"Amelie, are you done scanning the surroundings?"
Sometime later, after the Moon siblings and Amelie Rose incapacitated two of the four guards guarding the secret facility in the middle of these woods, where the confidential existence was being secretly kept, Russell Moon asked Amelie Rose as the latter scanned the surroundings before proceeding in their next course of action.
"Yes. There's no one around, even strayed Monster Beasts in a two-hundred-meter area."
Amelie Rose responded to Russell's query before Freya interjected as she voiced her concern regarding the matter.
"Hey, even so, Oppa, isn't it still dangerous to leave these two here? Much more with Mana Nullifier?"
Due to the Mana Nullifier wrapped on the wrists of these two guards, their overall strength would be similar to those of citizens before the Emergence transpired.
"Well, there's no certainty that there would be no Monster Beast as time passes, but I'm pretty sure that these people were here to capture us. So, being concerned about their well-being should be at least out of the question."
Freya fell silent for a moment, pondering her older brother's words. Although the latter previously reminded them to not kill anyone as much as possible since they're the considered aggressor this time around, it wouldn't mean the same if the two guards had acted based on their earlier circumstances of appearing because of the nullified Nihility. Even though the intention of these two guards was just to question them, they wouldn't know until they were captured. But considering the current circumstances of mysteriously appearing a few meters away in the barrier, it's better to assume that these guards meant to harm, though it might not be physical, there's always the psychological aspect of being a human.
"...My bad. I should have thought about it more. So we should tie them up, at least atop the tree, right?"
"...Yes. And stop being harsh on yourself. Anyway, we should move since the distance isn't that far, so the remaining ones at the entrance might wonder if the other two were taking their time."
Russell responded to his younger sister's words as they proceeded to quickly jump to reach atop one of the enormous trees and tied up the two guards who had yet to wake up.
After that, the next step in the plan of infiltration just needed to be realized.
***
"...Hey, it seems those two are taking quite some time just to bring some brats here."
The second guard, the one considered to be the most respectable among the four of them, spoke to the first guard, the one who bought the idea that the three youngsters from earlier were just lost in these woods after getting scammed by someone with the misplaced coordinates of a Teleportation Scroll.
"Should I follow them? What the hell are they doing?"
As the first guard muttered his suggestion and rant, the gaze of the second guard landed in the direction where the Moon siblings, Amelie Rose, and the third and fourth guards traverse. Due to inexplicable silence for a moment, the first guard wondered as he shifted his gaze in the same direction.
Without seeing anything at that moment, the first guard's gaze then turned to the second guard. He then asked in curiosity as the eyes of the second guard seemed fixated on that direction.
"...What's wrong? Do you see something?"
The second guard didn't respond. Then, after at least ten to twelve seconds, they heard footsteps from a few meters away, which were then accompanied later by ragged breathing, and soon the sight of three people.
"H-help! A strange monster attacked these kids-!"
The grim expression of the third guard was focused on the entrance of the facility, which he supposedly had yet to see what was within since he was currently outside the barrier. The first and the second guard quickly took a glance at each other before running outside the barrier to assist and ask the third guard about what happened.
"W-what happened? Where's Neal? A-and the other kid..?"
The first guard asked, wondering about the absence of the fourth guard named Neal. At this moment, the third guard was only with two others, which were the two young women from earlier.
"A-a strange monster appeared out of nowhere and was about to jump on these kids. Ha–"
The third guard was calming himself down before he continued:
"Neal… I'm sorry. H-he passed away, along with the other kid."
The two young women, who seemed lost and dejected, had blank expressions painted on their faces. They seemed traumatized at what had just transpired in front of their eyes, while the first and the second guard fell silent upon hearing the words that came out of the third guard's mouth.
A few seconds later, the second guard suggested going inside the barrier first before continuing their story.
"...What monster are you talking about? What does it look like?"
"E-excuse me, w-where are we…?"
The second guard asked as one of the two women interjected. They're in a nearby lodging near the entrance of the facility, which was the place where these guards momentarily took their naps.
Brushing off the location, the second guard pressed for the matter.
"Young lady, what's your name? Can you help us identify the monster that attacked you?"
"A-ah… I-it looks like a Goblin, but its skin is somewhat dark. It also has three eyes and three horns."
"Sob- sob-"
As one of the women described with courage the appearance of the strange monster, they heard a sob as the other one started to cry.
"M-my brother's dead… A-Amelie."
Muttering to herself, she moved closer to Amelie Rose as the latter patted her head. The three guards realized that the young man with them earlier was this young woman's sibling.
"E-excuse me… I-I at least managed to get footage of the monster. W-we thought at first that it's a rare breed of Goblin and isn't strong enough for the three of us."
Amelie Rose then showed everyone the video she took, which depicted them standing from a few meters away from the peculiar Goblin before it lunged forward at an unimaginable speed.
"What the hell is that thing…?"
The first guard voiced his disbelief at the sight. And as they judged its speed based on the footage, its threat was quickly determined as dangerous. The first and the second guard then glanced at the third guard, whose expression was dim due to the fourth guard or the one named Neal.
They asked the two women first to know if they were somewhat lying their way through in some ways. However, after confirming and clearing the suspicions, the second guard then spoke in general.
"I'll report it to Miss Ayleen. Wait here in the lodging first."
The second guard said as he turned his back. But, after that certain action, something he couldn't sense struck the back of his head, rendering him unconscious.
The first guard, who was watching the footage repeatedly with different expressions, saw what the third guard just did.
"Hey! What are you-"
As the first guard turned his gaze away from Amelie Rose, he suffered the same fate as something struck the back of his head.
"Whoo… I should create an entertainment agency after this."
Amelie Rose spoke as she looked at Freya, who was now smiling, and the third guard, whose identity was Russell donning and utilizing the effect of the Mask of Night.
Almost at the same time, a Party Notification appeared in front of their eyes, which also sounded in their heads.
[The "Maid of the Moon" has put the selected targets to sleep.]
"There goes our help."
***
Smacking the head of a "Player" in the realm of A-rank wouldn't be enough to truly knock them out, however, due to Lunaria's assistance, whose location was in close proximity, it turned into a possibility.
[The "Maid of the Moon" says to enter ahead.]
[The "Maid of the Moon" says to…]
[The "Maid of the Moon'' has sprinkled Moon Dust into your soul.]
As Russell Moon wrapped Mana Nullifier on the two guards, whose names he never had any intention to know, he took out a keycard from one of the pockets of the second guard.
'If this thing is stored in the Dimensional Inventory, this would be a lot harder.'
This keycard symbolized two things: First, the authority to enter some restricted areas within the facility, and second, the name of the person to whom this keycard was entrusted with.
The directions from Lunaria kept piling up on the Party Notifications, which constantly alerted the three of them as they proceeded to enter the glass front door.
"W-who…?"
A woman in her late thirties wondered as she asked in confusion the second guard, whose identity was being impersonated by Russell Moon at this moment, about the two young women with him.
"They're with me."
The woman didn't pry any further, which looked like the authority of the second guard was more than what it was superficially.
After some time, they rode a magical elevator and did what Lunaria had instructed them to.
***
Arriving in the vast underground of the secret facility, Russell Moon donning another's identity, Freya Moon, and Amelie Rose Merveil glanced around and saw the busy workers that were managing their own businesses. It seemed as though their presence weren't strange or these people were too occupied in their research that they had no time to react to the appearance of two young women accompanied by a guard.
This place was similar to a laboratory. There were dead monster samples, fine-looking white dust, an enclosed dilapidated stone cross, and much more. If someone average would see this scenery, they would think that they're in the den of a mad scientist.
Meanwhile, as the workers continued to do what they were supposed to, the gazes of the Moon siblings and Amelie Rose landed on a large grey door and the digitally written words floating atop it – Cemetery of Oblivion.
Behind the large grey door, there was the portal to enter the Cemetery of Oblivion, the temporary home of Lunaria, who was waiting for the arrival of someone significant.
Looking at each other for a moment, through telepathic communication, Russell spoke to his younger sister and Amelie Rose.
<Let's go before someone notices us.>
With his words, the three of them walked as discreetly as possible. Their footsteps couldn't be heard, as well as a hint of their breathing.
As they neared the large grey door, another System message entered their heads. But its content was signifying a warning.
[Any equipment of disguise will be temporarily nullified.]
[The Shadow Disguise of the Mask of Night will be temporarily nullified.]
[The effects of Moon Dust will be nullified.]
At that moment, some of the personnel in this facility shifted their gaze to the three young people. What followed after was a scream.
"Intruder-!"
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