"You do realize those things will only get in your way, right? There won't be a fight," Bill said, looking at the armed pair.
With one hand tossing her blonde hair aside and the other resting on the hilt of her long sword, Sasha looked at Bill and said, "A swordswoman would sooner part with her hand than her sword."
Seeing Ricky nodding his head while holding his two katanas, Bill rolled his eyes and simply said, "Alright."
It didn't take long for the trio to reach the parents of Rance's home. They were happy to see the kids, and soon night fell, and it was time to go to bed.
After saying goodnight, the five children settled down in Rance's old room. The room was small, so they pushed the bed to make space for five sleeping spots.
The pallets were laid haphazardly, and after about an hour, the group began to get up one by one.
As the four children looked at him, Bill quietly said, "It's time," and soon the team reached the sawmill fence.
Standing there under the full moonlight, Bill reminded them of the plan once more, and then one by one, Rance and Sasha jumped over the fence.
"Hey, wait!" whispered Ricky in a hushed voice.
Jumping to the top of the fence, Bill leapt back down and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ricky: "What do we do if you don't come back?"
That was something Bill hadn't thought of. It might have been obvious, but now he knew he was completely extraordinary. If he weren't, he wouldn't be taking the risk of sneaking into the sawmill at night.
Thinking about it, he quickly said, "Alright, if we're not out in two hours, then Fia, you go in and check. Ricky, you stay here, and if you hear any noise, quickly run for help."
Ricky: "Help from where?"
"Go to the headquarters and find my father," Bill said, not really thinking it would come to that, but at least if his father came, their physical safety would be assured.
With a nod from Fia, Bill jumped over the fence again in one leap.
"What happened?" Sasha asked softly, echoing his earlier question.
Quietly answering, he said, "Nothing, Ricky just asked a question. Come on, let's go."
With those words, the trio ran as fast as they could. Bill was in the lead, and Sasha was at the rear. It only took them a few minutes to reach the first stacks.
At first, Bill thought the full moon would be a hindrance, but now he realized he was wrong. Thanks to the full moon, they could see quite well.
As they approached the first stacks, they saw that the Red Elm was not there. Expecting this, the trio ran around until they had checked all the stacks from the outside.
After nearly thirty minutes of running, Rance was a little out of breath, while Sasha continued steadily.
As a man who had mastered the Return of Life, Bill could run for a long time without getting tired. Stopping by the nearest stack near the sawmill, he looked at his companions and asked, "Rance, are you okay?"
Nodding, Rance replied in a muffled voice, "Yeah, I'm fine! I trained this morning!"
With a triumphant smile, Sasha chimed in, "I also trained this morning, and I'm not tired!"
Rance: "You... You just wave a sword around! That can hardly be called training!"
Rolling his eyes, Bill stopped them before the argument could ignite: "Alright, look, the sawmill doors are closed. I hope they're not locked, but if they are, we'll have to sneak in through a window."
The sawmill was a huge structure, covering even a large part of the lumberyard. Since the Rainbow Trees were so big, the entrance doors also had to be appropriately sized. Moreover, before the sawn wood could be stacked, it needed to be coated with a special resin.
The three of them crouched and ran to the first door. Fortunately, the door opened with a gentle click.
Upon entering, they noticed several small lamps burning around them. There wasn't much light, but it was enough to see. The floor of the sawmill was littered with stacks of wood. Moving cautiously through the shadows, they approached the first stack. Bill had a bad feeling, while Sasha quietly said, "This is treated wood. Why are they keeping it here?"
Signaling for silence, Bill led them further. To his surprise, the entire sawmill was filled with finished products.
Looking towards the office area on the second floor, completely closed off, Bill moved closer and whispered, "Rance, I think you were right, let's check the office and see if we find anything. We need to get out of here."
With no objections, Bill headed to the staircase and began to climb slowly.
Halfway up, Bill heard some noise.
Quickly glancing at the others, he signaled them to run back down. At that moment, the office doors swung open.
Fweh-fweh-fweh!When the three of them rushed to hide behind the nearest stack by the stairs, Bill heard strange laughter, followed by a voice that resembled Count Chocula.
?: "I see, we have a good deal!"
To this, another person replied, "Yes, the price is quite suitable. The shipment is ready to go in the morning."
Bill felt a nudge and saw Rance whisper the word "Mulino."
As the group of people descended the stairs, Bill listened carefully, waiting for the right moment to retreat.
?: "With this, our Lovely Foxy will become Sexy Foxy!"
Fweh-fweh-fweh!
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