After Luke and Garnett had sneaked away, Alexia gingerly stretched out, oblivious to the fact that she was being spied on, and then made her way to the table in the hall.

'Well, let's pack it up a bit more for now, shall we?

　Spread out on the tabletop was a single drawing.

　It was a sketch of a single elaborate device, drawn from multiple angles, accompanied by technical descriptions and symbols.

　It would take a mechanical engineer to understand the exact details, but the general function of the device can be understood just by looking at the sketch.

　It is a device for lifting and lowering heavy objects, such as cranes.

Is that ...... a mechanism to lower a ship?　That's what you use in that lake, right?

　Leila looks over Alexia's shoulder at the drawing.

　Even though it's a rough sketch, it's carefully drawn, and anyone who knows the pathway to the third level of entry can immediately understand not only its function but also its use.

　The fact that Leila, who didn't have any expert knowledge of the craft, was able to guess its function and use at a glance was proof of this.

"To be a little more precise, it's a device that goes up and down.

　Alexia sat back in her chair and then turned around and smiled at Leila behind her.

'You might think it's a bit of a detail, but this time it's not enough to just put them down. The adventurers who descended from that vertical hole have to come back by the same route, no matter what.

　From the second level, we will use the underground canal to raid the third level - this strategy is only a diversion.

　It is a prelude to making Agart Ram's consciousness and defense system biased towards 'raiding from the upper level' prior to the main mission's raid from the fourth level, and making him lose his preparations for the main mission completely.

　Hence, this raiding operation is based on the premise of defeat from the beginning.

It's the job of those who use the clever device to descend to the third level to be intercepted by the other side and not only that, but to bring everyone back safely as much as possible. In fact, it may be more important to pull them out than to dismount them.
'I see. ...... That's right. You need to get away from them properly .......
Maybe it's up to him to take his own life for granted. "It may be up to you to take your own life for granted, but you shouldn't take other people's lives lightly. We have to be ready to pull them out as fast as possible even if they are in pursuit.

　The amount of description written on the drawings was far more than the writing about the function of lowering the ship, but rather the function of recovering the returning adventurers quickly.

　Even if the ship reached the third level and was intercepted and withdrawn as planned, there was no guarantee that the opponents would easily miss it.

　In the worst case scenario, they might even have to reverse through the channel under relentless pursuit and escape to the ground in front of their pursuers.

　Alexia's drawings had taken that into account as well.

　On the outward journey, the ship would be hoisted down with a strong metal wire (wire), and on the return journey, the ship would be left in the channel, and only the crew would be pulled up forcefully and quickly with a windlass (winch).

　It's a literal means of escape, with a certain amount of injury tolerated during the recovery, and with the assumption that we'll get away as quickly as possible from the threat of the Agart Ram that looms right under our noses.

　Of course, this is a means of allowing for the possibility of a chase, and it is also designed to provide a moderate means of recovery in the absence of a chase.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have a way to stop them if you're worried about them until they chase you anyway. We could build a wall or something that we could mount on the wall and attach it to the outward journey ...... hmm, what's wrong with that?

　Alexia noticed that Leila was staring intently at her profile and tilted her head slightly to see if she had something to do.

'I just thought that ...... was awesome,'
Geometry and design have been inculcated in me since I was a kid. These technical jobs can't be done with skills alone, so you just have to learn and go to .......
'No, it's not that. It's still amazing to be able to do such a big job with other people's lives on the line, and to be able to do it in such a calm manner ...... just because I thought it was so amazing.
Ha-ha, thanks.

　Alexia laughed, put down her pen and turned her chair around, looking up slightly to stare back into Leila's red eyes.

'Being a mechanic is something that takes on the lives of others. My hometown was a multi-storey city where the entire city was stacked up like a big building, a thing that wouldn't have been possible without elaboration.

　Alexia smiled softly, adding that maybe it was more like that because of the elaboration.

'All the levels except the lowest have to be pumped with elaborate water, and people and materials are raised and lowered with elevators, so the failure of the elaborate is not a joke, it's a matter of human life.
'Nah, I can't even imagine what it's like: ......
Maybe that's because I grew up in that environment. "Maybe that's why I was raised in such an environment. That's what we take for granted.

　The cases cited in the conversation are cases where failure is a life-altering factor, but there are naturally cases where lack of performance is a life-altering factor.

　For example, let's say there is an emergency evacuation mechanism for a disaster.

　If it is not designed in time for evacuation, and people die, the designer of the device is to blame.

　Alexia didn't need to dare to say it in words, but she always kept that kind of assumption in mind when she was involved in the development of the project.

''And I guess it's also a big part of being an adventurer. I guess it's a big part of what I did, knowing the field. I'd say I'm the person I am today because of Luke's help ...... Yeah, it's still no exaggeration.
'Um, ...... Alexia. I'm changing the subject. ......

　Suddenly Leila slurred her words, as if she was having trouble saying them, and then opened her mouth as if she'd made up her mind.

'Le, I'm sure you thought ill of Manager Luke as a man!
No, not at all?

　It was an immediate answer.

　To the stunned Leila, Alexia gave a smile full of teasing moods, different from the compassionate smile she had given earlier.

It's a good thing that when you're in love with someone else, you're worried about them too. But alas. The question I asked you earlier, Luke, is an immediate answer, right?
Yeah, ...... what?
I respect and appreciate you personally, but I've never been in a romantic relationship with you. But we've never had any romantic feelings for each other. There was a time when we slept in the same room, but it was surprisingly uneventful. Well, I guess this kind of relationship does happen.
"...... so-called adult relationships, like ......

　There seemed to be another color in the look from Leila to Alexia, a new color of respect added to her eyes.

　Alexia smiled, picked up her pen again and resumed writing on the drawing.