Ch.100100. Infiltrating the Octagon (2)

At a glance, the buildings are clearly designed to advertise “commoners keep out,” with most structures standing distinctively larger than normal.

As befits an administrative district where the wealthy predominantly reside, the buildings are not just tall and massive but adorned with elaborate decorations.

The rows of buildings house cutting-edge industries, making it unlikely that the few commoners of Mirpark Province would even consider setting foot here.

Late evening.

Lights gradually dim in a building located at the outermost edge. They’re closing after finishing work, preparing to open again tomorrow.

Yet people are still coming and going.

“Oh, my lord. It’s been quite a while since you’ve visited.”

“Hmm. Well… I got an earful from the Duchy this time.”

“Tsk. The Duchy seems to be pushing things to the limit. Please go in and cool off.”

A man who appears to be a lord of some territory enters through the entrance, comforted by the guard despite his complaints.

Why would people be entering a building after business hours? Normally, visitors would come when it reopens.

Stepping into a building where lights would soon go out, leaving only darkness and silence, was certainly strange.

And the two men who had conversed with them were equally peculiar.

The two men standing in front of the closed building—don’t they look like they’re standing guard?

“Did the lord go in?”

“Yeah. I soothed him well. This job was awful when I first started, but as you said, I’ve become numb to it now.”

“So, how long is our shift today?”

“Until 3 AM. Since they switched to the tournament system, we have to work later.”

“Sigh. It’s gotten even later?”

As the two guards complain at the entrance, other soldiers emerging from the building taunt them.

“Still complaining? You never change, no matter how much time passes. Tsk tsk.”

“Don’t be annoyed or irritated. This job is sweet if you think about it.”

“Putting everything else aside, just compare yourself to those guys down below. We have it much better.”

“Right. We have family connections or status. Without such backing, we’d be like those guys inside.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Even at a glance, there were quite a few of them.

The group walking out of the building were all soldiers guarding this place.

After some conversation, they all went about their duties—patrolling, welcoming nobles with flattery, or escorting them inside—just like those at the entrance.

But even this activity was enough to dispel the darkness, making the situation rather inconvenient.

‘…This is quite tight.’

I hadn’t expected easy infiltration from the start, but security was stricter than anticipated.

I had set ambitious goals and headed toward the gambling den where the Octagon was located, but getting in was already proving difficult.

Confronting each guard head-on and breaking through? Is that even possible?

I can’t instantly subdue those patrolling in groups of three or four by myself.

And even if I did subdue them, the next patrol would soon arrive, and ultimately, I’d have to deal with the guards at the entrance too.

However, I’ve mainly trained in martial arts, and they’re so bored they’re yawning, making them less vigilant.

Forcing my way in might just be feasible.

‘Patrol groups usually consist of two or three people. Patrol interval is about 3 minutes. That gives me 3 minutes, but considering the line of sight of other patrols, more like 2 minutes and 20 seconds. There are three potential blind spots.’

Calculations complete. Now it’s time to put it into action.

***

“So I was saying… Huh? I beat that guy to a pulp…”

“Yes, yes. Another strange daydream.”

“I’m telling you it’s true! Want to check tomorrow yourself?”

“Just patrol quietly, will you? More guests might arrive.”

It’s always like this.

Every patrol, he spouts nonsense non-stop.

Still, I can just tune it out with one ear. Thinking this, the man scratched his ear.

‘But usually he’d insist I listen properly and argue back…’

Today seemed unusually quiet, making him wonder if his partner had finally matured.

But when the man turned his head…

“What the…! What happened to you?”

He realized the reason for the silence was completely different.

He tries shaking his head to wake him up, but there’s no response.

“This guy… he’s completely knocked out…! What the…”

With someone nearby who had reduced his patrol partner to this state, his course of action was simple.

Call for help immediately.

If he blows the emergency whistle they were given, all nearby patrolling soldiers would converge here.

However, just as he’s about to blow the whistle, the man experiences the same fate as his fallen friend.

-Thud.

“Phew.”

Junon, who picked up the whistle, breathed a sigh of relief. The greatest advantage of Anti-Cast was definitely its silence.

“Of course. They’d naturally have something like this for calling for help.”

He also checked the other man’s inner pocket, found another emergency whistle, and threw it onto the visible grass. Better to dispose of it in advance—if these guys report an intruder, they’ll be dismissed as talking nonsense.

If they’re caught having lost their whistles, it would be written off as them slacking off. Even if discovered, it would buy some time.

I’ve secured one person’s appearance and identity to infiltrate.

The rest… I can create a situation using these guys.

“…”

This is the second time I’ve had to move unconscious people, but I don’t have good memories of it.

I didn’t expect to be moving people like this in this life too—rather than finding it physically difficult, bad memories surfaced first.

But what choice do I have? If I don’t do this, everything will be for nothing.

After struggling to move the people and complete my disguise…

Now all that’s left is to pass through the main entrance with a brazen face…

‘They won’t let me in if I was just patrolling.’

Then I’ll need another approach.

“Huh? Why are you coming here instead of patrolling? What’s wrong?”

“Well… my stomach hurts terribly.”

I clutched my abdomen and made a pained expression. What better excuse is there than an urgent need for the bathroom while on duty?

“Stomach problems while patrolling? You were stuffing your face like a starving pig earlier.”

“Tsk tsk. Hurry up and take care of it. Your patrol partner must be having a hard time.”

“Ugh… thank you.”

The strict security check was passed. Getting through the main entrance was done.

Since I’d been to this building before, finding my way to the gambling den entrance wasn’t difficult.

As I entered the underground entrance to the gambling den, disgusting cheers began to reach my ears.

—Waaah!!!

Outside, they held money—the price paid for the entertainment of what happened inside the cage.

Inside, they held weapons—each with their own reasons.

An octagonal space separated by iron bars. The two spaces divided by those bars contained completely different things.

But now is not the time to feel disgust at this sight.

This infiltration method I used today is one-time only. Even with my deception, they might notice something strange. I need to find another way to infiltrate this place again.

‘Nothing to see here either.’

I searched every corner, avoiding the nobles’ eyes, but couldn’t find any other entrance.

While looking around for anything else, I bump into someone.

“Ouch… uh…”

Bumping into someone here would mean they’re all nobles, which is quite unfortunate.

But something about the reaction is strange. Usually, nobles would glare and hurl insults at someone like me who’s just on patrol, even for such a minor collision…

Why isn’t this woman saying anything?

“Next time, watch where you’re going. Understand?”

“Uh… yes. I’m sorry…”

From the speech pattern, definitely a noble. But unusually mild for one.

Besides that… the height difference seems too great. Almost like a child. The voice also sounds like a young girl.

‘Don’t they keep children away from here?’

From what I’ve observed around the Octagon, most visitors are around thirty years old.

The youngest people in this gambling den appear to be in their late twenties. I’ve never seen children here.

That makes sense—if a minor had developed a taste for gambling and visited this place, those academy brats would surely follow.

Even nobles’ children are still children. While alcohol or tobacco might fall within the realm of youthful rebellion, enjoying a fighting arena and gambling?

Even if true, it would be bizarre. The contradiction of those who learn inefficient elemental magic from the back rows out of fear of blood coming to watch bloody fights.

…So who is this girl in front of me?

“Wait a moment.”

“…What is it? How rude to touch a guest.”

Thinking about it, the weight I felt when we collided wasn’t that light, and there wasn’t much noise when she fell.

Above all, though she wears a mask and covers her face with a fan like other nobles, her build isn’t very large.

And that speech pattern. It sounds familiar…

-‘It was really hard to act, but I had to go in myself to dig up information about the Octagon.’

“…!”

This person… could it be.

If my guess is correct, this small-framed person is…

“Hey! You said you were going to the bathroom, not the Octagon!”

…Damn it. Why now of all times? I suppose too much time has passed.

“You see that drunk person over there? I had no choice but to escort them here and keep them company.”

“Huh? Ah, that person…”

What caught the entrance guard’s eye was a middle-aged woman who was sprawled on the sofa, overcome with intoxication.

Being delayed because I was caught up dealing with a drunk’s antics—though hastily made up, it was a pretty good excuse.

“Those ungrateful bastards at the Academy. Huh? After all my dedication, they cast me aside. Damn…”

“…”

“The Union people are just the same. They all use people as tools. *Hiccup!*”

That collapsed middle-aged woman is Professor Kyoph. I had noticed her earlier as a potential excuse if needed.

Having a familiar face around means I can make up whatever conversation I need.

Now I just need to add a few MSG-enhanced words to avoid suspicion.

“It’s Professor Kyoph. She’s been lamenting to me about being kicked out of the Academy and abandoned by the Union, pouring out all her grievances. I couldn’t get away. She finally passed out from drinking, and I just managed to escape.”

The guard shook his head with a disgusted expression. Okay, this seems to have worked.

“Tch… of all people to run into after using the bathroom…”

“That’s why you should drink less, you fool. That’s why you get stomach problems. Make sure you don’t need to enter that building again!”

“Haha… yes…”

“Anyway, good job dealing with the drunk guest. Since we’re almost done, go patrol outside to avoid similar situations.”

As I followed the guard out, I glanced back briefly, but she was already gone.

I didn’t expect to encounter her again like this… but she must have been thoroughly investigating since then.