At the sealing tower in the heavens, she unexpectedly met the kidnapper who had chased Suu and fought him off with her.


　He has an unhealthy-looking villainous face that looks like a man who likes to play tricks. He had a long, thin body. He must have been neglecting his haircut. Unlike before, he lets his black hair grow long, but it's definitely longer.


　Suddenly, a guard peeks through the bars.


"What, do you guys know each other?

"Well, yeah. He's one of the kids who threw me in here.

"Huh?


　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.


　As soon as the ...... guards were gone, I jumped backwards to the edge of the room.
　It's a good idea to get away from the kidnapper.
　I felt my body tense up a bit, but I knew I had to take a stance.


　But the kidnapper is still lying on the bed.
　He had his arms crossed over his pillow, a towel over his face, and his legs crossed.
　He looked unconcerned and careless.
　He doesn't move for any length of time.


　The kidnapper fluttered his hands in indifference as he wondered about the situation.


I'm not going to do anything. Don't get so defensive.

"...... Really?　I threw you in here, didn't I?

Yeah. I've been living here for four years now, thanks to you.

You can go to .......


　I think you're holding a grudge.
　I think so, but the kidnapper shows no sign of hostility.


So you think I'm gonna get even?

Don't you?

No, I'm not. I think that was a mistake, too. It was a mistake. Mistake. Khihihi. I don't like messing with kids.

"............


　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.


What's with that look?　Is that so surprising?

You know.

"Well, there's nothing more shady than a sinner who says he's reformed. I know how you feel.


　For some reason, he agreed with me there.


Anyway, you're going to be living in the same room. Let's get along, okay?

You're not leaving?

I have nowhere to go. Besides, like I said, I'm getting free food here.

What's so important about free food?

Of course it is. It costs money to eat in this world.


　That's true, but that's not the point.


Don't they usually put you to work in prison for a long time?

"Unfortunately, my sentence is over in two years. I'm sorry, my sentence is over in two years, and I didn't have to work. If you guys had revealed your identities back then, this wouldn't have happened.

You've been here for two years, .......


　I'm so dumbfounded I can't even say anything.


They don't even try to force it out.

Why?

They can't be bothered with me. Basically, they've got their hands full with all the bad guys.


　I guess they're short-staffed here, too.
　I'm not sure what you're thinking, if this is the way it's going to be forever.


　...... No, they don't have time to think about it.


I'm sure there are plenty of places for you to work, as the guards said earlier.

Why do you think that?

You're a pretty good mage, aren't you?

What makes you think that?

Suu's ...... handiwork in dealing with the magic of the girl I was with. I was doing everything right against Suu's magic. If you don't study hard and do your homework, you'll never get that far.

It's just that the kid over there is a small fish, right?

You're not seriously saying that, are you?


　I'm not sure what to make of that.


"...... You're a creepy kid. I'm not sure how you can be so knowledgeable about magic at your age.

"Then why?

"Because there's no money to be made by forcing your way out of here.

Money? ......




　And him.


It's money. It's all about money, in case you haven't figured it out yet. Everything is determined by money. Nowadays, even status can be bought with money, right?


　Yes, that's true, but that doesn't mean we should stick to it.
　When I was thinking about this, I suddenly remembered.
　I remembered that this guy seemed to be obsessed with money, money, money when I met him.


　Did he have some kind of trouble with money? That's what it seems like to me.


So?　Why did you get thrown in here?　It's not like you got caught doing anything wrong, right?

What makes you say that?　I might have done something really, really bad, you know?

"Don't say that, kid. You don't have enough evil on your face to make you a villain. You're too cute to be a villain.

I'm sorry.　I'm sorry for being so girly!　I was being girly!

You're worried about your face?　Khihihi.


　The kidnapper snickered at me about my face.
　He turned away, pouting, and focused on his prison.


You'll be able to get a lot more than just a pair of shoes.

You can't get out of here just because you have a little bit of magic. The walls can't be broken down without a lot of recklessness, and the prison guards are well equipped. Breaking out is no easy task.


　That's what the kidnapper added.


By the way, the bad guys get their teeth and tongues ripped out and sent upstairs or to the most dangerous part of Stone Valley.

Wow. ......


　It's a horrible thing to have your tongue and teeth ripped out, but it's probably the quickest way to incapacitate a mage.
　Laboring in the deepest parts of Stone Valley is also particularly feared because it causes blindness and sores on the skin and throat.


　The soda industry, with its immature technology, is also quite scary.


The soda industry, which is still in its infancy, is also scary. I guess we don't have to be so careful.


　The place where we are now is probably a low place in the seal tower, but it is high up.
　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.


I want to get out somehow.

"Escape?　Don't do it, don't do it. As I said before, it's not that easy.


　The kidnapper said, and rolled over in bed.
　He curled up against the wall.
　He doesn't want to leave this place, after all.


　...... Well, it's no wonder he's not cooperating. It's not his problem.
　Anyway, in order to escape, I'll start with the first barrier.
　Right in front of you, the bars.
　In order to keep the mage locked up, they are not only sturdy but also carefully engraved.


The engraving on the bars is ...... interesting, isn't it?

You ...... can't break it that easily.


　"You can't even break it that easily." As I examine the engraving, I hear a voice of dismay from behind me.
　It's not surprising, since I'm trying to get out of here even though I'm telling you it's impossible.


　Eventually, I noticed the engraving.


"You're lucky it's not the kind that keeps the water out. ......


　The destruction of the bars was within the realm of the magic that had been created, and a prison break was possible.
　He checked the spell and the amount of magic power in his mind once and cast the spell.


The flowing water will become a waterfall, and it will rush in in a thousand waves. The white waves that break are small. But the sound it makes is loud. And the sound of it is loud!

"Oh?　Did you bite it? It's hard when the spell's long, isn't it?

Yeah, I guess so.

　You need a certain length of spell to make it powerful and to adjust its power.
　It's a good idea to be smart about every spell, but that's the hard part of spellcrafting.

　The man who kidnapped you throws a word that you can't tell whether he is warning you or making fun of you, "Be careful or you will lose your magic power. If you bite the spell, it will cause chanting failure and consume extra magic power, resulting in a loss as he says.
　You want to be careful, but it is also an unavoidable proposition when using powerful magic.
　I wish I could find some kind of rule that would make it easier to strengthen it. .......

　I'll get back on track and recite the spell.


The flowing water becomes a waterfall and rushes forward in a thousand waves. The breaking white waves are small. But the sound they make is loud. It becomes a grain and scatters into dust. There is a flow but no exit and the path of circulation never repeats itself. Disappear as dew. End with foam. Be shattered. Just go home. Though you are long and thin, flash forth your blade to cut through the iron wall of Kinjo.




　Immediately after the spell is spun, a distinctive word combination stands out.
　As the magic pours into the spell, the spun spell eventually causes magical glyphs to appear in the hollow. The glyphs, glowing with a cold color, form a ring and slowly rotate. When you pierce it with your right arm, a mist of water envelops your hand as soon as it fits around your wrist.

　When you imitate a sword with your fingers, a super-high pressure stream of water erupts from it.


...... makes a lot of noise, but it's nothing to sneeze at.


　When the pressurized water stream hits the floor, it makes a high-pitched sound like the sound of an electric saw in a man's world. To make short work of the deafening squeal, he immediately aimed at a piece of steel grating and said


"--【Lazer Aquarius】


　Slowly, one by one, he sliced across the bars.
　Eventually, you hear a couple of heavy sounds coming from your feet.
　The engraving on the iron grating was fixated on heat and other alteration-related factors, so it could be cut using a water jet.


　It would never have occurred to the engraver to use water to cut through the material.
　Anyway, the kidnapper, who was watching the scene, rolled his eyes on the bed.


...... That's a funny kind of magic, too. What's up with the water cutting through the engraved steel?

I'm not sure what to make of that. ...... Well, it's not just water, it's also a bit abrasive.

Where's the information? Where's the information? They don't teach that at the Academy of Magic. ......


　The kidnapper was dumbfounded by our inadequate explanation.
　No, he was dismayed by the fact that we had done such a thing.
　Anyway.


Okay, we're out of here.

"Like I said before, if you wander outside the cell, the guards will come.

I'll knock them out.

Why are you doing this?　Why do you have to wait for someone to come and save you?


　Sure, if you're the son of a nobleman, the odds are good that you will. If they were let in by mistake, it's reasonable to assume that help would come soon, and the fact is that we have allies like Noah and Crabbe. If we wait, we'll be able to get out for sure.


　But if we wait too long...


My sister's in danger.

What?

I don't know what will happen to my sister if we don't move.


　The Marquis' personality. The way he talks. He's likely to take a hard line.
　I'm taking out some insurance, but it's not guaranteed to work.
　Right now, we have to get out of here and make our move.
　The dangers of running amok in the mansion of a high-ranking nobleman are of secondary importance.
　Risha's life is irreplaceable.


...... What's this all about?

My sister got caught by a government official who gave her evidence of corruption by a corrupt nobleman.

Huh. So you tried to help her, but she screwed up and got caught.

Something like that.


　I nodded honestly. I guess that means I did a bad job. Now I'm in a worse predicament than I thought.
　In the midst of this, the kidnapper suddenly spat coldly.


A nobleman, then. You're still the same. All the big guys are dirty with money.

"......?

But don't take on the aristocracy head on. Nothing good ever comes of it.

So you want me to abandon my sister?

............


　The kidnapper fell silent.
　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
　Aisle right, left. No one is there. You listen carefully, but you don't hear any particular footsteps.


　Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you.
　You look over your shoulder and see a kidnapper standing behind you.
　That's when.


"I'll help you get out.


　That's when the kidnapper said that.


"What ......?


　The sudden and unexpected offer threw my mind into a tizzy.
　But the kidnapper, disregarding my confusion, continued with more words.


"In exchange, you must prepare a reward. Money?

"No, uh, .......

"What?

What the hell is ...... doing here?

Don't look so surprised. I just thought it might be worth it. At ......?　If I lend you a hand, will you pay me?



"Oh, yeah. I'll see what I can do if you help me.

I'll get it for you.

Uh, yeah.


　My head's still spinning. I don't know what the hell is going on here. I don't know, but if you're willing to help, that's great.


"......, um...


　When I tried to call him, I was at a loss as to what to call him.
　Then the kidnapper figured out what was going on.


"Cazzi. Cazzi Guari.

"Yeah. Okay, you're Kazui. I'm Arx Raytheft.

Ray ......, you're the kid from that famous military family. f*ck.


　You don't like being an aristocrat? Kazi swears.
　...... Kazi Guari is now one of us?