Volume 13 Chapter 12 Base
He flew 7 kilometers to the northwest (4.3 miles). Al quickly moved over the vast wasteland to the coordinates shown by the 'Locate Object' spell.
From the sky, using his 'Sensory Boost' eyes, he saw a large white rock about 3 m (10 ft) high with a huge acacia tree next to it.
Surrounding the area was a white stone wall about 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) tall. Under the acacia tree were two small tents.
Next to them were probably the two black carriages that the spell pointed to, parked side by side.
Next to the carriages, six horses were tied up. On top of the large rock, there seemed to be a figure watching over the area.
'Conceal.'
Noticing the guard, Al quickly used the 'Conceal' spell to make himself invisible. His movement speed dropped, but if he stayed about a hundred meters away, he shouldn�t be found by 'Detect Invisible.'
Keeping an eye on the distance, Al gradually approached. The two tents were small, and there was only one figure in front of them. As he got closer, he saw that both the figure and the guard were young men.
They wore leather armor, with bows on their backs and swords at their waists. Neither of them looked like magicians.
With 2 carriages and 6 horses, why were there only 2 people visible? Al looked around, but he couldn't see any other figures.
'That stone wall feels a bit different. It looks a lot like the wall Mr. Malachi made...'
Was the wall made by Malachi the one he used to hide Tempest's body when he built a room in the ruined village? It seems he used the 'Soften Stone' spell.
So, they made the wall with the 'Soften Stone' spell. Normally, cutting stone to build a wall takes a lot of time and effort.
Al was surprised that a spy from the Tempest Kingdom built a stone wall in a base within the Sylvester Kingdom's territory, even in a remote area.
But if they used the 'Soften Stone' spell, it seems easy to make. That means they might have carved out the big rock in the center and used that material to build the wall.
Al changed his angle and looked at the big rock while walking around the base. The stone wall surrounding it had a path on the south side for entering and exiting.
On the opposite side, the north side of the big rock, there was a sturdy white door. Just as he imagined, the inside of the rock was hollow, and there were probably a few people inside the door.
'It's small, but it looks like a fortress.'
Glee said, and Al give a thumbs-up to her. Has the Tempest Kingdom prepared this much? Is this for war, or just a base for spies?
The radius of the wall surrounding the rock and the acacia tree is about 15 meters (49 ft), with a thickness of about 50 centimeters (20 in).
When he thinks about how much stone was used, it doesn't seem like a lot. It's possible they moved some to another place, but if they did that, they would probably make the wall thicker.
So, even if they carved out that rock, it seems like they only made one or two rooms at most.
He looked around just to be sure. However, hr didn't see any doors or big holes in the other rocks.
'It's almost time for Naresh and the others to arrive.'
At Glee's words, Al quickly descended while checking the southeast direction where Naresh should be coming from. He spotted four riders about a kilometer ahead.
He searched for a spot where the lookout on the rock at their base couldn't see him. When he found it, Al sent a 'Telepathy' message to Naresh.
Using the spell automatically canceled the effect of the 'Conceal' spell.
'Naresh, can you hear me with 'Telepathy'?'
'Oh, wow, you surprised me. It's you, Al. Of course, I can hear you. I ran in roughly the right direction, but am I correct?'
'Yeah, you're right. I can see you guys from the sky. The enemy base is near a big acacia tree next to a rock.'
'Which one could it be... There are a lot of trees and rocks... Oh, could it be that one?'
'Be careful, there's a lookout on the rock. Let's meet up for now.'
Al joined Naresh and the others about 500 meters (1,640ft) from the base and explained what he had seen.
"A base in a place like this... 'Soften Stone' spell? I've never heard of that. If such a spell exists, then walls and houses are useless."
Desmond sighed heavily. Naresh thought for a moment, then slowly looked up at Al.
"Al, do you have any good magic to catch those guys?"
Al was surprised and looked back at Naresh. Considering there were 2 carriages, it seemed like the enemy had more people.
"Since there are 2 carriages, it seems likely that the ones who put the bodies in the well are here. I want to catch the culprits and convince the people in the northern village."
Al thought deeply while playing with his hair as Naresh spoke. There was only one guard on the rock, and the one in front of the tent was busy with something else.
Normally, if it were a regular opponent, taking out the guard on the rock without being noticed might work. But the magicians he had faced so far always...
"The magicians I've dealt with always used 'Detect Magic' spells to stay alert. If that's the case, it would be tough to catch them.
But if they aren't that strong, there might be a chance to surprise them. I can go alone, check their situation, and if they seem tough, I'll cancel the plan. If that works..."
If it was just Al, he could just fly away quickly.
"Alone? Are you sure it's okay?"
"If I'm not alone, I might not be able to escape if the opponent is dangerous."
Al replied confidently. If the enemy was in their territory and not cautious about spells, they probably weren't a big threat.
If they were alert, then they could be dangerous, so he wouldn't engage. That was all there was to it. Naresh looked at Desmond, who nodded.
"I see. Please do it."
"Okay, just stay hidden for a bit. If it goes well, I'll contact you with the 'Telepathy' spell, so wait for me. I'm going now."
Al used the 'Shield' spell on himself just in case, then decided to hide behind the rock and get closer to the enemy's base.
* * *
'Conceal'
As Al and the others got closer to the enemy base, Al used the spell 'Conceal.' He continued moving within 50 meters (164ft), the range of detection spells.
He couldn't see any movement in the rocks, but his heightened senses picked up sounds. The guards didn't seem to notice anything unusual. This meant they likely didn't have magic tools for alerts, and the magician was probably being careless.
Carefully, Al moved closer, keeping an eye on the situation. He reached the stone wall. If they had used the 'Detect Magic' spell, they would have noticed him by now, but everything seemed normal.
Al floated up and approached the guard on the rock. The top of the rock was flat, and a young man sat there, resting on some straw while keeping watch. A wedge was driven into the rock's center, with a rope ladder attached for climbing up and down.
The top of the rock was out of sight from the men below, so unless someone leaned over, they wouldn't be seen.
'Sleep.'
The guard slowly closed his eyes and fell backward. Al quickly supported his back. It was a spell he had just learned, and there was a chance it could fail depending on the target. Al let out a sigh of relief.
'Hey, why didn't you just use 'Magic Missile' for sure?'
Glee protested in his ear.
"Because I need to make him confess, right? This way has the highest chance of not killing him. Plus, killing someone who's defenseless just feels wrong..."
Al shrugged and answered in a small voice.
'Hmm...'
Glee looked unhappy. Al shrugged again and gently patted Glee's assistant device that hung down from his chest.
'Does the person down there do the same thing?'
"Yeah, even if the 'Sleep' spell doesn't work, there are still ways to handle it. If the situation is bad, we can just run away. There will be other chances."
Al whispered this softly.
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