A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 442 The Secret Chamber Opens

Inside the Moncado fortress, the Imperial army had moved or destroyed a considerable amount of supplies, much to the indignation of the National Guard soldiers, who cursed the Imperials, though they themselves would have done the same. Of course, it was different; this was Valuian land.

However, the National Guard officers' expressions changed slightly upon seeing this, because the Imperial Army had not destroyed everything; they could still see the insignia they had hung up and discern traces of the enemy's modifications to the fortress.

Moncado Fortress, built decades ago, was constructed using outdated building concepts, and many of its facilities were obsolete. The Imperial Army, however, completed its renovation within a mere month of occupation. Judging from the signage, it was divided into well-organized functional zones, and even the destruction of supplies was carried out efficiently, with materials burned and shredded in a concentrated manner.

So organized, so composed.

Is it that the imperialists are so rigid that even their retreat is so methodical, or is there a trap?

The logistics officer led Paul and Pascal around the fortress's interior; he had originally been one of the fortress's garrison. However, the fortress had changed drastically. The explosion caused by the Imperial mages had damaged the internal structure, and the accompanying mages had assisted in repairing it, making the reconstruction even more thorough.

"Lieutenant Paul," the quartermaster said, saluting before addressing the two men.

"Artillery supplies need to be sorted before being placed. General supplies are collected together with those of other units and stored in warehouse number 1. We will replenish any shortages. Ammunition is stored in warehouse number 3. When it is put into storage, the officers of the logistics brigade need to be present to ensure that explosion protection is in place."

"It's much more standardized now," Paul said with satisfaction. "There are clear categories and necessary measures. When we first set off from the parade ground, receiving supplies was a disaster."

The quartermaster said somewhat embarrassedly, "This classification system was left behind by the Imperials."

All the house signs were the work of the Imperial Army. To be precise, they were hung up by people sent by "Colonel Turtle" after the area was divided up. The first thing the National Guard did after taking over was to cover up the Imperial insignia with three-color paint.

"Even the enemy has things we can learn from." Paul gave himself, the quartermaster, and the entire National Guard a way out. The quartermaster took his leave after completing his guiding duties.

"Let's go, let's put the felt cloth away first. When it gets hot, the extra cloth will only be good for growing mushrooms." Before his superior, Drouot, could make a decision, Pascal was preoccupied with something else: "That Condi guy only salutes you."

"Senior brother, we are spellcasters, why bother with military etiquette?" Paul was only concerned with the work at hand.

Pascal followed behind; he was just a warrant officer. Rorschach's senior seemed to have this peculiar trait—always a step behind everyone else when climbing the ladder.

He walked behind and brushed past a soldier.

"What's wrong?" Paul turned around and saw that his senior had stopped, and asked.

"The soldier who just passed by looks vaguely familiar. Oh well, let's go."

Richard, who had almost been discovered, lowered his hat. He now realized that he had been reckless in returning to the fortress. There were no disguise scrolls in the standard rations, and Schmidt, who could walk through walls, was not with him.

Richard had merely knocked down a Valuan soldier who was loitering and smoking at the foot of the fortress, and changed into ill-fitting clothes. Unexpectedly, he encountered the mage he had confronted before in the narrow passageways inside the fortress. The only change was that he had used magic to transform his striking blond hair into the dark brown common in the south of the continent.

There's also a stealth reel that should only be activated as a last resort.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, he quickened his pace. Richard had already decided that if he didn't find the straggling Mage Schmidt in the secret chamber, he would leave immediately and couldn't linger any longer.

Last time, the two of them infiltrated the "off-the-beaten-path" area and relied entirely on Schmidt's ability to move quickly through walls, thus reaching the secret room directly. Now, he needs to find a way through the building.

There are two pieces of good news for Richard: the Valuwa mage and soldiers who originally knew about the fortress's secret chamber are gone, and the current National Guard is unaware of its existence. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the two spellcasters were not summoned to explore the chamber.

Another piece of good news is that the magical activity within the chamber is still present. When mages build their strongholds, they naturally prioritize areas rich in magical energy, or modify them in some way to create magical hubs. Therefore, it's not surprising that Richard can still sense its presence.

The fact that the secret chamber wasn't exposed proves that the Valuwa mages inside the fortress are all low-level.

However, as he infiltrated Warehouse No. 1 and gradually approached his target, the unusual magical environment finally alerted Richard to something amiss. "There's no large-scale ritual anymore, so how can he still be so powerful?"

Could it be that Schmidt was unwilling to retreat and secretly activated the mechanism in the secret room? Or did he encounter some trouble?

The scene from the first infiltration gradually overlapped with the room in front of me, and the entrance to the secret room should be in the northwest corner of warehouse number 1.

Richard carefully moved the supplies using magic, trying not to make too much noise, and surrounded the corner where he was to ensure that no one could see him coming in. Then he raised his hand, his palm covered with an acidic, oily liquid, as he planned to violently break through the bricks to get in.

Before the [Corrosive Claw] could even strike, the floor tiles and wall tiles moved on their own, opening up a dark passage for him.

"Schmidt, is that you?" Richard didn't dispel the spell. With his other hand on his sidearm, he cautiously moved down the stairs. The staircase leading to the secret room was unlit, but that didn't matter. In the darkness, the door at the end of the stairs opened, and at the same time, the gap behind Richard closed.

Sure enough, the man emerged, and the two were about ten meters apart. Richard continued down the steps until he could see the pale scars on the other man's face.

The scar was completely bloodless.

"Don't go any further. Turn back, and I'll reopen the door for you. If needed, I can also help you leave the fortress easily."

Schmidt calmly tossed out three crystal balls. Richard guessed that they contained his wall-penetrating magic, the third ring of [Vacuum Form].

Given his original strength, he shouldn't have been able to seal this spell, yet he suddenly produced three expensive sealing crystals. Richard became even more cautious; he had already dispelled the [Corrosive Claw] and was preparing to use [Dragon Breath]. However, so far, "Schmidt" had only asked him to leave, without showing any hostility.

"What good stuff did you find, hmm?" Richard asked casually, while yielding to the other's request by taking a step back.

"There's nothing here, just a special mission assigned to me by my superiors. So hurry up and don't let the Valuans find out."

"Okay." Richard had already turned around, and the hidden door above opened again. Before leaving, he suddenly said, "I wish you all the best. Nina is still waiting for you."

Richard was almost out the stairs and back into the fortress's storeroom when the secret door closed at the last moment.

"Richard, you're very cautious, you even tested me at the end. But today it was unnecessary. It was just my oversight." Schmidt's voice sounded from behind.

Schmidt never mentioned any woman's name to Richard.

With things having come to this, Richard turned around and opened his mouth, and the suspicious man was instantly swallowed by the dragon's breath.

The previously charred "Schmidt" emitted black smoke, reverting to his scarred left cheek, and spoke lifelessly: "Richard, if you don't want to leave, then come and help in the secret room."

The voice Richard heard changed: "Teacher?"

Without anyone noticing, two more mages from Valuwa appeared behind Richard, exuding an aura of death just like Schmidt.

(End of this chapter)