Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 113: Lay Low

Let’s cut to the moment after Jules teleported... fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Ow...this really hurts...," She muttered with a grimace, before taking out the Healing Spell Card and activating it.

"Who’s there? Hm? Oh, it’s just you, Jules, I thought-...huh? Wh-what happened to you!? Y-you’re bleeding!" Suddenly came Lyra’s voice, before she rushed over in alarm.

"I-it’s okay, I’m fine...it’s a deep wound, but not a fatal one, and I’ve already healed it, see?" She replied assuringly, as she lifted her shirt up and wiped away the blood.

"Th-thank goodness, you had me really worried there. What happened? How did you get an injury like that, in the first place?" Lyra asked her, as she calmed down.

"Well, it’s a bit of a long story," Responded Jules with a sigh, while thinking to herself, "Seems like Tilda has gotten caught up with Exalt somehow. I figured as much when those two others teleported into my office, but I really didn’t expect her to stab me like that. I mean, she was careful to avoid hitting a vital organ, so even though it was a serious injury, it was well within what an ordinary Healing Spell could fix...but still, she could’ve given me a warning about it in that note, that really hurt..."

Lyra then brought some fresh clothes for Jules to change into, since the part of her outfit around where she’d been stabbed was soaked with blood.

As she got changed, Jules then brought Lyra up to speed on what had happened.

"And she left me with this, a Teleport Spell to Exalt’s hideout," Said Jules as she finished explaining and took out the Spell Card.

"I see...so, then she’s working as a double agent, pretending to be on Exalt’s side? That’s pretty risky, she’ll be in serious danger if they find out," Responded Lyra with a look of concern.

"Yeah, I’m worried about her...but for now, I have no choice but to trust her to take care of herself. If I let my emotions get the better of me and rush out there, I’ll only be wasting her efforts. So, I’ll stay here with you for a few days, wait for things to settle a bit and then decide on how to proceed. This has turned into a bigger mess than I’d initially thought...I can’t take this situation lightly any longer," Remarked Jules with a determined grimace.

Let’s fast forward ahead to the meeting again...

"And that brings me to today. I found this cloak and mask in the place where I’m hiding the Queen and put them on, just in case there are any real Exalt spies lurking in the Capital. And I figured that if I approach the Knight headquarters and say I’ve got information about Exalt’s hideout, you wouldn’t be able to ignore it. And it looks like my timing was perfect, for so many of the highest-ranked Knights to be here when I showed up is ideal. And while I may not know the exact location of Exalt’s hideout, I know how to get there," Remarked Jules as she held up the Teleport Spell.

"I should be able to make copies if I analyze it," Chimed in Tacitus.

"Wow, never thought I’d see the day when you’d voluntarily ask for more work," Responded Aster in shock.

"Yeah, well, the sooner we eliminate Exalt, the sooner my workload will go back down," Shrugged Tacitus dryly.

"Great, I was hoping you’d be able to copy it. Alright, then, I’m counting on you," Nodded Jules, as she slid the card over towards Tacitus.

"So, what’s the plan going forward? We could attack Exalt right away, they definitely won’t be expecting that," Chimed in Raven.

"Yes, I’ve been considering that, but no, not yet...we should wait for Tilda to contact us. There’s still too much we don’t know, so it would be risky to make our move now. I’ll hide out here in the Knight outpost, don’t tell anyone else about me. And Siele, you’re in charge while I lay low. Hm...and make it seem like the Knights are in disarray, continue acting like I’m dead," Instructed Jules after mulling it over.

"Understood, you can leave it to me, Commander, I won’t let you down," Nodded Siele without hesitation.

A few days later...

"Okay, here I am...now, then, how should I go about contacting the Knights?" Wondered Tilda, as she teleported into the Capital, before continuing, "If the Commander hasn’t told the others that I’m working as a double agent yet, it won’t be pretty...no, in all likelihood, she’s probably told them by now. Alright, then, I’ll sneak into headquarters and try to find the Vice-Commander. I just hope he doesn’t attack me again, he really messed me up last time..."

She then began making her way towards the Knight headquarters, staying out of sight and keeping a cautious eye out to make sure she wasn’t spotted.

While she was told that there weren’t any other spies in the Capital, she figured that it would be best if she assumed that there were...although she was reasonably confident that she’d earned Reiss’s trust, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he still harbored some doubts and suspicion towards her.

It wasn’t long before the Knight headquarters came into sight, she crept around to the back of the building, and after making sure that the coast was clear, snuck in through an open window.

"Hm, security has been tightened, but it’s still a bit too lax. Well, I suppose that’s likely because the Order must be stretched pretty thin right now, there are plenty of other areas that need to be protected too, after all," Surmised Tilda, before quietly creeping through the building and making her way towards Siele’s office.

It took a while since she had to hide repeatedly to avoid being spotted by the other Knights, but she eventually made it to his office. She looked around to make sure that the coast was clear, before knocking on the door.

"It’s unlocked, come in," Came Siele’s voice from inside.

Tilda took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to compose herself, before opening the door and stepping into the room nervously.

"U-um...hi," She stuttered slightly, as Siele met her gaze, his eyes widening in surprise.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she noticed that there was no animosity in his expression, before shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, uh...you’re back," He greeted her, a hint of guilt in his eyes as he averted his gaze slightly.

"Okay, good, looks like the Commander did tell him about me. That’s a relief. He definitely would’ve attacked me on sight otherwise," She thought to herself, before responding, "Yeah, I’ve gathered a lot of information about Exalt, so, um...yeah."

"I see. I, uh...I’m sorry for attacking you, I-...," He began remorsefully.

"N-no, that wasn’t your fault, I would’ve reacted in the same way if I were in your shoes. Plus, it helped further convince Exalt that I’m on their side, so yeah, it all worked out."

"Still, though..."

"Let’s move past it, okay? I can’t hang around here for too long, so I’ll get right to it and tell you everything I’ve learned about Exalt."