Me and Solstice walked down the dark passage.

'We're on the right side of the path, right?'
You're supposed to.

　At the fork in the road, he checks the map carefully by lantern light and chooses a path.

　Solstice pulls the curved sword from its sheath.

　Garritte.

　I left a scar on the corner wall to indicate the direction I was going.

　It was a precaution in case we got lost.

　This sewer is as big as the King's City, that is. If he lost sight of his current location, there was a possibility that he would continue to get lost until he truly starved to death.

(.........I'm really glad I got the map.

　Finally, I felt really lucky.

Well, let's go.
Yes.

　I nodded to Solstice, who sheathed her curved sword, and we started walking down the dark passage together again.

　We're aiming at the location of the prison.

　First, we are going to rescue the 19 girls trapped in there. Then we'll all make our way to the exit.

　Catching the kidnappers and the exiled Royal Academy of Magic mages is not something I'm thinking about right now.

　Honestly, we can't afford to go that far.

(For starters, the girls' lives come first.)

　As we walked down the aisle, I discussed it with Solstice and we settled on that policy.

　And so we proceeded down the aisle.

　Gallip.

　After fifteen minutes of carving scratches on the wall of the branch, I see a torch set up on the wall of the pathway about fifty yards away.

　I look at the girl next to me.

'Solstice,'
I'm sure of it, that's where the prison is.

　The girl nodded, checking the markings on the map.

　We hurried to it.

　We soon reached it, and on the opposite side of the wall where the torches were, we found a prison room blocked by iron bars.

　At the far side of that room, three girls were sitting tightly together.

(.........)

　There was a dry trail of tears on the cheeks of all of them.

　All three of them looked exhausted, their eyes clouded by despair for the future, which was impossible at their age.

　At first, the girls looked frightened.

　But when they realized that the two girls who appeared were not different in age from them, their expressions changed to one of confusion.

''........Who are they?''

　The girl, who seems to be the oldest, asks in a trembling voice.

　Solstice answered.

'I'm an adventurer.'

　As he says this, he shows the girls the back of his right hand.

　POW.

　When I poured my magic power into it, the magic sigil, the sign of an adventurer, emerged with a white glow.

　I do the same, and show the red magic sigil.　

''I'm here to save you guys.

　I almost laughed at them.

　Those kids stared at the two of us, stunned for a while.

''..........''
..........
..........

　Eventually, he began to sob quietly, killing his voice as tears spilled out of the corners of his eyes, fluttering and spilling out of the corners of his eyes.

(................How deeply these children were wounded in their young hearts.

　Our chests ached when we thought about it, too.

　Clank.

　With the key I had obtained, I open the door to the prison.

''Thank you ... thank you so much ...''

　The girls came out and thanked us for our tears.

　We shook our heads, 'Nope.

'I'm sorry, there are still other girls who are being held and we want to help them. I know it's scary, but we'll protect you guys, will you come with us?
Yeah, okay.

　The girls nodded stoutly, knowing that there were other girls in the same situation.

(Thank you.)

　I am deeply grateful for that courage.

　Now there are three.

　There are 16 of us left.

We're gonna get you all out of here.

　I resolve to do so strongly.

　And so we start walking again, down the endless dark passage to the next prison.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Then they opened up four prison cells.

　A total of 14 girls were saved.

　Three of them were not in the orphanage.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Â

　They must be trapped in the two remaining prisons - I push aside my impatience.

　The oldest of the girls we rescued again was a 13-year-old girl, just like us, and the youngest was a little girl of a whopping seven years old.

'Chew your food slowly,'

　We shared the water and bread we had gotten with the girls who followed behind us.

　They all seemed to be starving and disappearing at a great rate.

　From what we heard, the girls were given only one meal a day, and that was a small amount. Apparently, they were treated as 'as long as they live to the ritual'.

　The first girl who was kidnapped and held captive for a week was even mildly dehydrated.

(.............really unacceptable.)

　I have a strong anger boiling in my chest.

　So I let the girls walk around while I ate.

　In fact, I wanted to let them take a break.

　But the situation doesn't allow it.

'Is it about time they noticed us?
It's a delicate place.

　It's been two hours since we escaped from the prison.

　I'd say there's a good chance the kidnappers have found out that we've escaped.

We need to move as quickly as possible.

　There are only two more prisons left.

　With fourteen young girls in tow, Solstice and I make our way through the dark corridors, checking the map.　

　That's when.

(!)

　From the left side of the fork in the forward corridor, we could see a different light than our lantern.

　Not good.

　In this sewer, the only people moving around with lanterns in their hands were the kidnappers.

　And I'm sure they could see our lights on the other side as well.

'Oh shit........'

　Solstice also turns pale and clicks her tongue.

　The tension between the two of us must have been palpable, and a hint of fear swells up from the girls behind us.

　At the corner of the fork, a light flickers.

'Hey, what was that light?
There's someone here.
We're the only ones patrolling this route at this hour.

　There are three voices in the back.

(We have to take them down!)

　I've made up my mind.　

　If they found out where I was, there was nothing I could do. If we gathered the number of people and were forced out, that would be the end of it.

"Solstice, let's go!
Okay, okay!

　I shouted to the girl who would be my partner and I ran forward.

　In my hand, the two fruit knives I had acquired.

　Tapping.

　He jumps out of the corner of the fork and covers his hand with a large swing of his knife.

(One on the right, two on the left!)

　One moment, you're in position.　

　In the next moment, he throws a fruit knife, imitating the technique of a knife-throwing street performer.

　Swoosh, gasp.

What?

　As he aimed, he stabbed the man to his right in the face and pierced his eyeball.

　Suddenly, the two remaining eyes reflexively followed the screaming man's movements.

(One more pitch!)

　Thud.

Geez.....

　The knife plunged into his empty throat, severing his windpipe.

　The man winced as he held his blood-filled throat.

'Oh, hey!'

　The remaining man called out to his companions as if in a hurry.

　By then, my small body was already approaching the man directly in front of him from low altitude.

　Using my own right hand as a substitute for the wooden sword, I

Yeah!

　With the momentum of his run, he struck its jaw with the bottom of his palm.

　Gakko.

　His face bent 90 degrees, sideways, and the man with the concussion rolled straight to the ground.

　His face, licking the floor, is completely white eyed.

(Good!)

　I'm going to win this thing.

　And.

Behind you, Merle!　

　Gagiiin.

　There was a voice behind me, a violent metallic sound and sparks.

(What?!)

　When I hurriedly turned around, I saw a man with one of his eyes crushed by a knife swinging a curved sword at me in an angry manner.

　It's Solstice's curved sword that catches it.

　With tremendous reflexes and strength, he caught the sword aimed at my back.

''Solstice!''
As usual, you don't know how to pack it in, you know!

　A girl shouting while fighting with a sword.

　Whether it's the result of that, such as training in swords, or just the result of taking advantage of the 'Demon Blood People's' high physical abilities, either way, she is barely able to catch her opponent's sword.

(But that's enough!)

　In that split second, I ducked underneath two clashing curved swords.

Hey!

　With the bottom of his palm, he struck the handle of the fruit knife stuck in the man's eye as hard as he could.

　Gosh, bosh.

　Fresh blood erupts.

Ah ... but ...

　The tip of the knife reached the other man's brain, and once the man convulsed, the power drained from his entire body and he crumpled to the ground.

'Phew.'

　I exhale.

　This time, all three of them don't move.

　Solstice was breathing roughly, "Ha, ha, ha, ha.

(..............You killed someone again.

　The guilt is in my heart.

　But I also know that we're not allowed to spend time being dragged through those emotions right now.

　I block out the emotions and exhale heavily.

(...okay...)

　Changing my mind, I smiled.

'Thanks, Solstice.'
Hmm. I can't have Merle working alone.

　A girl who removes her gaze from me and makes her lips twitch.

(...........Is it the intention of a senior adventurer?

　I was laughing at a girl who wasn't being honest.

Wow....

(Hmm?)

　Before I knew it, fourteen girls were staring at me and Solstice with admiration on their faces.

　The horrible big men who had attacked them.

　The sight of the two girls who had defeated them so easily seemed to have given them quite a shock.

(Hey, how dazzling is that gaze?)

　Fourteen pairs of eyes - respect and awe - are bumped into each other.

　Solstice, too, looks somewhat itchy.

　She turns her back to them, as if to escape their gaze.

Mm, you're wasting my time. Can we just get on with it?
Uh-huh.

　I nodded.

　Apparently, he was very embarrassed. His profile was a little red as he started to walk away.

(...not very honest.)

　By the way, did I remember that Mr. Kilt once told me that Solstice doesn't get to talk to many kids his age, and he doesn't seem to know how to treat them well?

　I give a small smile.

　And so I followed such a girl, along with 14 other girls.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　It was only when they reached the next prison that their smooth search ran into problems.

(...no one?)

　There was not a single girl in the room blocked by the bars.

　Me and Solstice stand around.

"...what does it mean?

　Muttering, she looks at the map in her hand.

　On the way here, I also checked with her, so there is no doubt that the location of the prison marked on the map is here.

(............)

　I ponder.

　The fourteen girls behind me look anxious, too.

　Solstice scowls and says, "I don't know.

"Did that man who told us about this place, do you think we were fooled?

(Dare I say you've been taught a different place?)

　I've been thinking about that possibility.

'No, but then you could have told me all seven places where you lied. I don't see the point of lying about just this one place.
Well that's just as well.

　At my denial, she reconsiders.

　Gachan.

　At any rate, I went inside the prison.

(Ah.)

　My sensitive nose is quick to notice.



　It's a girl's scent, not a man's - it's a particularly strong part of the stone floor that I touched with my hand.

''It's ... warm.''
What?
I knew that this is where the girls were trapped not long ago.

　So that means...

There is no indication that the prisoners broke out of their cells or manacles. You mean ... he was taken out of here by the kidnappers themselves?

　That's the conclusion.

　...........

(This could be a bad idea.)

　Solstice seems to have realized what it means.　

　I'll be out of my cell soon.

"Solstice, let's get to the last cell block!
Yeah.

　She nodded strongly and we hurried to the location of the last mark on the map.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　We arrived out of breath and found an empty prison, as I had expected.

(We didn't make it in time...)

　I push down my frustration and enter the prison.

　The stone floor is warm and the girl's scent is still there.

　And one of the smells matches the one that is firmly imprinted in my memory.

"Poe.

　Her smell.

　The image of a girl with fluffy, habitual blonde hair and clear, light blue eyes comes back to my mind.

　She was definitely here.

　Geez.

　I clench my fists.

　She was in this cell just a few minutes ago.

(But, on paper, we didn't make it in time...)

　I bite my lip.

　The reason for the absence of the girls in the jail - it was a sign that the "taboo ritual" was about to be performed, in which they were to be sacrificed.

　The girls were taken out of the prison to be sacrificed for that ritual.

(Crap.)

　sound of a gunshot wound

　I punched the wall at my helplessness.

　There was a louder-than-expected bang, and 14 girls shuddered.

　Then I hear

I'm not ready to give up on you, Merle.

　I hear Solstice's scolding voice.

　I look up.

'It hasn't been that long since the girls here were taken out.
..........
Even the rituals have taken so long to prepare for.　If it's such a big ritual, it's not going to be triggered right away. So the children of the sacrifice won't be killed right away either.

　Her crimson eyes looked straight into my blue ones.

'I'm sure I can still help you.'

　...........
　Oh, the strength of it is dazzling.

(Yes, it is.........)

　We know exactly where the ceremony will take place. If we hurry now, there's a good chance we'll still be there in time!　

　I nodded, my heart trembling.

　Solstice also nodded with a strong smile.

　She's a much more reliable senior adventurer than me, after all.

　We then handed the 14 girls the food and water we had, one of the lanterns, a luminous signal bullet, and a map with the route to the exit.

　As expected, we couldn't go with them to the end of the line.

'I'm sorry guys,'

　I apologize for not being able to go with them.

　The oldest girl shook her head, "Nope.

'Thank you for coming here to help us. Please help the kids who were taken, too, please help them, okay?
"........... Yeah.

　A stout answer.

　Even though we have a map, we still have to walk endlessly from here to the ground in a dark, narrow passage by ourselves, helpless.
　How could she not be scared?

　If I look at her, her body is trembling in a small way.

(............)

We'll be fine. We'll do our best.

　She laughed.

　I resisted the urge to cry and I laughed and shook her hand, too.

　Solstice shook my hand, too.

We'll all meet up on the ground later, okay?
Yes.

　The girl also nodded.

　The eyes that had been painted with despair earlier now had a decent glimmer of hope in them.

　The girl became the leader and led the other 13 children to walk out of this pitch-black sewer to escape.

''.........''
..........

　We looked off their backs.

　Then we looked at each other with determination.

　The route to the place where the ceremony would take place was already in our minds.

'Let's go, Solstice,'
Yeah, Merle.

　We nodded to each other, held up our lanterns and started running through the sewer corridor.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


The leg strength of Solstice, the People of Demon Blood, bites down on us, and half an hour later, we arrive at the Ritual Room.

　It's a fairly large space, as if it were a water tank.

　There are a number of corridors leading to it, and we had reached a passage in the wall near its ceiling.

　While lying down on that floor, I checked out the 'Ritual Room' with only my face visible.

　The floor is about 20 meters down.

　There, a huge, intricate and elaborate magic circle is drawn there.

　Surrounding the magic circle are 10 men dressed in black robes, who are probably the exiled magicians of the Royal Academy of Magic.

(.........That old man is there too.)

　We also saw that figure.

　And furthermore, there were twenty or thirty people gathered around the room, all dressed in the style of adventurers, who said they were a favela crime group.

　A few of them had chains in their hands.

　Beyond that.

(Poe!)

　There were four other girls, starting with that somewhat buoyant girl, and four others.

　All of them were shackled.

　The four of them were sobbing, some of them didn't even have facial expressions, and some of them could no longer focus on their eyes.

　But Poe was still the only one who looked like Poe, who didn't know where he was looking.

(She was safe...!)

　I let out a big breath.

　To my surprise, I was relieved to see that she was safe.

　Next to me, Solstice murmured as if she was convinced.

'....I see...'
?
'They deserve to be expelled from the Royal Academy of Magic if they're studying magicians like that.

(...hmm?)

　Apparently, Solstice knows what the giant magic circle used in that ritual is.

　She met my gaze and told me.

'That's a magic circle of summoning demonic creatures.

　Slightly low voice.

(Demon world.........don't tell me it's the demon world that's inhabited by demons?

　I was surprised to hear that, and she nodded her head in agreement.

The Royal Academy of Magic, you know, collects all sorts of magical artifacts and information found in ruins throughout the Shumurian Kingdom. Probably, that's the ancient Thanatos magical dynasty's summoning magicians... the so-called 'negative legacy'.
..........

　A negative legacy of 400 years of ancient Thanatos magic.

　I spit at the horrible sound of it.　

　Solstice continued.

''Essentially, if it turns out to be such a 'negative legacy', the research stops. And that magic technology will be sealed.
..........
But some mages don't because their intellectual curiosity gets the better of them.

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

　I looked at the ten men in black robes.

"You mean, those are the ones who are going to be exiled?
Yeah.

　She nodded.

'Honestly, as a fellow researcher, I know how you feel.
..........
"I think it's hard to accept that after decades of research, and that's exactly what you do, you sacrifice a lot of things, but as soon as it turns out to be a 'negative legacy', all that time is negated and rendered meaningless...

　That being said, it's certainly hard to do that.

(...but...)

But even so, I think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed.

　Soltis said, once and for all.

"We want to see the results of our life's work, but we can't sacrifice innocent, innocent children for the sake of it.
..........
'At least for me, magic is something that makes people happy. It's never a tool to satisfy your emotions and needs.

　I thought the girl's profile was so beautiful as she told me so innocently.

(Yes, she is.)

　I strongly agree with you.

　I knew Solstice was a fine senior adventurer I respected, I thought.

　As I was moved by this, there was a change below me.

　From another passageway that leads to the Ritual Room, which is different from the one we are in, several members of a criminal group came in, breathlessly, and whispered something to the man who seemed to be the leader.

'What?!'　

　A cry of astonishment was heard so far.

　An old man in black robes notices this and asks the man, who seems to be the leader of the crime group, what is going on, and the man replies with a reluctant look on his face.

　The old man is startled and shouts something.

　Then the old man in black robes and the leader of the crime group begin to argue about something.

　The people around them are also in a rather nasty mood.

(.........I see?)

　When we see that, we realize.

　Apparently, the other sacrificial children have finally found out that they have escaped.

That's nice.

　Solstice laughed wickedly.

　I agree with him.

　The way they panicked might be out of character, but honestly, it felt good to see them panicking.

(And if they found out at this stage...)

　It seemed to me that surely the fourteen girls on the run were not going to be caught up with their pursuers.

　And.

Yeah, we can't just cancel it.　

　An old man in black robes shouted.　

'The alignment of the binary stars by the red and white moons can only be in place for another three years if we miss tonight. The power of the summons may be weakened, but it will be done with less sacrifice.
"Haha.
Yes, Master.

　The other men in black robes bowed their heads and complied.

(...............You should have stopped it.

　I swore in my mind.

　But it doesn't change what we're going to do, whether we do the 'forbidden ceremony' or cancel it.　

(I'll break into that place and help Poe and the others.)

　That's it.

　There are about 40 of them.

　Geez.

　I clenched my fists with determination.

(...I'm not going to put it out there anymore.)

I'll settle it all at once with 'God Body Mode'.

　Solstice also exhaled heavily next to him.

''I guess we just have to do it.
Yes.

　I nodded.

　Then we, who had been lying on the floor of the aisle, stood up.

The wind from the Ritual Room shakes the hair of both of us.

　Solstice drew her curved blade from its sheath.

I'm counting on you, Merle.
You're welcome.

　They laughed back and smiled at each other.　

　The 'Ritual Room' is looked down upon.

　I'm not going to be able to get out of it.

　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing done.

　Then I put my hand of consciousness on the faucet of great power inside my body - at that moment

I'm not sure...

　Suddenly, Poe turned around and her beautiful light blue eyes looked at me.

(............)

　Is it a coincidence?

　I'm surprised, but the look on its face strengthens my will to 'definitely help'.

　With that emotion, I slowly fall forward, exposing myself to the air from the passage near the ceiling.

...divine release.

　In the midst of the wind pressure he was exposed to, he spun the words that released his divine power.