Chapter 203: The Imperial Response [1]

The Imperial Technical Bureau had encountered a problem.

After three days of examining the containment field surrounding Saint Aurelia Preparatory Academy, its researchers had finally developed a reasonably accurate understanding of the barrier’s outer structure.

They had identified five regulating nodes, determined how mana circulated between them, and even discovered a possible method of creating a temporary opening without destroying the entire formation.

Unfortunately, none of those discoveries had brought the authorities any closer to reaching the hostages.

The problem was simple.

They understood how the barrier responded to external interference, but they had no reliable way of controlling that response.

Whenever one section experienced a disturbance, the surrounding formations automatically compensated. The resulting changes were so rapid that attempting to interfere with the circulation manually would require an absurd degree of precision.

Worse still, the researchers had discovered another irregularity.

The containment system was consuming far more mana than maintaining the barrier should require.

According to the latest measurements, substantial amounts of energy were being redirected somewhere within the school’s main building.

Nobody knew where that energy was going.

Naturally, the discovery attracted considerable attention from SkyRune’s researchers.

"Could it be another defensive formation?" one of the Imperial specialists suggested.

Professor Antoine examined the measurements spread across the table before answering.

"Possibly. But if the purpose were simply to reinforce the barrier, we’d expect its consumption to fluctuate alongside the outer formations. These readings don’t show that relationship."

He indicated several recorded intervals.

During one period, the barrier’s outer circulation had remained almost perfectly stable while the internal energy consumption increased sharply. Similar fluctuations appeared throughout the previous day’s measurements, sometimes lasting several minutes before returning to normal.

The researchers initially considered whether the captors were operating additional equipment inside the school.

That explanation was plausible. The school possessed several underground utility chambers large enough to accommodate sophisticated machinery, and the perpetrators had clearly prepared the occupation in advance.

However, determining what that equipment might be was another matter.

Ilya had spent much of the morning comparing the measurements with the ancient mana distribution component he had recently studied at SkyRune.

The similarities were obvious enough.

Both constructions relied on interconnected channels that could redirect mana according to changing conditions. However, the school’s system was substantially more sophisticated, and many of its internal functions remained concealed.

After examining the figures, Ilya noticed something interesting.

"Professor, the internal fluctuations seem to follow a cycle."

Antoine looked toward him, and Ilya explained that the largest increases in energy consumption occurred after relatively consistent intervals. The timing wasn’t exact, but the pattern repeated often enough that random fluctuations seemed unlikely.

One of the Imperial specialists checked the measurements before agreeing.

"You’re right. There are differences between each interval, but the sequence is similar. Whatever’s operating inside might be following an established procedure."

"An automated mechanism?" Antoine asked.

"That’s one possibility."

The discovery didn’t identify the source, but it gave the researchers something useful to investigate.

Antoine instructed them to compare the fluctuations with the school’s architectural plans, particularly the locations of its utility chambers and communication facilities.

The Imperial Technical Bureau had already obtained those documents from the school’s administration.

Unfortunately, the plans revealed another complication.

Saint Aurelia had undergone several renovations over the past twenty years, including the installation of a modern Rune Tech heating system and improvements to its underground infrastructure.

Several sections of the building contained spaces large enough to conceal additional equipment.

Without entering the school, determining which locations had been modified would be difficult.

Nevertheless, the researchers forwarded their observations to the Imperial Guard.

The authorities would have to account for the possibility that the captors were operating additional magical machinery beyond the containment system.

Meanwhile, negotiations had reached another impasse.

The hostage-takers continued demanding the release of six prisoners, but the Imperial government had refused to approve any transfer without first receiving reliable proof that the children were alive.

That condition was reasonable.

The perpetrators had provided a list of hostages and several written assurances, yet none of those documents could independently establish the children’s condition.

The authorities had already delivered food, water, and medical supplies through a controlled opening in the barrier.

However, the captors refused to permit direct communication with the hostages.

For Professor Antoine, the uncertainty was becoming unbearable.

He had spent almost three days assisting the investigation while receiving nothing more substantial about his daughter than confirmation that her name appeared on a list.

When another report arrived stating that the hostage-takers had rejected a request for supervised communication, his composure finally began to crack.

"Then ask them what they want in exchange," Antoine said, addressing the Imperial official who had delivered the report. "A conversation. Thirty seconds would be enough. I only need to hear her voice."

The official’s expression became uncomfortable.

"Professor Chastellain, the negotiators have already proposed several arrangements. We offered to establish a supervised communication channel, but the perpetrators rejected every proposal."

"Then propose another."

"We intend to. But we cannot guarantee they’ll accept."

Antoine said nothing.

Ilya understood the frustration. Every explanation the official provided was reasonable, yet none brought the professor closer to knowing whether Lucile was safe.

The Imperial Guard couldn’t force the captors to communicate without risking the hostages, and Antoine couldn’t simply accept that his daughter’s life depended on the decisions of strangers.

Eventually, the professor returned to the research table.

"Very well. Then we’ll continue working."

His voice had regained some of its usual steadiness, although the exhaustion remained evident.

Ilya didn’t attempt to console him.

There was little he could say that the professor hadn’t already heard, and he doubted another assurance about the authorities doing their best would accomplish anything.

Instead, he resumed examining the containment system’s recorded behavior.

If the researchers could discover a safer method of entering the school, that would be worth considerably more than a few comforting words.

Their next opportunity came shortly after noon.

During the previous supply delivery, the barrier had temporarily altered its energy distribution to allow the provisions through. The Imperial Technical Bureau had recorded the process, and the resulting measurements offered a possible method of reproducing the opening.

The researchers had already developed a simplified model.

Unfortunately, its behavior remained inconsistent.

Sometimes the surrounding formations compensated properly, creating a temporary reduction in the barrier’s strength. On other occasions, the model became unstable before an opening could form.

The difference appeared to depend on the timing of the disturbances introduced into its regulating nodes.

That was where Ilya found himself contributing again.

His recent training under Hakon had forced him to think carefully about how magical forces interacted during rapid changes in movement. Two forces applied simultaneously could produce an entirely different result from those same forces applied at different moments.

The principle was familiar enough that he suggested examining the sequence of changes rather than their individual strength.

One of the senior researchers agreed and began reorganizing the measurements.

After several unsuccessful attempts, they finally identified a consistent pattern.

The system first increased circulation through the neighboring nodes, then reduced the energy flowing through the designated section. Once the opening closed, the surrounding formations gradually returned to their original distribution.

The sequence mattered because the neighboring nodes needed to assume the additional burden before the barrier weakened.

Reversing that order created instability.

"Then we should be able to reproduce it," Ilya suggested.

"In the model, certainly," the Imperial specialist replied. "But there’s another problem."

He pointed toward a series of measurements recorded during the original opening.

The surrounding nodes had responded almost immediately to the changes, suggesting that the process was coordinated through a control mechanism inaccessible from outside the barrier.

Even if the researchers reproduced the correct sequence, the system might recognize the interference as unauthorized.

There was no telling how its defensive mechanisms would respond.

Antoine considered the problem before making a decision.

"We’ll test the principle here. Nothing goes to the perimeter until we understand the possible consequences."

The researchers agreed.

For the next two hours, they adjusted the experimental model, gradually reproducing the sequence responsible for the temporary opening.

Their first several attempts failed.

However, after correcting the timing of the regulating formations, they managed to create a narrow gap that remained stable for approximately three seconds.

The result immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

More importantly, the surrounding formations continued functioning normally.

The researchers repeated the experiment.

This time, the opening lasted nearly five seconds.

A third attempt produced similar results.

Although their model lacked many of the original system’s complexities, they had demonstrated that a temporary opening could be created without dismantling the entire structure.

One of the Imperial specialists immediately began preparing a report.

Antoine reviewed the measurements before authorizing their submission, making sure the document emphasized the limitations of the experiment.

The method remained theoretical.

Nevertheless, it represented genuine progress.

For the first time since the hostage crisis began, the researchers had identified a possible way through the barrier that didn’t involve destroying it.

The Imperial Technical Bureau responded within the hour.

Its specialists would investigate whether the technique could be applied safely to the actual containment field.

Until then, no unauthorized attempts would be permitted.

That suited Ilya perfectly well.

He had no desire to discover whether their calculations were correct by gambling with the lives of several hundred children.

As the workshop began organizing the day’s results, Antoine received another communication from the perimeter.

The negotiators had secured a small concession.

The captors agreed to provide individual confirmation of several hostages’ identities, beginning with the children of families who had requested direct verification.

The Imperial Guard was still determining how those confirmations would be conducted, but the announcement offered a possibility that had been absent from previous negotiations.

Antoine immediately asked whether Lucile’s name was included.

The official checked the document.

"Yes, Professor. She’s on the list."

For several seconds, Antoine remained silent.

Then he thanked the official and returned to his work.

Ilya could see that the news had affected him. After days of uncertainty, the professor finally had a chance to learn something about his daughter’s condition.

Unfortunately, the message provided no guarantee that the captors would follow through.

The authorities understood that as well.

Preparations continued while SkyRune’s researchers examined the latest measurements, and by the end of the afternoon, several additional tests had confirmed that their model could reproduce the temporary opening under controlled conditions.

The Imperial specialists began calculating the modifications required to account for the actual barrier’s greater complexity.

Ilya assisted where his knowledge was useful, although much of the work remained beyond his experience.

There was still plenty he needed to learn.

Nevertheless, after days of staring at diagrams and failed experiments, the prospect of reaching the school no longer seemed quite so distant.

And with the possibility of obtaining direct confirmation from the hostages, the Imperial Guard finally had another opportunity to assess what was happening inside.