Chapter 339
Chapter 339: I’ll Solve It for You. (3)
Pippin, the patrol duty officer of the mansion, yawned as he stepped outside his quarters.
“Ugh, so annoying. I’m dying of sleepiness.”
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 are all huddled around the outskirts and main building?
This meant that just a few soldiers had to cover the vast grounds of the mansion.
“Hehe, I guess I’ll have to head to my secret spot today.”
Pippin had figured out how to work the system. He knew of a blind spot in the mansion where he wouldn’t be noticed and there were no guards.
He always took a quick nap there before pretending to have patrolled. If caught, he would be in big trouble, but he had never been caught even once up to now.
He was the one on patrol, so who would reprimand him? The mansion was simply too expansive for anyone to notice.
Thus, Pippin made his way to his secret hideout and lay down on the ground. Having grown up ruggedly, rolling around on the dirt was nothing to him.
Thud…
“Hmm?”
He pressed his ear to the ground and heard a strange sound.
“What could that be? Why am I hearing this noise?”
It was faint, but he was sure he heard something.
“Eh, maybe I just imagined it.”
It was too quiet to make out anything, so he simply lay back down to rest. He didn’t want to fall too deeply asleep, so he dozed lightly.
Having done this several times before, he was quite accustomed to it. After resting for a while, he got up and left.
With fewer patrol personnel, he returned to duty two days later, and once again, he sought his secret spot for a rest.
As he laid down, the sound he had heard before was back.
Thud thud…
“Hmm?”
He raised his head, but the noise stopped. He had to press his ear to the ground to hear it.
“What’s down there? Is water flowing?”
He shrugged it off that day as nothing significant and returned. However, when he heard the sound for the third time, suspicion began to grow.
Thud thud…
“There’s definitely something.”
The noise had been persistent for several days. Each time he pressed his ear to the ground, it was definitely growing louder.
He pondered hard.
“Why is this noise coming from underground?”
If a monster lived there, they wouldn’t have built anything atop it. Its identity would have been revealed long ago.
It wasn’t the sound of flowing water, either. Curious, he pressed his ear to the ground again and focused.
Thud, thud…
It sounded like something was being crushed or dug. After some hesitation, he grabbed a spade and began to dig a little bit.
If there was truly something beneath, the sound should get clearer the deeper he went.
Indeed, as he dug and pressed his ear to the ground, the sound grew even louder. Lost in listening to it, he muttered without realizing it.
“A tunnel?”
It was a thought that came to him inadvertently, but it felt like a strong conviction. The sound that had been so persistent for days—now the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
“I’m sure of it; someone is digging underground right now. They are trying to sneak in!”
A strong desire sparkled in Pippin’s eyes. Reporting this could lead to a big reward. Just discovering it in a place where no one else was present would be impressive.
The truth was he just wanted to take a break by lying on the ground.
Without delay, he rushed to report to a superior. He emphasized that if it hadn’t been for him, this would have gone unnoticed.
A few soldiers came over to help dig and put their ears to the ground to confirm.
“It really does sound like someone is digging down there.”
As other soldiers testified, even knights came by to check. The knights, using mana, could hear the sounds better than the soldiers.
“Station troops here.”
Who could be brave enough to dig a tunnel? Reports were sent up, and knights and soldiers readied themselves.
Sure enough, a day later, the ground trembled a little, and a head popped up.
The knights and soldiers waiting there with torches could clearly see the intruder’s figure.
“A dwarf?”
No one expected a dwarf to come out, so they blinked several times in disbelief.
The knight who finally regained his composure growled, sword pointed at Galbarik’s neck.
“Who are you? How did you dig this far?”
Galbarik rolled his eyes vigorously before finally speaking.
“Am… am I a thief?”
“This crazy dwarf…”
After glaring at him for a while, the knight yelled to the soldiers.
“Take these scoundrels to the prison immediately! I’ll report to the lord! But first, find out where this tunnel leads!”
Thus, Galbarik and the dwarves were dragged away in a line.
Even as they were hauled off, they wore dumbfounded expressions. No matter how much they had eased up, how could they get caught so easily?
They were certain the construction was carried out quietly, and the target point would be a blind spot.
The dwarves grumbled that the security here was unexpectedly tight. They wouldn’t have been caught if it hadn’t been for the vigilant surveillance.
In reality, it had just been one soldier who was lucky enough to discover them while slacking off.
So the dwarves ended up imprisoned right after digging a hole.
When the report reached Martin, he was furious.
“Where did they come from? Find out immediately!”
“We are checking it now, but it might take a bit longer.”
“Why? Can’t we just check the tunnel to see where it connects?”
“We sent soldiers, but they were blocked by a door.”
“What? A door in the tunnel?”
“Yes, it’s a very thick door. But the structure is odd… it wouldn’t open. It seems to be locked from inside…”
“Does that make sense? Then how would the dwarves get back? No, if it won’t open, just break it down!”
“That door… it seems to serve as a support. If we forcibly open or break it, that part will collapse and block the way…”
“Profit!”
If the tunnel collapses, there would be no way to find out where they came from. It was clear that those thieves had set up something strange.
It was obvious they had prepared for when they got caught.
After a brief moment of thought, Martin glared, teeth gritted.
“Immediately check Dominic’s warehouse. They said construction had been happening there recently, right? That’s definitely where they came in to rescue the hostages.”
“Understood.”
Knights and soldiers headed straight for Dominic’s warehouse.
The mercenaries guarding the warehouse had no choice but to retreat under the knight’s fierce ultimatum. They had no idea what was going on inside anyway.
As the knights and soldiers charged into the place, they were immediately blocked by one person.
It was none other than Dominic, the leader of the Drake Mercenary Group.
“What’s going on?”
Dominic asked with a chilly expression, and the knight sneered while raising his sword.
“Why are you here at this hour? Hiding something inside, I see?”
“This is where I conduct personal business. Even if you are a knight, entering uninvited isn’t acceptable.”
“It’s a lord’s order. We suspect a thief has entered the mansion, so we need to check inside.”
“I know nothing about that. Just turn around and leave.”
The knight tilted his head defiantly.
“Dominic, don’t get cocky. Just because the lord has given you some preferential treatment doesn’t mean you’re anything special.”
“Even the lord cannot invade my private domain.”
“Enough of your nonsense! The lord rules this city!”
As the knight shouted, the soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and stepped forward. The mercenaries guarding outside also came in armed.
With their leader blocking the way, they had no choice but to join the fray.
The atmosphere turned tense. It wouldn’t be unusual for either side to clash at any moment.
The knight glanced around, smirking.
“Hey, is this how it’s going to be? You might not realize it, but if I get hurt or forced back, there will be consequences.”
In subtle intimidation, Dominic bit his lip. He could easily wipe out the soldiers and knights before him if he wanted to.
But he couldn’t handle what would come after that.
“Huff…”
Breathing out heavily, Dominic took a step aside.
“Just take a quick look and scram already.”
“Should’ve done that sooner.”
The knight laughed arrogantly, gave Dominic one last look, and opened the door.
Creeeak…
Thump!
As the door opened, Dominic felt his breathing quicken. His heart raced, and his head felt dizzy.
The knight entered and shouted immediately.
“Check the floor! There must be a tunnel connecting to it!”
‘Caught, huh?’
Dominic hadn’t expected this. The moment the word “thief” was mentioned, he realized the dwarves had been caught.
A spy had hidden within the mercenary group. That spy must have reported on the suspicious construction going on.
So as soon as the incident happened, Martin sent people over right away, and now, those watching him had come to check the warehouse.
The warehouse was decorated like an office, but the knights and soldiers wasted no time in checking the floor.
They lifted carpets and thrust their weapons to probe around suspicious areas for quite a while.
But they failed to reach their objective.
“What’s this? Is it not here?”
No matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find the entrance to the tunnel. The knight even used mana to smash the floor, but it was useless.
In a last-ditch effort, he checked the open spaces around them, but it was the same.
After checking several more times, the knight glared at Dominic and spoke.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but be careful. I’ll be watching.”
With that warning left behind, the knight and soldiers departed.
After they left, Dominic stood for a while. Only after some time did he finally wipe the cold sweat from his brow and sit down.
“Phew… I’m safe for now.”
The entrance wasn’t in this building. They had merely pretended to be undergoing construction here to confuse the enemy.
The actual work had taken place outside the city. For dwarves, it made no difference whether they were inside or outside the city.
The outside was easier for transporting materials and worked well for large initial tasks.
Though he had narrowly escaped danger, it wasn’t time to relax. If the dwarves were caught, there was no telling when he would be on the chopping block.
Despite the dwarves’ strong pride, they might just talk if tortured.
As morning dawned, Dominic disguised himself and headed straight to Ghislaine. News of the dwarf thieves entering the city had already spread throughout the market.
Hearing the news, Ghislaine scratched his head.
“Ah, what a world we live in. You never know what bizarre things may happen. That’s what makes it interesting.”
How they got caught was a mystery to Ghislaine. The dwarves may have made a mistake, the security could have been unexpectedly tight, or maybe someone just happened to stumble upon them.
Every situation in the world comes with variables like this.
Such incidents had often occurred in his past life, and even after reincarnation. That’s why Ghislaine felt relaxed, as if it were no big deal.
But for Dominic, who had placed all his trust in Ghislaine, this could not stand.
“No, no… This isn’t the time to be so composed. The dwarves have been captured! Martin won’t sit idle.”
“It’s fine. He’s a noble too, and he knows dwarves are valuable. For now, he won’t be able to treat them recklessly. He will likely try to placate them.”
Dominic wore a desperate expression. Why was Ghislaine acting so carefree and irresponsible even when their plans had been exposed?!
But Ghislaine grinned and continued.
“A plan is just a plan. It can change depending on the circumstances anytime. What matters isn’t the process.”
“Then what is important?”
“As long as the result comes out as we want, that’s all that matters.”
“Huh? Everything has fallen apart, and what are you planning to do about it?”
“What to do? I’ll go in and rescue the dwarves and the other people.”
“……?”
As Dominic stood bewildered, Ghislaine patted his shoulder.
“You can gather troops right away, right?”
“Yes, yes… I’ve ordered everyone to arm themselves and stand ready.”
“And you’ve moved all the important stuff out?”
“Yes, I couldn’t take everything, but I’ve separated the important things.”
“Then we’re all set. It’s time to get started. You should wait with the troops at the promised location.”
“W-wait… what exactly are you planning?”
Ghislaine didn’t answer that question and instead grabbed Dominic’s shoulder.
“I’ll take care of it. Prepare now without delay. There can be no more mistakes. Got it?”
Overcome by Ghislaine’s assertiveness, Dominic found himself nodding unknowingly.
“Y-yes, understood.”
Dominic wore a determined expression.
Martin already suspected him. It would be better to gather troops and strike at the mansion if Ghislaine failed.
“If it fails, I’ll stomp on Martin.”
“But the hostages will die too!”
“Isn’t everyone already going to die if we fail? If we’re going to die anyway, we might as well take that bastard with us.”
There was a glint of killing intent in Dominic’s eyes. The anger he had been holding back emerged upon meeting Ghislaine.
Seeing that look, Ghislaine smiled.
“You look much better now. A mercenary should have that level of backbone.”
“I’ll start preparing right away.”
“Good, I should get moving too. Hey, you all stand guard at the tunnel door.”
Ghislaine then gave new orders to the 20 knights he brought with him. They would be waiting at the door the dwarves had barricaded.
Once Dominic and the knights moved out, Ghislaine rinsed his mouth out with alcohol before spitting it out.
After that, he sprinkled a little alcohol around his body.
Soon, the smell of alcohol began to waft strongly from him.
“This should do.”
He reeked of alcohol and headed for Martin’s mansion.
“Stop! Who are you?”
A guard stationed at the door halted Ghislaine. Ghislaine swayed slightly and stared at the guard with half-closed eyes.
“What did you say? Where do you think you can just waltz in? Ugh, the smell of alcohol. Get lost!”
The soldier shouted as he shoved Ghislaine.
“Huh? Did you hit me?”
Ghislaine staggered slightly and asked. The soldier, looking furious, replied.
“Yeah, I did. What are you gonna do about it?”
At the soldier’s words, Ghislaine burst into laughter.
Then, with no hesitation, he dashed forward and kicked the soldier squarely in the face.
Wham!
