Vertin: Hello, I'm here to return this book.
Librarian: Sure.
She looks up and sees Vertin. She briefly adjusts her glasses and looks down at the book again.
Selected Speeches of School Principals.
Librarian: ...
Librarian: I'm glad to see you reflecting on your actions. The principal and the instructors would never do harm to their students. I think you understand now.
Vertin: Thank you, instructor.
Vertin: I will be on my way. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Vertin: The librarian, with satisfaction, watches Vertin leave. She places the book on top of the stack located on a trolley.
Librarian: Isabella, put these back on the shelf.
Isabella: Yes, Miss.
She takes the trolley and slowly walks into the collection area.
She takes the trolley and slowly walks into the collection area.
Isabella stops at a quiet corner. She starts to flip through the pages of Selected Speeches of School Principals.
Isabella: ...
Vertin: ——"I have very important things to say to you."
——"I've now obtained the map of the school, including the blocks around it. "
——"But now we can't meet in public places, as there are students watching us."
——"George the Oak was also zoned to the alert area. We need a new location for gathering. Better meet tonight."
Isabella calmly leaves the book on the shelf next to her. Yet apparently, this is not where the book belonged.
Ten minutes or so later, The Ring shows up on the same floor.
He wanders around casually and soon grabs a book that doesn't seem to fit his character.
——"I know a place. It is right beneath this building."
——"It was an air-raid tunnel under the library. No one would come down there ..."
——"We can walk there from the basement level 2 of the girls' dorm. There will be a gate but it opens at an easy push."
——"But it'll be a long way to walk, and we will have to walk through the basement level of the clinic."
——"Nice. Girls' dorm, right? Don't worry. Easy enough for me."
——"I also have some important info to share with you! See you at 7!"
——"I'll bring along the others so don't you worry!"
The Ring stops writing and leaves his note in the book.
People are walking around and minding their own business. No one notices him putting an ordinary book back onto the shelf.
This time the book has changed to A Study of SPDM History: An Everlasting Order.
This tunnel is transformed from a military site. It goes on in all directions in dark. An occasional rustle echos between the walls.
Eight or nine students are standing here, face to face, not even making the slightest sound.
Matilda: I went to Mesmer Jr.'s dorm and the teaching building to look her up, but she's not in any of the places ... So I just came on my own!
Matilda: Probably she's studying in secret. Good for her, but she will not get the better of me, humph!
Matilda: What about the others? I can see some people are missing.
“The Ring”: They no longer speak to me after coming out of the guardhouse ...
“The Ring”: These are all the companions we have now.
Vertin: It's alright, "Ring." What we're going to do this time ... is much more dangerous than last time, and we may lose everything we have ...
Student B: We're here because we've made up our minds.
Student B: If not for the Ceremony ... I wouldn't have thought ...
Student C: That the principal, as well as the instructors, are afraid of us knowing even the slightest thing about the outside world ... They are even more afraid that we would become puppets that break away from the threads.
Student C: I don't wanna live like this anymore ...
Isabella: Vertin, that's why you gathered us here, right?
Isabella: When I vomited in the guardhouse because of extreme hunger ... I prayed that one day ...
Vertin: ...
Vertin: Look, this is the full map of our school, including the aerial view of the school and the blocks nearby.
Vertin: I've found the technical drawings of the air defense renovation in the library and added the missing underground tunnel part to the map.
Vertin: I didn't realize until I put all these together and found that the underground air-raid tunnel connects the northwest and southeast watchtowers. And the two first floors of these towers are the only two exits towards the outside world aside from the gate.
“The Ring”: ...!
“The Ring”: The air-raid tunnel ... How clever!
“The Ring”: You see, it is impossible to sneak out from the front gate under their surveillance from the watchtowers.
Student B: Haha! Having such an open view, they will never see us coming out from underneath ...! A blind spot attack!
Isabella: Then which one of the two towers are we going to? Have you planned out the route?
Vertin: The safest plan is to go to the clinic through the girls' dormitory. There is only a door between the southeast watchtower and the clinic. Taking the Shamirs with us then we don't have to worry about the keys.
Vertin: The map only shows the blocks outside the southeast watchtower. I noticed that there are many options for transportation in the neighborhood, easy for escape.
Isabella: This is a nice map ... Where did you get it?
“The Ring”: Air-dropped by one of the Olitiaus. You have to be quick and stealthy in collecting them ... Hehe, that's my ring's for.
Vertin: The number of Olitiaus has recently increased. Airdropping packages with various stuff ...
Vertin: Maps, newspapers headlining Foundation Cover-ups, survival guides ... they even dropped some field rations recently.
Vertin: By coincidence or not, I think this "Manus Vindictae" is helping us all the time ...
Isabella: That'd be great then! We should thank them dearly after we get out!
Vertin: Yes, we should!
“The Ring”: Ahem! I also have news about our timing to move. The headquarters will visit our school in five days. Before their arrival, the school will keep tabs on us.
“The Ring”: That's why we should leave on the next day after those big guns have left. I know how it's gonna be, that all the instructors and securities will be as lax as the crumbs from a pandoro. Nothing will keep them getting together!
Vertin: Good, then this is it.
Vertin: Prepare food and clothes ... The "break-away" action starts a week later from now!
All Students: No problem!
Every face is aglow with hope.
The Ring and Isabella walk the rest of the group back to their dorm. The emergency light casts long shadows of them on the floor.
Matilda: Vertin ...
A frightened voice comes from behind.
Vertin: What's wrong? Matilda, you look like you're crying.
Matilda: I-I can't be a part of this ... this "break-away" action ...
Matilda: I didn't know this is what you planned to do ...
Matilda: Unlike you and the others, it was my own wish to be transferred here ... One time I saw the school's ceremony by the campus fence, and she ... No, never mind that.
Matilda: To put it in brief, I can't keep messing about with you people anymore! No matter how they have disciplined us, how awful they sometimes could be ... I've never thought about leaving here!
Matilda: I, Matilda Bouanich, haven't become the top student in school ...
Vertin: Matilda ...
Vertin: We won't force you to do anything you don't want to. After all, we're here because ... we are longing for freedom.
Vertin: We once fought side by side. That would be enough.
Vertin: Oh, by the way, could you tell our plan to Mesmer Jr. for me? She is one of us too. I don't want to leave her behind.
Matilda: ... Thank you.
Matilda: I promise to tell her about this.
Student C: Vertin! Come help us! There are so many critters here ...!
Student B: They're sticking to the door. We can't open it!
Matilda: Let me! Get away ...! Let me try a new trick on them ...!
Matilda wipes her eyes and runs towards the critters.