It was the final day, and a party was being held.
The number of attendees didn't seem to have changed much. This was a valuable opportunity to socialize. The risk of an attack was the same no matter where you were on the island, so they must have decided to attend.
Well, the usual crowd had gathered.
"I heard, Holy Empress. You seem to have been enjoying yourself quite a bit during the time the party was canceled. Your guard was with you, too."
"Ahaha..."
La Folia smiled as she spoke to us. The Holy Empress could only manage a wry smile in return. Our outing was unofficial, and for the diligent Holy Empress, it was a bit of a weak spot.
"Hmm?"
But her face was slightly flushed? And she was glancing at me?
"Did you do something, senpai?"
"I don't remember doing anything."
"Are you sure?"
"Hmm... I don't think so."
"Senpai, you're so shameless. You might be doing such things unconsciously, you know? Try to remember. It'll be too late if you get sued."
"If I'm doing that unconsciously, I'm seriously ill!"
While Yukiina and I were whispering, Kokkoro stepped forward.
"Good morning, Lady La Folia. Yes, we went out every day after that. We had a very meaningful and enjoyable time. Yesterday, on the final day, we even went to the pool with some of my master's acquaintances—"
"—The pool?"
The Holy Empress's face instantly dropped, and La Folia's eyes gleamed.
At that moment,
"Hey there! Is everyone doing well?"
As usual, Princess Eustiana was full of energy. Her knight guard was with her.
"Ah, it's been a while, Shō. I was so bored lately I thought I was going to die."
Lainess casually raised her hand and approached. Naturally, she was accompanied by her silver-bodied maid, Trimma-U.
"It's been a while, everyone. So, Holy Empress, tell us more about what happened up until yesterday."
"W-well, even if you ask for details, we just played normally..."
"Normally? I'm sorry, but I've never played at a pool before. What does 'playing at a pool normally' entail, specifically?"
"La Folia, you..."
La Folia laughed with an amused smile. Even for someone who wasn't as close to her as the Holy Empress, it was clear what that smile meant.
She was licking her lips, looking for something interesting to happen.
And her timing was perfect.
"What about yesterday? Oh, could it be that Princess Holy Empress went out somewhere yesterday?!"
"And Shō was with you. I knew you were running around together, but something quite amusing must have happened."
The innocent Eustiana and the devilish Lainess lined up, showing their interest.
La Folia had intentionally piqued their curiosity by not giving a detailed explanation and instead pushing for more information.
Well, if you asked me if anything interesting happened, I'd have to say not really.
Of course, the fact that the Holy Empress wore a school swimsuit was more surprising than amusing, but there was no need to mention that.
Oh, I see. That's why the Holy Empress was so hesitant to talk.
"That's right. We swam in a large pool, floated on inner tubes, went to the lazy river, and rode a water slide."
"!"
"...Holy Empress? Is something wrong?"
"N-no. Nothing at all?"
Feeling something was off, the Holy Empress held her breath. But there was no reason for her to be flustered. Everything I said was the truth.
"(As long as Shō-san isn't concerned, I'll just forget about that matter. Yes.)"
"I see... What a shame. I was hoping for more of a mishap..."
"There were no mishaps. Not at all."
The Holy Empress denied it completely with a firm smile. Her honor was safe.
"But for spending a whole day outside, the Holy Empress doesn't seem to be sunburned. Did you apply the sunscreen for her?"
"Of course I didn't."
No matter what, La Folia seemed determined to find "something that happened."
"A pool, huh? It's been so hot every day, I wish I could have gone."
"What were you doing, Lady Eustiana?"
Kokkoro's question was answered by Eustiana, who held her hands to her cheeks.
"I was eating my way around the island every day! Oh, this island is amazing. You can eat food from all over the world. It's a treasure island of delicious food!"
She must have enjoyed all the different flavors. The happy-looking Eustiana seemed to have spent the empty time very productively.
"Haah... I'm so jealous, Empress Eustiana."
"Oh? Lainess, you didn't have a good time?"
La Folia reacted to Lainess's deep sigh.
"No. I came to this island to see this man at the party, but as you know, the party was canceled. All my original plans were ruined. My brother told me not to get in the way of his work and stopped me from going to see him..."
Waiver, that was a truly excellent move.
"Waiver-san, thank you very much..."
Yukiina also closed her eyes and offered a prayer of thanks.
As they were having this pleasant, party-like conversation,
"!!!"
The doors were thrown open violently. The windows were shattered as well. And a swarm of monsters poured in.
"Another attack...!"
But they weren't Yummy. They weren't human either.
They had completely black bodies, with only a brown cloth wrapped around their waists. They held a curved sword, and their heads were those of dogs.
There were dog-men.
"Oh my, I had a feeling this would happen."
"We're being attacked again! This is crazy!"
"Hahaha, an attack right after we resume! We must be cursed!"
La Folia, Eustiana, and Lainess. The princesses were calm, but the party venue was once again under attack.
---------
The location changed to the top-floor conference room. The conference, unlike the party, had been held daily and was also in its final session today.
The endless topics prevented the meeting from getting dull, but the accumulation of fatigue was unavoidable.
Then, something appeared to blow away the boredom of the people present.
With a tremendous roar, the roof was gone. A giant sphinx peered in.
"Oh."
"My..."
"Hmm?"
An ordinary person would immediately collapse in fear, and even those with some skill would be intimidated by the sheer difference in scale.
Despite the clearly abnormal situation, the reactions of the dignitaries from each country were relaxed. They were confident that they could defend themselves if needed.
However, for the guards present, they couldn't afford to be so relaxed. All of them instantly took a defensive stance. They were determined not to let a single finger touch their charges.
In the moment of tension, as the sphinx's target was determined—it was the seat of the British representative.
"Kyōrisa-sama—!!"
Aria drew her guns and stood between Kyōrisa-sama and the sphinx. She knew without any analysis that a gun would be no match, but she aimed her pistols nonetheless.
She pulled the triggers without hesitation, but the sphinx's speed didn't change at all. The lead bullets from her twin pistols were crushed and fell to the ground.
"Eh—?"
Aria realized something.
The sphinx was looking at her. Its gaze met Aria's. It was looking directly at her, not Kyōrisa-sama behind her, or any of the other dignitaries.
"(N-no way, this thing's target is—!!)"
"—!!!"
The sphinx accelerated in an instant. Its foreleg swung with incredible speed.
"Ah...!!"
Aria was caught by the foreleg, powerless.
Despite the blinding speed, she was caught without a single scratch, held by the foreleg. The delicate force was just enough to prevent her from escaping without injuring her.
"(It's me after all...!! And it's not trying to kill me, but to capture me!!)"
It all happened in just ten seconds.
After achieving its goal of "capturing H. Aria Kanzaki," the sphinx flew away.
The now-airy conference room was silent again. The lack of a ceiling meant the air conditioning was gone, replaced by a fresh breeze.
Aria, who had been secretly the center of attention during the conference for a certain reason, was now kidnapped. The dignitaries began to ponder the fact of her abduction and the identity of her abductor.
Just then, an administration officer rushed into the conference room, out of breath.
"A-another attack! This time it's more intense than the last—what...!"
The administration officer who burst in was speechless at the sight of the room with an open sky.
"Oh. It seems you're too late."
Kyōrisa laughed, not out of concern for the safety of her kidnapped guard, but because things were about to get interesting.
---------
"What?!"
Tatenashi's voice was loud as she questioned the report from her radio.
"
"Next!"
"
"'Was'?! So it's gone now?!"
She swatted away a sand familiar that had come through the window.
"
"(Kidnapping in this situation... and one of the guards specifically... So that's the real target!) Who was taken?!"
"
"What did you say...?"
Based on the fact that Aria was kidnapped and the magical system of the enemy she was fighting, Tatenashi quickly deduced the situation and the enemy's true objective.
She immediately arrived at one possibility.
"(Can I still catch up...?) Understood! You all continue to guard the dignitaries and exterminate the familiars that have infiltrated the building!"
"
"I'm going to chase that sphinx!!"
The sphinx was flying through the sky, but Tatenashi, in her IS, could catch up to it.
However, the administration officers didn't understand. It was important not to abandon a comrade, but was it necessary for Tatenashi, their leader, to leave her post in this situation just to rescue one guard?
" "I can't explain the details, but I'm leaving this to you!"
Tatenashi cut the communication and looked out the window.
---------
"Yukikagerō!!"
Yukiina, holding her spear, moved nimbly and mowed down the dog-men. With the power-up from her Princess Knight ability, she was an unstoppable force.
But I was no different.
I was wearing Exia and swinging two GN Blades. The blue-based armor scattered GN particles as I cut down two dog-men.
The defeated dog-men turned into fine, desert-colored and textured sand.
"Master!!"
"Ah!!"
A dog-man was closing in on Kokkoro, who was protecting the Holy Empress. I threw the GN Blade in my right hand at it.
"!!"
It pierced the familiar's body but didn't cause it to disappear. However, its movement was stopped.
"Haaaah!!"
I closed in and sliced it with my GN Sword.
"Shō-san!"
"Holy Empress, get behind Kokkoro!"
"Yes! Good luck!"
"I will protect the Holy Empress!"
Kokkoro held her spear with both hands, her face filled with determination.
Looking around, everyone was fighting well despite the chaos, probably thanks to their experience from the previous attack.
It might also be the effect of the Princess Knight power-up, but they were doing a good job against the seemingly endless enemies.
Yukiina, who had been rampaging on the front lines as much as I was, came back.
"Senpai! Oof!"
"Ah, Yukiina, if you get too close, back-to-back..."
When we tried to stand back-to-back, Exia's protruding GN Drive poked Yukiina. Now that I think about it, what's the structure of this thing? The GN Drive should be a part of me, going from my chest through to my back.
While I was thinking about something trivial, Yukiina, who was holding her back, glanced at me.
"Your back is... sticking out."
"Sorry, sorry. But still..."
"There's no feeling of resistance. It's not like the Yummy, so someone must be behind this attack..."
I had already explained about the Yummy to everyone.
"It feels too half-hearted, doesn't it?"
"Right. The scale is too large to be a prank... So then..."
"It's a diversion, or a delaying tactic."
If so, what's the real target? I had a hunch.
"Huh?"
Tatenashi-san, who had been fighting as fiercely as Yukiina on the front line, stopped. She held her hand to her ear, was she communicating with someone?
"What's wrong, Tatenashi-san!"
After finishing her communication, Tatenashi-san looked out the window.
"Aria was kidnapped."
"!!"
I held my breath at Tatenashi-san's words. And when she continued to explain the situation, I was sure of my guess.
The situation was completely different from the original story, but the enemy made of sand and looking like Anubis, and the ability to deploy them in such limitless numbers, pointed to a specific culprit.
And with Aria being kidnapped, the opponent was likely a member of 'I-U,' the Sand Witch 'Patora.'
"I-U, you think?"
"You think so too."
"I'm certain. I've been doing some research."
With that, Tatenashi-san decided to act quickly.
"Can I leave this place to you? I'm going to rescue Aria-san."
"I'm going with you."
"I understand how you feel, but if you come with me, the defense here will be weakened. I'm saying this because I trust your strength."
It's nice that she trusts me, even if it's just my strength, but I have a reason I can't back down.
"I trust you too, Tatenashi-san, but you never know what might happen. There might be an ambush."
And there probably is. If this attack is from Patora, then 'Cana' is definitely involved. The report was that a giant sphinx kidnapped Aria, but if Cana is there, anything could happen.
Tatenashi-san might struggle, or even lose. There's no way to know what kind of power-up Cana has received in this world.
"It's fine if you come, but can you keep up with the speed of my IS?"
"Don't worry about that. I have my own way to fly."
With that, Tatenashi-san accepted it easily. She would allow me to come along. I was going to follow her even if she refused, so it was convenient that we could cooperate.
But before leaving, I had to tell them.
"Yukiina, Kokkoro! Sorry, I'm leaving this to you!"
"Senpai!?"
"Where are you going?!"
"Aria on the top floor was kidnapped! The enemy is flying! I'm going with Tatenashi-san to get her back!"
When she heard "flying," Yukiina's face showed frustration. She had no means to fight an opponent in the air.
Kokkoro was in the same situation.
"...Understood. Please be careful, senpai."
"Please leave the Holy Empress to us. We will protect her well."
"Sorry, I'm counting on you!"
I ran to Tatenashi-san, who was waiting by the window.
"Yotsuki-kun, hurry! If you dally, the distance will grow even more!!"
"Right!"
I spread GN particles, and Tatenashi-san scattered splashes of water as we both took to the sky.
--------------------------------------------
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