CH 226

Chasing after Haru, they arrived at a large building facing the street. Seeing the scale of the building that she never seen before, her eyes widened. Haru walked into a small alley beside the building.

「Wait. 」

Not looking back to Fillia who called him, Haru advanced by himself. With no choice but to follow, they arrived at what seems like the back entrance of the building.

「They are carried out from there……」

Haru muttered seeing the two guards standing by the door from afar. There’s no need to ask 『What』 is carried out.

It’s probably where the people that are sold as merchandise are carried out from.

「Is Haru’s onee-san there? 」

Haru nodded at Fillia’s confirmation. As she looked up at the building again, the pressure of its scale loomed.

Although they had walked quite some distance from the main street where they saw the building, the distance they covered is only a small part of the entire place.

The height of the wall seems to be a little over three meters. There’s a big building that can be seen opposite of them, besides that, there’re another two smaller buildings.

If what Haru said is true, then his sister should be imprisoned there.

「So what’s your plan? 」

Fillia shrunk herself at Rona’s question. Although in a gentle tone, Rona who usually instructs Fillia and Riana also sounds like this.

「It doesn’t look like there’re any magical traps, so getting inside should be easy……」

Although not as proficient in sensing mana as Ardis and Nere, Fillia is also capable.

Kyrill even begged her to teach him but, it’s purely a sensation, even Fillia didn’t know how to explain it. Rather, Fillia thought it was strange to not sense mana.

Although Fillia’s range of fifty meters in radius is lesser than Ardis’s, if she avoids exposed areas, it’s difficult for her to be discovered.

Fillia moved her gaze from the door to the wall. There’re no traces of mana of any sorts on the wall.

Not only there’re no barriers obstructing intruders, it also proved that there’s no magic or arts that’s used to sense any intruders.

Even if it’s impossible to get through the door with the guards, she can scale the wall in an obscure corner.

A three-meter-high wall is meaningless if she makes footholds from mana, so it’s not impossible to rescue Haru’s sister from her place of imprisonment.

「In detail? 」

「It’s possible to get over the wall with footholds. And then if stretching the light to turn invisible, we can enter the building without getting discovered if we kept quiet……, I think? 」

Speaking her idea as she thought of it, Fillia was waiting for Rona’s response and appraisal.

「Fu――n, well, it’s alright. 」

It seems like she got the passing mark, as Fillia was relieved.

「Since Fillia came up with this idea, you’ll be responsible for making that kid invisible too. I will take care of myself. 」

「Unn, okay. 」

Answering so, Fillia took Haru by his hand and left the spot where they can see the back entrance, finding a suitable place to scale the wall obscurely.

Seeing the surroundings, and verifying there’re no mana signatures around, she made footholds like stairs on the wall.

To make it obvious for Haru who can’t see mana by scattering some sand from the ground, the stairs formed from mana showed itself in the air.

「Eh? 」

「Be careful not to fall down from the stairs. 」

Leading Haru by his hand who was surprised by the sudden appearance, Fillia climbed up the wall.

As she reached above the wall, Fillia made another downwards staircase in the same way and took him by the hand and gotten down.

The footholds that were used disappeared, and they hid in a corner for the time being.

「I will make us invisible now. Make sure to not let go of my hand so that we don’t get separated. 」

Saying so to Haru, she casted another arts.

Nere said it is the light that makes someone possible to see someone else are like waves. By forcefully stretching those waves, the transformed light would make someone invisible.

In fact, Nere showed that she could do it with that logic. If so, what Nere said must be true.

Although Kyrill who heard about that hugged his head, Fillia was only convinced that 「It’s something like that」.

However, as expected, she couldn’t do it as well as Nere. She said that it is not enough to be invisible, there’s a need to make disguised light that would reach the opponent’s eyes.

『Even if not visible, footsteps can still be heard. Slight vibrations in the air can be felt when moving. And smell are not erased. Do not forget. 』

Recalling Nere’s warning words, she grasped the connecting hand firmly as Haru exclaimed.

「Amazing, they can’t see us……. Onee-san, you’re a magician? 」

「Fueh? 」

Fillia made a weird sound as she didn’t understand for a moment.

「I mean, this is magic right? Using magic can only mean a magician? 」

「Eh, is it something like that……? 」

Fillia tilted her head wondering as she hadn’t once thought she’s a magician but, it’s not like anyone can see her doing that now.

「Shouldn’t you have used invisibility first before scaling the wall? 」

「But I thought it would be dangerous climbing the footholds then……」

「You made it visible to that kid already, I think it would’ve been fine since you held his hand already? It’s even more dangerous if we were discovered. 」

「Eh, ah……. Unn, that’s true……」

Fillia became depressed at Rona’s critics.

「It’s fine. For the time being, we won’t get anywhere hiding here forever, let’s move? 」

「U-Unn. Let’s move. 」

Fillia who regained her spirit told Haru some points to pay attention to, and then surveyed the surroundings.

She confirmed that there’re several human sized signatures in the closest building, but there’s probably no prisoners there.

From Haru’s story, it’s not just one or two refugees that got kidnapped, and it’s unlikely that the captured people will be allowed freedom to move.

「Let’s try heading somewhere with the least people and search around with mana. I think Haru’s onee-san should be imprisoned together with the other refugees. 」

If there’s a place where there’re many people that are not moving, then it’s likely the right place.

Suddenly, Fillia recalled her experience as an objectified person. With shackles on her hand and foot, no freedom to move, the days spending with Riana in a corner of the carriage.

Forcing down the anxiety that bubbled up within herself, she shook her head to disperse the awful memories.

「Haru-kun, hold tight and make sure to never let go. 」

「Unn. 」

Verifying Haru’s response, Fillia got out of the shadows and started walking carefully to not make any sound.

First, aiming for the two smaller buildings, they weaved between the shadows. The first building they saw was apparently only used for warehousing, people were carrying luggages and baskets back and forth frequently.

It’s a design that there’re no windows to look inside unless two meters above ground.

Because of that, she couldn’t see what’s happening inside but, it’s possible to search with mana.

Seeing that there’s not a spot where people are grouped up, Fillia thought that this building is a 『Miss』.

「Is it the other building? 」

Once again, Fillia led the way while holding Haru’s hand. The other small building has almost no entrances.

Similar to the previous building, it had no easily accessible windows, even by seeing the people that come and go from the building, there’s no way to know what’s happening inside.

However, as Fillia searched with mana over the building’s wall, there were about thirty responses that came from a spot below the ground.

「It might be here……」

A place with many people that aren’t moving. And since they aren’t lining up neatly, it’s likely they’re the captive refugees.

「Let’s enter now, be careful to make any sounds as much as possible. 」

「Unn. 」

Verifying Haru’s response, Fillia slowly set foot into the building. Moving down the dim hallway while careful not to cause any audible footsteps, eventually, they found an opened door.

Peering inside the room while feeling her heartbeat that was faster than usual, she saw three men sitting by a table and playing card game excitedly.

And further beyond them, there’s a staircase that seemed to lead below. Judging from the direction of the people that’s likely the captive refugees, it should be through that staircase.

Fillia spoke softly towards Haru. Since the men inside the room were being loud, there’s no worry that Fillia’s soft voice will reach them.

「I think they’re below that room. We will go down the staircase quietly. Absolutely make sure to not make any sounds. We will walk slowly, so careful with your steps. 」

Haru’s grip became stronger. Fillia who deemed that it was his response stepped inside the room carefully.

「Aaa~h! Shit, my lost again! 」

「Hehehe. Too bad, I’m just on a winning spree. 」

「Next next! I’m doubling the bet! 」

The three men didn’t seem to notice what happened as they were engrossed in the card game. Feeling sweat forming on her back, Fillia held Haru’s hand and got through the staircase down by the men.

Eventually, after getting down about twenty steps or so, she sighed in relief.

「It’s here as I thought. 」

As they got down the stair case, there were several doors made from metal. She could sense the mana signatures beyond the door.

「They’re here right? 」

「Unn. There’re a lot of people in there. But this door, it’s sturdy, and of course it’s locked. It’s possible to open it forcefully with magic but…… 」

As Rona said, it’s possible for Fillia to easily break open the door. However, since they’ve infiltrated without getting discovered, they wouldn’t do something like that now.

「In a way that’s silent……. Unn, I will try. 」

Fillia focused on a portion of the door, raising its temperature.

「Ah, it might work. 」

A mutter to no one especially, as she spread the influence over the entire door.

Move. Move. Move.

While chanting like that, using mana, she released the small particles from their bindings that formed the metal.

The movement turned into heat, transforming it. The door, which initially gave off a faint warmth, gradually turned into a mass that released heat, and eventually turned into scorching mud and melted down.

The door that could no longer function as one after becoming liquid revealed the image within without any obstructions.

In the room without even a single furniture, there were several tens of females wearing dirty rags with fearful eyes.

「Fillia. It’s enough just to melt the locking mechanism. If you melted the whole door, the heat will burn the people inside too. Also, the heat might escape upwards and the men might notice. 」

「Ah……. S-Sorry. 」

「I followed up by lowering the surrounding temperature this time, so it was fine, but make sure to be careful next time. 」

「Unn……」

Being pointed out that she almost hurt the people she was saving, Fillia became depressed.

While sulking, she nonetheless froze the lump of metal that was once the door.

「W-What……? 」

The females in the room were confused. It’s natural.

Since Fillia and the others are currently invisible, all they could see was the door suddenly melting down, and voices could be heard. It’s natural to be confused.

「Ah, umm. We came to save you……」

Fillia showed herself by dispelling the invisibility arts, and the females were surprised.

「A girl……? 」

「Coming to save us? 」

「We are saved? 」

「……Haru? 」

Anxiety and relief, question and hope, several words of different meaning, but Haru’s name was called out.

「Onee-chan! 」

Haru who till now grasped on Fillia’s hands ran to the girl. It’s a girl a little older than Fillia but, it’s likely Haru’s onee-san.

Receiving Haru who leapt out, the girl embraced her little brother tightly. Seeing that, Fillia’s cheeks loosened naturally.

However, it’s not like everything is solved now. Rather, what comes after is even more troublesome.

「Nee, Rona. Did they reali――― what’s the matter? 」

Fillia called out to ask for advice but, she saw Rona was paying attention to somewhere afar.

「……Nah, it’s nothing. 」

Rona said so to Fillia, but muttered in monologue, 「Is it a coincidence? 」.

It was the time when Fillia was tilting her head in confusion. Suddenly, a piercing whistle sound reverberated in the room.

「Eh? 」

Fillia who turned around saw there was a dark-skinned woman. Unknown as to where she took it out from, she was blowing into a small whistle about the size of a finger.