Infiltration

Well past midnight, on a man-made clearing next to a small stream, lights can be seen moving around in a three tall white mansion, some lights moving frantically around while some totally still with slight flickers.

Some ways away from the mansion, a bush can be seen moving along the stream, creeping closer and closer to the mansion, and if one had a good hearing then he might hear the muffled grumbles of the bush... err rather the being in the bush.

"I don't have much time for this, I need to be back before dawn"

It's precisely Yu that had stuck branches and leaves to himself using the spider's threads, now in a full disguise heading toward the mansion with slow steps.

'Sprinting isn't an option but I guess I can move faster, but I need to make sure they don't see me first'

Being bound by the time limit, Yu stares at the mansion in the dark night, with such a bad lightning condition it would be hard to tell apart the mansions rooms let alone if anyone is staying there.

After staring for a while Yu sighs to himself.

"I should just give up if they catch me I don't think I can make it out alive, and I can still make use of other ways to set traps, with all these lights roaming around I guess there must be quite a number of them awake at this hour.."

The Cranen house is indeed many volumes better than the Rakak and thus their servants would definitely be more reliable than the useless ones he had met before.

"Hmm? wait lights! Yes, if those lights refer to the patrolling guards then I might have a chance, ugh why didn't I think of that earlier."

With the newfound hope Yu starts counting the light with his eyes and noting their positions

'If we take into account the height difference I can guess there are about 3 floors with the third being one huge room, a hall or maybe the Core room, 4 guards seem to be staying on the first floor with 2 of them standing still at the gates and 2 patrolling, since they aren't grimoire holders I believe they don't have any of their summons out'

Contracted Souls are hard to control and they put a strain on the soul if used for a prolonged duration, thus even if they had their Beasts out then it would be meaningless as they wouldn't have the energy to fight themselves let alone control their Soul Beasts.

'4 people are on the second floor, they shouldn't be guards as maids and butlers are also needed, which means...'

Looking back up at the stable light on the third floor Yu stares hard at it for a while before closing his eyes in contemplation.

'With 3 lights moving around the mansion at the second floor and 1 light still I'm almost sure 4 people are there, and since only 10 people can be brought to the battlefield then there must be only two people at the third floor and going by that logic the third floor should be the core room with two guards in it, the first floor with 4 guards, and the second floor holds 3 maids or butlers and the head of guards...'

Opening his eyes Yu stares at the mansion once again but this time with slight irritation.

"I can't use the same tactic as last time obviously, and I can't just barge in and rush up unless I want to die quickly. Which means I need to sneak in one way or another."

Looking around Yu tries to come up with a plan, and while at it he starts creeping toward the mansion again but with a faster pace than last time while keeping in mind the movements of the patrol.

'Main gate is a big NO. There shouldn't be a backdoor as the other two mansions didn't have one and I don't want to waste my limited time by going all around the mansion based on speculations, so if doors are a no go then the only way is.. windows'

Thinking up to here Yu starts looking for the windows on the third floor

"Closed"

'Well of course who would open a window at that height in the middle of the cold night, speaking of which I'm shivering.'

Yu let a shiver go through his body as he lowered his gaze toward the second floor.

'Since the third floor doesn't have an open window and opening one would be too obvious given that it's a single room, the second floor's windows would have to do, as long as I avoid the lights I can be safe, now I took into account the places they seem to be frequently visiting so the left wing at the back would be the best option.'

As he was thinking that a light suddenly went out on the right side of the mansion

"Huh?"

After which the lights roaming around all started to take positions and remained still before being blown out, all except the light that had been still from the beginning.

'Did they... go to sleep? Well, I guess that's an option too... '

With some irritation at all the wasted time he put into keeping track of their positions Yu proceeds to get to the back of the mansion and summons the spider, and, after the spider had finished its threading, Yu climbs up cautiously all while keeping an eye on the patrolling guards.

Upon reaching the slightly open window on the second floor, Yu peeks through the opening before entering the room.

"Sniff.. this smells so bad"

Looking around Yu spots a hole in the ground with several pots of water near it, almost half-filled

'Bathroom, I see why they left the window open.'

Thinking to himself that he had lucked out, Yu starts pulling the threads up, after which he summons the wolf, in case he gets suddenly attacked with no time to cope.

"Now I just need to sneak to the third floor, and I'll see what I can do from there on"

Just as he was thinking of ways to avoid being spotted Yu suddenly hears heel clinking sounds from the hallway outside the door.

'!! someone woke up, right I should hide and wait for them to pass.'

Yu orders the wolf to be silent as he waited. As the heels sound came closer and closer Yu started to realize something

'Waking up at night... bathroom... !!!'

Quickly looking around Yu finds nowhere to hide thus he grabs the thread and hides on one side of the door while the wolf one the other.

The sound became higher and higher until the door was opened barring Yu from vision, not for long though as he knew that the wolf would be spotted rather quickly, so he held the thread at head height and jumped at the person from the side of the door strangling him with the thread.

Though surprised the person instantly grabbed Yu's hands and shoulder threw him at the wolf.

Atlas, how can a normal combatant be faster than a bronze wolf though, thus although they had managed to shake Yu off the wolf had gotten their neck under its teeth and with a muffled crunch their life ended just like that.

As for Yu he had dropped on the wolf thus barring any loud sound and with the strangle from earlier, no voice escaped from the victim.

But although he should be overjoyed that he hadn't been discovered, all that was on Yu's mind was confusion and fear.

Getting down and looking back at the corpse Yu sees a young woman, slightly over 16 wearing sleeping pyjamas, probably one of the maids that had just gone to sleep.

'A maid, no a small girl.. had that much power... if, if I had been alone...'

Not daring to think any longer Yu shakes his head and looks at the maid with some lingering fears, all that was going through his mind right now was what if that was a man rather than a woman, and if he would be able to survive if he was alone.

"Sigh, I need to train after I get out of here, I can't stay weak like this."

Muttering so Yu looks into the corridor, and seeing no one coming he sighs again in relief.

'Now I need to hide the body and proceed with the earlier plan, but still, it would be hard to fight those guards if this is the level that there at'

Gazing back at the dead body of the made that is getting colder by the second, Yu suddenly has an idea.

'Why fight them if I can get them to let me in instead'

As the idea popped up Yu's Mood suddenly brightens and gets the wolf to drag the body to the side before getting it to wait in the bathroom, of course not without some slight persuasion as the wolf hated the stink it was in.

'She came from the right'

Thinking so Yu closes the door and takes off his shoes, after which he sneaks toward the maid section with light steps.

After reaching the rightmost part of the mansion, Yu faces 4 doors, 2 of which he knew didn't have maids but held the head of guards and an unlit room he believed to be Kore's room.

'That leaves us with these 2.. let's hope she wasn't from the shared room'

Of the 3 maids, two had shared a room, and one got her own, if the victim was from the shared room then his plan would be in vain.

Placing his ears on one of the doors with slight anxiousness Yu strains his ears trying to hear something, but after a while, he notices that there wasn't any sound coming from it and so he heads toward the other room.

'Maybe I just can't hear them, will I have to open a creak to check?'

He indulges the risky idea a bit before putting his ear on the second rooms, and to his delight he hears slights whispers, which, according to the fast pace, seem to be coming from different individuals rather a single person.

'Lucky~'

With light steps Yu returns to the other room and opens the door, since the maid had left just now and should return there shouldn't be a problem for there to be some slight noise.

Thus Yu enters the room in a carefree manner and looks around.

The room seemed rather big for a servant, but as the entire mansion only held 11 people with the master it isn't too surprising.

A simple bed lay near the window with a cabin filled with maid cloth on the side and a small desk on the side. On the desk a book and some food lay about. It is very typical of a maid's room.

Grabbing one of the outfits and the sweet that was on the desk, Yu closes the door and goes toward the bathroom while eating the sweet.

'Wait what?'

Realizing what he is doing and looking at the sweet in hand, Yu stares for a bit before chuckling to himself lightly, stuffing the sweet in his mouth, and continuing on his way.

'Old habits die hard'