The sun had already begun to dip when Ars and the others left the middle level and entered the area called uncivilized. Although it was a snake pit, the word uncivilized was a metaphor for the outside world.
　It would be nice if we had passed Alice on the way, but given the time, there was little hope for us.
　If you go through the circle port, you can get to the middle level in less time. It's quite a distance from there to the target point, but that wouldn't take more than three hours if Alice's feet were on the ground.

　According to Ars's prediction, it was about time they were already there.

''Increase your speed. Loki, it doesn't matter if they find out from here.
I understand.

　Loki's breathing was already disrupted by the not-so-short distance to this point, but Ars didn't touch him and picked up speed.
　He gradually slowed down as he approached and glowered at the area. The terrain in this area is just as it is in his brain. It's at times like this that the meaning of the preliminary inspection comes into play.

'No signs of battle?

　There was still hope.

　Ars pushes forward in a single bound to the ruins he saw.
　When he landed at the front, he dropped Tesfia off, followed by Loki, who landed quietly.

'He's not inside the building. Probably in the basement.'

　Loki's detection does not extend downstairs.
　That's why the military couldn't get an accurate count of the number of test subjects.

　In other words, they must be hiding in the basement as per the information. The reason why the military hasn't been able to find them so far is because there's no subterranean structure in the construction.
　Perhaps they dug it up for research purposes.
　No, this is an illegal lab to begin with. It may have been hidden on the surface.

　We step into the abandoned building with its bare steel bones.
　The floor is littered with shards of glass and other debris and is dusty.
　Unlike the route of entry that I took when I was inspecting the ruins, I had to enter from the front because there is no respite now, but that's just the way things are.
　Entering the area with caution, Tesfia and Loki follow quietly while looking around.

''Here it is.''

　It was the wall that we came up against.

'What's wrong with the wall?　Forget the stairs.
You're a f*cking idiot. You don't think I'd get the assignment if I was that honest?

　I can understand your impatience, but Ars kicked it off by saying that you need to think and speak a little more.

'It's magic, isn't it?'

　Loki touched the wall.
　Its texture was cold and the wall itself.

'Well done.'

　It's quite a bit like not being able to tell even if you touch it.
　The Real Trace, which Ars replicated the chains with magic power, is close to this.
　Even so, it's just an imitation shaped by magic power. Something as precise as this would be impossible.

　If it were possible, it could be manipulated by a dark system of magic for recognition, or........

　Ars touches his hand and specifies the coordinate positions.
　The square space was stacked on top of each other and compression was applied to the wall.
　Then a fine crack runs, light leaks out of the gap, and the wall fades from sight as the noise runs.

''----!
You have a knack for blasphemy, don't you?

　Beyond the penetration, a woman is wrapped in close clothing and fixed in a chair resembling a laboratory table with her hands together as if in prayer.
　Her eyes, still meditating, would not open.
　As soon as the spell was completely broken, his head snapped upside down as if a thread was broken.
　A fragment of the red-tinted wall spilled out from the gap between their clasped hands, and on the chest of the woman who remained seated, the scars of the surgery were peeking out from around her neck.

'It's light system magic, probably catalyzed by this woman's blood.
Nah!

　The palm of his hand was held with a tube that was gradually being exploited.

'Is it forbidden?'

　Loki looked down at him with disdain, and there was a wretchedness in his eyes.

'This man is dead.'
No ... he's dead.

　It's too late for me to stop myself. I'm rephrasing it so that Tesfia won't say she wants to help.
　She wasn't dead now, but death would be inevitable as a result.
　She was used as a semi-permanent power source, and now that the spell is broken, she'll be charged a price.
　That's forbidden.

　It's only a mere device, but I pity her for being made into a mere device to disguise herself.
　It would be fortunate if she could at least pass away without regaining her mind.

Let's just get on with it.


　From there, it was just a single path down to the basement. The brightly lit, open area, perhaps a little off from directly underneath the ruins, was filled with the smell of chemicals.
　The latest equipment sits in a fairly large space. The ceiling is high and the equipment is high, but the impression of storage is strong.
　The pure white lighting is typical of a laboratory, if you can call it that.

''Alice!

　Tesfia shouted at the sight that came to her eyes.

　An empty open space emerged at the end of the line of equipment, where Alice was grabbed and seized by two experimental bodies on either side. It was too weak to say, and she seemed to be propped up without allowing herself to fall down.
　A cleaver-shaped AWR was lying at their feet, and the fact that the Academy's loaner AWR was here means that they must have borrowed it.

　Tesfia's voice didn't reach Alice.
　Alice's bloodless face remained unsettled in her perspective, only her empty eyes remained open.
　And at Alice's side, a man in a white coat was about to leave with a syringe.
　A syringe filled with red blood that had been exploited to the limit.

　The man held it up and shone it through the lights.
　A smile of pleasure twists his face as he plays with his fingers on the Kotun.

'I knew you'd show up, Ars Regin, the military watchdog.

　Narrowed eyes turned from the syringe to Ars and the others.

'Let go of Alice!
That idiot!

　Furious, Tesfia drew her sword from its sheath and ran in a straight line towards Alice.
　Through the line of equipment and one step back to Alice... Gudma's mouth formed a lone figure.

''Master Arth!　There are four of them.
....

　Immediately after Tesfia swung her sword, the experimental bodies that were lurking behind the equipment attacked the defenseless Tesfia from all sides at once.

''-----!

　In an instant, Ars gets close to Tesfia and pulls Tesfia's collar and forces her down to the floor on her back.
　Four on either side, the tips of the thin swords head towards Ars in unison.

''----!

　A beat later, Ars flashed the knife he pulled from his waist. A chain ran after the circular trajectory. It was not intended to return fire with the knife.
　Then the chain came to a snapping halt in the air. It interfered with space and fixed its coordinates.

　This was a spur-of-the-moment maneuver, the next move. At first, Ars was going to interfere with the floor and exercise his magic to block the movements of the four men.
　However, Ars, who was familiar with the material of all the walls of this laboratory, switched his magic. That caused a slight time lag.

　A ring of chains caught the tips of three swords, and the remaining one, with an error due to the time lag, came off the ring and lightly tore at Ars's shoulder.

'Interesting.'

　It was a bizarre sight, the tip of the sword stuck in a circle as if blocked by a wall, and it didn't go any further.

　Gudma put his glasses back on and stopped in his tracks.

　As it was, Ars reamed the knife another round. With that, the chains began to move and the swords flicked and all the experimental bodies were ripped deep in the abdomen.

　Red fresh blood dampened the black clothes. Still, the experimental bodies quickly jumped back as if nothing had happened.

　Ars caught Loki coming towards him at the edge of his vision and kneed one of them in the chest as he seized Alice.
　Loki followed suit, spinning once in the air towards the other one on the other side, his spinning heel rocking the brain marrow of the experimental body, knocking it unconscious and causing it to fall into a coma.

　Loki supported Alice as she lost her support. Tesfia, who came to herself, quickly got up and ran to Alice.

''Alice, are you alright!　Are you hurt?
Fear?

　The light returned to Alice's eyes and came into focus.

'Why Fear?'

　No significant trauma. The weak voice is probably mental.

I'm here to help.
..........!

　Alice, who got up with a munchkin, caught not only Tesfia in her vision, but also Ars and Loki.

''Al........''

　With a sinking look on her face, Alice understood what she had done. Because it wasn't going to be a matter of an apology. She couldn't express the gratitude that would follow.
　So Alice chose simple, clear words.

'I'm sorry.'
You don't look hurt.
Yes.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.........
Ta!

　I put a chop in Alice's head.

'We'll call it even. You'll help me make up for it.
Yes, sir.

　Alice, with the AWR in her hand, takes a big deep breath and stands up. It wasn't just because of Ars's words that the turmoil from earlier had returned, but also because of Tesfia's presence.

'A, Al I'm sorry too.

　Tesfia followed Alice and bowed her head. It's probably because they understood that if Ars hadn't gone in to help them, they would have died for sure. The cheap action that made my head bleed could be called truly barbaric.

Hm, before you apologize, thank me. Before you apologize, you should thank me, because that's the last time I'm going to see you. And if you've come along, do a good job.
Uh, yeah thanks.

　Tesfia smiles as if she doesn't know if she is remorseful. If she were compared to a dog, would she be wagging her tail at top speed?

　In fact, she was... no, they were just a little happy that they were being counted in the force too. That would be something that only the two of them would understand.
　It's a difference in perception between those who admit it and those who are recognized.

'Lord Ars, are you hurt?'
I'll be fine.

　The robe had just snapped and the body had been properly avoided, so of course it was unharmed.

　Loki was aware that there was a momentary pause, as well as a worry about the wound.
　That would soon be resolved.

'This lab is made of the same material as the training ground. That means it absorbs magic power.

　It means the magic choices are limited as well. They must be playing around with it quite a bit. It absorbs magic and buffers the impact.
　It would be better to avoid exercising magic that exceeds the absorption speed in terms of fuel efficiency. Tesfia's "Freeze" might not even appear.

''That's to be expected. Failure is an inevitable part of research. This place is built to withstand a magical explosion.

　Gudma interrupted Ars's commentary and opened her mouth in an exaggerated manner with her hands outstretched.

''As expected of the most powerful mages, they use interesting magic.

　It contained a mocking nuance, but his expression quickly changed and he pointed to the inorganic object as if he were looking at it.

'More importantly I'd like to have that back, I still have to use it.

　The words were directed at the object (...) that was distracted from my interest and into the hands of the other person.
　You don't even have to look to see Alice's shoulder reacting with a jolt when she's pointed at it.

This should do the trick. It should do the trick.

　Gudma monologues to himself.
　There is a glimpse of leeway behind the arbitrary action. But Ars cuts it off.

'I'm sorry, but you're under orders to be terminated.
I'm sorry, but you're the ones who are going to die.

　Gudma reveals the seed, as if to fry.

'Master Ars, all the experimental bodies...'

　Before Loki realized a beat later - before he could say anything else - he noticed.

　He placed the syringe on the long desk and pressed the button to turn on the light instead.　
　Gradually, the lights lit up the entire room.

''----!
Nearly 200.
..........

　There were an orderly array of experimental bodies there, a number of which exceeded expectations by far.

　Looking at Ars, who was unconcerned by the astonishment on his face, Gudma, not seeming to be amused, explained the desperate situation flippantly.

'Two hundred. No matter how much you guys prepare for it, you can't expect this many. Ars Reagin, you, the number one ranked mage, have about thirty of them and a zero percent survival rate.''

　I put my hand to my mouth to hold back a laugh. That's because the research is so fruitful that it surpasses the strongest of the current mages.

''I see.''

　A word of emotionlessness.
　It didn't matter.

　I felt like mocking myself for being so shallow in thinking that the results of human experimentation were fruitless from the start and that there might be something to be gained from Gudma's research in the beginning.

　Still, the only concern would be outside.
　If this number were to face the reserved mages outside, annihilation would be inevitable.
　Ars instructed Loki to contact the commander, but the reply came back quickly.

'I can't get through. We seem to be obstructed.'

　The siege should not be complete, and if it is, we have no choice but to reduce it here.　

"The army is of no consequence. I'll be happy to flee in peace. "I have no use for a country that can't appreciate the magnificence of this work.
Sublime...

　It was Alice who ruminated on the words that couldn't be overlooked.
　The hand holding the AWR made a gritty sound.

'Yours is not called research. Things that make people unhappy, that kind of thing is definitely not research.'
Alice...

　The lightly lifted smile dropped and Gudma rubbed his neck and said coldly.

'Things don't talk, you're just a vessel with the necessary factors for research.
Huh...!

　There is no trace of him there as a child.

'Gentlemen!'

　Tesfia clenched her clenched teeth, suppressing the urge to get upset.

'Ha!　What do you know about the little girl's style? You've taken a useless wizard and raised him to such a fighting force. He's going to slay demons for you. I don't think I've ever seen such a contribution to research.

　Emotionally incapable of forgiveness, Tesfia is incapable of breaking down the argument in a reasonable manner.
　On the other hand, there are certainly lives that could be saved if such a thing were really possible.
　There's a definitive denial of character there, but it's something Tesfia, who doesn't understand the whole story, doesn't understand.

'We often say in studies that have not even been completed. I don't see how a puppet with a disintegrated personality can outperform a human being.
"....!　You noticed.

　It was Ars who took over.

'It's just a coincidence that the elemental factor was able to be isolated, isn't it?

　The fact that Alice's factor is completely missing is not something she tried to take out. Of course it's the result of some approach.
　It's not what was intended, and it's not the kind of thing you can do again.

'And you're collapsing your ego to avoid recognizing (...) the rejection.
That's why I have a mage who follows orders.
'No, doll. You see the rejection happening when you see that it's blocked off to the nervous system, right?
..........!

　Loki, who had experienced combat, asked as he recalled the experimental body of painless movement.

'What do you mean, Lord Ars?'
''It's impossible to begin with. The magic power involved in the lineage is generated from the heart. Overriding the factor does not change it. There can't be conflicting strains inherent in the body at all times and not show rejection.

　Due to the nature of magic power, a lot of information about the lineage it is good at is inherent in it, which makes it unsuitable for its direction.
　The fact that it is forcibly overwritten means that magic power that is biased towards the fire system is generated in the heart, and immediately afterwards it is forced to transform into the light system.
　There is no reason why this should not be impossible.
　It's a discordant system.

It's a discordant system. "But I can use the magic of the light system. There will be a load, though, and it's repulsive to see how many people have become offerings.
It's a necessity.

　He snickered without taking offense.

'That's where you cut off your nerves and ego and made them into puppets.

　I didn't block out the pain for combat, it was just necessary to create an elemental mage. Not recognizing rejection, but limiting their thoughts by giving them commands.

'Then.....'
Yeah, not long anyway.
No!

　Alice clamped her mouth down, and her eyes moistened with pity for those who had been victims of vicious means.

'It's not a problem. With you, my experiments will be elevated.'

　Gudma's face was filled with a lecherous expression as she stuck out her hand to Alice and invited her to join her.

　Flinching a step, Als stepped forward with his hand on Alice's shoulder.

'You can't ... no, no one can.'
No, they don't. In fact, all the noblemen come to me to buy.

　Fools who cannot realize that it is an illusion are everywhere. Because of them, there are those who reach for evil without a care in the world.

I will make the greatest wizard in the world.

　That must be the subject of Gudma's research.

　In a whisper, Ars ordered Loki, Tesfia and Alice to keep their eyes open.

'Don't ever open them,'