Chapter 60: Flight and Accusation
As the smoke from the massive explosion cleared, there was no one left standing. However, perhaps due to the controlled blast that spared her, Princess Lily managed to rise unsteadily to her feet. I had questions for her, and it would be troublesome if she fainted in a place like this.
“…W-What is happening?”
She looked around at the devastation, seemingly at a loss for words. It was no surprise; even the Magic Barrier hadn’t been able to fully protect them. The ground was gouged, and Shimizu’s armor bore cracks and damage. Nagai’s robe was in tatters, and his Staff had snapped, likely due to the strain of maintaining the barrier or the direct hit from the magic.
“Well then, now we can have a nice, long chat.”
“Indeed. Finally, the nuisances are gone.”
Rio and I approached the princess. She muttered something under her breath, perhaps shocked that Shimizu and the others had been taken down so easily. Regardless, there was no escape for her now, nor did I intend to let her go. It was time for her to take responsibility.
We stopped a few meters in front of the princess, crossing our arms—though I found it difficult to do so with the Gauntlet on.
“Now, Lily Arclight. Why did you try to kill us?”
I spoke to her, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.
“Let’s hear your reasons, shall we?”
As we pressed closer, she turned her gaze toward us. Her sharp eyes met mine, and she still seemed to have some composure left. It felt like she was hiding something… Just in case, I decided to activate the enhanced Magic Disruption Field.
“Depending on your reasons, we might have to consider our response.”
“Right. At this rate—”
“—Teleport!”
In the middle of her sentence, Princess Lily uttered the Command Word. However, my field detected the surge of magic and disrupted the spell, rendering it ineffective.
“…Huh?”
She spun around, looking in all directions, and when she realized nothing had happened, her expression turned to one of shock.
“Why!?”
The princess began to panic, her confidence slipping away. It seemed she had run out of options.
“Hey, what were you trying to do just now?”
“You heard ‘Teleport,’ didn’t you?”
“Don’t tell me you were trying to cast a spatial transfer spell.”
“What’s it going to be, Lily Arclight?”
Rio and I inched closer to the princess. I never expected her to attempt an escape at this moment. We were in the middle of a conversation, and yet here she was, plotting to flee. But I hadn’t even practiced using my own abilities yet… Did that mean the princess could indeed use Teleport?
“I-I can still—!”
She seemed to be grasping at straws. Pulling something from her pocket, she aimed it at us and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
—Was that a Magic Gun?
The moment I recognized the weapon, I erected a Magic Barrier, but with a loud bang, it fizzled out. No magic projectile was fired. It appeared that the Magic Disruption Field was effective against the Magic Gun as well. To neutralize it so easily… The Magic Gun turned out to be rather underwhelming.
“N-No way…”
Having accomplished nothing, the princess slumped down to the ground.
“Is it over already?”
When I spoke to her, she finally seemed to acknowledge us, her expression one of resignation.
“…I have no other options left.”
“Lily is here, isn’t she!?”
At that moment, a man burst into the square, shouting loudly.
“There are intruders! We need to evacuate—wait, who are you? What do you intend to do with Lily?”
The man, accompanied by several knights, was a handsome older gentleman with a mustache. Dressed in lavish attire, he barked orders at the knights, but I had no idea who he was. It was unacceptable for the princess to escape now.
“Intruders…”
Rio looked worried, but he was referring to us. We had made quite the entrance by breaking through the Castle Gate. Just because we were guided here by some butler didn’t change that fact.
“O-Older brother…”
Perhaps seeing a glimmer of hope, the princess murmured with a look of relief. If he was her brother, that made him a prince. Just what I needed—more complications.
“I only have a few questions and something I want to return.”
“Impertinent fool! How dare you speak to His Highness, Prince Jester, in such a manner!”
One of the knights shouted angrily, but I couldn’t care less about their etiquette.
“Shut it. We were almost killed by this princess. You lot should stay out of this.”
“W-What did you say!?”
“Lily, is that true?”
The prince silenced the knights and turned to the princess, who nodded in response.
“Yes, it’s true.”
“I see. Then you must be the so-called heroes that Lily summoned.”
“Whether we’re heroes or not is debatable, but we are definitely the ones who were summoned.”
“Hmph… So, you’re the ones responsible for the intrusion, then.”
He glanced at the unconscious Shimizu and Nagai, shrugging as if to say, “What a bother.”
“Even if you’ve been successfully navigating the Dungeon, I told you that heroes are ultimately just that—nothing more than a bunch of amateurs.”
“What!?”
The knights stirred at the prince’s words, realizing the implications. If they understood the situation, it would be clear to them. Unlike ordinary citizens, a prince would have access to all sorts of information. However, it seemed he didn’t regard my classmates as particularly useful.
“So, you’re going to atone for the crime of abducting us from a country called Japan, turning us into slaves, and even attempting to kill some of us, right?”
Just as I had hoped, a high-ranking official had arrived. I was ready to lay out all the details of what the princess had done to us.