Sebastian and Jin buried their bodies under the snow. They hid near tree roots to ensure that they didn't look out of the ordinary. This forest was near the mansion of baron Neil, a fledgeling noble in Klance City. He was given the title of a noble when he gallantly rescued villages near Klance City from mutated beast attacks. After proving his worth time and time again in fending off hordes of mutated beasts, the lord of Klance City himself took notice and bestowed upon him the title of baron.
Once the two adventurers completely piled snow on top of them, they began to circulate mana in their body. Their goal was to create warmth without using too much mana. They didn't want to cause too many fluctuations in the atmosphere near them. Since the aim for their stakeout was to stay hidden for the whole night, they wanted to make sure that they would survive the cold night without attracting any unwanted attention.
A few hours ago outside the city walls.
"Jin are you serious right now?" Sebastian crossed his hands in front of his chest. He didn't hide his frown as he waited for Jin's response.
"Yes. I'm sure. I'm more comfortable with the two of us doing the stalking."
"Is it because you don't trust me and Zes doing it?"
Jin let out a long sigh. "That is correct. I've seen you go on a rampage and I don't think Zes would be able to stop you. The last thing we need is you going into the mansion and slaughtering everyone in sight. We all decided that we will do this to note down his security detail and the guard shifts as well. Aima posed as a merchant in the morning and managed to get near the mansion enough for her to observe the entrance guard set up. I don't want to waste her effort and I don't trust you enough in keeping your emotions in check."
Sebastian kept his arms crossed. "What will you do in case I do lose my cool and forcefully take the mansion?"
"Then I will use force as well." There was a slight glint in Jin's eyes under the moonlight. It matched the cold atmosphere surrounding the two adventurers and a slave huddled near the city wall.
"I understand. Know that I simply want to use my heightened senses to track movements in the mansion. I wanted Zes to accompany me in case I need reinforcement spells when my mana is consumed. Your presence will no doubt dampen our efficiency."
"This is more efficient than rampaging through the mansion."
It was Sebastian's turn to sigh this time. "It seems that my anger has caused everyone to be wary of me. Let's make haste then. Zes, please go back to the lodging and stay with Aima." With a quiet bow, Zes turned and left two adventurers.
Under the snow, Sebastian controlled his breathing and began to use his skills. '[Augment] Steel Mind and Body, Hyper Senses, Maximum Mana Flow.' Sensing the distribution of mana around them, Sebastian took note of their surroundings. He then used his sense of hearing to focus on the mansion and the movements inside. With his touch, he also monitored the slight vibrations in the mansion. Even though it was painstaking and the stimulus was too much to bear at times, he managed to create a mental image of the layout and the personnel inside. He focused his senses specifically in the middle room on the second floor where a discussion was taking place.
*
"I have done as you asked my lord. They should be increasing their observation of Faircrest village. Once the mutated beasts attack, you can swoop in for the accolades." The beastkin's head was bowed down, however, her ears were twitching uncontrollably.
"You've done well Akane. Your hard work has paid off and I shall let you take over Yokkun's operation." Nate was swirling a goblet half empty of wine in his hands.
"Thank you, my lord. I won't let you down. Does it include the production of weapons as well?" Her ears were still twitching in excitement.
"No. It needs to be done by a craftsman." Nate didn't tell her that Yokkun had the only working blueprint for the gun designs he drew up himself. It was a form of security measure, but it now created a huge backlash in his plans. He was still in the process of drawing it up from his memory. Looking down at the double spy in front of him, he noticed that her ears stopped twitching. It was a sign of disappointment when she found out she wouldn't get the weapon from another world. Nate chuckled inwardly before he continued.
"However, I will gift you with 2 working guns. These are from my private stock so make sure that you use them to their fullest."
Akane's shoulders trembled and her ears started to flutter once more. "I understand my lord! I will do my best. Thank you for this opportunity!"
Nate smiled when he recalled how Akane came to serve him. He massacred her village when he forced them to be his slaves. He took the healthy young adults and children and have them watch as he killed the adults and elders in her village. After his display of power, he kept feeding them lies and deprived them of any contact in the outside world. Only a few survived past the harsh treatment from this stage. However, what he produced were brainwashed slaves that did his bidding and revered him as a deity. It helped when he showed them the capabilities of a gun and proved that he was a Forgotten One. Akane was the only one that he deemed fit for outside world contact while the rest continued to produce artificial mana stones until their empty husks were thrown away.
"Go now Akane. Make sure that the slaves are still making the mana stones. You know what to do if they fall behind their quotas."
"Yes my lord." The excited beastkin made her way outside the room and ran towards the basement of the mansion. She knew the basement by heart, she didn't need to use her beastkin senses to navigate through the dark corridors. She spent an entire year in the darkness in a solitary cell, so she had grown comfortable with the shadows.
Once he was alone in his study, Nate turned around and sat in front of his desk. He pulled out a piece of parchment he was sketching on. Skimming over the design and writings on it, he couldn't help but mutter to himself. "Yokkun you fucking bastard. You hid the blueprint and the guns from me. Were you that efficient or were you just scared shitless? I wish I could resurrect you just so I can fucking kill you again."
Throughout the night Sebastian was able to discern sketching and cursing from the middle room on the second floor.
***
When morning arrived, Sebastian and Jin made their way to the city gates. Along the way, they killed a stray werewolf which worked out to be their alibi. The guard looked at their camping gear and the werewolf carcass before letting them in with a grunt.
Back in the inn, the party of four were gathered in Sebastian's room. He chose the biggest room to accommodate for Mel and Zes before, so it made sense to have the meeting in the large double room.
"He's planning to stay in the mansion for the whole day and night. He seems to be drawing up plans for his weapon. I think he lost it when Yokkun died or it was hidden from him. Either way, he's preoccupied with it for now." Sebastian took a sip from his soothing herbal tea as he reported his overnight findings. He turned to Jin beside him before he asked with a smirk. "How about you Jin, did you find out anything?"
"Just how crazy the winter night can be. I almost suffered from mana burnout in some cases. My [Oakskin] spell could only provide so much warmth." He shook his head while cupping the warm tea in his hands. He stopped shaking his head suddenly before turning to Sebastian. "Did you sense that I was freezing my toes off at some point?"
"Well, you wanted to show your determination. I figured that it was a good opportunity to convey the message across. I stayed within my boundary though didn't I?" Sebastian's smirk grew into a grin.
Jin resumed shaking his head. "I can't believe it. Were you having a tantrum or something? How old are you again? sigh"
"By the standards here in Kalonia I think 24 years old. Why?" Sebastian still kept the grin plastered onto his face.
"That wasn't the point of my question. Agh. Aima you deal with him." Jin gave up and focused on the tea instead.
"Ahaha! All right you two. Stop bickering among yourselves. Now we need to plan our infiltration. I propose we do it quick. How about tonight?" Aima laughed before turning serious.
Sebastian quietly nodded. "That's a good idea. I don't know how long he will be preoccupied with the blueprints. We should use the snow and the darkness to our advantage."
Jin looked up from his tea. "So we do it at night. What should we do this morning?"
"You and I will rest and recover. Aima and Zes, you will take care of the preparations. I have a couple of requests for you two as well." Sebastian turned to the two ladies who had a good night's rest compared to the two guys in the party.
"Understood. Zes and I will take care of it, let us know what you need. We'll also get our equipment ready. I'll take care of our alibis as well." With a wink, Aima stood up to prepare before she headed out with Zes.
***
Sebastian stopped to face the three members of his party. "Beyond here we use the prepared hand signals. No more talking. We use the discreet approach. If we end up alerting the guards, we slaughter our way through." He looked at Jin when he said the last part, waiting for an answer.
"Understood." Jin simply nodded and fixed the mask under his cloak. The rest of the members also did the same.
Using the darkness to hide their figures and the snow to muffle their footsteps, the party managed to reach the eastern entrance to the mansion. This was the area where Jin and Sebastian had their overnight reconnaissance. Guarding the east entrance were two guards wielding spears. Sebastian motioned for everyone to stay still and wait for him.
'[Augment] Steel Mind and Body, Adrenaline Rush, Max Physical Reinforcement.' After tensing his muscles, Sebastian disappeared from his spot.
"Did you hear tha-" The guard turned to his colleague when he noticed a gust of wind but he couldn't finish his sentence. The other guard was keeling over after being punched in the abdomen. Using the assailant's momentum, the other guard couldn't even let out a gasp before he lost consciousness. By the time the first guard turned to his partner, he stood face to face with a masked assassin. The assassin disappeared again and he saw a boot coming down before the world went black.
Checking their pulse and breaths, Sebastian then signalled for the rest of the party. They dragged the unconscious guards towards the forest and bound them, making sure to gag them in the process as well. Sebastian then led the party inside the gate and into the garden. Along the way he found and deactivated mana traps that were loaded with [Explosion] and [Signal] spells.
With great care, they managed to infiltrate the first floor of the mansion. With a start, Sebastian suddenly signalled for the party to stop. Everyone held their weapons tight with bated breaths, waiting for whatever made Sebastian cautious. From the corridor corner, a female beastkin appeared. She had a haggard appearance and wore tattered clothes. Before the party could do anything, she ran towards them and begged them with a hushed voice.
"Please rescue us! The rest of the slaves are held captive downstairs in the basement. Everyone will be slaughtered by daylight if you don't help us!"