Chapter 53: Sudden Turn of Events

It happened roughly two hours after we returned to the castle.

I had been knitting a woolen hat as a gift for Kasai-san and Chris's child, but I set it aside on a shelf and headed to the kitchen to grab something to drink. On the way, I noticed a group of humans walking down the hallway in tatters.

Leading them by ropes tied around their bodies were beastfolk.

Judging by how unscathed the beastfolk were, it was easy to tell just how one-sided the fight had been. Curious, I quietly trailed after them and saw they were being taken to Master’s office.

Once I confirmed they were completely inside the room, I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling for silence to the young catfolk and dogfolk standing guard by the door, before softly pressing my ear against it.

Though they looked at me in exasperation, the two seemed willing to overlook it.

From beyond the door, I could hear Master, Lulu, and Goran-san speaking.

“Your crimes are illegal entry into the Moonforest Kingdom and acts of armed aggression.”

Technically, the laws haven’t been formally established yet, but that’s the advantage of a monarchy. If Master says something is black, even white paper turns black—pretty scary, really.

“Therefore, you will be held as prisoners of war, and we will lodge a formal protest with the Kingdom of Fourlitz and the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Since there isn’t an Adventurer’s Guild here yet, this area is beyond their influence.

The “Guild Card,” which serves as a sort of visa in allied nations, doesn’t work here. Not that I could imagine the Guild lifting a finger for low-tier adventurers like them anyway.

Their motto is something like “Freedom and Responsibility for Adventurers,” after all. They grant adventurers the freedom to work across borders, but in return, they’re expected to clean up their own messes.

Well, maybe once this country develops and becomes a key base near the dangerous Great Forest, this decision will help keep outside forces in check.

“We won’t be able to get any useful information out of you. Take them away.”

“Yes, sir!”

I moved away from the door and watched as they were led off, their backs radiating pure dejection—only to suddenly be grabbed by the scruff of my neck and hoisted up.

“So? Got anything you want to ask?”

“How many did you capture?”

Still being carried like a princess, I let out a sigh and posed my question. Master answered while walking back into his office.

“Twenty, counting those just now. The strongest among them was mid-tier.”

Apparently, quite a few adventurers had shown up. Sending mid-tier fighters ahead was quite extravagant, considering their level of ability.

“So far, the results of the training and weapons production are solid—no injuries on our side.”

And to think they managed to completely overpower mid-tier adventurers—those pseudo-modern weapons really are absurdly overpowered, magic or not…

Even after that, adventurers kept trickling in, gradually filling up the makeshift prison.

A facility built to hold up to a hundred people was already eighty percent full in just a month. Like they say, if you spot one, there’s bound to be ten more.

Because of that, I had to deal with the intimidating auras of frustrated beasts—specifically, the ferocious “kitty” and the raging “behemoth” who were upset about not getting any attention thanks to our busy workload. Still, for me, things stayed mostly peaceful.

Eventually, after a lot of time and effort, I finally finished knitting a matching set of woolen hat and socks. Just as I packed them neatly into a gift box and took a breather, an explosion rang out from the forest a little ways from the castle. Worried, I peeked out the window with Fere, and sure enough, we saw pale blue flames rising in the distance.

It looks like the high-ranking adventurers have finally started to move. As we exchanged uneasy glances, Yuria burst into the room, fully armed and out of breath.

“It seems a rescue squad of high-ranking adventurers has arrived. My lady, you must evacuate immediately.”

“Understood. Let’s go, Fere.”

“Okay~.”

In situations like this, there’s no point in panicking or resisting—we simply followed Yuria's lead and ran down the hallway.

Along the way, we met up with Chris, who was being carried by Greil-san, the wolfman who used to be Chris’s neighbor and now served as a royal guard. Together, we made our way toward the storeroom, which doubled as an emergency evacuation point.

“What about Master and Lulu?”

“They’re heading to the main gate with Makoto-san to intercept the attackers. We are to escort the non-combatants along with the royal guards.”

That gave me pause. Honestly, whenever Master isn’t nearby during situations like this, it always feels more dangerous. Especially when it comes to me—he’s always absent at the worst possible times.

“…Yuria, once we finish leading the non-combatants, I’m going to join Master.”

“My lady!”

She immediately scolded me with a stern expression, but I met her gaze head-on. I know I’m basically useless in a fight.

“This isn’t about whether I’m helpful or not. For some reason, whenever I’m separated from Master during moments like this, enemies always seem to come after me instead. I honestly think it’s safer for both me and the other non-combatants if I stay by his side.”

“That… but…”

She tried to argue but struggled to find the words—guess she’s noticed it too.

It’s… complicated, to say the least.

“Anyway, I’m fully aware that this is just how things are for me. I don’t want to drag Chris into it either, especially in her condition. It’ll be easier for the royal guards to defend everyone this way too.”

“But—”

“We don’t have time to argue! Look, we’re already here!”

We arrived in front of the storeroom mid-discussion. Greil-san glanced at me while still holding Chris, gave a troubled smile, and said, “Stay safe,” before heading inside. It’s a relief when people are understanding.

Yuria remained stubborn until the end, but realizing I wasn’t going to back down, she let out a resigned sigh and agreed to let me accompany her.

“Alright, Fere, into the barricade.”

“I’m sticking with Sora!”

Of course you are.

“That’s everyone. We’ll be sealing the barricade. What about you three?”

“We’ll regroup with His Majesty and face the enemy directly. The rest of you guard this location.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Yuria’s really moved up in the world without me noticing.

With an air of authority, she addressed a fox-eared woman dressed in a maid uniform paired with a halberd—an amusing combination—and quickly turned on her heels. Behind us, the fox-eared woman saluted and disappeared behind the large, slowly descending shutter door.

…At this point, I seriously wonder if this place wants to be sci-fi or fantasy.

“My lady, what are you doing? Let’s go.”

“You sure know how to switch gears fast.”

“Sora!?”

When we arrived at the front gate, Master looked at me with a rare expression of surprise.

“It’s not like keeping away makes me any safer—they’ll just come after me anyway! So I’ll stay by your side, and you’d better make sure to protect me properly!!”

I marched right up to him, took a moment to catch my breath, and looked up at him proudly as I made my declaration. Master’s mouth opened and closed a few times in shock before he sighed and slumped his shoulders, seemingly realizing there was no point in arguing.

Glad to see someone gets it quickly for a change.

“So, what’s the situation with the enemy?”

“They’re already closing in.”

Following Master’s sharp gaze past the frontlines, I turned my eyes toward the road leading out of the forest.

A group was approaching, led by a young man in impressive armor, with chestnut-colored hair that looked vaguely familiar.

There were a few other familiar-looking faces mixed in too… who were they again…?

“C-Cain…!?”

While I was struggling to remember, a stunned voice came from beside me.

Yuria stood frozen, her eyes locked on the young man at the front. That’s right, I remembered now—he was that idiot who sold his childhood friend into slavery for money.

“Wasn’t he your ex-boyfriend or something?”

Lulu muttered offhandedly, earning a sharp glare from Yuria.

“No. Former childhood friend.”

Her voice was as cold as ice, and her glare could freeze you in place.

I guess she was making a point that it never went as far as romance… though frankly, I don’t think “former” really applies to childhood friend status.

Then, as soon as the young man at the front spotted Yuria, his expression brightened—only for him to immediately shoot a death glare at Master standing beside her.

“So you’re the bastard who enslaved Yuria…! Release her immediately!!”

“…Huh?”

The three of us—me, Yuria, and Lulu—ended up perfectly synchronized in shock at his completely off-the-wall accusation.

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇
NO BATTLE
◆【Sora Lv.105】
◆【Lulu Lv.43】
◆【Yuria Lv.46】
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.105 [1057]
Lulu Lv.43 [431]
Yuria Lv.46 [461]

【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 40
[MAX BATTLE] >> 40

【PARTY-1 (Main)】
[Shuuya] [Lv125] HP3700/3700 MP4560/4560 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv105] HP70/70 MP1685/1685 [Normal]
[Lulu] [Lv43] HP950/950 MP42/42 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv46] HP2540/2540 MP91/91 [Normal]
[Fere] [Lv40] HP445/445 MP1450/1450 [Normal]
[Makoto] [Lv85] HP5500/5500 MP170/170 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

“Uggghhh, come on! I was finally starting to forget about all this!!”
“You seem rather upset.”
“Yeah… can’t blame you though.”