CHAPTER 62: INTRUDER

Hermes stood at the edge of a sidewalk, overlooking the candle-lit street. In front of him was a large gate that lead to what looked to be a colossal mansion, fitted with gothic architecture mixed with Egyptian stone masonry. He continued to stare at the decorated structure in awe.

With his hands propped on his knees, he smiled. "I finally found it..." He had spent the past hour scouring through the city, looking for the Valencourt family's home. Every time he tried asking a stranger for directions, they would either look at him in a funny way or laugh in his face. It came as a shock at first, but then he figured out why they were reacting that way.

The reason was fairly obvious. Who wouldn't laugh at some hobo covered in messed up clothing and a somewhat roughened up face, asking for directions to one of the grandest noble family homes, as if he was expecting himself to be a guest? Truly laughable.

Although Hermes did receive treatment in one of the Nano-biotic machines during the health inspection periods when he first arrived at the city, the scent of blood and gore continued to linger from his clothes, which were still in a completely ruined state. He had not received any opportunities to change out of his current fit.

He began to shake his head. "Maybe I should have visited Lance's Guild HQ first..." He considered it a lot during his embarrassing attempts at trying to ask for directions to Eleanor's home, but he decided against it. He couldn't continue to delay things. Information on Eleanor's whereabouts was paramount to completing his mission, and with only roughly 3 and a half days left, he needed to be quick about it.

Since he knew that Elizabeth was spotted at the Valencourt house prior to her arrest, there had to be some kind of connection. Eleanor was now indebted to him, and he was planning to use that to his advantage to ask for information.

Looking both ways along the street and seeing no incoming vehicles, he decided to cross it and head toward the large gate. To the left of it was a small metal box, which he rightfully assumed to be some sort of door bell. Clicking the button, he waited for a response. It didn't take long for a voice to come out of the speaker inside the small machine.

"Hello, please state your name and reason for visit?"

Hermes leaned in closer to the metallic box. "Greetings, I go by Hermes Wilson. I have business with the Valencourt family."

"Do you have a reservation?"

Hermes frowned. "No. I have come unannounced."

"Apologies then. I cannot permit you inside."

"Sir, please ask young lady Eleanor if she knows me. I can assure you she does."

The man's voice grew impatient over the intercom. "Lady Eleanor? Sir, your delusions have grown to dangerous levels. You should check in with a doctor."

Hermes grit his teeth. 'This bastard thinks I am some kind of creep...' He continued to argue with the man behind the intercom, but nothing went his way. Though, even Hermes knew that such an outcome made sense. His identity was just that of a random Gold-rank mercenary. Anyone would be dubious of his claims of knowing the heir to one of the grandest noble families.

Hermes continued to try to prove himself. He brought up information regarding his involvement with the mutant rampage that attacked their caravan, but the man simply refused to acknowledge any of it. Suddenly, the man on the other side of the intercom got sick of the conversation and simply hung up, leaving Hermes with no way to continue to negotiate his case.

"Ahhh! That bastard! All he had to do was bring someone to verify my identity!" He couldn't believe it. Although he expected people to question his origins when forwarding his request for entry, he didn't think it would turn out like this. Stumped, he leaned against the wall.

"Should I contact Lance, after all?" He pulled out the communication device. In the end, he decided against it. He shook his head and placed it back in his pocket. Hermes was very apprehensive about involving the Ironclad mercenary group. After discovering that Elizabeth was the 'Witch of Calamity,' he understood that in order to save her, he would essentially have to oppose not only the Church of Wisdom but also the king and all his supporters.

He would basically be making himself the enemy of the state. Although Mason was fairly powerful, there was simply no way he would be powerful enough to fight the entire empire's forces.

But most importantly, he was afraid of being wiretapped with his communication device. After visiting Shadow's Hand, he had already realized that his own information was at risk of being sold as well. It was almost a guaranteed outcome. That assumption was not entirely wrong either, as only an hour or so into his travels around the city, his [Sensory-Boost] passively picked up cues of someone tailing him.

The person in question wasn't anyone simple either, as Hermes would occasionally detect how abnormally powerful the person's cosmic force was. He suspected that the person was either stage 5 or 6. He couldn't tell what domain he belonged to, but if he had to guess, it was probably a Martial Master who had trained in stealth and espionage techniques.

It came as a shock that he was even able to detect the person at all. Someone that powerful should have been able to completely mask their presence. Hermes guessed that there was a high possibility of him doing it on purpose, either to send a warning or try to bait out a confrontation.

He stood silently on the sidewalk as his lips curled up into a smile. "I guess it's time for me to make a gamble..." An insane idea came to mind, one that even he was apprehensive about. But at this point, he simply didn't care. He had no choice.

In one fluid motion, Hermes shed his clear white trench coat, the fabric riddled with holes and dusted with ash from past encounters. He stretched his legs, preparing them for the task ahead. As he completed his warm-up, Hermes turned his attention to the imposing wall blocking his entry into the gated mansion, a grin spreading across his face.

With a burst of speed, he launched himself forward, propelling his body upward with remarkable agility. His hand found purchase on the wall's surface, and with relative ease, he began to scale it. In a matter of moments, he effortlessly vaulted over to the other side. The sudden intrusion triggered a cacophony of blaring sirens, alerting the guards to the presence of an intruder on the premises.

Hermes ignored the sirens and dashed forward toward the mansion.

"Stop! You are trespassing in the Valencourt family's home! Surrender yourself!" The command echoed through the grandeur of the Valencourt estate as Hermes faced off against a heavily armored soldier, his weapon trained and ready.

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Reacting swiftly, Hermes closed his eyes, activating both [Augmented-Comprehension] and [Sensory-Boost] in a seamless motion. The soldier, noticing Hermes' sudden focus, wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of plasma beams towards him. But Hermes, with his heightened senses and hyper-cognitive abilities, effortlessly anticipated the attack pattern, dodging each beam with calculated precision.

In a matter of moments, Hermes closed the distance between himself and the soldier, who began to panic, firing his weapon even more frantically. Yet, despite the onslaught, Hermes remained composed, disarming the soldier with swift efficiency. With a deft movement, he strategically positioned his foot, causing the soldier to stumble and fall, effectively neutralizing the threat.

"Sorry about this, man," Hermes muttered, not allowing the soldier any opportunity to resist further. With a concentrated effort, he unleashed his Cosmic Force Suppression, rendering the armored soldier unconscious. Standing up, Hermes retrieved the SV weapon, and quickly learned how to use it with [Martial-Study].

"I'll be borrowing this," he smiled as he headed deeper into the open courtyard.

...

Inside the lavish mansion, a room fitted with exquisite decorations and golden ornaments came into view. A queen-sized bed with intricate patterns on the curtains was positioned at the center. A young woman with brunette hair laid on the luxury bed, awaiting her inevitable sleep.

She looked up at the canopy roof of her curtained bed and sighed. "I have truly failed, Father..." A tingling sensation continued to plague her chest, as she wondered how her meeting with him will go tomorrow. The anxiety was eating away at her. Will he be disappointed? Will he shun her? Maybe he will begin to regret having such an incompetent daughter.... These thoughts continued to plague her as her eyes shuddered to stay awake, despite her obvious signs of exhaustion.

Suddenly, a siren blared, followed by the hurried footsteps of the servants outside her room. Before she had anytime to process anything, the door decorated with exquisite gold carvings blasted open, as a maid began to call for her name.

"Lady Eleanor! We have an intruder! I have been instructed by the head butler to escort you out to safety!"

Swiftly jumping off of her princess bed, she walked over to the worried servant. She decided to discard all her feelings and focus on what was currently important.

"Mary, where did the intruder come from? Do we have his identity?"

"I think so! It's apparently a Gold-rank mercenary! He scaled over the front gate and waltzed into the courtyard! They still don't know where exactly he is, though! The Guardians we have assigned to the mansion are currently going after him!"

Eleanor furrowed her brows. 'A single Gold-rank mercenary? Could the Blanc family be behind it? No, impossible... They wouldn't dare to send such an obvious assassin... Philippe is also very shrewd... He would rather just try to pressure us politically...' As she walked across the halls with her servant, she continued to analyze the situation.

'Maybe it's the Rochefort family? Their feud with the Blanc family is very well known... If they managed to assassinate me or my sister, the blame will shift to the Blanc family first, since people will assume it was in retaliation for the death of Trevor... They could effectively start a battle between the two families and reap the benefits from the shadows...

No matter what the truth was, the situation was fairly strange. Although this wasn't the first time Eleanor had to deal with an assassination attempt, the way it was being conducted made no sense. Why would they send a Gold-rank mercenary with no stealth abilities on such a covert mission? Was it to draw attention on purpose?

As these thoughts continued to appear in her head, they swiftly made it to the other side of the hall, where her younger sister awaited her. Unlike Eleanor, who was wearing a comfy night gown, Elara was adorned in bright colored, cotton pajamas. Elara noticed her older sister and began to run to her for a hug.

Embracing one another, Eleanor smiled. "It's fine, Elara, nothing bad will happen."

"A-are you sure?..." Her hands continued to shiver. Eleanor frowned. She realized that the psychological trauma had not completely went away.

After reassuring her sister, they both headed downstairs with the servants. A secured bunker was located at the lowest floor, one that was near impenetrable, even with the attack force of multiple stage 8 powerhouses. However, they were never granted the opportunity to even get there.

Without warning, the wall adjacent to them erupted in a deafening blast, sending a silhouette hurtling through the air before crashing down past the railing and onto the lowest floor. Eleanor's eyes widened in shock as she watched the figure struggle amidst the rubble, attempting to regain their footing.

Before they could fully process what had just occurred, their attention was drawn back to the now demolished wall. From the debris emerged a formidable figure, towering over them with a commanding presence. Clad in armor and wielding two gleaming silver axes, his expression was stern and unwavering, resembling a weathered boulder that had endured countless storms and torrents.

Eleanor's eyes widened. "Jack?!"

The man shifted his gaze toward the young lady, holding her sister softly. "Lady Eleanor. Please leave the area. I am dealing with the intruder right now."

Before Eleanor could formulate a response, Jack swiftly leaped off the railing, plummeting down to the lower floor with a resounding impact that shook the surroundings.

Meanwhile, Hermes coughed, struggling to clear the dust from his lungs as his vision slowly stabilized. With determination, he rose to his feet, clutching the SV weapon tightly. The figure of the man who had sent him flying came into focus, prompting a wry smile to tug at Hermes' lips.

"Well, shit..." he muttered, recognizing the gravity of the situation he now faced.

The man held up his axes and walked up to Hermes. "Surrender. I am Guardian Knight Jack Doyle. Your charges will become much bigger the more you decide to resist, so give up. You stand no chance."

Hermes stood up slowly. His breathing was still in disarray as his legs continued to shake from the impact he had just been dealt. He quickly took up the SV weapon and began to aim it at the man in question.

"I won't stop until you allow me to meet the young lady."

Hearing his declaration, Jack decided to forgo all negotiations. With a stabilizing stomp of his right foot, he swung his right axe horizontally. Hermes, however, had already simulated such an outcome with [Augmented-Comprehension] and dodged it swiftly.

Reacting swiftly to the advancing threat, Hermes leaped backward, unleashing a barrage of plasma beams at Jack. However, Jack's reflexes were equally sharp as he deftly deflected the beams, causing them to sizzle harmlessly into the ground. Closing in with alarming speed, Jack left Hermes no opportunity to reload his SV weapon, positioning himself for a devastating strike.

In a split-second decision, Hermes assessed the situation and opted to sacrifice his only weapon. With precision timing, he hurled the SV weapon directly into the path of Jack's descending axe, causing it to shatter into pieces upon impact. Seizing the moment, Hermes threw himself to the side with a radiant smile, narrowly evading Jack's impending blow.

Jack's eyes widened in disbelief at Hermes' audacious maneuver. "You are insane..." he muttered, the realization dawning too late as sparks began to snake across the fragmented weapon, culminating in a deafening explosion that rocked the now dilapidated hall.

-Boom!

Hermes began to cough through the cloud of smoke. Using the opportunity, he quickly dashed to where the servants he had spotted earlier were. The man he was currently fighting was simply too powerful for him. Although he might have stood a chance against him with his gunblade, he was currently unarmed. His best course of action based on the numerous simulations playing in his head was to obtain leverage, and the best way to do it was through a hostage.

Without even being given a second to react, the closest maid to Hermes inevitably became his target. Trying to hold back her tears, Hermes grabbed her softly from the neck. Guilt began to well up in his chest as he noticed her tearful expression.

"Sorry about this, Ma'am. I won't hurt you unless they hurt me first." This was merely a bluff. Even if they continued to ignore the maid and attacked him, he would still not have harmed her. But this was the only way for him to stall for time.

Jack saw this as his veins began to protrude. He grit his teeth as cosmic force flushed against Hermes' body.

"Young man, you have really done it this time!" His cosmic force had layers of bloodlust across it. Hermes, however, ignored his taunts and began to smile.

"All I want is to talk to Lady Eleanor. The entire misunderstanding will cease if you just allow me to communicate..."

Suddenly, a feminine voice filled with confusion sounded from behind him.

"Sir, Hermes?..."

Hearing his name, he turned around to see Eleanor in a black nightgown, holding her sister in a soft embrace.

Seeing her worried expression, Hermes began to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Uh... Long time no see?"

End of Chapter