Chapter 45: The Great Escape (1)

From that point onward, everything proceeded smoothly.

When someone capable of destroying a nation alone joined forces with a current officer who knew the inner workings of the Demon King’s army better than anyone, it was safe to say there were very few things they couldn’t accomplish.

First, they headed to the external communication room to eliminate all the communication officers, and then they euthanized the monsters in the beast holding area before they could go on a rampage.

Next, they sealed each floor with the ‘Wall of Iron’ spell and began cleaning from the top floor down to the bottom.

Everything in sight was wiped out.

“What, what is this?! How is there an intruder in a place like this?!”

“Lord Karma?! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?! Kar—Kuhack?!”

Sion made a point of going room by room, meticulously cutting down the soldiers of the Demon King’s army.

To appease Exia this time, she made sure to use her sword instead of magic.

The process was more akin to a harvest than a battle, more like a hunt than a harvest.

It took less than ten minutes for the Demon King’s most important supply base to become an empty ghost town.

“That should just about wrap things up.”

Sion stretched after destroying the [Orb of Sealing] located in the deepest part of the base

. 

With a small surge of magic, the barrier that had been blocking spatial movement within the area was lifted. Now, a dimensional gate could be opened from inside at any time.

Of course, after having wiped out everyone inside, they could also just walk out through the front door without any issues.

‘It’s a matter of principle. After all, the task I was given was to destroy the barrier. Not completing an explicitly stated goal would be bothersome. There was no reason not to, anyway.’

To cause a commotion, one needs a good justification.

In this case, “I did what I was asked, didn’t I?” would serve as a perfect excuse.

Failing to do so could lead to attacks, using it as a pretext. 

It was a classic example of self-preservation disguised as rationality.

“Well then, since we’ve completed our primary objective, shall we move on to the next one? 

From what your subordinate said, two students from Anatolia were captured recently, correct?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. To be precise, it wasn’t recently—it was just today.”

“Where are they being held? Can you guide me to them?”

“Of course! They’re nearby, so just follow me.” Karma replied cheerfully, leading the way. 

His energetic stride showed none of the slyness he’d had before.

And so, they finally arrived at the special prison where the twins were held. 

Now, the story returns to the present. 

“We’ve come to rescue you, Lady Therese, Lady Marianne.” 

With a 100% professional smile—one that looked like the very embodiment of a holy hero—Sion wore a face that might have made Exia gag if she were watching.

Marianne, overjoyed, jumped to her feet.

For her, this was exactly what she had hoped for. If a rescue team had been dispatched from the academy, she had naturally assumed that the hero would lead it.

Finally, she could escape from here. Marianne was so happy that she almost ran forward, only stopping when Therese sharply yelled out.

“Wait, Marianne! Stop!”

“Huh… huh?”

Startled by the serious tone in her sister’s voice, Marianne turned with a confused expression. 

Therese’s face was stiff, her eyes filled with hostility like a mother bear whose territory had been invaded. She pulled Marianne closer with one hand and shouted.

“Hero… Are you really here to rescue us?”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

Sion furrowed her brow, and Therese, emboldened, raised her voice even more.

“Or are you actually in league with these evil ones, pretending to be part of the rescue team? 

If not, why are you walking around with that creepy narrow-eyed guy who captured us? And in such a friendly manner!”

“…..”

Ah, so the misunderstanding was because of Karma. 

Well, Therese had every reason to think so.

She didn’t know what had happened on the surface. 

Of course, she wouldn’t have guessed that the Demon King’s officer who captured her had now been completely brainwashed and switched sides to humanity.

Karma, who had inadvertently become the cause of the confusion, let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha, that’s a ridiculous misunderstanding! 

It’s true that up until a few hours ago, I was a traitor to humanity. But now it’s different. Thanks to meeting the hero, I’ve completely repented and now serve as a loyal follower of the goddess! 

In other words, I’m no longer with the Demon King’s army—I’m with the Goddess’s army! Wahaha!”

“….”

Therese stared at them with skeptical eyes, as if to say, “Does that even make sense?”

Next to her, Marianne asked in a cautious voice, “Um, sister… So what do you plan to do? 

Are you saying we shouldn’t leave now, even though the hero came to rescue us?”

“That might actually be better than jumping headfirst into a trap without realizing it’s a trap,” Therese replied. 

And more than anything else, she glared at Sion. 

“You might not realize it, but the hero’s body reeks of blood. 

It’s not just the scent of someone who fought and defeated a villain—it’s something much more foul and horrifying…”

“…..”

Oh, so she could sense that? 

Sion’s evaluation of Therese rose a little. She wasn’t just a girl with questionable romantic inclinations, after all. 

It seemed her bloodline had something special after all.

But that was a separate matter, and the immediate issue needed to be addressed. 

Sion sighed theatrically and spoke.

“If you’re referring to the bloodstains on my clothes, they’re just the result of some hard fighting… It’s really unfair to be suspected over something like that. 

What would convince you, Lady Therese, that I’m not in league with the Demon King’s army? Hmm?”

“….”

Therese’s face showed a flicker of hesitation. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, it seemed.

“Well, that’s for the hero to figure out—”

“Isn’t proving that you didn’t do something much harder than proving you did? 

If you’re raising suspicions, you should also suggest a way to verify them. That’s what we call the burden of proof.”

“Th…”

Her eyes darted about nervously as if searching for a retort. 

Truth be told, Sion also didn’t have a good way to prove her innocence.

Demonstrating the use of the [Eye of the Dominator] here seemed like a waste of precious divine power. 

Abandoning and killing Karma, who was now her ally, wasn’t an option, either. 

And in some sense, Therese wasn’t entirely wrong to suspect that she might be aligned with the Demon King’s army.

‘In the first place…’

Sion shrugged and stepped forward. 

“Do I really need to prove to you that I’m not involved with the Demon King’s army? 

I don’t think that’s necessary, do you?”

“Why not? Because you’re a hero?” 

“No.”

Sion extended her arm and grabbed the iron bars of the cage. She gripped them tightly.

-Crack.

The iron bars that had been imprisoning the two women crumbled instantly, like thin strands of pasta, crushed effortlessly in her hand.

“If I wanted to, I could just knock you both out and carry you. Why would I bother with such effort, right?” 

“….”

The two sisters stared blankly at the fragments of iron falling from Sion’s hand like dust.

After a moment, Therese murmured slowly, 

“Right… Sorry about that.”

Before overwhelming power, petty doubts could easily be dismissed.

It had been about 20 minutes since Sion had descended into the underground.

During that time, Isabella’s anxiety had grown to the point where it could be likened to a condemned prisoner awaiting execution. 

She paced back and forth with quick steps, biting her nails as if she were trying to make them into literal ‘nails.’

Finally, Lancia couldn’t hold back and spoke up.

“Princess, please calm down. You’re making me dizzy.” 

“But Lanciaaa…”

Isabella complained, releasing the pent-up frustration she’d been holding in.

“Isn’t it natural to be worried? No matter how strong my sister is, she’s still technically a minor! And she’s alone! 

The Demon King’s army is filled with powerful people who are practically legends; what if they surround her and attack? 

Or worse, what if they take hostages and threaten her? My kind-hearted sister would probably comply… and then who knows what kind of horrible things could happen to her… 

Ugh, should I have forced my way to go with her? At least I could’ve cast an invisibility spell…!”

“Earlier, you said you trusted the master.” 

“That was just for show!” Isabella shouted. 

“Of course, I’m worried! My sister can be so clueless in strange ways! Like when she couldn’t tell the difference between shampoo and body oil and ended up with greasy hair! 

She might have already made some ridiculous mistake and been caught! Just thinking about it makes me feel… ugh…” 

“…”

Lancia watched Isabella’s frantic state and fell into thought.

Was this the difference in perspective between a mage and a swordswoman? 

Having fought alongside her, Lancia couldn’t imagine Sion losing to anyone, no matter how many opponents there were.

Even if her cover was blown during the infiltration, the master would just leisurely slice down anyone who dared to charge at her. 

Perhaps she didn’t even need stealth; she could just walk in, swing her sword a few times, and kill them all.

Was that too much of a divine image?

“Please don’t be so negative,” Lancia said with a slight cough, carefully trying to reassure her. 

“The master is much stronger than you think, Princess. I’m sure everything will be fine. I guarantee it as a member of the Granfill family, the sword and shield of Salem.” 

“Ugh… I guess you’re right… She should be fine,” Isabella said in a slightly relieved tone, though her eyes still glanced anxiously toward the ground.

And then—

-Flash!

The spellbook Isabella held in her hand disappeared, as if it had blinked out of existence. 

It was a sign that Sion had finished her task and activated the recall tag.

“! The signal’s here!” 

“She succeeded!” 

The two looked at each other with bright expressions. 

Of course, it was foolish to doubt. 

After all, who was worrying about whom? The one in question was the possessor of near-divine strength that could scarcely be called human.

Isabella raised her staff with an excited expression.

“Alright! Now it’s my turn, right? Leave it to me, sister! I’ll show you a magic trick that will whisk 300 people away without anyone noticing!” 

“I’ll give you my full support from the side!” 

The two of them, filled with anticipation and excitement, were fully motivated. 

There was no need to wait around idly on the surface anymore. Now it was their turn to act.

While Sion drew the guards’ attention with her spectacular display, they would orchestrate a great escape for the slaves. That was their role.

“Hehe, I may have been dead weight when we were fighting that bug earlier, but this time, I’ll show you my true strength…” 

Isabella, brimming with enthusiasm, formed the hand signs for the dimensional gate spell.

She knew the prison’s location from the subordinate. Although she’d never been there herself and worried about some trial and error, she figured she could quickly open and close the gate while adjusting the coordinates until she found the right spot.

Once the gate was opened, everything else would proceed quickly. Since the prisoners were deep underground, it would take the guards some time to reach them. 

‘This time, I’m going to do it right and get lots of praise!’ 

Isabella smiled inwardly, feeling pleased with herself. 

Truth be told, she was still a little upset about being scolded by Sion earlier for not fleeing. She’d stayed behind because she cared, but Sion’s reaction had felt a bit too harsh.

After all, even she wouldn’t abandon her allies in that situation.

Of course, she knew that she hadn’t been very helpful, so she couldn’t exactly complain at the time. 

But now, the chance to redeem herself had finally come. 

If she succeeded in this mission, her sister would praise her. Maybe she’d even hug her and pat her head. Just imagining it brought a smile to Isabella’s face. 

“Huhuhu… Oh, no. Focus, focus!”

Isabella almost let herself get distracted by happy thoughts, but she quickly focused her mind back on the incantation.

Only a mage like her could open the dimensional gate. It was a task impossible for both Lancia and Sion. 

This time was different from the incident with the Giant Death Worm. She was the key to the operation, and without her, this great escape would be impossible. 

Isabella believed this wholeheartedly.

However…

-Whoosh… 

Just before she completed the spell, she felt a surge of magic behind her. A familiar sensation of space distorting and spreading—the sign of teleportation.

“I’m back, everyone!”  

“Huh?” 

A familiar voice suddenly broke in, and Isabella stopped her incantation and turned around. 

It was Karma, and he had two girls tucked under his arms. 

“Oh, look! It’s the troublesome princess of Salem! Hi there!” 

“The Anatolian twins?” 

Now that she thought about it, she remembered they had been captured. It seemed Sion had succeeded in rescuing them as well. 

But why were they with him?

“Why did you come out alone? Where’s my sister?” 

“Oh, Your Excellency said she had some other matters to attend to and went off on her own. She told us to head up first.” 

“What?! Are you kidding me?! You left my sister alone down there?! Go back inside and support her in the fight—” 

“Fight? What fight?” 

Karma looked puzzled, not understanding her outburst.

Isabella frowned and asked, “Isn’t my sister fighting down below? Causing a ruckus on purpose to distract the other guards?” 

“No, no. The soldiers inside were all sent to hell, so who is there to fight?” 

“???”

Something felt off. Something didn’t add up.

Lancia, wearing a somewhat doubtful expression, spoke up.

“Wait, are you saying the master really just went for a frontal assault? And succeeded?”

“Exactly! She didn’t run or hide; she came down boldly. It was like witnessing the reincarnation of the hero Lier! 

Watching her, with her beautiful silver hair flowing as she cut down my former subordinates, even I couldn’t help but be impressed. 

Thanks to her, all the personnel in Tartarus have been annihilated. It’s safer inside now than it is on the surface.”

Lancia was frozen in shock. She had only imagined Sion might be able to handle it alone, but she’d actually done it? Just how powerful was she?

Next to her, Isabella also shouted in a flustered voice. 

“Wait… Are you saying there are no enemies left inside? Not even one? 

Does that mean we can bring out all 300 prisoners, and no one will come after us?”

“Yes, of course! You could just walk in and out through the front entrance if you like. 

Would you like me to guide you?” 

“Th-The dimensional gate—”

“Why bother? It’s not necessary, right?” 

“…..”

-Thud.

Isabella’s staff dropped to the ground as she stood there, stunned. Then, she collapsed onto her knees right where she stood.

From deep within her heart, a profound sense of defeat welled up. 

“Where did my chance to shine go…? 

I thought this was my chance to make up for my blunder earlier…”

For the first time in her life, she found herself resenting Sion’s perfection.