Under City 2

The jeep driver dropped the squad towards a building, the moment they got there they immediately felt the presence of strong people.

The security was heavy. But that doesn't matter, Markus and Rens prepared for this. They entered the building, showing the security badge they have.

"What batch is this?"

"None, We just got these two out of luck."

"Luck?"

Markus leaned in the guard.

"The boy has potential, while the girl has one of the rarest magical powers out there."

"...?"

"It's better if we show you."

Markus went towards Leonard and Lenneza. Seemingly managed to convince them the two nodded. Markus looked at the guard as if telling them to watch.

Lenneza reached out her hand and a fireball was immediately cast. Leonard opened his palm and a ball of mana 22cm in diameter appeared.

The guard's eyes were about to pop out, especially with Leonard, nobody could materialize mana like Leonard could do, especially that big.

Only mages at a high degree could materialize mana in a ball like Leonard is doing right now, and Lenneza, an instantaneous cast. While wordless chant is the norm, instant casting is impossible, even magicians at a high degree usually still take a second to cast a spell.

The guard gulped, if these kids were cultivated to a high degree then they would be monsters. The guard looked at Markus who had a smirk and clicked his tongue.

"Fine, get in. But put a good word for me alright? I don't like being a guard here"

"Sure, sure, brother"

They all went inside without any trouble, Markus laughed to himself and Rens just shook his head.

"I didn't know you could do that Leo."

"You forgot my bloodline?"

Lenneza was curious as to how Leonard managed to make a spherical ball made of mana but got an answer immediately. Lenneza remembered that Lorraine is of Fairy bloodline, and Lorraine and Leonard are blood-related, so it wasn't that hard to connect the dots.

"Wait."

Leonard stopped the three from walking forwards.

'I fucking hate these pieces of shit! I couldn't even place enough resources on my research!'

Leonard could hear the thoughts of a distressed scientist. The fact that Leonard didn't try to suppress his bloodline this time made him efficient at filtering the voices he heard.

This is also why he was talking so much earlier, distracted by the number of voices he hears.

'Please! Please! I don't want to die!'

'Insects! Know your worth!'

'I don't want it to hurt anymore! Somebody just kills me! I beg you!'

'It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts!'

'I hate this job.'

He could hear voices from all over the place but he heard a lot more after going into this building.

Leonard pulled a recorder out of his shadow, he doesn't mind the others seeing it as he knows that they wouldn't spill it carelessly.

"I'm about to go insane… So…" Leonard looked at the three. "Take care of me for a while will ya?"

Lenneza noticed the severity of the situation, Leonard was sweating bullets. Leonard, thanks to himself for not suppressing his bloodline, is hearing the voices like a full volume static.

It gives him the worst headache of his life. He felt like his head was about to be cracked open thanks to the voices he was hearing.

Markus and Rens looked at each other.

"It's time."

"I agree."

Rens pulled out what seemingly is a detonator. The others looked at it and their expression stiffened.

"Alright. Get prepared."

Rens pushed the button, hid what seemed to be a detonator, and then they all braced for an impact. Not even a minute has passed since there was an earthquake.

Outside the hall they are in there were screams, confirming that they've done what they have to do.

"They fucking found us!"

"The three exits collapsed! Get ready to fight back!"

"Emergency!"

That's where the squad began their next plan, to hide and wait. Since they have their disguises it would take a while for them to be actually discovered.

"Okay let's all stay here—"

Markus looked around and his heart started to pound.

"W-where is Leonard?!"

He desperately voiced out, Lenneza who was nearest to Leonard looked at her side, left and right he wasn't there.

"He was just here moments ago!"

Lenneza screamed in frustration. The trio was placed in disarray, Leonard isn't just a boy after all he's the heir of the Marchen dukedom.

For him to disappear would be trouble for Markus and Rens.

Meanwhile, on The 3rd underground floor.

"Fuck…. Fuck…"

Leonard's head was about to burst, he couldn't distract himself anymore. The number of voices of despair and pain made him want to crack his head wide open.

"Where are they?"

The more he walked down the stairs the more the voices got louder. He was going in the right direction.

"Hm?"

He felt a presence amidst the noises in his head, he activated his shadow body and merged with the ground. Not even later three individual footsteps could be heard.

"The underground city has been discovered. We need to evacuate sir!"

"Evacuate my ass my most prized slave is here, what makes you think I'm leaving that?"

"But sir!"

"Shut up! Osbourne finally managed to make a breakthrough in research! I need that slave transformed. Fuck!"

Leonard was a bit concerned about his words, Slaves were banned 400 years ago, but it seems people are still living in the past that they didn't even live in.

Leonard got curious and started following the man instead. They got on a floor that Leonard just passed by and he went through the door using a coded padlock.

He could bypass that by going under the door but Leonard chose to follow the three men at their pace.

The three men practically jogged to their location. Many locked doors and some rooms till finally, Leonard could hear the voices loud and clear.

Dozens of cells filled with children, they were in the most inhospitable conditions and Leonard just gritted his teeth.

"Go get the girl in the last cell! I can't pass through this smell!"

The man in the middle, with a suit and a red tie, passed a key to one of the lackeys on his side.

Leonard seeing this decided to do something now, he jumped out of his shadow and appeared before them.

"What's the—"

「Shadow Spike」

Multiple protrusions skewered the three men in their chests, the man in the middle had reactions of disbelief.

"W-what?"

"Key."

Leonard snatched the key from the lackey and held it in his arms. He then looked around, the children's thoughts were held to a halt.

Leonard knew this was the right time for his headache to be relieved.

"Don't worry, I'm part of the rescue team that will let you all out of here."

He smiled gently, then sent the three men into the shadow realm. Yes, the shadow realm exists here and The Realm of Scia is one of many.

Looking at the cells, they may have their own keys, and Leonard doesn't have the time to deal with this, so he went in front of the cells.

"Back off kids, this is going to be hot."

He placed the key on his shadow before he started chanting, he could buy an instant chant-like Lenneza's talent but he didn't need to. Because he won't be using magic that requires chanting in the future.

Anyways, he wasn't complacent, he made a shortened chant of it since chanting is still an important piece of magic.

"...With the power of mana I conjure you 「Flare.」"

Both of his hands which were tightly grasped in the door of the cell started heating up to a terrifying degree and started melting.

Leonard had to close his hands after all the chat 'Flare' is supposed to be ejected outwards his hands, if it was opened and not tightly closed it might affect everyone in the cell.

"Phew…"

A few seconds is all it took, the door handle melted within seconds. It opened up without resistance.

"Don't go out yet, it's not safe."

Leonard took out his phone from the shadow behind him.

—ring~♪

—L-Leo?!

Leonard took a call and it was Lenneza.

"I found the missing children."

—Wha- okay, okay,...

Lenneza took a deep breath.

—Where are you?

"Go straight to that entrance hall, there should be stairs going down, if my memory isn't that blurry, I'm at UG3."

—Underground 3rd floor. Okay, I got it, stay still.

"I know."

The call Ended there and Leonard kept going with destroying the doors of the cells where the children are locked. It was inhospitable, there is absolutely nothing on those cells except a sink and a singular open toilet.

There is not an ounce of privacy. Leonard could see the air which is not a good thing in any condition.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

After opening every cell, Leonard went across the last cell, which was at the end of the hall.

"oh yeah… this one has a key."

He looked inside the cell, there were only two individuals inside, lying on the bed, Leonard then looked at the door.

He stared at it for a few seconds till he decided to melt the door being fully aware that he had the key.

"property damage… hehe…"

Leonard just giggled to himself and went inside the cell.

"Hello~"

He made his presence known to the two individuals lying on the bed. He can't quite see because they were hiding under the sheets.

"I'm here to get you out of this place. Please look at me."

The two heads started moving and an opening in the sheets could be seen, a little grey eye peeked out of a tiny opening and looked at Leonard, and Leonard just smiled.

They seemed to notice the bald boy as well and lowered their defenses, after all, every single boy who came in here is bald as well.

For a few minutes, they didn't come out of the bedsheets, so Leonard had to improvise. Kids like this obviously went through something, so he isn't going to push it.

He went back to the other kids and grabbed some canned foods and spoons. He prepared that this will happen before going in here.

"Ahh… fuck it's still there."

Even though Leonard could still hear negative thoughts he isn't as agitated as before. So giving the kids something to eat wasn't so hard for him to do.

"Eat up okay? This is all I brought"

He placed bottled water in each of their cells, but just as he was about to go and call Lenneza.

He felt a presence on the other end of the hall.

"Shit."

"Hm?"

It's a man with a receding hairline and with thick glasses, looking directly at Leonard.