The term "Quinta" originally came from Spanish.
Its roots trace back to the Spanish Civil War, when a general on the anti-government side broadcast a radio message: "We have four columns advancing toward Madrid. Inside the city, a fifth column will also begin the fight in coordination with us."
In other words, the term came to signify informants, spies, or enemy agents.
Regardless of that historical origin, the Quinta of Hourai Island had been dispatched to various regions to serve as "spies."
"This is Deneb 20. I have arrived at the 8th Fort Ruins base. No signs of life in the vicinity."
"Hourai Island acknowledges. Proceed to the designated area while gathering local information."
Deneb 20 was an adult female-type automata. For the purpose of her mission, her outward appearance was indistinguishable from a human woman's.
Her hair and eye colors could be changed at will. Deneb 20 currently wore her hair and eyes in shades of brown. This was based on the calculation that these were the most common traits in this world and would be the least conspicuous.
"First, I should tend to my clothing."
She was currently wearing commoner's clothing, but it had been purchased in Port Rock within the Kingdom of Elias. There was a high probability that the style would not match the local customs of this region.
Deneb 20 headed toward the town Laojun had specified. She had been provided with approximately 10,000 Toll in travel funds.
The town was called Sasari—a medium-sized settlement located near the Torres River.
It appeared that anyone could enter or leave freely during the day. Despite that, Deneb 20 stood near the entrance for a while, observing the attire of the people passing by.
"I see. That style would be ideal."
She began walking through the town in search of a second-hand clothing store, which she found relatively quickly. There, she purchased the items she needed.
First, she selected a wool skirt that reached her ankles. She added a wool vest to her current blouse.
The skirt was a bright brown and the vest was gray. It seemed that flashy colors were not currently in fashion here.
The total came to 1,200 Toll. After changing in the shop, Deneb 20 blended perfectly into the town.
"Now, how shall I reach Kemai?"
Kemai was the central town of the region Deneb 20 was assigned to, located on the southwest side of Azul Lake.
The primary obstacle was determining how to cross the Torres River and the Azul River.
Several methods existed.
She could cross by boat like an ordinary traveler. However, this was impossible for Deneb 20 as she lacked identification.
She could hire a smuggler to take her across. This was rejected due to the risks involved; her true identity might be exposed, as seen when Elsa and Mine were attacked in the past.
"I suppose I will have to swim."
Since the Quinta were built to mimic humans, they were just barely buoyant enough to float. However, swimming on the surface carried the risk of being spotted by night patrol boats. It was far more desirable to travel beneath the surface.
"I'll just need to use weights."
Deneb 20 reasoned that if she carried a heavy stone, she could easily walk along the riverbed. That night, she put her plan into action.
She stripped off all her clothes and packed them securely before strapping them to her back. She held a heavy stone in both hands. If necessary, she could drop the stone and swim, which would double her speed.
The water was still cold, but Deneb 20 didn't mind in the slightest as she plunged into the depths.
Possessing nearly infinite stamina, Deneb 20 crossed the Torres River with ease. In truth, it was more like she spent half the time walking across the bottom.
However, a minor incident occurred during her landing.
Someone spotted Deneb 20 as she emerged naked from the river. It was a soldier patrolling the riverbank.
Because the side she had crossed to was the side of the capital, Esaia, the security was somewhat strict. Deneb 20 had grown slightly careless because there hadn't been so much as a shadow of a soldier on the opposite bank.
The soldier was struck speechless to see a naked woman emerging from the river at night.
"Y-You! What are you doing?!"
He illuminated Deneb 20 with the magi-lamp in his hand.
Her brown hair was sodden and dripping. Her white skin was so smooth it seemed to repel the water, and the twin mounds of her chest, which she made no attempt to hide, were full and rounded.
"Swimming in a place like this, at this hour... I don't think so. You're suspicious."
As he spoke, the soldier licked his lips.
"If you shut up and do as I say, I might be persuaded to let you off the hook, you know?"
With that, the soldier pressed his sword against Deneb 20's neck.
"...Mister soldier, are you alone?"
The soldier took Deneb 20's question in a different way than intended.
"Y-Yeah. Just me. You'd better be grateful, hear? I'll make sure to treat you real nice."
"..."
Deneb 20 muttered something else, but it was too quiet for the soldier to catch.
"Huh?"
The soldier leaned his head closer to hear her, and this time, the words were perfectly clear.
"You're a scumbag."
"Wha—?!"
The world suddenly flipped upside down.
"Gah!"
The soldier's back slammed into the river stones, and he lost consciousness instantly.
The specifications of the Quinta were based on the Secret Mobile Unit (SP). While they could not output the same level of raw power due to different materials, they still possessed nearly five times the strength of a human and were proficient in anti-personnel combat.
Dealing with one or two soldiers was trivial for her.
However, since this was an unforeseen complication, she decided to report to Laojun via her internal manacam to seek instructions.
"The soldier in question is likely not a particularly diligent one. You may leave him as he is."
Laojun's instructions were concise.
"However, vacate the area immediately. Ensure you leave no evidence behind. And be more careful from now on."
Following those orders, Deneb 20 hurriedly wiped herself dry and dressed before fleeing the scene at full speed.
Sprinting through the darkness of the night, Deneb 20 covered the nearly one hundred kilometers to Azul Lake without being spotted by a soul.
Roku was a town on the shores of Azul Lake.
Since she couldn't take conspicuous actions during the day, Deneb 20 spent her time in Roku gathering information. This mostly consisted of eavesdropping on local rumors.
Even so, with hearing several times more sensitive than a human's, Deneb 20 obtained a significant amount of useful data in a single day.
- Unifilar influence is strong along the shores of Azul Lake.
- Unifilar has reportedly infiltrated the high-ranking officials of the Celuroa Kingdom.
- Unifilar seems to be systematically excavating ruins across various regions.
While the second and third points were still within the realm of rumor, the fact that she heard the same stories in multiple locations suggested a high level of credibility.
Deneb 20 reported these findings to Laojun.
"I see. That is intriguing information. I have something to share from my end as well. We have finally determined how to identify individuals who have undergone mental manipulation."
Laojun continued his explanation.
"When monitoring magic patterns, a normal state usually appears flat, while an excited state appears as a mountain-like peak. However, those under mental manipulation maintain a constant flat state—but at a level comparable to the peak of an excited state."
In other words, their "normal" state was one of constant, perpetual agitation.
"Of course, this is limited to humans who possess mana."
Since this method relied on magic patterns, it couldn't be used to identify people without magic. However, since there was little benefit in mentally manipulating someone who lacked mana, the method was considered sufficiently practical.
This discovery had been the achievement of another Quinta dispatched to a different region.
"Understood. Thank you for the useful information."
Deneb 20 immediately tested this by detecting the magic patterns of the townspeople. She discovered that two individuals—one who appeared to be the town mayor and another who seemed to be his assistant—were undoubtedly under mental manipulation.
(The release method was the Shock spell, wasn't it?)
When Lucol had been brought back to his senses from a Hypno state at the Keuwan Ruins, they had believed a shock must be applied while the subject was in an excited state. However, subsequent experiments had revealed that the Shock spell alone was enough to break the control. This, too, was based on reports from a Quinta active elsewhere.
That night, as a little bonus on her way through, Deneb 20 ambushed the mayor and the assistant while they slept and administered the Shock spell to both of them.
Once that was finished, she stripped naked once more and swam across the Azul River to reach her assigned post in Kemai.
Crossing the river without being spotted this time, Deneb 20 reached Kemai before the night was out.
In Kemai, she began her information gathering in earnest.
During the day, she mostly listened to rumors. At night, she would sneak into the homes of suspicious individuals; if she confirmed they were under mental manipulation, she would apply the Shock spell.
She also eavesdropped behind taverns at night. As an automata, entering the taverns posed a risk of her true nature being discovered, so she had to avoid it.
However, on the third night, two men stood before Deneb 20 as she was listening from behind a tavern.
"Hey there, sweetheart. What are you doing in a dark corner like this?"
"Feeling sick from too much to drink? Why don't we look after you?"
Both men seemed quite intoxicated. However, more importantly, Deneb 20 detected that characteristic magic pattern from them.
"Do you two know anything about Unifilar?"
Deneb 20 asked as a test. The men's attitudes visibly hardened.
"What? Why is the name Unifilar coming up now?"
Sensing she had found a lead, Deneb 20 replied:
"I came to this town because I wanted to join Unifilar."
The men glared at Deneb 20 with suspicious eyes.
"Hmph. If that's true, we might be able to tell you something."
"Really?"
"But there's a condition."
"What is it? I'll do anything I can."
This was the first significant clue she had grasped. Deneb 20 pressed the issue.
However, one of the men grinned and looked Deneb 20 up and down with a leering, vulgar gaze.
"Spend the night with us, and we'll see."
Deneb 20 was not so naive as to misunderstand the implication.
"I see. That is unfortunate. My body is not capable of performing such acts."
With those words, she quickly knocked both men unconscious with the Shock spell and tied them up.
"Now then, there's no doubt these two possess some degree of information, but what should I do with them?"
Deneb 20 pondered as she looked down at the restrained men. It was then that a message arrived.
"Deneb 20, I have a task for you."
It was Laojun.
"We are going to construct a submersible base in Azul Lake. You are to cooperate with the project."
"Understood."
Laojun had decided to establish a bridgehead in Azul Lake—a strategic point for the Allied Kingdoms—to serve as a launch base for the giant golems his master, Jin, had created.
A VTOL Falcon transported the materials for a Warp Gate. The site was a cape on the southern shore. Deneb 20 had confirmed it was a location shielded from human eyes.
Once the Warp Gate was installed, Smith golems arrived through it first. They were followed by materials for the submersible base and Mermaid golems—underwater golems.
All the materials were cast into the water, and the assembly took place beneath the surface.
The Mermaid golems assembled the structural components, and the Smith golems used Fusion to join them.
Deneb 20 kept watch over the area, ready to handle anyone who approached. Deneb 21 and Deneb 19 were also present.
Since the work was underwater, construction proceeded day and night without interruption. The submersible base was nearly finished in a single day.
The structure was a spherical building. The interior was divided into upper and lower sections; the upper half was a space for the Warp Gate, and the ceiling of the sphere could be opened or closed.
The lower half housed various magi-devices, though most of the space was filled with ballast weights. It utilized a system similar to a submarine, injecting water into the ballast section to submerge and discharging it to rise.
After seeing the base to completion, Deneb 20 reported the two captured men to Laojun.
"That is a job well done. We shall interrogate them here."
Laojun praised Deneb 20 and took custody of the two prisoners. Having been left alone for over a day, they had become quite submissive.
While the exact details of the interrogation remain unknown, there is no doubt that this incident served as the catalyst for revealing the location of the Unifilar headquarters.
And so, Deneb 20—and the other Quinta—would continue to gather information for Jin's sake, today and tomorrow.