Chapter 68 - The Armed Insurgents
"Hey? Hey, who are you guys?"
The building we stormed through the front door was nothing like the dilapidated structure it was made out to be. There was no sign of any renovation. The space was filled with nothing but old, worn-out tables and sofas.
And just as the rumors suggested, a group of armed insurgents lounged about, each doing their own thing.
Without a second thought, I struck down the unlucky one near the entrance with my spear.
The room froze in an instant. For a group of armed insurgents, they were surprisingly careless.
"Pierce through them."
At my short command, countless spikes erupted from the stone floor, striking the insurgents in a preemptive attack.
"Leave the rest to them."
With that, I left the rest to the combat support team. I might have overdone it a bit, but the enemy was too weak.
Ignoring the chaos on the first floor and the anger of the few survivors, I climbed the main staircase.
Of course, they couldn't have missed the commotion downstairs. Magic attacks rained down from above as I ascended, but I let my Active Armor take the hits and continued on to the second floor. Gradena and Ophelia relied on their cloaks' defenses and skills to charge into the enemy ranks.
"I'll take that one!"
"I'll handle this side!"
I left the enthusiastic duo to their work and stood by with Valeria, ready for any unexpected turns.
The insurgents on the second floor seemed to favor magic over melee combat, obsessively casting spells.
They got upset when their magic didn't work, clinging to spells that had no effect. It was pitiful, even from an enemy's perspective.
"Uaaaaaah!"
"Magic bullets! Magic bullets! Magic bullets! This is a joke! Why aren't they working?!"
"My fire!"
"Damn it! This isn't working either!"
Gradena used her cloak to deflect all the spells or sliced them away with her magic mineral sword. While fending off close-range attacks, she would strike with her sword or cast lightning spells through the gaps in her defense. Her combat skills had improved immensely from the early days, and her attack magic was now formidable.
She even had a fighting style I liked, where she would punch and cast lightning spells simultaneously. It was a sight to behold, a combination of brute force and precision. Her style seemed to blend the best aspects of Siegrune and Ophelia's techniques.
Ophelia was even more interesting.
"What the hell is this thing?"
"Stay back, stay back!"
"Damn it!"
"You guys, use more water spells! Water!"
Ophelia was surrounded by flames. She must have recently learned this ability. Just being near her must be incredibly intimidating.
Moreover, her Illusion skill made pinpoint attacks miss her effortlessly. The flickering flames seemed to enhance the effectiveness of her illusions.
For an opponent without a counter, it was a desperate and impenetrable combination of offense and defense.
In the back of the room, a scrawny young man stood frozen, his face pale with shock. He seemed different from the others, more like a liaison than a combatant. He probably negotiated with Jallens.
If he got caught in the crossfire, it would be a hassle. I needed to secure him quickly.
"Valeria, do you see that guy in the back?"
"Yes, I'll bring him to you, Onee-sama."
With the speed of the wind, Valeria dashed toward the young man.
Valeria's speed was unmatched, even by me. It was a gift of nature and hard work.
In the blink of an eye, she reached the young man, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him back to me. She then threw him to the floor with a fluid motion, seemingly trying to incapacitate him.
"Oof!"
The young man, unable to take the impact, lay motionless in pain.
The Record Card was our top priority. If he had it, we needed to take it. I squatted beside him and demanded the information.
"Do you know Jallens from the Commerce Guild? Where is the loan Record Card?"
I don't like beating around the bush. It's better to be direct.
"...Ugh, it hurts."
He only groaned in pain, refusing to answer. Was he unable to speak, or did he not want to? Either way, this was getting tedious.
Before I could do anything, Valeria took action.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
"Answer the question, Onee-sama is asking."
Valeria grabbed the young man's face and squeezed.
It was an Iron Claw, and she used her nails to add more menace. Hmm, claw techniques could be useful. With my strength, there were many applications.
The young man, on the brink of death, desperately tapped Valeria's arm, pleading for mercy.
Once released from her grip, he reluctantly began to speak.
"...The Record Card, you said? It's in the basement. But who are you?"
"Basement? It won't be just lying around, will it? Lead us there."
I had no intention of introducing ourselves or searching the house. I just needed him to lead us to the item.
He could still walk, though he was in pain. I forced him to his feet and, with Valeria, we headed for the basement.
"Gradena! Ophelia! We're going to the basement! Clean up here and meet up with us later!"
There was no need to watch the battle any longer. Without waiting for a response, I descended the stairs.
When I reached the first floor, the combat support team had already left. They were probably waiting outside with Shelby.
In the corner, the defeated insurgents were bound with wire and left there. They were of no use or interest to me.
I looked around for the entrance to the basement but found nothing. There were no supplies to support the number of people on the first or second floors. They must have already moved everything to vehicles outside.
But if that was the case, it was strange that the Record Card was still in the basement. Something was off.
"Where's the entrance to the basement?"
Under the young man's guidance, we found a nondescript door behind the stairs, leading to a hidden staircase.
"Please, spare me here. You can search on your own. Help my comrades first."
"Out of the question. You lead the way."
"But, but why? We've already done enough!"
"Valeria, make sure he leads the way. Keep him in front."
"Yes."
Realizing he couldn't escape, the young man visibly resisted, but it was too late.
I pointed the tip of my spear at him, ordering him to go first.
"Go down first. Any more nonsense and you'll regret it."
I cast a few light orbs to illuminate the dark staircase and followed closely behind, my spear pressed against his back. The basement floor was visible after a short descent.
The stone floor was slightly different from the first floor, with a faint magical reaction.
The young man stopped just before entering the basement.
"...What are you doing? Keep going."
He began to act suspiciously.
Valeria, annoyed, pushed him from behind.
"Wait, wait, stop, stop!"
"Valeria, wait. What are you afraid of? You can explain now if you want."
"Huff, huff, huff, up. Up there."
Looking up, I saw a control panel embedded in the wall, just within reach. It was designed to be inconspicuous.
"What's this?"
"...It's the control panel for a stationary magical device. If I deactivate it, you can enter the room safely."
A trap. Good thing we brought him along.
Still, it was a bold move to try and trap us.
"Trying to trap us, huh?"
"Well, you are the enemy, after all. This is a trap to capture intruders, so no one will die!"
Maybe, but I had my doubts.
"I see. No one will die. Let's test it, then."
I pushed him lightly.
"Eh, eh, aaaaaah!"
He fell to the ground, and a few seconds later, a blinding white light enveloped the entryway. The young man was struck by a bolt of lightning and collapsed, unconscious.
"This was dangerous. There's no way to avoid or defend against it."
"Onee-sama, there might still be more traps."
True. A second trap to catch us off guard after the first one is a common tactic.
I cut off the magical supply from the control panel above to disable the lightning trap. There were no other magical reactions, so there were no more magical traps. I activated physical armor all around and cautiously entered the basement.
After a quick scan, I found nothing. The room was empty, with only a few shelves.
Where was the loan Record Card? I would have to check the vehicles outside. Hopefully, it was there.
"Valeria, tell Shelby and the others to search the vehicles. Look for the Record Card and anything valuable."
"Yes, Onee-sama."
Valeria ran off, and I turned back to the unconscious young man.
Just as I was about to question him again, I noticed something odd.
"Huh? What's this?"
A large shelf against the wall, slightly askew. Suspicious.
I moved the shelf aside, revealing a large iron door.
"A hidden room."
There must be something important in there.
The door was locked with a bolt, but I could easily unlock it from this side. Still, the setup gave me an uneasy feeling.
I pushed the bolt aside and cautiously opened the door.
"Ugh!"
A strong, unpleasant odor filled the air. The light orb behind me revealed a dark stain on the floor. Just as I feared.
I steeled myself and cast a light spell to fully illuminate the room.
The worst possible sight.
There were corpses, several female corpses. They looked like refugees or slum dwellers, easy targets for people with no family ties.
Their condition suggested they had been killed recently. They were likely disposed of after being used.
Sigh. This was disheartening. I would report this to the guard later.
I left the hidden room and returned to the basement entrance.
Perhaps the lightning trap was more about keeping people from escaping rather than capturing intruders.
I felt a surge of anger toward the unconscious young man but had more pressing matters to attend to.
I searched his pockets and found a Record Card, but it belonged to him. Without his magic certification, it was useless to us.
What about the main Record Card? Was it with someone else or stored elsewhere? Hopefully, the search of the vehicles would yield results.
"Hey, wake up!"
I slapped him, but he didn't stir. Frustrating.
I created a healing water orb and splashed it on his face to wake him up.
"...Gasp! Cough, huff, huff, huff."
He was in pain, but he would live. I stood over him and asked my final question.
"You hear me? I'm asking the same question. One last time. Where is the loan Record Card?"
Silence. He wasn't going to talk.
I didn't have time for games.
I tapped his knee with the butt of my spear. The sound of bone breaking.
His screams were meaningless to me.
"I said, one last time. This is a courtesy. Where is the loan Record Card?"
I gave him a moment to catch his breath.
"It's... it's not here anymore. Another member... has already taken it."
"Who? Where are they now?"
"I can't... I can't say. I'll be killed either way."
I see. No use in keeping him around then.
We were too late. Now, I needed to minimize the damage as best as I could.
When I reached the first floor, the front door burst open.
"Onee-sama!"
Valeria? Her frantic demeanor suggested something was still happening.
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I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. The next chapter will bring a new development.