The heavy sound of doors opening, a groaning, echoed in the room. The first person to enter the room by opening the double doors to the top floor was Dan.
This was not Dan’s first visit here. This vast, dimly lit hall, located on the top floor, was a place used only for special ceremonies. It was a sanctuary of Trisen, where not even royalty could enter without the king’s permission. Even Dan, the head of the military, could not easily access this room. However, there was one foreign object that definitely did not match his memories: a dark, inky magic circle drawn across the entire floor. Dan’s instincts screamed that it was something bad, but at the same time, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the person standing there.
“…Shutra-sama.”
Standing directly above the grotesque magic circle was Trisen’s princess, dark division general, and Dan’s person of interest, Shutra Trisen. Her blonde hair, remarkably similar to her mother’s, fluttered as she wore an outfit that suggested she was about to attend a party. She was incredibly beautiful in her gothic lolita-esque dress, but the plush toy she held in her arms, combined with the strange aura emanating from the magic circle, created an uncanny atmosphere.
“Oh, I thought it was someone else! Dan! You’re so late! The ceremony was about to start!”
“……”
Dan felt something off about Shutra’s tone. It wasn’t her usual elegant, ladylike way of speaking, but rather like that of a child from many years ago, a child who spoke before she could think.
“I apologize for my tardiness. However, Shutra-sama, what ceremony is it that you speak of?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s my wedding ceremony with Father.”
Dan was speechless. It was true that a daughter raised by a respectable father might, in her childhood, dream of marrying him. In fact, Shutra had gone through such a phase. But that was a distant memory. Now eighteen, Shutra had already come to terms with reality and had grown into a girl who could manage it, even becoming the general of the dark division. Dan couldn’t believe this was a confession from that Shutra.
“I kept smiling and brushing it off, but today, he suddenly said it was okay. I don’t quite understand it, but he said he loves me. I was so, so happy.”
“Today, you say…?”
Today, meaning from when Dan and the Ironclad Knights entered the castle town, or perhaps from when they stormed the castle with Kelvin. It was likely around then. If Tristan’s words were to be believed, Shutra had been something done to her by the King. Was this changed Shutra the result of that? It naturally led to the conclusion that the King was not sane.
“But that’s not good, Dan! It’s an important ceremony, and you came late, and in such dirty armor!”
“Shutra-sama, this is–”
“General Dan, it’s alright. She seems to have been thoroughly brainwashed.”
Colette’s voice came from the entrance of the room. Shutra’s eyes sparkled as Colette appeared.
“Wow, Colette-chan came too! I’m so happy, I wonder how long it’s been since our last dinner party.”
“Shutra, you…”
“You know, Ronoa and Ashley are gone somewhere. Even though they were my best friends, they left without even telling me…”
“……”
Colette knew why Ronoa Victoria and Ashley Blizz, now known as Silvia and Emma, had left Trisen. She had heard it directly from them during a dinner gathering in Pars. She didn’t know if Shutra knew the reason, but this Shutra seemed to have hazy memories.
(Colette-chan, you say… We called each other that back then, didn’t we? That plush toy was also a gift from around that time.)
Regression, the word popped into Colette’s mind.
“But it’s okay. Even though you’re late, Dan is here, and Colette-chan came all the way from Delamis. I don’t see Azgrad-onii-sama, but he’ll surely come at the last minute. Even when Tabra-onii-sama used to bully me, he was always on my side. …Huh? Come to think of it, Colette-chan, have you gotten bigger than before? And you’ve become so beautiful?”
“You have too, Shutra.”
“Hmm? Is that so~?”
Shutra spread her arms and looked at herself. Whether it was the effect of the brainwashing, she didn’t seem to question anything.
“Shutra, where is King Zel?”
“Father is preparing the ceremony venue beyond here. But he said not to let anyone through until he says it’s okay, as it would be a disturbance.”
“I apologize, but we must meet with King Zel immediately. We will pass through.”
Colette took a step forward.
“Nooooo!”
Shutra’s scream resonated, and a strange pressure was released from the magic circle. Even though they were indoors, the wind swirled, pushing Dan and Colette back.
“No, no! I must obey Father’s orders! If I’m not a good girl, Father will hate me!”
“Shutra…”
Shutra’s body trembled, and as if linked to her emotions, shadow-like monsters were created from the magic circle. Shadows were born one after another in the room, increasing in number.
“If you get in my way, I won’t forgive even you, Colette-chan.”
Shutra’s eyes were now dominated by madness.
“…As expected, it comes to this. General Dan!”
“Ooh! Shutra-sama, I apologize, but I need you to go to sleep for a bit!”
“No!”
Dan stabbed through the awakening monsters and reached for Shutra’s arm. However, something flew out from Shutra’s shadow and blocked his path.
“…Satera, you too, huh.”
Standing before Dan was a woman clad in black. It was Satera, the deputy of the dark division. Like Shutra, there was no sanity in her eyes.
“Satera, please!”
“Understood. I will eliminate the intruders.”
Satera’s short sword was drawn. There was clear killing intent. Dan placed his hand on the great holy sword on his back—and shouted.
“Lady Colette!”
“Yes! Thank you for buying us time!”
A bluish-white barrier of light unfolded, encircling the ink-colored magic circle. Colette, Dan, Shutra, Satera, and the monsters were all enclosed within the barrier without exception.
“What is this…?”
“It’s one of the secret arts passed down in Delamis. With this, you will no longer be able to leave this barrier.”
This barrier cast by Colette was different from the one used in Kelvin and Silvia’s mock battle. The previous barrier only defended against attacks from the inside, but this barrier was a superior one that Colette could manipulate at will to control entry and exit from both inside and outside.
“Insolence!”
While Dan and Satera were facing each other, Shutra incited the monsters to destroy the barrier, but it couldn’t even leave a scratch.
“Ngh… From the feel of it, they seem to be A-Rank monsters. Then, they’re not much of a problem.”
Colette smiled as she drank an MP recovery potion from her pocket.
“Then, I’ll defeat Colette-chan and make her disappear!”
A large number of monsters surged towards Colette. But before Colette, three white magic circles were drawn.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t pass here.”
First, summoned in front and annihilating the frontline monsters, was Cliff, the commander of the Holy Knights. To his left and right, animated stone statues resembling an angel and a lion were summoned.
“Cliff, Mystic Cougar, Angel Statue. Guard them with all your might.”
“Understood!”
Cliff raised his sword, the lion roared, and the angel soldier floated into the air. As Colette’s subordinates took up defensive positions, Shutra tightened her grip on the plush toy. However, the sudden visitors were not just them.
“Colette, leave the princess to me!”
“Grandpa Dan, do your best too!”
Two figures entered the hall with incredible speed and appeared as if running on the walls. Kelvin and Rion encouraged their allies within the barrier and, like the wind, headed for the passage further in.
“30 minutes! We’ll hold out for at least that long! Good luck!”
““Plenty!””
That was the extent of their conversation, and they vanished in an instant. All that remained was Colette’s exhilaration and Shutra’s unbearable despair.
“Ah, no! You can’t just leave me!”
Colette’s aim was Shutra’s protection. If one were to ask if trapping her within the barrier counted as protection, it would be a forced interpretation, but at least she could be kept away from the Demon King’s hands. Even if the castle collapsed from the outside, the inside was safe. In other words, it was an emergency shelter until Kelvin and the others defeated the Demon King. Dan’s rush near Shutra was also a precaution in case monsters began to attack her. With Dan’s skill, he could fight the monsters behind him while dealing with his adjutant, Satera.
“I will make you give up on the wedding, but I will play with you here. This is terrible fuel efficiency, but I am in peak condition now. I can take as much as you can dish out, and don’t worry, I will heal that sort of madness with my faith. So, please play with me as you used to, Shutra-chan.”
