"So what's your plan?" Marcus looked at the portal I made and eyed me suspiciously.
"Infiltrate the city, arrest the bad guys, rescue Felix... Simple, right?"
My flippancy on the matter did not seem to please the captain of the knights.
"From the way you're talking, I gather you haven't considered the risks. We can't even say for sure that Felix is there."
"The odds of finding him there are nine to one," I replied, raising my hands. "If this seems too sudden or unreasonable, you don't have to come with me."
"I'll go," Crusch replied immediately, determined.
"Me too," naturally, Wilhelm joined his lady.
Finally, Julius hesitated between coming with us or following Marcus's orders.
"Captain..."
Marcus grimaced and looked at the others, studying their expressions.
"I see that you all trust him."
Bordeaux remained on the sidelines of the conversation. I couldn't decipher what he was thinking.
Then Marcus stood up.
"Democracy has spoken. I, Marcus Gildark, captain of the knights, officially proclaim the creation of a new rescue squad, whose destination will be the underground city."
"Thank you for your approval, and believe me, this is the best strategy."
He snorted.
"I hope so, but I'll still send out the rescue squads." With that, he left the office, followed by Julius and Bordeaux. The latter looked at me and muttered something before leaving.
I nodded, satisfied.
"Very well, I'll talk to my group. I think I'll bring them along too."
"So you came with someone," Crusch said with a small smile. "I figured Rem wouldn't leave you alone."
Her words threw me off for a second, but I recovered before it was noticeable and faced Crusch, determined to clear things up before Ram was present.
"Rem is dead," my voice sounded weak.
"... What?"
Crusch's face transformed with horror and anguish.
"It was my fault," I explained expressionlessly. "It's something I'll never forgive myself for."
"Sir Leandro, I am sorry for your loss..."
Wilhelm had heard and put his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
"What happened to her?" Crusch asked, her eyes trembling slightly.
"She was killed by an enemy I didn't deal with in time. I knew she was in danger, and yet..."
I felt a lump in my throat. Again, the anguish, the self-loathing. I tightened my grip on the Yin sword.
"Excuse me," I turned and walked away quickly. "I have to see my colleagues."
The girls were right where I left them, luckily.
Meili fidgeted with her braid, staring at the floor and grumbling. Elsa leaned against the wall, her arms crossed beneath her chest. Ram just stood there, motionless.
"Hey, we're leaving now."
Their heads turned in my direction.
"Finally!" Meili smiled and tried to run off, but I stopped her by grabbing her cloak. "Now what?!"
"I said we're leaving, I didn't say where we're going."
"You promised you'd finish your meeting and let me run around the city!"
"This wasn't the meeting. In fact, we now have to find and rescue the guy I wanted to see, because he's been kidnapped. Until then, you'll have to wait."
"It's not fair!" the girl complained, kicking the ground.
"If you think throwing a tantrum is going to work, you're wasting energy."
"Then I'm not walking!" Meili stuck her tongue out at me and climbed onto my body with the grace of a chimpanzee, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my torso. It was like having a backpack, a very noisy and irritating one.
I rolled my eyes. This girl always treated me like I owed her something.
Although my current self was annoyed, the me who had a life with Elsa and Meili was having fun.
"Great, that way I won't have to worry about you trying to escape," I winked at her.
Meili didn't seem pleased with my answer, but Elsa smiled slightly as she watched our interaction. At that moment, neither of them looked like a hired assassin.
Suddenly, Ram pointed at me.
"Pervert..."
"You were silent the whole trip, and that's the first thing you say?" I sighed. "You would have been better off keeping quiet."
"What's the next stop?" Elsa inquired.
"The underground city."
Upon hearing that name, his expression immediately darkened.
"That place... is dangerous."
She didn't seem scared; rather, she was giving me a warning.
"I know. If you prefer to stay at the mansion, I'll take you there immediately. But if you want to come, I'll make sure to protect you, no matter what happens."
Elsa and Meili exchanged glances. They probably thought that if Capella was after them, she'd show up anyway, and in that case, it was in their best interest to be with me.
"I know the city," Elsa said, placing a hand on her hip as she walked toward me. "I know some shortcuts and people you don't."
"That will be very useful."
I heard a cough and realized Crusch and Wilhelm had left. The sword demon's gaze sharpened when he saw Elsa.
As I discreetly positioned myself between my companion and the old warrior, Crusch approached and greeted Ram respectfully.
"My condolences. Your sister was an incredible woman."
Ram lowered her head. From where I was standing, it was impossible for me to make out her expression.
"... Certainly, she was."
They continued talking, but I didn't pay much attention, as I was more focused on protecting Elsa from Wilhelm's not-so-subtle murderous intent.
"Sir Leandro, I don't mean to be nosy, but I'm surprised you chose someone of that ilk as a partner." His sharp eyes fixed on Elsa's figure. "Her mere presence screams trouble."
The old swordsman's perception was admirable. Even without seeing Elsa's physical features, he managed to identify her as a threat.
"Don't worry, Sir Wilhelm; I assure you it's not a problem at all. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would put an end to your hostile attitude toward my colleague. We'll all be working together today, after all."
I emphasized my words, making it clear that I would not tolerate any objections. Wilhelm got the message, though it took him a few seconds to relax.
Marcus and Julius returned shortly after. By then, I had drawn a map of the city (with Elsa's help) and spread it out on the table for a brief strategic discussion.
Initially, I mentioned some geographical details, such as the distribution of the territory and points of interest, but the most important thing was related to the plan.
"The city has three districts: to keep things simple, we'll call them A, B, and C. Each district has a specific function and a leader who manages it, maintaining order and productivity. If we get rid of the three leaders, the rest will stop working. My plan is to go in, find the leaders, deal with them, and get the information we need," I summarized the explanation as precisely as I could.
"If we all go together, we'll be too conspicuous," Marcus argued. "Besides, we don't have a way to identify district chiefs."
"There is one, actually, but you won't like it," I grimaced.
Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Speak up already."
"The method consists of making a real mess. We simply start destroying everything and causing chaos, then, undoubtedly, the district leader will come to deal with the problem."
"Are you serious? It's a suicidal idea."
"We could also be discreet and patiently gather information, subduing and interrogating one criminal at a time, until we reach the bosses."
I looked at Crusch, then at Marcus, and my lips curled upward.
"We even have the option of asking everyone if they are the district chief and using our duchess's Divine Protection to filter our targets."
"That would take too long," Julius, as always, didn't understand that I was joking.
"True," I admitted sarcastically. "So the best way to proceed would be with the second method. I'm not that patient and I might end up causing a scene, but that shouldn't affect you; in fact, it would benefit you if I acted as a decoy."
I received some worried looks and some stern ones.
"Okay," Marcus said, stepping forward. "We're leaving now. I want to resolve this matter as soon as possible."
I nodded and stepped back, gesturing toward the dimensional rift.
"Be careful when you leave, as you might encounter sentries or passersby. I chose a secluded spot to avoid immediate detection, but there's always a risk."
"In that case, why don't you go in first?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. His doubt was understandable.
"The magical barrier protecting the city has the ability to isolate mana. Once inside, my magic won't be able to go beyond the barrier, and the connection will be lost, closing the portal."
In fact, even while the portal was still active, no one could use it from inside the city due to the magical interference of the barrier, so it only worked in one direction.
"Do you mean we'll be trapped in that place?" Julius asked, surprised.
"At least until we destroy the core of the barrier," I explained. "Anyway, that won't be a problem. It won't take us half a day to get back."
It seemed to have become a collective reflex to turn and look at Crusch whenever I said something too surreal or arrogant. Everyone stared at her with poker faces, to which she sighed with a defeated expression.
"Obviously he can't know for sure, but he's convinced of it."
***
One by one, the squad members entered the dimensional rift. Just an hour earlier, a scenario like this would have seemed absurd to most of them.
Leandro simply arrived and persuaded everyone to follow him to an unknown location. Even Marcus, a renowned figure with great responsibility within the kingdom, decided to join the cause.
While this proved the magnitude of the influence Leandro had achieved after eliminating two catastrophic beasts and defeating the witch's cult on repeated occasions, the decisive factor was the presence of Crusch Karsten and her Divine Protection.
If it weren't for her, no one would have trusted Leandro's claims so blindly, even though his track record supported him.
Therefore, the pressure of potential failure fell squarely on the young royal candidate's shoulders. If anything went wrong, or worse, if the entire mission failed, Crusch would be caught up in the debacle.
Even so, she accepted that burden, because her priority was saving Felix. Thanks to Leandro, Crusch had the opportunity to do so.
However, as she emerged from the 'portal', Crusch frowned, confused.
"What's going on?"
A vast vegetation covered the land: trees, shrubs and many flowers, all species whose existence in those conditions defied logic.
Above, the sky was a rocky and irregular ceiling that somehow filtered beams of light to illuminate that underground world.
Looking around with a mixture of fascination and bewilderment, Crusch tried to figure out her current situation.
"Why am I alone?"
She wasn't the first, nor would she be the last, to cross through the dimensional rift. According to Leandro, they would all emerge from the same place and then disperse into groups to avoid detection.
Upon discovering that the portal was gone, Crusch realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Did the magic fail even before Leandro entered the city? Was he aware of that possibility?"
Crusch shook her head. Knowing the answer wouldn't change anything.
"I should start moving. I guess the others are in different locations, but we'll eventually meet up."
Recalling the details of the map that Leandro had carefully shown to her and the other members of the squad, Crusch deduced that she was somewhere on the outer edge of the city.
Seeing the direction in which the space widened, she began to walk.
"For a city of criminals, it has a beautiful landscape. It reminds me of the royal palace garden."
Suddenly, memories of her first encounter with a certain person flooded her mind. That person was very special, so much so that they left an indelible mark on Crusch's heart.
She couldn't let the same thing happen to Felix. She couldn't lose another loved one.
Just as she was thinking that, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hi, Crusch."
The aforementioned stopped and turned 90 degrees to the left, towards the source of the sound.
The man who had called her was a young man, with a dashing bearing and handsome face. His golden hair shone like the sun, and his eyes were as beautiful as rubies. He wore a white coat that accentuated the elegance of his features and gave him a majestic air.
Upon seeing him, Crusch completely forgot about the mission: her world was reduced to the impossible sight of that young man who suddenly appeared in the middle of the rose garden.
Crusch summoned all her willpower to overcome her shock, move her mouth, and formulate a question filled with disbelief.
"...Your Highness?"
***
Wilhelm advanced cautiously, blending in with the mass of criminals who inhabited the city.
"It seems there was a problem with the portal."
Although he found himself in an unexpected scenario, the sword demon did not lose his composure for an instant and reacted immediately, formulating a new plan on the fly.
"I need to find Lady Crush, but first I need to learn how to navigate this place."
The city had several levels, like floors in a large building. Because of this, navigating its streets was quite intricate, with bridges and staircases everywhere.
Unlike Wilhelm, the citizens were completely accustomed to the labyrinthine layout of the place and moved naturally from one area to another.
Wilhelm could barely contain himself as he watched them act civilly, knowing the evil that lurked beneath the surface.
To be honest, there weren't many violent and impulsive criminals there: almost all of them were sophisticated and calculating. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to maintain a secret society in a stable and functional way.
"Tsk."
The sword demon felt disgusted and indignant as he walked among so many nefarious people, but he had to ignore them and move on, always attentive to his surroundings.
So far, he hadn't seen a single familiar face. Above all, the old man longed to find his lady, but he was also eager to see someone else.
"Sir Leandro..."
The man who was beyond common sense. A walking anomaly.
The first time he saw him, he sensed a strange dissonance about him. Not to mention his murky gaze, he had the aura of a violent and bloodthirsty person; however, the rest of his behavior suggested something entirely different. At that moment, Wilhelm thought that Leandro was a warrior pretending to be a clumsy and naive boy to avoid detection.
Even in their second encounter, the initial impression remained almost unchanged. Leandro demonstrated quite profound knowledge and impressive abilities (such as predicting the future and attracting the White Whale with his mere presence), but he remained relatively consistent with Wilhelm's idea.
Then the third meeting took place.
From the moment Leandro stepped into the room, Wilhelm felt his skin prickle. His instincts screamed that this man was dangerous. Not only that, but when he summoned a legendary sword, Wilhelm had no trouble recognizing the aura of a master swordsman... in Leandro, the same young man who had clumsily wielded a wooden sword against Julius less than a year ago.
Wilhelm would have liked to ask him how on earth he'd achieved that level of swordsmanship in such a short time, or if he'd been hiding it and was already a skilled swordsman when he had that duel with the spirit knight. Unfortunately, his astonishment was so great that it prevented him from thinking clearly for several minutes.
There was also the matter of his companion, the one covered in a magical robe. It must be a mercenary or something like that. Why would Leandro have someone like that in his group?
"That young man is hiding too many secrets. Next time, we'll have a proper talk."
After a few minutes exploring the city, Wilhelm stopped in the middle of the street and looked behind him, noticing something. His hand reached for the hilt of his sword and he prepared to draw it, ignoring the commotion his sudden movement caused among the citizens.
"These old bones still have a certain perspicacity; don't think I haven't sensed your lurking presence," he said in a rather loud tone, to make sure that person heard him. "Show yourself."
"Oh, look at that, the swordsman has rusted before the sword. Time really is ruthless."
A figure emerged from the crowd. He had long purple hair, pale skin, and grey eyes that gleamed eerily. He was dressed like a prince, but his aura radiated malice.
Wilhelm remembered him well. He definitely hadn't expected to see that person again, much less in that place. His face changed with bewilderment.
"Stride Vollachia!"