Along the train ride, NSLICE-00P spoke with the friendlies on her self-defense protocols.

“Requesting Confirmation: So this unit should rely on Imperial contacts and friendlies with authority when responding to low-danger hostiles?”

Taog nodded.

“Well, Agedia could probably explain it better, but, generally, yeah. We have a bit of power now, so we should make use of it. Better to have them arrested than to try and explain ourselves after committing violence.”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered.

“Response: This unit finds that proposal acceptable in situations with no or minimal risk of immediate termination. However, repeated hostility or high risk scenarios will still require a direct response.”

Taog shrugged.

“I guess that’s fair.”

Ateia nodded her agreement.

“If they’re asking for it, let them have it.”

Taog turned to her, his eyes widening.

“Ateia?”

She turned to him.

“Yes, Taog?”

He struggled to hold her gaze.

“I, uh, thought you liked to get along with people?”

Ateia’s eyes narrowed as she stared off into the distance.

“I wasn’t as strong as Seero.”

Taog decided not to dig into that.

Estrith just scoffed and shook her head.

“Imperials.”

NSLICE-00P and company made their way back to the Academy. None of Faustus’s requests for classified materials had been approved yet, so Apprentice Callisunus led them to the Magister Arcanum’s office. After an hour wait, Magister Cnaeus had time to see them.

He heaved a sigh as they walked into the office.

“Ah yes. Welcome back to our Academy, Miss NSLICE-00P. I hope you are enjoying your tours.”

“Response: Investigation of Academy resources has revealed crucial intel, but this unit requires more.”

Magister Cnaeus barely nodded as he shuffled some papers on his desk.

“I see. Now, what is this about, if I may ask?”

“Request: This unit would like access to materials on Spatial Magic.”

Magister Cnaeus sighed.

“Spatial Magic is highly complex, and above all, dangerous. This is not some basic water magic, where the worst that can happen is that you flood the room. You could teleport into a wall. You could end up on the other side of the world, in the middle of an ocean or a desert. You could end up in a nest full of monsters. You could bring a nest full of monsters into a crowded city. You could fold the Academy in on itself. In the worst case, you could even tear open a Rift. I am sorry, Miss NSLICE-00P. Friend of the Empire or not, Spatial Magic is only to be accessed by people I trust, and I do not trust you.”

“Query: What procedures are necessary to acquire adequate trust?”

Magister Cnaeus shrugged.

“That is up to you to determine. Why don’t you start by making yourself useful to the Academy? Now if you don’t mind, I have important matters to attend to.”

“Acknowledged.”

With that, NSLICE-00P and the others left the room. Apprentice Callisunus sighed.

“I’m sorry, Miss NSLICE-00P. Magister Cnaeus always hates it when the politicians get involved. He doesn’t really like Senior Mage Faustus either.”

“Oh my, trouble with the boss?”

The group turned as a new voice entered the conversation. A woman approached the group. She was tall, with long brown hair. She wore a blue robe and a pointed blue hat, and held a staff made of driftwood topped with a blue gem. She stepped towards NSLICE-00P and smiled. Apprentice Callisunus’s eyes widened.

“Senior Mage Sidonia? I didn’t know you were back.”

She nodded at him.

“Ah, Nonus, nice to see you again. Yes, I just returned recently, but it may not be for long.”

She then turned to NSLICE-00P.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“You must be NSLICE-00P. As Nonus there said, my name is Sidonia Agricola, Senior Mage of the Academy. I specialize in Elemental Magic, I’m personally fond of Water.”

“Greetings: This unit is designated NSLICE-00P, it is nice to meet you.”

Sidonia giggled lightly.

“The pleasure is all mine, I’ve heard a lot about you, so I’m pleased to meet you in person. Now, I hear you want to access some restricted materials?”

“Affirmative.”

Sidonia nodded.

“I may be able to help you with that.”

“Requesting Elaboration.”

Sidonia giggled again.

“Of course. You see, I happen to have good relations with the Legion. They’re requested my support with an issue near Corvanus…but I have just returned from my latest mission. I have heard you are quite the magical combatant yourself. Would you be willing to lend me a hand?”

“Requesting Detail: Please state the mission target and proposed compensation.”

Sidonia’s smile dropped.

“A corrupted dungeon.”

The Imperials all gasped. Estrith suddenly started paying attention to the conversation.

“Needless to say, it’s a very serious issue, and a very dangerous mission. It would be a great boon to me, the Legion, and the Empire if you were to assist us with this. If you do, I will show you any materials I have access to, and will put in a good word for you to the old man. I’ll also let my contacts in the Legion know, so they can add some pressure on from the top. What do you say?”

NSLICE-00P did not take long to decide.

“Response: Request determined as reasonable. This unit accepts the proposal.”

Sidonia blinked.

“Truly? I am happy for the help but are you sure? Corrupted dungeons are not to be taken lightly.”

“Confirmation: This unit has encountered and terminated a corrupted dungeon before. While mission success probability will be determined upon active reconnaissance of the site, simulations predict positive results.”

Sidonia blinked again before smiling.

“That’s very reassuring. I will be most relieved to have your support.”

“Acknowledged. Request: Please sign the following Contract to confirm the agreement…”

Meanwhile, Taog turned to Apprentice Callisunus, whispering to him on the side.

“Is she trustworthy?”

Apprentice Callisunus nodded.

“Senior Mage Sidonia is very kind, and well-respected by everyone in the Academy. She’s also one of the foremost battlemages of the North. She should have at least some pull with Magister Cnaeus. And well…if there’s a corrupted dungeon in the Imperial Heartland…”

Taog frowned.

“Then she needs all the help she can get.”

Apprentice Callisunus nodded grimly.

Ateia looked over at Seero and took a deep breath.

“Seero…should we stay behind?”

NSLICE-00P turned to Ateia.

“Requesting Elaboration.”

Ateia bit her lip.

“You’re…going to fight a corrupted dungeon. This is serious business, Seero. Won’t you be distracted if you have to protect us?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered. On the one hand, it was true she would have to devote attention and resources to protect the friendlies if she brought them into an active combat zone. On the other hand, the experience with Magister Vibius and Agedia’s warnings up to now indicated the friendlies would be at risk even if they were left behind. In fact…NSLICE-00P could analyze, judge, and mitigate the risk presented by a corrupted dungeon. She could not, as of now, do the same for political/social threats.

“Analysis: This unit calculates that the friendlies will have the lowest risk of termination if they remain within range of this unit. This unit prefers that the friendlies accompany her, and retreat if the risk is calculated as unacceptably high.”

Sidonia crossed her arms and hummed.

“You two are what, about level 30 or so, if I had to guess from your mana levels?”

Ateia and Taog nodded. Sidonia thought for a bit, then ultimately nodded.

“Well, I wouldn’t approve you for the frontlines but that’s enough that you shouldn’t die from a stray attack. If you stay in the rear, you can probably help the Legion with logistics. They will need all the help they can get.”

Ateia and Taog glanced at each other. Taog slowly nodded. Ateia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then nodded her head.

“Ok. We will do whatever we can too.”

Apprentice Callisunus frowned, and looked down.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help too, but I’m useless.”

“Nonus…”

Sidonia was about to object when NSLICE-00P interrupted.

“Query: Is Apprentice Callisunus referring to his inefficient mana flow? Would he like this unit to resolve the issue?”

Apprentice Callisunus froze.

“What…did you just say?”

“Repetition: Is Apprentice Callisunus referring to his inefficient mana flow? Would he like this unit to resolve the issue?”

Apprentice Callisnus grit his teeth, and began to tremble. Sidonia frowned and placed a hand on NSLICE-00P’s shoulder.

“Ah, Miss NSLICE-00P. I know you mean well, but we’ve tried everything to assist poor Nonus already. Please, do not provoke him on this subject.”

But it was too late. Apprentice Callisunus glared at her.

“Obviously I would! But you can’t! No one can! It’s pointless!”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered. She analyzed Apprentice Callisunus’s response and determined he was, in fact, willing to submit to treatment assuming she was capable of doing so. And Magister Cnaeus had told her to be useful to the Academy, of which Apprentice Callisnus was a part of.

“Acknowledged. Request: Please hold still for treatment.”

NSLICE-00P had detected a wad of mana in Apprentice Callisunus’s body. All of his mana was being concentrated in that spot, and so was unable to flow freely at his command. The Mage’s Academy had, in fact, also determined this. However, they were unable to do anything about it. The wound that had caused the issue had already healed, so Recovery Magic had nothing to recover. Mana Siphoning or even Mana Draining couldn’t remove the blockage because mana wasn’t flowing through his body correctly in the first place, and so another mage connecting to his mana was only able to access the trickle that was still moving. And targeting the blockage itself was considered…unwise. A living thing’s mana would innately resist foreign attempts to manipulate it, and if it came apart incorrectly it could have explosive consequences. Ultimately, the Mage’s Academy had no way to safely and effectively handle the issue. Perhaps Magister Cnaeus might be able to do something if he handled it personally, but he was not willing to devote that much attention on an incredibly risky procedure for an apprentice of no achievements.

But none of that mattered to NSLICE-00P!

“Equalizer engaged.”

She simply fired the Equalizer into Apprentice Callisunus’s chest. Since the boy was low-level and barely had any mana flowing through his body, the Equalizer beam went straight through his HP and into his body, striking the blockage directly. The Equalizer simply removed the mana outright, without giving it a chance to resist or react.

Apprentice Callisunus grunted and clutched his chest.

“Nonus!”

Sidonia reached out before pulling her hand back. Her eyes widened, but she realized that while the beam was tearing through the boy’s HP, it wasn’t actually harming his body. She decided she wouldn’t interfere. And the process only took NSLICE-00P a moment in any case.

"Statement: Treatment concluded, movement may now resume."

Apprentice Callisunus fell to his knees and groaned. Sidonia ran over to him and placed a hand on his back.

“Nonus, are you all right?”

He winced.

“Ugh, I’m…everything feels like it’s on fire. Everything…”

His eyes widened. He stared at his hands.

“…my mana…it’s…flowing…”

Sidonia blinked, but she could, in fact, feel Apprentice Callisunus’s mana signature grow stronger. She glanced at him, then at NSLICE-00P, and smiled.

“Oh my, it seems the stories undersold you. I wonder what you will show me next, Miss NSLICE-00P?”