Chapter 1182: Kranzel's Perspective

Fran wanted nothing more than to save Neidhart with the half-insectkin, but the situation was complicated.

She can’t simply abandon the Kranzel army, and infiltrating Raydoss with a small squad poses big risks. Especially since Raydoss has their eyes on her now.

However, Jean seemed to agree with Fran joining the Neidhart rescue mission.

「I think it should be fine.」

「Really?」

「Indeed.」

Jean shared his thoughts.

The Kranzel army suffered high casualties, massively exceeding their expected losses. They had little choice but to move back their lines significantly. Worst case, they might even be forced to retreat back to the border.

As such, they must abandon the territory and forts they’ve taken. Their biggest fear will be the possibility of Raydoss chasing them down. What’s the quickest way to erase that possibility? Causing chaos deeper within the country.

Guerrilla warfare by a high-ranking adventurer was the perfect means to sow confusion. Thus, there’s a high possibility that Kranzel will welcome Fran’s offer to stay in the country.

「Besides, we lose nothing even if you lay low for a while. When you eventually do cause a commotion, it only serves to benefit us.」

After listening to Jean’s explanation, Fran only got more motivated.

（Master!）

『Hold on, Fran! This will be really dangerous!』

（…I know. But I want to help. Please!）

『Why? You’re not even that close with Neidhart, right?』

（Neidhart did his best for his comrades! That’s why… Please!）

I think Fran wanted Neidhart to be rewarded for his efforts. Neidhart risked his life in Raydoss for one goal: to save his friends.

Considering Fran’s goal in saving the black cats, his actions must have resonated with her.

Fran has little experience interacting normally with people, since she’s been exposed to so much malice. I think she has a tendency to get soft on anyone she feels sympathy for.

I guess you could say she has very extreme likes and dislikes.

Judging by her past behavior, there’s no way she’ll give up on Neidhart.

（We might also find info on Persona.）

『Sigh. Fran, I will always prioritize your survival above anyone else. We’re dropping everything and running if things get seriously dangerous, got it?』

（Nn!）

Looks like I have a soft spot for Fran too…

That said, we need to obtain official permission from Jean before leaving. We can’t just run off on our own.

Well, the approval came almost immediately. Just like Jean expected, Kranzel knew the benefits of Fran staying behind in Raydoss.

Moreover, they even gave us a request to infiltrate Raydoss. Apparently, presenting this mission as a request from one of the nobles would help Kranzel save face.

We were offered a significant upfront payment too, so we gladly accepted it. Additionally, we would receive support from Kranzel’s intelligence division, Esmeralda in particular.

She not only promised to share all the information she had, but also to send us regular updates in the future.

As such, we were instructed to bring one of Esmeralda’s sand rats with us in a bag.

It seems doing so allows her to track our location.

「First, we’ll be heading to a friendly village.」

「Friendly village? Those exist?」

「Yes. You see, the villages on the outskirts are always struggling to survive, so their loyalty to the government is weak. They have more faith in anyone who assists them directly.」

I guess there are places where the anti-Kranzel indoctrination hasn’t taken hold. Even the soldiers and earth mages we captured in Kranzel seemed to have doubts about Raydoss, so there’s no way they managed to brainwash everyone in the country.

「Fran, Urushi, be careful out there.」

「Nn. Jean, you do your best too.」

「Woof!」

Jean will serve as the rearguard supporting Kranzel’s retreat from now on. There’s a possibility that he might be in more danger than us.

「Fuhahaha! Looks like we both must stay on our toes!」

「Nn.」

「Woof woof!」

Fran shook hands with Jean and before turning to leave. From here on, we’re journeying through Raydoss with the half-insectkin. Well, only three of them will be joining us.

It seems they regularly split into small groups to avoid standing out. We’re in the same group as the leader, Quint, along with the locust Lalar, and the sea slug Hoken.

Lalar and Hoken were the type that looked practically human outside of combat.

Quint had long, mostly black hair with a touch of reddish-brown, tied up like a capable woman. I imagine she’d look good in glasses.

She gave me the same aura as Eliante, but she seems genuinely competent in comparison to Eliante’s innate clumsiness. Her brown leather armor had slits and uncovered patches all over.

It seems she modified it herself rather than having it custom-made. The other two’s armor looked similar, so I assume this is to ensure their armor doesn’t break when they switch into combat mode.

Since Quint showed the most skin, her transformation must be very extreme.

Lalar gave me the vibe of a calm girl from the countryside. She had short black hair, and her body was on the slender side. I wouldn’t expect her to be a fighter at first glance, but her footwork confirmed she was a veteran.

She’s apparently an archer focused on mobility. Judging by her locust race, she probably has strong legs and flight capabilities. I saw an opening on her back, so she must sprout wings from there.

Hoken, on the other hand, was a stern-looking, middle-aged man with a face that I could easily imagine leering at others. He wore a furrowed brow, as if he was constantly angry.

Yet he seemed to have more of a gentle personality, so the intimidating face was just his usual look.

He’s only around 170 centimeters tall, but his muscles made him really bulky. Each of his arms was about the size of Fran’s torso. Being a pure tank, he’s apparently among the toughest members of Antennae and Shell.

A well-balanced trio with Fran and Urushi. Looks like a good team to me.

「Well then, let’s go.」

「Nn!」

Off to rescue Neidhart!