You're Mr. Diaz's wife and son, aren't you?

　It's a bit of a noisy neighborhood in the city.
　On the third floor of an ordinary office building, there is suddenly a barred room that looks like a prison.
　A frightened father and son hug each other as they look back at Iris (Rene), who has peeked into the room.

"Um, you're ......
I'm sorry I'm late. I'm just a ninja passing through. I'm a passing ninja.

　After slipping out of bed in the middle of the night, Iris (Rene) had become a ninja again.

　As usual, she hid all but her eyes. She wears a few layers of clothing to hide her body shape, and also uses improvised magic items to change her voice to sound more masculine.
　Her short stature is unavoidable, but she can cover it up with thick-soled shoes.

　In short, all he needs is something incomprehensible that doesn't look like Rene.
　I don't think Lawrence would have thought that Rene was rescuing hostages from a criminal organization in ninja form. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one.

　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

It's a good idea to take a look at the list of spells that are available to you.
　Combined Alchemy Magic (Assembled Spell) ...... <>.

　A wave of magic power surrounded Iris (Rene) like a bubble.
　In the event that you're not able to see, hear, or feel the presence of people within a certain range around Iris (Rene), you will not be able to see, hear, or feel the presence of people outside the magic effect area.
　With such a fragile security posture that not even a sorcerer could be deployed to watch over them, they would not be able to be detected even if they were deep inside.

"Come on, come on. I can't hear your footsteps and I can't see you. You can walk out now.
Are you sure?　What's going on?
A little ninjutsu.

　The key on the wall opens the cell, and the two hostages stand up, confused, and follow Iris (Rene).

　In the moonlit corridor, there are a number of magic lanterns, and a man with a disturbing look in his eyes is tending to his long sword.

"Huh. ......
It's okay. As long as you don't touch it, you won't even notice if it falls in front of you.

　Iris (Rene) gently soothed his wife who was biting back a scream.

　--If I could just kill the guards and everyone else who was there, it would be faster, but I'm worried that if I get too violent, the country will notice my presence. Oh, what a pain in the ass.

　I mutter in my mind.
　No matter how mysterious my ninja form is, I can't get too carried away.

　Even though it was the middle of the night, there were a good number of people in the building.
　And none of them noticed Iris and Rene.
　We walked through the corridor, passed a man who came up the wide stairs with time to spare, and went outside.

　As they exited the building, the expression on the hostages' faces softened noticeably.
　However, we could not relax yet.
　The street is lined with unfamiliar grocery stores and suspicious bars. Even though it was midnight, about half of them were quietly open for business. I'm pretty sure Night Python is behind every one of them. Even if you're not an escaped hostage, it's not a place where women and children can walk normally.

　Keeping their magic intact, the three of them sneak down the street. Iris (Rene) walked on the balding cobblestones as much as possible to avoid leaving footprints on the melted snow.

It's all right from here, isn't it?

　When she finally reached the main street, Iris (Rene) broke the spell.
　Even though it was a main street, there were almost no people walking around at this time of night. A chilly wind blew through, and the hostages shivered as they hugged their arms. The moon was shining brightly in the frozen night sky.

Where are we?　Are we in El Talev?
We're in Korga, the city next to El Talef.
Oh, really?

　It seems that the two of them were abducted in El Talev and transported to the next city.
　Diaz's wife seemed rather relieved that they were so close.

　Considering the fact that Iris (Rene) was able to locate them easily by magic, it seems that the Night Python was careless, but even just moving them to the next town would reduce the chance of them being discovered by magic. Not everyone can easily use wide-area search.

There's a guard station over there, you can seek protection there. Just tell the Lord where this hideout is and he'll destroy it for you.
Thank you so much for everything.
"Oh, thank you, big guy. ......

　The wife thanked him with such force that she could have thrown herself on the ground, and the son, still nervous, thanked her awkwardly.
　Her son still looks nervous but awkwardly thanks her.

"Thanks for the help, but ...... who the hell are you ......?
"Didn't I already tell you?　I'm just a ninja passing through. My hobbies include playing with Night Python guys and rescuing hostages if there are any.

　The wife asked curiously after all this time, so Iris (Rene) just smoked her out.

There's nothing I can do to thank you. ......
Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I didn't save you to thank you.
What a man ...... God must have sent you.

　The wife probably meant it as a compliment, but Iris (Rene) was not at peace.

　--Oh, no. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.


　First and foremost, Iris (Rene) wants to take revenge on the people who caused her death, but she also doesn't want to let the Great God, who tricked her into this situation, get away with it.

　Well, when you're dealing with a god, it's going to be a big adventure to go and give him a slap, so I'll shelve it for now. Even heroes fight slimes at first. First, we must destroy the kingdom of Ciel-Teira.

"Come on, come on. Before you catch a cold.
Yes, sir. Thank you very much.

　The two hostages walked away as quickly as they could, the wife curtseying as if she had never imagined that the ninja in front of her was a messenger of the evil gods plotting to overthrow the nation.
　As she watches them go, Iris (Rene) makes a small gut pose.

　--All right, ......, the location of the hideout is now known to the Count. It was all the work of a mysterious ninja!

　It's not like Iris (Rene) is going to say, "I escaped from the castle in the middle of the night and went for a walk and found Night Python's hideout.
　Someone other than Iris (Rene) would have to naturally inform the Count and get him to fight (even though there would be a very unnatural "mysterious ninja" in the story).
　This will give the Count information about the hideout. Even if he already knew where it was, it would change the course of the battle if there was no one to be involved (or to be used as a shield on the spot) when the battle came.

It's not dawn yet, but there's no guarantee that someone won't come to the ...... room. Go home, go home.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　Assembled Spell ...... "Cloud Diver".

　The figure disappears as if melting from the fingertips, and at the same time the body is released from the yoke of gravity.
　Iris (Rene) has become an invisible wind flying in the night sky.

　There are spells that can be cast once and remain in effect for a long time without control, but most spells can only be cast once at a time.
　So how is this done? Two spells are chanted first, mixed together, and cast as if they were one spell.
　This is a technique called "Assembled Spell". Because of its long chanting, it is not suitable for melee combat, and its magic power consumption does not add up, but in this case, neither of those things are relevant.
　Incidentally, there is no specific name for the synthesis, and the magician often decides it as he pleases.

　The city of Korga spreads out below you, sinking into darkness.
　It seems that few people bother to work in the middle of the night, and all I could see were the unevenness of the buildings illuminated by the moonlight.
　The unevenness was enclosed by the city walls, and outside the walls was a desolate field of snow. There was a vague glimmer of snowlight reflecting the moonlight.

　Expanding his senses of emotional perception, he traced the two hostages.
　I feared that even the guards would be in league with the Night Python, but judging from the emotions and reactions of the people who protected the hostages, there was no need to worry, and Iris (Rene) began her flight to El Taref.

　As the cold wind blew, Iris (Rene) lost all sensation in her body. The body is only a spirit being possessed, so it can shut out cold and pain if it wants to.
　However, it does not prevent the cold from affecting the body. I've already protected myself with long-lasting buffing spells, but if I don't get back to the castle soon and take care of myself with recovery spells, I'm sure to catch a cold.

There's not much time to sleep today either. ......

　I mutter to myself, looking at the moon.
　It's probably about one in the morning. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to sleep before I wake up.

　If I don't sleep, I can use magic to cover up my fatigue, but if I don't sleep properly, I won't be able to recover the magic power to use it.
　Iris (Rene), whose body is an undead that does not need sleep, is less susceptible to the effects of insomnia even when possessed, but even so, there was a limit.

　The lack of sleep is not due to the fact that she is performing ninja acts like this in the middle of the night. It's not that I'm out of bed every night, it's just that Iris (Rene) doesn't want to sleep.
　Whenever she sleeps, she has nightmares. That's why she didn't want to sleep if possible. In addition, she is afraid of "fatal failure".
　For this reason, I often stayed in bed at night, thinking.

　--But it's really hard to stay up all night. ...... Oh well, I'll get some sleep tomorrow.
　　　There is no magic that can prevent nightmares?　I'm not sure if there's any magic that can prevent me from having nightmares, or if there is, will it work on me (the undead)?
　　　And in some cases, you can use fire magic to dry your sheets. ...... No, even if they dry, it doesn't mean the stains are gone. I don't know if there's any magic for washing clothes.

　I've been thinking seriously about this as I flew, and then I realized that I was seriously afraid of sleeping for just one night, and I laughed.

　--It's a good idea to get a good night's sleep rather than rescuing hostages from a criminal organization's base. ......

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'll be back.

　In the middle of the night, a mother and child suddenly appeared at the city guard station in Korga and asked for help.
　They claimed to be a family of servants working for the Earl of Keeley.
　When the Count receives the news, he immediately confirms it and discovers that one of the servants has been holding the Count's family hostage by Night Python, and has been leaking information about the Count's personal life.

　The Count was surprised, but the information provided by the mother and son revealed one of the Night Python's bases, and he raided it the next morning. The members of the group were killed or captured and their materials and goods were seized.
　The seized items included drugs and other commodities, a small amount of weapons, and magic items for combat, such as amulets and potions.
　This base was also equipped with facilities for hostage taking and prisoner interrogation, and was also a distribution center for the surrounding area. To Night Python, hostages and goods were the same in the sense that they were put on a logistics line.

"I knew there was a logistics hub somewhere, but ...... it was right next door. At all.

　That night, after the captured members had been taken away.
　In his office at the castle, Oswald was looking at the report, a frown on his face.
　However, there was no seriousness in his voice. He was fortunate enough to have found and destroyed a major stronghold.

"That's a great achievement. As expected of the Count.

　Benedict was in the office.
　The Count waved his hand at Benedict, who praised him with open arms.

It's not up to me. Something I don't understand is pushing me back.



　The plan, which had been brought forward in the wake of the coup, was riddled with problems due to lack of preparation. It was only natural that he should have done more research and laying the groundwork, but he decided to abandon the plan.
　However, by a strange coincidence and with the help of a mysterious third force, the exclusion operation was going surprisingly well.

"It may be my fault that Night Python was able to remain at ease in Korga. I've been leaving Colga in the hands of my knights.
Master Leats, I presume?
You know him. But the captain of Colga's guard said that he was not cooperating in the investigation of the night python.
　Just when I was about to make some inquiries, this comes along. He disappeared from the Colga this afternoon, leaving his family behind.
What a ......

　So the knight in charge of the city was most likely bought off by the night python.
　He was protecting the city's Night Python.

But who are these hostage rescuers?

　Benedict asked, his triangular ears twitching.

　Benedict's ears twitched as he asked, "But who rescued the hostages?" This allowed him to destroy Night Python's logistics base and gain the upper hand in the battle, but he had no idea why the mother and child had escaped. At first, the Count suspected that it was a trap of some kind.
　They told him that they had been saved by a mysterious ninja.

They said that he had used magic to disappear and help them escape. I still think it was a sorcerer. Are they the same as the ones who attacked Erthalef's base? ......?

　The Count had no idea what to make of this.
　I can't say I'm thankful. It's an uncertainty that just popped up on the strategic map.

I'm not sure I'm the only one in this country who'd be interested in fighting night pythons right now," he said.
"I'm sure Night Python is resented by good people all over the country. I'm sure Night Python has a grudge against good people all over the country.
If that were the case, they would have come to me.
Each man has his own situation.

　Benedict licked his nose and said as if he were reciting a poem.

"Justice is not dead in this country. Isn't that right?

　The Count's face broke into a grimace, and they both laughed helplessly.
　The Count's face broke into a smile and they both laughed wistfully, somewhere between resignation and hope.