I was in the basement of the War Department.
　That's right.
　I'd made it in.

　I'm in handcuffs, with a strong guard next to me.
　And my clothes are the wrong kind of uniforms.

"No luck for you in your escape. Oops, didn't you understand Imperial Standard?

　The guard chuckled.
　I'm now misunderstood as an officer of the Alemanian Farren Republic.
　It wasn't so much that they misunderstood me as that they thought I was.

　If I used the language of Alemania and wore the military uniform of Alemania, anyone could only see me as an officer of an enemy country.

　He then wandered around near the military compound, and as soon as he was discovered, he used his magic to resist.
　So I was captured as an escaped enemy officer.

　This allowed me to successfully come to the basement of the Army and Navy Ministry.
　Since this is a facility for capturing high-ranking sorcerers from the enemy, I figured that I should be sent there if I was captured.

　His skill of speaking Alemanian was unusually useful.

　Somewhere in this dimly lit dungeon is Lucy.

　Each cell is surrounded by an iron cage, with a corridor that allows the prisoners to see inside.
　And the treatment of the prisoners did not seem to be very good.
　Everyone was emaciated and looked at the guards with a resentful stare.

　There was even a female sorcerer in tattered clothes, staring at the ceiling with downcast eyes.
　A transparent stake is driven into her chest.

　It's probably the same magic power absorber that was used on Arte and Flora.

　The information that they are conducting outrageous human experiments on prisoners of war seems to be correct.

　I'm sure the guards poked me and locked me in one of their cells.
　The guard sighed and disappeared.

　He probably thinks he's safe because he locked himself in.
　It's true that this dungeon is a special space, and the magic has been neutralized.

　Probably a large amount of magical power is filled into the space, preventing the normal use of magic.
　That's why no high-ranking magician can use magic to break out of a prison, but if it's not magic, it's a different story.

　But if it's not magic, it's a different story.
　I take out a small folding tool I keep in my mouth.

　It's a combination of a spontaneous combustor and a sharp, saw-tooth blade, and if it's made of ordinary metal.
It snaps off easily.

　I easily broke the lock and walked out of the prison.
　There are too many prisoners, and the security seems to be a bit sketchy.

　Now, let's find Lucy.
　At least she's not on the road we've been on.

　And on top of that, she's not like the other POWs, and she's an important person, so she may be sequestered in a special room somewhere.

　There's also a definitive clue.

　It's the magic stone I gave Lucy.
　The rare magic stone I picked up in the Corinthian Garden shines in seven colors and emits intense magical power.
　Basically, it's just a beautiful stone, but because of its magical power, it is able to detect the location of its owner.

　It's impossible to detect the owner without being close to him or her to some extent, and if Lucy has had all her possessions taken away, it's useless.

　However, as soon as I took out the silver rod used to detect the magic stone, it glowed red and indicated the location of the magic stone.
　I was worried that it would malfunction due to the magical power that surrounds it, but I was actually relieved to see that the magic detection stick worked properly.

　Lucy is close by, after all.

　I quietly walked away.

　If the guards found me, the mission would be a failure.
　We need to tread carefully.

　I suppressed my impatience.
　I'm as worried about Claire as I am about Lucy.
　I've heard that Claire is being tortured, and I'm praying that she's okay.　

　Eventually, I made my way to the far end of the dungeon compartment.
　It's a damp, stone-built space with a strangely unpleasant atmosphere.

　One of the guards, a young man, was there, and I didn't want to deal with him if I could.
　I wouldn't want to deal with him if I could, but he was just standing there blocking the passage.

　I had no choice but to deliberately make high-pitched footsteps.

　A jittery-looking guard came running towards me.
　I quickly ducked into the shadow of a nearby pillar.

　The guard man came but found nothing there, and he cocked his head curiously.
　And just as he was about to return to his post, I approached him from behind and popped him on the head with my sword.

　A peaked strike, of course.
　The guard easily collapses to the spot.
　They won't be awake for a while.

　In the same way, I'll destroy each of the three or four soldiers, take their clothes and tie them up in the prison.

　I was able to conduct my search without being disturbed by anyone.

　Eventually, I found a relatively spacious room.
　The silver magic detecting rod is glowing intensely red.

　It must be here.

　I gently opened the door and let go.
　There was a young woman hanging there with her hands bound by chains.

　She looks at me with crimson eyes, as if surprised.

''Is it Solon...?''

　In front of me was my mentor, Lucy.
　And beside her was a bloody Claire lying limp and slumped.