Chapter 349: Another Watchpoint
“Ivan-nii! Welcome back!”
The next morning, I woke up to find Ivan had returned, and Phonia was wagging her tail vigorously in excitement. I knew he had come back in the middle of the night, but Phonia had already been asleep, so she was all worked up from the start of the day.
“Ah, I’m back.”
As I scratched Phonia’s head, I let out a big yawn. If he was that tired, I thought he could have slept a bit longer, but perhaps he had to head out to work early.
“How’s the situation at the front?”
I asked Ivan, who was participating in the Stampede as a D-rank Adventurer. While we occasionally caught glimpses of the front lines, we honestly had no idea what was happening behind the scenes.
“Well, it’s pretty hectic. They know I have a Storage Bag, so I’m being sent all over the place for supply runs.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I want to fight on the front lines too.”
I could only offer my condolences to Ivan, though I kept my thoughts to myself.
“Good morning! Breakfast is ready, so please help yourselves.”
Just as I was thinking it was about time to prepare breakfast, El wheeled out a cart laden with food from the kitchen.
“Oh, you prepared it! Thanks!”
“No problem. The monitoring system for the Stampede is up and running, so it can handle a lot of it automatically now.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
El replied with a composed expression, but I couldn’t help but find it amusing how her serious demeanor seemed to hide a smug grin inside.
“Well then, I think it’s time to have the Bird TYPE start reconnaissance towards the Royal Capital.”
What I wanted to move on to next was gathering intel on the key figures who had framed us as criminals. I wanted to gather as much information as possible before heading out for an OHANASHI.
“Understood. I’ve already gathered information on the usual accommodations and activity ranges of the main targets, so I’ll send the data to your smartphone later.”
“Eh?”
I turned around, surprised by the familiarity of the term “smartphone” coming from someone who wasn’t used to it.
“Once we can conduct reconnaissance with the Bird TYPE, real-time monitoring should also be possible.”
“Uh, yeah, that sounds good. …So, please take care of it.”
I found myself slipping into formal speech, unable to keep up with El’s evolution.
“Good morning, everyone! …What’s going on?”
Rio, who had just woken up, looked at us with a puzzled expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just surprised by how well El handles her computer.”
“Ah, yeah, it’s definitely impressive. I can’t use it that well either…”
Rio and I shared a distant gaze, and it seemed El couldn’t hold back her smug expression any longer. I finally burst into laughter, unable to contain myself.
Before noon, we made our way to the main camp just before the first outer wall, where we learned there was still some leeway, so we opened a Dimensional Rift and headed toward the Royal Capital.
The target this time had already been investigated by our information Guild, Hinomaru. We had provided Mesaria-san with several smartphones and localized computers sold in Japan, and just like El, she quickly mastered their use.
The individuals we had investigated were as follows:
The Baron Beifan Lowing, who had submitted my case to the council.
The Chancellor, Count Daredimo Torgabeat, who investigated the council’s proceedings and rendered a black judgment.
The Marquis Zainin Mushiritoore, who would assess whether the investigation’s content and results were appropriate as a third-party judge.
And finally, the councilor sent to us, Viscount Wesley Grubbs.
I learned from El that surveillance could also be conducted using the Insect TYPE. Due to their small size, they are hard to detect, allowing for close monitoring, but their tracking ability is low, making it easy for targets to shake them off if they try to escape. However, if we coordinated with the Bird TYPE for distant monitoring, re-tracking would become much easier.
This time, we decided to assign one Bird TYPE and two Insect TYPES for each target.
“Alright, you all, let’s go.”
I summoned the TYPE Series from the Dimensional Rift connected to the Dungeon. The Bird TYPE soared high into the sky, while the Insect TYPE scuttled inside my clothing. Although Hinomaru had identified the targets, I needed to specify them directly from a visible location to imprint their details into the TYPE Series.
Just to be safe, I disguised myself and activated my stealth skills, then infiltrated the Royal Capital by scaling the castle wall. I checked the hidden photos of the targets that El had provided. Although I had never met the Count or the Marquis, having these images meant I wouldn’t have to identify them one by one.
The Baron was said to be staying at his mansion in the Royal Capital, so I headed there first. It was a quaint little mansion on the outskirts of the Noble District. Utilizing Presence Detection, I quickly completed the identification. The Chancellor and the councilor were reportedly working at the councilor’s residence, which was also a straightforward task.
As for the Chancellor, of course, his workplace was the Royal Castle. Information was scarce within the castle, but I was surprised to find a photo of the Audience Chamber. I thought it was quite an accomplishment to have gotten in, but I wondered where the esteemed Marquis was at that moment.
Nonetheless, I quickly mobilized the remaining two Insect TYPES to search for him. It seemed he was in a meeting room, but that was irrelevant. I Teleported to a corner of the meeting room, confirmed his name with my appraisal, and designated him as a surveillance target, completing the mission.
“I’ve done spy-like activities for the first time, but it was easier than I expected…”