Escape, Part 3
No matter how meticulously a plan was crafted, unexpected variables were bound to arise. Like the hairy man who had suddenly raided the Shantytown one day, or the Young Duke of Fides who had abruptly appeared in this prison where it seemed no one would ever help them. Or, perhaps, the five men currently guarding the front of the cell where the children were being held. Among them was the very man who had slashed Seya's arm.
"What the? There were only two of them when we slipped out earlier!" Nihil muttered, utterly aghast.
"It's weird. I've never seen more than three guards here before."
They had already lit the candle wicks and set up their makeshift devices in various spots. In about ten minutes, the traps would detonate with a loud bang. They had to take down all the guards before then.
"How many of those emetics you used earlier do you have left? Do you happen to have anything else?" It was Flynn Peadus's calm voice that cut through the rising panic, reclaiming control of the frantic atmosphere.
"I have two left. I also have two of something else, but I've never tested them, so..." Mir answered reflexively, his hesitation causing Flynn's eyes to light up.
"You really have something else? What exactly does it do?"
Finding the intense gaze somewhat overwhelming, Mir scowled slightly and explained slowly, "It produces a sudden, blinding flash of light. You know how your eyes hurt when you look directly at the sun? It's similar to that."
"And you made this too? Yourself?! Then should we call it a Flashbang?"
Though he thought the name sounded incredibly tacky, Mir let out a low groan and nodded. Since the primary ingredient of the invention the Young Duke was marveling at was none other than the high-quality buttons from Flynn's own coat, Mir couldn't bring himself to criticize the name. The wick-wrapped objects he had shown the Young Duke earlier were actually failed prototypes of this very device. Because he had to supplement his scarce materials with those precious buttons ripped from the coat, he hadn't even been able to test it properly out of sheer stinginess.
"Since this is my first time making one, I don't know if it'll work properly. And the emetic won't be as effective here because we're not in an enclosed space like before."
Seya, who had been quietly listening to their exchange, slapped Mir hard on the shoulder. "It's fine! Whatever you make is always useful, Mir. And even if it fails, it's still better than just dying here."
Though the heavy slap felt like it might dislocate his shoulder, Mir didn't mind the sentiment and gave a small nod. Amidst the three of them banding together, Nihil was the only one completely left out of the loop.
Are they all insane? There are five fully grown men out there, and they're casually debating whether to attack, win, or lose? Still, Nihil had to admit that this Mir kid was far more impressive than he looked. After all, they had made it this far thanks to the emetic the little brat had cooked up. The kid, whom Nihil had previously found entirely disagreeable, actually resembled the alchemists he had only heard of in rumors, which was a tiny bit fascinating. No wonder he was always so smug and insolent; he actually had the skills to back it up.
"So what's the actual plan? We already lit the fuses back there, we need to get inside quickly!" Nihil grumbled, his irritation flaring up for no real reason.
Seya narrowed his eyes at the complaint, but the Young Duke of Fides showed no sign of offense and spoke up immediately.
"Let's start with your new invention. If it doesn't work, we'll throw the emetic. We'll take them down while they're disoriented. Once Seya and I knock them to the ground, you two should strike the heads of any who aren't unconscious. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
It was a flawless division of labor, explained quickly and precisely. Flinching slightly at the Young Duke's authoritative tone, Nihil gave a cautious nod. Mir stared at the Young Duke for a moment before lighting the fuse of the small sphere and tossing it toward the guards.
Meanwhile, the conversation among the men standing outside the children's cell was quite serious.
"I'm telling you the truth! Some massive dog lunged at me!"
"Make sense, will you? How could a dog that big even get into a place like this?"
To be precise, it was one man's earnest plea being met with the earnest dismissal of the other four. The man claiming to have seen the giant dog was the very one who had dragged Seya here, tasked with disposing of the children who didn't meet their criteria. He had suddenly run back screaming, claiming a monstrous dog had appeared out of nowhere and pounced on him.
But this was an underground facility accessible only through a secret passage. How could a massive dog possibly get down here? His companions assumed he had simply screwed up, let the kids escape, and was now either lying or losing his mind.
"Fine, let's say it was a dog. Why the hell did you run all the way back here instead of just dealing with a single mutt?"
"I told you, it was huge!" The man beat his chest in frustration. Just then—
Thud. Roll, roll, roll.
Something barely half the size of a child's fist rolled to a stop at their feet, trailing a thin wisp of smoke.
"What's this? Who threw this piece of junk?"
"Hey! Watch out! Something's weird in here right now..." The man who had captured Seya quickly held back his companion, who was reaching down to pick it up.
Yet, despite his warning, nothing happened. The smoking lump simply lay there quietly until the smoke fizzled out completely.
Shaking off his arm, his companion snapped, "Are you starting with that bullshit again?"
"Well, it literally is dog bullshit. He claims he saw a giant dog down here, after all." The other guards snickered, turning the man's face bright red with embarrassment.
"I'm telling you, there really was something!"
"Whatever. Go fetch Lord Gude. We need to round up those brats. They couldn't have gone far anyway, though finding them is going to be a pain in the ass."
Squabbling at this exact moment proved to be a fatal mistake. Thud, roll, roll. Because of their bickering, they failed to notice a second small bundle rolling right up to them, bursting open to release a strange, pungent smoke.
"Ugh, what is this? Cough..."
"What? Stop being so disgusting—gag! Blegh!!!" Though they belatedly realized something was wrong and tried to fan the smoke away, it was already too late. The dry heaving started with one and rapidly spread to them all.
"D-Don't breathe it in! It's because of this—cough, gag!" Through the cloud of disoriented men, small shadows suddenly lunged forward.
Thud! Heavy blows struck solar plexuses and vital points, sending the men crashing to the ground one by one.
Once they hit the floor, they didn't get back up. The moment their heads neared the ground, Mir, who was waiting below, delivered precise strikes right to their philtrums, knocking them out cold.
"Strike them like you mean to kill. Don't let them get back up." Before they lost consciousness, a high-pitched but chillingly cold voice rang in their ears.
"I-Is it over?" Nihil muttered, panting heavily as he crawled out to where the gas was thinner.
"One left. The two of them can handle that much." Mir crawled out right behind him, answering his question.
Thud! As if on cue, a heavy impact echoed, and Flynn and Seya finally emerged from the haze.
"Ugh, I think... we got them all. Blegh." Seya, who had already inhaled some of the gas earlier, tried to speak but ended up dry-heaving on the floor.
"Agh!!! Throw up over there! That's disgusting!"
"You jerk, is that any way to talk to a comrade who just risked his life for the mission?"
While Nihil and Seya bickered, Mir checked on the Young Duke. Flynn, who had emerged with Seya, was in a similar state. His face pale, the boy covered his mouth and nose, took a few deep breaths, and finally lowered his hand.
"It looks like no one was hurt, cough." Though he did let out a small gag at the end.
"Hey, if you need to throw up, just let it out. I'm used to it, but it's usually impossible to hold back," Seya said to the Young Duke, feeling a sudden sense of camaraderie after fighting alongside him.
"No, I am fine. I managed to take the keys, so now we... Ah!" Mid-sentence, the boy seemed to remember something. He gasped for air and suddenly plunged back into the lingering haze of smoke.
The children cried out in surprise at his sudden movement, but Flynn's silhouette vanished into the smoke. Mir frowned, unable to comprehend why the boy would do something so reckless when they were so pressed for time.
After what seemed like a brief search on the floor, the boy apparently found what he was looking for. He stood back up and hurriedly stumbled out of the dissipating smoke.
"What were you doing? Did you drop something important?" Seya asked, bewildered. In response, Flynn opened his hand to reveal what he was holding. It was Mir's failed invention—the dud.
"...You went back in just to get that?"
"You said it was your first time making it, right? There must be a reason it didn't work properly. I thought it would be better to keep it rather than leave it behind." Flynn smiled awkwardly, holding out Mir's half-burnt Flashbang.
"...It's already a failure. Why bother picking it up?" When Mir made no move to take it, the Young Duke tilted his head in confusion.
"I didn't think you would want to throw it away."
It was a simple answer. And it was the correct one. Mir hated throwing away his failed creations. Yet, the fact that the heir to a ducal house had gone to such lengths just to retrieve a piece of junk irritated him. He hated the way his friend Seya was looking at him with shining eyes, and most of all, he hated himself for wanting to reach out and take the small lump right then and there.
"It's fine. Just throw it away." In the end, Mir politely but coldly rejected Flynn's gesture.
"Hey, Mir. What's wrong with you? There's no harm in keeping it," Seya muttered, nudging Mir's arm with his elbow in confusion.
"It's just trash." Mir refused to back down, shutting his mouth tight after his final word.
Seya knew that the Mir he knew would absolutely want to keep that failed prototype. He had opened his mouth to ask if he could take it instead, but the look on Mir's face made him swallow his words. Mir looked as though he had been suddenly cut by a sharp blade.
"If it's too much trouble to throw away, you can just keep it, Young Master. Think of it as a gift."
"A gift?" Holding the small sphere awkwardly, the Young Duke looked down at it.
"Well, I mean, you can do whatever you want with it! Sorry if that was offensive..." Only then did Seya realize that offering a piece of burnt trash as a "gift" to a noble might be considered highly insulting, and he waved his arms frantically in excuse.
"No, I will accept it gratefully." Flynn slipped the dud into his pocket.
"Right, we don't have time. Let's get inside quickly," Seya urged, trying to clear the awkward tension in the air.
Indeed, they had wasted quite a bit of time fighting the guards, so they all hurried into the room. In their rush, none of the children noticed a small squirrel slipping past them, choosing one of the many rooms along the corridor to enter.
Through the slightly ajar door, the tiny squirrel poked its head in. It was a rather adorable sight, but I had absolutely no desire to witness the cuteness of a thousand-year-old squirrel.
"What are you up to?" As I stepped out from behind the door, the creature's eyes darted around, warily gauging my reaction.
"Don't even think about lying to me. Give me a straight answer."
"It is not my fault. The young Peadus was the one who insisted on saving the children first..." The excuse it offered failed to convince me in the slightest. I knew it was a blatant lie.
"This is your last chance. Tell me what you're plotting." When I cut it off and pressed for the truth, the creature fell silent. Instead, its expression gradually turned grim.
"...You never trusted me from the very beginning, did you?"
"Not once since the day you first lied to me." Though its face stiffened visibly, I paid it no mind and simply shrugged.
"But thanks to that, I arrived before it was too late." How else could the Young Duke, who was supposed to be confined to the Temple, have made it all the way here undetected? It was all the creature's doing. Guiding the Young Duke along paths free of priests, and standing idly by while the boy was captured and brought here despite having the power to save him—it was all entirely intentional. Well, I didn't have much room to talk, considering I had used this situation to test the creature myself.
"I did not intend to harm the young child of Peadus. And it is no lie that it was his own choice."
That wasn't entirely false. Although the creature had set the Young Duke loose, wearing the ragged clothes Tollin had prepared and allowing himself to be captured and brought here had ultimately been the boy's own choice. Agreeing with its point, I spoke.
"You were a character the protagonist didn't need." Though that didn't mean the creature had passed my test.