Chapter 54 Infiltration Mission
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Today I decided to follow Kaede-san, a front-line soldier.
This was the first day the war would open in earnest. I stayed safe in a room in town. All the men were kept in private rooms or taken to tea parties so they would not be caught in the fighting. But along the coast outside, the men conscripted from the town should already be lined up. In this world, war calls up almost half of a town; everyone is moved by the call.
My Imperial Guards handle logistics and rear duties, but Kaede-san is different from the rest of them. She goes straight to the battlefield and fights enemy soldiers. She is a front-line soldier who handles the actual battles.
I do not like the thought of people my age killing each other. Still, for my own safety I must know how the fight turns. I cannot leave the shape of a battle to rumor or official words. I do not trust the leaflets for males that float around Kujukuri Town. From bitter experience, facts are better checked with my own eyes. I wanted to confirm my safety with my own eyes.
I pretended to be ill to avoid the Imperial Guards, then used my Psionic Power to follow Kaede-san.
”Good. Kaede-san is here,” I thought.
I focused on Kaede-san’s name, using my Psionic Power to connect with her, and my consciousness slipped into the scene. A scene I had never seen opened before me.
I did not tell my Imperial Guards about my attempt.
Even if the town loses and is absorbed, the men who fought are treated with respect, but their leaders and guards can be executed. Maybe I will be safe. I hope so. Still, I have a record as a rebel. If my ownership moves to another town, they might not kill me. They might just separate me from everyone I know. Even knowing that, they might stay in Kujukuri Town to the last minute for my future. They might decide it is fine if someone must be a sacrifice, as long as my future opens a better road.
So I must learn what surrounds this town to decide whether to withdraw or go into exile. Besides, they would not allow such a dangerous thing as me peeking at the battlefield. Even if my Psionic Power makes it safe, they would not give permission.
I descended into the dungeon, following Kaede-san’s presence.
I descended in invisible mode.
Kaede-san’s distinctive appearance was visible as I observed her with a group of women, some of whom I recognized as colleagues from the Ichimatsu unit’s Exploration Squad. There were two other women I did not know, dressed in clothes I had never seen before.
”The plan is this,” one of them said. “Target enemy Psionic Power users. If their Psionic Power fails, that’s good. If you can cause chaos in the town hall and eliminate key figures in Isumi town, that’s even better. Remember, you cannot use the terminal outside town. Keep that in mind.”
”Yes, understood,” Kaede-san said.
”Do you understand? If you get caught, of course, you won’t come back alive,” the other warned.
”I think so,” Kaede-san replied.
The stranger, a high-ranking officer, watched Kaede-san’s team with a mocking look, her ornate haori marking her status.
”Even if only one returns alive, we can pass along the report. That will suffice.”
Kaede-san’s casual response made the officer recoil, her lifeless tone contrasting with Kaede-san’s ominous presence.
”You fools are as dull as ever. Will you not rally your spirits in defense of the country? If you succeed in this dangerous plan, your honor will be renowned. It may also cure your master’s illness.”
”…Is that so,” someone muttered.
”What kind of lifeless reply is that? Do you not wish for your master’s long life?”
”Well, I suppose not,” came the dry reply.
Kaede-san and the others looked distant, as if they were seeing but not seeing. They were experts at moving without wasting words. The stranger grew sharp and spoke faster, clearly disliking the odd silence. Soon, perhaps not wanting to breathe the same air longer, she ended the conversation.
”Poor Ichimatsu-sama, to have such spineless Imperial Guards around him…”
She spat the words and handed over some items, then left through a nearby black door. Another woman, who seemed official, followed through a door painted with a jet-black base and bright, blazing red eyes drawn across it. The door’s pattern made it feel as if a red-eyed monster was watching me from a place with no light at all. It gave me a cold anxiety.
It seemed I had caught Kaede-san and the others just as they were about to start. Good timing, I thought.
Kaede-san’s face was neat and mature, her smooth skin and confident stride giving her an air of experience, like a snow leopard navigating a cold, lonely mountain.
I remained hidden, unable to reveal my Psionic Power to Kaede-san’s team, even though we had a history.
It seemed Kaede-san and the others had no doubts about moving deeper into the dungeon. I followed the three women without a word.
I watched the world around us. The sky was gray. The sun hid behind thick clouds, and the light fell like sunlight caught in the grimy glass of an old gym storeroom. The dull sunlight flickered through gaps in the clouds, as if an old bulb were about to fail. Gray rocks lay everywhere at my feet. The ground was covered in red and black dust, with a low mist obscuring the distance. A warm, wet, red swamp steamed, its sickly color and slow bubbling resembling fermenting blood. The smoke rose gently, floating upward, as there was no wind to carry it away. It looked like fireplace smoke on a clear winter day, rising unbroken to the sky.
I wrinkled my nose at the stench.
A short distance away, a steep lead-gray slope rose like the finger of some dead giant. At its base lay a dark, lightless valley.
This place shaped my anxiety into something tangible. The whole dungeon was dim and warm in a way that made it feel like something was ready to jump out at us. I had a gut feeling that this was a bad place. The feeling was a physical disgust, a shiver like when you bite into meat and taste a clot of old blood. For a moment, your body remembers it’s eating a living thing, and you shiver.
This is the dungeon called the “Valley of the Uncanny.” Mostly it is gloomy, but they say it can sometimes hold calm and even beautiful spots.
The three women and I moved on. They walked quickly. Sometimes they checked maps, but mostly they walked in silence. They didn’t talk much; when they did, it was a brief nod of agreement or a quick glance to check something. They were professionals here. A thin, cold wind slid under my collar, and the sour taste of the swamp smoke lingered on my tongue as we kept walking. Even with the rough ground slowing them down, I managed to keep up. When I ran out of strength or couldn’t jump across a swamp in time, I returned to my private room to rest, then came back and followed them again. For about two hours, I stayed close.
If I drifted more than fifteen meters away, my Psionic Power would pull me toward Kaede-san. It felt like an invisible chain linked us. It didn’t hurt, but being dragged along the ground like a reluctant dog was humiliating.
This feels terrible, I thought.
The ground slowly changed—from firm sand to something soft and warm. When I stepped, my foot sank as deep as a fingertip, like walking on mud. It felt as if I’d crushed a soft grub underfoot; something stuck to my sole, but when I lifted my foot to check, nothing was there.
What’s that smell? This place is horrible.
A constant stench rose from the ground. The air clung to my nose like thick blood in the mouth—sticky, heavy, and foul enough to make me want to spit.
As a spirit, I could tolerate the smells to some extent, my senses shutting out anything beyond a certain threshold.
But the three of them weren’t. They had to breathe this swamp stench raw. The three women stopped. Each wore a clear mask and metal ornaments. Their gear looked like what Trash-san had used on the second deck of the alien ship—machines wrapped in human shape. The cold metal gleamed sharply against the red-black living world, like something from another planet that had just finished a massacre.
Kaede-san crouched low, and I observed from a distance, panting from the effort of keeping up.
”Something’s there. Northeast. Don’t know if it’s a person or a monster,” she murmured.
Kaede-san squinted into the distance.
”If you see it—kill if it’s a monster. If human, interrogate.”
Kaede-san’s tone was blunt and rough, her usual blank expression colder than when we interacted directly.
”Getting caught is trouble,” one said.
”Hmm. Maybe we should give a greeting,” another joked.
”…No others nearby?” Kaede-san asked.
”Who knows. No wind anyway. Then—one shot.”
I had no time to react. A faint electronic beep sounded through the air.
”By the way,” drawled the older sister with a lazy air, “which sky holds that sun?”
White smoke drifted from the gray staff she held. She spoke lightly, slinging the used staff back over her shoulder.
”…East sky, by the time,” Kaede-san said.
The white-haired, sleepy-eyed sister answered, “Not always here. Maybe it rises in the east and sets in the east too.”
”Will that affect your aim?”
”Doesn’t matter. She’s dying soon anyway, so we’d better hear her story quickly. That fall—human.”
Her voice was soft, wandering, missing the point. Kaede-san frowned.
”Say it first next time. Kiri, your hands move fast but your mouth is slow.”
Kiri ignored the complaint, her eyes drifting to the cloudy sky. The staff on her back was no staff at all—it was a long sniper rifle, its frame lights glowing faintly.
A few steps later, we found a woman lying on the ground, her stomach torn by a bullet. I must have seen the shot fired but hadn’t realized it. It was that fast.
The woman hadn’t noticed them yet. Her face was pale, her breathing harsh. She trembled in a pool of blood.
A bullet tore through the woman’s leg as a warning.
”Ah!?”
Her body jerked; a raw scream burst out. It sounded like a trapped animal’s final cry. I couldn’t stand to listen. The young woman screamed again and saw them at last—three figures standing over her. She was thin, fragile, probably still young.
”Say something useful,” Kaede-san said.
”Please—don’t kill me. Who are you?” she sobbed.
Kaede-san leapt from behind a rock. The wounded woman dragged herself through the blood, trying to flee. Around her lay bundles of firewood, wild plants, and a broken pack.
Kaede-san caught up, knelt, and twisted the woman’s arm, causing a bone-breaking crack.
”Gyaah!”
”If you talk, it’ll hurt less.”
”Stop! I—I’m from Isumi town! I just sell vegetables! I came today because no one was in the dungeon and I was hungry!”
Her blood-smeared face twisted in pain as she cried and kept talking. Blood spurted with every word, pouring from her belly until her skin lost color.
”I’m just a stupid cucumber seller. Want one? They’re good. Take whatever you want, just—please—don’t kill me. I don’t want to die!”
”Stomach wound. She’ll die soon,” someone murmured.
She cried and gave a weak, pitiful laugh. Then a red laser-like bullet flew from behind me. It hit her stomach again, glowing hot.
”Igiiiii!!”
Her scream split like cloth tearing. Kiri, the tired older sister, had fired another shot.
”Stop! Not the stomach!” she begged.
BEEP.
The light tone came again. A third bullet slammed into her belly.
”It hurts—stop! It’s hot! Not the stomach, please!”
She clutched at the hole, but the blood wouldn’t stop. Her voice broke down to whimpers.
”Ah… ahhh… I don’t want this…”
The woman’s screams were unbearable, her raw despair echoing in my mind.
It was bad. Horribly bad. That scream would haunt my head forever.
I forced myself to listen, knowing I couldn’t miss any crucial information.
I forced my eyes open.
Still, Kaede-san had grabbed the woman’s ear tip between her fingers.
No—I couldn’t. I didn’t even know who this woman was. Maybe a hidden enemy. Maybe an unlucky ordinary girl.
”Next I’ll rip the other ear,” Kaede-san said coldly.
”Gyaah! Stop! Mother, it hurts! I didn’t do anything bad! Please, I’ll do whatever you want!”
Her words sounded like lines from a hostage drama. But hearing her cry for her mother made my knees shake.
When the air finally went quiet, I realized I was crying.
”She really was just a vegetable seller,” Kaede-san said softly.
”Yeah,” Kiri muttered.
”She knew nothing—about the town, the guards here, nothing at all.”
”Did you even ask her anything?” Kiri said, voice flat.
”Would it have helped if I did?” Kaede-san replied.
”Well, if you don’t ask, she can’t answer, can she? She was just a town girl. That’s why people call you an idiot, Kaede.”
”I see… You waste too many bullets, Kiri.”
”Ah, what’s it matter? Once she’s dead, there’s no more pain. Lucky her.”
They sank the poor body into the red-black swamp. The three women started walking again. The blood-soaked items beside her were swallowed by the still mud, sealed away forever.
A whole life ended so easily. She must have had a life—a family, a mother, a father, maybe siblings. Maybe someone she liked, dreams she carried. She must have had favorite foods, laughed when drunk, smiled when work went well, cried when it didn’t. And just like that, it was gone. Like being hit by a carriage—everything stolen in an instant. Now she was nothing. No one would remember her. All we learned was that she was an innocent peddler. Nothing more.
”…?”
”What’s wrong?”
”I thought I heard a boy crying…”
Kaede-san turned her head, scanning the fog, but she didn’t notice me.
Truth was, my spying was near its limit. I wanted to go back to my private room, bury my face in the pillow, and forget. My focus was slipping. My stomach twisted. Still… this was too cruel. She was thrown away like trash. No one would even know she went missing. Yet somehow, knowing her pain—feeling it—made me feel like I was the only one who could remember her. That thought gave me a small bit of comfort. At least I knew she had lived.
But with that came a rising hate toward Kaede-san and the others. I already knew how cheap life was in this world, but seeing it happen—seeing such cruelty—lit a bitter anger in me. That anger gave me strength. No matter what kind of fuel it was, if it could make me stand again, it was worth it.
I gathered the scraps of courage I had left. I had to follow them—no matter what. If I could learn something here, maybe it would help protect me later.
I pressed my knees tight and moved after them.
I won’t make the same mistake as in the Forest of Mystery, I told myself. Never again will I say, “I should’ve run sooner.”
I needed information quickly, as observing another town’s dungeon was rare and off-limits. I had been studying dungeon wars extensively. Before deciding to follow Kaede-san, I had studied modern dungeon wars in every way I could. I borrowed records from Cult Slut-san, slipped into neighborhood Imperial Guard meetings, and even joined rallies and send-off ceremonies—without Maggot-san or Trash-san knowing.
Modern wars have two main battlefields: surface and dungeon. Surface wars are fought over land, sea, and resources, with air warfare limited due to coal-based fuel. The side that cripples the enemy’s economy wins.
Dungeon warfare involves using dungeons as neutral battlefields or resource-rich prizes. Dungeons heal quickly, allowing for destructive tactics. Strategic dungeons, like the Rurunai Ruins, are prized for their resources, offering control over enemy towns.
As for the cause of war—it’s almost always about men or dungeon rights. There are many sparks, but in the end, both sides claim, “We can rule it better.”
This war is no different. Several regions declared independence, and now everyone’s aiming for Kujukuri Town’s alien ship resources. Kazusa Province is just a patchwork of minor lords—small noble families, each with its own town. They’ve started their own “dungeon wars,” fighting to seize territory. This world still lives in an age of conquest—flags planted, lands stolen, people claimed.
I wondered if the Warring States Period was better, with fewer weapons. But losing this war could mean fleeing in the night.
The alien ship dungeon provides vital resources, making it a treasure. Three towns are attacking to seize it. Losing means being driven out or forced into dungeon labor.
Kujukuri Town is fighting fiercely, with four main fronts based on strategy meetings I overheard.
The northern front faces Mutsu and Inubou Town, which betrayed Kazusa Province. Inubou’s jealousy over Kujukuri’s technology makes it the main battlefield, with 80% of forces deployed there.
The southern front faces Isumi and Kamogawa Towns, which are weak and dependent on Kujukuri. They exploit the chaos to gain concessions.
The southern front requires steady defense, with troops stationed along beaches. The enemy is expected to collapse from hunger soon.
I was part of the rear line, with Imperial Guards handling endless logistics and weapon production.
The third front is inside the alien ship, with elite guards and explorers defending against dungeon intruders. They know the dungeon’s layout and fight both monsters and humans.
The last front is a rescue team for a boy taken by Ichihara. The mission lacks details, but the boy’s return is crucial to prevent him from becoming a hostage.
These were the four fronts I had pieced together from strategy meetings.
I chose Kaede-san’s team over Sow-san’s because they were infiltrating the southern front, the most dangerous area. Their mission was to sabotage and assassinate key enemy figures, a dangerous and unique task.
Kaede-san’s team started from the ship’s deep layers, using a dungeon as a backdoor to emerge near the enemy town. Most dungeons allow free movement between routes, unlike the Forest of Mystery.
The plan was imaginable but never attempted due to its risks.
Dungeons felt like traps, luring people in only to swallow them.
There were reasons for that, written in old records.
Dungeons are dangerous; gates can vanish mid-passage, trapping teams inside enemy lines. History records entire forces disappearing due to shifting doors.
Without a stable exit, supply lines are cut, making survival difficult for large forces.
Dungeon attacks are limited to small elite units, risking the best soldiers. Success could cripple enemy command, but reaching that point requires navigating dangerous dungeon layers and guarded doors.
Only the best can succeed, but towns hesitate to risk their most skilled soldiers in such dangerous missions.
Kaede-san’s mission was a risky gamble, but the potential rewards were too tempting to ignore.
”So many thieves and drifters around,” one of them said as they walked. “Guess no patrols come here. Maybe no one’s running this place?”
”Maybe,” another replied. “While the town officials are busy with war, the scavengers take what they can.”
They found a small clearing where a single tree grew between rocks. A calm face seemed to float in its trunk, and from its twisted branches hung strands of hair—and what looked like organs. Black hair grew thick in place of leaves, and just looking at it made my skin crawl as if maggots were crawling beneath it.
The women plucked one of the round, red fruits from the tree. Blood-like juice dripped from the bite marks.
I froze as the women ate the strange fruit without hesitation.
”Tasty. There’s a bit of experience in this fruit,” one said, licking her fingers.
”Keep eating these and the Exploration Squad might get stronger,” another added.
”I like it,” Kaede-san said plainly.
”Didn’t know you could still taste,” Kiri teased.
”Don’t you?” Kaede asked.
”There’s nothing better than booze and smoke,” Kiri replied, smirking.
The third woman was quieter, with a faint smile and drool, seeming truly broken compared to Kaede-san and Kiri.
At the tree’s roots was another corpse, a woman who entered the dungeon for mystical items. We met more locals sneaking in for food, whom the team questioned and silenced by sinking into the swamp.
Each time, I felt sick, my anger fading into uselessness.
Why do they kill so easily and cruelly? It’s disgusting.
I almost tried to stop Kaede-san, but my legs froze, and I lacked the courage to reveal my Psionic Power.
All I could do was shut my eyes and cover my ears during the interrogations.
Those scenes are burned into my mind. I can’t go back, or I’ll regret it.
My head throbbed, and my vision spun, possibly from stress-induced hallucinations.
”I heard a bell, though no foundry could make such a sound here.”
”No three warning tolls before it. There’s no foundry in Kazusa Province that can make such a huge sound. No human rang that bell,” Kiri murmured.
Red dew-soaked rocks gleamed, and the distance was lost in mist.
Notes:
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
• Rurunai Ruins – A low-risk jungle-type dungeon entered in Chapter 31 after the island escape. Found by Trash-san and the Young Master seeking safety.
• Kazusa Province – A region cited in Chapter 29 dungeon records defining unreturnable dungeons. Serves as a geographic and academic reference for explorers.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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