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Chapter 339: I’ll Take Care of It. (3)

Pippin, on patrol duty at the mansion, stepped outside while yawning.

“Ugh, this is annoying. I’m so sleepy.”

The downside of this mansion was that there were too many places to patrol. It was almost as large as a fortress.

What good is having 500 troops if they’re all just densely packed around the outskirts and the main building?

So a few soldiers had to patrol this expansive property.

“Hehe, I think it’s time to go to my secret spot again.”

Pippin was quite clever. He knew a blind spot in the mansion where he wouldn’t be noticed, and there was no danger.

He would always take a nap there and pretend he had been on patrol afterward. He would get scolded badly if caught, but he had never been caught even once.

He was the one on patrol duty; who could scold him? The mansion’s vastness made it harder to catch him anyway.

So, he went to his secret spot and just lay down on the floor. He was rough enough that rolling around on the ground didn’t bother him at all.

Dududu…

“Huh?”

When he pressed his ear to the ground, he heard a strange sound.

“What could it be? Why does it sound like that?”

It was very faint, but it definitely seemed like someone was making noise.

“Eh, maybe I just misheard.”

Since he couldn’t hear it well, he decided to lie down and rest. He didn’t want to fall asleep too deeply, so he just dozed lightly.

He had gotten used to this routine after doing it several times. After a while, he headed back.

With so few patrol personnel, he found himself on duty again two days later, and he went back to his secret spot to rest.

Lying back down, he once again heard that sound from before.

Dududu…

“Hmm?”

Lifting his head, he couldn’t hear it anymore. He had to press his ear to the ground to barely make it out.

“What’s going on down there? Is water flowing?”

That day, he shrugged it off and went back. But when he heard the sound for the third time, strong suspicion began to take root.

Dududu…

“There’s something!”

The sound that had been coming for a few days was definitely getting louder when he pressed his ear to the ground.

He pondered intensely.

“Why is there a sound coming from underground?”

If monsters were living down there, they wouldn’t have built anything over it. The identities would have already been revealed long ago.

It wasn’t the sound of flowing water either. Curious, he pressed his ear flat against the ground and focused.

Kuwung, kuwung…

It sounded like something was being broken and dug up. After thinking for a while, he grabbed a shovel and started digging a little.

If there really was something underground, he figured he would hear it better below.

Indeed, as he dug and pressed his ear to the ground, the sound grew a little louder. Lost in listening, he muttered to himself.

“A tunnel?”

It was an offhand thought, but he felt a strong certainty. The sound that had been coming for days, growing steadily louder. Now it felt like the ground was subtly shaking too.

“I’m sure someone is digging down there. They’re trying to sneak in here.”

A fierce desire glimmered in Pippin’s eyes. If he reported this, he would receive a great reward. Just discovering this in an unvisited area would be impressive.

In truth, he was just lying on the ground to rest.

He hurriedly ran to report to his superior, emphasizing how if it weren’t for him, this discovery wouldn’t have been made.

A few soldiers came over to dig and pressed their ears against the ground to check.

“It really seems like someone is digging down there.”

As other soldiers corroborated, even the knights came to check. Being knights who used mana, they could hear the sounds more clearly than the soldiers.

“Deploy troops here.”

What bold character was digging a tunnel? Reports went up, and knights and soldiers stood by.

Sure enough, a day later, the ground stirred slightly, and a head popped up.

With torches already set up beside them, the knights and soldiers could clearly see the figure.

“A Dwarf?”

No one had expected a Dwarf to appear, so everyone blinked several times in disbelief.

The knight, regaining his composure, growled as he held his sword to Galbarik’s neck.

“Who are you? How did you dig all the way here?”

Galbarik, his eyes bulging, barely managed to speak.

“Am… Am I a thief?”

“This crazy Dwarf…”

After glaring at him for a while, the knight shouted to the soldiers.

“Take these guys to prison right now! I’ll report to the Lord! First, let’s find out where this tunnel leads!”

Thus, Galbarik and the other Dwarfs were dragged away.

Even as they were being taken away, they wore dazed expressions. No matter how relaxed they had gotten, how could they have been so easily caught?

They were sure their construction had gone quietly, confident the target location was a blind spot.

It seemed the Dwarfs were complaining that the vigilance here was unexpectedly tight. If it wasn’t monitored so thoroughly, they wouldn’t have been caught.

In reality, it was just one lucky soldier who found them while taking it easy.

So, the Dwarfs ended up not just having dug but also being thrown into prison.

And Martin, upon receiving the report, was furious.

“Where did they come in from! Find out right now!”

“We’re checking that. However, it might take a little time.”

“Why? Can’t we just verify where the tunnel connects?”

“We sent soldiers, but there’s a door blocking the way, making it hard to check.”

“What? A door in the tunnel?”

“Yes, it’s a very thick door. But the structure is strange… it won’t open. It seems like it’s locked from the inside…”

“Does that even make sense? How would Dwarfs intend to return? And if it doesn’t open, they can just break it down!”

“That door seems to be… serving as a support. If we force it open or break it, it might collapse that part and block the way…”

“Damn it!”

If the tunnel collapses, there would be no way to confirm where they came in from. It was indeed strange that the Dwarfs came up with such odd creations to prepare for getting caught.

While they were caught, they had clearly made something to ensure their safety.

After a moment of contemplation, Martin narrowed his eyes and said.

“Go through Dominic’s warehouse right now. They said they’d been working on it recently, right? They definitely came in through there, probably to rescue hostages.”

“Understood.”

The knights and soldiers immediately headed toward Dominic’s warehouse.

The mercenaries guarding the area had no choice but to step back in the face of the knight’s fierce intimidation. They had no idea what was happening inside anyway.

Just as the knights and soldiers were about to march in without hesitation, they were halted by one person.

It was none other than Dominic, the head of the Drake Mercenary Group.

“What’s the matter?”

Dominic asked with a cold expression, and the knight scoffed, brandishing his sword.

“What are you doing here at night? Are you hiding something inside?”

“This is a place for my personal affairs. I can’t allow knights to just barge in.”

“It’s the Lord’s command. A thief has entered the mansion, so we need to check inside.”

“That’s nothing to do with me, so just turn back.”

The knight tilted his head and said.

“Dominic, don’t get cocky and move aside. Just because the lord has shown you some favor, you think you’re something now?”

“No matter who the lord is, he can’t invade my personal space.”

“Shut up and get out of the way! The lord is the one who governs this city!”

As the knight yelled, the soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and moved forward. At that, the mercenaries stationed outside all armed themselves too.

After all, their leader was blocking the way, so they had to join in.

Tension filled the air. It wouldn’t have been surprising if either side clashed at any moment.

The knight glanced around and smirked.

“Hey, is it really okay for this to escalate? What do you think will happen if I get hurt or withdraw?”

Dominic bit his lips at the veiled threat. If it came to his actual skills, he could easily wipe out the knight and soldiers before him.

But he couldn’t bear the consequences afterward.

“Ugh…”

With a big sigh, Dominic took a step to the side.

“Check quickly and get lost.”

“Should’ve said that sooner.”

The knight smirked arrogantly, gave Dominic one last glance, and opened the door.

Creeeak…

Thump!

As the door opened, Dominic felt a little short of breath. His heart raced, and his head felt dizzy.

As the knight stepped inside, he shouted.

“Check the floor! There must be a tunnel connected!”

‘It’s over!’

Dominic thought he could gamble, now certain that the thief they mentioned had caught the Dwarfs.

There was definitely a spy hiding within the mercenary group. That guy must have reported that the warehouse was suspicious, and thus Martin sent people here as soon as the incident occurred to check.

The inside of the warehouse was organized like an office, but the knights and soldiers wasted no time checking the floor.

They moved carpets, poking and pressing with their weapons, searching for anything suspicious for a long time.

But they failed to achieve their goal.

“What the hell? Is it not here?”

No matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find the entrance to the tunnel. The knight even used magic, smashing the floor apart, but to no avail.

In a desperate attempt, he also searched the surrounding open area, but it was the same.

After checking the area a few more times, the knight glared at Dominic and said.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but be careful. I’ll be watching you closely.”

With that warning, the knight left with his soldiers.

Even after they left, Dominic remained standing for a while. It wasn’t until some time had passed that he finally wiped the cold sweat from his brow and sat down.

“Phew… for now, I’m alive.”

The entrance wasn’t in this building. This very building was just a facade to confuse the enemy’s information.

In reality, the construction took place outside the city. To the Dwarfs, it didn’t matter whether it was inside or outside the city.

In fact, the outside made it easier to transport materials and was great for larger initial works.

Having narrowly escaped this crisis, Dominic realized it was not the time to relax. If the Dwarfs had been caught, he didn’t know when he’d be next.

Although Dwarfs were known to have strong pride, if they were tortured, they might open their mouths.

As morning broke, Dominic disguised himself and went straight to Ghislaine. News had already spread through the city that Dwarf thieves had broken into the market mansion.

Upon hearing the news, Ghislaine scratched his head.

“Ah, the world works like that. Weird things can happen, and that’s what makes it interesting.”

Even he didn’t know how they got caught. The Dwarfs might have made a mistake, or the other side’s vigilance might have been unexpectedly tight. Or perhaps someone happened to notice.

Everything in the world has variables like this.

Such things happened often before and even after his reincarnation. So Ghislaine felt relaxed, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

But for Dominic, who was relying solely on Ghislaine, that just wasn’t an option.

“No, it’s not the time to act so calm. The Dwarfs have been caught! Martin won’t just sit still.”

“It’s fine. He’s a noble, so he knows how expensive Dwarfs are. For now, he can’t just handle them recklessly. He’ll probably try to placate them.”

Dominic’s expression changed to one of despair. Why was Ghislaine acting so carefree and irresponsible when their whole plan was in jeopardy?

But then Ghislaine grinned and continued speaking.

“A plan is just that—a plan. It can change depending on the situation at any time. What’s important is not the process.”

“Then what is important?”

“What matters is that the result turns out the way we want.”

“Huh? Everything is falling apart; how do you plan to handle that?”

“How? I’m going to go in, save the Dwarfs, and bring everyone back.”

“…?”

As Dominic stood there, dumbfounded, Ghislaine patted his shoulder.

“Can you gather troops right away?”

“Y-Yes… I instructed everyone to get armed and stand by.”

“All the important stuff is already taken out?”

“Yes, I can’t take all the assets, but I’ve set aside the important things.”

“Then everything’s ready. Let’s get started. You wait with the troops at the promised place.”

“N-No… what exactly do you plan to do?”

Without answering that question, Ghislaine grabbed Dominic by the shoulders.

“I’ll take care of it; just get ready right now. We can’t afford mistakes anymore. Got it?”

Under that pressure, Dominic found himself nodding without realizing it.

“Y-Yes, understood.”

Dominic wore a determined expression.

Martin was already suspecting him. It might be better to gather the troops and then strike the mansion if Ghislaine failed.

“If we fail, I’ll just trample Martin.”

“But then the hostages will die too!”

“If we fail, they’ll all be dead anyway, right? It’s better to take that bastard with us if we’re going to die anyway.”

A killing intent glimmered in Dominic’s eyes. The anger he had suppressed for so long was awakened by meeting Ghislaine.

Seeing this, Ghislaine laughed.

“You look much better now. A mercenary should have that kind of backbone.”

“I’ll start preparing right away.”

“Good, I need to move now. Hey, you guys, wait at the tunnel door.”

Ghislaine gave new instructions to the twenty knights he brought along. They would now wait for Ghislaine in front of the door blocked by the Dwarfs.

As Dominic and the knights got moving, Ghislaine rinsed his mouth with alcohol and spat it out.

Then he sprinkled a bit of alcohol all over his body.

Soon, the smell of alcohol began to waft off him.

“This should do it.”

With a strong scent of alcohol, he made his way towards Martin’s mansion.

“Stop! Who are you?”

The guard at the door blocked Ghislaine. Ghislaine slightly staggered and looked at the guard with bleary eyes.

“What are you doing here? This is a restricted area, huh? Ugh, the smell of alcohol. Just get lost!”

The soldier shouted, pushing Ghislaine’s shoulder.

“Uh? Did you push me?”

Ghislaine slightly staggered as he asked. The soldier’s face contorted with anger.

“Yeah, I did. What are you gonna do about it?”

At the soldier’s words, Ghislaine chuckled.

Then, he charged forward and executed a flying kick to the soldier’s face.

Thwack!