"Sister Anna?"
Perhaps noticing my stiff expression, Lily looked around in confusion. She didn't feel anything amiss.
I didn't speak, silently putting down the towel in my hand and holding Lily tightly, while closing my legs as much as possible.
We were being watched—regardless of gender, no one could possibly enjoy this feeling. Adding to that the fact that I'm now a girl, an even deeper sense of shame filled every part of my body.
Private residences are forbidden territory. Trespassing is illegal, but just like theft, it's not a crime if you don't get caught. There are quite a few cat burglars who scale walls in the dead of night.
Due to age restrictions, there's no setting for sexual predators, but I can't guarantee what kind of sight Lily and I present in the other party's eyes.
Excluding burglars, another possibility is an assassin.
If the people pursuing Lily know she's still alive, they definitely won't let it go.
Regardless of which possibility, the other party definitely comes with ill intent.
Part of my [Detection] skill level is reduced due to not having a master, but even while bathing, I hadn't relaxed my vigilance. Yet by the time I discovered an unwelcome intruder, they were already inside the mansion.
When exactly did they infiltrate? I have no idea.
I can't guarantee anything else, but this infiltrating bastard definitely has a very high [Stealth] level.
The other party must have also realized they accidentally exposed their presence and is desperately trying to re-enter the shadows.
Too late. I admit that failing to detect them immediately was my negligence, but now that I've discovered them, I absolutely won't allow this matter to end carelessly.
"Mmph... mmph mmph...!"
It's okay, Lily, I'll protect you.
Strangely, the other party shows no intention of actively attacking. Do they think I haven't noticed? I'm really being underestimated.
[Target Lock].
Through my [Detection] skill, I roughly locked onto the other party's position. Based on the skill level difference, I can only generally sense which area they're in.
"Mmph mmph..."
Good... unwilling to leave? That suits me perfectly.
As surprise and unease faded, what enveloped my heart was uncontrollable anger.
Whether it's a perverted voyeur or a demon intending to harm Lily, I don't plan to easily forgive either one.
"Mmph mmph mmph~~~"
I have to protect Lily, drag out that bastard, and then...
"Eh? Lily?!"
Coming back to my senses, I suddenly discovered that Lily had actually fainted in my arms.
Could it be that the other party's [Stealth] level is so high they could strike even in front of me? No, that's not right. Lily has no new wounds and no additional negative status effects. This is...
She was suffocated by my oppai. (TN: Do I have to explain?)
"S-sorry! Lily..."
I completely didn't think this possibility could occur. I hope Lily's young mind won't be left with psychological trauma.
I quickly gave Lily a final simple wash, acting as if nothing happened, while trying to cover my private areas as I got dressed.
Still not leaving. Very good.
The target is closely following us. I can rule out my guess that it's a petty thief after the house's valuables.
Full of guilt, I placed Lily on the soft bed in the bedroom, tucked her in, and left a gentle goodnight kiss on her forehead.
Big sister will be back soon.
I calmly left the bedroom and closed the door.
I need to take down the unwelcome intruder who infiltrated the mansion without disturbing Lily, but the space inside the house is very cramped and not suitable for combat.
The courtyard is the perfect battlefield.
Without a master, my overall combat ability is reduced, and some skills only have 30% effectiveness. However, I have a method to lift restrictions that can temporarily raise my reduced abilities to 50% for about three minutes.
Speaking of which, isn't this subtle timing of three minutes intentional? A tribute to some tokusatsu series setting? (TN: Ultraman reference.)
Unfortunately, lifting restrictions doesn't turn me into a Super Saiyan, nor is there a dedicated magical girl transformation sequence. I just need to input a command like summoning magical elements, and the restriction is lifted as time passes as if nothing happened.
In the blink of an eye, my vision cleared to its utmost.
I don't possess the elven [Night Vision] talent, but the enhanced [Detection] still provided me with much clearer vision. Most mysteriously, what was originally a heat-sensing-like detection ability became like having wallhack cheats after enhancement—even the other side of walls was clearly visible.
But detection skills aren't omnipotent. Detection can also be detected by detection skills—in other words, one can discover that another person is using skills to gather intelligence.
The cloaked figure who had infiltrated the room suddenly trembled, but the intruder who realized too late was already like prey caught in a spider's web—no matter how hard they struggled, it was futile.
[Silence].
Chains imbued with silence magic wrapped around the intruder's left wrist in a flash. I had carefully considered the existence of escape skills—from the moment the chains wrapped around them, all skills were in a temporarily sealed state.
Seeing this, the intruder decisively canceled [Stealth], and cold light flashed in their hand.
—A dagger. Believing they couldn't destroy the chains and instead attacking me, the user, is the optimal solution. You would definitely do this.
After all, silence magic can seal skills but cannot terminate skills already in use—in other words, silence magic cannot forcibly end certain minor skills attached during stealth. For example, the extra damage bonus for the first attack after emerging from stealth.
Underestimating the flying dagger would definitely result in big trouble, but the dagger thrown with full force by the intruder appeared as slow as slow motion to me. I had plenty of time to respond.
The chains wove into a net before me. The dagger struck the dense outer layer of chains, but the dagger with added extra damage, let alone threatening me, couldn't even break through the first layer of the chain's surface.
The dagger without the extra damage bonus was just an ordinary throwing knife, bouncing off and embedding firmly into the floor.
I manipulated the chains, along with the intruder's light body, leaping out through the second-floor window.