novelbin Chapter 78 : Infiltration
Chapter 78 : Infiltration
Chapter 78: Infiltration
Well, well.
Not only was he privately raising troops, he was even trafficking people!
Was this Batori tired of living too long?!
Lilia narrowed her eyes.
If they were transporting goods, then the gate would definitely be opened.
As long as they opened the gate to let them through…
That was her opportunity!
Lilia held her position, staring fixedly at the two black-robed figures.
A few minutes later.
The heavy iron gate, driven by a winch, let out a piercing creak as it slowly opened a gap.
A carriage tightly covered in black cloth drove out from inside.
The gate captain bowed and scraped as he accepted a pouch of gold coins handed over by one of the black-robed men.
He weighed it in his hand, his face blooming into a grin.
“Let them pass!”
The carriage wheels crushed over the gravel road.
Just as the carriage passed beneath the dirt slope where Lilia was hiding—
Lilia moved.
Like a nimble cat, she leapt down from the slope.
Without making a single sound.
She landed precisely on top of the carriage.
The thick black cloth became the perfect cushion.
The driver didn’t notice at all that there was now an extra person on the roof.
The carriage slowly drove into the darkness.
Lilia lay prone on top, glancing back.
The figure sitting on the rock was no longer visible.
But she knew—
Those golden eyes were definitely watching this place.
Just wait.
This maid wouldn’t just capture the target for you—
She’d bring back a huge surprise!
Lilia gripped the beam on the carriage roof tightly, a crazed smile curling at her lips.
Since she had been forced onto this path—
Then she might as well turn everything upside down!
The night wind howled, carrying a nauseating stench of sulfur and blood.
Lilia lay atop the carriage transporting the “goods,” her body rising and falling with the jolting wheels. She gripped the beam tightly, her palms slick with cold sweat.
This damned road—who knew what it was paved with—it pressed painfully against her ribs.
The carriage slowly entered the mining area gate.
Through a gap in the black cloth, Lilia saw rows of low shacks, and in the distance, a brightly lit main building.
That should be Batori’s lair.
The guards at the gate only gave the carriage a cursory glance at its plate before waving it through. Clearly, this was a “regular.”
The wheels rolled over gravel, producing dull rumbling sounds.
The carriage bypassed the front square and stopped at a cargo yard piled with miscellaneous goods.
“Unload! Move it!”
A rough voice rang out.
Lilia’s heart tightened.
The opportunity had come.
But it also meant—she had to act.
Taking advantage of the chaos below, as the driver and several overseers busied themselves untying ropes and herding those pitiful slaves off the carriage, Lilia slipped down from the other side of the roof like a startled gecko.
She landed without a sound.
Thanks to the System-produced 【Combat Maid Outfit · Zero Form】.
Otherwise, with her amateur stealth skills, that landing alone would’ve made a “thud” and gotten her caught on the spot.
Lilia crouched low, using cargo crates as cover, darting forward in short bursts until she slipped into a drainage ditch along the side of the main building.
Black sewage submerged her feet, releasing a rotting stench.
Lilia suppressed the urge to gag, mentally cursing Hera—the capitalist still out in the wasteland enjoying the breeze and moonlight—into oblivion.
But before she could even finish cursing, she had already found justification.
“That’s the Queen—she doesn’t do this kind of dirty work.”
“I want to be the Queen too! Who wouldn’t want to wear pretty dresses and sit on a throne giving orders?”
“If there’s a next life, I’ll definitely reincarnate as a capitalist. Never again as a worker!”
But her steps didn’t dare stop.
Right now, she was like a rat crossing the street—any disturbance could cost her life.
Following the ditch to the base of the main building.
Lilia looked up.
About three meters above her, there was a half-open window.
Noisy voices came from inside, along with the crisp clinking of glasses.
That was… the second floor?
Lilia took two steps back and drew a deep breath.
【Maid’s Monstrous Strength (Beginner)】 activated.
Her leg muscles tensed, then exploded with force.
Her entire body shot upward like a black cannonball.
Her hands precisely hooked onto the window ledge.
So light!
Lilia was a bit surprised. With the System’s enhancement, this body felt unbelievably nimble.
She exerted strength through her arms and silently flipped into the window.
The moment she landed, she quickly rolled into a corner piled with wine barrels, holding her breath.
It was hot inside.
The furnace crackled loudly.
The air was filled with the smell of cheap ale, roasted meat, and the sweaty stench unique to male demons—all mixed together into a scent strong enough to blast one’s skull open.
This was a lounge.
Or rather, an entertainment room for the guards.
Over a dozen demon soldiers gathered around several tables—some arm-wrestling, others throwing dice.
Most of them wore only simple leather armor, exposing thick arms covered in black hair. Some were even bare-chested, their backs tattooed with ferocious skull patterns.
“Big, big, big! I’m betting three gold coins on big this round!”
“Fuck you! You still owe me last month’s drink money!”
“Cut the crap! If I win this round, I’ll pay you back! If I lose… heh, then I’ll use that human girl to settle the debt!”
“Hahaha! That soft, tender one? You can bear to part with her?”
Vulgarities filled the air.
Lilia hid behind the barrels, observing through the gaps.
Every one of them held weapons.
Great sabers, spiked maces—even carving knives gleamed with cold light.
Fight head-on?
Don’t joke.
Back in the canyon, she had taken down those three bandits thanks to a sneak attack, their carelessness, and that burst of adrenaline.
Now, asking her to take on more than a dozen battle-hardened soldiers alone?
She’d probably be chopped into minced meat in under three minutes, then tossed into that furnace to roast.
What to do?
Lilia’s mind raced.
She had to pass through this hall.
From her observation outside, the staircase of this building was on the other end of the hall. And Batori’s office would definitely be at the top floor with the best view.
To get up there, this was the only path.
“System, do you have any invisibility potion? Or phasing through walls would work too!”
Lilia wailed internally.
The System played dead.
At that moment, a demon soldier with a face full of flesh, likely drunk, staggered to his feet.
“Can’t… hold it anymore… gotta piss…”
He burped as he staggered toward the corner where Lilia was hiding.
Lilia’s heart clenched violently.
Right next to this corner was a wooden bucket for dumping slop—and this guy actually planned to relieve himself here?!
The footsteps drew closer.
Heavy. Dragging.
Each step felt like it was stomping on Lilia’s nerves.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Lilia could already smell the foul breath coming from his mouth.
She gripped the pitch-black dagger tightly, her palm soaked with sweat.
Kill him?