That mansion was watched over by multiple CCTV cameras along the road and around the house.
Of course, such surveillance devices were completely useless against us.
*Fzzzt!*
With Sof's magic, all the surrounding CCTV cameras went dead.
["Surveillance devices that don't use magic, huh? It's impressive that they created something without magic, but it's a shame they didn't prepare for an attack."]
Watching the CCTV cameras emit black smoke as they stopped, Sof clicked their tongue.
"It's because they're for civilian use. Military ones aren't this easy."
Not even military-grade equipment could block Sof's magic.
However, if the CCTV cameras broke, security would immediately be tightened.
Besides, they had prepared for the possibility of these cameras breaking.
It's just that the people managing the CCTV were outside.
*Clunk.*
The sound of a door opening came from below my feet.
Then, voices followed.
"Come on, what's wrong with the CCTV again? It's not like a crow pecked at it like before, is it?"
It was the voice of a guard coming out the door.
Right now, I was crouching on the roof of the guardhouse.
The person coming out was the night guard of the mansion.
He had come out of the guardhouse after receiving a call from the CCTV company.
*Thud.*
I landed silently behind the guard.
And struck his neck from behind.
*Crack.*
He collapsed to the ground without even screaming.
["You're not killing him this time?"]
As I moved the unconscious guard, Sof asked.
"He's an ordinary guard. Not an enemy."
He neither attacked nor blocked me.
If I'd needed to leave no trace, I would have gagged him, but there was no need for that this time.
["So you didn't kill him because he's not an enemy? It seems like you hit him too hard for that... It looks like his neck bone is broken."]
It was my first time attacking an ordinary person after obtaining energy. It seemed I couldn't control my strength well.
It couldn't be helped.
I dragged the guard inside the guardhouse.
As expected, there was one more night guard inside.
"Ah, wait. Why are you back already? What, did you forget something?"
He was on the phone with the CCTV company.
The moment he turned around, I struck his jaw.
*Thud.*
The guard fell backward, foaming at the mouth.
["Looks like you broke his jaw this time."]
That was a relief.
If I had hit his neck again, it would have been serious.
I had struck his jaw because controlling my strength was difficult, but it was the right move a hundred times over.
A shattered jaw was much easier to treat than a broken neck bone.
I snatched the receiver from the falling man.
A voice came from the receiver.
"Hello?"
I covered the receiver, cleared my throat a few times, and spoke.
A voice different from my usual one flowed from my throat.
"The call's been handed over. I checked and came back just now. Lightning struck, and all the electricity in this area went out. I think we need to get the CCTV cameras fixed. Can you come right away?"
The other person stammered as words poured out frantically.
"Ah, lightning? That's... It's difficult to come right away."
There was no way they could come right away.
"That's a problem. When is the earliest you can make it?"
"I'll send someone first thing in the morning when we open."
"Understood. Then we'll continue patrolling in the meantime. But this matter will be reported upstairs."
"...Understood. We'll get there as soon as possible, so please put in a good word."
I hung up.
["Is everything done?"]
"Yes. At this point, they won't report it to the police. They'll probably send someone separately to check the situation, but we'll be done before then."
["I've felt this before, but you're really good at this kind of thing."]
"I did something similar during the war. Infiltrating military facilities. It was harder than now. We didn't have magic back then."
["And you use energy well even though no one taught you."]
The voice I had spoken with on the phone until moments ago was a voice altered with dark energy.
It was a technique I had wanted to try because it was much more convenient than using a machine and produced a more realistic voice.
Now, even Sof had stopped going on about magic.
But it didn't seem like they had given up, so they were probably looking for another way.
I seated the unconscious guards in chairs and went outside.
Now it was time to meet the people involved.
I left the guardhouse and crossed the spacious garden.
The house was quiet.
No other rooms had their lights on, and no one seemed to have woken up.
Without any interference, I was able to arrive in front of the lit window.
Beyond the window, two people were sitting on the sofa in the lit living room.
Two people conversing with brandy in front of them.
Their words drifted through the slightly open window gap.
For people talking over drinks late at night, the atmosphere was unpleasant.
A man with a robust physique for his age said with a frown.
"Everything else seems to be going your way, but I really don't like this matter."
At the old man's words, General Bak bowed his head.
"I'm in contact. Please wait just a little longer."
But the old man merely lifted his glass and clicked his tongue.
"It's already been two days since you said that. Moreover, I'm hearing that the person we need to bring has appeared in Seoul."
"That hasn't been confirmed yet."
Even hearing General Bak's excuse, the old man, Chairman Yu, didn't stop.
"Honestly, I'm very disappointed. The reason I brought you in after you were pushed out was because you had capable subordinates, more so than being the project leader."
Hearing those words, General Bak bit his lip.
"I'll take care of it myself as soon as dawn breaks. I'll kidnap his older brother and family if I must, and finish this properly."
Only then did the old man smile with satisfaction.
"Good. When things go wrong, leading by example is what's needed. Take care of it like that."
Hearing the old man's words, Sof clicked their tongue.
["So he made him get his own hands dirty. What a splendid figure of authority. People don't seem to change, no matter where they live or what era it is."]
Putting aside Sof's admiration, I walked up to the window.
I opened the window wide.
*Slide.*
Though the window opened smoothly, it wasn't quiet enough to go unheard.
"Who goes there!"
Chairman Yu turned his head and shouted in anger, while General Bak sprang to his feet.
"Y-you!"
It was an incredibly loud voice for someone surprised to see me.
He had intentionally raised his voice so others could hear.
But it was useless.
["I've cast a soundproofing spell. No one outside will hear."]
I had already asked Sof for help.
This magic wasn't the grand kind that Sof wanted to recover, but it was a great help in the current situation.
I climbed through the open window into the living room.
"To break into my house uninvited at this hour—you've got some nerve. Do you know who I am!"
The chairman became angry again upon seeing me, but I ignored his words.
I stood behind the chairman and spoke to the general.
"You said you were looking for me. Your invitation was too rough, so I came on my own two feet. I'd like to hear why you were looking for me."
The old man, about to get angry again, realized who I was upon seeing my words and the general's expression.
"So you're that porter!"
I sighed at the chairman's words.
"I am indeed a porter, but I don't like hearing it from someone else."
The chairman didn't look like he intended to listen to me.
He quickly continued.
"I was the one who called for you. There seems to have been a problem in the middle—looks like those below mishandled things."
"Is that so?"
I passed by the chairman and sat on the opposite sofa.
While I sat nearby, the general kept touching his chest.
He seemed to be looking for the handgun he had deposited when entering this house.
But there was no way a non-existent handgun would appear.
"Please, sit for a moment. We should finish the conversation you were having."
When I tapped the sofa, the general hesitated and sat down next to me.
The general's face was pale as he sat down.
Perhaps because he'd eaten military rice, the general understood the current situation.
"I wondered why the preparations were excessively thorough; so it was you who ordered it, General."
The assault had involved too many troops and too much firepower just to kidnap one person.
"Before proceeding, I was able to obtain a report on you."
"Then why did you proceed as planned?"
"I thought that level of preparation would be enough... I didn't know it would fail like this."
Without magic, it certainly wouldn't have been a fight that ended so easily.
"What happened to my subordinates?"
"They're waiting for you, General."
I pointed to the sky with my finger.
The general let out a sigh.
"They weren't soldiers who should go like that..."
"Both those who gave the orders and those who followed must take responsibility. Moreover, I heard all those soldiers were discharged. You were trying to bring me as a gift to join the company, weren't you?"
The general's eyebrows twitched at my words.
"He told you everything."
"Yes. I heard everything First Lieutenant Jo knew. However, the lieutenant didn't know much. I came to hear the rest."
The general glared at the table and asked me.
"If I tell you everything, will you let me live?"
I shook my head.
"It'll be less painful."
"You are a scarier person than I thought."
Having heard of his subordinates' fate, the general seemed half-resigned.
It seemed things would end more easily than expected.
However, there was still someone present who didn't understand the situation.
"Don't tell me... you killed people? You're going to kill the general too?"
I answered the old man's question.
"Your hearing is still sharp."
"What absurd nonsense is that! This is Seoul! The capital of Korea where the rule of law is alive!"
The old man was saying strange things.
I asked him.
"Didn't you try to kidnap me while ignoring the law? Furthermore, you tried to kidnap my family."
"That is... I only said I wanted to meet you. General Bak was the one who acted excessively!"
I nodded at his excuse.
"I see. I understand perfectly."
Seeing my expression, the old man's face gradually changed.
"...Don't tell me, you're not planning to do the same to me?"
"I can't just let someone who put me and my family in danger go free. A soldier is someone who kills enemies to protect his comrades and family."
The old man's face contorted in horror at my words.
"You're insane."
He wasn't wrong.
A soldier who had been through war was bound to have at least one mental illness.
This might be mine.
"The war is over!"
"No. The war isn't over. I'm still fighting with my life on the line even now. And now, I intend to hear why I must fight."
Upon hearing those words, Chairman Yu screamed.
He offered money, begged, and tried to intimidate me, but it was all meaningless.
No one was coming to this room.
Seeing that, General Bak answered my questions well.
He rambled on as if talking to himself.
"The upper echelons of the government and the chaebols connected to it blindly follow America's words. Starting the war, pushing people into that star—it's all done according to America's orders. They think that by doing so, they and their families can survive."
The first part was something I already knew, but I didn't understand what followed.
'They can survive?'
The general's words continued.
"Even I, the person in charge, couldn't hear the reason. I tried to find out and ended up getting kicked out like this. Neither money nor threats worked. They seemed to have silenced them using some absurd method..."
Unfortunately, the general didn't have proper information.
"Anyway, after being kicked out, I thought to borrow the power of Chairman Yu, who like me couldn't get in line."
In the end, it seemed I would have to hear proper information from Magreta's superior, whom I would meet the day after tomorrow.
There was nothing left to ask the old man separately.
I knocked both of them unconscious.
And I took out corpses from a box.
I laid out the corpses of First Lieutenant Jo and the former soldiers who had attacked me in the living room.
Then I took out C4 plastic explosives and installed them in the room.
["Is there a reason for doing it this way? It doesn't seem like you're trying to make it look like the General and Chairman killed each other."]
"I'm just disposing of the corpses all at once. It'll look like a terrorist attack anyway. As long as people get confused, that's enough."
Everyone who knew that retired soldiers had attacked me was here.
The corpses who carried out the work and the unconscious people who gave the orders.
These were the only ones who knew this matter was connected to me.
There might be someone suspicious, but if all of them died in the explosion, further investigation would be impossible.
I looked around the living room one last time and asked Sof a favor.
["So I just need to cast a shield spell on the room?"]
If it was shield magic that could even block bullets, the explosion wouldn't leak outside the room.
I nodded at Sof's words and lit the fuse on the explosives.
And I went outside through the window.
After crossing the spacious garden and climbing over the wall, I climbed up onto a traffic light.
I saw a car coming down the quiet road.
It was a security company car.
The moment that car approached the chaebol's house.
*BOOOOM!*
One side of the house blew out.
Startled people ran out, and screams were heard.
Sof lamented.
["The firepower is stronger than I thought. The shield couldn't block it all. Some people might get hurt."]
["Operations always come with a margin of error."]
With those words, I propelled myself off again.
The night stroll was over.
It was time to go back.