Listening to the distant sounds of combat, Mura moved toward the target tent with her dolls trailing silently behind her.
This was a reversal of her usual role. She had never expected to find herself standing on the front lines, yet she felt no hesitation. While her duty was typically backup, it wasn't as though she had never seen direct combat before. In the past, she had simply deferred to Shistoi because he was better suited for the vanguard.
Because of that...
"S-stop! Who are you?!"
"What’s that commotion over there?!"
The soldiers pointing their spear tips at her in a state of confusion were no match for her.
"Hmph!"
Mura evaded a thrusting spear tip and closed the distance in a single breath. As guards tasked with watching this specific tent, the soldiers were likely capable enough. However, they were deep within the rebel army's position, isolated in an area with few surrounding tents, and the late hour meant they had expected everyone to be asleep. Their long period of uneventful duty had bred a fatal carelessness.
Those factors combined to leave them completely on the defensive. Mura’s dagger slashed across the throats of the two soldiers. The blood spraying out like mist looked strangely beautiful under the soft glow of the moonlight. Drenched in red, Mura herself cut an alluring, lethal figure.
She paid the scene no mind and shifted her attention to the dolls.
"You seven, finish off the soldiers inside those tents. However, make absolutely sure not to kill the target. Go."
It was a brief command, but more than enough for dolls that lacked the capacity for independent thought. Obeying Mura's command, they charged into the cluster of tents with their weapons ready.
Some soldiers tried to rouse themselves upon hearing the noise and shouting outside, but before they could prepare for battle, the dolls stormed in and dispatched them. A few managed to survive the initial puppet's attack and escape outside, only to be cut down by the other dolls.
The dolls wielded a variety of weapons—longswords, clubs, and spears—but even inside the cramped tents, they swung them with a practiced dexterity that suggested these movements were ingrained in their very muscles.
(Turning soldiers and adventurers into dolls instead of merchants was definitely the right move.)
While they were inflexible, their pure combat power made them a formidable force. Judging them ready, she spoke to the three dolls remaining by her side.
"The rest of you, come with me. If anyone shows hostility and attacks, you have permission to kill them."
The dolls met Mura's command with silence. It wasn't that they hadn't heard; they simply couldn't speak. This was another side effect of having to rush their adjustment as dolls.
With the sounds of battle echoing from the nearby tents, Mura pressed on. The destination tent was exactly where the cooperator man had indicated; Sobul, their objective, should be inside.
(The distraction is working perfectly. But I heard the guards here are elite, so I should hurry. Even if there are no other soldiers nearby right now, the commotion will eventually bring reinforcements.)
Confirming that no one was heading directly for them, Mura advanced through the chaos. Eventually, she passed the cluster of tents and emerged into a clearing where a single tent stood alone.
She was pleased to have finally reached her goal, but she clicked her tongue when she saw the soldiers in front of the tent leveling their spear tips at her group. Unlike the first two she had encountered, these men showed no sign of confusion. If anything, they seemed to realize that Mura was the cause of the disturbance, and they glared at her with eyes that promised death.
The only reason they didn't charge was their understanding that their primary duty was to protect the person inside. For defenders, launching an attack was not a viable option in this scenario. Their best hope was to buy time and wait for the reinforcements that would surely arrive soon.
One of the soldiers opened his mouth to speak. "Your surprise attack has already failed. If you surrender now, we can guarantee your safety."
"Go."
Mura’s response was a single, cold word. At that short command, the three dolls dashed across the ground. Mura knew they were trying to stall, and she had no intention of playing along.
The dolls kicked off the ground and rushed the soldiers with a speed that was clearly not human. This was the result of brainwashing and physical enhancement performed at the cost of their very souls. Because the process had been rushed, even the slightest spark of self-awareness had been snuffed out.
"..."
Faced with the dolls closing in total silence, the soldiers drew them in.
"Hah!"
"Take this!"
They thrust their spears in perfect synchronization. Both soldiers felt the distinct, sickening sensation of spear tips piercing deep into flesh. Even as veterans of human conflict, it was a sensation one never truly grew accustomed to.
A thought flickered through one soldier's mind: I got him. The spear tip was buried in the doll's torso up to the base.
But that thought was a fatal error. Why were the attackers not wearing armor? Even if they wanted to move quietly, they could have used leather armor made from monster hides.
The soldier didn't realize the significance of this until it was too late. He stared in shock as the man he had just impaled through the stomach raised a longsword, seemingly indifferent to the wound.
"Eh...?"
That was the soldier's final word. In the next instant, the doll—which had continued to move forward even as the spear passed through its body—swung its longsword and split the soldier's head open.
"Wh-! What?!"
The other soldier witnessed the horrific sight and reflexively leaped back. At the same moment, a blade swung down where he had stood a second before. This attack came from neither the man he had impaled nor the one who had killed his partner.
Mura was accompanied by three dolls. Since there were only two soldiers, they were hopelessly outnumbered.
"Damn it!"
His favorite spear was still stuck in the first doll's torso. To make matters worse, one opponent was unscathed, and the two who were wounded showed absolutely no signs of pain. And then...
"Wait..."
Where did the remaining woman go?
The moment the thought occurred, a gust of wind seemed to brush past him, followed by a sudden, searing heat in his throat. When the soldier realized what was happening, he saw blood geysering from his own neck. He stared at the spray of red under the moonlight and thought it looked beautiful. A second later, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness, and his short life came to an end.
"...Now, let's go. We’re as good as finished now. Normally, I’d worry about them moving the target, but since this was a complete surprise attack, we don't have to fret about that. Go. But do not attack anyone inside who doesn't fight back."
Mura gave the instruction just in case any enemy soldiers were hiding within, but the doll that entered first triggered no reaction. The tent remained silent. Relieved that the coast was clear, she stepped inside.
Her eyes immediately landed on Sobul. Despite being a prisoner, he had a bed prepared for him, and he sat upon it now, watching the three dolls that stood motionless in the center of the room.
"You are Sobul... I assume?"
Ordinarily, Mura would have played the part of a polite stranger, but she didn't have the time. Shistoi was still holding the rear, and even if Crimson was away, there was no telling when he might return. The rebel army's upper management would surely send reinforcements any moment now. Most importantly, she still had to escort Sobul all the way back to the Imperial Capital.
Given the circumstances, Mura had no patience for social niceties. Sobul, for his part, didn't seem to care about her bluntness. He accepted her presence with a simple nod.
"Yeah, I'm Sobul. And whose payroll are you on?"
Knowing there were many factions that might want to claim him, Sobul asked the question with total composure. Even though his life would be forfeit if Mura belonged to a faction that considered him a liability, he showed no fear.
Mura found his attitude rather likable. She let a smile touch her lips and shrugged.
"Who knows? Unfortunately, we’re just tools for the organization. We aren't the ones in charge, so we don't know the specifics of the contract. But since the order was to bring you back to the Imperial Capital alive, it’s safe to say our employer doesn't have any ill will toward you."
"...I see."
He nodded simply, having judged that further questioning would be a waste of breath. He stood up from the bed.
Mura was actually the one taken aback. She hadn't expected him to comply so readily with a group of strangers who had come to rescue—or kidnap—him. She had prepared several persuasive arguments and had even considered having the dolls restrain him by force, so his cooperation felt like a bit of an anticlimax.
Still, she quickly regained her footing and moved toward the exit. They had to rendezvous with Shistoi. However, when she stepped outside, Shistoi was already waiting there, holding a blood-stained longsword.
"...Oh, you were quite fast."
She was surprised for a moment, but her long history with Shistoi allowed her to recover her voice instantly.
"Yeah. More importantly, let's get out of this camp. You remember the location of the horses the cooperator man prepared?"
"Of course. They’re our lifeline... You lot, keep running wild around here for a while. And when you’re about to die, take as many of those of the rebel army as you can with you."
"..."
The dolls nodded at Mura's heartless command without a word of protest. They had been adjusted to obey her every word, and with their egos erased, they were incapable of doing otherwise.
"Well then, shall we? You understand the situation, right? Don't try anything clever. I was told to bring you back alive, but as long as your heart is beating, I don't care if your arms and legs are missing."
It was a blatant demand for submission. Sobul, however, merely nodded without a hint of displeasure.
"Understood. I needed to return to the Imperial Capital anyway. I'm not going to bother sabotaging you when you're going through the trouble of helping me."
"...I-I see. For a big shot, you're surprisingly reasonable. That makes things easier. If you’re going to be cooperative, I’ll treat you with a bit more respect, so just relax and let us handle things."
Mura murmured the words with a look of slight bewilderment. She hadn't expected him to be this submissive, but she decided it was for the best.
"The matter is settled. Let's move," Shistoi said, and the group broke into a run.
Sobul was a bit out of shape from his house arrest, but he had no trouble keeping up for this distance. The dolls, who were excellent in a fight but lacked the ability to adapt to changing situations, remained as decoys to sow chaos near the tent.
The commotion would eventually focus on them, but by then, the three of them would be long gone. They moved swiftly through the camp. Because Sobul had been confined in an isolated area for security reasons, the noise of the uprising began to fade the further they moved from the site.
In fact, while they could still hear the distant shouting of the guards, the only other sound was the chirping of insects in the long autumn night. After several minutes of running, they reached the promised place with the cooperator man.
The mole himself was nowhere to be seen, but the horses were tied up as promised, alongside a pack containing simple food and weapons.
(He kept his word. Well, it's no surprise—he gets his bribe, and if we're caught, it would only lead the investigators back to him.)
Mura murmured the thought to herself as she approached the horses with Sobul in tow, while Shistoi remained vigilant at their rear.