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“Oho… now this is getting interesting! Wahahaha!!”
“This is not something to laugh about!”
“Gahaha, might be the end for us, huh?”
“Save us, Teach…”

While the dragons and girls clashed above ground, the exploration team led by Cor Leonis lay buried beneath the rubble.

When Theo had collapsed the underground ceiling, the resulting shock triggered cave-ins throughout the ruins—taking them down with it.

“Apologies, Your Majesty. We’re only trapped because you shielded us from the debris.”
“Think nothing of it, elder. My body and magecraft were honed to protect the people and friends I hold dear. The real trouble is finding a way out of here.”

The moment the collapse began, Leonis had instinctively cast magecraft to protect the others from the falling debris.

They avoided being crushed alive, but it was far from over—massive chunks of rubble and sand now pressed down from above, not leaving so much as a crawlspace.

The four of them huddled inside a makeshift dome, sharing what little air remained, their fates slowly tightening around them with each passing breath.

“Your Majesty… there are three wizards here. If we combine our spells, perhaps we could break through…”
“You were called Mintark, yes? What you say is true. But such a method offers no guarantee that any of us will survive it.”
“……”

The dome of packed sand left barely any room to even lie down.

Even young Stell could imagine what would happen if they tried to blast open the ceiling in such a confined space.

“Ah, don’t you worry about me. I’ve had a long run. Not that I’m eager to die, but I’m the least important one here.”
“Silence, Arnitta! Do you think I crossed all the way to Regulus for your sake just to let you die here? You carry responsibility—so you will live to see it through!”
“…Your Majesty, is escape even possible?”
“It is difficult, little wizard. I am not as skilled in magical control as the White One. The backlash will almost certainly hit you all.”
“*What if it were just you*—would that work?”
“…It would. But I will not do it. A king has no path forward if it means abandoning those he swore to protect.”

Cor Leonis did have a trump card—unique magecraft—one that could, if used, allow him alone to escape this trap.

But that path was closed to him. What he desired, he never let go of.

That was the pride of Cor Leonis.

“Teleport… go outside and call Teach. While we’re still breathing…”
“Oh? You would make a king your errand boy? How amusing!”
“Can you do it?”
“Then I have no choice but to meet your expectations. Take this charm—grip it tightly.”

From the pouch at his waist, Leonis produced a single gold coin from his homeland and handed it to Stell.

Once he confirmed that she had it firmly in her grasp, the desert king began chanting his unique magecraft without hesitation.

“*No place beyond the reach of my hands, my body, my feet—Greed.*”

In the next instant, the king’s form vanished without a trace, and the single gold coin he had held clinked to the ground in his place.

*“Somebody, please!! Master’s in danger, help—WAAAH?! Y-Your Majesty!? Where did you even come from!?”*
*“Oho! A stroke of fortune. Pink-haired girl—lead me there, quickly!”*

“…Yeah. It’s okay. We’ll wait, calmly.” Hearing the faint voice coming from beyond the thick wall of sand and rubble, Stell finally let out the breath she’d been holding.

Even in this dire situation, she remained the calmest among them. She slowed her heartbeat, carefully controlled her breathing, conserving what precious little air remained.

Her absolute faith in Laika Galactica—surely that was something she could trust in.

…If help arrived *in time*, that is.

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“—Begone, human! You shall vanish without even a speck of dust left behind!!”

The red girl raised her finger, as if pointing to the clear blue sky above.

Whatever she was trying to pull, it couldn’t be anything good. Standing there dumbly would make me nothing more than a sitting duck.

But the two dragons blocked my path. Even if I tried to slip past, my heavy, sluggish body wouldn’t respond in time.

“*Cower before the stars, fall unto the earth! A crumbling sky is no baseless fear!!*”
“Tch…!”

A unique chant—I didn’t know what it meant, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

With no time to think, I hurled a fireball at my own feet, using the blast to propel me backward just as *it* arrived.

It felt as though I’d been struck head-on by a battering ram. My consciousness reeled as I bounced across the vitrified ground, tumbling again and again.

I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened—there had been no magical buildup, no sign of an attack. I’d been watching the dragons and the girl carefully, but I couldn’t even tell if I had been attacked.

The only thing I knew for sure…

…was that the pain wracking my entire body was absolutely lethal.

“Ghh… aah…!”
“*Only grazed you*, huh? Lucky. Or maybe you’ve got good instincts.”

Please, let that be a misunderstanding. This level of damage was from a mere grazing blow?

If it had been a direct hit, just as she’d declared, there really wouldn’t be even dust left behind.

“Bakvilyde, Orgueil, you two alright? …Seems like it. Tough as always.”
**“GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”**

Bakvilyde let out a joyful roar in response to the girl’s concern.

The fact that they were already acting like they’d won was infuriating—but I didn’t have even a finger’s worth of strength left to respond.

“Sorry, was that the true essence of magecraft or something? Looks like I don’t even have time to properly admire it.”

The girl raised her finger toward the sky once more.

Unlike before, this time her prey was on the verge of death and barely able to move—a clean hit was all but guaranteed.

“Don’t… worry about me… I might still be able to kill you… from right here…”
“If you can bluff like that in your state, I almost have to admire it. Let me put you out of your misery.”

Without a hint of a smile, the girl looked down at me with utter contempt.

This was it—my body had reached its limit.

The wound in my abdomen had split wide open, and the pain in my shattered bones made me wonder if anything had been left intact.

…God, this is infuriating.

As much as it burned me to admit it, this was probably as far as I could go *on my own*.

“―――Maaaaasteeeeeeeeer!!! Are you okaaaaay!?”
“…Took you long enough, you idiot…”

I knew it. I had told her to run, but there was no way that fool would’ve quietly followed such an order in a situation like this.

Seriously. Even now, in a moment like this…

…I still couldn’t keep from complaining.