All of that combined would speed things up.
(I might even get a place to stay too.)
The conversation she had overheard earlier also told her that searching for an inn with empty rooms would be a back breaking ordeal. But she had been invited as a commentator, so the least they could do for her was to give her a place to stay. With that in mind, she headed straight for the imperial palace.
The residential area close to the palace had mansions built with excellent masonry, the streets were paved with stone, and lined with beautiful trees. There were plenty of street lamps too, providing ample illumination to the areas where nobles resided and gathered. All of that was still largely the same as Mira remembered from thirty years in the past.
It was also night already, so most people were staying inside their homes, so only a few servants running errands or guards on patrol could be seen on the street.
“Okay…I can move now.”
Mira watched a guard pass by and waited a moment before emerging from the shadow she was hiding in and continued sneaking forward. She was afraid that if someone saw her walking around alone so late, they would take her into protective custody.
So she moved forward while avoiding contact with others as much as possible, especially the guards, making her seem like some sort of burglar.
(Now that I think about it, I should let Solomon know about this first.)
As she got closer to the palace, she thought of something. If she requested to see the application forms, they would indubitably want to know the reason why. She could simply say that she was looking for Meilin, but the issue was that her search for Meilin and the remaining Nine Wisemen was supposed to be a top secret matter. Even if they were close friends, Nirvana was still a separate country, so it was better if Mira asked for Solomon’s permission first.
That meant using the communications device in her wagon, which was not really a big problem to get to. Only to realize that she would quickly stand out if a wagon suddenly showed up in the streets where nobles lived.
She did not want to have to explain things to the guards there, so instead, she began looking for a more hidden place where she could get into her wagon in peace.
(I think there was a park somewhere nearby…)
Assuming the layout of the city had not changed, there had to be a large park near there, so Mira began heading in that direction. It was known as the National Evergreen Forest Park, made to look like an actual forest.
The park was located in the very center of the city, and had a square shape with each side measuring one kilometer, being surrounded by densely packed streets.
During the day, people would go through the hiking trails in it, and the various resting spots were well known as good spots for dates. But at night, it gave off a completely different appearance.
The entrance was lined with cherry trees, covered with green leaves. During the morning light would trickle down through the leaves, creating a relaxing atmosphere. And during Spring, the cherry trees would be in full bloom, soothing one’s very soul.
Currently, it was almost Fall, so the branches were densely packed with leaves, creating strong shadows and darkness, with some spots seemingly untouched by light.
(This seems perfect for tests of courage.)
Those were the thoughts circling in Mira’s head as she walked through the path. And then she caught sight of a moving light, different from the lamps illuminating the path, so she shuddered for a moment. But after getting a closer look, she eased up.
It was a guard patrolling the park.
“Someone’s taking their job too seriously…”
Mira grumbled to herself as she ran away from the path, hiding amongst the trees before the guard noticed her. Then, she used Life Sensing to make sure the guard was gone before coming out again.
(Maybe it’s better if I go further in.)
The guard was carefully looking around, but only around the path and did not check behind the trees. Still, it was better to avoid any place that could be spotted from the path. So Mira headed further away, trying to find a place where the trees grew more densely.
The trees in the park had been manually planted instead of letting them multiplicate naturally, so it was hard to find a spot where they grew densely enough to offer coverage from patrolling guards.
(Hmm…this could work.)
Eventually, Mira found an unused management hut deep within the artificial forest, which offered just enough cover. It was also a distance away from the main path, with the way leading there looking more like an animal trail. There were also piles of scrap wood, creating more blindspots.
She quickly opened her Item Box to take out her wagon, but then realized that doing that would create flashes of light as the spells activated, so first, she used Life Sensing to scout her surroundings in case there was a guard nearby.
(Hm..! Who’s there?!)
She got two large readings, on the other side of the hut around thirty meters away from her. They were clearly too big to be animals, so she was sure they had to be people.
At first, she thought they were guards, but soon thought differently, as a third reading showed up and joined the first two.
The way that third one moved did not make sense for a guard either, and resembled more the way Mira herself had navigated the forest thus far. Hiding behind trees and constantly stopping to look around. Once all three were together, they just stood still.
All she could tell was that they seemed to know each other, but she still wondered just what they could be doing in such a place so late at night.
(Are they actually thieves?)
The park that was so beautiful during the day was surprisingly quiet and somber at night. It was also surrounded by mansions where nobles and important people lived. There were only a few reasons Mira could think of that would explain those three convening in secret in such a place, making her look at them with suspicion.
But the place was so dark that she could not see anything past the Life Sensing readings, and she was too far away to hear what they were talking about.
(I guess it’s time to use that.)
There were multiple ways one could explain it, but Mira had already decided from the circumstances that they were up to no good, and acted upon it. She could not allow herself to overlook ruffians scurrying in the shadows of the empire led by her good friends.
Driven by that, she carefully hid behind the hut and activated a summon without them noticing.
The magic circle resembled a cat’s eye, and Cait Sith, the First Lieutenant, emerged from it, wearing a black ninja outfit.
“Hattori Nyanzo, here to serve you. Nin-nin.”
There was still no telling where he was learning all of those things, as the First Lieutenant, or rather Hattori Nyanzo now, seemed to have turned into a ninja and made his appearance while trying to recreate the classic ninja pose with his hands held together. Except that he did not have fingers long enough to fully recreate the hand sign, so at first glance, it just looked like he was praying or pleading for something.
“Well then, Hattori Nyanzo. If you look over there…”
Usually, Cait Sith was a summon that eased tension, but Mira tried to stay focused and briefly explained the situation to him, telling him that she had discovered three suspicious subjects, and that they were likely some sort of thieves.