Late at night, soldiers still patrolled the earl’s mansion. But it was too late, and they lacked energy. For ordinary guards, standing watch was just part of their daily routine—shift changes happened the same way every day. Because it was the earl’s mansion, they stayed up later, but also because it was the earl’s mansion, many were more lax. Who would be foolish enough to charge straight into a group of hundreds and start a fight?
The five of them waited until very late. They were all getting drowsy, but still hadn’t found the right opportunity to break in. Almost every post had at least two people stationed, and what was more troublesome was that these posts had diagonal lines of sight with each other—meaning they could see one another. If one link in the chain went wrong, the ones on the left and right would notice. Even if they took out both sides, the guards further out would catch on. That meant the five would have to face the entire mansion’s sentries.
“I didn’t expect the earl’s mansion to be this tight. Even this late, there are so many guards,” one of the five couldn’t help but say. Their stamina was nearly at its limit. If they didn’t act soon, dawn would break in another hour or two, and they’d have to retreat.
“I heard the captain of the guards here was sent from the capital, a soldier under the Grand Marshal. He’s meticulous with the post layout,” another said. “Now’s not the time to praise them. The tighter the defense, the more it shows this noble has a guilty conscience. Who knows how many commoners he’s exploited? Oro City was just established, and I hear they don’t even have high-level wizard guards. If we wait until he’s fully entrenched, it’ll be even harder to act.”
The five exchanged glances and finally nodded in agreement. “Right, we need to seize this chance to take down a noble. Preferably an earl, to spark panic in the empire and remind the people we still exist.”
They discussed it among themselves. They couldn’t wait any longer. Dawn was almost upon them. This was also when people were sleepiest. If they could take out two guards at top speed, quickly change into their uniforms, and keep standing watch, the other three could slip through.
“Tatsumi, you and I, along with Daski, will infiltrate the earl’s mansion. The exit is your responsibility,” he said, looking at the other two. The team of five—three men and two women— Lurked quietly on the outskirts of the earl’s mansion. “Go ahead. We’ll handle the outside.” “No problem. It’s just an earl’s mansion. Later, we’ll march straight to the palace and make that arrogant little king grovel before our revolutionary army.” They grinned.
Taking a deep breath, they eyed the backs of the two soldiers at the front. “Ready.” “Yeah.” “I’ll count to three. Gibek, you go first.” “Got it.” “One—”
The five sprang into action, moving across the grass almost soundlessly. At that moment, the moon was just covered by clouds for an instant. “Two—” The clouds hid the moon, giving them the perfect opportunity. Aside from the torchlight around the posts, everything else was dark. At the same time, one of the five, a wizard with magic, began stirring a gentle breeze. The wind picked up. The two soldiers on duty looked left and right, shielding their torches with their bodies to keep them from going out. “Three—”
Shadows flashed. With a swift strike, the two were dragged into the grass. When the moon reappeared, the two had brushed off their clothes, and everything seemed normal at the post not far away.
Sean had been busy until late, still awake. Ever since becoming an earl, he ate better and lived better, but he often suffered from insomnia. Most of it was due to work. Tsk. Headache. He felt that staying up late often gave him a throbbing head. He carried a candlestick from the bedroom to the study—not far, mainly to gaze at his town in the dark. On the sand table, it was also deep into the night, the light dim, though a few windows still glowed. Sean guessed they were merchants or vendors preparing goods for tomorrow’s sale.
He checked the time outside. The night was cloudy. Only four hours until dawn. Staying up late was easy, he thought, recalling his past life playing games—promising himself he’d sleep after two wins, only to find it was already three or four in the morning. But come to think of it, this world had day and night, the same four seasons. It often made Sean wonder if this other world was just some planet in the universe. Vast cosmos, billions of galaxies. Maybe he was on some particular planet. Perhaps he’d come here for some reason before dying, like crossing several galaxies.
Still, He couldn’t remember how he died, no matter how hard he tried. Looking at the sand table before him, It was like God watching the continental plates, seeing day and night, human activity. But then, as Sean turned his gaze to his own earl’s mansion, Two deep red dots suddenly appeared among the white and green lights surrounding it.
What’s this? Hostile favorability.
Over the past year, Sean had mastered the color changes of daily favorability. Since becoming the Earl of Oro City, most of the people here were friendly toward him, some even respectful. But with large-scale construction and constant relocation planning, some people’s favorability had shifted to neutral or cold, marked in yellow. Even hatred was pink. These two people’s color was so deep, it meant they were ready to fight on sight. The surrounding ring should all be my personal guards, right? Among the soldiers, there are actually people who want to kill me?
Sean focused on the soldiers around the mansion. Almost all were green dots, arranged in a layered formation. Only two had moved to the outer perimeter. Wait. This might be—
Sean lowered the lamp, leaning in. As his view slowly approached the mansion, the building’s details became clearer. He could see tiny figures moving among the soldiers, but they were too small to make out faces. Even if he could, Sean wouldn’t remember every soldier’s appearance. But when he crouched down, he suddenly noticed three more red-dotted figures climbing through the mansion’s windows.
He stood up and looked toward the back. Wasn’t that the garden gate? They moved fast— The three figures slipped through the window in an instant and ran through the corridor. They turned a corner. Sean watched like he was observing simulated characters in a tiny world, tracking where these three hostile targets were heading. At the same time, he glanced at the corridor outside his room. That spot should be three floors below him.