"Hmph, these fools, trying to catch me, it's not that easy..."
Hidden in the cramped compartment, the Sarkaz little girl's heart pounded.
Ifrit hadn't expected this small adventure to actually succeed.
"Hmph, I'm so amazing."
Slipping out from a pile of junk where robot vacuums were stacked, Ifrit cautiously opened a crack in the compartment door, feeling particularly proud.
From the moment she could remember, Ifrit had lived in this very large building. Although she knew many things in her head, she couldn't recall past events.
Many people in white lab coats constantly surrounded Ifrit, feeding her medicine, drawing her blood, attaching plastic patches to her body, and then writing and drawing on screens.
The way those people looked at her was cold and calm, as if they were dealing with an object.
The people who cared about her could be counted on the fingers of one hand—Saria, Silence, her Ptilopsis sister, and Mayer, who occasionally came back to see her... Ifrit hated this feeling. Besides the few who cared, everyone else was an indifferent jerk! She hated people in white lab coats the most!
A few days ago, the girl named Ifrit began to plan this small escape.
Because she noticed that the white lab coats who used to guard her so strictly had, for some reason, rarely visited her ward recently. They also rarely fed her bitter medicine, drew her blood, or attached plastic patches to her body.
Through the glass window of the ward, they more often argued with each other, eventually even resorting to physical fights.
Finally, the number of white lab coats decreased significantly. The remaining people, besides the few who always cared for her, had even become lax in their vigilance.
So, Ifrit chose to escape.
She didn't know where she should go, nor did she want to leave the people she cared about.
But Ifrit just wanted to escape once.
For no other reason than to break free from those boring, painful restraints.
"Everyone's gone... Saria should be over here. I remember Silence said Saria's workplace was downstairs, so it must be here."
Flicking her agile, crystal-free tail behind her, Ifrit cautiously poked her head out.
Ifrit hadn't learned how to fight or hide herself. The only thing she knew was how to throw a few small flames, but Silence didn't allow her to use Spell, so she rarely used it.
To be honest, Ifrit had never imagined she could actually make it to this place. She always thought she'd be caught the moment she stepped out the door.
What to do next? Ifrit hadn't thought about it at all.
"Anyway, if I check each room, I'm sure I'll find Saria. Then I'll scare her—"
"Oh?"
Suddenly, a man's voice came from beside Ifrit.
"Eh—whoa!"
Startled by the voice, Ifrit's foot landed on a broken robot vacuum, and her small body immediately lost its balance.
"Ugh—"
Ifrit closed her eyes, but the imagined collision didn't happen. Instead, she felt a strong grip on her shoulder.
"Careful there, little sister. It's all metal junk in here."
Supporting the Sarkaz little girl, Goki raised an eyebrow with interest.
When he first arrived at the Defense Department, he had inadvertently noticed a glance that swept over him for a moment.
And the Caryll Rune — 'Fire' — within him also seemed to sense a familiar power, beginning to dance excitedly.
So, Goki curiously followed this familiar feeling and, sure enough, saw the little girl he expected.
The blonde little girl looked about eleven or twelve, not very tall, similar to Kafka, with light orange eyes full of panic.
Black crystal horns and a thin tail wagging behind her indicated she was a Sarkaz.
Although her petite body hadn't fully developed yet, she was already a beautiful embryo.
And the light blue patient gown, like pajamas, indicated the girl's identity—an experimental subject.
Rhine Lab researches biotechnology, but not at all for treating illnesses and saving lives. There couldn't be any patients in the company.
[The world is too small, or am I really the protagonist—which means the Rhine Lab Paradise Project is inevitable.]
Goki also recognized the petite Sarkaz girl in front of him.
Ifrit, a future Rhodes Island Operator, the apple of the Doctors' eyes, one of the cores of the Spell Vaporization team, wielding a liquid Originium flamethrower, fierce flames burning everything!
—I need to find a suitable angle to deploy my invincible Little Fire Dragon. One tile is no loss, two tiles is a huge profit.
Of course, powerful Spell are not generated out of thin air. Ifrit is also a severe oripathy patient, with one of the most severe cases of oripathy on the entire island.
But, for some reason, Goki always felt that the Ifrit in front of him, besides some crystals on her horns, didn't have severe oripathy...?
"Um—hey, who are you! Don't touch me!"
Once Goki helped her stand steady, Ifrit instinctively thought she had been discovered by the white lab coats. She immediately forcefully shook off Goki's large hand and bared her sharp white teeth at the tall man.
"I hate you white... huh?"
However, when she seriously looked at the adult who had discovered her, Ifrit tilted her head, her hostile expression turning into confusion.
The black-haired man in front of her was wearing black clothes that Ifrit had never seen before.
Still, she cautiously took two steps back, watching the man warily, gritting her teeth, and trying to gather a tiny flame in her hand.
"Don't tell anyone about me, or else... I'll burn your hair off, I'm serious!"
This flame wasn't big, but Goki could feel the intense heat and familiar power contained within it.
[Ifrit Project, Ifrit Project, no wonder...]
Goki looked at the Little Fire Dragon in front of him, who was bluffing and trying to scare him, and revealed a kind smile.
"Ha, yours isn't good enough. Watch mine."
Extending his right hand, Goki suddenly clenched his fist, activating his Rune ability.
Whoosh—
Blazing flames surged up, instantly illuminating the dark storage room.
"...Wow, wow, wow, you also know Originium Arts, just like me? Oh, I, I can too!"
Seeing the blazing flames on Goki's arm, the Little Fire Dragon's eyes instantly lit up. Then she began to exert all her strength, trying to make the pitiful little flame in her hand a bit bigger.
Although she had no idea who the man in front of her was, Ifrit instinctively felt that he wasn't a bad person like those white lab coats.
"Ugh..."
However, after holding it in for a long time, Ifrit still couldn't make the flame in her hand burn brightly. Instead, she extinguished it a bit tiredly and plopped down on a robot vacuum nearby.
"Forget it, forget it, no more comparing, it's boring, no fun—who exactly are you? I've never seen you before? You're not here to catch me, are you?"
Looking at the man who had also extinguished his flame and was smiling at her, Ifrit's curiosity grew stronger.
At Rhine Lab, everyone was in a hurry, their expressions either indifferent or serious. There really weren't many people who smiled constantly like this guy.
"Of course not. I'm a job seeker here to apply for a position in Rhodes Island's Defense Department. I was just curious what you were doing—I'm looking for Director Saria."
Trying hard to act as if he wasn't familiar with the Little Fire Dragon, Goki truthfully told her his identity—he didn't lie to children.
And upon hearing that familiar name, Ifrit's thin tail behind her twirled even faster.
"Saria? I know her very well. I was just about to go find her. Take me there, and I can help you say whatever you need to—just don't let anyone else find out. Just call me Ifrit."
Extending her small hand, she patted Goki's chest. The Little Fire Dragon, from beginning to end, didn't display any of the irritable and somewhat childish personality she had in the game.
Quite the opposite, in front of Goki, this Little Fire Dragon seemed exceptionally rational, with wariness towards strangers, a little bit of competitiveness, and finally, the innocence of easily trusting others.
Her oripathy wasn't that severe, she wasn't as tall as in her character art, and her Originium Arts weren't that strong.
Ultimately... in Goki's eyes, the Ifrit in front of him was just an ordinary little girl.
[The Ifrit Project isn't over! Or rather, it hasn't failed yet!]
Goki nodded. He knew that he had arrived at Rhine Lab before the experimental accident occurred.
And this little girl in front of him might be related to his goal and closely connected to the events Kaltsit wanted to investigate.
Then... he couldn't just stand by!
"Ifrit... that's a great name. I'm Goki, you'll hear this name often in the future—want to learn Originium Arts? To be as powerful as I was just now?"
Extending his right hand to the Little Fire Dragon, Goki smiled slightly.
"...Yes! If I just get a little stronger, Silence won't have to worry about me so much. You just arrived here, right? I've been here much longer than you—so you're my, um, little brother! What do you need?"
Patting her undeveloped chest, Ifrit didn't know her identity as an experimental subject. In her opinion, she and Goki in front of her were both just Rhine Lab employees.
"Yes, Boss Ifrit. Then let's go find Mom Saria, cough, cough, find Saria. You lead the way?"
Goki, however, didn't mind Ifrit making him her 'little brother'—kids, who doesn't like playing house?
But upon hearing this, Ifrit paused, her face reddening, and she awkwardly pretended to look at the scenery around her.
"I, this, this small matter, as my little brother, you shouldn't need me to lead the way, right?"
Clearly, Ifrit didn't know the location of Saria's office.
To this, Goki could only sigh and gently took Ifrit's small hand.
"Let's go."
"Okay, let's go! This time we'll definitely give Saria a surprise!"
He knew that the things he had to do at Rhine Lab seemed to be increasing.
But for now... having caught this adorable little girl, how could he not meet her future parents!
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