Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Not long after, Dion sat with Gina resting on his lap inside his backpack, Luna sat on the waiting chair beside him, and the two golems stood guard at their side. They all turned their gaze toward the street as loud shouts and the sound of a stampeding crowd echoed from outside the shop.

"What’s going on out there?" Dion asked.

"Kyuu?" Gina asked, peeking out from the bag and staring toward the curtained windows.

"I have no idea. Let me take a quick look," Luna replied.

Luna stood up and cracked the door open. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of rows of royal troops sprinting toward the outer district, heading straight for the city gates. Commanders were roaring orders at the top of their lungs, while crowds of wealthy nobles fled alongside their families and horse-drawn carriages as if evacuating from an impending disaster.

"Wait... is there a war breaking out? Who are they fighting?" Luna thought in her head.

"What’s happening?" Dion asked from behind Luna, having already slung his backpack over his shoulders.

"I honestly don’t know," Luna answered, looking completely bewildered.

Just then, a young teenager rushed right past the front of the shop in a panic, pulling along a girl who appeared to be about his age. Luna reached out and grabbed the teenager’s arm.

"Hey! What’s going on?!" Luna demanded.

"We’re under attack! A massive monster is attacking us! Everyone has to evacuate to the military headquarters on the east side of the city!" the teenager blurted out in a rush.

Dion observed the teenager, who looked to be around thirteen years old, dressed in fine, high-class attire, while the girl he was guiding wore the humble clothes of a commoner. Luna released her grip on the boy’s arm, and both kids immediately bolted off to catch up with the marching soldiers. Luna turned her head to look back at Dion.

"Do you think we should evacuate too?" Luna asked.

Before Dion could formulate an answer, a royal soldier spotted them and turned back to march over to their doorstep.

"Pardon me, sir, ma’am! All residents must evacuate to the knight headquarters and the military academy in the east immediately! Is there anyone else left inside?" the soldier asked urgently.

"Oh... just the shopkeeper, I think," Dion answered casually.

The soldier dashed inside the shop, leaving the two of them looking on in confusion. A moment later, the soldier emerged alongside the clerk.

"My apologies! Due to the emergency situation, we’ll have to finalize our transaction later once the area is secure. I ask for your understanding!" the clerk said apologetically.

"Sure, no problem," Dion replied, knowing full well it made no sense to lose his temper in a situation like this.

The clerk locked up his storefront. The soldier then escorted the clerk, Dion – who was hugging his backpack against his chest—Luna, and the two golems down the street toward the outer district, heading for the military fortress and academy compound serving as the main shelter. Dion leaned over toward Luna.

"What if we just handle the monster ourselves so we can wrap up our business quickly and go home?" Dion asked quietly.

Luna snapped her head toward Dion, her expression instantly twisting as her brows furrowed tight and her cheeks puffed out in rage.

"Don’t you dare try anything reckless! Aside from Gina, the wanted poster of your face from back in Phobos when you saved Mei is hanging in the guild too! So keep your head down and let the kingdom and the adventurers deal with the monster! Besides, it’s been a long time since you last came here, hasn’t it?" Luna grumbled under her breath.

"Alright, alright... I just want to finish our business fast so we can head home," Dion replied, hugging the backpack closer to his chest.

"Kyuu?"

"And you, stay quiet! Don’t peek out, and don’t let a single person see you! Got it?" Luna warned, pointing a finger directly at Gina’s little nose as it poked out from the zipper.

"Kyuu... kyuu," Gina squeaked, ducking back down into the safety of the bag.

Ultimately, Dion carrying Gina, Luna, and the two golems fell into line behind the squad of soldiers evacuating the area. Reaching the outer district, Dion threw a quick glance around his surroundings. Panic consumed the streets; adventurers hurried to and fro, and city guards scrambled everywhere to assist fleeing citizens.

"What kind of monster could possibly cause a panic this severe?" Dion thought in his head.

A short while later, after arriving at the heavy-walled, pentagram-shaped military complex, they were ushered inside a sprawling hall packed to the brim with refugees—nobles and commoners alike squeezed together. The space was suffocatingly crowded. Dion, cradling Gina inside his backpack, and Luna stood pinned against the stone wall, flanked on either side by their two golems like rigid statues.

"I hope this wraps up fast," Dion muttered, already thoroughly exhausted by the environment.

"Yeah... me too," Luna added, looking equally drained.

Nearby, a couple of young acolytes from the main Cathedral were huddled together in conversation, and Dion and Luna overheard their chatter.

"Is it true? Has a world-ending threat really appeared in our kingdom?" the first acolyte asked nervously.

"I’m not entirely sure yet. Information is completely scrambled amidst all this chaos," the second acolyte answered.

"Pray to the heavens it doesn’t head east. There’s a seal hidden over there that must never be disturbed under any circumstances. Imagine the calamity if whatever is buried there gets awakened by this mess!" the first acolyte whispered anxiously.

"Please don’t spread wild rumors! Have faith in Goddess Hestalia, she has always protected us," the second acolyte scolded gently.

"Umm... excuse me," Dion interrupted.

Both acolytes turned to see Dion raising a hand with a polite smile, his eyes dropping briefly to the bulky backpack clutched against his chest before meeting his gaze.

"Is there something we can help you with?" the first acolyte asked.

"I couldn’t help but overhear... What did you mean by a world-ending threat appearing and heading east from here?" Dion asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Ugh... Dion," Luna groaned beside him, slapping a hand over her face.

"There is an ancient legend in this kingdom known only to the Cathedral higher-ups and the royal family. Sealed away in the east lies a massive, ancient power that would bring ultimate ruin upon the world if it were ever unleashed," the first acolyte explained softly.

"We don’t know the full details of the legend ourselves since we’re just lower-tier initiates," the second acolyte added.

"I see... And what does that have to do with the monster heading this way?" Dion pressed.

"If that monster happens to be a calamity-class beast that broke free, and it travels east toward the seal, the world will be plunged into a dark age before total destruction. That’s why the seal is guarded by three kingdoms simultaneously and situated right in their central borderlands, it’s a prophecy handed down by Goddess Hestalia from a thousand years ago," the second acolyte answered solemnly.

Dion went completely silent as the pieces clicked together automatically in his mind: a calamity-class monster triggering a state-wide emergency was currently heading east toward the seal, which meant it would travel directly through his personal domain. Dion’s face darkened instantly. Once the two acolytes resumed chatting among themselves, Dion turned to Luna with absolute gravity.

"Luna, we have to go back right now," Dion said firmly, an urgent look on his face.

"Huh...? How are we going to get out of here?" Luna asked, caught off guard.

"I have an idea. Leave it to me. Hold onto the bag for a second," Dion replied, slipping the backpack off his chest and handing Gina over to Luna.

A moment later "Recall."

Dion summoned his holographic persona selection menu in his mind. He hesitated for a brief second before tapping "YES" on the Shadow Assassin persona. Everyone nearby immediately whipped their heads toward Dion as a surge of radiant black-and-red magic erupted around him. His form shifted into the true Shadow Assassin—his face completely obscured except for his glowing eyes, his height expanding significantly past that of a normal human, imposing and towering over the crowd.

Gasp!

The surrounding crowd scattered back in sheer terror at the sight of Dion’s new, ominous form. Without missing a beat, Dion scooped up Luna, who was clutching the backpack containing Gina against her chest, carrying her princess-style. He then commanded the two golems to hop up onto his shoulders.

"Dark Mist."

A massive magic circle opened beneath Dion’s feet, spinning violently as it billowed thick, jet-black fog that rapidly swallowed the entire hall in darkness.

"Let’s go home," Dion said, his voice dropping into a raspy, unnatural roar.

"Wait... what about our purchased goods?!" Luna cried out amidst the fog.

"We’ll come back for them tomorrow," Dion answered in his gravelly voice.

Amidst the exploding chaos and panic, Dion strode out of the hall. He moved like a phantom through the stone corridors, slipping right past squads of royal guards who were frantically sprinting into the shelter compound. Once they broke out into the open air,

"Luna, open Gina’s bag," Dion commanded curtly.

"Huh...? But what if someone spots Gina?!" Luna asked, panicked.

"Trust me," Dion replied simply, his raspy voice leaving no room for debate.

Luna stared up at the featureless face of the Shadow Assassin persona, meeting his glowing gaze. She unzipped the backpack, and Gina shot out into the air, instantly expanding into her gigantic dragon form. Dion, still shrouded in his Shadow Assassin transformation, leapt onto her back while holding Luna and the two golems. He reached out and touched Gina’s scales.

"Shadow Transform."

Groah!

Gina, Dion, Luna, and the two golems dissolved into a unified, misty shadow, soaring straight up into the sky and gliding east over the locked, heavily fortified city walls. As they sped through the clouds, a single anxious thought occupied Dion’s mind.

"I just hope that monster hasn’t reached my domain yet," Dion thought in his head.

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