Like the late-arriving MAC Aurors outside, after Brooks initially understood some of the situation in this monastery, the first thing that came to his mind was naturally the question of "how to get deep into it."
However, I have to say that in terms of luck, he is much better than his elder brother John. With the help of a Shitabe boy who personally accompanied them, they decisively gave up the seemingly simpler option of "pretending to be wanderers and sneaking in", and instead chose to sneak in secretly at night.
Of course, the Aurors outside have not considered this. It's just that the Auror Office, which has never been able to detect any traces, certainly doesn't dare to act rashly, knowing that there must be something weird about this monastery, and that there is probably someone behind the scenes such as a "dark wizard" running it. .
For this reason, Brooks, who made a quick decision and was full of action, even went in before John and the others caught up here.
Of course, no matter how resolute and decisive the usually honest Brooks is this time, the fact that he can successfully sneak into the monastery without being discovered immediately is ultimately all thanks to the mysterious and capable Shitabe next to him. Boy's. Without the other party's incredibly powerful perception and hiding ability, he would have been caught countless times by the people living here.
"How about it?"
Brooks squatted in the pile of debris at the foot of the wooden stairs, carefully glancing out through the gap between the two crates from time to time. After re-confirming that no one was outside, he took the time to turn back and ask in a lower voice. One sentence.
And soon, he saw that the Shitabe boy who had been squatting there since more than ten minutes ago, with his head lowered and one hand on the floor, finally raised his face slightly and shook his head slightly. Shake his head.
Since that night five days ago, the boy claimed that he felt a slight vibration coming from the ground. The two of them were hiding here and there to avoid being discovered, while continuing to look for a possible path to the place. Entrance to the underground.
It's a pity that after that, let alone the entrance, not even a similar vibration occurred again. So much so that the two of them were like two rats that couldn't find food these days, just scurrying around in every corner, but even they almost didn't know what they were doing.
Fortunately, perhaps it is because this monastery welcomes almost all wanderers from outside! The kitchen in the courtyard does not strictly control the food, which prevents the two of them from really becoming two hungry little mice.
"... Rats are a very good food. They are highly prolific and will eat anything. It is said that they helped our ancestors survive several famines safely."
Hearing Brooks muttering subconsciously, the Shtabe boy behind him made a serious correction. When Brooks heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little numb - he had no interest in treating rats as food! It seemed that if the other party was willing to invite him to have a casual meal or something in the future, it would be better for him to refuse.
Such an insignificant thought flashed through his mind. Brooks peeked outside a few more times, and then asked again without looking back:
"Now that this perception is over, should we... change places again?"
He would ask this naturally because the other party has been constantly asking to change positions in the past few days. Except for taking a rest nearly once a day to replenish physical strength, and regularly going to the kitchen to steal food to satisfy their hunger, the rest of the time was basically spent moving around and avoiding the residents—even though there were several times when Brooks thought they had found a pretty good one. The uninhabited spots can be used as fixed hiding places, but they have not been approved by the other party.
"When we know that there is a strong enemy that we cannot deal with, it is definitely safer and more appropriate to keep moving than to stay in one place, because we don't know at all whether it is possible for us to remain completely hidden from the opponent's eyes."
This was the answer given by Brooks after several inquiries.
To be honest, since he does not have the perceptive ability to detect the presence of an enemy like the other party, it is actually difficult for him to truly experience the feeling of an unknown and powerful enemy watching in the dark. For Brooks, just having to avoid passing residents almost all the time is like walking on the edge of a cliff.
However, since this Shitabe boy is willing to accompany him to take risks, what reason does he have for not trusting him? What's more, purely from the perspective of ability, the other party is much stronger than me!
Therefore, although Brooks has been having a hard time these days, he has been gritting his teeth and persevering, not daring to relax for a moment.
"Someone is coming, hide and don't move."
Suddenly, the eyes of the Shitabe boy who was farther inside changed. He noticed someone approaching before Brooks, who was on the outside and was responsible for staring at the corridor outside. He reached out and gently pulled the back of the latter's clothes.
When Brooks heard this, he immediately shrank his head and covered his head with the tarpaulin that was already covering his whole body. And almost after he finished this action, footsteps were faintly heard from the corner at the other end of the corridor, accompanied by some slight conversation.
"Have all the children from the north been accommodated?"
"Yes, but because there are so many people this time, the manpower is a bit insufficient - originally it was supposed to be one-to-one companionship, but this time it needs to be at least 'One Belt Four' or above."
"Well, no matter what, we have to inform the dean before it can be implemented with the dean's consent. Let them stay for a day to get used to it. There is no rush."
"OK."
"By the way, how is the situation with Alyssa before? She has good abilities and is quite smart. This time she brought a child to the dean who is said to have excellent qualifications... Maybe it's time to formally recruit her. "
"Yes! The dean also mentioned it... Well, I'll try it again tonight!"
The sound of conversation changed from approaching to far away. Listening to the footsteps, it must be that they were going upstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Brooks, who only had his eyes exposed under the tarpaulin, habitually looked in the direction of the Shitabe boy, and happened to see him looking in his direction.
The two people's eyes collided in the middle.
"Maybe... this is an opportunity?"
Brooks obviously didn't know anything about the relationship between Alyssa and Tia at the moment, but since it was possible for the other party to meet the mysterious abbot who they had never met before... this was undoubtedly a very dangerous opportunity.
"If you want to save people, you have to take this risk after all."
The Shitabe boy nodded, rarely agreeing with Brooks's idea.