Interlude 2
“Ugh…”
“Masayoshi? You’re awake?”
As I opened my eyes, Mei’s face filled my vision. I sat up to survey my surroundings, but there was no one else around. I had been waiting for Mizumoto and the others at the Royal Castle’s Training Ground. There had been a battle due to the Princess’s orders… The ground around us was gouged out, a clear sign of the chaos that had unfolded, and that was undoubtedly Mizumoto’s doing.
“Haha, I thought being unemployed would be a disadvantage, but I was completely outmatched.”
What even is a profession? They said having one would give us an edge, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Perhaps that’s the common sense in this Otherworld, but it clearly doesn’t apply to us, the Otherworlders. As I stared at my clenched fist, a gentle fragrance enveloped me. I realized Mei had wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“It’s okay now. I think we’re safe.”
“…Safe from what?”
As I turned to her voice, I found myself face-to-face with Mei’s neck, adorned with the dreaded Collar of Subjugation.
“Huh? It’s gone?”
“Yeah. When I woke up, our collars were missing.”
I touched my own neck, and indeed, there was no trace of the collar that had tormented us for so long. The relief that washed over me at the thought of no longer having to obey the Princess’s commands escaped my lips in a sigh.
“What about the others?”
“I don’t know. I just noticed it myself.”
“I see…”
“Anyway, let’s regroup with everyone.”
“Right.”
Mizumoto and the others were supposed to be stalling for time outside. I turned my gaze toward the castle, but something felt off.
“…Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just… something feels strange about the castle…”
“Eh? …Oh!”
As Mei joined me in observing the castle, she seemed to notice something as well, her voice trembling.
“The spire is gone…”
Her whispered words seeped into my mind. Now that I looked closely, the entire castle appeared to be in ruins. No, it wasn’t just an appearance; it had truly been destroyed.
“The balcony too…”
“What on earth happened?”
Could it have been Mizumoto’s doing? An attack powerful enough to devastate the castle from someone who was unemployed… No, just being unemployed didn’t justify anything.
“Most likely, Mizumoto did this.”
“Eh?!”
Mei looked at me in disbelief, but there was no other explanation.
“I lost to him so easily. Now I can’t help but wonder just how monstrous he really is, especially since my limit-breaking techniques didn’t even faze him.”
“But he’s… unemployed, right?”
“That’s exactly it. What does being unemployed even mean? It seems like in this world, it’s synonymous with ‘useless,’ but seeing him proves otherwise.”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Anyway, let’s go.”
I took Mei, who still seemed to be processing everything, and we hurried toward Manaka and the others. The castle was in chaos, like a beehive disturbed. Given the destruction, it was understandable, but no one called out to us as we rushed through. Few could give orders to us, the elite squad directly under the Princess.
“Manaka!”
I spotted Manaka’s back as he headed outside and called out to him.
“Hmm? Oh, Shimizu.”
“Looks like you’re okay.”
“…You too, Shimizu.”
“Haha, indeed. So… where are you headed?”
“Where else? We’re getting out of this country. Now that the collars are gone, it’s the perfect time.”
“Exactly. This country is finished anyway.”
Manaka’s tone suggested it was obvious, while Hino gazed up at the ruined castle with a sense of nostalgia. I agreed with Manaka, but there was something I wanted to confirm first.
“…Do you know where Neguro is?”
“Huh? Neguro? …I don’t know, why? Is something wrong?”
So he didn’t know either. I had only learned about it from the Princess. As I explained the situation, anger erupted from Manaka and the others. However, their ire seemed more directed at the incompetent Princess than at Neguro.
“I heard he’s back, so I’ll look for Neguro.”
“…Yeah. He’s a bit of a mystery, but he is still our classmate.”
Hino frowned at Manaka’s words but nodded reluctantly. Neguro was the only one whose collar situation was still unknown. It felt wrong for him to remain bound by the Princess while we enjoyed our freedom. There was also the possibility that he could target us while still wearing the collar.
“Let’s go.”
With that, we set off to search for Neguro within the castle.
However, no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find Neguro. We did learn from the busy castle staff that he had been in the infirmary just a short while ago. We checked the room, but it was empty. It seemed he had sustained serious injuries, but the fact that he was missing suggested he had recovered enough to move.
In the end, we left the Royal Castle without knowing Neguro’s whereabouts, and the six of us decided to escape the kingdom.