After walking for a while, we could see the building we were looking for through the trees.
We approached cautiously, hiding in the shadows of the trees to get a better look.

We saw a man who looked like a gatekeeper standing in front of the gate with a spear in his hand.
He leaned his back against the gate and looked as if he was dozing half-standing.

'Mee, can you go?'

'Yes, sir. It's a sitting duck. It'll be easy.'

When I asked her, she smiled confidently and headed towards the guards by herself.
On her way, she drew her dagger from its sheath at her waist, carefully and quickly closing the distance between her and the guards, picking their blind spots.
The girl eventually disappeared among the trees, out of sight even from my eyes.

The next time she came into view was a dozen seconds later.
She suddenly appeared from the side of the gatekeeper, glided up to the target with a quick and natural movement, and slashed the gatekeeper's neck with the dagger in her hand without him noticing at all.
The gatekeeper's neck was seen to erupt in red, and he collapsed.

Mee beckoned to us in front of the gate.
At that signal, we joined her.

'As expected of you, Mee, you're a master. You can count on me.'

I put my hand on Mee's head, and the beastman girl twitched her ears, looking embarrassed.
She then immediately went around to check the gate.

The girl in Satsuki's form, on the other hand, gasped as she saw the gatekeeper fall to his death.

'What's the matter, Filia? Do you still want to quit?'

I asked, and Filia shook her head.

'No, of course not. I'll never forgive them. I have to kill them all.

Filia - the girl in Satsuki's form's eyes change to something she hasn't seen in a while.
It seems that she is ready.

Killing a person is indeed something to think about.
There are two levels: the level of values of right and wrong, and the level of physiological resistance, but at least the latter cannot be completely erased.

Killing goblins is another level.
Killing one's own kind is also something that sticks in one's mind.

However, living in this violent world, we cannot afford to be overly sensitive about taking or losing lives.

Especially for those bandits who kill their own kind with impunity, it would be appropriate to treat them simply as 'enemies', just like monsters.

'All right. Then we'll support our client, Filia. Mee, can you open the gate?

I looked at Mee, who was examining the door, and she shook her head.

'No. It looks like it's been bolted from the other side.

The gate, which consisted of a stone wall and a large wooden door, was not the type of gate that could be opened with a keyhole, and it seemed that even Mee, a thief, could not pry it open.

So I tried to cast a knock spell to open the gate.
With this spell, I could unbolster even a bolted gate by myself with the power of magic.

With that in mind, he was about to start chanting the spell, but...

'But I need you to wait a moment.

And with that, she easily climbed up the gate, using the props on the gate to her advantage.
She then jumped down from the top of the fence and opened the door from the other side by unbolting the bolt.

'Sorry to keep you waiting. Come in.'

Mee greeted us from behind the door like a butler.

...... They are a very talented group of people.
You can conserve your mana thanks to them.

As I walked past Mee, I put my hand on her head and patted it absentmindedly.

'You're really something, aren't you? I'm impressed.'

'Mmmm ......'

Mee became just like a cat, her cat ears twitching and her tail wagging as she was being patted shyly.
I took my hand away from her head, thinking that this loveliness would make all the boys in the world fall in love with her.

'...... Oh my god, Mee. It's not the time to be gullible.

'Nya, that's right.'

Mee regains her seriousness after receiving a cold look from Cyril.

Then we passed through the courtyard at the end of the gate and headed for the main building of the mansion.