"You are not a tool!"
Best girl giving our boy a little push to help him develop. Help him express his sense of self further and go beyond just wanting to be needed by someone. Last time I forgot his personality (or lack of) and thought he'd go first to rescue Alice, but yeah, it makes more sense for Eve to take charge in this case.
Hmm, I wonder why Alice couldn't use the armor? Did her father do that so that in case of his death his daughter won't become a tool for war and battle?
Actually clever way to search. He knew that thing drained mana, so he swung the giant hand in a huge circle to find the spot that would siphon mana from it.