Lyudmila followed Jeanne through a series of twists and turns. The woman beside her seemed to have opened a "Heavenly Eye," skillfully avoiding the gaze of patrolling soldiers at every turn by slipping into blind spots and advancing only when the coast was clear.
The crux of the matter was that it all felt far too coincidental. In some places, had they lingered for even a few seconds longer, they would have likely been caught by the patrols. Not that Lyudmila believed Jeanne couldn't handle such rabble—after all, Jeanne hadn't even broken into a full sprint yet.
Lyudmila still vividly remembered the terrifying sensation of being carried by her. The speed was so intense it felt like being tossed into a washing machine's spin cycle set to maximum. If Lyudmila had to choose, she would much rather accompany Jeanne on this slow infiltration than endure another soul-cleansing high-speed transport; at the very least, this was less of a torture.
As for Jeanne? She wasn't thinking much about that. Her concern was whether this assassin would fall straight into an enemy dragnet once she left, or if Lyudmila's slight frame could even withstand being carried at high speeds again. After all, while Lyudmila's physical fitness surpassed that of an average person, there was still a significant gap between her and someone like Talulah. If Jeanne had been moving with Talulah tonight, she would have undoubtedly grabbed her and bolted. Despite the negative side effects of high-speed movement, someone as physically resilient and "durable" as Talulah would recover after a short rest.
"I'm following your lead for now, but what exactly are we looking for?"
Faced with Jeanne's constant leaping and maneuvering, Lyudmila could only act as a spectator. To this moment, she didn't have a single clue as to what Jeanne was trying to accomplish. Could you at least give me a hint? She didn't recall anything peculiar being in this vicinity; this was just a camp used for assembling various equipment.
Jeanne wasn't trying to be mysterious; the truth was, she wasn't entirely sure what was inside either. She had simply caught a glimpse of something strange earlier. Fortunately, they weren't far now. From their corner, the two of them finally saw what the target was.
It was a very peculiar-looking ballista. Unlike the angle of a standard crossbow, this brand-new ballista was aimed entirely at the sky. In other words, it posed virtually no threat to ground units.
"That's bizarre. What's their goal with these? Are they just for show? Or are these people so bored they're using them to shoot birds for fun?"
To Lyudmila, this strangely shaped weapon looked more like a toy than a tool of war. She couldn't fathom what they were for. In her understanding, combat happened on the ground; long-range projectile weapons were typically only mounted on Landships. But those usually fired Originium shells. What was the point of a high-altitude ballista?
"Hey, what do you think this thing is actually for? The higher-ups are acting like it's a matter of life and death, rushing us to get them assembled. Are they just here to be decorations? Should we modify them?"
Not far from where Jeanne and Lyudmila were hiding, two men who were clearly engineering officers stood chatting as they watched rows of ballista platforms being completed. As professionals, they felt like tearing down and rebuilding these things that seemed desperate to fire vertically. Given the current situation, the sheer absurdity of the design felt like an insult to their forced overtime.
To finish these quickly, they hadn't had a proper rest in days. Yet, when they saw the finished product they had labored over, they nearly fainted from frustration. Who was the idiot who designed this? Was the ground no longer enough for development? Did they need to pioneer an "aerial career" for crossbow bolts? If the two hadn't double-checked the blueprints repeatedly, they would have thought they'd misread the drawings or that their skills had deteriorated.
"Keep your voice down! They said there's some kind of high-altitude beast living around here, and these are for hunting it. You'd better not mess with them; if something goes wrong, don't blame me for selling you out."
The colleague beside him was clearly in a foul mood as well. For someone who had worked days of overtime only to produce this "piece of junk," he felt he was being quite restrained. He even had the patience to advise his coworker; ten years ago, he wouldn't have stopped until he'd broken the legs of the superior who ordered the overtime and snapped his crutches for good measure.
"I just think it's such a waste to leave them like this. Look, these were made with top-tier materials. It's a crying shame."
As it was time for a shift change, the voices of the two men gradually drifted away until they were completely out of earshot.
"Using these to hunt beasts? These people are certainly extravagant. Do you know what kind of creature they're talking about?"
Lyudmila racked her brain but couldn't think of any large aerial beasts inhabiting this region, nor did she recall Talulah mentioning such creatures. If such a threat existed, Talulah would have warned them to stay safe. Thus, she was skeptical of these "beasts" the men spoke of.
Jeanne, however, understood perfectly. The "beasts" these men were referring to were the Wyverns she had summoned. It seemed these weapons were specifically designed to counter them. But were they overthinking it? These ballistae weren't as much of a threat to the Wyverns as the enemy imagined. After all, no Wyvern was going to hover in the sky waiting to be hit without dodging.
"I'll tell you after we get back," Jeanne said, planning to explain it to the unaware Lyudmila later. For now, they didn't have time for a lecture. They needed to use the shift change to make their exit, or else they'd be surrounded. The alertness of these men was on a completely different level compared to the usual mine guards.
"Wait, what does that mean? Don't tell me the 'beasts' they're talking about have something to do with you?"
Hearing Jeanne's words, how could Lyudmila not understand the implication? However, she hadn't expected Jeanne to have the ability to command beasts as well. Unbelievable. Not only was her individual combat prowess extraordinary, but she also had the ability to command creatures that regular armies took seriously. Just who was this person? If anyone suggested she had learned all this on her own, Lyudmila would just roll her eyes; none of these abilities were things that could be taught in a short amount of time.
Despite her intense curiosity, she began to retreat alongside Jeanne. Halfway through, as they passed the prison-like warehouse again, Lyudmila stole another glance inside. The white-haired Ursus boy, having been supplemented with food, had fallen into a deep sleep. From the slightly relaxed expression on his face, he was likely having a good dream.
"Since we've finished the scout, what's next? Retreat or what?"
The two were currently perched on a rooftop. In the pitch-black night, they couldn't even see their own hands in front of them, so there was little chance anyone would spot them. They had gathered enough information, although they hadn't circled the tent area; that was where the men lived, and it would be too difficult to blend in. In an area with almost no obstacles, two women popping out of a crowd of men would look suspicious no matter how you sliced it. More importantly, their reconnaissance mission was complete and the harvest of information was plentiful. Returning now would be a mission accomplished.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave! Since we know what their goal is, it wouldn't hurt to do a little something, would it?"
Jeanne's large eyes were darting around playfully. Who knew what kind of idea she was cooking up in her head? Lyudmila was used to it by now. Nothing this woman did would surprise her anymore; she would just stand by and watch.