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Alfe’s sweet singing voice echoed through the cold dungeon, filling the space with a warmth that was sorely needed. Initially, she had begun singing to distract herself, but seeing Hom naturally sway from side to side, Alfe seemed to grow more cheerful.

For me, this was a welcome development. The childlike atmosphere was far more comforting than if Alfe had been crying or anxious. In such an abnormal situation, perhaps this wasn’t entirely “normal,” but it felt like us—like something only we would do. Hom wasn’t just pretending to join in to comfort Alfe; she was moving instinctively, swaying with the rhythm. I probably did the same when I listened to Alfe’s singing because, well, I loved her voice.

The soothing nature of Alfe’s song seemed to extend beyond us. The bearded guard, who had been sent to keep an eye on us, had closed his eyes, clearly lulled into a false sense of security by the melody and the fact that we were just children. Judging by his relaxed posture, he might even fall asleep soon.

That’s it. If I could ensure he stayed asleep, we could act without worry.

A REM spell¹ should reach the guard from my cell. The only issue was the long incantation, but if I timed it with Alfe’s singing, he likely wouldn’t notice.

I quickly pulled out Ars Magna, and the relevant page flipped open automatically. Giving Hom a subtle signal to retreat further into her cell, I stretched my hand toward Alfe’s cell. She continued to sing, grasping my hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly.

“The dream demons that lull to sleep, appear before me and guide them into the void. Grant them the rest of peaceful slumber… REM.”

Alfe’s singing voice harmonized with my chant, creating a pleasant sound in my ears. As expected, there was no interference from the spell disruption. The guard, completely unaware, was enveloped in the white mist of the REM spell and fell into a deep slumber.

Any replacement guards would probably not come, so this would be buying us a considerable amount of time.

Next, I had to deal with these iron bars. Reflecting my will, the pages of Ars Magna began to flip.

By using this flame spell, I should be able to melt through the iron bars. The necessary aether flowed endlessly from within me, and there shouldn’t be any issue with the output.

“Light of melting, come to my hand… Flare Torch.”

Chanting the incantation written on the page, I extended my hand. Responding to my aether, a sharp flame akin to a knife appeared and began to burn through the iron bars.

After cutting through the bars with Flare Torch and stepping outside, I first rescued Alfe, then Hom, from their cells.

“Simply cutting the chains won’t be enough. Please remove the shackles entirely.”

As I moved to release Hom’s hand and foot shackles, she shook her head.

“But if I do that, you’ll get burned—”
“Lady Alfe, could you cast a healing spell on me afterward?”
“But…”

Alfe seemed hesitant at Hom’s request. Although Hom said she could be healed, the burn would undoubtedly cause her pain. Like the suppression of emotions, her sense of pain had been dulled, and I would do my best to control the strength of the magic, but significant pain was still inevitable.

“It is alright. I wish to be as unburdened as possible.”

Seeing Hom’s unwavering resolve, I decided to respect her wishes.

Despite my careful efforts to control the magic, the burns were still quite severe. However, thanks to Alfe, they were quickly healed.

Using Alfe’s Pure Eye, I confirmed the flow of aether and verified that there were no other guards around before heading back to the ground floor.

Given that children could easily be caught if we were pursued, my first priority was to retrieve Arkecius.

“…There it is.”

Following my ether trail, Alfe located Arkecius in a hangar on the southern side of the building. Perhaps due to the late hour, the hangar was deserted.

Inside were five units of what were called Geist Armors—heavily armed subordinate units designed for combat. These machines were characterized by their bulky, cylindrical torsos with little contour. On top of this torso was an exposed cockpit, where the operator would climb in from above to activate the unit. This open cockpit design had fallen out of favor due to safety concerns, but it seemed such units were still prized by illegal organizations like this one. It was likely that the fake intercity vessel was similarly a heavily modified piece of scrap. Considering that, the piles of junk and scrap metal scattered around the hangar and in the nearby scrapyard made sense.

Even though no operators were nearby, it would be troublesome if these Geist Armors, with their high reactor output and combat capabilities rivaling those of Mecha Soldiers, were to be activated. In a direct confrontation, my Arkecius would have little chance of victory.

My first order of business, then, was to ensure these Geist Armors couldn’t be activated.

I moved behind the Geist Armors, which were parked in a standing position, and checked the mana reactors on their backs. Each unit had two magic reactors, with power pipes running from the lower part of the torso to the head to channel aether. If I cut these pipes, the aether wouldn’t reach the magical control circuits in the head, rendering the units inoperable.

“Alfe, Hom. Before we escape, let’s cut the power pipes of these Geist Armors.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”

Alfe and Hom both nodded and turned to face the power pipes of the Geist Armors. Hom immediately gripped the power pipe of one of the machines at the far end and tore it apart with brute force. The liquid aether inside the pipe began to leak out, spreading across the floor.

“I’ll make use of this. Liquid, become a blade. Water Blade.”

Alfe solidified the leaking liquid aether, forming a sharp blade. She created a uniquely shaped disc-like blade and skillfully used it to slice through the remaining power pipes one after another.

I used the same spell, but what emerged from the simplified spell of Ars Magna was a small, sharp sword. Even with the same magic, Alfe’s spell demonstrated exceptional creativity.

Once we had cut all five power pipes, I surveyed the hangar again. There was an odd gap between Arkecius and the Geist Armors, which made me suspect that one of the units might be outside.

As I considered whether there was anything else we should do, I noticed a small communications room at the edge of the hangar where Arkecius was located.

Just in case, I entered the communications room and quickly sent an encrypted message to the base in Torch Town. It was a precaution, but if my father was concerned about our safety, I wanted to at least inform him that we were alive.

“There’s still plenty of liquid aether left in Arkecius.”
“I have also completed the inspections, Master.”

While I was sending the encrypted message, Alfe and Hom had prepared Arkecius for immediate activation. It was a great relief to have them take action without needing to be told.

“Alright, let’s get out of here.”

I climbed into Arkecius, activated it as usual, and exited the hangar. That’s when it happened.

———!!

A piercing alarm suddenly blared.

“…Damn, it’s the alarm system…”

I quickly turned my head towards the hangar entrance and spotted a red button meant to stop the alarm.

“Hom!”
“Understood, Master.”

Hom immediately understood my command and pressed the button on the alarm system. The noise ceased, but the damage was done—the men here were now fully aware of our escape.

“Don’t let them get away!”
“Go! After them!”

The alarm had roused the men, and they were now converging on the hangar.

Even so, with the power pipes of their Geist Armors cut, they wouldn’t be able to move them right away. This was our chance—Arkecius could outrun them.

“We’re going to break through. Alfe, hold on tight.”
“Got it!”

I pushed Arkecius into a full sprint, charging into the night.

Geist Armor

A combat Subordinate Unit developed around 200 years ago during the Third Holy Emperor War.

At that time, it was used as the main Subordinate Unit of the Arcadia Empire’s military, but it has since become outdated and retired from the front lines.

The unit is highly versatile, able to adapt to various situations by swapping out its arm-mounted weaponry².

Additionally, the use of an exposed upper cockpit made it inexpensive to manufacture.

However, the design philosophy is outdated, as it does not ensure the safety of the pilot. As a result, almost no modern units use this type of cockpit anymore.

Due to the large-scale production during the war, spare parts are readily available, making it possible to assemble the unit independently.

Because of this, it is often used by bandits and illegal groups.

1. Silva: REM spell? what’s that
2. Robinxen: Someone was playing Final Fantasy when they came up with this one.