Inside the sterile, dimly lit room, Lucy stared at the containment unit. Her eyes widened with a mix of fury and disbelief.
"These people are lunatics," she hissed under her breath. "They're actually experimenting on a child!"
She paused, a sweatdrop appearing behind her head.
Well... technically, I'm still a child in this world, too. Ahahaha...
She shook the thought away. Now wasn't the time for an existential crisis. She needed to get the girl out, but the tank was covered in intricate mana-conductors and pressure sensors. One wrong move, and the entire Bureau would be on top of her.
"There has to be a mechanism," she muttered, scanning the consoles. "A code, a sequence... something to release the locks without triggering the alarm."
Lucy closed her eyes. As a Water Dragon Slayer—and one who had achieved a state of advanced Dragonization—her senses were leagues beyond any human.
She focused, filtering out the hum of the air conditioning and the rhythmic thumping of the laboratory's power core. She pushed her hearing further, past the reinforced walls, into the hallway fifty meters away.
[Enhanced Hearing: Activated]
"...oi, do you remember the code for Test Subject 3373?" a frantic voice echoed in her mind. It was Officer D. "The file is missing! If we don't create a backup, the Director will have my head!"
"How the hell did you lose it!?" a second voice, Officer C, snapped. "That subject is the Bureau's most valuable asset! You're dead if they find out."
"I know! I know! Just help me, please!"
"Ugh, fine. Listen closely, because I'm only saying it once: 8 ⬆ 1 ⬅ ➡ 0 ⬇. Got it?"
"Thank you! You're a lifesaver!"
"And don't forget," Officer C added with a sneer. "The emergency release code is just the reverse of the input. Even a moron like you should be able to flip it."
"Wait, reverse? You mean... like, ⬇ 0...?"
Lucy cut the connection. A smug grin spread across her face.
Really, how convenient, she thought, her eyes sparkling. God is definitely on my side today. Oh, wait... I'm literally allied with a Goddess, so I guess that's technically true.
Lucy turned back to the console. If the input was 8 ⬆ 1 ⬅ ➡ 0 ⬇, then the release was...
[ ⬇ 0 ➡ ⬅ 1 ⬆ 8 ]
Click.
The heavy mechanical locks hissed, steam venting from the sides of the containment unit as the magic circle stabilizing the glass dimmed and vanished. No alarms blared. The room remained silent.
Within the tank, the young girl—Ultear—remained unconscious, held up by shimmering magical restraints.
"Okay, let's do this quietly," Lucy whispered. She raised her hand, magic swirling around her fingertips. "[Water Dragon Scissor]!"
It was a bit of a silly name, and Lucy felt a slight blush of embarrassment, but the spell was effective. A thin, high-pressure blade of water manifested between her fingers, moving with the precision of a laser.
Snip. Snip.
The restraints were severed instantly. Lucy moved with a burst of speed, catching Ultear's small frame before she could hit the floor.
"Got you," Lucy whispered.
She didn't waste another second. She didn't want to risk walking back out the front door.
"[Aqua Aera]!"
A swirling vortex of blue energy and distorted space opened in the middle of the lab. Lucy stepped through, the world blurring into a tunnel of rushing water and stars.
Back at the Base
A moment later, Lucy tumbled onto the soft carpet of her own room. She looked up, seeing her "Substitute Body"—the magical clone Rolotia had created to cover for her—still lying in the bed.
Rolotia! I'm back! Lucy called out via telepathy. Mission accomplished. You can undo the magic now!
Silence.
...Rolotia?
Still nothing.
HEY! ROLOTIA! Lucy screamed internally.
"Ugh, I hear you, Lucy! Calm down!" the Goddess's voice finally groaned. "I was in the bath."
Lucy stared into the void with a flat expression. Gods... need to take baths?
"God or not, I'm still a woman!" Rolotia snapped back. "I deserve a relaxing soak after maintaining that clone for you. Honestly..."
With a snap of invisible fingers, the substitute body on the bed dissolved into gold dust.
"Thank you," Lucy sighed.
"Whatever. Don't bother me for a while, I'm still getting dressed," Rolotia grumbled before the mental link went dead.
Lucy sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at the girl she had rescued. The life of a Goddess was... certainly different than the legends made it out to be.
Suddenly, she felt a slight movement in her arms.
Ultear's eyes fluttered, her long lashes trembling as she slowly regained consciousness. She looked around the unfamiliar, warm room, her gaze finally landing on Lucy.
"Where... am I...?" the girl whispered, her voice cracked and weak.