Infiltration and Reunion

The soldier rushed towards them, demanding Ayukawa to release Vermilion. As he approached them, he saw Ayukawa's full appearance and appeared shocked and disbelieving.

"You… It's you! Why are you here?! And what the hell are you doing?!" The soldier seemed to recognize Ayukawa and quickly pulled out his knife, pointing it at her.

"Have we met before?! Heh... Pointing a knife at me?! Interesting! I will show you how to use it properly!" Ayukawa declared, her sharp eyes growing sharper and more fierce, her face taking on a bloodthirsty look.

The soldier was startled by her eyes, but he didn't hesitate to retreat, slowly advancing towards Ayukawa with his knife. Although his face remained calm, his heart was pounding rapidly.

"You seem different from those useless monkeys back there! I must praise your bravery for taking up a knife challenge with me! But still, you are just another..." Ayukawa also drew out her knife and readied herself to face the soldier.

"You... You crazy bitch! How did you get into this place?! What's your purpose? Mass killing again?!"

"Again? Excuse me, do you know about me or something?!"

"Of course! I won't forget! That day you kicked me straight in the stomach! I know how strong you are… But I am a totally different person now! Get the hell away from her! What did you do to her just now?" The soldier said angrily.

"Hmm?! Sorry, I've beaten up and slashed too many of you, so I can't remember who you are. By the way, I just gave her some water. Why are you panicking about it?! Do you know her?"

"Well then, you can leave her now! I will take care of her!"

"Why would I leave her to a useless like you?"

"Stop calling me useless! You are just stronger than me, but you are nothing but a killing machine without a human heart!"

"Enough! You have disturbed our rest! I will let you taste what you deserve!"

"Hmm…! Ayu… kawa…" Vermilion called her name, but Ayukawa couldn't hear it.

Ayukawa moved instantly in front of the soldier and slashed his helmet off. The soldier was panicking for a moment, stunned by her swift actions. He tried to counterattack with his knife, but Ayukawa immediately kicked the knife out of his hand, sending it flying into the river.

"Checkmate!" Ayukawa was about to stab him.

"Damn!"

"Hmm?!" Ayukawa stopped her hand just before she could stab the soldier in the eye.

"Wahhh! I'm going to die!" The soldier screamed, fearing for his life.

"What's wrong, Vermilion?! I heard you calling me." Ayukawa returned to Vermilion and checked on her.

"Huuh… The soldier… it's him!"

"Who?!"

"Lyon… My friend… Don't hurt him… please… Huuh… Huuh…" Vermilion was still gasping for breath as she tried to stop Ayukawa.

"Lyon… Oh! I'm staying in his room… So, you're the owner of the room and the useless one who I sent flying with my kick…"

"Vermilion! Are you okay?! Is this woman trying to hurt you again?!" Lyon removed his mask and revealed himself.

"I'm fine… She is… Someone important… to me…"

"You definitely don't seem fine! Let me get you to a safer place to rest!"

"Thanks…"

"Only you followed us?!" Ayukawa asked, her tone still fierce.

"Of course! If she gets spotted, she could be in trouble! What are you two doing here?!"

"Are you familiar with this campsite?"

"Yeah, although I've been here for only a week."

"Then, you can probably help us, and we won't have to waste our energy and time anymore! I will tell you more later, but for now, let's get her to the place you mentioned!"

"Alright…"

Lyon led them to a tent stocked with food and water supplies, and fortunately, no soldiers were present. Ayukawa carefully placed Vermilion on the ground to rest and began explaining the situation to Lyon.

"I see… I held Captain Raynolds in as high regard as the three great warriors of Kothern… I can't believe he was killed by Lieutenant Dialla… What a vile man!"

"So, Rosseaulyn has asked us to search for this abandoned warehouse. Do you have a better way to get there, considering the changes in the camp's layout?"

"Yeah, this map… The layout is no longer accurate. They've recently relocated most of the buildings, like the armories."

"Well, once Vermilion is able to walk, we'll make our way there."

"Okay…"

"Hey! We ran into Lyon; he happened to be here and will assist us. Did you hear that?" Ayukawa informed Rosseaulyn.

"Yes, Ms. Ayukawa, I heard you. Oh, Lyonharld Rainier, I believe we met once before! Thanks for being willing to help us out."

"Lieutenant Winton, you're welcome. It's my honor."

"Alright, Mr. Rainier, please help them find a way to the abandoned warehouse. I'm quite certain they must be there!"

"Yes, I will!"

"Great! Appreciate it!"

"So, show me the route we are going to take!"

"Wait a minute! I almost forgot you're just an outsider. I don't think I should tell you…"

"Well, without me, what if something happens to both of you, especially Vermilion? How are you going to explain that to Carmella?"

"I know your combat skills! But I just can't trust you! This is Kothern's military campsite, and you appear to be a foreigner as well! How can I trust you? You could be a spy or something!"

"Are you hallucinating?! Who the hell is interested in Kothern's military? I'm here hoping to meet that vile Dialla and confront him! Of course, I also can't bear to let her come here alone…"

"Lyon… Trust her… She can help us and save them!" Vermilion pleaded.

"Fine then… I will guide you two once you're able to start walking."

"How about showing me the path on the map first? I will go check it before we proceed. If the route you suggest is not feasible, then perhaps, we would have to forge our own path."

"Not necessarily… It's not on this map. The abandoned warehouse is also located beside the river."

"I see, understood! You mean we can travel upstream and follow the river to the warehouse instead of wandering through the camp."

"Yes. The stream is very calm, and the water is shallow. I think it's still safe and walkable."

"Indeed, none of the soldiers would patrol the river at night."

"I think we should not waste any more time. I will carry her on my back. You just ensure our route ahead is safe and guide us."

"Okay…"

Ayukawa carried Vermilion on her back and followed Lyon's footsteps along the riverbank. Although the river itself seemed safe, the pitch-black darkness made it difficult to move quickly. Lyon still had doubts about Ayukawa's intentions and decided to confront her directly.

"Your name is Ayukawa, right?"

"Yeah, it's my surname. What's the matter?"

"No… Nothing… Why are you willing to help her?"

"I'm not interested in discussing it. I just felt like helping. That's all."

"You were trying to kill us when we first saw you, and now suddenly you're on our side…"

"I'm also not interested in explaining myself or whether you trust me or not. But I don't know who told you I was trying to kill both of you."

"You were pointing a knife, covered in blood, at us! How can you tell me you didn't intend to harm us at that time?"

"That's your interpretation, not my concern."

"Both of you… stop arguing… We're in this together… right?"

"Sorry, I was just curious and had a few questions for her. But she keeps being so hostile…"

"Just focus ahead and stay quiet!"

'She's a real enigma... She must have some hidden motive for getting close to Vermilion. What could it be? However, her attitude toward Vermilion is completely different...' Lyon thought.

After they moved for a while, they reached the abandoned warehouse, which was heavily guarded by numerous soldiers. They reached the riverbank and hid behind the bushes to assess the situation.

"So many guards around an abandoned warehouse. Just as Rosseaulyn said, they must be held inside there!"

"I can only take you this far... I have no idea how we can get inside. I still can't believe Lieutenant Dialla dared to do such a thing in a military facility…"

"Let me ask Rosseaulyn… Hey, we've reached the warehouse! I believe we're in the right place. There are many soldiers patrolling outside the warehouse."

"I see… Can Vermilion sneak inside to confirm?"

"I think she's too exhausted to do that right now."

"No! I'm fine… I can do this! Trust me..." Vermilion added.

"Ms. Yeleona, don't push yourself!"

"It's fine, trust me!"

"Alright then… Please proceed with extreme caution! Ms. Ayukawa, I have full confidence in your ability to protect her…"

"I will do whatever it takes to ensure her safety!"

"Ayukawa, I'm ready. We can enter now, right?"

"Are you sure?! Would you like a little more rest?"

"No, I'm fine now… I've had enough rest already."

"What about me? What can I do…" Lyon mumbled.

"Hey! If you just walk over there, how will they know you're not one of them if you're masked and helmeted like the rest?"

"Yes, Ayukawa is right… Lyon, perhaps they won't notice anything unusual…"

"I get it! I'll pretend to be one of them, and maybe I can gather information about their exact location. That way, you won't have to risk sneaking in…"

"But your acting skills must be excellent; otherwise, all of us could end up in danger. Are you certain you can pull this off?" Ayukawa asked Lyon seriously.

"I… I think… Give me a moment… Let me take a deep breath… I can do this!" Lyon hesitated briefly before committing to the plan.

"Alright, try to approach the smaller group of soldiers over there! I'll keep a close watch from a distance. The worst-case scenario would be that I'll have to confront them directly."

"Ayukawa, there are hundreds of them! It's impossible to face them head-on!" Vermilion warned.

"I mentioned that would be the worst-case scenario!"

"Let me handle this! I'll proceed and act like one of them!" Lyon asserted with determination.

"Lyon, be cautious!"

"I will!"

Lyon followed Ayukawa's instructions and approached the smaller group of patrolling soldiers. He managed to blend in seamlessly, and none of them seemed to suspect him. Lyon realized that they hadn't realized his true identity, so he took the opportunity to gather information.

"Comrade, is there something you need from us?" one of the soldiers asked Lyon.

"Nothing… I'm just so tired of patrolling around this warehouse…" Lyon responded, playing his part convincingly.

"Oh man! We're all bored out of our minds too! This is mind-numbing!" another soldier commiserated.

"How long have you guys been here? I just got assigned to this dull place this morning…" Lyon pretended to be a newcomer.

"You lucky bastard… We've been stuck here for days! We can't go anywhere, just keeping watch over this old, rusty warehouse…"

"I guess there must be something valuable inside, or else we wouldn't have to endure this to guard a bunch of junk…"

"Valuable? Hahaha! There's nothing of the sort in there!"

"Then what's stored inside the warehouse?"

"How could you not know?!"

"Oh… Well, I was just summoned by Lieutenant Dialla, and he told me to join you guys without explaining anything. I really have no idea what I'm doing here…"

"You poor soul… Yeah, our leader is always like that… You're a newbie, right?"

"Yes, there's still so much I don't know…"

"I guess it's better we fill you in on what's inside… Otherwise, if anything happens, Lieutenant will have us all executed!"

"Alright… I'll pay attention…"

"Listen, there's nothing valuable in there, just two extremely important individuals… We haven't been informed of their identities, but they must be someone really important for Lieutenant Dialla." The soldier shared in a hushed tone.

"I've heard a rumor that they might be the President or the General from Nisaeria!" another soldier chimed in.

"I wonder where they could be hiding inside this vast warehouse. It's way too big to house only two people…"

"Nobody is allowed inside except the higher ranking officer like our Sergeant. That's all we know. Forget about this boring stuff. Care to join us for a drink?"

"Maybe another time! I already have a splitting headache from patrolling all day…"

"Hahaha! Just drop by whenever you want."

"Thanks for the invitation!"

After completing his questions, Lyon quietly retreated and rejoined Vermilion and Ayukawa to share the information he got.