We turn back the clock to the day in which the three separate groups left, each to a certain village- before Claire had overtaken the ratmen, and before Coran and Berith had taken care of the 5th Legion.
Currently, a carriage rode through a desert, the sun blazing in the distance as the heat seemed to pound the four who rode in the carriage.
The pitch black carriage seated four people. The one driving was a woman with long, straightened hair which was the crimson shade of blood. She wore an outfit which seemed to be made from metal parts with red LED display connecting the jointed areas. By her side was a wand with red orbs on either side, leaning on her as she controlled the jet black steeds which pulled the carriage forward.
The ride was bumpy, as the desert was littered with sand dunes, however that did not stop these horses from trudging onward. Despite the rough and unstable terrain, they pressed forward.
For these horses had been acknowledged by Trevor, though his ability [Magnificent Leader]. When used on the horses this ability had a different effect than it usually would. If this ability were used on a warrior, it would make his fighting skills on the level of a hero. If it were used on a magician, it would increase the power of their magic as such. However, what about when used on an animal?
These horses gained the stamina and strength of ravage beasts, able to carry the heaviest of loads in the harshest of terrain. They gained speed far beyond that of the average racehorse, and the consumption of their food decreased significantly, despite their heavy work capacity.
Sitting next to the red haired woman was a young man wearing what looked to be a mix between a cape, a trench coat, and a lab coat. The dark blue unbuttoned garment draped down to his knees, and underneath he wore a set of leather armor.
This male, who had messy dark brown hair, currently was kicking back his feet as he took a rest from driving the carriage.
Behind the two, inside the carriage, were two more people- though there was an open window between the drivers side and the inside of the carriage, so the four could converse freely.
One was a young girl with a bob cut, who's golden hair draped above her head. She wore a dark green suit of leather armor and a red cape on her back, and by her side was a curved sickle- a blade which looked to be used for slaughter and the mutilation of her enemies.
Despite this weapon of massacre by her side, this girl carried a soft expression, unlike the other girl who sat up front, who wore a completely serious expression as she glared from left to right, in search of possible enemies approaching.
The girl inside the carriage sat with her hands to her knees, looking down with a light smile as she imagined the adventures which the four would have on this journey.
'I can't wait.... I have never explored this much in my life, even living as a mercenary all this time.... well, I suppose that's obvious. Even mercenaries rarely ever go into the monster realm. Usually it would be too dangerous. And they would never dare to go as deep as we're going.'
Next to this young girl was another male, this one dressed from head to toe in a frilly suit. He wore a white long sleeve dress shirt and black dress pants, with high class black shoes and a silver whip by his side. Wearing white gloves and a beret, he almost looked like a performer, however his serious demeanor would not confirm this.
As these four rode through these rolling deserts in this carriage, a flag rose high above the group. The flag had a purple background, and painted on it was a black demonic hand which seemed to twist and wrap it's demented fingers around a heart, squeezing it to the point of squirting blood- the trails of which covered the flag as if the heart had literally bled onto it.
This was the flag of the Dictatorship, which they represented.
The nation of monsters established by the antiheroes- the beings who would eventually crush the very hearts of the people of this world, should they be left unchecked.
However, to these four mercenaries, such a sentiment could not be seen as evil.
For deep within the hearts of these people, they revered the antiheroes as far more than mere demons who would crush the hearts of any who went against them.
Instead, they were righteous saviors, who had come to change the very world itself by painting themselves as villains and demons.
For it is only through a common enemy that two parties who once hated each other can unite.
The antiheroes were willing to become that enemy, to unite the decent people of the world.
And for the rest.....
They would eliminate them.
Or at least, so these four may have thought.
"Hey Melody, do you know how much longer we're gonna be driving for? We've been traveling for about an hour and a half now, so....", Lance asked.
"30 more minutes by this map.", Melody responded promptly.
"Ah. We're getting close then. Got it."
An awkward silence overcame the group. It was as if Melody had completely shut down any option for conversation. However, this girl too, despite her serious demeanor, could not contain the excitement within her. On the outside, she remained serious and focused, but on the inside her mind was a mess.
'We.... our first mission.... for their excellencies..... we are spreading this disease, one city at a time.... we will infect them all, and turn them over to our side.... we are the carriers, after all.... it is our duty to spread the word far and wide, to the reaches of the entire world and then beyond.... and all who struggle against the infection will merely be killed off in the struggle....'
However, despite her excitement, with such a goal, there were also high stakes, leading to enormous pressure.
'We cannot mess this up. This is more important than the time I assassinated that one Senator, and more important than the time I had to recapture those slaves for that Legion Commander. For simple jobs like those, the only thing on the line if I failed was my own life. And yet.... failure in this respect would be a failure before their excellencies. It would be absolutely unacceptable... to hinder their plans due to my own incompetence.... a thousand deaths would not be enough to compensate for such a mistake.... therefore, I must make absolutely certain that this mission goes off without a hitch.'
Melody looked up to the flag which was fluttering in the desert wind, and smiled ever so slightly.
'Our every action represents the Dictatorship and their excellencies who rule it. We will return with the entire village having submitted themselves to us.'
----
"Do we actually have a plan?"
The one asking this was Pierre, who sat up and turned around, looking at Melody.
"We cannot form any plan until we understand our opponents. We need to find out everything we can about this village and it's people before we do anything else. What is their culture? What current systems do they have in place? Are the people in the village in a good situation or a bad situation? We need to enter the city ourselves and learn these things.", Melody responded.
"But that brings up another problem, doesn't it?", Lance asked.
Melody nodded slightly.
"It does. Namely, the fact that we are human."
"Is that really going to pose such a big problem?", Charlotte questioned. "After all, we entered the lizardmen village without any conflict, and we also were able to get along with the fishmen after we came to an agreement with them. Won't it be the same for these snakemen?"
Melody nodded her head no.
"That's very unlikely. Even if we are branding the flag of the Dictatorship, that doesn't mean anything to these people, who have likely never met nor heard of their excellencies. Our goal is to expand the influence of the Dictatorship, and so it wouldn't be a stretch to think that they have never so much as even heard of the nation."
Pierre then turned to Charlotte and continued speaking.
"Plus, when we got along with the fishmen, weren't we fighting them at first? If the antiheroes hadn't said anything, would we have ever worked up the courage to attempt to get along in the first place? We probably would have continued fighting, not knowing that it would even be possible to negotiate with them. And with the lizardmen, they were already under the control of the antiheroes when we got there, so as their allies, they treated us as such."
"Exactly.", Melody said. "These people who we are meeting have likely never before seen humans, and even if they have, it was likely as enemies. Even our relationship with the antiheroes won't serve as leverage, so we will have to try and make do with what we have. Namely, we enter the city blind and try to find someone to work with."
"Hmm... I see.... I guess humans and monsters working together is really something unprecedented then...."
"Of course it is. After all, ever since the erection of the wall, the only interactions humans and monsters have had with one another is fighting. Even when they aren't at war, they've merely been staying out of one another's business. As a matter of fact.... the members of the Dictatorship are probably the only humans in the world who even know that it is possible to negotiate with monsters."
The carriage continued along the dunes as the horses kicked up sand.
"Then.... we're just going to walk right in and figure things out?"
Melody smiled lightly.
"We wouldn't be able to do that before. You all understand how strong monsters are compared to us humans from that battle with the fishmen. But... the antiheroes have granted us newfound power. We won't lose to any monsters anymore."
"Ah! I see.... so then, it's only because they acknowledged us and granted us power that we can complete this mission without some massive strategy?"
"More or less. Even so, we shouldn't just barge in. We need to take things slowly and carefully and figure things out one by one."
Charlotte nodded firmly.
"I got it. Oh! Look! Look in the distance there!!!"
All four of the mercenaries were now looking forward to where Charlotte had pointed, and in the far off horizon was a desert village.
The buildings seemed to be made from marble and sandstone, and blended in quite well with the surrounding sandy desert. The heat of the sun continued to beat down on the four as they traveled.
"That is likely our destination.", Melody stated.
"The snakemen village, eh?", Lance pondered out loud. "I wonder what type of people will be there?"
Removing his legs from their resting position, he sat up properly with an excited smile.
"Well, there's only one way to find out!"
----
Melody pulled back the reins, causing the horses to come to a halt suddenly.
"Melody?"
"Why did you stop? We're so close."
Melody shook her head, pulling the carriage around to hide it behind a dune of sand.
"I said before, didn't I? We can't just barge in loudly. We have to infiltrate and witness the state of things. Only after we determine whether the people are friendly can we shout out the praises of their excellencies to the people."
The others nodded, and the carriage was parked. There were a set of wooden brakes which were planted into the ground to ensure that the carriage would not roll off somewhere, and the four then exited the carriage, walking on foot.
"Perhaps we should have chosen less flashy outfits...", Charlotte murmured.
"No, it wouldn't have mattered. After all there is no way to know what type of clothing is typical of these people, so anything would have stood out no matter how plain it was.", Melody responded.
"Ah, I see..."
The four headed towards the village in the horizon after Lance grabbed the flag representing the Dictatorship, shoving the cloth into his pocket.
"It doesn't seem like there are any walls around the village. It seems like we can enter just about anywhere.", Lance said. Looking into the distance, he noticed that there were a number of snakemen who were slithering about.
They did not have any legs, and slithered about on their lower bodies, with their heads and upper bodies upright. Two arms protruded from their upper bodies, which took human forms. If one were to make a comparison, they looked almost like mermaids but with snakelike lower bodies, and the slit eyes and fangs of snakes.
These beings seemed to be wearing clothing, though from this distance it was hard to make out what they actually looked like.
"It looks like there are many of them wandering around the outskirts of town, possibly guarding the inner village from attack or invaders. What should we do, Melody? If they notice us, they might attack us on spot or try and question us."
Melody seemed to be in thought, but looked towards Lance with a thin smile.
"Lance, you have that type of potion, don't you?"
"Ah, you mean the invisibility one. Yep. Got it right here.", Lance said while grabbing into one of his pockets, pulling out a vile, and tossing it up and down within one of his hands.
"So we're going to go invisible and sneak our way past the external guards?", Pierre asked.
With a nod, Lance opened the cork to the vile and dripped just a bit of the clear liquid into his mouth.
Instantly, not only Lance himself but all the clothing he was in contact with as well as everything in between turned invisible. Even the potion which he was holding became invisible.
"Here you go."
Charlotte felt her hand being grabbed and the vile being slipped into it, and she then lifted it up to take her own portion before handing it off to Pierre, followed by Melody.
"How long will this last?"
"This one was tampered to last for two hours, but I have stronger ones if we need to remain invisible for longer. His excellency is really something. He can create these insanely potent potions without any side effects, and just by testing a few things out here and there. I've learned so much about alchemy far beyond anything I could have ever imagined while studying under him."
"That's great!!", Charlotte exclaimed.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's move.", Melody stated.
And so the four moved out.
[Decrease Gravity (Lvl 8)]
Melody cast a spell on the four, despite not being able to see anyone, such that their footsteps would be lightened on the sand.
[Eliminate Sound]
Now the only way one would be able to notice the four would be if they intently stared at the sand, which was blowing in the wind. Unless one knew that invisible people were walking through the area, they would never guess that the slight imprints were made by invaders.
For those who knew however, they used the ever so slight imprints as a guide to understand the location of their respective comrades.
Any sound made by the four would be canceled out, and so speaking with one another was not an option unless Melody undid the spell. Even so, they knew the locations of one another, and the other three would simply have to follow Melody until she undid the spell.
And so, the four made their way off into the distance, heading towards the bustling village.
----
By the time the four had reached the village, the sandy dunes of the desert had become flatter and flatter until they became a hardened set of roads, forming a grid with the buildings of the village.
Melody looked about, taking note that they would not be able to use the footstep method of noting the locations of one another any further, however looking forward saw that there were a number of snakemen standing guard.
The guards wore navy blue military uniforms, full with jackets and caps which looked somewhat similar to a world war 2 general uniform. Pins seemed to line their jackets, and a four pointed star was in the center of the hats.
All the guards wore the same uniform, though some with more badges than others. They each held extremely serious expressions as they watched the people around them working diligently.
Right now in front of the four seemed to be a masonry workshop for the marble and sandstone which made up the structures of the village. A number of guards stood with their hands behind their backs, diligently keeping watch as the laborers performed their duties, cutting blocks and loading them off on carts.
'It seems like this is a highly militarized state.... for soldiers to be keeping watch over production like this, it can only mean one thing.... the person in charge has a lot of power over every detail in the village.', Melody thought.
Taking note that they would not be able to use the footprint method any further once they stepped onto the roadways, Melody instead grabbed the hands of Pierre and Charlotte after feeling around based on the locations of their current footsteps. Understanding her meaning, Charlotte too grabbed the hand of Lance, and they walked side by side with hands held so as to not lose one another.
The four made their way through the streets, being careful not to bump into any of the snakemen who were passing through, only to witness a number more similar scenes to that first shop.
It seemed that every aspect of production was controlled and strictly overseen by the military.
'It is very likely that this is a state where the political leader is in control of the military.', Melody thought. 'But to think that they would have the resources to put so much effort into maintaining the military.... just where do they get their food production from? Farms? In this desert? No, it couldn't be. Perhaps they have livestock and grazing pens? That would be more likely.'
Melody's suspicions went unconfirmed as they walked through the city, not encountering even a single area which could be considered a food production facility.
As Melody walked, she and the other three continued to take in the sights, however there was one thing that bothered her considerably.
This village reminded her significantly of the slime village- the capital of the dictatorship in terms of the way things were run. It seemed like all the people here were diligently working and performing their own respective tasks without so much as a complaint. Not a single fight lined the streets, nor did any form of commotion.
No drunkards existed within the alleyways, nor did any prostitutes or any form of entertainers.
It was strange.
It was a city where everyone was lifelessly working.
And yet, different from the Dictatorship, these people did not seem happy about their work.
Instead, they merely worked. Their eyes however were not filled with lifelessness. They were filled with terror.
Many people shivered as they did their work, frequently looking back to the guards as if to confirm that they did things properly.
And most importantly, not a single person said even a single word.
From the moment that Melody and the group had entered the city and made her way through the town, not a single person had said even a word.
It was a city of silence.
And yet, it did not seem to be a forced silence. Rather, that there was no point in saying anything- for that would merely take away from their concentration on whatever work the people were performing.
They were so concentrated on whatever task they had that perhaps they didn't dare speak, lest they get behind or make a mistake.
'This is strange.....', Melody thought. 'Far too strange. Are all the people like this? We must make our way to the residential district to see.'
And so, holding the hands of her companions, Melody and the other three made their way through the silent streets, unsure what to think of this.
'The first step is to figure out what systems are in place. I've already seen that this is a highly militarized state, but just who stands at the top? Well, before we even find the person at the top, perhaps we should question someone at the bottom.'