---

「Oi Zalgrough!」

「The hell ya want, Kildew?! Can't ya see I'm watchin' these runts?! I swear... th' boss' demands are gettin' more unreasonable by th' week!」

The heartless crook acted as an overseer for the packaging room. Here, freshly-made Nixie dust would be placed into small pouches and distributed via the dealers.

The bulk of the labor force were orphans, ages four to twelve. They handled the substance without any form of protection.

If inhaled, they'd undoubtedly suffer the same symptoms I'd witnessed back at the prison chamber. The bastards who ran this drug factory truly didn't care about them one bit.

「Yea 'bout that. We found one of 'em sneakin' 'round th' back.」

「Hah?! Who'd even try?!」

「Ya tell me!」

Thud!

Two thugs threw a disheveled Thonvir by Zalgrough's feet. The boy glared at the man as the children peeked over from their workstations.

「Yer shittin' me...」

「Zalgrough. I've known ya fer years now, but we can't let this fly... If this brat had run into th' boss, whaddya think he'd do t' us?」

「YA THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!」

Zalgrough broke out in a thunderous rage. It shook the entire room by its core.

His go-to outlet was the mischievous rat by his feet. The orphans watched in horror as the thug repeatedly stomped on the boy.

「YA! MUST! HAVE! A DEATH WISH! YA LIL' BRAT! FIRST YA COME BACK LATE! THEN YA SNOOP 'ROUND LIKE SOME WEASEL!」

Thonvir had curled up and covered his head in anticipation. He clenched my handkerchief as Zalgrough's boot tried busting its way through his skull.

The boy's plans to break out with Ysolva crumbled with every kick to his body.

「S-stop!」

And there she was.

From the assembly line of children, came scurrying in a small girl who couldn't bear the sight of her big brother getting battered any longer.

「Y-Ysolva!」

「L-leave big bro alone! He did nothin' wrong!」

She clumsily situated herself between Zalgrough and Thonvir. Her legs trembled in the presence of the towering man.

「Y-Ysolva, get outta here! It's not safe!」

「What are you sayin' big bro?! There must be some misunderstandin'! Ya would never do somethin' bad! You're th' kindest person I know!」

「Ysolva...」

「We work every day, don't we? And today we're workin' fer longer! Shouldn't we be treated nicer now?」

Zalgrough, as expected, was not amused. Her naïve utterances would never reach a man whose heart was so engulfed by darkness.

「Ye're in no position t' bargain with us, missy...」

「But isn't it wrong—」

Whap!

The young girl went flying to the corner wall. The thug, though asthmatic, packed quite a kick.

「Ysolva!!!」

Thonvir rushed over to her. The handkerchief slipped from his hands and gently swayed onto the ground.

「Shut yer trap! Wrong this, wrong that! Ya runts just keep comin' left and right. I'm sick o' it! Am I actin' t'nice t'ya?! Is that th' problem?! Maybe I sh' give a hundred lashings t' everyone from now on, hah?!」

Thonvir continued to console the shocked Ysolva. She silently teared up as the sensation set in.

'Evil' was a concept she'd only hear in fairy tales. Encounters with the cruel and the wicked were unwonted.

Her innocence, her only gift in this unforgiving world, was steadily waning.

Zalgrough shifted his attention from the two siblings to the young bystanders who had ceased all productivity.

「Listen up ya runts! This ain't a daycare fer y'all t' play 'round! This is a business! A lucrative one at that! In return fer yer work, we provide ya with food, water, an' shelter! Demandin' any more than that is plain stupid! After all, without us, ya'd be dead! Left in th' streets t' rot. No home or family awaits ya out there! So work hard fer yer lives, understand me?!」

No one answered.

「I SAID DO YA UNDERSTAND ME?!」

「Y-yes sir...」

A stagnant atmosphere filled the room. When Zalgrough was in a bad mood, it was hard to tell what he'd do next.

He paced back and forth and kept his eyes on the children.

「I was ordered t' watch ya runts, but never actually told t' guarantee yer safety... So if ya ever sneak 'round places ya ain't supposed to, like this rat over here...」

He abruptly stopped. Something soft touched the sole of his shoes. He raised his leg and inspected the material stuck to the bottom of his foot.

「Th' hell..?」

A white handkerchief, stained with dried blood. He held it up with his fingertips like a strange artifact.

His eyes darted around the room. The dealer kids were only ever given a knife and the merchandise. The fact that Thonvir possessed a foreign object unnerved him.

「Kil, does this belong t' ya or yer men?」

「What? We don't carry those things 'round with us. Only fancy folk do that.」

「Fancy folk eh..?」

His superior's paranoid tendencies had rubbed off on him.

Months of working together with the boss of the operations had taught him to be suspicious at every irregularity, no matter how minute.

He turned to Thonvir and showed him the handkerchief.

「Where'd ya get this huh? Some noble or somethin'?」

The boy stayed silent.

「I don't recall ya ever bringin' this 'round. Ya recently get this or..?」

Thonvir held Ysolda close to him. The man neared the two children with every inquiry.

「Oi kid. I'm speakin' t' ya. Can't ya hear me?! I'm askin' ya, where th' hell ya got this from?! We regularly check ya fer contraband, so ya can't expect me t' believe ya've been holdin' this from us this entire time! Answer me ya lil' shit!」

The boy stubbornly refused to speak as Ysolva buried her face in his shirt. He was prepared to carry our whereabouts to the grave.

An honorable display, but one that worked in the man's favor. For the less Thonvir answered, the more Zalgrough was certain something was up.

Finally, he sauntered away from them and back to his colleagues. They bore total confusion as he quietly stared at them.

「Zal, ya alright man? Is th' nightshift gettin' t' ya?」

「Kil, alert th' base. We've got an intruder.」

「S-seriously?!」

Thonvir's heart dropped as he came to register the man's orders. In a panic, he thrust forwards and shouted at the conniving bastard.

「W-what do ya mean?! How'd ya come t' that conclusion?!」

「Yer a terrible liar ya brat. It's written all over yer face. Ya may think I'm an asshole, but I'm an asshole who remember all o' yer usual mugs, keep that in mind.」

「T-there's no point in searching! Yer just goin' t' tire th' watchmen out!」

「Not me problem. Besides, if I'm the only one bustin' ass this late at night, shouldn't I get everyone workin' th' same shift?」

「Ye're such a ninny!」

Zalgrough cackled as the thugs left the room. It was Murphy's law in full effect. The rescue plan was a disaster.

With the base on full alert and Thonvir captured, chances of freedom were nonexistent.

「Now then, with that all sorted...」

The despicable man unsheathed the sword on his side and pointed to the siblings. His killing intent was never more pronounced than now.

「It's best I dispose of ya now. Yer friends o'er there can watch. What sorts o' scream will ya make? Who should I cut up first? It's not like th' boss will notice if two brats go missin' hehe...」

「Ya bastard! Leave Ysolva out o' this! If ye're gonna kill anybody, kill me!」

「Oh? Good idea. I'll cut yer sister up and hear yer cries first! Much more satisfyin' that way. It's been a long time comin'.」

As he approached the brother and sister, Thonvir prayed with all his heart. Under his breath, he wished God would come to save them...

「P-please... Vel... rescue us...」

Suffice to say, that never happened.

Instead...

Schlink!

Thonvir had closed his eyes and clenched Ysolva with all his might. Blood had splattered all over his face—the feeling was unmistakable.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, washing away the splotches of red. When the boy opened his eyes, he'd have to face a world where his sister no longer existed.

A short-lived world sure, but one he couldn't possibly confront.

And so... slowly, he raised his eyelids like curtains to a traumatic play...

His prayer had fallen on deaf ears... or so he thought...

「W-w-w-wha..?」

Zalgrough looked to the young girl—she was miraculously unharmed. He then looked to the hand brandishing his blade and saw nothing.

Nothing but two stumps spurting out an egregious amount of sanguine.

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHH DAMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!」

Only a light trail of blood connected his hands to his wrists. Even as the discarded flesh flew off, his fingers still tightly wrapped around the grip.

Thonvir was stupefied.

「W-what in Vel's name..?」

His first instinct was to cover his sister's eyes as he analyzed the scene.

Instantaneously, all doors to the room were blocked off by raised walls of wood. Zalgrough's severed hands were also sliced off by the sharp edges of these wooden walls.

With the sole casualty being the crooked thug, the boy's thought process led him to a single convenient explanation.

Divine intervention.

Though the old man upstairs had done jack, he somehow stole all the glory.

Alas, as a hole opened up in the center of the room and familiar voices filled his ears, the truth swiftly became apparent.

「Alright, the hole in the ceiling's open. Can you get off me now? You're heavy!」

「Hey! That's the one thing you should never say to a lady!」

「Who's this lady you speak of?」

This "lady" bopped me on the head multiple times for my callous statement.

Using Melyn's manipulation magic, the wooden floor beneath us served as a relatively secure lift to the upper floor.

There, we reunited with Thonvir and were met with his undying gratitude. Or so I'd like to think.

「Ya really are a buncha ninnies!」

「Not exactly the thankyou I was hoping for... but glad to see you safe.」

「That aside... h-how'd ya find us?! Didn't you scram after I told ya to?」

「You seriously thought I'd abandon a quest before completion? You underestimate my tenacity, Thonvir!」

Melyn had hopped off my shoulders and gathered the orphans from around the room. She was frighteningly quick in gaining their trust.

With the first step of my plan cleared, we hurried along with the second. Right now, the thugs must've been on their way here.

From behind me, atop the wooden platform we raised, Thonvir caught a glimpse of the full scale of my operation.

「Y-ya can't be...」

「Finally caught up to it huh? Call me a completionist, but it's fair to say no stone should ever be left unturned. Don't you agree?」

All the lab rat prisoners were with us, including the little girl and her gravely infirmed mother. It took a while to transport them. Mobility was an issue for the narcotized.

「Ya've been doin' a whole lotta boastin' and not a lotta explainin' ya know?! When are ya gonna answer me question ya ninny?!」

「Once we all make it out in one piece. We're not out of the woods yet.」

---

Every step of my journey—Melyn would undoubtedly be integral. If I was going to utilize her skills as my partner effectively, I had to learn more about her.

Starting with her skillset.

A couple of weeks ago, after another vigorous training session with Lia, I had seized the opportunity to ask some questions about the thief girl.

「Lia... I had... a question... for you...」

I just barely managed to mouth the inquiry right before she left.

「A question? You still up for some training?」

「God no... it's... a question about... something I heard... back in the... District Master meeting...」

Lia walked back to me and joined my limp body against the wall.

「Does... the main laws of the world... ring any bells..?」

「Why of course. It's the one thing all magic casters learn about.」

「Good... Could you perhaps... recite these laws to me..?」

She crossed her arms at my suggestion.

「Didn't you give up on magic? Why change your mind now?」

「Any knowledge helps... right..?」

「Not in your state. You're absolutely drained.」

I weakly chuckled, prompting a deep sigh from the exhausted woman. She had more questions for me than I had for her.

「I can't shake the feeling you're hiding something from me, Lorenzo. Melyn's injuries look like the result of more than a "simple accident".」

「We all have secrets... and trust me... you wouldn't want to know mines.」

She stood up as she made up her mind.

「It's fine, I suppose. I can tell you all about the laws of this world. Anything else to satisfy your mysterious hunger for information?」

「This may sound strange... but while Melyn's out of action... could you tell me her strengths and weaknesses in magic..? All of them... And keep it between us... please...」

Either she was in a good mood that day, or I was bequeathed with a small bit of luck that very moment because, without hesitation, she answered my question immediately.

Jumping forward to half an hour ago, and I was still thinking of a strategy to get us out of here.

With the thief girl's stats firmly cemented in the pit of my mind, all I needed to devise the rescue plan was the layout of the structure.

I had a rough idea of the place from the scraggly watchman's testimonial, but nothing substantial. I knew there were three levels, two underground and one aboveground.

Yet without a blueprint of the base, his description of this drug factory was abstract at best.

I had reached a deadlock.

「Zozo what's wrong? I told you all about my abilities right? You forgot them already?」

「No... I just remembered we don't have a way of reliably breaking into the place. I know the kids are far behind this wall, but I can't really be sure of their exact locations. What if we accidentally crush them with your manipulation magic?」

「Oh if that's all then, I've already pinpointed them with the Hu breathing technique.」

「S-sorry? I'm not picking up anything with my Hu.」

「Well duh, you've only been using it for a short while now. On the other hand, I have years of experience under my belt. Naturally, I'd be better at it.」

「What's your effective range?」

「Hmmm... around a thousand feet last I checked...」

A thousand feet?!

Her skill ceiling far surpassed my own. My limited radius of thirty feet was nothing compared to roughly three hundred meters of possible feedback.

I was utterly beaten by this teenage girl.

「Again... you really ought to inform me about these things...」

「I figured you already knew. It should've been obvious. Plus, you did dig around for my abilities...」

「Y-you knew?」

「If my little Zozo wants to learn more about his big sister, all he needs to do is ask...」

I silently shook my fist at Lia. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

---