Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Meanwhile, inside the cathedral, Luna, Cleo, and Mei stood facing Marvin. Baron Arthera stood by his daughter’s side, glaring at Marvin, while the head priest continued pleading with everyone in the room to maintain peace and order.

"Is what you’re saying true, Duke Marvin?" Luna asked.

"I have no reason to lie to you. Rumors are circulating through the royal court that King Theobald intends to launch an attack on the settlement deep in the heart of the Dark Forest. His justification is that the person leading it is supposedly a Demon Lord planning to plunge the world into darkness," Marvin answered, fixing his gaze on Luna.

"Hah! What a completely absurd line. Who ever heard of a slave settlement being run by a Demon Lord? Please refrain from talking nonsense, Duke Marvin," Cleo countered firmly.

"According to royal court staff, a young S-rank adventurer possessing a hero-class status brought this report directly to the king. King Theobald spent the entire night in emergency council with his faction because of it. That is precisely why this is our golden opportunity, the moment their main force leaves to launch that attack, we take the royal palace," Marvin urged, stepping forward.

He reached out his hand toward Luna, but Baron Arthera stepped in, blocking Marvin’s path before his fingers could touch her.

"Duke Marvin, Luna is my daughter. Please stop backing her into a corner like this, and do not press her further. You are currently standing in the Kingdom of Thetor, so mind your manners," Baron Arthera warned sternly.

"Thank you, Papa," Luna said softly. She turned back to Duke Marvin, her gaze hardening. "Just as Papa said, I am his daughter. I am not the lost princess of the Minatheras Kingdom, and summoning us here has been a complete waste of your time."

Marvin stood frozen, his jaw clenching as his face flushed red. Anyone looking at him right now could tell he had his own hidden agenda, and Luna’s outright rejection was shattering his plans. Before anyone else could speak, "blam!" the door to the head priest’s office swung open. A priest clad in white robes rushed in, leaned toward the head priest, and whispered into his ear. The head priest turned his gaze toward Marvin.

"Did you bring an armed force with you? Right now, troops bearing the Minatheras crest are surrounding the front of the cathedral," the head priest asked.

"Hah... so you brought a force along? Then your intentions here were never pure to begin with," Cleo mocked sarcastically.

Mei instantly placed her hands on the hilts of her twin swords, ready to act if things turned sour. Marvin remained silent, a calculating look crossing his face. He walked over to the window and threw it open, leaning his head out to check the street below, only to recoil in shock. He pulled his head back inside, his face completely pale.

"The knights out front aren’t my rebel forces. They are royal troops, and it looks like they’ve been intercepted and detained by Thetor forces. Your Highness Luna, we must leave at once, it seems my presence here has been exposed," Marvin urged, extending his hand again.

"I am sorry, but I refuse to go with you. Please respect my decision," Luna said firmly.

"You heard her, Duke Marvin," Baron Arthera added, standing ground in front of Luna.

"Please leave this place immediately. I will personally escort you to a safe location," Mei offered, speaking up for the first time.

Seeing that Luna remained unyielding in her refusal, along with Cleo standing ready for battle and Mei offering to escort him away, Marvin finally turned to Baron Arthera.

"Very well. I understand. Please take good care of your daughter, Baron Arthera," Marvin conceded.

"You don’t need to remind me of that, Duke Marvin," Baron Arthera replied coolly.

"This way, Duke Marvin. After you," Mei gestured toward the door.

Marvin nodded, but before he could take a step, "Yikes! What is this?!" a chorus of panicked screams erupted from outside. He whipped back around toward the window, his eyes widening in shock as he saw his Minatheras knights tangled in a glowing red net of aura. A massive barbarian woman with a sinister grin pulled on the binding lines, dragging the knights toward her. Clang! She swung her battleaxe as they drawn close, sending the armored men flying backward in a heap.

He then watched as several dimensional storage portals snapped open, showering down a barrage of weapons, swords, spears, and battleaxes, that embedded deep into the ground, drawing a clear boundary line in front of the Minatheras knights. A noble clad in ornate armor stepped forward to take the lead of the knight corps, pressing a handkerchief over his nose. Marvin gasped in shock as he recognized the noble’s face instantly.

"Frederick von Gervas... then there’s no doubt. That force was dispatched by King Theobald himself. Our rebellion has been exposed," Marvin muttered under his breath.

While Marvin stood frozen in disbelief, flap... flap, a giant black dragon descended directly outside the second-story window.

"Whoaaaah!"

Marvin lost his footing and fell onto the floor, scrambling backward on his hands and knees. Baron Arthera tensed up, the head priest dropped to his knees to pray, and the attendant priest beside him fainted on the spot. Meanwhile, Luna, Cleo, and Mei stood there, staring with open mouths.

"Hello... um... am I interrupting?" Dion asked casually, riding atop Gina right outside the window.

"Give me a break... what are you doing here now?!" Cleo slapped her hand against her forehead and dragged it down her face, suddenly feeling an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

"Dion, why are you here?" Mei asked, blinking.

"Uuuh... even though I let him sleep with Sheila this morning so she could hold him down and keep him from moving... you still came all this way for me? I’m so happy!" Luna said, beaming with a wide smile.

"Lu... Luna... who is he?" Baron Arthera stammered, pointing at the window.

"Dion von Oswald. Papa remembers him, right?" Luna asked nonchalantly.

"Oh... he’s... Dion?" Baron Arthera muttered, baffled.

"Hey... do you want a ride or what?" Dion called out from outside.

Luna, Mei, and Cleo exchanged quick glances and nodded in unison. Luna turned around and crouched beside her father on the floor.

"I’m off, Papa," Luna said, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Yes... go ahead, my daughter," Baron Arthera replied, touching his cheek.

Luna turned, sprinted toward the window, and leaped out. Mei caught her hand, pulling her onto Gina’s back. Cleo floated into the air right alongside them, and together they soared upward into the sky.

Wheeew!

Dion let out a sharp whistle. Down on the street, Sheila and Aria turned toward the sound and exchanged a quick look. Sheila spun back around to face the Minatheras knights and Frederick standing before her.

"Bye-bye... Earth Wall!"

Blam!

Sheila slammed her foot down with incredible force, shattering the stone street into a small crater as massive earthen walls erupted from the ground to seal off the path. She and Aria immediately took off running, following the shadows of Gina and Cleo flying overhead.

Sheila, running at full sprint, scooped Aria up around the waist with one arm and leaped onto the rooftops. Gina intentionally dipped low, allowing Sheila to jump onto her back alongside Aria before they sped off toward the west.

Toll... toll... toll...

City alarm bells rang out across every gate. Tension gripped the metropolis as guards sprinted to close every entryway. Citizens scattered in panic, while soldiers and knights poured out of military garrisons and academies. The capital was placed on high alert, locking down entirely.

Meanwhile, well outside the locked-down city within the western forest, the group landed safely.

"Kyuuu," Gina shrank back down to her tiny size, floating over to wrap her little arms around Luna in a hug. Dion let out a long breath of relief.

"Hey... why did you guys come here in the first place?" Cleo asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh... um... curiosity?" Dion replied with a awkward smile.

"Sigh... whatever. But why did you two have to pick a fight out in the open like that?" Cleo pressed.

"Because I saw someone I recognize, a noble who exposed my identity back when I was in Minatheras," Aria answered coldly.

"Yep... and he clearly didn’t come with good intentions. Besides, I didn’t like the way he was covering his nose like that," Sheila grumbled, mimicking the gesture mockingly.

"Hmm? Who was it?" Mei asked.

"Viscount Frederick von Gervas. He’s a devout follower of King Theobald with deep ties to the underground network. I only found out about his background recently through my contacts, and luckily I managed to slip away when he visited my shop," Aria explained.

"I see," Mei muttered softly.

"Thank you, everyone. You really saved us back there," Luna said cheerfully.

"You’re welcome, Your Highness," Sheila teased.

"Huh... what’s with that tone? I’m no princess, I’m just Luna," Luna pouted at Sheila.

"No wonder I always felt threatened by you standing next to Dion all the time, turns out you’re a princess too, you silly girl," Aria remarked dryly.

"Hey... don’t start with me, you silly princess," Luna snapped back, annoyed.

"Enough, both of you. This is no time for petty bickering and fighting. I’ll turn a blind eye to the chaos this once, but we need to move away from here immediately," Cleo interrupted, gently scooping Gina away from Luna to cradle her instead.

"Yep... she’s right. Let’s get going," Dion agreed.

"Kyuuuu!"

"No... don’t grow big right now. It’s too risky. We’ll walk for a bit and change form later, okay?" Dion told Gina.

"Kyuu... kyuu!" Gina squeaked, snapping a tiny military salute toward Dion.

"What if we all go to Minatheras together?" Luna asked suddenly.

Dion, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, Mei, and even Gina in Cleo’s arms turned to stare at Luna. She stood there with her hand raised, a dead serious look on her face.