Going back a couple moments prior to Claire arriving at the Reinford Group...
"A-Are you sure doing this is safe? Can't we, you know, take the STAIRS!?", Alisa's voice exclaimed, obviously worried.
After all, we moved from the bathroom we were previously in.
"No can do. The entire building is under siege. If we take the path they want us to take, we'll be met with more opposition. This way, they won't be able to catch us off guard.", I said.
"And by doing this, we'll reach our destination much quicker than trying to release lock after lock. Madam Chairman was quite thorough with how secure the Reinford Group is, Milady.", Sharon said.
"But the roof is right above us!", Alisa complained, and frowned. She desperately clung to my back. After all, it was quite a ways down from here. "And why are you going along with this, Sharon!?"
"Hehe, well that is simple. It looks like The Rulebreaker here is quite efficient when it comes to determining a path for us, and I concur the same. We'll meet our target before they'll have a chance to launch an all-out attack against us.", Sharon continued, making me glance to the side. I saw Sharon effortlessly hanging on the side of the building. She was moving just like how a ninja would.
And well, I am not that far off from that description either. Glancing at my feet, I saw a constant blue swirl of mana moving around them. I had a quick look at the Gamer Notification that generated when I attempted this. I didn't expect I would create a new spell like this out of the blue.
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has created a new Spell - Mana Walk. Type: Support.]
[Mana Walk]
Effect: Gamer Naoto channels Mana into the sole of the user's feet, creating a temporary adhesion force that allows Gamer Naoto to move across various surfaces and platforms, including ceilings. Gamer Naoto can additionally walk or run along these surfaces, having full control of sense of balance and direction.
Mana Walk. Another pretty straight forward Spell. It's not an attack Spell this time either. I just need to cast it once, and this special adhesive force gets attached to my feet. Pretty neat, huh? I can walk or run along the side of a building just like how you'd see ninjas do!
As much as I'd love to pay attention to this Spell, I had quickly activated it, and thus, leading to my present situation. We're no longer inside the Reinford Group, but outside. Sharon's treating this like a walk in the park. Honestly, I could too, but until this point, I had zero experience in something like this. The Gamer System decided to create something for me to help, and I'm grateful for it.
I just don't know why Sharon is having me carry Alisa. Perhaps she can only focus on one thing or another, unlike me? Thanks to that, I have one hand tied. I still had one available to attack, should one of those assassins be brazen enough to jump off higher up. Honestly, I'm kind of expecting it to happen.
To say the least, I'm no longer alone in this mess. The Garden of Swords really knows how to sow chaos, don't they? Isn't stealth supposed to be an assassin's primary ability? Why cause all this destruction? You're practically giving away your location! Not to mention informing the local authorities that you're here!
Oh wait. It's Melchior who is behind this mess, isn't it? Maybe he likes causing a scene. I could name-drop a few people who behave like him. But I won't.
And sure enough, the authorities were alerted. It's kind of hard not noticing the Reinford Group's building on fire and breaking apart, you know?
As a result of that, we heard the city's siren start blaring. This siren alerts those who reside in Roer that danger is currently present. The thirty or so assassins that attacked this place split into two different groups as they swarmed inside, combing floor after floor. There's a reason Ennea and Ines weren't present with me. I had sought the Penthouse straight away, while those two put pressure on the other group. They were likely fighting as we speak.
I can tell because I would see a passive Gamer Notification arrive, signaling an assassin being killed one after another. I opted not to form a Party during this. I didn't see a reason to. Ennea and Ines know what they're doing, and they're assisting me on this mission. Even without the assistance of the Party, those Gamer Notifications still came through. The only bad part is they don't give me experience points. Only the ones I kill do.
It's a loss I know, but it's not the end of the world. This Emergency Quest reward is more than enough to make up the difference. It'll give me five whole levels.
As to what authorities arrived here, it was a surprise to see the RMP here. It does make sense on one point, as the RMP protects any and all railways. That is their primary objective. With the RMP here, I also saw another blue dot on the minimap within my vision. A sole blue dot amongst the RMP officers. Likely Claire. And seeing that dot run into the building...
As I thought that, I felt Alisa squirm a bit while attempting to cling onto me.
"Y-You better not let go of me, alright? Sharon entrusted my safety to you. So do your job!", Alisa exclaimed, both scared and worried that we were on the side of the building now.
"Heh. Your safety is my number one priority, Lady Alisa.", I replied, and smiled. It was enough to see my fangs bear themselves, coming into view. Alisa just stared.
"...Are those real?", Alisa questioned, and then looked beyond me. We were still latched onto the building, outside. "And are we really outside!?"
"Haha.", I replied with a laugh. "So you've just now realized the position we're in now. Of course this is the side of the building. It's the fastest way to the roof."
"Hmph. Just keep me safe, alright? Mother and the others are probably getting to safety as we speak. Honestly, if you didn't show up I don't know what Sharon and I would have done. Did...you really kill those robed people?", Alisa asked me after a slight pause.
"There is no other way. The path of life they walk is different from yours, Lady Alisa. They're trained to kill.", I said, keeping my explanation short.
"Trained...to kill?", Alisa uttered.
"...", Sharon tried to say, but didn't find any words in response.
"Sharon?", Alisa asked, shifting her eyes back at Sharon. "Have you killed before?"
"Yes.", Sharon replied, after finding her answer. "And I even nearly lost my life once. That was when your mother found me, Milady."
"I see...", Alisa uttered, not expecting to see Sharon actually answer her this time. She even learned something new about the maid that was assigned to her since Irina found Sharon. Now Alisa wondered how exactly Sharon and her mother even met in the first place, but she knew she couldn't ask that right now.
I am not sure if Alisa finding out more about Sharon's origins now will impact anything. And while we're on that topic, I have zero interest in pursuing Alisa as a love interest later on. Count me out. Rean can take Alisa. Hell I'd even be up for Rean even creating a harem of his own. Even if I have to be a wingman from the shadows, haha!
Even if Favorability unlocks with Alisa and Sharon, I will simply accept their rewards, and move on. I am quite curious what the two will give me. I have to complete this Emergency Quest first though.
I had a quick look at the current task at hand.
[Ding! Task 3: Garden of Sword Assassins killed: 10/30.]
Good. I've killed a handful and was nearly at the cusp of Level 76, while Ennea and Ines killed more inside the building. They're showing no remorse here, just the way I like it. They're efficient, aren't they? I'll need to thank the Steel Maiden later for letting Ennea come this far. She grew quite a bit during our excursion at Nemeth Island. I can only guess her strength exploded from there.
Dismissing the progress for now, I spoke out with a firm voice.
"Anyway, just hang tight alright, Lady Alisa? I will make sure you return to your family at all cost. The road just might be a little bumpy along the way.", I said, assuring Alisa no harm would come to her. Alisa simply nodded her head behind me.
"Let's move, Rulebreaker.", Sharon said, calling out to me. "They're moving.
Sure enough, Sharon's senses are sharp. We saw a sole shadow actually jump out the window near us. I even saw it take place on my minimap. Oi!
Still, I brandished my Glistening Moonlight, and continued my motions.
"Die!", The assassin yelled, even causing Alisa to turn wide-eyed in shock. She didn't expect to see a blade being drawn right in her direction!
"...Piercing Light!"