Ch. 60

‘What kind of world is this, so vicious and cruel?!’

I was furious for a dozen different reasons.

The oppressive situation I was stuck in, the frustration that if that Rai jerk had just stayed by my side, I wouldn’t have been caught…

Everything that kept happening without my consent made my blood boil.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“Mm…?”

I called out irritably to the boy curled up quietly in the corner.

“How long have you been here? Do you know what time it is?”

“No idea.”

“When were you taken?”

“This morning…”

I’d been captured late at night, close to midnight.

That meant this kid had been here at least twelve hours.

“I got caught trying to leave through the city gate… At first, I thought they were people sent by my father. But when I woke up, I was here.”

I let out a long sigh as I listened to him speak dejectedly.

By now, the delegation was probably in complete chaos.

I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious, but it must have been several hours.

Enough time for them to realize something had gone wrong with Iruze and me.

I started to worry that Hansen and Philo might be getting scolded because of me.

“No, no, this isn’t the time to worry about others… Hey, come over here.”

“My name’s not ‘hey,’ you know.”

“Don’t care. Just get over here.”

First, I needed to figure out where we were being held.

The room was about the size of a single-occupancy inn room—not too big.

It was a perfect square, with walls so solid that there was no way kids like us could break through.

The only exit was a barred door, and the tiny window on it was placed so high I couldn’t see out on my own.

“Lie down here.”

I pointed toward the door, speaking to the boy I could barely make out in the dark.

He just stood there blankly.

Realizing he couldn’t see where I was pointing, I roughly grabbed and pulled him down.

It wasn’t graceful, but with my hands tied, it was the best I could do.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Trying to see outside.”

I stepped onto his back without hesitation.

“Eh? Ack! You’re heavy!”

What a delicate boy.

How could he tremble like a leaf just because a slender girl like me stepped on his back?

“Hold still! I can’t see!”

“Ugh…”

When I stomped and scolded him, he started straining to hold steady despite his groaning.

Weak, but at least he had guts!

I rose on tiptoes to peer outside the door.

The dark hallway had no windows—just a few torches messily mounted on the walls.

I clung to the bars, trying to get a better look to the side, but it was impossible.

I could only see straight ahead.

I briefly caught the shadow of someone armed, then hopped back down.

“Hm, looks like we’re underground.”

“Ugh, my back…”

“Undine!”

At my call, Undine appeared in midair, casting a bluish light that faintly illuminated the room.

The summoned Undine fluttered gently around me.

[Master, where are we?]

Even Undine seemed to recognize that the situation was dire.

“Whoa. What’s that?”

“My spirit.”

“A spirit?”

Undine’s glowing form stood out starkly in the darkness.

The boy, amazed by the unfamiliar sight, crept closer to me.

Thanks to the light she gave off, I could briefly see the boy’s face—he really was about my age.

“First time seeing a spirit?”

“Yeah.”

“Take a good look. She’s rare.”

The boy nodded meekly, and I suddenly understood why he’d been captured.

He was so oblivious—of course he became a target.

“Undine, go as invisible as you can.”

The moment I said that, the blue light in Undine’s body rapidly faded.

Only a faint shimmer remained in the air.

Unless someone was really paying attention, they wouldn’t even notice the subtle warping of space—and in the dark, it became perfect invisibility.

I never thought I’d get to use the invisibility technique in a real situation after just a few tests.

It drained so much mana that I figured I’d never need it.

“Go out that window and check how many dangerous people are around.

Also take a look around… See what floor we’re on, and be careful, okay?”

[Yes!]

With a determined response, my mana started draining at an alarming rate.

I couldn’t see her anymore, but it felt like Undine had gone outside.

The farther she got from me, the faster my mana consumption spiked.

Using magic while distancing a spirit from myself was something I definitely couldn’t do often.

This was exactly the kind of time I desperately needed Rai.

That bastard. Always missing when it really matters.

[Master!]

“You’re back. Where are you? Return to normal, Undine.”

It was a pain not being able to see her.

[I’m here.]

“Alright. What did you find out?”

[There are a lot of rooms like this. A few people in each. Some rooms have only girls, others only boys. And there are things that aren’t people, too!]

So this was a place for holding kids.

I stroked my chin and asked again.

“What floor are we on?”

[Basement level three! There are more people as you go up. Big, scary people. All armed.]

“How many?”

[More than this.]

Undine spread all ten of her tiny fingers to show me.

We could manage simple conversations, but Undine didn’t know complex or unfamiliar words.

She was especially bad with numbers—terms not used in the spirit realm.

“Do you think… we could beat the people outside?”

I asked, just in case. Undine looked distressed and shook her head.

[I’m sorry. It’s impossible.]

“Yeah… that figures. It’s okay, don’t apologize.”

It wasn’t my dear, sweet Undine’s fault.

It was the fault of her inadequate master. I should’ve worked harder on my mana training.

For some reason, everything felt like my fault when it came to Undine.

Maybe because using her made me feel guilty—like I was exploiting a child.

“Hey, why are you talking to yourself?”

“I was talking to Undine. You can’t hear her voice.”

“Ohh.”

“From what she told me, busting our way out isn’t an option.”

“What? Of course we can’t fight our way out! What could we even do?!”

I paused to think.

Could Undine and Ador really take down more than ten slavers?

I was nothing if not reckless, but even I had to admit—it wasn’t possible.

Maybe I could handle four of them on my own, tops.

But that was only if I was alone.

I had a still-unconscious Iruze with me, and even this random kid I didn’t know but couldn’t just leave behind.

I stared hard at the boy whose figure was barely visible in the dark.

“Is there anything you’re good at?”

“Good at? Like what?”

“Magic or something.”

“Magic? I can’t do that! But… I know a bit of swordsmanship…”

Sigh. Back at the Academy, you couldn’t swing a stick without hitting a mage. Out here, it really hit me how rare they were.

Swordsmanship was useless without a sword.

In the end, the best option was to call for help.

Undine was all I could count on.

“Listen carefully, Undine. Stay invisible and sneak out of the building first.

Then as soon as you’re out, drop the invisibility. We need to conserve mana.”

[Yes!]

“There will be people outside, so try to get help… No, wait. Some of them could be part of this gang. Don’t talk to just anyone.”

That wouldn’t do. If she got spotted by the wrong person, it’d only make things worse.

How could she tell who was safe?

“Right. Look for knights. You know—people wearing armor.”

[I know!]

“Find a knight as quickly as you can and ask for help. Then lead them back here.”

[Bring them back here?]

“Yes. The delegation might be searching the city by now. There might be people calling out for me or Iruze. If you hear that, bring those people. Can you do that?”

Undine, listening intently, nodded with determination.

She must have realized how serious things were.

[Yes! I can do it!]

“Bring someone—anyone—back here.”

[Master, what if they won’t follow me?]

“Then make noise. Speak to them. Tell them to save your master.”

[Okay!]

It was a skill I thought I’d never need, but Undine could make her voice audible to others too.

It drained mana like crazy, though.

“Hurry, Undine. I’m counting on you. And if you see Rai, bring him with you!”

Normally, wind spirits were best for delivering messages.

Water spirits weren’t built for communication.

They were slower and easier to spot by enemies.

But this was the only option I had.

As I watched Undine’s form shimmer and vanish, I let out a deep breath and sat on the floor.

I leaned back against the wall and tried to get comfortable.

The boy, who’d been watching, came over and crouched down beside me—pretty close, actually.

“What do you want?”