As Ars alighted from the carriage, he captured several figures in the spectacular view.

　Loki, as if to say he had gotten tired of waiting, joined the edge of that attendance. Here the heads of state and government were gathered in a single body. They didn't need to broaden their horizons, they didn't need to do anything, they just needed to know the moment of humanity's progress closer than anyone else. That's how they felt, that's why they came without a single escort.

　But Hydrangee is not the only one of them, and they have yet to find a replacement for the murdered Rafcenar. He is now standing in for an acting man, but the situation is worse than Balmes. The distrust of the country at home has inevitably affected the military as well.

　One of them is the young head of Balmes, and perhaps because there is no Governor Nilhine to chaperone him, Loki is now taking care of him for some reason.
　Iberis, the neighboring country, is concerned about it, but Iberis's head of state, Haorg, was in a lot of trouble either way, if not as soon as possible.

　It may be that Haorg is not yet fit to care for the twelve children. It is customary for heads of state to be hereditary.
　That's why gifted education begins at an early age, otherwise it would not be suitable to run a country at a young age like Cicerunia and Lithia.

　For some reason, she hides behind Loki with a frightened look on her face when Ars suddenly turns her gaze to look at him. She didn't have the wind of being particularly bothered, she just stood upright without the slightest movement, like a stake.
　Next to her, a large man - Haorg - was holding his temples.

　He couldn't help but feel this nodding in his personality. If it's a man, that's what the old-fashioned Haorg thinks it should be.
　It's not only that, but the head of state is the equal of the head of state, so it's frustrating that he can't say that he's hiding behind a woman.


　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. The young head looks up at the man who is approaching him fearfully.

　With a prod of one knee, Ars finished introducing himself, and the boy responded with a trembling voice - with a taut look. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

　--You'll be able to find a lot of people who are very shy.

　And reminded the person in question of the relevant person, but changed that it was not a child inside. As a matter of fact, Ars's eyes are unapproachable. It was no wonder that no one pointed it out to him.

'I'm sure you'll be busy.

　What Ars would do from now on would surely increase the workload of a military official, much less a head of state.

　A silent nod is returned with a cockle and a silent nod, but next to that, Loki, with an innocent smile on his face, his mouth was trembling.

''Alright, let's go then.''
Let's go, Al.

　He walked forward to Babel with the two men in the lead.

　The hard-reinforced exterior walls had a steel-like sheen and a faded color that showed its age. It had been a few months since they had been here.
　The four of us, Cisernia and Loki, accompanied by Ilyce, had visited that time. According to Cisernia, no one was allowed to enter, but it was impossible to say anything without seeing it first.
　So with a contraption like that, no one would be fit to enter.

　The crack that runs along the wall is a gap in the entrance. So close that you can barely see it even when it's this close.
　In the middle of it, Ars touches his hand.

　It's a simple system indeed. It is similar to the locks that are used in rooms and so on. Of course, the most advanced technology is also placed in Ars's laboratory, which can read each individual's magic information and lock and unlock it.
　However, this technology was developed at a time when magic was making great strides, and although this Babel is far older than that, on a civilization level, it is comparable to the present.

　Rather, it can be said to be quite elaborate. This tower alone is still a source of research.

　Strange electronic sounds and magical light running in all directions. This is the power source and the magic power used for authentication.
　The registration information is really simple, and there was a reason why it could never be deciphered, even with modern technology. That magic power information is [nothing], I've added the expectation that it is [nothing].
　The magic power that does not contain any information at all is what is registered as the authentication code. The key to the correct one must be [Lost Characters (Lost Spells)], which has not been understood at this stage.

　The commonality between Krokel and Ars is that Kronos' bodily fluids, called the Great Disasters, are mixed in. It's probably because of this that the information degradation of magic power, or perhaps the loss itself, is registered information.

　That's why Krokel left a will to head to Babel. That tricky word has always supported in Ars's chest.
　It's true that he has the right to do so. But if he heard Crokel's words at that moment as a voice sound rather than a letter, it made him think that he was expecting something from Ars.

　If he was doing research at Babel, then any entity that would interfere with that would have to be eliminated. Why did Crockel use the locking method of magic information despite the possibility of Ars being able to enter in the first place?
　There may be some serious contradiction there.

　I don't think there is any way to confirm that now.

　A huge door opens without a sound. Inside, the walls themselves must be emitting light, as if they were imitating the outer walls of Babel. A breeze blows out of the dusty interior into a bright white that is somewhat artificial.

　Following the sound of Ars's footsteps as he takes a step forward, various sounds reverberate to the back of the room.

　As expected, the last time I came here, I wasn't able to examine the entire interior of the research facility called Babel. Even so, the structure itself was listed in the document Cicerunia had sent me, so there was no need to get lost.

　The width alone would be enough for ten people to walk in parallel. The only thing that can be read from even a guide map of this needlessly large and tattered facility is the rough arrangement of the rooms.
　The farther you go, the more cold air rises from your feet, something you can't experience within this survival zone.

　I noticed that Cisernia was walking behind Ars, perhaps seeking the warmth of human skin behind him, or perhaps Cisernia was walking with him. Unless you are a trained magician, there is no way to prevent your body temperature from dropping due to magic power.
　However, just because it was possible, it would be up to the individual to do or not to do so. It's because Loki saw that and pitched his shoulder to Ars without saying anything.

　It can't be helped that it's hard to walk, in this case. It's also because of the unbearable Haorg's laughter, which has a strange echoing way of muffling even the sound of footsteps. There was a pervasive air that was somehow disproportionate - no, an air that was pregnant with wildness.

　Because of this, Ars, who walked without swinging away, had to pay attention to his feet instead of indulging and accepting them.
　While firmly checking for the presence of the pouch at his waist.


　The group hit the end of the street not long after. It was actually a large room at the end of the end.
　Huge cables the size of a torso were tangled and abandoned all over the place. The faint electronic sound coming from inside them is proof that this facility is still in operation.

　And if you follow the cables and lift your gaze.

''So this is it...''
I have protected it to this day. Defenders of humanity it would be rude to describe them as such.

　The word uttered in awe by the oldest, Huron, was inevitable even with what he knew beforehand.
　Clov followed suit, correcting the words that came out of his vomit as if they were his own weight.

'I suppose what we have here is not noble aspirations, but only sorrow.

　It was all Haorg could do to express that. No more words would do anyone any good - not even for her.

　A girl in a sturdy container as if she were a prisoner - floating in the container, her golden hair and one eye were the only elements left to determine that the girl was human.
　The red-black, hard skin that seems to resemble a human form makes up more than ninety percent of the total. Both arms are not even the outer shell of a demon, but enlarged and markedly transformed as inhuman.


　Cicernia, who walks like a man possessed, still couldn't walk through to the end. The gaze she looked up at couldn't be dislodged as if it were fixed, and collapsed from her knees in front of her.
　A single tear swooshed out of her eye and fell, reflecting the color of the solution.