Trapped and Seething
I was seething with anger for one reason after another.
The coercive situation I had been thrust into. The irritation of knowing that if only Rai had been by my side, I never would have been captured. And every single thing that kept happening without the slightest regard for my own will.
“Hey! You there!”
“Uh…?”
I irritably called out to the kid huddled quietly in the corner.
“How long have you been here? Any idea what time it is right now?”
“I don’t know.”
“When were you caught?”
“In the morning…”
I had been taken close to midnight. That meant this boy had been locked up for at least twelve hours.
“I was trying to leave through the city gates when they grabbed me… At first I thought they were people my father sent. But when I opened my eyes, I was already here.”
I let out a heavy sigh as I listened to him speak in that gloomy voice.
The delegation was probably in total chaos by now. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious, but several hours must have passed at least. More than enough time for Iruse and the others to realize something had gone horribly wrong with me.
I wondered what would happen if Hansen and Philo got scolded because of me.
No, no. This is not the time to be worrying about other people… Hey, you. Come over here.
“My name isn’t ‘Hey,’ you know?”
“Like I care. Just come when I tell you to.”
First I needed to figure out exactly where I was being held. The room itself was no larger than a single-person inn room. Perfectly square, with walls so solid that no amount of childish strength could break through them. The only exit was a barred door, and the small window set into it was far too high for me to look outside on my own.
“Lie down right here.”
I pointed in front of the door at the boy whose shape was barely visible in the darkness. He simply stood there, blinking. Realizing he couldn’t see my gesture, I grabbed him and yanked him down. My bound hands made the motion clumsy, so it came out rather rough.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Trying to see outside.”
I planted my foot squarely on his small back and stepped up.
“Eh? Ack! You’re heavy!”
What a fragile boy. To tremble like a leaf just because a slender girl like me had climbed onto his back.
“Can’t you hold still? I can’t see a thing!”
“Ugh…”
When I stamped my foot and barked at him, he finally whimpered, braced himself, and held steady. No strength, but at least he had some spine.
I rose onto my tiptoes and peered through the door. The windowless corridor was pitch dark, lit only by a few crudely mounted torches along the walls. I pressed myself against the bars, trying to see the sides as well, but it was impossible. I could only see straight ahead. A shadow carrying a weapon flickered past, so I quickly climbed down.
“Hmm. Looks like we’re underground.”
“Ugh… my back…”
“Undine!”
At my call, Undine appeared in midair, casting a soft bluish glow across the room. The summoned spirit darted over and began circling me slowly.
Even Undine seemed uneasy about the situation I was in.
“Wow. What is that?”
“My spirit.”
“A spirit?”
Undine’s luminous form stood out sharply in the dark room. The boy, fascinated by something he had never seen before, crept right up beside me. Thanks to her light I could finally make out his face. He really did look about my age.
“First time seeing a spirit?”
“Yeah.”
“Take a good look, then. They’re precious.”
The boy nodded obediently, and I immediately understood why he had been taken. With a face that innocent, he was practically begging to become a target.
“Undine, turn as transparent as you can.”
The moment the words left my mouth, the blue light radiating from her body faded rapidly. Only a faint shimmer remained in the air—a tiny distortion of space so subtle that it would go unnoticed unless someone was looking for it. In the darkness, it became perfect invisibility.
I never expected to use the transparency technique I had only tested a few times in actual combat so soon. I had assumed the massive mana drain would keep it from ever being practical.
“Slip out through that window and see how many dangerous people are out there. Check the surroundings too… and figure out what floor we’re on. Be careful, all right?”
Her energetic reply came with a sharp drop in my mana. I couldn’t see her, but it seemed she had left the room. The farther she moved from me, the steeper the mana consumption climbed. Sending a spirit far away while also using magic was not something I could afford to do often. This was exactly the kind of moment when I desperately needed Rai.
That useless lump of metal. Never around when I actually need him.
“You’re back. Where are you? Return to normal, Undine.”
It was too inconvenient when I couldn’t see her.
“Good. What did you see outside?”
So this really was a place where they gathered children. I stroked my chin and asked again.
“What floor are we on?”
“How many?”
Undine spread all ten of her tiny fingers. Conversation was possible, but she didn’t know difficult words or terms she had never used before. Numbers, for instance. They simply weren’t used in the spirit realm.
“The people outside… could you beat them?”
I asked on the off chance, but Undine shook her head with a heartbroken expression.
“Well… No, it’s all right. You don’t need to apologize.”
How could any of this be the fault of my lovely, adorable Undine? The blame lay with her incompetent master. I should have trained my mana more diligently. For some reason, everything felt like my fault whenever Undine was involved. Maybe it was because using a child like her made my heart feel weak.
“Hey, why are you talking to yourself?”
“I was speaking with Undine. You just can’t hear her voice.”
“Oh.”
“From what she described, a direct breakout seems impossible.”
“What? Of course it’s impossible! What could we possibly do?”
I thought for a moment—whether Undine and Adore could somehow take down more than ten slave traders. I was usually the reckless type, yet even I could see it was impossible. I might be able to handle four on my own, but that was without the sleeping Iruse and this annoying extra I couldn’t simply abandon.
I stared hard at the boy whose silhouette I could barely make out.
“Is there anything you know how to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Magic, for example.”
“Magic? I can’t use that! But… I know a little swordsmanship…”
I sighed. Back at the academy mages had been everywhere. Only now, outside those walls, did I truly understand how rare they were. Swordsmanship was useless without a sword.
In the end, the only viable option was to call for rescue. The only one I could rely on was Undine.
“Listen carefully, Undine. First, stay transparent so no one notices you and get out of the building. The moment you’re outside, drop the transparency. We need to conserve mana.”
“There will be people outside, so for the rescue request… No. They might be in on it. You mustn’t speak to just anyone.”
What should I do? If I exposed us carelessly, they might realize it was a trick and make things even worse. How could I pick a safe person?
“Right. Look for knights. You know them, right? People wearing armor.”
“Find a knight as quickly as you can and ask for help. Then lead them back to us.”
“Yes. The delegation might be tearing the city apart looking for us by now. There should be people calling my name or Iruse’s. Bring them. Can you manage that?”
Undine, who had been listening with fierce concentration, nodded with steely resolve. She seemed to understand how serious the situation was.
“Bring people here no matter what it takes.”
“Then make noise and speak. Tell them to save your master.”
Another technique I thought I would never need, yet here we were. It would drain an absurd amount of mana, but it could let others hear Undine’s voice.
“Go quickly! I’m trusting you, Undine. If you happen to find Rai, bring him too!”
Finding people and delivering messages was originally the specialty of wind spirits. Water spirits were simply not well suited for communication. Their movement was slow and they were easily detected by enemies. Still, right now this was the only option I had.
Watching Undine’s form blur and vanish, I took a deep breath and sat down on the floor. I leaned back against the wall and tried to make myself comfortable. The boy who had been watching me shuffled over and squatted down close—much too close.
“What?”