Volume 1 Chapter 49 Operation Begins
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At night, we split into small groups to avoid being noticed and gathered at the meeting spot Ms. Claudel had chosen. It was near that rundown tavern.
Some people who seemed to be Ms. Claudel’s allies were already keeping watch around us, so we could enter Passage Three, which the princess had told us about, without any trouble.
The passage was just wide enough for one person to squeeze through, but Karin looked like she was almost asleep, quietly clinging to Ms. Akari’s back.
Ms. Claudel, who was leading us, said.
”Alright everyone, from here we go inside the castle. Stay alert and follow me!”
Outside the passage, it looked like a food storage area, and a guide was waiting for us.
We took a roll call here. Ellulu, Tomori, and Sistemador were all there, following along.
There were some guards along the way, but since the guide had already made arrangements and Ms. Claudel and Puruun were dressed like royal guards, they didn’t seem suspicious, so we passed through smoothly.
Now we were at the tricky part, the first-floor passage.
The guide stopped here.
They had us wait just before stepping out, while Ms. Claudel and Puruun quietly checked the surroundings.
After watching the guards for a while, Ms. Claudel said.
”They’re patrolling while walking… Okay! Everyone, remember the location of the stairs? When I give the signal, run straight for it with all your might… 3, 2, 1, go!”
At Ms. Claudel’s signal, everyone started running at once.
I followed right behind Ms. Akari to avoid any sudden falls.
One by one, we jumped into the entrance of the stairs, and Puruun, who was last, jumped in too.
(Yay! We did it!)
Then it happened.
Because Ms. Akari moved suddenly, Karin started to fuss and cry.
”This is bad. Everyone, hurry downstairs!”
Just as Ms. Claudel said that, 2 men came up from below.
”Who are you guys?”
”Calm down. We’re royal guards.”
Just in case, we had thought about what to do if we got caught, and Ms. Claudel and Puruun stepped forward confidently. Most of the servants and guards would probably back off with this…
”Royal Guard? Don’t mess with us. What’s with that kid behind you! We’re the Elite Guard. We’re taking all of you in!”
As he said this, the man blew a whistle. He must have called for more guards.
”We’re pushing through!”
Ms. Claudel shouted as she charged at one of the men claiming to be part of the Elite Guard.
Puruun also lunged at another one at the same time.
The two members of the Elite Guard fell silent, but we could hear multiple guards running towards us from the first-floor hallway, so we decided to head down the stairs for now.
”What should we do? Should we force our way to the gate?”
Puruun asked, and Ms. Claudel replied.
”No. If we get discovered right before entering the gate room, this plan will fail. From here, the passage 9 is closer… Everyone! Sorry, but we need to prioritize our lives. Let’s retreat for today.”
Damn it, as disappointing as it is, Ms. Claudel is right. Ms. Akari is desperately trying to calm Karin, but she won’t stop crying, and our location is probably obvious. We reluctantly headed towards the escape route, passage 9.
* * *
”Wait. Are we going in here? This is a sewer, right? It smells really bad…”
Ellulu said with a disgusted look.
”We can’t be picky. Just jump in and head straight south. I’ll go down first and lead the way, so everyone follow me…”
Led by Ms. Claudel, we each climbed down into the sewage pipe, and after confirming everyone was down there, we headed south.
It was almost completely dark, and the only light we had was a faint glow from Ms. Claudel and Sistemador’s magic at their fingertips.
Finally, it seemed like Karin had calmed down, and she was sleeping again, wrapped on Ms. Akari’s back. I was carefully holding Ms. Akari’s hand as we moved forward.
”Hey, do you hear something? It sounds like rumbling!”
Tomori, who was following behind us, shouted.
”What?”
Puruun, at the back, turned around at almost the same moment.
A huge rush of water came flowing in from the direction we had walked.
The inside of the sewer pipe filled up with water in an instant, and we couldn’t breathe anymore. We were swept away downstream with incredible force.
(Damn… I’m losing consciousness… but…)
I gritted my teeth, trying hard to stay aware.
At that moment, something hit my face. I didn’t know what it was, but it must have come from upstream. I lost my grip on Ms. Akari’s hand.
(Oh no!)
I was tossed around helplessly in the current, and just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I was suddenly thrown out.
”Haah, haah…”
Where am I? Is everyone okay?
Looking around, I saw Tomori and Sistemador struggling to breathe, spitting out dirty water nearby. A little further away, Ms. Claudel and Puruun were getting back on their feet.
”What the heck! You can’t just wash people away like toilet poop!”
I heard Ellulu’s cheerful voice.
”Maybe they’re flushing water regularly to clean the sewer. What terrible timing… But, it looks like we’re under a bridge near Central Park. Downtown is just over there… Is everyone safe?”
Ms. Claudel called out.
”…Mom. Mom isn’t here! Karin is with her!”
Tomori shouted loudly. We all hurriedly searched the area but couldn’t find them.
”Did they get left behind inside… or swept away somewhere else…? Anyway, I’m going back up the sewer to look for them!”
Just as I was about to head back to the sewer pipe I came from.
”No! The guards are coming this way!”
Puruun stopped me.
I could definitely hear footsteps and voices getting closer, but so what! I have to find Ms. Akari and Karin! I shook off Puruun’s grip and reached for the sewer opening when Ms. Claudel’s hand struck the back of my head, and I lost consciousness.
”Darling, I’m sorry… I can’t lose you too…”
”What are you doing! We have to save Mom!”
Tomori’s words were translated by Sistemador, but Ms. Claudel did not listen and instead instructed Puruun to have Tomori arrested as well.
”Lady Claudel…”
Puruun said, sounding unhappy, but Ms. Claudel shouted back.
”You’re a soldier too! Don’t mess up your judgment on when to back off!
Sistemador, you carry Mr. Yuuta!”
So, the ones who escaped quickly retreated to their house in Downtown.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply