(EP-252.2) Caged #7

252 – Caged Bird #7

“… That was nerve-wracking. I thought we’re done for.”

Mirna, uncharacteristically, sounded weak. It showed just how urgent the recent situation had been.

Stella added her thoughts as well.

“That was too reckless. It’s fortunate it worked out, but if anything had gone wrong, it could’ve been disastrous.”

“Either way, staying put or following their orders would have led to trouble. Still, the soldiers aren’t fools, so we need to finish quickly.”

The soldiers guarding this lab must have a reporting system.

Especially since these soldiers were guarding a Class A area, they might have reported the recent situation and warned the soldiers inside the lab.

As a result, we needed to hurry a bit more. There was no time to linger over what had just happened.

The Sector A we entered was filled with rather curious things. Unknown liquids boiled in tanks while armor, swords, and spears were placed here and there.

It felt more like a barracks than a laboratory.

There were far more soldiers in black protective suits than in other areas. Seeing the numerous weapons and soldiers, Mirna spoke softly.

“Look at these. Mana bombs. The shape is different, but these ominous things can’t be explained other than a mana bomb.”

Mirna pointed to small PT bottles containing fluorescent liquid. Not knowing what mana bombs were, I had nothing to say.

Then Stella answered.

“Each of these small bottles can produce the same firepower as a Rank 3 Fireball.”

A Rank 3 Fireball. I remembered when the sages at Ark once demonstrated a fireball. It caused a huge explosion, like a bomb going off.

To think there were dozens, even hundreds, of such things piled up here.

“Why are they collecting so many of these? Are they trying to start a rebellion?”

In response to my question, Stella shook her head.

“I don’t know. But before he died, Opal was always terrified. He was afraid of something and always thought he had to be prepared. That’s why he gathered so many weapons and soldiers.”

Preparedness, huh.

“Contrary to popular belief, after Solomon’s death, his eyes were always filled with fear. I don’t know what he was so afraid of, even with the Demon King dead….”

At Stella’s small remark, Mirna clicked her tongue.

“He was probably afraid of death. The inevitable fate even a powerful Demon King couldn’t escape. That harsh and merciless judgment.”

“Perhaps…. Anyway, we’re almost there now. Let’s also take a few mana bombs with us.”

Winding our way through numerous tanks, we finally stood before what could be called a giant water tank. It was about 5 meters tall, made of thick steel, and looked very sturdy.

There were about five of them lined up in a row.

“These devices produce specially refined mana oxygen. As far as I know, the needed oxygen can spoil, so they extract and use it as needed. Destroying these is like putting a heavy shackle around Opal’s neck.”

“So, how do we destroy them? It looks like they’re coated with anti-magic. Coating the size of your palm costs hundreds of gold coins, and they’ve coated these entire tanks….”

At Mirna’s words, Stella looked around.

“They’re basically indestructible by ordinary means, so a large explosion would be best. We can use the mana bombs we took earlier.”

Stella’s suggestion seemed reasonable.

So, taking advantage of the moment when the nearby soldiers left for patrol, Stella, Mirna, and I stacked the mana bombs I had stored in my inventory《Squirrel Storage》around the area.

“What are you doing─. Ugh!”

A few soldiers noticed our actions midway, but Stella subdued them. It wouldn’t be long before others noticed something was amiss and came rushing in, but they would all be caught up in a huge explosion anyway.

“It’s ready. Now we just need to draw a fuse with magic and ignite it.”

At Stella’s words, I used my imp tail wand to draw a line from the stacked mana bombs to a distant shelter. It was a makeshift magical path.

Before triggering the explosion, Mirna drew a circle around us as we hid behind cover.

“We might get caught in the blast, so I’ve set up a barrier. It’s temporary, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Alright, I’m going to detonate it. Everyone, cover your ears.”

This reminded me of my days as a combat engineer. After the traditional countdown, I poured my magic into the fuse.

Kwaaang━━━─!!!

At the same time, a colossal noise exploded in my ears, akin to a giant hammer smashing a cauldron lid.

Despite thinking we were at a safe distance, the intense blast filled my ears with a ringing sound.

Bbiiiiii-.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the darkened laboratory, fires blazing everywhere, and people moving around with fire extinguishers and sprinklers spraying fire-extinguishing liquid from above.

Could this be hell?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but it quickly vanished when I saw Mirna’s face tapping my cheek.

“━━━──!”

Mirna seemed to be urgently shouting something at me. However, I couldn’t hear well, likely due to the explosion affecting my ears. They might be injured.

The explosion’s power was much greater than I had calculated. Fortunately, my senses and hearing were gradually returning.

“Sir Theo, we have to go quickly while everyone is busy putting out the fire…!”

“Ah!”

Edited by: faker