Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

After a few moments, the air grew deathly silent. Dion realized that the figures dressed like cultists hadn’t moved an inch. They simply stood there in total silence, craning their necks to stare up at the net dangling above them.

"Um... Cleo, why are they just standing there? Aren’t they going to capture us?" Dion asked, directing his question straight into Cleo’s rear end, which was pressed right up against his face.

"I don’t know... I’m confused myself. And please stop talking into my butt," Cleo snapped.

"How can I not? Your butt is right on my face!" Dion argued.

"Grr... just hush!" Cleo grumbled.

"Dion’s got a point though. Why are they just standing there without cutting us down or at least threatening us?" Sheila added.

"Yeah... it’s like they’re just observing us... wait, could it be that they’re stunned because they realized a bunch of gorgeous girls are trapped up here?" Aria mused aloud.

"Don’t flatter yourself, airhead princess. You’re not cute," Luna jabbed.

"Ha! As if you’re any better, blonde dummy," Aria fired right back.

"How are you two still bickering right now? Could they be frozen because they’re terrified of Gina?" Cleo asked.

"Kyuuu?" Gina squeaked from somewhere inside the tangle.

"You’re not scary at all. Don’t listen to that pretty lady over there," Dion soothed, giving Gina a gentle pat.

"Hmm," Mei suddenly hummed under her breath.

"What is it, Mei? Out with it," Sheila urged.

"I don’t know... I hope I’m wrong... but... I don’t feel a single trace of life coming from any of them," Mei noted grimly.

"Wait... what?!" Luna, Aria, Cleo, Sheila, and Dion shouted in unison.

"Oh... impressive. You’re completely right. They aren’t living people at all."

Hearing a man’s voice call out from below, everyone strained to turn their heads toward the sound. A figure wrapped in a black cloak with a hood pushed his way to the front and stopped right beside their dangling net. He wore a mask over his forehead, though his lower face was bare. The man scanned the faces of Dion, Luna, Mei, Aria, Sheila, and even Gina. But the moment his eyes landed on Cleo, he froze in shock, stumbled back a step, pulled down his hood, and shoved his mask aside before putting on a pair of spectacles.

He was a tall, lanky youth with a black bowl cut who looked to be right around Cleo’s age. He adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand.

"Wait... Cleo?" the youth blurted out.

"Huh... is that you... Johan? Johan von Ernaut?" Cleo gasped.

"What on earth are you doing in Mageford, Cleo? I heard you went north pursuing Gemmeth!" Johan asked, bewildered.

"Grr... before we chat, how about you cut us down first?!" Cleo barked back, thoroughly irritated.

"Oh... right," Johan stammered.

Johan glanced at the silent figures around him and raised his hand. A eerie green glow enveloped his fingers as he commanded the mob to release the ropes secured to the nearby trees. The figures nodded mechanically and ambled toward the trunk. Snap! The rope gave way.

"Whoaaaah!" Thud!

Dion, Luna, Sheila, Mei, Aria, and Cleo tumbled to the ground in a messy heap while Gina hovered midair, glaring down at Johan until he flinched, hastily grabbing the frame of his glasses.

"Huh... a tiny dragon? Wait... wasn’t the dragon that just arrived a massive beast?" Johan asked in total shock.

"Kyuuuu... kyuuu... kyuuu!"

Gina looked furious, poking her tiny clawed finger right toward Johan’s face. Dion, already back on his feet, scooped Gina up into a protective hug. He stared at Johan before extending an open hand.

"Hey there... I’m Dion. You’re Johan?" Dion asked nonchalantly.

"Huh... y-you? Who are you supposed to be?!" Johan stammered, scrambling backward as his face drained of all color.

"Man... how rude to ask something like that the second we meet," Dion muttered, annoyed.

"Drop it. What are you doing in a graveyard anyway, Johan? Why did you trap us?" Cleo asked, stepping forward to stand between them.

"Oh... I didn’t mean to capture you guys... I was actually setting a trap for a dark cult that likes to hold rituals in this cemetery," Johan explained, adjusting his glasses.

"Sigh... I see. So it was all just a huge misunderstanding. But why are your companions dressed like dark cultists?" Cleo pressed.

"Oh... they aren’t my companions," Johan replied.

Snap!

Johan flicked his fingers, and every single figure around them stripped off their cloaks and masks in unison.

Gasp!

Luna, Aria, Sheila, Mei, Dion, and even Cleo instantly recoiled, forming a tight defensive circle. They were completely surrounded by rotting corpses and undead thralls dressed in cultist gear.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Luna, Aria, Sheila, and Mei shrieked, wrapping their arms around one another.

"Hey... calm down, they’re just walking corpses," Dion said calmly.

Thump!

Dion suddenly caught a limp weight falling into his arms. He looked down to see Cleo completely passed out, foaming at the mouth with her eyes rolled back, her skin as pale as a sheet.

"Great... why does this keep happening?" Dion muttered, thoroughly baffled.

"Kyuuu... kyuuu... kyuuu!" Gina kept scolding Johan at the top of her lungs.

"Oh... sorry! They’re just my thralls. I’ll unsummon them right now," Johan offered sheepishly.

Johan raised his hand, which flamed with a green glow like hellfire. Green magic circles opened at the feet of every zombie, and the walking dead sank into the glowing runes before the circles snapped shut. Quiet returned to the clearing. Dion watched the magic fade, then turned back to Johan.

"What... are you?" Dion asked.

"Oh... pardon me. Um... I’m a mage... but not an ordinary one. My class is SS-rank Necromancer," Johan answered, nudging his glasses up his nose.

"Is that so? Are you... from Lutherias too?" Dion inquired.

"Oh... no, I’m from Minatheras. Cleo and I were in the same class back at the academy," Johan explained.

"So you’re Cleo’s friend?" Luna asked.

"Yeah... I was Cleo’s classmate," Johan answered shyly, sneaking a glance at the unconscious Cleo.

"Which means you’re out here trying to catch a dark cult by dressing up your undead thralls as cult members?" Mei clarified.

"Um... exactly. I was tasked by the Central Magic Department in the capital to ambush them. I’ve been stationed in this city for six months now," Johan replied.

"Hmm... I see. So you’re a royal court mage?" Sheila asked.

"No... I’m just a low-ranking mage working in the department... I’m nowhere near as impressive as Cleo," Johan deflected hastily.

Johan then gave Dion another up-and-down assessment before shifting his gaze to Luna, Aria, Sheila, and Mei. Finally, his eyes landed on Gina, who was hovering in midair with her arms folded across her tiny chest, sporting an adorable pouting face. Johan clutched his glasses as realization seemed to strike him like a bolt of lightning.

"Wait a second... are you guys the ones who just tore up the royal capital?!" Johan asked in a low whisper, pointing a trembling finger at the group.

The air froze instantly. Dion tried to rack his brain for a convincing lie, but before he could speak, Sheila darted forward, grabbing Johan from behind and clapping a hand over his mouth. Mei immediately drew her blade, pressing the flat of the steel against his throat, while Luna and Aria stepped up to block his escape.

"Whoa, whoa... what are you guys doing?!" Dion blurted out, shocked by his companions’ aggressive reaction.

"He knows who we are," Luna stated grimly.

"Yeah... before he tries anything funny, we take him out first," Aria added.

"What is wrong with you guys? He was just asking a question, and now because of your wild reaction, he’s a hundred percent sure we’re the ones fresh out of the capital!" Dion yelled, exasperated.

"Oh," Luna, Aria, Mei, and Sheila uttered simultaneously. Dion’s words hit them like a splash of cold water, making them realize they had just accidentally outed themselves. All four of their faces flushed bright red as they averted their gazes, avoiding Dion’s sharp glare while he was still supporting the unconscious Cleo.

"Sigh," Dion exhaled heavily, looking down at the terrified Johan.

"Johan, we’re going to let you go, but please don’t scream or freak out, alright?" Dion requested calmly.

Johan nodded enthusiastically until his glasses went crooked. Dion gave Sheila a silent nod to release him and motioned for Mei to sheath her sword.

"Phew!" Johan gasped for air the moment Sheila’s hand lifted from his mouth.

"So you guys really are the ones who wrecked the capital and threatened the king... Look, I have no intention of turning you in! Please don’t kill me!" Johan pleaded, keeping a wary eye on Sheila and Mei, who remained on high alert.

"Yeah, yeah... there are a few things we need to ask you. Can you take us somewhere safe? Besides, I need to lay Cleo down somewhere; she fainted because of your zombie squad," Dion told him.

"Alright... follow me," Johan agreed, turning around to lead the way.

Luna, Sheila, Mei, and Aria exchanged glances. Luna reached out to scoop up Gina into a hug, Sheila stepped up to help Dion carry Cleo, while Aria and Mei trailed closely behind Johan to keep watch.

"Sigh," Dion let out a long breath of relief. "Thank goodness, no new trouble for now. But... for some reason, I’ve got a bad feeling about this, and my gut is almost never wrong," Dion thought to himself as they walked into the shadows.

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