In a Civilized Manner

In a concealed, narrow alleyway behind the general campus, Ives was thrown against a brick wall.

The sudden impact left a blank in her mind, squeezing out all the air in her lungs. As she attempted to inhale, pain zapped through her entire body, and she remained on the dirt ground, wheezing.

"Damn. She fell that far back?" A voice said.

"I didn't even push that hard!" Then came another.

Sunlight scattered all around, only avoiding the area by her feet. The seven-year-old lay in the shadows, and in her blurry view were four other students. They towered over her, keening in like hunters to prey.

Numbers flickered on top of their heads, as if reacting to their seeping arrogance toward the current situation. The highest ranked among them was No. 16, leisurely situated by the metal box at the farthest end.

"She's a total kid." No. 49 clicked his tongue, staring down at Ives. "Those damn high ranks. Leaving all the dirty work to us."

"It's how the works been distributed. They take care of the internals, and we complete the externals. As long as we get rid of the people around him, the alliance is sustained." No. 35 said. "We have no choice."

No. 2.

Ives listened carefully to their conversation.

Despite her current state, despite her pounding heart and aching limbs, she still tried to take in as much information as possible.

She was supposed to be meeting with Mister Edris right now. If this goes on, she is going to be late.

"But to go such lengths to deal with a kid like her…"

"Quit complaining and hurry up." It was No. 30 that responded. She twirled a strand of hair in her fingers while sitting in a man's lap. "Honey, you're sure he'll give us the pages as long as we do what he asks, right?"

Bulky and over two meters tall, he looked out of place—almost comical—in MW's white student uniform. No. 16's arm slithered around the woman's waist, pulling her closer.

"Didn't you say you were bored?" he said. "This will be fun."

Watching as four pairs of eyes pierced toward her like ravenous animals, Ives was suddenly brought back to the night in the underground slums in Nolmes.

At that time, Mister Edris also endured the stares of countless pairs of eyes, some cautious, some hostile, as he stood at the center of the rocky grounds.

Ives had been one of them. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them. As with many kidnapped others, she didn't dare place her trust in this foreign-looking man, who could just leave them to die in the underground chasm, to save them.

However, this man had done precisely that.

Even at the expense of his own body, he had managed to help everyone escape.

Watching as two hundred people became engulfed in the teleportation portal's light, Ives thought that the person amidst the scene was like someone from a different world.

It was a world she wanted to reach, no matter how difficult the journey.

With the pain from the collision fading away, Ives silently examined the situation before her.

What would Mister Edris do in this situation?

What would he say?

How would he act?

Perceiving the long silence, No. 16 cleared his throat. His narrow eyes skimmed toward the young girl by the wall, expecting her to shiver in fear.

"Oh?"

He raised an eyebrow in amusement when confronted with Ives's rippleless, dark pupils.

"You said No. 2 directed you to find me," Ives said, voice so soft it almost fluttered away with the breeze. "Do you really think he'll keep his word?"

From the side, No. 49 scoffed. "What's a kid like you saying now?"

Despite the ache all over her body, Ives kept a composed expression. She gazed forward and evened her breathing.

"No. 2 does not need you as much as you think he does. He's ranked second. He has countless below him who are more than happy to take your roles," Ives said. "You're just his servants. Nothing more."

"You…!"

"Think about it. I'm just a child. A seven-year-old child. Do you think he needs all of you to gang up on me? You can't even perform magic here either, so in terms of physical strength, I am no match for even one of you."

“…”

Her words sank into their minds like a bleeding bait, casting thin threads of doubt among the group.

"The brat… has a point," No. 30 said with a frown as she shifted her body towards No. 14. "No. 2 could have fully made the bottom ranks do this dirty work. Why us?"

"You're really falling for her words?" No. 49 said. "She's trying to alienate us from the alliance."

"Alliance?" Ives repeated the man's words. "You say that you're in an alliance with No. 2, but in truth… Don't you think the term 'alliance' is unfitting coming from you all?"

No. 16's stare grew cold, and a subtle tilt appeared on Ives's lips.

"Even a kid like me knows that an alliance between two unequal groups is not an alliance." She coughed softly, then pulled herself to lean by the wall.

Half of her right had been scrapped against the bricks, and blood seeped from the open flesh.

"Could it be…?" No. 30 spun toward No. 16 apprehensively. "I know No. 2 is usually condescending, but there's no way he'd throw us under the bus like that, right? At least not when he still hasn't reached the first place yet."

Though composed on the outside, Ives secretly took in everything being said.

No. 2's goal was to take the top rank—currently owned by Celio.

But what did it have to do with her? Was it because they were often seen together?

"Surpassing the first doesn't conflict with throwing you under the bus," she said, receiving the woman's glare with a slight shrug. "After all, didn't you all forget something important?"

No. 16 creased his brows, waiting for her to continue.

"The Labyrinth rules," Ives said. "In particular—Rule #5."

On their first day in the Labyrinth, the Principal announced a list of rules that must be followed to avoid punishment.

Her words seemed to instigate a new thought in No. 16' ’s head as the latter immediately pulled up the player interface. He skimmed through the rule manual, gaze finally landing on the fifth in the list.

Rule #5:

Life is valuable! MW Academy hopes to cultivate a loving environment; please do not engage in physical violence with one another.

In the case of a conflict, notify a professor immediately!

His pupils constricted, and the corners of Ives's lips curled into a smile.

It was a smile that would instantly bring a frown upon Ace's face if he was here because of how much it resembled a certain dark-haired man.

"Ah, come to think of it… My arm does hurt a lot," Putting up a visible grimace, Ives lifted her arm to showcase the wound. She sniffled a couple of times. "You really don't go easy on children."

Blood dripped from her arm in small streaks, sending splatters onto the cement ground.

"Honey… What should we do?" No. 30 was the first to be rattled. She turned to the man beside her for the next steps, only to see that the latter was gritting his teeth.

"… Don't be ridiculous." No. 16 released a shaky breath. The next moment, he directed his eyes to No. 49 and No. 35, the two others No. 2 had sent with him.

"We weren't the ones who inflicted the wound."

A short moment of silence unfolded between the group. Noting the shift in tension, Ives steered her gaze between the four adults, who'd now unknowingly stood on opposing sides.

"You must be kidding." No. 35 laughed curtly. "You're blaming everything on us?"

"What do you mean us?" No. 49 immediately stepped back in defence. "You were the one that pushed her!"

"You grabbed her as well."

"No. 2 only said to intimidate the child." No. 16 leaned back. "You were the ones that resorted to physical violence."

"You left it to our hands!"

"Do not blame your lack of common sense on us. You pushed the entire rules manual behind your heads," No. 30 huffed.

"Regardless, don't you even think about bailing." No. 49 scowled. "Or else we'll take both of you down with us."

"What did you just say?"

Ives took in the sight quietly. The four on the same boat merely minutes ago had turned against one another with ease. She averted her gaze, and the puddle of red entered her vision.

She'd been bleeding for a while now, and the lightheadedness was beginning to catch up to her.

No. 16 rubbed his temples. "Shut up, all of you."

He spoke again, but this time, staring straight toward Ives. "Nice try, kid. But you also missed one important piece of information."

Ives didn't respond. The man's voice sounded like an echo in the distance, and she knew her consciousness couldn't hold on for much longer. Her hands trembled uncontrollably from the cold, and she could only watch as the man strode closer to her, one step after another.

"We may have breached Rule #5, but have you forgotten about the latter half of the rule?" No. 16 crouched down to her level, his crooked teeth showing through a nasty grin. "In the case of a conflict, notify the professor immediately.

"In other words, all we have to do is to ensure that nobody knows about this."

Ives' eyes widened.

"Hold up… You can't be thinking to…" Upon hearing the man's words, No. 49 subconsciously took a step back. "You're going to… but she's just a kid!"

No. 16 glimpsed him with a sneer. "What? Now you're playing saint? Then you can go ahead and tell the professor. It's not me who inflicted the injuries anyway."

With that, No. 49 fell silent once more. All four pairs of eyes landed on the seven-year-old who could barely stand straight.

Ives received their stares with a complicated expression. Her vision was growing blurry, but her mind was still clear.

To think they would resort to murder to avoid punishment.

But again, human rationality was nothing against the instinct to survive.

As the four inched closer, she breathed out an exhale.

"You're going to kill me?" She asked softly.

"…Sorry, kid. We have no choice," No. 35 said. "Better luck next life."

Ives lowered her gaze.

"That's quite unfortunate."

To think human morality was so fragile.

But little did they know, Ives didn't forget about the latter half of the rule.

In fact, it wasn’t in her plans to depend on the rule in the first place.

In this Labyrinth, rankings were everything.

As Mister Edris said, the Labyrinth was built upon a strict, unjust hierarchy. Her current rank was 112, while the people who kidnapped her were all in the top fifties, reaching as high as sixteenth. Even if they were to be caught by the professors, there was a high chance they'd get out with light to nile punishment.

That said, her intended weapon wasn't the rules in the first place.

It was time.

Her absence from the meeting would surely not go unnoticed by the others. So what she needed to do was buy time until the others arrived.

At that moment, a shadow expanded from the wall behind her, blocking the path of the sunlight.

"W-who's that?" No. 35 squealed as she hid behind No. 16, who immediately retreated backwards.

A figure leaped over the brick wall, his golden hair fluttering majestically under the sun. The next thing Ives knew, she was pulled back into a pair of robust arms.

"Ives!" Celio gazed at her apprehensively. "Can you hear me?"

Despite the world spiralling around her, the seven-year-old smiled.

She had succeeded.

At the same time, the entire wall collapsed behind the two, creating a layer of dust all around them.

Ives fluttered her eyelids, trying to stay awake. On the verge of losing consciousness, she could make out a thin silhouette emerging from the fog. The rhythmic footsteps were like calming chimes, sending a surge of reassurance throughout her body.

Ives closed her eyes.

Edris stepped out of the fog, his steps light and face neutral. His eyes shifted from the unconscious seven-year-old to her crimson-dyed arm, then to the group of four across from her.

"Celio," he said calmly. "Take her to the dorms. No. 12 is already waiting with the nurses in your room."

"But Master…"

"Celio," Edris said again. "Do you trust me?"

The boy glanced at him hesitantly but mustered a nod after seeing his gaze. "Leave it to me!"

After he disappeared with the seven-year-old, the man turned his attention back to the group of four.

"Who did it?"

The four eyed the scholarly-looking man in front of them, then exchanged glances with one another. They were initially worried that they would come with reinforcement, but with the top student now gone, it was one against four.

After ensuring that no professors would arrive any sooner, No. 16 stepped out.

"A, a mere low rank. Who do you think you're speaking to?" He said. "How did you find this place?"

"Who did it?"

The man asked again, and heat rushed up No. 16's neck as his question was utterly ignored.

However, he paid no attention to his reactions. He took a step toward the group of four, gaze first landing on the woman on the left.

"Is it you?"

His gentle gaze sent chills down No. 35's spine as she unknowingly swallowed, shuffling closer to No. 16.

At her reaction, Edris shook his head. His attention then moved to the bulky No. 16, glaring at him with fists clenched. His brows creased slightly.

"Not you, either."

Without waiting for a response, he lastly turned toward the two men on the right. One had eyes that darted from one side to the other, and the other gripped hard at his blazer.

Edris's eyes curled into crescent moons.

"Found you."