“Hmm. She’s going to grow a lot stronger. You better watch out or she’ll outdo you in no time, Natalia.”
“Hmph, I wouldn’t mind having a competent rival. I’ll get them too!” Natalia leaped out and kicked over an enemy.
With even more men knocked out on the ground, it became tricky for Charlotte to wade through the corridor.
“Ugh...guards, I’ll leave you to deal with the ghost! Cordelia, let’s go!” Cecil shouted, deciding it was best to escape while they still had the chance.
“G-Go?! Where?”
He grabbed her hand and they fled outside. Of course, this was all part of Allen’s plan.
Good. Now we can switch to formation number two. As soon as Allen snapped his fingers, a ball of wind swept over his head.
It was Roo and Gosetsu. The two of them sprinted to Charlotte’s side, knocking over the rest of the men who had lunged at her. Gosetsu struck a pose with a thumbs-up. “It’s time to retaliate. Let us pursue them at an appropriate speed, Young Roo.”
“Okey dokey! The basic rule of a good hunt is to tire out your prey! Climb on my back, Mommy!”
“O-Okay!”
Gosetsu led the charge, and Roo carried Charlotte. Their teamwork was perfect. The trio hurtled down the corridor in a flash.
“D-Don’t let them go! Get them—ack!” The remaining men tried to chase them, but every single one got knocked down in a matter of seconds.
The corridor fell silent. Allen took off his enchanted cloak and brushed away the dust on his hands. “Phew. That takes care of the small fries.”
“Oh! Look over there, Dark Overlord!” Natalia pointed outside the window.
In the swirling wind, they saw Cecil and Cordelia getting sucked into the magic portal drawn on the ground. Charlotte and the beasts disappeared after them. The portal was linked to various places in Ryugukyo, but it could also transport them to any number of places around the world.
Natalia blanched. “What if they fled back to Neils Kingdom...?! There’ll be so many soldiers ready to protect that asshole prince!”
“Ah...that would probably end in disaster... In the sense that we never know what Gosetsu will do when she’s triggered,” Allen said.
Lydie looked grim too. Charlotte was still a wanted criminal in the kingdom. If she turned up in a place like that, no doubt there would be an uproar.
But Allen merely laughed triumphantly. “But that’s only if that portal links to Neils Kingdom, of course. Come, follow me.” He led the tiny tots to the portal at a leisurely gait. On the intricate pattern of shapes and letters in the magic circle, there were some lines and writing added in red. “I tweaked it beforehand. Now this portal leads to the neighborhood near home.”
“You don’t miss anything, do you...? I sure am glad you’re on my side,” Natalia said.
“Mwa ha ha, don’t flatter me so much. Watch and learn.”
“Well, I do want that bad personality of yours to rub off on me a little,” she mumbled with a sigh.
Lydie rolled up her sleeves and braced herself for the leap. “All righty, I’ll go first—”
“Wait!” Just as Lydie was about to jump into the portal, Allen scooped her up in his arms.
A split second later, bullets of light showered the portal. The light scattered away to reveal solid ice covering the magic circle. An army of creatures—demi-humans, therianthropes, dragonoids, and elves—all dressed in the uniform of Ryugukyo descended upon them from the sky. They were all armed, and they were glaring at Allen. The three of them stared at the assembly, holding their breath.
“Valued guests... Please explain what is happening here,” one of the staff asked threateningly.
“Sorry, bro. They broke through my barrier.” Eluka, dragged along by the security group, put her hands together in a casual apology.
Allen cast an eye over the assembly to gauge their numbers, stepping in front of Natalia and Lydie to protect them. Hm... The security here is tighter than I expected.
Though she didn’t measure up to Allen, Eluka’s skill in magic was considerable. It was no mean feat to break through her barrier and seize her like that. Someone among the staff must have been quite a formidable fighter.
In any case, he was in too much of a hurry to let them detain him here. Scanning their formation to determine where to aim his first attack, he lowered his center of gravity just a little and got ready to spring into action. “Unfortunately, I’m in a rush. If you stop me—”
“Oh, is that you, Mr. Crawford?”
“Huh?!” His fighting spirit vanished at once. The familiar face of a mermaid appeared as she made her way through the assembly. It was the same concierge that had taken such good care of them both in the Yunoha hot springs and at this resort.
She walked up to Allen and tilted her head with a troubled look. “Are you the one behind the attack on this cottage, Mr. Crawford?”
“Uh...I can’t say.” Allen couldn’t say any more—he had no intention of hurting the staff to begin with. Should he cast a brainwashing spell on them and shoo them away? Or should he make them all fall asleep? Either way, he would have to handle them roughly, and he wanted to avoid doing something like that to an acquaintance if he could help it. Having mulled over his options, he bowed deeply to the mermaid. “I don’t want to make things difficult with you. Please, let us go without any questions.”
The concierge thought over it as the other staff stood motionless, awaiting her decision. “It seems...you have some good reasons for this...” Eventually, she breathed a small sigh, and the others lowered their weapons all at once. “I understand. I’ll let you pass freely,” she said with a broad smile. When she pointed at the magic circle, the ice melted away in an instant.
Allen was taken aback by how easily she was persuaded. “A-Are you sure? Won’t you get in trouble with the owner here...?”
“Please, have no fear. I can assure you that that will never happen.” The mermaid let out a chuckle. She respectfully placed a hand to her chest and continued, “Well then, please take care on your journey. And let me, Vynos Dagormyos, wish you a safe return. We will welcome you anytime.”
For a moment, Allen stared at her in surprise. Then he said, “Thanks, I owe you one!” and leaped into the portal with Natalia and Lydie.
Just like when they had been transported to Ryugukyo, a faint light surrounded them, and as soon as it faded away, they found themselves in the familiar forest. Though it was dipped in the darkness of night, they could see the lights of the city in the distance.
Natalia glanced back at the magic circle and knitted her brows anxiously. “Do you think she’ll really be all right...? She’d be held responsible for letting us go.”
“Should be fine. After all, she’s the owner of Ryugukyo.”
“Huh?” Natalia’s eyes went round.
Just then, the portal glowed again, and Eluka jumped out of it. Scratching her cheek, she said with a sheepish smile, “Here I am... Vynos said I can go with you too. Really, bro, you’ve struck up friendships with the strangest people since you met Charlotte.”
“It’s starting to scare me at this point,” Allen said with a sigh. Would the owner of such a resort attend to guests that casually? Surely they wouldn’t if they were normal. That mermaid must really love her work. “By the way, where’s Dorothea?”
“She’s watching through the Mirror of Nostalgia. Looked like she got a spark of inspiration—she said something about storming through her manuscripts.”
“Wonder if I should burn those papers later... I don’t even want to see what she comes up with,” he muttered wearily.
An air-rending scream shot through the air. It sounded like things were coming to a head.
“We should hurry! Come on!” Allen bolted ahead of them.
“Let’s go!” Natalia and Eluka followed suit.
They started sprinting at full speed through the dark forest, their eyes trained on the lights of the city, but Lydie stopped in her tracks. She stared at the town, tilting her head thoughtfully.
“Hm...?”
♢
When they stepped out of the magic portal, Cecil and Cordelia should have emerged in a park near the capital of Neils Kingdom—but they didn’t.
“Wha—?! Where is this...?!” Cecil was startled as soon as they emerged. He had never seen this place before. Before them stretched a plain dirt road bordered with a thick forest on both sides. Spots of artificial light glimmered up ahead.