each other, seemed to be eyeing each other warily, like they were in a territorial dispute. The contrast with the calm, bright areas we just left was stark. A single wall separated two different worlds.
"…This is a slum. The disparity with the city center is terrible."
"Even the most developed cities have their dark sides. The old Royal Capital had similar areas."
Some people can only survive in places like this. Not everyone can live a decent life. We, too, are more on this side of the spectrum.
Soon, our guide stopped the vehicle and met up with the lookout.
"Any movement?"
"No, no one has entered or left since then."
"Got it. Kikyo Society, we’ll stay here and verify the results."
Letting others do the work is a comfortable position.
With no movement from the enemy, there’s no need to rush. Let’s think this through.
The enemy hideout, a plain building facing the street, was a small warehouse with no distinctive features. The number of detectable magic users was indeed low, as reported. There were some bystanders, but they would probably scatter once the fight started.
"Mary, how do we proceed?"
"Well, we can’t storm the small hideout with all of us. We could lure them out and surround them."
Hm, luring them out seems like a good idea. We want to secure any information inside, and destroying it would be a waste. Blowing up the hideout is out of the question.
"How do we lure them out? If we do it carelessly, they might destroy important documents."
I see. They might be professional enough to act decisively. This is a valuable source of information on the Legisamo Cartel. We need to be thorough.
If we can’t lure them out without raising suspicion, it’s a tough call.
"…If luring them out is too difficult, we’ll have to storm the place. But we should still try to catch them off guard."
"Agreed. If we can surprise them, even for a moment, we can push in and drive them outside."
In the end, it’s a matter of force. But if we can surprise them, there’s a chance to lure them out.
"Got it. Mary, you surprise them, and the Second Combat Unit will drive them outside. Siegrune and Valeria, and the rest of the team, will take care of the enemies once they’re out. Yukari-san, you and your team focus on the perimeter."
"Understood."
The battle-crazy warriors were raring to go against a strong enemy.
"Yukari-san, we’ll focus on the perimeter."
"Got it. Let’s start."
"Right!"
The warriors were ready.