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The underground passage, flooded by the long, heavy rains, was nothing like it usually was.

“There’s water everywhere, nya!”

Torrents of rainwater poured in through holes and cracks in the surface, pooling in this underground structure that clearly wasn’t designed for drainage. This underground network sprawled and twisted like an anthill, so several small chambers and narrow corridors along the way had already gone completely underwater.

Sure enough, the path leading to the hole that Noche and the others had planned to use to escape beyond the walls was submerged as well.

“…Anyone here knows how to swim, nya!?”

Noche threw out the desperate question, and Filia shook her head with a troubled look. We had nothing but silence to offer in response.

“Another route?”
“…No choice, nya!”

The sound of water being pushed aside was drawing nearer from far down the passage. We didn’t have time to stand around, though we weren’t completely out of options either.

The rising water slowed and hindered our movement, but this situation actually worked in our favor.

We had wolves and a cat on our side, both naturally able to see in the dark. As for the rabbit, we weren’t sure, but considering Filia could navigate these passages without a problem, it was safe to assume she could handle the darkness just fine.

The pursuers, on the other hand, clearly hadn’t expected us to flee into a place like this. They hadn’t even bothered to bring proper lighting.

Worst case, we could just keep quiet, suppress our splashing, and hide somewhere until they passed us by.

“There’s another path this way, nya.”

Guided by Noche, we ventured deeper into the underground tunnels.

From the sound of it, the pursuers were proceeding very cautiously. We managed to avoid letting them close the distance.

■■■

After walking for a while, we arrived at an open chamber. It was a large space carved out of solid stone, with walls and ceilings designed in the same style as the passageways. In the center, a circular platform jutted out.

This area was large enough that no water had pooled inside, and we were finally free from the underground flood. The only downside was that we didn’t have the luxury of warming up.

“The right side leads to that underground passage, nya.”

There were several entrances and exits in the chamber. Following Noche, who pointed to one on the right, we started walking again.

“…Hm?”

On the way, as we passed near the platform in the center, I noticed something. It looked like there was writing carved into the floor around it.

Thanks to being carried on someone’s back, I was able to read it even at a brisk pace. They were letters.

Not Zergian, the common language used across the continent. This was something truly old, the language now called the Magic Tongue.

It was mainly used for spell incantations; both its script and pronunciation resembled English. Whether true or not, they said it was once spoken by ancient gods, and that its letters, pronunciations, and symbols themselves had the power to influence the laws of the world.

Anyone wishing to practice advanced alchemy needed to understand and use this script, so I was able to read it.

So, let’s see… “Here lies calamity… wind and beast were closed”?

Hmm, maybe not exactly. A more natural interpretation would be, “Here be Sealed the Calamity Wind Beast.”

…That gave me a very bad feeling.

Snapping back to attention, I looked forward. From the darkness of the passage ahead came the sound of something splashing through water.

“Something’s coming from ahead!”
“!?”

Everyone froze at my warning. From the darkness, accompanied by a foul stench, a rat leapt out.

This wasn’t just any rat—it was about the size of a child… in other words, about as big as us.

“Monster Rat, nya!”

With a scream, Noche dodged as it lunged at us the moment we crossed paths. It wasn’t particularly fast, but it was filthy, it stank, and it was no less dangerous for it.

It’s probably a Magic Beast… but could this really be the monster that haunted the ruins?

“Do these things normally live underground?”
“This is my first time seeing one, nya!”

The rat turned mid-run, watching us closely.

We didn’t have any weapons to fight with. Trying to take on a beast that size barehanded would be sheer madness—not to mention, who knew what kind of diseases it carried?

“…We might not be able to go this way.”

Listening closely to the passage it had come from, I could hear the movement of several other large creatures. Charging in would just get us ambushed and surrounded.

Really, one thing after another.

“Ch-chh…”
“This is the worst, nya.”

Noche readied herself, glaring back at the low-voiced rat.

“N-Noche…”
“Change of plans! Run to the right, nya!”
“Chh!”

The moment Noche tried to dash forward, the rat reacted and lunged at her.

“Haah! Shaaah!”

Just before colliding, Noche jumped with the momentum of her forward step, twisting her body midair and slamming the heel of her tattered sandal straight into the rat’s eye.

It was a counterattack so sharp and precise it was breathtaking to watch.

“Squeee!!”

Using the rat’s head as a foothold while it writhed in pain with its eyes shut, Noche kicked off and shot forward in the direction we were aiming for, hardly losing any speed at all.

…So that’s why she went out of her way to use such an awkward heel strike. Both the idea and the physical ability to pull it off showed incredible athletic instinct.

Before the rat could recover, we skirted around its thrashing bulk and rushed toward another passageway.

I strained my ears, searching for any presence ahead, but all I heard from the corridor in front of us was the sound of water.

Behind us, only the rat’s pained cries echoed. Had the others given up already?

…For now, I just needed to focus on what I could do.

Clinging tightly to Sufi’s back, I kept my concentration sharp, listening intently, determined not to miss even the faintest sound.

■■■

We had been running through the dark underground passage for what felt like dozens of minutes. Along the way, I’d sensed a few more rats, but we’d managed to avoid them and keep moving. The men chasing us were nowhere to be heard anymore.

We’d somehow managed to escape, but the exhaustion, combined with being soaked to the bone and chilled, had drained us far more than I’d expected.

After a long trek, we finally found a collapsed section of the passage to take shelter in, trying to recover even a little bit of our strength.

“Alice, are you okay?”
“How about you, Sufi? Are you okay?”
“Sufi’s totally fine!”

All I’d done was get carried the whole way like baggage, yet even just having my strength sapped by wet clothes had left my body aching and sluggish.

Sufi, usually a little ball of endless energy, puffed her chest out to say she was fine, but her shoulders were still rising and falling with heavy breaths. We’d managed a brief rest, but things were far from good.

“Still… where are we, nya?”

Noche’s voice was tense as she muttered while scanning our surroundings.

As we’d moved, I’d been trying to memorize the route, sketching a rough map in my head. Judging by the steep slopes we’d descended, it seemed we’d gone much deeper than where we’d first dropped down.

Then again, trudging through water had distorted my sense of distance, so the actual layout might not match my impression…

“Noche, what do we do now?”

Sufi, holding me tight to keep me warm, called out to Noche, who stood with her arms crossed, deep in thought.

But Noche didn’t answer. For a moment, I worried she might be angry at having been dragged into this mess.

“…”
“Noche?”

This time, Filia spoke up.

“…We’re lost, nya.”

Noche finally slumped her shoulders in resignation.

“Huh?”
“I lost sight of the path, nya. I’ve never been this far before, nya.”

Filia blinked in confusion, while Noche looked awkward and embarrassed. I tilted my head, quietly watching their exchange.

“S-So we can’t go back? We can’t get out?”
“Don’t blame me, nya! We were too busy running for our lives, nya!”

Filia’s voice trembled on the verge of tears, while Noche snapped back a bit more sharply, as if to mask her own frustration. Just as I thought the atmosphere was turning sour, I noticed Sufi staring straight at me.

“…Alice, do you remember the way?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you get us back to where we started?”
“Yeah.”

I’d had a fairly average memory in my past life, so this must be an ability Alice was born with. It wasn’t exactly a photographic memory, but if I made a conscious effort to memorize something—sounds, sights, anything—I could recall it perfectly whenever I needed to.

That’s why I could practice alchemy without needing reference materials or a notebook at hand.

It did require complete concentration, so I couldn’t memorize and multitask at the same time. But being carried on Sufi’s back had freed me up to focus solely on listening carefully and memorizing the route.

I’d remembered nearly every turn we’d taken.

“…You’re full of surprises, nya! If you can do that, say so!”
“Sorry…”

Noche scolded me after overhearing our conversation.

I’d never really worked together with others before, so I wasn’t sure when or how to speak up. I could react quickly in the moment, but I wasn’t used to anticipating what people needed from me.

“Mm… I remember the path, I can memorize it, so getting back is fine.”
“…Then for now, let’s focus on escaping, nya.”

The uncertainty in her eyes told me she wasn’t fully convinced I had the route memorized, but I’d proven I wasn’t just dead weight by successfully making even a crude potion earlier. Maybe that had earned me some trust.

“For now, let’s stay hidden here and wait until things cool down, nya.”
“Okay… um…”

As the plan was settled, Sufi spoke up hesitantly. Her voice sounded unusually fragile, and I immediately sensed what she wanted to say.

“Noche, this is all because of us—”
“Don’t say it, nya.”

Noche cut Sufi off sharply.

“This was my choice. I did what I wanted, so don’t worry about it, nya.”
“………Okay!”

Relieved, Sufi hugged me tightly and let out a breath she’d been holding. I rubbed her back to help her warm up as I glanced at Noche, who was fidgeting and washing her face with her paw-like hand, clearly embarrassed by her own words.

*“Doing what you want,” …huh*

Even in this pitch-black underground, where no light could reach, Noche somehow looked dazzling to me.