Chapter 46: The Great Escape (2)

“Go on ahead. I have something I need to finish down here.”

It had been about three minutes since Sion parted ways with the others.

The Rambouillet sisters had been uneasy at first about separating from her. Naturally so—after all, the man leading them had been the same person who, just hours earlier, had overpowered them and thrown them into a prison.

Even with Karma claiming he’d “switched sides,” it was hard to trust him immediately.

To ease their concerns, Sion had explained the artifact, [The Eye of the Dominator], and the story behind it.

She told them how Karma had attempted to enslave her with it but failed, resulting in Karma being brainwashed to betray the Demon King’s army instead.

Only after hearing that did the twins feel somewhat reassured. 

In fact, seeing Karma openly grin while discussing his own brainwashing somehow put them at ease. It was so obvious he was completely under control that they couldn’t help but trust the situation.

Therese even apologized for doubting Sion earlier. 

And now, back to the present.

-“So, what is this ‘thing’ you need to do? Still up to something shady?” 

“Shady? That’s not very nice.”

-“Well, you’ve been doing shady things nonstop since we met… I mean, you’ve never done anything straightforward or innocent since arriving at the academy.

Even when it looked like you were doing good, you always had some sneaky plan underneath.”

Exia’s distrust had reached its peak by this point.

“Nothing too dramatic, I assure you. Just something that needs wrapping up.”

-“And what’s this ‘necessary wrap-up’?”

“Blowing up the base.”

-“I knew it!”

Exia groaned. It was so typical of Sion. Did this person ever have anything on her mind besides destruction?

But Sion, tilting her head, looked confused by her reaction.

“Why is blowing up an empty base such a big deal? It’s not even a human facility—it’s a Demon King’s army base. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

-“But you don’t need to blow it up! Seriously, are you a demolition man or something?”

“Of course there’s a need,” Sion replied matter-of-factly, glancing up toward the ceiling.

Above them was the first work zone, the area where the massacre involving her ‘Black Parade’ had occurred.

“If it were just enemies cut down by a sword, it would be fine. But those torn apart by summoned beasts? That’s a different story.

If someone were to investigate, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out how they died. They’d start wondering, ‘How did the hero summon beasts?’ 

The easiest way to prevent anyone from getting suspicious is to blow up the scene entirely, along with the bodies. Sure, there are other ways, but this is the least troublesome and cleanest method.”

-“…Wasn’t there an option to not use the summoning magic in the first place? Then you wouldn’t need to end things with an explosion.”

“Well, but… it was my first chance in twelve years to try it out…”

Sion replied, sounding unusually sheepish. Then, clearing her throat, she changed the subject.

“Anyway, it’s not like humanity would just leave this place alone. It would eventually be blown up regardless. I’m just speeding up the process. 

I doubt anyone will blame me for that. Right?”

-“Sigh, whatever… Do what you want…”

Exia gave up, realizing that arguing with Sion was pointless. Her mindset was simply too different.

Every time she tried to reason with her, she’d hit her with, “Why is that a problem?”

Instead, she decided to change the topic.

-“So, how do you plan on blowing this place up? Using magic would still be suspicious, wouldn’t it? ‘Hero Sion’ isn’t supposed to use magic. 

And for a facility this size, it would take a lot of firepower. Do you have a plan?”

Sion smiled confidently.

“Of course.”

Now that she thought about it, Exia realized that, even while talking to her, Sion had been steadily moving toward something.

She’d been using detection magic to confirm some kind of location as she walked.

Was this destination related to her plan for the “explosion”?

As Exia pondered, Sion spoke again.

“Did you know that magic power and holy power repel each other?”

-“No matter how it is, isn’t it too much to ignore me like this? That’s just common sense.”

“Is that so? Then, how does it work? What’s the principle behind it?”

-“Uh…?”

I had never thought about it that far. Isn’t it just supposed to be that way?

When Exia struggled to answer, Sion chuckled and raised her finger.

“The correct answer is that the essential properties of the two forces are fundamentally different.

Divine power, in other words, is the power that implements the laws of a different dimension. It draws on the authority of a world governed by divine laws, unlike this place, Elpidion.

Because of that, it can transcend cause and effect, casually performing miracles like healing wounds or neutralizing poison without needing to address the underlying causes.

On the other hand, magic is different.

Although it holds infinite possibilities, its essence is just one of the energies nature contains, like any other element. Therefore, to use it effectively, you must understand its principles, grasp its nature, and have the ability to arrange it as you desire.

No matter how absurd and ridiculous a spell may seem, its foundation always lies in a well-structured physical law.

For this reason, no one in history has ever been both a priest and a magician at the same time.

‘The power that transcends reason’ and ‘the power that follows reason’ demand entirely opposite sets of skills to handle them. Do you understand up to this point?”

-“Uh… yes.”

In truth, Exia didn’t understand it well, but she nodded her head. She didn’t want to be called an idiot again for no reason.

-“But why are you telling me this? Does it have something to do with the current situation?”

“Don’t rush. Listen until the end.

As I said, the two forces have completely opposing properties. Because of that, like water and oil or the same poles of a magnet, they cannot coexist and repel each other.

So, what would happen if you forcibly fused the two? What kind of result would that create?”

-“Well… I don’t know… What would happen?”

“It would explode.”

In a short and clear declaration, Sion answered.

“The ‘power that transcends reason,’ characteristic of divine power, would unleash all the primal energy held within magic.

The resulting explosion’s power cannot be compared to any other spell. There’s no waste lost in control or attributes, as it’s converted purely into 100% heat energy.

Therefore, when mixing magic and divine power, you must always add a stabilizing agent. Otherwise, you never know when or how it will explode.

And to turn this around…

Click, click, click.

Before she realized it, Sion had already reached her destination.

A tightly closed iron door with a strict warning sign above that read, [WARNING! Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited].

According to the map, it was the ‘Third Storage Facility.’

“Once magic and divine power are combined, if mishandled, they can explode at any moment.

For instance, if someone twisted the internal magical array with a powerful force.”

With that, she kicked down the iron door.

Beyond the door was a room filled with a large quantity of bloodstones. A space where countless bloodstones were stacked inside rows of wooden boxes.

Seeing the resplendent red glow, Sion grinned.

“Found it. The materials for the explosion.”

The slave camp, or ‘Material Storage,’ lacked any basic conveniences.

The reason was simple. In three days, they’d be slaughtered anyway.

There were no beds. In three days, the ownership would change.

They weren’t treated even if they got sick. They just had to survive until those three days passed.

They were barely given food. Humans don’t die from starvation in three days anyway.

All that was provided to them were cold stone floors, water, and a toilet.

In fact, the toilet wasn’t even for them. It was installed because the guards complained about the smell when they relieved themselves anywhere in the room’s corner.

At this point, calling it a prison is a compliment. A stable would be a more fitting description. At least a rancher cares about keeping their livestock alive.

It was a place where all human rights that a person could enjoy were stripped away. That was the slave camp of Tartarus.

In one corner of that place, Peter was slowly dying, just like the others.

“I’m hungry…”

Holding his rumbling stomach, he lay on the floor, muttering blankly.

He had been deceived by a rumor about free bread. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Lured by the promise, Peter had wandered into a dark alley, only to be knocked out by a blow to the back of his head and dragged here.

You couldn’t blame Peter. He was a ten-year-old orphan, after all. There were limits to his judgment.

His misfortune was that the one mistake everyone makes had fatal consequences that could cost him his life.

Yet at the same time, his luck was that he had been captured by Tartarus ‘at this point in time.’

“Something… feels really noisy upstairs…”

Peter quietly muttered, sensing intermittent vibrations traveling through the ceiling.

Unlike the panicking twins, Sanchina and her brother, Peter and the other prisoners didn’t react much to the loud tremors.

They had no energy left to make a fuss. After starving for three days, a little earthquake was the least of their concerns.

Even if they were buried alive, it wouldn’t be much different from their current situation.

‘Maybe it would be easier if the ceiling just collapsed and crushed me.’

Peter genuinely thought so.

That’s why, when the tremors subsided, he felt a bit disappointed. He thought he’d missed a chance to go peacefully.

But then, moments later…”

“Ugh, what is this musty smell…!”

A sharp voice echoed from the hallway beyond the bars.

It was a girl’s voice, high-pitched and energetic, unlike anything Peter had heard around here before.

A moment later, the prison door flung open, and a group of people rushed inside.

“This is… a bit too much, isn’t it?”

“…I expected this from what we heard, but they really don’t treat these people like human beings.”

“Ugh, I can’t bear to look…!”

Peter struggled to turn his head toward the door.

Four girls, all slightly older than him, stood there. They were dressed in fine clothes, practically radiating an air of wealth and nobility.

If they had met somewhere else, Peter would have immediately risen to his feet and bowed deeply, mistaking them for nobles.

‘New arrivals?’

But all that formed on Peter’s lips was a twisted smile.

Of course, they were shocked. They had probably never seen someone as emaciated and skeletal as the people here.

Those noble ladies surely had no experience with such horrid sights.

However, it wouldn’t be long before they, too, would meet the same fate as everyone else in this place—robbed of all hope and freedom, waiting each day for their eventual “shipment.”

Just imagining their future brought a bitter smile to his face.

At least there were no men here with enough energy left to assault the girls.

“Attention, everyone!”

As Peter was lost in his grim thoughts, the girl with pink twin tails, who seemed to be the leader, struck the floor with her staff and shouted.

“My name is Isabella de Salem! I am the First Princess of the Holy Kingdom of Salem!

From this moment, I will set free all of you who have been unjustly imprisoned here! Stand up and follow me!”

It was a bold and confident declaration, full of energy and authority.

However, in response to Isabella’s proclamation, the slaves in the prison…

“…………”

…remained utterly silent, maintaining an unbroken stillness.

Those who bothered to glance at her were the exception; most didn’t even flinch.

Isabella, who had expected everyone to leap for joy, was clearly taken aback.

“Huh? Why isn’t anyone responding…?”

“Tsk tsk, that won’t do, Princess,” a tall young man with squinting eyes said, lightly chiding her from behind while smirking.

“They haven’t eaten properly for at least three days, and if you consider what they went through before arriving here, it’s probably been at least a week without proper food.

They’re too weak to feel any joy from the good news.”

Of course, that was somewhat intentional, the young man added with a shrug.

“So, first, we need to get their strength back. Only then will they be able to listen to what we’re saying.”

“Get their strength back? With what?”

“Well, naturally…”

Snap.

The young man snapped his fingers.

“Create Food and Water.”

In an instant, a table laden with food appeared out of thin air and fell right in front of the door.

There was fragrant rye bread, fresh salad, lightly grilled chicken, and warm kidney bean soup.

Though not extravagant or luxurious, the spread looked appetizing enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

At the sight of the food, Peter and the others’ eyes widened, and they all turned toward the young man at once.

“W-what…? Food…?”

“Is this a dream…?”

Their faces were filled with disbelief, as though they were looking at a mirage.

Seeing their expressions, the young man smiled and clapped his hands.

“Alright, food’s here! Everyone, eat before it gets cold!

You might want to hurry—before someone else snatches it all away and leaves you with nothing!”

At those words, everyone in the prison scrambled to their feet and rushed toward the food.