Suddenly, Filia's thoughts went blank.

　How could a trapped woman have such a thing as a flute?
　Why did she play it here and now?

　A sharp voice came from behind me to the confused Filia, "Filia, restrain her!

'Filia, restrain her!

　Filia hurriedly huffed at Rona's instructions and immediately used her magic to create a cord-like viscous substance and tease the woman's limbs.

''What the hell is this?

　They didn't expect a young girl as young as Filia to be able to use magic.
　The woman was caught off guard, and before she had time to dodge, she was bound by her limbs.

"You're a sorcerer--

　The same viscous material covers her noisy mouth.
　The woman, who could only growl, struggled to move her limbs, but it was not a sweet restraint that could be managed with that level of restraint.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

''They seem like a pretty cautious bunch, don't they?

What do you mean?

I think they had someone posing as a prisoner to keep an eye out for intruders. They even went to the trouble of making him dress like that.

　Filia's understanding finally caught up with her when she heard Rona's answer.

　The bound woman, like the other women, had only a single piece of dirty cloth wrapped around her body.
　I don't know if they were people from the Chamber of Commerce or hired mercenaries, but it would have been impossible to secretly rescue them if a bell-ringed enemy was mixed in with the rescue target.

　Filia almost raised her eyebrows at the unexpected situation, but the deteriorating situation didn't even allow for that.

　The sound of people's running footsteps echoed from the passage leading out of the room.
　Three magic forces approaching.
　They must be the men on guard that I saw earlier.

It's impossible to sneak away, huh? ...... Well, maybe it was impossible to take out this many people without being noticed in the first place.

'What do I do, Rona: ......

I think we're going to have to force our way through, whether we do this or not.

'Yeah, I know. ....... Yeah, I'll try.

　Filia's expression clouded for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded vigorously.

''Well, when push comes to shove, you can go to .......''

What if it comes down to it?

Nope, nothing to worry about. The first thing we need to do is to figure out what to do about the three of you who will be here soon. I'm sure they'll be here soon?

　When Filia expressed her doubts, Rona urged her to think about how to deal with the immediate situation.
　Filia took a breath to collect her thoughts and then called out to Hal, who was at her sister's side.

'Hal-kun, stay in the corner of the room with your sisters.

Uh-huh.

　Filia casts an invisible spell on herself as she watches Hal lead her sister and the other women to the wall, with a sideways glance.
　At the same time, she creates a foothold with her magic and uses the stairs to move herself further up than the doorway door - a hole that has now melted down.

　Just as Filia climbed up to near the ceiling, the men on guard came rushing in.

'And the door,'

Is it melting?

　The men are surprised to see the unusual condition of a metal door that has melted down.

'An intruder!'

　Naturally the first thing that came to mind was the possible cause.
　One of the men who looked into the room warily asked in a stern voice when he spotted the dark-skinned woman who was being held captive.

'Hey, where are the other women?

　The question was not directed at the disappearing Filia, nor was it directed at Rona or any of the other women.
　Because just as Filia was disappearing herself, Rona was obscuring Hal and the other women with her invisibility magic, just as Filia was disappearing herself.

'Hmmm!

　The dark-skinned woman would frantically shake her head, trying to tell him something, but the man, looking around the room, would approach warily.
　His eyes would see an empty room, except for the restrained dark woman.
　The two men who followed also let their guard down, lowered their weapons and slowly entered the room.

　At that moment, Filia silently exercised her magic.
　She produced the same string-like viscous substance as she had restrained the dark-skinned woman, and then restrained the two men from behind their defenseless backs.

''Enemies!''

　The first man to enter the room senses something is wrong and raises his weapon, but as long as he can't catch Filia, he'll have no choice but to be wary of his surroundings.
　Filia attempts to restrain him with a cord-like viscous substance, just as she did to the two men earlier.

''Magic!

　But the wary man, recognizing the cord-like viscous substance that had suddenly arisen, quickly dodged and succeeded in escaping his restraints.

　The speed at which the viscous material is released is never inevitable for someone who is used to fighting.
　It's not a technique suitable for actual combat, even if it's to be used against a surprise or careless opponent, but it's not a technique suitable for actual combat that would work against a wary opponent.
　It can be said that it was Filia's fault that she was disappointed in it.

''There it is!

　The man throws a dagger at Filia, who should be invisible.
　He must have made sure of the place where the viscous substance was produced.

　In a panic, Filia deploys her defensive barrier and at the same time, she erases the foothold she is standing on and jumps down to the floor.

　Was she upset, or did she lose her concentration?
　The invisible magic disappeared from its effect and Filia's figure was revealed.

'A child!

　Hearing the startled voice released from the man's mouth and the sound of the dagger being bounced off the defensive barrier at the same time, Filia finds it difficult to restrain him and switches her magic to an aggressive one.

　As she lands, Filia swipes her hand away in a horizontal cleave.
　A wind magic was unleashed from her hand.

　It's not a magic to cut through, but a magic to impact a compressed mass of wind.
　No matter how well trained your body is, it's difficult to aim and prevent the shock wave from magic power, much less avoid it if it reaches you in an instant.

''Haha!''

　A man who was hit by a decent shockwave to the abdomen is knocked unconscious by being slammed into a wall with the momentum.
　You can also have a look at the following information

''If you want to take them by surprise, you have to restrain them all at the same time. If they're alarmed, it'll be a waste of time and effort, right?　Why didn't you end it all at once?

Um, .......

Anyway, like before, you thought, 'If I aim for three people at the same time, I'll miss.'

U......

　Filia is at a loss for words after being pointed at a figurehead.

'Well, let's take some time to reflect on this later. The problem is how to get this many people out of here--

　Just as Rona was about to say this, there was a sudden explosion that echoed down to the basement, and at the same time, the entire room was shaken with great force.
　In addition, as if to follow up, the roar of someone who seems to be a beast reaches Filia and the others.

''Kyaa!''

What?

Oh, my God, I'm scared!

　While the captive women were shouting in their mouths, Filia immediately explored the magic in the surrounding area.
　Although it was a small area with a radius of fifty meters, it was at least possible to know what kind of movements the people around her were making.

　However, Filia tilted her head at the results of the magic power exploration.
　This is because the magical reaction trapped in the search area was not coming closer, but was moving in a different direction.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

Rona.

'Oh, I don't know what I'm doing,'

What?

　When Filia approached Rona in doubt, the golden beast had a dumbfounded look on its face.

''No, it's nothing. It's just better than that. Let's just get away with this mess.''

Confusion?

　Filia followed Rona's words and led Hal and the women out of the basement, not quite grasping the situation.
　It was a scene of debris of all sizes scattered around, people fleeing from the scene, and part of the largest building in the compound collapsing.

'What? Why?'

　Seeing the scene that had changed completely from just a moment ago, Hal got a word of doubt from everyone.

　At that moment, there was an explosion that once again enveloped the entire area around them.
　When Filia looked up in search of the source of the sound, she saw a shimmering mass of flame burning against the blue of the sky.

''What is that?''

The big ......

　The women spill the words of doubt and astonishment out of their mouths.

　It's not unreasonable.

　The huge, burning red sphere is surely visible from every corner of the town.
　It is a tyranny incarnate, a powerful destructive force just by being there.
　If you are not a man of battle, you will never see this sight in your life.

　I don't know who did it, but I can't think of anyone other than a sorcerer who could create such a mass of fire.

''Why would a sorcerer be in this town ......?''

　I'm sure that's what every one of the women thought.
　That was the normal thinking.

　However, Filia's perception was slightly different from theirs.
　Even for a sorcerer, there are few people who are capable of creating such a large mass of fire.
　In addition, the total number of flame lumps that appeared above the town was eight.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

　There are many sorcerers who could create a single one.
　But there are few mages who can create two or more of them in succession.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

'Let's go, Filia.

...... Yeah.

　With an absolute sense of security and a renewed sense of her own inadequacy at the same time, Filia turned her back to the mass of flames to guide Hal and the captive women out of the Chamber of Commerce grounds.