“This should do it.” Feena wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“Feena? What are we doing with this?” Kanon asked timidly.
“Heh, heh, heh. Witness my pit!”
“Yeah, I know it’s a pit! I’m asking why you dug a pit in the middle of the castle!”
“It’s magic.”
“I didn’t ask how you made it! I asked why!”
“That’s obvious,” Feena said, standing proudly at the edge of her pit. “Our newest guest, Luna, often comes through here. Being the ditzy girl she is, she’ll fall into the pit, and when she does, she’ll be submerged in the special acid at the bottom. This acid will dissolver her clothes, revealing any stolen goods.”
“Huh? Isn’t melting her clothes kinda bad?”
“Don’t worry. She’ll simply be too embarrassed to stay in this castle any longer.”
“So that’s what you want, huh!? But it’s still a terrible idea! Luna is Al’s guest; he’ll never forgive you if you melt her clothes!”
“Y-You think so?” Hearing that made Feena visibly anxious.
“Oh, it’s a pleasure to see you, umm... Lesfina and Kanon.” The moment Feena started to have doubts, the target exited her room and walked toward them.
“Stop her, Kanon! I’ll fill in the pit!”
“Ahaha! You finally called me by my name!”
“I’ll use it from now on if we get out of this unscathed! Hurry!”
“I’ll try!” Kanon darted toward Luna.
“Look out! Clear the way!” Sharon, clearly panicking, suddenly turned down the corridor, rushed past Luna, and...
Wham!
...ran straight into Feena.
“Huh? What? Why is there a hole in the middle of the corridor!?” Sharon, holding onto the wall at the edge of the hole, had barely had time to extend her arms and legs.
“I’ll explain later.” Feena herself was nearly dangling above the hole, clinging onto Sharon’s waist.
“Huh? Wait! Aaaah, I can’t stoooop!” Kanon turned around to save the two girls but couldn’t stop her momentum in time, jumping straight on top of Sharon.
“Kyahhh!”
Splash!
All three of them fell into the hole.
“What is this!? My clothes...”
“Don’t worry, it’s harmless. It only melts fabric.”
“But if anyone sees me naked, I’ll lose the right to marry Al!”
Feena’s revolutionary invention dissolved their clothes in seconds, leaving them trapped at the bottom of the hole, completely naked.
“It’s okay. If we escape quickly, no one will—” Feena’s plan failed before it could even be put in motion.
“Hey, what’s all the commotion over there?” She really could’ve expected as much, knowing full well that the guards were scanning every nook and cranny of the castle looking for clues. Naturally, all the crashes and banter would garner some attention.
“Nooo!”
Feena was frantic for a solution. In mere moments, the guards would gather around them and look down the hole in pursuit of the thief.
“Gah. I can’t let anyone but Al see me like this.”
“Aww, I’m sorry, Feena.”
“Hey! I think you owe me an explanation!”
The girls were desperate; all hell was about to break loose.
“Are you okay? Ah! Why are you all...” Luna, peeking down into the pit, was in utter shock, but a cheeky smile appeared on her face. At least, that’s how Feena perceived the situation.
It’s all over, she thought.She must’ve realized what I was trying to do. Now, she’ll put my naked body on display for the whole world to see! I can tell from that fiendish smile! Feena was out of options. “But I’m Subdera’s Diva and Al’s wife! If I have to show my body to the world, then so be it!”
“Are you listening to me!? Explain—!”
“Wait! Stop! Feena!?” Pushing the completely dumbfounded Sharon to the side, Kanon jumped in to stop Feena, but she was too late. Feena had already finished conjuring her spell.
“I’m sorry, Al.” She was ready to blow herself up.
“Don’t come down here!” Luna’s voice filled the corridor before Feena could release her spell. “You can’t come here! You’ll fall into the hole and die, so turn back, please!”
Luna was frantic but genuine, which was enough to convince the guards. The unused magical energy slowly dissipated from Feena’s hands.
“Luna...”
“D-Don’t worry, the guards are gone! Slip out and change in my room while you still can!”
I can see why Al likes her, but she’ll have to pry my place as his wife from my cold, dead hands, Feena thought to herself when she saw Luna’s genuine, innocent smile.