Chapter 108: Infiltration
The number of rats was unknown, but their strength was evident. They could be as weak as some pitiful nobles or as strong as a True Vampire—perhaps even a Vampire Duke.
That’s why he didn’t ask about their strength. Instead, he got straight to the point. "Is there anyone we know?"
"I don’t know if this is relevant, but do you know who’s visiting this city these days?"
"Hm?" Edward raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Instructor Mervan—he came for a mission."
His brow furrowed, and he leaned back in his chair.
That was a suspicious person doing suspicious things. It’s not that instructors don’t go to mission sites. They often visit to check on them personally, but they usually have subordinates—teachers or junior instructors—who handle that.
Although Mervan isn’t a senior instructor, he does have several subordinates for that job.
Of course, maybe they were overthinking it. It’s likely that he simply had too many missions piling up, and his subordinates couldn’t keep up.
That reasoning makes sense. The number of missions has skyrocketed in recent weeks—it almost seems like they’re doing it on purpose.
But coincidences are hard to come by in such a vast and shadowy world. So it was better to be safe than sorry.
"It’ll be tough; that man is a master of information. But we should be able to infiltrate and find out if he’s really a traitor." Seeing that Edward was so deep in thought, she spoke again.
"I understand. If they plan to meet somewhere, we should be there. But when is it?"
"Tonight. Young Viscount Harry is coming here and has some news about it," she said.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Aurora let him in, and seconds later Harry turned to face the two of them again with a smile. It wasn’t a smile of happiness, but of resignation.
"Don’t hold back—tell me everything you’ve discovered. This city is within your territory; you should know it better than anyone." Aurora gestured for him to sit down so they could talk more comfortably.
Harry didn’t want to be rude and accepted the invitation.
Finally, he spoke. "Miss, Young Master Edward. We’ve detected seven vampires in the city, among whom two stood out with immense power. Using a familiar tool made of silver enhanced with mystical elements, we have a rough idea. Now, the gathering in the city looks dangerous. The number of powerful people who have come here is unusual."
"What kind of gathering is it?" Edward asked, puzzled.
"What’s brewing in there isn’t about Ashford’s downfall anymore. Strangely enough, it seems that issue has been set aside. Now they’re talking about a slow, gradual takeover of these territories. Plus... they seem to have a dangerous target they need to kill."
"That sounds dangerous. How do you know this?" Edward hesitated.
"I have a spy."
"Wow, so you’re that useful. The first time I saw you, you were so scared you looked like a little animal." He joked.
"Haha..." Harry laughed sheepishly. "My family is in the spy business, young Lord Edward. We’re specialists in this kind of mission. My father gave me the authority to use all our family’s resources after the last time, so I’m using it for that."
"I’m pleased with your performance," Edward laughed. "I hope your spy can lead us to the place. We need to take our time figuring out what’s going on here."
"I’ll take you there myself. I can’t leave your safety in the hands of a spy—even though they’re trustworthy, we can’t blindly trust them, can we?" Harry admitted.
’That suits me better,’ Edward thought, though he said nothing.
"Did you find anything about Instructor Mervan?" Aurora asked.
"Also, right now, Instructor Mervan is currently inspecting one of the dungeons. Apparently, there’s an important mission going on there, though I’m not entirely in the loop. If you need it, I can send a message to my subordinates to have them bring me the relevant information."
Aurora nodded. Edward looked pensive.
If this world had taught him anything, it was that he shouldn’t trust certain people’s delaying tactics. Often, they were simply waiting for a moment of carelessness to slip out of your sight and stab you in the back.
As long as there was suspicion, he had to be careful.
Although they talked for a while longer, they didn’t touch on any important topics.
That night, the three of them explored the city. With Harry and Aurora’s help, they were able to make their way through the darkness and the alleys to reach, quite literally, the city’s sewers.
When Aurora said that, she wasn’t speaking metaphorically; she really meant what she said.
They had a room inside the city sewers.
"The spy is up ahead. But we can’t get any closer," Harry said, peeking around a corner. "There are too many guards."
"This distance is fine," Aurora said suddenly and pulled out a magical tool. She handed one to Edward and looked at Harry. "Go keep watch; make sure no one comes," she told him.
The tool looked like a small square box a few centimeters wide and tall; but its function became clear in an instant.
When they put blood on it, it connected to them and traveled quickly like a spiritual thread crawling through the dirty water.
They could hear the dirty water rushing in their ears. Then it made its way into the room and settled in a corner by the door.
The murmur of stagnant water behind them was replaced by hissing voices echoing off the damp stone walls. Through the magical link, the voices came through clearly, laden with a chill that sent shivers down their spines.
"The nobles of Silver Ash City are dead. We managed to turn 133 nobles into vampires, and right now they’re serving as our sentinels. Our allies in the south have kept their word. Ashford will soon collapse under its own weight," said a raspy but cold voice. Edward recognized it; it was the vampire leader he had faced before.
"I heard that some escaped," another voice interrupted, deeper and more authoritative. "Why didn’t you include that in your report? We can’t leave any loose ends."
"Haha, even though they got away, they won’t get far. One is a minor noble—we’ve already sent men after him; he’ll be dead in a few hours. The other two... hehe, I don’t think it’ll be long, because one of them is Count Ashford’s daughter."
"And what about the target?" A third person joined the conversation upon hearing this. "I heard that one of the suspects was among those who escaped."
"He was, sir. Unfortunately, the guy is very cunning."
"Tsk. These bastards are getting more and more annoying." The third man complained.
While those three were talking, a fourth man who had been watching them closely joined the conversation. "Why isn’t anyone talking about the alleged sighting of 04?"
Finally, everyone fell silent.
"Is the information accurate?"
"No, but it’s possible. We lost track of that bastard years ago; it wouldn’t be far-fetched for him to show up again and cause trouble. Now, why is he here?"
"Never try to understand genies, idiot. Especially if he’s half-human. Still, if he’s here, why hasn’t the Prince told us anything?"
"Didn’t you just say it? We can’t know what genies are thinking, especially if they’re half-human," the fourth one scoffed.
"Tsk."
"Well, 04 is a problem, but I don’t think he’ll interfere with our issues for now," said the first speaker. "And even if he does, he hasn’t grown much. The Lord is nearby; there’s no way he’ll get away with it. Instead, I’m more worried about that old geezer at the academy."
"That bastard..." The second speaker clenched his teeth.
"He looks at us like we’re cockroaches." The fourth one even slammed his fist on the table. "We have to kill him. We can’t take control as long as he’s still around."
"Ha. Let’s see how you manage to kill him." A fifth person suddenly joined in.
"If you’re going to join the conversation, at least say something useful." The fourth one complained.
"Hey." The fifth one raised his hands in surrender. "I’m just telling the truth. Without The Lord, we can’t stand up to him."
The fourth, the third, the second, and the first wrinkled their noses. Unfortunately, they couldn’t argue against what he was saying.
He was absolutely right.
"By the way," the second one spoke, looking at the humans gathered before them. "Since you don’t want to talk, why don’t you invite your companions to join the conversation?"
The humans looked up, bewildered. "Companions?" Their voices trembled.
"Heh. I’ve been smelling a strange, peculiar scent for a while now... Can’t you smell it? That fresh blood... young human blood." He licked his lips.
Crack!
The small square box in Edward’s hand shattered, releasing a spark of dark energy. They couldn’t withdraw the spiritual thread, so the backlash hit them with a tremendous headache.
They had been discovered.
At the end of the hallway where Harry was keeping watch, the flimsy wooden door suddenly shattered under a kick.
Harry was alarmed and spun abruptly toward Edward and Aurora. "Run!"
Just then...
"Intruders!" A vampire’s shout rang out from both sides. "Don’t let them escape the tunnels—it’s time to feast on fresh meat!"
The sound of heavy heels pounding the ground and the hiss of swords sliding from their sheaths echoed behind them.
The shadows of the sewers, which had once seemed like their allies, began to stretch out like claws trying to close in on them.