"Uh-oh," Kairo gritted out. "It seems like that elite civilian girl managed to trace the residual mana spike from my diagnostic loop after all. She brought a massive detachment of soldiers with her."
"They're right on top of us," Leonhart whispered, his hand instinctively reaching for where his blade would be.
"Damn it, I actually liked this lake," Kairo muttered, scrambling toward the rocky shore. "But it looks like we need to get the hell out of here. I haven't even had a chance to wipe myself dry! Hurry, Leonhart, we need to grab our civilian clothes and blend into the environment!"
Leonhart nodded sharply, bounding out of the water. Kairo's mind raced as he looked at the approaching torches through the treeline. "Leonhart, new plan. We aren't going inland. We're going to dive straight back into the deep end of the lake and excavate a tunnel directly through the bedrock beneath the water. The density of the lake will completely mask our heat signatures and disrupt their magical tracking arrays!"
"Great idea, but what about our gear?" Leonhart panted, throwing on his civilian tunic over his wet skin. "Our extra pairs of clothes and provisions are still sitting inside the primary bunker. How are we going to transport all of that while digging at forty meters deep?!"
Kairo looked inward, screaming into his mind. System! You need to help me out here! I need an inventory bypass!
The blue screen flashed instantly, a rare tone of digital approval echoing in his skull.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
"You genuinely impressed me by rejecting that illusion last night and refusing to act like a desperate simp. Therefore, I am granting you a one-time-use tactical feature: [System Space Storage]. You may temporarily store all physical items from your bunker into the system interface right now. However, once you remove them, the slot will permanently lock, and you will not be able to store anything inside it again."
"Ok, thank you for saving my skin!" Kairo thought back.
"Mention it not. Calculating optimal evasion vector... I am generating a structural route map that will keep you entirely out of their sensory grid. Good luck."
With a swift mental command, Kairo vacuumed their entire inventory from the distant bunker into the digital void. He then turned toward the lake bed, raising his hands.
First, he targeted the opposite shore, intentionally splitting the earth to create a massive, highly visible decoy tunnel heading toward the northern mountains—a blatant bait path to make the guards waste their time digging in the wrong direction.
Once the trap was set, Kairo and Leonhart dove deep into the icy dark of the water. Reaching the lake bed, Kairo opened a clean, reinforced subterranean shaft that went way too deep, far below the standard detection radius of the Desire Spark. Instead of retreating, Kairo steered the trajectory straight toward the western perimeter of the enemy base itself. It was the ultimate tactical inversion: they would hide right under the enemy's nose.
The excavation was intense, the wet clay forcing Kairo to burn through his mana to maintain the structural ceiling as they dragged their bodies through the dark. After what felt like miles of blind, underground navigation, the tunnel slanted upward.
Kairo dissolved the upper layer of earth, and the two twelve-year-olds quietly climbed out into the cool night air, emerging directly behind a stack of wooden crates near the outer perimeter wall of the agricultural district. They quickly adjusted their local civilian tunics, smoothing down their hair to look like standard lower-tier workers.
They took three steps into the main alleyway, aiming to blend into the evening crowd.
"Hey! You two!"
A sharp, authoritative voice cut through the shadows. Kairo and Leonhart froze.
Stepping out from the amber lamplight was a heavy patrol of inner-district guards, their silver breastplates gleaming, their hands resting ominously on the hilts of their longswords. The lead soldier stepped directly into their path, his eyes narrowing as he scanned their mud-stained civilian clothes.
"Where do you kids think you're going at this hour?" the guard demanded, his voice echoing off the stone walls as the rest of the unit surrounded them. "Are you those..."
"Yeah, those kids you are thinking of died yesterday," Kairo replied smoothly, his voice completely level as he stared down the patrol leader.
But as he spoke, a sudden, alarming system message flashed directly into his retinas.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Your mud face mask was systematically removed by me during the lake excavation. The local tracking arrays were locking onto the clay composition. Unmasking you was the only variable to ensure your immediate survival.
Kairo's heart skipped a beat. He didn't even have time to process the system's interference before he felt Leonhart's gaze drilling into the side of his head.
Leonhart was staring at him in absolute, jaw-dropping shock. Wait, no way... Leonhart thought, his mind completely reeling. When the hell did Kairo's face become so damn handsome?
Under the midnight sky, Kairo's uncovered face was practically glowing like the moon. In addition to the natural starlight reflecting off the white stone alleyway, his skin possessed a flawless, sparkling radiance that cut through the darkness like crazy. Kairo braced himself for the guards to instantly recognize him from the previous skirmish, but to his utter shock, the soldiers just blinked, their aggressive postures completely softening as they stared at him in awe.
Before the patrol could even ask a single question, a sharp, feminine voice cut through the tense silence from the end of the street.
"Hey! You two idiots!"
A young, striking girl—looking around fifteen years old or slightly younger—marched out from the shadows, her arms crossed as she glared at them. "Have you completely forgotten that those intruders were already caught yesterday? Why are you still standing out here thinking those criminals are still lurking around? Mother is way too worried about you! Get home!"
Leonhart's eyes flickered, his tactical instincts instantly locking onto the girl's sudden intervention. He smoothly shifted his stance, adopting the persona of a highly motivated, patriotic young local. "But still! We can't just let innocent citizens die. We won't let a single innocent person suffer in our territory!"
Kairo's mind ran the diagnostic data of the area, his internal monologue firing at hyper-speed. Wait a second... Leonhart, you calm bastard. You are actually feeding their Desire Spark exactly what it wants to read. You're completely tricking their sensory grid!
Catching onto the play, Kairo raised a clenched fist toward Leonhart, his glowing features hardening into a fierce expression. "Yeah! Anyone who dares to destroy our sacred land... I will personally make sure I tear them apart limb from limb! Am I right, brother?"
Leonhart smiled, his knuckles meeting Kairo's in a sharp, synchronized fistbump. "Yeah! We'll grow even stronger than you one day!"
The lead guard let out a heavy, proud laugh, completely convinced by the display. "Well, well... it seems our future is in very safe hands. I must say, you two are way too handsome to be ordinary outer-ring boys. You certainly aren't like those wretched outsiders we hunted down. Just don't overwork yourselves because of that young motivation of yours, alright? Go home."
In perfect, mechanical unison, Kairo and Leonhart bowed. "Understood."
The moment the rhythmic footsteps of the patrol faded into the deeper sectors of the city, Kairo and Leonhart spun around to look at the mysterious fifteen-year-old girl. The street was entirely empty now, save for the three of them under the amber street lamps.
The girl tilted her head, a confident, slightly teasing smirk breaking across her face. "So... don't I deserve a kiss for saving a couple of intruders?"
Kairo's analytical shell immediately locked back into place, his eyes narrowing. "Woah, no way. How did you even know we were the intruders?"
"Because I was bathing near the lake when you spotted my sister last night," the girl explained, her tone casual as she leaned against the stone wall. "She was actively deploying her high-tier allure magic against you, but you somehow managed to maintain absolute control over yourself. To be honest, I was incredibly impressed. She always acts way too proud about her spells. But more importantly... I absolutely hate this city. The authorities severely bullied my closest friend just because their father refused to join the central cult. I want to help you destroy this entire land."
Leonhart stepped into her personal space, his golden eyes sharp and suspicious. "And what exactly do you want in return for this help?"
The girl's confident smirk cracked, a deep crimson blush rapidly creeping up her neck as she looked at the two of them. "Hey... don't be so blunt about it..."
"Ugh, forget about whatever you're thinking," Kairo interrupted deadpan, cutting off the romantic tension before the territory's magic could exploit it. "We know exactly what you're hinting at, but let's talk business. Once we dismantle this regime, we will formally grant you a high noble title, absolute honor in our homeland, and a massive share of the palace treasure. That should be more than enough to satisfy your ambitions."
The girl blinked, her shoulders slumping slightly in visible disappointment. "Uhh... ok. If you say so."
She shook her head, quickly clearing her throat to regain her composure. "Anyway, I bought a single, isolated house in this district because I am already way too rich from my family's estate. The property has full, absolute privacy. In this territory, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to enter another person's home at night unless they are explicitly invited across the threshold. So, both of you can enter safely."
Kairo and Leonhart exchanged a deeply hesitant glance. Entering a stranger's house in the middle of an enemy stronghold went against every basic combat protocol they had been taught.
Noticing their hesitation, the girl rolled her eyes. "Don't worry so much. I will completely lock my own bedroom door from the inside. You two can sleep in the adjacent room right beside mine. One of you can stay awake on guard duty, and when morning comes, you can exchange places."
Kairo and Leonhart nodded slowly, running the tactical variables and realizing their subterranean tunnels were currently being hunted. "Uh... it looks like we have no choice but to accept your offer for the night."
The girl's smirk returned, her eyes gleaming as she gestured down the alleyway. "That's the spirit. Follow me."
Without any other viable option, Kairo and Leonhart stepped across the threshold into the grand estate. The interior layout was staggering. It wasn't just beautiful; it was packed with an absurd level of luxury, rare marble architecture, and golden artifacts that even Kairo, a literal prince of the Land of Harmony, had never seen in his father's court.
Kairo looked around the pristine foyer, his mind drifting back to his homeland. Uhh... my father lives like a completely normal person, he thought, a wave of irony hitting him. If I really think about it, he doesn't even look like a sovereign king; he looks like the poorest person in the entire land. And yet here, in this corrupt territory, even a regular wealthy citizen possesses this much luxury.
As they walked down the wide corridor, Leonhart suddenly stopped. He turned to Kairo, his brow furrowed in deep, burning curiosity. "Seriously, Kairo... how the hell did you get so handsome all of a sudden?"
Before Kairo could invent an excuse, the translucent blue system interface popped up between them, flashing a fresh update.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Target: Leonhart. The local clay mask composition has been neutralized. Removing aesthetic suppression layers now.
Leonhart froze as a faint, silver shimmer rippled over his face. In the blink of an eye, his features shifted. The coarse, mud-stained texture vanished, revealing a face that was just as radiant, bright, and impeccably handsome as Kairo's—but with a distinctly sharper, highly masculine jawline that perfectly mirrored his warrior bloodline.
Kairo's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He glared internally at the interface. Hey, System! What the hell did you just do to us?!
"In your homeland, the founding elders utilized a specific, passive sealing magic to aggressively suppress your natural aesthetic appearance. I simply removed the suppression layer for this specific territory, because looking like a high-tier anomaly is an absolute prerequisite to survive the local social hierarchy."
Do you know why our parents did this to us? Kairo demanded, his analytical shell deeply agitated by the hidden data.
"To ensure you developed actual character and treated others in a proper, well-mannered way, they locked your true appearance behind a systemic illusion of ugliness. Under the laws of your realm, the seal is programmed to automatically dissolve the moment you get formally married, revealing your true beauty to the world. I merely bypassed the timer."
Leonhart rubbed his newly sharpened jawline, letting out a rough scoff. "Ugh... what kind of absolute geezers are our parents?"