ii was brought to a lavish manor in the outskirts of the city.
They had travelled here by horse, but because Fii didn’t know how to ride, she sat on Crow’s horse behind him.
Both York and Crow seemed to be skilled riders.
Incidentally, Conrad hadn’t come.
When Fii left for her mission, he simply waved and told her “Try your best~” with a smile.
(I really wonder what that guy even does.)
He was simply filled with mysteries.
Around the manor, there were people who seemed to be lookouts.
Using the woods around the manor as cover, they circled around to the back of the manor and descended from their horses in a place where they wouldn’t be spotted. Waiting there was Orbull.
While skilfully hiding his large figure in the shade of a tree, he waved at the three newcomers.
Then, after receiving the reins of the horses from Crow and York, he led them off somewhere and disappeared.
It was around then that Crow finally began to explain the mission.
“This is a villa belonging to a merchant called Khanzar. Apparently he’s got a hand in slave trading all across the continent, and there’s a rumour that he’s got some of the kidnapping victims hidden away in that manor.
If we investigate him normally, he might have the time to hide the evidence. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that they’ll be sold. So we’re gunna find some direct evidence, so we can straight-up nab him.”
“I see~”
(But wouldn’t that be difficult?)
If he really was involved in slave trading, there would be even more lookouts on the inside. Fii couldn’t imagine that knights could infiltrate without being seen.
“That’s where you come in.”
“Are you telling me to get kidnapped? Sure. I don’t mind.”
Fii was impressed. If she was infiltrating as a sting, then they would get evidence in no time.
“No.”
“Hell no. We’re going to get you to infiltrate, yeah, but you’re coming in from the top.”
“Top?” asked Fii, as she tilted her head in confusion at the two.
Following Crow, she parted from the others and was brought close to the back of the manor.
There were three lookouts right by them, but Crow leapt out from the shade of the tree and struck them unconscious with his bare hands.
(Amazing…)
Even if it was a surprise attack, it was still an amazing feat of power.
The apprentice knights had also taken lessons in barefisted techniques, but none of the instructors had been quite so amazing.
Crow called her over, and she entered the back gate of the manor.
It was a blindspot with no windows. Perhaps that was why there were three guards here, but unfortunately for the merchant, those guards were now unconscious.
“Err, as I recall, the architect said it was around here…?” Crow muttered to himself, as he stood on the edge of a wall and looked about up top.
Before long, “Oh! There it is,” he said, as he pulled out a block from the wall.
With that, there was now a small hole in the outer wall.
Grabbing Fii beneath the armpits, he brought her in front of it.
“Watcha think? Think you can fit?”
According to Crow, it was a hole connected to the ventilation system, and had access to the entire ceiling of the manor.
Fii easily slid into it.
She found herself in a slightly wider space now――though it was still fairly narrow――and skilfully turned back to face him. Sticking her face out of her hole with a slightly dissatisfied and discouraged expression, she said,
“Could it be that you guys took me in for this?”
Considering the size of the hole, it was impossible for any knight to fit in here with the exception of Fii.
Conrad was the next smallest, but even so, his medium build and height would have found it impossible too.
“Well, I won’t say that wasn’t part of it,” nodded Crow with a troubled smile.
“Well, that’s fine, I guess. I suck at fighting anyway, and as long as somebody needs me, I won’t complain,” she replied with a pout.
It wasn’t that she was dissatisfied with being picked for that, but like anybody else, she would have preferred a cooler reason.
“Well then, look to see if there are any kidnapping victims, and then if you can, try and find out where. It’ll make things easier when we need to save them, you know?”
With that, he handed her what seemed to be a map of the ventilation system, as well as a flute of some kind.
“Oh, and don’t come down from the ceiling. There is to be no fighting. You’ll endanger yourself again, you know? Just get us some info, and get the hell back here. Once our side has the info, if we wanted to charge in, we’d be able to. If you mess up, and find yourself in a pinch, blow that flute.”
“Yes. I understand.”
With a clear goal now, Fii immediately began making her way through the vents.
Fairly quickly, and soundlessly too. It took no time at all until Crow could no longer see her.
Being small wasn’t enough. If she wasn’t incredibly flexible, something like this would have been impossible.
She was almost like a cat.
Heath herself hadn’t noticed, but in the entirety of the knight order, it was probably only her who could have done this.
You could even say that it was her talent.
“Looks like Roy’s eyes were dead-on.”
Crow scratched his head, as he saw off the apprentice who was like a little brother to him.