“Lady Faris, we have to get out of here,” said Aria.

She walked to the bars and looked down the hall to see if anyone was there.

“Aria, I already told you before. We can’t fight them,” Lady Faris said with her arms folded in annoyance.

Aria looked back at Lady Faris and spoke with a hushed tone.

“We don’t have to fight head-on to escape. Right?”

She recalled back to when she, Leo, and Wendel ran into the Xilisk. Leo and Wendel managed to deal with the first one, but there was no way its parent was something they could fight head-on. By the time she came to from its first attack, Leo and Wendel had escaped from it without fighting. It was the same thing. It wasn’t about defeating the enemy in these scenarios, it’s about getting out alive.

“Why don’t we escape without fighting?” asked Aria. “It’s not about beating them by fighting right now, it’s about beating them by getting out safely. So let’s do that!”

Lady Faris’ eyes widened slightly before blinking.

“Well.. that makes sense. But how exactly would we do that?” she asked.

Lady Faris had been sitting, but finally stood up and walked over beside Aria.

Aria’s brows knitted as she closed her eyes in thought.

If they managed to get out of this cell, what would await them down the hallway? She leaned towards the bars and peeked down the hallway again, but couldn’t see anything that was an apparent threat— like a guard. Regardless, whether something would stop them later on or not is something to worry about after getting out of this cell.

“First things first, we’re going to have to get out of this cell,” whispered Aria. “But how exactly we’re going to do that is another question.”

Lady Faris took a step back as she looked at the bars. Her eyes glanced about as Aria watched her.

“Lady Faris.. Can you burn it away?” asked Aria.

“The bars?” she asked with a frown. “I’ve never tried it, but I doubt my flames are hot enough to melt metal. And I probably don’t have enough matom.”

“What other magic do you have?” asked Aria.

Lady Faris huffed in slight annoyance at this question.

“My attribute is fire,” she declared. “So I’m not that proficient with other aspects of magic yet. Not to mention, I only really trained with fire magic so far.”

Lady Faris walked over to the bars and gripped them.

“I’ll see what I can do though... [Fiery Armaments],” muttered Lady Faris.

Fire bursted out from between her hands and the metal bars. They wrapped around and enveloped her hands before expanding to engulf the metal bars near her hands.

Aria stared, surprised, at the intensity of Lady Faris’ spell. The aura around Lady Faris shrunk to outline herself and she could see it congregate where her spell manifested.

Lady Faris glanced back with a sideways smile that was a little sheepish, but proud.

“Are you surprised?” she asked somewhat rhetorically.

“A little bit,” Aria responded while nodding.

Lady Faris let out a small chuckle.

“Sorry I was acting so miserable earlier,” she admitted. “I feel a little more determined now thanks to you.”

Aria smiled back in response.

Lady Faris turned her focus back towards her spell and the bars her hands clutched. However, the bars didn’t seem to budge one bit.

“Do you think you can do it?” Aria asked, worried.

Lady Faris’ lips formed a slight frown.

“I’m not sure,” she muttered.

Lady Faris’ brows furrowed as she concentrated on channeling her matom into the gauntlets of fire. They glowed with intensity and grew hotter as the power grew and more of Lady Faris’ matom fueled it. The size of the gauntlets diminished as the fire concentrated on the metal gripped by Lady Faris’ hands.

But Lady Faris started biting her lip in worry.

“Aria I-.. I don’t think I have enough matom. I can feel myself reaching my limit with how fast my matom is draining, but the strength of my spell isn’t changing. I.. I won’t be able to melt the bars!”

It was true. Aria could see the density of Lady Faris’ aura decreasing as it thinned more and more.

At this rate.. Lady Faris’ matom will run out before doing anything!

Aria clenched her fist as she watched. She needed to do something— anything —to help Lady Faris, but she wasn’t sure what. Lady Faris needed more matom, more power.

Aria channeled her matom and felt it coursing through her body.

What should she do?

What could she do?

She didn’t know any suitable skills or spells, but she should still try to support Lady Faris. With her matom still flowing throughout her body, Aria walked over and placed her hands on Lady Faris’ back.

Lady Faris glanced back at Aria in surprise, but didn’t say anything.

“Lady Faris, I don’t have much to support you, but I can at least try to help fuel your spell!”

A smile tugged at the corners of Lady Faris’ lips, and she nodded in acknowledgement before turning her focus back to her spell.

“Alright!” exclaimed Lady Faris, reinvigorated with fresh determination.

Aria willed her matom to flow through her palms and into Lady Faris’ aura. Aria didn’t know whether it was possible to share matom or not, she didn’t care. She only focused on making it happen.

Matom flowed out of her palms and tried to merge with Lady Faris’ matom, however her matom was rejected by Lady Faris’ aura. They simply bounced off each other as Lady Faris’ aura worked to keep Lady Faris protected from outside interference.

Lady Faris’ matom felt more boisterous, more explosive in a way. On the other hand, Aria’s matom didn’t exactly have much of a personality. It was neutral, perhaps changing depending on Aria’s mood, but definitely more flexible.

I need to match Lady Faris’ matom somehow!

『 Understood. Activating [Aura Manipulation]. 』

Hm?

Aria’s matom stopped in its tracks and instead got pulled into her own aura.

That’s not—

Before Aria could continue, her aura suddenly began mimicking the personality of Lady Faris’ aura. That is, her matom started to become energetic and frisky. It gathered in her palms as she tried to give it to Lady Faris once again.

This time, her matom met with Lady Faris’ aura before slowly merging.

It worked! Lady Faris’ body is accepting my matom!

Aria began injecting more of her matom, but like an opened floodgate, her matom started pouring into Lady Faris without restraint. Within a few seconds Aria could feel the amount of matom that Lady Faris was able to carry begin to overflow like a bucket dunked into a rushing stream.

“Wha--ahh!”

In response to the overflowing matom that Lady Faris couldn’t possibly contain, Lady Faris instinctively channeled it all towards her spell.

Now, instead of an overflowing bucket, Lady Faris was simply a bucket filled to the brim while all the excess were sent to her spell as she got them.

The effects were near instantaneous as Lady Faris yelped in surprise. Her gauntlets of fire exploded with intensity and sent a small shockwave that propelled Aria backwards into a small tumble. Aria looked up from her fall to find the bars melting away, leaving an oval opening they could walk through. Lady Faris stepped back and dispelled her blazing gauntlets as they both watched the red hot metal distort and droop down towards the ground whilst solidifying. The intense heat left behind from Lady Faris’ spell was almost suffocating, but quickly dissipating.

Lady Faris’ heavy breathing caught Aria’s attention as she realized her own breathing was strained as well. They waited for the heat to dissipate enough to not endanger them which felt like an eternity to Aria but was really only a few minutes.

We should hurry up and get out of here.

Aria opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out.

With a grimace, she stood and grabbed Lady Faris’ hand which on second thought could’ve been a considerable mistake. They could have been searing hot from her spell. Fortunately, Lady Faris’ hands were only warm to the touch, without causing any harm.

She pulled Lady Faris, who blinked in surprise, and ran through the opening, taking care to avoid the small puddle of molten metal on the floor. Finally out of their cell, Aria dashed down the only direction they could go— the same direction that monster Zen was at.

The hallway felt longer than it was before. After passing the umpteenth lamp that lit the surrounding area every 15 feet or so, Aria couldn’t help but feel impatient and anxious. What if they ran into a guard? If they get caught, who knows what would happen. At best, they’d be tossed into another cell, but that was unlikely considering they proved their ability to break out from one.

These thoughts that flitted about her mind dispersed once Aria saw the door they previously entered.

Lady Faris gripped her hand as they snuck by, their anxiety pumping adrenaline throughout their bodies. It was only until they were one or two lamps down the hall that they began to relax.

“Phew,” sighed Lady Faris. Aria sighed internally as well.

Lady Faris conjured a small flame that flickered to a draft.

“There’s wind,” whispered Lady Faris. “That must mean a way out.”

Aria nodded before turning to walk down the hallway. However, she stopped in her tracks when the door behind them clicked to unlock. It wasn’t terribly loud, but in the silence they grew accustomed to and appreciated, it was a deafening horror.

Her blood ran cold as she stood, momentarily paralyzed. The door whined and groaned as metal grinded against metal from the door’s hinges and the door slid open.

From the open door came the same guard they’ve seen numerous times before. Lady Faris was the first to move as she tugged Aria and pulled her into a run.

The noise of them scrambling away caught his attention as he looked at them in confusion.

“Huh? Wha— hey! Stop right there!”

Aria had no intention of stopping however, and neither did Lady Faris. They sprinted down the hallway until they came across a tunnel perpendicular to the hallway.

It was a large tubular tunnel with pipes running all over and a river of murky water that was on the same level as their feet. The tunnel itself was only traversable by the narrow, elevated paths on either side of the tunnel.

The guard was close behind; he seemed to be a normal person, incapable of casting magic, which gave them the upper edge. Even so, if he caught up he would be able to capture at least one of them.

“Which way do we go?” shouted Lady Faris.

After a moment of hesitation, Aria dashed to the right and scampered up the small staircase that led onto the elevated path. Lady Faris followed close behind.

I feel a breeze, this must be the way out!

“You brats better stop running!” the guard continued shouting from behind them. “Ugh.”

The narrow path was a comfortable fit for them, but most adults would find it a bit cramped. Even so, the guard was only mildly inconvenienced..

Despite the sound of her blood rushing drowning out a lot of noise, not to mention the flowing sewage, Aria picked up sounds of other people shouting and chasing after them.

More people! How do we escape? What do we do?

As if the guard slowly gaining on them wasn’t bad enough, now there’s even more people to back him up. There’s no telling where this tunnel would lead them. There might not even be an exit for them despite the wind she felt.

Gritting her teeth, she disbanded that thought.

There has to be an exit.

Holding this hope close, she ran with Lady Faris.

~ ~ ~

Leo examined the scattered sheets on the magohany desk.

“2 Rank B’s and 5 Rank C’s. To think there were this many bandits among the guild,” Leo muttered.

“How long did you know about this, Guildmaster?”

“At least 3 months,” sighed Guildmaster.

Leo slammed the desk with his hand, “You knew about it for this long and didn’t do a thing about it?!”

“The time wasn’t right,” Guildmaster said with a wave of her hand.

Leo’s brows furrowed as he took a step back and sighed. “I know how cold and calculating you can be, Guildmaster, but there’s a limit to it!”

Guildmaster’s finger started tapping the polished magohany desk as her gaze rested on a character sheet of one of the B ranks.

“You know these aren’t ordinary bandits, Leo.”

“That’s exactly why you should’ve acted sooner!,” exclaimed Leo. “Aria was kidnapped! Isn’t she in more danger because of your inaction?!”

“Leo!” shouted Guildmaster. She stood abruptly, her aura flaring.

Leo flinched as Guildmaster’s aura pressured his own, but what made him regret his words the most was the fierce glare she gave him. She was genuinely angry.

“If I acted sooner, there would have been bandits that slipped through our grasp! We would not have realized their involvement! If I acted sooner, we would not have figured out that a noble family was involved! If I acted sooner, we would have forced their hand causing them to respond recklessly like a cornered animal! They would’ve killed and harmed many more kidnapped children rather than giving us time to safely locate and secure them all.”

Ah, now I’ve done it.

Leo diverted his gaze after realizing his mistake. Guildmaster let out a sigh and sat back down.

“You discredit me, Leo,” said Guildmaster. “Not everything can be solved through brute strength.”

“Sorry,” Leo replied, his head hanging.

“Well, it’s not that I don’t understand how you feel though. I didn’t want Aria to be kidnapped, not from under my care no less.”

“... So, do you have a plan then?” asked Leo.

“Of course,” replied Guildmaster with a small smile. “Those bastards will pay for kidnapping Aria… That said, it should be about time.”

Leo’s brow raised in confusion. “Time for what?”

Before Guildmaster could reply, a knock on her door sounded.

Shooting Leo a confident smile, she spoke, “Enter.”

“Thank you.”

The door opened and Leo was surprised to see a tired vice-guildmaster.

“Loken,” said Guildmaster. “You’re here.”

Loken was a sturdy man in his thirties, recognized for his stern but kind strength and strategic mind. He was a reliable man for sure.

“Did you get it done?” asked Guildmaster.

“Yes, each of the bases have been located. According to the man we interrogated, there are two in total. The first is located in the abandoned aqueducts under the city that leads into the nearby domain of Earl Shybrave. A feregrine is currently on route to notify Earl Shybrave.”

Loken paused before continuing.

“The second base was disguised as the store Noblesse Accessories in the middle ring of Uroth. It was a store offering accessories and luxuries to nobles, but secretly operated in underground dealings. I infiltrated this base along with trusted adventurers and members of the Silver Order.”

Leo held his breath.

What of the children? Was it successful?

“The majority of missing children were rescued and identified. However, the child you specified and Lady Rinaera from the Ignis family are nowhere to be seen. They must be in the abandoned aqueducts, but searches are proving fruitless so far due to the large nature of the aqueducts. It’s assumed their base is near or in Earl Shybrave’s domain rather than Uroth’s vicinity.”

Leo exhaled quietly. Aria wasn’t found yet, along with one noble girl. But a lot of innocents were saved otherwise.

Aria, where are you?

“I see,” muttered Guildmaster. “Well done Loken. Get some rest, you deserve it.”

He nodded, his rigid expression lined with fatigue eased ever so slightly upon hearing Guildmaster’s words.

Leo gave a slight bow, “Thanks for your hard work Vice Guildmaster.”

“Thanks, Leo,” he replied before leaving.

A blanket of silence fell over the room as Leo and Guildmaster processed the information.

How pitiful am I, Aria? Unable to help you after all the things I’ve said.

Leo’s fist tightened as he rebuked himself.

“Get ready Leo. We’re heading to Earl Shybrave’s domain,” said Guildmaster.

“Huh? Right now?”

“Of course,” Guildmaster replied matter of factly. “Sitting here won’t do Aria and Lady Ignis any good. We have no time to waste.”

Guildmaster..!

“Yes, Guildmaster! Hold on Aria, we’ll definitely save you!”