Ch.18Entry – 1

“To think I must now entrust future matters to the likes of you, it makes me nauseous and twists my mood just contemplating it.”

“I am the one our lord chose. Stop spouting nonsense.”

“For someone who can’t control her temper and forces others to clean up her mess, you certainly let your mouth run freely.”

“How did you all even manage to survive here without destroying the place when I wasn’t around?”

Even after hastily finishing their meal due to Serena’s sudden arrival and heading to the location where the transfer gate would open after completing preparations, Serena and Charlotte continued exchanging venomous remarks.

Though they avoided direct profanity, they freely engaged in all manner of sarcasm, belittling each other, and didn’t hesitate to make derogatory comments.

I wasn’t sure if they were behaving this way because I was present or if my presence was actually restraining them, but the hostility was no joke.

One was a mage worthy of being called the continent’s strongest, and the other a knight deserving of the same title. Naturally, when these two engaged in verbal combat as if they wanted to kill each other, the atmosphere was intense.

Anyone who knew Charlotte and Serena would have been trembling in fear, afraid the sparks might fly their way. Even strangers would have sensed the ominous atmosphere and trembled.

As I’ve often thought, it’s remarkable that the kingdom’s capital hasn’t been obliterated by now.

Once again blaming myself for my complacency in leaving these time bombs unattended in the royal palace, I stepped between Charlotte and Serena, who were glaring at each other with cold eyes.

“Are you both ready?”

I deliberately addressed them both together, knowing that mentioning one before the other would surely earn me a sharp glare from the one not mentioned first.

The atmosphere was already precarious enough without needlessly creating more problems. With me present, they wouldn’t come to blows immediately, but what happened afterward was the issue. Mainly Charlotte.

Serena was wearing the Royal Knights’ armor, just as she had when we met yesterday.

It was armor that protected the entire body without gaps, possessed absolute resistance against mid-level or lower magical attacks, and had remarkable mana absorption efficiency—truly worthy of being called divine equipment.

The royal family’s crest drawn over the heart served as an identification badge proving one’s status. Though Serena actually disliked it and usually kept it covered.

This armor was practically the symbol of the Royal Knights.

Each set was custom-made for the individual, and when the wearer retired or died, Charlotte personally melted down the masterless armor and reforged it to fit its new owner.

Because of this, there were exactly 100 sets of this armor throughout the entire continent.

It allowed knights to locate each other’s positions at any time and, though only usable once, even had emergency return magic to the royal palace engraved for crisis situations.

Setting aside whether there existed beings that would necessitate the emergency return of the Royal Knights.

Serena actually detested this armor. She said just wearing something that had passed through Charlotte’s hands was utterly repulsive.

Even now, she had wanted to go in ordinary clothes, but I had persuaded her that the status of a Royal Knight would be necessary to resolve the city’s confusion, forcing her to wear it.

In contrast, Charlotte still wore her usual uniform.

It was clothing that clung tightly to her body, showcasing her slender figure. There must be at least a few noble families who were sliced to pieces after harboring impure thoughts upon seeing her in that outfit.

Charlotte would likely just read their thoughts with magic right in front of them.

“What preparation is needed for opening a mere transfer gate? I could open thousands right now if needed.”

“Didn’t you say earlier we should move elsewhere to open it?”

“I could have created a transfer gate in the banquet hall if you had wished it. You didn’t appear to want that, so I suggested we change locations.”

I had briefly thought that the transfer gate would blow away surrounding objects, making the prepared food and arranged furniture a waste, but she noticed that in that brief moment?

“Haven’t I told you many times? I know everything about you. How could I not notice your thoughts?”

“That’s very reassuring.”

She just read my mind again. And quite naturally at that. Charlotte, who casually used mind reading, was preparing to open the transfer gate by summoning mana at her fingertips.

“Where should I make it lead?”

“First, make one for Serena to the front of the lord’s mansion. For me, somewhere in the nearby forest will do. Serena and I can’t use the same transfer gate.”

Nominally, I’m just a lowest-rank adventurer, and I’ve diligently worked to avoid gaining unnecessary fame.

Being a lowest-rank adventurer means I’m often openly disrespected and confronted, but I can laugh off such things without concern.

What’s the point of getting upset at people who won’t even live a hundred years?

At the very least, I shouldn’t voluntarily reveal my identity. That, I’ve found, can be quite troublesome.

People who don’t understand the thoughts I’ve had because of this cursed immortality become fixated solely on my visible abilities and send all manner of jealousy my way.

No, it would be fortunate if jealousy was all they sent. Sometimes there were those who actually tried to take action.

In a world where even regenerators are rare, if it became known that a perfectly immortal being like me existed, the events that would follow were predictable.

I no longer wish to cause the entire continent to be in uproar because of me alone. I’ve had enough of that in the past.

Of course, now I have Charlotte as the strongest shield, so anyone who tries to harm me would promptly lose their head.

But I disliked the very idea of rumors about me circulating. Once rumors start spreading, they don’t easily subside.

That’s why I always concealed my identity with robes and masks when traveling with Serena.

As Serena gradually gained fame, there was much speculation about the robed figure always by her side, but thanks to her sticking close and fiercely blocking anyone trying to approach me, these remained mere speculations.

Now that Serena had joined the Royal Knights, even those speculations had mostly died down.

Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. It also helped that we were no longer traveling around completing requests and making our presence known everywhere.

Incidentally, I only took such troublesome precautions when I was with Serena.

When I was with Charlotte, her brother had put out a continent-wide search for us with burning determination, so neither of us could reveal our identities. As for Christine, she spent almost no time with me after awakening her abilities, as she traveled the continent to eradicate other religious groups, so there was no reason for attention to fall on me.

“Ah, before that, wait. Serena, I didn’t explain what you should do when you get there, did I?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Then there’s something you need to know first. Remember when you sliced through the mansion with Sky Cutter?”

“Of course I remember. I was insulted, after all.”

“…Anyway, was the lord unconscious then, or was he still conscious?”

The lord I knew of that place was an extremely timid man, unsuited for his position. I’d heard people in the back alleys saying the city was fortunate to have such a benevolent and kind leader.

Most of those saying such things were just people trying to exploit that gentle nature, though.

“I believe he lost consciousness. He collapsed to the floor as soon as I used Sky Cutter in anger. He hadn’t gotten up by the time I left the room.”

“Hmm… Then we should consider the possibility that they sent another messenger to the royal palace. Charlotte, have there been any requests for transfer gate usage?”

“Wait a moment.”

At my question, Charlotte briefly closed her eyes in thought. It didn’t take long. Soon she opened her eyes and shook her head slightly.

“There have been no requests for transfer gate usage from the direction of the city you’re heading to. They probably hesitate to use it again, having already sent a messenger through a transfer gate regarding the dragon not long ago.”

Despite Charlotte’s liberal use of teleportation and transfer gates, transfer gates are actually high-level magic that typically only connect major cities of the kingdom to the capital where the royal palace is located.

The amount of mana stones consumed for a single transfer is enormous, making it impossible to establish them in every city.

That’s why using a transfer gate requires a substantial sum of money.

The lord probably intended to request support from the royal palace through a transfer gate due to the unprecedented situation of a dragon appearing. He must be feeling quite bitter now, having spent the money only for the situation to become even worse.

It was only this manageable because Charlotte had successfully developed a method to artificially produce lower-quality mana stones.

Without that, they would have had to gather mages from all over just to perform a single transfer, causing a huge commotion.

“Serena, when you exit the transfer gate, you’ll be in front of the lord’s mansion. Go in and meet the lord first. If he’s regained consciousness, tell him you searched the forest for a day but found no dragon. If he’s still unconscious, meet with his direct knight and tell them the dragon is gone. After that, they’ll decide what to do next.”

“And what about you, my lord?”

“I have something else to do. I’d prefer if this ended simply with submitting the request form and getting confirmation… but if not, then you and I will have some work to do.”

The very reason this situation has unfolded so absurdly is because of me, and Serena was the one who drove the final nail in the coffin.

At the very least, we should finish what we started. If this city held only bad memories for me, I might think differently, but I’d feel uncomfortable abandoning this city to ruin.

As I was planning our next steps, Charlotte suddenly spoke up.

“If you wish, I could accompany you?”

“You, Charlotte?”

“Yes. From what I hear, you waking the dragon was the starting point of this incident, was it not?”

“Well, yes. I originally planned to resolve it inside the volcano crater, but I didn’t expect the dragon’s breath to destroy the volcano itself. Nor did I expect it to try to kill me for a full day.”

I had expected it to give up and leave after a few hours, or at most half a day, but it took much longer than I thought.

As a result, the forest burned for an entire day, so it’s more strange that people didn’t notice it.

“Then perhaps it would be better if I helped. That… Royal Knights Commander position may not be low-ranking, but it’s far beneath me.”

“What about the matters you need to handle here?”

“My clone magic is nearly perfected, so you need not worry. Even now, my clone is handling official duties in my office. So, what is your answer?”

“Why don’t you tell me the real reason first?”

“Obviously, it’s to deal with any women who might speak to you.”

I thought as much.

“You don’t actually think I’ll allow that, do you?”

“Of course not. But if you permitted it, I would truly deal with them. The mere thought of another woman speaking to you is unbearably unpleasant.”

Yes, she’s serious about that.

If I don’t firmly refuse, Charlotte would immediately rummage through the memories of every woman in that city, and if they had any connection to me at all, she’d melt their brains entirely.

“Enough, just open the transfer gate. And don’t try to kill people unnecessarily.”

“Unnecessarily? How is dealing with women who cling to you unnecessary?”

Charlotte snapped her fingers, and magic swirled on the empty wall.

The vortex of magic, starting as a small sphere, gradually increased in size. From black to blue, then from blue back to black. It changed colors several times, devouring light.

The perfectly circular rotating sphere of magic began to compress into a plane, as if powerful forces were pressing it from above and below.

As its diameter widened, its thickness decreased. The magical vortex swirled along the oval’s perimeter.

The oval-shaped hole, with black and blue chaotically rotating, expanded until it was large enough for a person to pass through, then stopped growing.

“Will you enter first? Or shall we send the Knights Commander in first?”

“Serena’s matter is urgent, so she goes first. Remember what I said? Tell them you’ve searched the forest since yesterday but the dragon has left. Reassuring those people is the priority.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Serena gave me a brief bow and stepped into the transfer gate. Her silver armor and blonde hair disappeared into the dark blue vortex.

As I stood before the transfer gate next, Charlotte smiled eerily beside me.

“I trust it won’t take eight years this time, my dear.”

“Well, I’ll try.”

“Standing here like this, I feel like a wife seeing her husband off. What a curious feeling.”

“…”

Leaving Charlotte behind, I pushed my body into the transfer gate. A sensation like being completely submerged in water enveloped my entire body, then disappeared shortly after.

In that brief moment, the surrounding scenery had completely changed. I was in a forest near the city. In the distance, I could see familiar city walls. The transfer gate, having completed its task, scattered and disappeared into the air.

After checking to make sure no one had seen me using the transfer gate, I began walking toward the city.

By now, Serena should have entered the lord’s mansion and be explaining the situation diligently.

Unlike me, Serena belongs to the Royal Knights, so it’s not at all strange that Charlotte personally opened a transfer gate for her.

“…Why are there no guards?”

But something was wrong. I should be seeing city entrance guards by now, but there was nothing in sight. An ominous feeling crept up my back.

My walking pace gradually quickened.

Even as I nearly reached the city entrance, there were still no guards to be seen. The same was true inside the city.

Not even a single carriage could be found. By the time I reached the gate, I was almost running. I examined the city gate first. It was wide open and intact.

But what lay beyond was anything but intact.