[Randall's POV]
For the next few days, things were rough. Not just for us, but possibly for everyone. Coordinated assaults to the quarry, the takeover of the logging site, and the kidnapping of two or three dozens of demons. Pretty bad-looking.
At the time, I felt something was off. Why not let them keep the supply spots? They could produce stone through alchemy and wood through magic, so spending manpower to take back both of them early felt rather unneeded.
And besides, to keep the resource zones occupied would divide the enemies' manpower, enabling the Syndicate to hit back hard while focusing everything it had on one point.
I even spoke with Anne about it yesterday. She didn't take long to refute it and explain why. "Production of materials through Alkahest tends to end up in imitations of the originals, with many of their important qualities downgraded or gone. Materials can't be transmuted fast enough, as a good majority of alchemists are incapable of doing it well enough."
Yep. It couldn't be that simple.
Of course, I also recalled that one time I faced a gorilla that could transform its body into stone. But instead of asking, I tried to find an answer on my own.
A quickly emerging thought dictated that, maybe, monsters simply had a better "aptitude" when it came to alchemy.
That was discarded fast. While it could provide another reason why monsters (and by proxy, beastkin,) were so hated, I lacked any ways to prove it. Furthermore, the essays in Violet's library and my time spent under Monarch Orwell's care… Neither of them were usable to vouch in favour of this idea.
In the end, the most reasonable conclusion was that people here were just bad at it. Fernbedie is a pretty small place, all things considered.
'Yeah.' Thoughts continued drifting, as my back hugged the coldness of the floor.
Ultimately, they all led to the same ending. 'Enough wasting time. I should get up.' My back leaned forward, lifting my head. A glance reminded me of this room's layout.
Unlike Jack's place, there were only 2 rooms here. A large one, where the entry door and the kitchen hung out with the living room.
Meanwhile, we'd sleep in the adjacent quarters. And, surprise surprise, nothing but an unstable sleep schedule awaited us… Or me, at least. Anne didn't seem to be having much trouble.
"Morning, Anne."
"Just because it's your free day, doesn't mean you have the right to wake up this late." When faced with her frowning, I only rolled my eyes.
It's just a day. I've been working hard ever since… ever since I ran away from that underground prison????
'Maybe I deserve that break more than I thought-'
A knock dared to rudely cut off my work-related pondering.
'Wait a second, that's not normal. There's only one person that knows we're living here…'
Anne's pen appeared on her hand. I guess stuff is about to go down.
My rapier manifested on my right hand. Repositioning behind the wall was all I had to do.
The door creaked as it welcomed a gust of wind inside, before being even louder when closing.
"You wouldn't dare come here unless it was for something important." Her voice echoed from beyond the walls splitting both rooms.
A guest stood right in the middle of the 'entrance room'.
"You're right… And unfortunately, I do have some nasty news to share."
We both looked at the one who just came in. Each of his echoing steps sent ripples across heavy air filling the house.
The purple titan who became the first welcoming person in this… particularly unique place. The demon himself, Jack Titan.
"You know Jack, if it meant delivering bad news, you could have taken a few more days to come here."
Such a serious reaction. I guess he really forgot to get the humour when packing the news.
"Roman Solpani, the owner of the farm, was confirmed to be collaborating with the usurpers."
"I thought that was obv-"
Oops. Slip of tongue.
"It was, to us. The same doesn't apply to everyone else."
… How? How can they not realize something so obvious?
"Fernand wasn't too sure about it, so the others dared not jump to conclusions."
… Ok, that's a bit reasonable.
"... quite fitting…"
Anne's barely-audible whispers died off before my ears caught them. Mere moments later, her closed eyes opened with her usual serious, thoughtful stare appearing. "Either way, you probably didn't come here to gossip. What was the development? And most importantly, what do we do?"
Jack's lavender expression went from neutral to mildly distressed. "Oliver told me that the leader needed to raid the place, but they needed an excuse to do so..."
… Yeah. If they suddenly came up and said that someone within the farm was dealing with the bandits, someone might grow curious as to how they know.
Jack continued. "He also mentioned that improving the Syndicate's public image would be quite beneficial, too. Amongst the people, there's budding concerns of dwindling trust in their ability to protect Fernbedie."
Anne nodded, but silence enveloped the room for a while. "... Randall, do you have any suggestions?"
"Not really. Give me a minute to think."
Jack's points were clear enough, so figured I could give this "test" of hers a shot.
They want to raid it, and they want to improve their reputation. Can these two be dealt with in a single action?
'... If a conventional raid can't work due to circumstances, then something else will have to work.'
A surprise raid isn't going to help either, as it is likely to arouse suspicion. The same could apply to an inspection, if the inspector is too pushy with the windmills.
If they had a reason to check the windmills without looking suspicious… wait.
I think I got it.
It wouldn't be strange if they needed to check the installations after an attack took place. Besides, with the movements done by our opponents, another assault sounds both likely and logical.
"We carry out a raid of our own!"
The sound of Anne's palms crashing with each other echoed lightly. "Correct, except for a small detail: Only Jack can do it."
… Ah.
I guess that's true. He was the one asked to do that, anyway.
"Now, as to how you can lure them over… Jack, you'll need some explosives for this," said Anne.
"Yep, that was ob… wait, what?" My eyes snapped in her direction faster than a fuse catching on fire.
Bombs?? Where are we going to even get a bomb from???
"Ehh?" Looks like Jack shared a similar reaction to mine.
"We're not bombing innocents, that's out of the question."
"Who said we're bombing anyone?" Her confident smirk widened. "Aiming for their fields is more efficient, and safer. The crops will give Jack some valuable cover while sneaking around."
She stopped for a moment. "… Unless, you can carry out a complete assault head-on, while preserving your identity, and managing to evade pursuit, all on your own?"
He scratched his head. "... No, I'm not that good."
"Then you'll go out at night. What was the deadline given to you by Oliver?"
"Four days."
The demoness nodded her head. "We'll get the materials for the bombs. Once that is done, we'll hide somewhere and discuss the finer details of the plan."
"Alright. Anything I need to prepare, besides a weapon?"
"Try visiting the farm. It'd be nice to have the guards' schedules, but you only need to know where the buildings are. And of course, don't get caught."
He let out a small laugh. "Sure, see you guys soon." His rather large frame walked back to the other room, then snuck out the door. Somehow.
"I guess we have something to do for tomorrow," I voiced out.
"Yes. Gather materials for the bombs, and craft them."
… Make them?
She can craft bombs????
"In case you're wondering, yes. I learned it from my time as an assassin… Granted, it was only the basics, so it could go wrong."
… It's almost impressive how she can say that so casually. Almost made me forget how we were talking about crafting a bomb.
"Either way, Randall, considering the importance of this… I'll set off tomorrow to get the materials. You rest for today."
I accepted her words, then went on with my day. Maybe I'll have to discard the idea of resting… sad.