I see. So one of the pawns has been crushed, and they are on alert. So the information about the handover in this house is correct.

Does this security mean that the Collection hasn’t been moved yet? Or is the house itself a storage house? If the organization behind the handover had been outsourced, it would have been too careless, but maybe even they had prepared it themselves.

A section of the People’s District lined with the mansions of the wealthy. Among these, a modest mansion is located on a plot that was originally unpopular due to its poor exposure to the sun. A separate house owned by a certain noble family.

The garden has been planted with a considerable number of trees, probably on purpose, and has a dense atmosphere. Of course, it is difficult to see inside from the outside.

According to the woman in the underworld execution unit that Al shut down, the handover took place in the garden, and she did not set foot inside the house. Al senses a rather large nook in the basement of the garden area. It is probably a hollow, basement-like place, but it is inhibited so that it cannot be detected from the outside to the inside.

And there was a natural reaction.

It is sensed that Al has sensed it.

The magical tools of sensing magic, laid out in a narrow space, did a good job.

Magical tools are amazing. You’ve worked all day without complaining. You can rest now.

By sensing each other, Al also knows the location of the magical tool. He aims and fires low-power ‘bullets’ at it.

Those in charge of security are unaware of the mana fluctuations that occur. Only the broken magical tool knows this.

The basement is where you keep your “collection”? If it’s for decoration, you should be more majestic.

As security personnel notice something wrong with the Magical tool and start to move, Al makes his way into the premises in broad daylight, oblivious to any sign of his presence.

Are these trees useful for intrusion, or are they simply things that are not to be seen from the outside? Does this mean that they are confident of repelling intruders inside?.

Al observes his surroundings while hiding in the dense garden, but what catches his interest other than the underground space, is that there are three people in the house with large amounts of mana. They are in the same room on the third floor. Definitely people connected to the nobility. However, it is unclear whether they are guards or nobles themselves.

I don’t know the entrance to the basement, so let’s just go for those three conspicuous people.

As Al focuses on the immediate target, a sudden sign. A guard hurriedly checks the condition of the magic tool. The guard, now more concerned with infiltration than being found, further diminishes his presence and moves into a concealed form.

A guard passes just a few steps ahead. He does not notice Al.

In the Great Forest, it was hard to get through to the monsters in the shallow layers, but with the guys here, it’s rather easy.

Intruder (Al) proceeds quietly while lurking.

****

“So? Did you find the other half?”

Viscount Magny Barthe.

Bewitching woman. The Pervert. Target of Al.

Not a viscountess, but the main line of the family, of which she is primarily a baroness.

Incidentally, her husband is known as Viscount Barthe. He has a knighthood, but only as Magny’s spouse.

“I am sorry. As a matter of fact, we lost one of the “hands” we had trusted with the task. At this moment, we were attacked by another organization, or nearly all of them.”

“And so?”

The man reports back. However, his story does not resonate with Magny. There can be nothing but affirmation to the question. That kind of willingness rides on his words.

“….  Tomorrow, I’ll be sure to give you a good report!”

“Right. Then we’ll wait until tomorrow.”

In other words, the day after tomorrow he will be dead. It’s norm here.

Even if he is linked to the Barthe family, even if he has served them for a long time, there are no exceptions there.

The man leaves the room and runs down the corridor to decide his own fate. He decides that if he does not live up to her expectations, he will flee immediately.

“Viscount Barthe. It appears that the gate along the main road and the magical tools in the garden have been broken. There must be an intruder. Evacuate just in case.”

“….. you will protect me, won’t you?”

She bends over with a sweet voice. To the man standing beside her. He is more than two heads taller than Magny, who is as tall as a man.

“There may be unforeseen dangers. I am sorry, but the security here is not so tight when you are dealing with a first-class mage.

I can get past the guards and come to this room alone. And that too in a very short time. The intruder may even be closing in on this room already.”

“Yes, that’s right. If you insist, I will obey you. Take me to safety.”

Magny, who had been enjoying the teasing, turned a straight face at his words. Immediately, she held out her hand and asked for an escort. Instinctive object. Sensing danger.

“…Then, with all due respect. Once you’re in the observation room.”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

But the man, Niklas has a hunch. That the crisis is already there. He did not take Magny’s hand and instead took a step forward.

“It seems we were too late. Enemies.”

****

The movement has stopped. Did they notice me? I was going to shoot him where he came in, but damn. He’s not like a guy who came out earlier. The other one seems to only have a mana amount. Is that noble? I hope it’s a hit.

He was lurking in the corridor, hiding, and was calculating the minimum necessary to finish him off when he came out into the corridor.

Incidentally, the older man who had just come out of the room was already dead at the end of the corridor where he had rushed out. His fate had run out without waiting for the day after tomorrow.

Changing plan at once. Al releases dozens of ‘bullets’ that were waiting in reserve, aimed at the interior of the room. Rampant firing.

Al’s ‘bullets’ are magic and make no sound, but if they break through the mansion’s doors and walls and hit the furnishings in the room, there is naturally the sound of them breaking. The sound was so loud that even the guards, who had overlooked the concealed form, noticed it.

“Shit, Enemies!”

“Inside the mansion!”

“Protect Lady Magny!”

Al jumps into the room and sees the ‘enemy’ while the ‘bullets’ are still being fired.

(I didn’t think I’d get a response, but I didn’t expect to block the ‘bullets’ head-on. Is that sand?)

The fact that he sensed his opponent means that he has also sensed Al. Same as the magical tool mentioned earlier.

Niklas, a great sand manipulator.

He prevents Al’s ‘bullets’ by building a thick wall with a large amount of sand composed of mana, and then intercepts the foe who jumps into the room.

As if with a will, the sand changes its shape towards Al, becoming multiple spears and extending sharply.

He looks like a veteran man. Is his magic technical? Sandy and, I wonder how precise his control of mana is. Seems pretty versatile too.

Dodging the approaching sand spears, Al runs around the room, and fires a ‘bullets’, but all of them are blocked by a wall of sand. The sand mass that Niklas manipulates is thick, and constantly flowing, absorbing the impact of the ‘bullets’.

The power of a continuous-firing ‘bullet’ is insufficient to penetrate and reach the attacker. And even if the flowing sand can be scattered for a moment, it cannot be “broken”.

Niklas sand changes its shape like clay work or flowing water, but its instantaneous strength is strong enough to break through the body reinforcement that Al wears on a daily basis. When a sand spear grazed him, it ripped his skin into thin strips.

Sand spears, sand whips, sand swords, sand shields, sand walls.

Niklas manipulates the sand and changes its shape to deal with Al’s movements and even ‘bullets’. And it is the same for Al.

I was fed up with the city’s nobility, but it is still a bit of a relief to see someone so powerful. He is definitely a force for the kingdom in the war against the demon tribe. …… Well, he won’t play an active role in the war. -Al

This guy saw through my ‘Manoeuvring Sand’ movement at this distance and in this short time…-Niklas

Niklas thought he would eliminate the enemy first, but the sand is not keeping up with Al’s movements.

All of his attacks are dodged. They don’t hit. It keeps on being dodged. Even if you try to catch them not with a point, but with a surface by expanding the sand, you cannot catch Al’s movement. Even so, they continue to attack without stopping.

“Must let Viscount Barthe escape first…”

Magny is inside the sand sphere created by Niklas. Several times the ‘bullets’ hit, but the sand only scatters for a moment, and soon the sand flows and fills the hole. A very capable magic in defensive purposes.

“Is that an important person in that sand sphere? This could be a real hit.”

Al is now in the middle of the room, knowing that he will be blocked, and is firing a barrage of ‘bullets’, while continuing to avoid sand spears and swords with minimal movement. This is the first time that ‘bullets’ have been so ineffective against a human opponent. Unlike Naina, Niklas is clearly defending himself against ‘bullets’ from the front with his ‘skill’.

Niklas continues to prevent unknown magic from close range, and in this short time, he has detected even the slightest fluctuation in Al’s mana, and has already sensed the signs of a ‘bullet’ being shot out.

Sand attacks continue to be dodged by Al, but Niklas is in no particular hurry. He believes that he can also continue to prevent his opponent’s attacks.

He recognizes his enemy, but is also confident of his own abilities.

“Niklas. I’m getting bored. I wonder if he’s not done yet?”

“Viscount Barthe. I ask for your patience…”

Suddenly, a voice comes from the sand sphere. And with the Viscount. Al is convinced he’s hit the jackpot.

It’s over. I’m not used to fighting human mages, but …… It was a learning experience for me, there’ s some compatibility between us, but he may wouldn’t hold a candle against Vera. 

Besides, I didn’t expect someone to be able to deal with a ‘bullet’ like this at such close range. He’s really strong. Pity

Al fired a barrage of ‘bullets’ while avoiding the attacks of the sand as before. All of them are blocked by the sand. The same thing is repeated. No penetration.

However, Niklas is alarmed. He is going to do something. I feel like such a sign. I take the defensive position. The wall of sand increases its thickness and the flow intensifies.

A figure peeps through a gap in the sand wall. Suddenly, Niklas’ eyes see the enemy, Al’s figure shimmering like a flame.

The next time he saw Al’s figure was after a hole in his own stomach had been punched by the wind.

After the fatal blow had been struck.