“I will send reinforcements.”
After a brief consultation, Laojun reached that conclusion.
Before long, Land 783, 784, and 785 were dispatched to the scene.
“Let’s keep that ruined house under surveillance.”
“Understood.”
And so, the plan was set.
Night fell.
At 11:00 PM, when the town had drifted into a deep sleep, there was movement.
(Someone’s coming out.)
A single silhouette emerged from the ruined house.
(Is it a member of the bandit group? But there’s only one.)
Judging by the way the figure walked, Jumi concluded that it was Lance.
Jumi and the others—six in all—shadowed Lance as he headed toward the center of town.
(It looks like he’s cloaked himself with ‘Hide’ magic.)
Hide was a beginner-level concealment spell. It could mask one’s presence, but the effect would vanish if the user spoke or took a hit.
However, it was a highly effective spell for traversing a town at night when the streets were deserted.
In contrast, Jumi’s group was using an advanced magic of the concealment type called ‘Invisible.’ It provided cloaking across the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectrums, and even included a sound-suppressing effect. Unless there was direct physical contact, it was virtually impossible to be detected.
And Jumi’s group were not the only ones following Lance.
Four other figures were trailing him as well.
Compared to Lance, those four moved with an abundance of wasted effort—one might even say far too much.
(Are they security guards from House Theoderic?)
(Most likely.)
(I just hope they don’t get in our way.)
(That’s probably asking too much.)
In fact, those men weren’t using any concealment magic at all; they were simply trying to tail him stealthily.
Jumi suspected they would be noticed eventually.
That moment came sooner than expected.
The five of them came to a halt.
The location was, by chance—or perhaps by design—the same empty lot where Lance had played them for fools earlier that day.
It was an empty lot spanning roughly five hundred tsubo, covered in withered grass with nowhere to hide.
“To those of you following me: you’ve been made.”
Lance stopped and turned around as he spoke.
“Kuh, he noticed us!”
“No, it’s not a matter of ‘noticing.’ You’re broadcasting such an obvious presence...”
Lance’s voice seemed to carry a hint of exasperation.
“Shut up! Who exactly are you?!”
Lance let out a long sigh.
“Good grief. It seems there are low-level people among the humans here as well,” he said, sounding even more fed up. “You seem to be mistaken about something, but I am not a thief.”
“Can you prove that?”
Lance shook his head slowly.
“Proving that something ‘is’ only requires a single example, but proving that something ‘is not’ is effectively impossible.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
The security vice-captain was working himself into a lather.
(No, it’s just that your power of comprehension is lacking.)
Watching from the sidelines, Jumi offered a silent retort.
(However, as Lance says himself, he doesn’t seem to be a thief. Then, what in the world is his objective...?)
“Enough! You’re coming with us quietly!”
The vice-captain, his patience exhausted, barked the order, but Lance refused.
“No, I cannot do that. I have my own objectives to attend to.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to come talk to us!”
“Actually, this is the first time you’ve phrased it that way.”
“No, it isn't!”
(No, he’s right...)
Jumi’s mental commentary reached no one.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll take you in by force!”
“Hmm. I see there are people who are this unreasonable. How educational.”
“Stop being so arrogant! Go!”
The vice-captain gave the order to his three companions.
On closer inspection—though Jumi and her group had already identified them—the three were combat golems.
Each held a rod designed for low lethality and lunged at Lance to strike him down.
“Hmm. Low-level golems, I see.”
Lance took on all three at once without backing down an inch.
On the contrary, he handled them with effortless ease.
(They’re no match for him... However, that man Lance... could he be an automata? He’s quite strange.)
(I agree. We can’t read his technical lineage.)
Jumi and the Land units were conversing via their internal manacams.
(He seems different from the Predecessor’s lineage, yet he doesn’t fit the current mainstream either. He’s also unlike the Elena of the past.)
(It might be a completely separate lineage of technology after all.)
Their exchange took less than a second.
By then, the battle between the golems and Lance had already reached a turning point.
“Wha—!”
The rods swung by the golems had all been bent or snapped without landing a single blow on Lance’s body.
“Is this the best they can do? For the golems of this era, I mean.”
“W-What did you say?!”
“How dull. Has the passage of time caused technology to degenerate?”
“What...?”
“I told you I have an objective, didn't I? But it seems that won’t be possible tonight because of you. I shall try again another time.”
With that, Lance leaped onto the roof of the nearby ruined house.
“Wh-What?!”
The vice-captain was stunned by the man's sheer agility.
“Listen, I will tell you this much: Do not get in my way. My objective shouldn't bring you any disadvantage.”
With those parting words, Lance vanished from the roof of the house.
(It looks like he jumped down the other side.)
(Let’s go as well.)
(But what exactly is his objective...?)
(It seems we have no choice but to ask him directly.)
Using their force generators to move soundlessly, Jumi and the others cleared the ruined house in a single bound.
(Which way did he go...?)
However, Lance was already nowhere to be seen.
(Should we split into two groups?)
(It can’t be helped.)
Jumi and the others divided their forces and set off to track Lance down.