World Alliance (23)

Around midnight by my internal clock, I began the operation.

I was on the rooftop of the building containing the cells where the Lef people were imprisoned. Even the izakaya seemed to have closed for the night, and an air of stillness hung over Subterranean City—as though it had regained the silence that had originally filled the mountain before the Subterraneans dug into it.

I had already spoken to all twelve Lef people in the cells and explained what was about to happen. The Sergeant Major's agreement had gone a long way toward earning their trust.

(But there's one problem.)

To follow our escape route, we'd have no choice but to pass alongside the military building. Its lights stayed on all night, and leading twelve people past it in a group gave us a very high chance of being spotted.

So I had prepared a solution.

(All right, let's send up the signal for the operation.)

I stared toward the far side of the enormous dome. Directly opposite the entrance I'd used stood a huge warehouse, with vast quantities of Maika mushrooms stockpiled inside.

As they were produced on the rooftops of every building, Maika mushrooms weren't particularly valuable. Anyone could come and go from the warehouse, and it had no guards.

The problem was that a liquor storehouse stood beside it. That one was guarded so thoroughly it made the Maika mushrooms seem pitiful; although it had no sentries, its huge iron door was secured with a heavy lock.

(The distance is 260 meters. No wind... Well, of course not—this is underground.)

I conjured a basketball-sized fireball in my right hand with 【Fire Magic】. It radiated light so dazzling I could barely look at it—and at once, I pointed my right hand toward the Maika mushroom warehouse.

(Shrink, shrink, shrink...)

The fireball shrank with a soft whir, but its heat intensified dramatically.

Back in the Lef Magic Empire's "Labyrinth of Awe," when Non-san was taken hostage and I couldn't attack Leon, I had wished I could use magic like "precision shooting."

Since then, I'd gone through repeated trial and error and, although it was far from "precision," I'd succeeded in giving 【Fire Magic】 "extended range" and "miniaturization."

The fireball was now about the size of a ping-pong ball.

I set it spinning with a long, whirring sound.

"Go."

The 【Mana Manipulation★★★★】 I'd learned from Eva-sama had taken firm root in me.

It was an innate gift that let me manipulate the mana inside my body—in other words, adjust how much mana I put into my magic—but I'd realized it could also be used to control magic after it had been activated.

The fireball shot out almost in a straight line, just as I'd intended—and, when viewed on a reduced scale, traced a spiral toward the Maika mushroom warehouse.

Inside, I'd piled up the supplies I'd brought in: highly flammable lumber and dried grass.

Flash—.

Light as bright as midday flooded Subterranean City—and immediately afterward, a thunderous roar echoed through it.

Then, as if the roar had never happened, the flames quietly licked their way through the warehouse. Before long, lights came on in the houses. People began waking up, and the Subterraneans living especially close to the warehouse came out into the streets in their pajamas, shouting loudly.

A bell rang out, announcing either a fire or some other emergency.

I smirked as I watched subterranean soldiers who seemed to be on the night shift stream out of the military building.

(Right on target!)

I entered the building from the rooftop. First up was the Sergeant Major's cell.

"—Sergeant Major, wake up."

"I'm awake. Did you cause that commotion?"

"Yes. I'll open it."

With the dagger containing heavenly silver that the Margrave had given me, I pried open the lock. Thank you, berserker-like Margrave! You definitely never expected me to use it like this, did you?

The iron door creaked open, and the Sergeant Major emerged in his dirty uniform.

"You...?"

The Sergeant Major looked surprised to see me.

"What's wrong?"

"No, sorry... It's just that you were younger than I expected."

"Oh, I'm aware of that, so don't worry. We need to hurry."

I then released the remaining eleven from their cells. Apparently, only two soldiers were stationed in the building today, and both were dozing off—they didn't seem to have noticed the commotion at all.

That frightening person didn't seem to be here, thank goodness.

"Quiet. Watch your step; it's dark."

I cautioned them in a whisper.

The two jailers were sitting in chairs and dozing in a small room beside the entrance. The faint light of a magic lamp spilled through the slightly open door and traced a thin line along the hallway.

I led the way, and the Sergeant Major turned around and nodded to his comrades. Everyone nodded back.

(...It makes more noise than I expected.)

A single person wouldn't have bothered me, but with twelve, even the rustle of clothing was grating.

They must all have noticed it. They continued on, their clothing making a soft swishing sound.

The Sergeant Major passed me and went outside. Then the second, and the third...

I was startled when the eighth person came through. It was a young man who was trembling violently; when he reached the patch of light spilling out, he let out a small "eep" deep in his throat and, unbelievably, tried to jump over it.

He lost his balance when he landed, and his upper body tilted.

Ah...

Everyone's mouths fell open—but at that moment, I slipped in and caught him in my arms.

After the silence...

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped.

"I-I, um, I..."

"Shh."

I clapped a hand over his mouth, and everyone else covered theirs as well.

At the same time, everyone turned their gaze toward the jailers' little room.

"...Snort, wheeze—"

Apparently, they hadn't woken up.

When we left the building, voices drifted over from the distance: "Is it an attack?" and "It's a fire!" From here, we only needed to take the back streets, and with no one around the military building, there shouldn't be a problem.

I led the way until we reached the point where they no longer needed a guide.

As we climbed the stairs attached to the wall... there was a hidden door leading outside.

"Keep going straight from here. Hurry."

I sent the Sergeant Major up the stairs along the wall first. I intended to be the last one out in case someone tripped like the man earlier.

The eighth person—the young man who'd been trembling—ran with single-minded determination. Looks like he was all right.

Then the twelfth person passed, and just as I was about to follow...

"Huh?!"

I felt killing intent directed at me.

I reflexively swung my dagger. With a metallic clang, something bounced off it and flew away—what!? I couldn't even track it with my eyes.

The force of the impact when the blades met was enough to numb my hand.

I didn't even have time to wonder who could have done such a thing.

There was only one person in all of Subterranean City capable of this.

"..."

A hooded woman stood there, a kiseru pipe clenched between her lips.

She held a curved sword in each hand. She was a dual-wielder.