We carefully detoured north through the woods until we came to a point where we could see the back of the fort. The guards seemed to take turns keeping an eye on their surroundings from the turrets built one in each direction, but as long as Leslie's magic lasted, there was no sign of them noticing us.

　The Zirconia stronghold we found is thought to have started out as a barracks to guard the shipyard and surrounding area, and then fences and turrets were built around the perimeter to prevent intruders from entering the area, leading to the present day.

　There are traces of trees cut down on the north side - they were cut down to build this fort about two years ago. It is believed that since that time a plot to build a warship and cross the border has been in motion.

'Glass, if the wood cut from here is being used to build the fort, is there any information we can get from it?

　Even though the tree has been cut and processed, it still calls to the stump. His Highness was right, when I touched the stump, I could sense where it was used in the fort.

(My goodness, ...... the divine tree still governs all plants. Even the zirconia plants are helping us, the contractors of the divine tree, ......!)

　I sorted and reconstructed in my mind the memories provided by the stumps of the trees that had been cut down. Then I used one of the stumps as a stand and began to draw a drawing of the fort on the parchment I had brought with me.

'Dr. Glass, is that ...... a map of this fort?'
'Yes, sir. As your highness said, I was able to trace the memory of the tree that was cut down here.

　With the moonlight shining through the forest, I finished the simplified diagram and asked Presha, who was peeking in, to look at it first.

I'm not going to be able to get it right.　How does a commander's bedroom even know that?
'Trees are cut down, but they live on. I've had conversations with these stumps and they've taught me a lot about how the fort was built.
'How can you go to such lengths ...... Doesn't Glass mean that no matter how solid a fortress is, if the wood is used, the structure can be laid bare?'
'It's fine for about two years after it's been built. As the years go by, though, the vibrancy of the wood wears off, so it's hard to get them to answer the call.

　Presha and Raquel look at the drawing and consider the route of entry. The fence on the north side of the fort has a small door for the soldiers to enter and exit. At first glance, it would not open from the outside, but there was a mechanism to open it from the outside, and it seemed to be easy to open if one knew how to do so.

　The fact that only the commander's quarters are built separately seems to contribute greatly to our operation.

　And one more thing - a large, one-story barracks that is probably used by many of the soldiers in this fort. With magic, we can neutralize the enemy soldiers here in several ways.

''Leslie, manipulating the flow of air is a category controlled by the 'wind' spirits, isn't it?'''
'...... I can work on the air around me and get it to move. It's not as fast as a wind spirit, and it can't be used over a wide area.
I see ...... has that kind of restriction.

　Perhaps it would be a better match for what I'm about to do now if I worked with the Spirit Master of the Wind.

　With Alraune's pollen, the entire fortress will be under the control of the demon flower. It would be a simple matter to shed the pollen from windward, but we can't reliably let the pollen enter the building, and even if only some of the enemies are hypnotized, it would be useless if the other soldiers are alerted to it.

...... Brother Glass, I have one thought for you.
Hmm. ......?
'You can't change the direction of the wind, but you can create a 'ball of air'. Besides, if you can trap the pollen from Alraune's pollen: ......
Oh, you can do that?

　Leslie nodded at the surprised Presha-san with a persistent nod.

　By cooperating with Leslie, Alraune's pollen is made into a flying tool that can put the targeted opponent to sleep - the "Hypnotic Air Ball", the power of which was to be tested by using it on the soldiers in the turret on the north side of the fortress.

　Arraune is summoned from the bulb and the pollen is sealed into the air ball by Leslie. She said, 'I can get it to move,' but the small ball of air seems to be able to manipulate it at will, and it flies straight to the soldier on the turret - and.

'...... Summoner-sama, it worked, my pollen has reached the enemy's people!'

　Lune complained excitedly, though he kept his voice down. The soldier on top of the turret stopped moving as if he were asleep, as he would not be able to serve as a watchman if he did so.

　The pollen of hypnosis, it turned out, could work without commanding them to sleep, if only to put them to sleep. Depending on how they used it, they could control the movements of the enemy soldiers and eliminate obstacles until they entered their destination.

'Magic is an amazingly powerful thing when you're creative: ......
'Lune, with the help of your pollen, I'm sure we won't have to do any naughty killing.
"I'm happy to see you, summoner, the princess praised me. ......
Good for you, Lune. Try not to speak too loudly from here on out, or you'll be in big trouble if they notice.

　Lune closed her mouth and held it in her hands. It was a bit tense with an infiltration mission with a child, but now that the combination of Leslie and Alraune proved effective, the always stern Racquel-san didn't blame her.

'Then we will proceed to the commander's office. Let's take things very carefully.

　Leslie intensifies the effect of the magic that eliminates the signs. We became 'an unrecognizable presence there' except for ourselves, and we finally entered the interior from behind the fort.