Huh. I was under the impression that Lilicia was more on the sadistic side of the spectrum, but I guess I was wrong. That thought passed through his mind for a split second, but there were more pressing matters at hand than to ponder it further.
“Luna, we’re all dead tired here! Cut the jokes and let us in!”
Pew!
He was answered with an arrow whizzing by his ear.
“Hey! Cut the crap!” Sharon was getting visibly upset.
“I’m not joking. This is my castle now,” Luna said, brushing her off.
“L-Luna! This isn’t funny!”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I was a bit worried that you’d gotten smarter when it came to women, considering the flock of Divas around you, but you’re still the same dumb—or rather, simple and naive boy you always were.”
A cold sweat broke out on Al’s face.
“Oh my, shouldn’t you be under the effects of my Bind?” Cecilia asked, but Al already realized the loophole in the Bind conditions.
Luna hadn’t actually violated the terms of Cecilia’s spell. All she had promised was to run if she felt she was in danger. Even if she considered Althos’s forces enemies, as long as she didn’t feel threatened, Cecilia’s spell wouldn’t activate.
“What’re you trying to pull!? This is our castle!”
Sharon had seen enough. She drew her sword and pointed it at Saaya.
“H-Hey, there’s no need for—”
“Hehehe. You can do as you please with that puppet.” Luna cut Al off and flashed a chilling smile. Everyone’s attention centered on the small Saaya standing in front of the gates.
“Ahahaha! I’m nothing more than Lady Saaya’s humble body double! A lowly puppet! Please, do as you wish!” the usually silent girl said with a big smile.
“We have our entire army and multiple Divas. You can’t beat us all alone!” Feena said from beside the raging Sharon.
Luna signaled to someone, and the gate slowly opened before them.
“Haah... I swear, Luna, you went too far this—!”
Just after Al let out a sigh of relief, thinking her terrible joke was finally over, a group of people appeared beyond the gate. They were dressed in clothes one would see when passing through the streets of Althos, and wielded wooden rolling pins, frying pans, and other household items. Despite their terrible complexions, Al recognized many of them as Althos’s citizens. They were ready to fight with their makeshift weapons, wearing their plain clothes against a fully outfitted army and multiple Divas. Suffice to say, no sane person would have agreed to such conditions, which left Al wondering how this had happened.
Are they hypnotized? he thought, but looking at the group standing at the gates sent shivers down his spine. It wasn’t some simple hypnosis.
“Ohohoho! Now, my lovely little puppets! Destroy the Demon King’s army!”
Upon receiving her commands, the group started moving.
“I don’t know what sort of spell she used, but be careful not to hurt—”
“Arghhh!”
The words stuck in his throat, as one of his citizens was standing right beside him. The man had some semblance of life in his eyes, but his face was pained as if he were fighting against his very existence.
“Wha—!? So fast!”
Suddenly, the horse Al was riding stared him dead in the eyes. His attacker snapped the horse’s neck, which collapsed after a brief delay, blood gushing from its orifices. The king collapsed with his horse, leaving him without any means of escape.
“Al!” Sharon jumped from her horse to catch Al.
“Grand Spell... No, I won’t make it!”
Feena tried to create a wall between Al, Sharon, and the citizens, but she was too late. While she was busy chanting, numerous citizens rushed toward her.
“Watch out, Feena!”
Kanon protected Feena with her katana, but she couldn’t make it to the already surrounded Al and Sharon. They were both exhausted due to the use of Heavenly Surge, which considerably impacted their reaction time.
“I’m sorry, Al. This is the end for you,” Luna said without the slightest hint of remorse in her voice.
Cling!
Al heard the ring of the all too familiar bells behind him.
“Oh my, step back! How dare you hurt my lovely little brother!?” Cecilia was standing right behind him with her khakkhara in hand. “Thinking that you can stand on the same ground as me while using such a lowly curse is quite bold of you!”
She swung her khakkhara.
“Gahhh... Ghahhh!”
The pain and hatred disappeared from the citizens’ faces with a snap, and they all collapsed like marionettes.
“Thank you, Cecilia.”
“Oh my. Al, Sharon, please escape.”
As she was making way for Al’s and Sharon’s escape...
“I expected you to cause the biggest headache.”
...a small shadow appeared behind her.
“Oh my, I sense the Valkyrie’s power. Are you, in fact, a Diva?”
Cecilia’s smile didn’t change despite Saaya’s relics—her two daggers—being pressed against her neck.
“Lady Luna will let King Alnoa live if you come quietly. Or, you may choose to continue fighting the endless horde of Althos citizens,” Saaya whispered to her.
She looked around, only to see that the citizens had once again conglomerated around Sharon and Al, wearing the same pain- and hatred-ridden expressions as before.
“Oh my...” Cecilia’s unbreakable smile slowly faded from her face. She closed her eyes for a few moments before letting go of her khakkhara.
“C-Cecilia!”
No. I can’t let her die, Al thought and put his hand on Sharon’s shoulders. This isn’t the end. We can get out of this with Heavenly Surge.
It wasn’t fair to Sharon, but he had no other choice.
“Al! Don’t even think about it!” Cecilia stopped him before he could activate Heavenly Surge. “I can’t explain why right now, but you must not use that power anymore!”
It seemed like Cecilia had learned something.
“Al. I will now become a damsel in distress. Your job is to retreat, rest up, and come back to save me. I will be waiting for you.”
Cecilia... Why?
Pulled away by Sharon, Al could see Cecilia fighting back tears as she was surrounded by their brainwashed citizens.
“Cecilia! I’ll come back for you at all costs! So please...”
Cecilia flashed one last smile as the Althos forces made their retreat.