Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Dion remained calm, waiting outside to mind the inventory alongside Gina, who sat contentedly on the table, happily accepting any treats passed her way by the locals. Before long, Luna, Mei, Aria, Sheila, and a completely drained Cleo walking bringing up the rear emerged from the crystal pyramid. They approached Dion.

"What were you guys doing in there?" Dion asked.

"Nothing. Right now, there’s something way more important, how we’re getting out of here," Luna said, getting straight to the point.

"It’s not like we can leave using a carriage. Besides, this whole city is under lockdown," Aria added.

"Hmm... earlier I was planning to sneak out and figure a path for us to escape, but Cleo wouldn’t let me," Mei said.

"Didn’t you look up? The entire city is covered by a magical barrier. They’re clearly monitoring every single citizen’s movement using magic from those watchtowers scattered around town. If you get caught, our problems will double," Cleo warned.

"Then what’s the plan? We can’t keep playing shopkeeper forever. Sure, we tricked them for now, but for how long? I bet they’ll catch on real soon," Sheila added.

They all sank deep into thought. Dion stood up, scooping Gina off the table and stepping into the middle of the group.

"Why are you guys making this so complicated? We can just fly out on Gina and smash through the barrier. They’ll be way too late to catch us," Dion said casually.

Luna, Aria, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei turned to look at Dion, who seemed entirely unfazed by the situation.

"You’re way too reckless and practical for your own good... I already told you, they’ll know the moment we move," Cleo noted.

"See, that’s your problem, you overthink everything. Like I said, we’re already targets and notorious criminals in this kingdom. What else is there to lose? Are you still trying to protect your good reputation?" Dion asked casually with a smirk.

Cleo opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again, realizing Dion had a point. Luna, Aria, Sheila, and Mei exchanged glances. But before anyone could say another word, the sound of heavy footsteps approached them. Their eyes widened as a personal squad belonging to the city’s ruler marched up. A knight in black full-plate armor stepped forward, removing his helm to reveal a silver-haired, silver-bearded man in his thirties.

"I am an envoy sent by Lady Olga von Granford. My name is Philip, commander of her personal guard. I have been sent to invite you all to her mansion," Philip announced.

At the mention of Lady Olga, Dion’s expression shifted. He knew exactly who Olga was from his earlier conversation with Marvin. But before he could speak up, Luna stepped forward first.

"What does Lady Olga want with us?" Luna asked.

"My apologies, Princess Lunaria, but her ladyship simply wishes to speak with you and your companions," Philip replied, bowing respectfully.

"Oho... so Lady Olga already knows who she is, huh?" Aria said, pointing at Luna’s head.

"Wait... Lady Olga is the ruler of this city, right?" Sheila whispered to Mei beside her.

"Yeah... now quiet down and don’t say a word," Mei whispered back.

"Alright. Give us just a moment," Luna said to Philip.

Luna turned around, pulling Aria, Cleo, Dion, Gina, Sheila, and Mei back into a tight circle to discuss.

"So, what do you think? It’s pretty obvious she wants to recruit us for a rebellion... at least, that’s my guess," Luna said.

"Hmm... that’s the most likely scenario, but we need to watch out for any ulterior motives," Cleo cautioned.

"Yeah... I agree with that. We can’t drop our guard, and it doesn’t look like we can refuse anyway. What Sir Philip said just now wasn’t a request, it was a demand," Mei added.

"There’s only eight of them. I could handle them all by myself," Sheila said, counting the guards behind Philip.

"Not everything can be solved with muscle. If we don’t play along, it’s going to be even harder to get out of here," Aria countered.

"What do you think, Dion?" Luna asked.

"Hmm... in my opinion, it wouldn’t hurt to meet her first. We can stand here guessing all day, but we won’t know what she wants unless we talk to her directly. Who knows, maybe she’ll even let us leave if we meet with her," Dion answered nonchalantly.

"You really never get stressed, do you... but... you’re right. Meeting her is fine, and we can figure out our next move after that," Cleo agreed.

"Alright... I’m ready if things go sideways," Sheila said with a wide grin.

"Hmm... okay. Honestly, I hate walking into a tiger’s den without knowing what’s inside, but if you guys are all in, I’m good with it," Mei said.

"Let me pack up the merchandise first. Tell them to wait," Aria requested.

"Kyuuu?"

Everyone turned to look at Gina, who was sitting there feeling left out of the conversation, raising a little paw in confusion.

"Of course you’re coming with us. Stay close to me," Dion said, hugging Gina close.

"Kyuuu... kyuuu," Gina chirped happily back.

Luna went to speak with Philip, flanked by Cleo and Mei, while Sheila and Dion helped Aria stow all the goods back into her dimensional storage. Once finished, they were escorted by Philip toward the ruler’s mansion situated at the far end of the city. Moments later, they arrived at a massive iron gate.

As the gate swung open, they stepped through and walked down a path leading toward the estate. The path was bordered on both sides by a dense, forest-like garden with towering trees obscuring the mansion further back. Passing through the gardens, they reached a carriage turnaround in front of a grand mansion supported by two massive pillars over the entryway canopy.

Philip ushered them inside. Once through the doors, Dion was slightly taken aback to see a line of maids waiting by the entrance, greeting them with bows and warm welcomes. Philip led them into a drawing room and invited them to sit before stepping out. Several maids entered shortly after to serve drinks. Naturally, no one touched their beverages before the host arrived—except for Gina.

"Welcome to my estate, Princess Lunaria and honored guests."

At the sound of the voice by the doorway, Dion, Luna, Aria, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei turned their heads. A elegant, beautiful woman around twenty-eight years old stood gracefully at the entrance. She wore glasses, had reddish-brown hair, and was dressed in fine nobility attire. Luna stood up, offering a respectful greeting. The woman then sat across from Dion, Aria, Cleo, and Sheila, with Luna sitting beside her, while Mei stood alert behind Dion like a bodyguard.

"Are you Lady Olga, the lord of this estate?" Luna asked.

"Indeed, Princess Luna. My name is Olga von Granford. I am the lord of this city and the entire Sauriyan region in southern Minatheras," Olga answered.

"You don’t need to call me princess, Lady Olga. Just call me Luna... So, why did you invite us here? It’s best if we get straight to the point," Luna said, skipping the pleasantries.

Olga went quiet for a moment, staring at Luna before shifting her gaze to Dion, Aria, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei behind Dion. Finally, her eyes settled on Gina, who was sitting on Sheila’s lap watching her. A subtle smile touched her lips before she turned her attention back to Luna.

"Lady Luna, we both know full well what transpired in the capital. So I will get straight to it: I want to request the aid of you and your companions," Olga stated.

"Hmm... what kind of aid?" Luna asked curiously.

"Wipe this kingdom out root and branch, and erase it from the map entirely," Olga replied directly, without an ounce of hesitation.

Luna, Dion, Aria, Cleo, Mei, and Sheila tightened their jaws, fighting to keep their composure, Olga’s request was entirely beyond their expectations. Unlike Marvin, who wanted to spark a revolution and overthrow the king, Olga’s demand was far simpler yet infinitely more terrifying: destroying the kingdom meant wiping Minatheras off the map completely.

The drawing room fell dead silent. Dion, Aria, Cleo, Mei, and Sheila exchanged glances, while Luna kept her eyes locked on Olga, who stared right back. Dion studied Olga, who looked completely calm and unbothered after dropping what was essentially a verbal nuclear bomb.

"She wants to destroy this kingdom? For real? And she’s asking us to do it? Give me a break... I just want to go home," Dion thought to himself.

"Kyuu... kyuu... kyuu," Gina turned to look at Dion’s face, her eyes filled with absolute confidence and unwavering resolve.

"Yeah... I know that wouldn’t be hard to do and we could head home real quick, but let’s just wait and see what the others say. Besides... all my personas are still on cooldown. I can’t really do anything right now," Dion whispered to Gina in his lap.

"What are you two whispering about back there?" Cleo asked in a low whisper, having overheard them.

"Ah, no... don’t worry about it," Dion whispered back, waving his hand dismissively.

"Kyuu," Gina added, waving her little paw too, mimicking Dion’s gesture.

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