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20 minutes after we had started our battle with the Sphinx一

“I-I thought I was a goner for a sec……”

Everyone looked at Joey, who was gasping for air next to the half-dead Sphinx collapsed on the floor, with a similarly freezing stare that said, “You would have been better off dead.”

Sphinx’s physical resistance wasn’t that great but she was still a tricky opponent to deal with. Her ability to move and fly freely, and the usage of clone illusions to create to hide herself in a sandstorm, could have proved fatal.

So even I actively participated in the battle this time. All I just did was to make use of the excessive HP 一a buff from being in the ‘Pet Unison’ state with Tengai一 to play the role of a tank for the party though. I forced Sphinx to keep her focus on me during which Chloe would use her staff to pierce its wings, knocking it down to the ground where Joey would cut off one of her legs while Fiore used her flame magic to attack her face and stole her eyesight. We took her down following this tactic.

“一Well, all well that ends well, and we have also gotten a nice gift to take with us. Let’s end this, shall we?”

Chloe raised her magic staff to give a final blow to Sphinx while saying that.

The Sphinx also perceived she was about to meet her end, she just stared at the tip that was going to bring her doom with a composed look.

“…… Let me have a talk with her first, Chloe.”

I immediately raised my hand to stop Chloe and then went in front of the Sphinx, who looked at me doubtfully, and asked.

“O’ Sphinx, master of this land. Reluctant am I to kill a being as intelligent as you. So answer me this, are you content with dying a pointless death or will you come under me and aim for even greater heights?”

“…What? What thou be saying, no, who in the world be thou?”

I unhesitatingly equipped ‘La Vie en Rose’ 一Jet black wings of the fallen angel一 on my back (a show of authority is also needed after all), and switched the long cane in my hand with my beloved sword ‘Gilles de Rais’, taking it out from inventory.

Joey, who had already seen my form once before, sighed in admiration. Chloe, already knowing about my real identity, chuckled and looked on with a curious expression. Fiore, being the only clueless one, looked at the scene with a dumbfounded expression, her eyes peeling wide, unable to catch up with the situation.

Well, an explanation to her can wait,
«Tengai» «Kokuyou»
I summoned Tengai, who was in ‘Pet unison’ with me, and Kokuyou, who was on standby in the shadows.

“一Yes, My Liege.”

Unbinding ‘Pet unison’, Tengai in a tuxedo presented himself on my right-hand side with a bow, at the same time, a black knight 一Kokuyou一 appeared on my left-hand side performing a knight’s salute.

I point the blade of my ‘Gilles de Rais’ at Sphinx who must have sensed the gulf that lies between her and them even if she’s at death’s door.

“Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Hiyuki, the sovereign of the Everlasting Nation of the Demon King «Imperial Crimson» who had its unholy light cast far and wide, and someone crowned with the title of ‘Ancestor God’. O’ Sphinx. I bestow you with the two options. Namely, will you obediently pledge your loyalty under my sword and seek for even more power or, will you choose to die a pointless death under the same sword?”

I faced the dumbfounded Sphinx and questioned.

“一What be thine answer?”

The Sphinx closed her eyes for a while to consider and then stood up mustering her willpower.

I sensed Chloe taking a vigilance stance behind my back but neither Tengai nor Kokuyou made a move, for there was no hostility in the Sphinx’s eyes.

“I swear my loyalty. My Lord.”

I mentally let down my hanging heart seeing the Sphinx lowering her head.

Thank goodness. I absolutely wanted to avoid killing a being capable of interacting with us.

◆◇◆◇

Several days after一

“Sigh…”

That was all King Collard and Revan could muster up in response once they finished hearing the whole story while drinking the tea served to them. They were summoned in the name of ‘Imperial Council’ and then led to another different one of Hiyuki’s personal rooms.

“…So, you were able to come back, in the end, using a teleportation magic circle?”

“No,” Hiyuki, dressed in a pink train dress today, shook her head in denial to King Collard who asked in confirmation.

“We first tended to Kaguya’s injuries and then calmed down Fiore who had gone into a panic after learning about my true identity. Oh, and Kaguya is the Sphinx I mentioned, she didn’t have a name so I gave her one.”

Of course, it would send anyone into a flurry of panic… King Collard internally sympathized with the unknown adventurer, imagining the state her fragile heart must be in.

“Since Joey was present there, wouldn’t it have been much faster to make him explain?”
“Hahaha. Surely you jest, King Collard. Do you really think Joey is clever enough to come up with an appropriate explanation?”

After giving it a thought, King Collard shook his head in silence, concluding Joey would be more useless than a cave cricket.

“So, it’s about Chloe, it seems quite a few adored her personally and they seem to be having a hard time recently. I was considering bringing them to my side and asking Chloe to assume command of a unit of sorts like the secret intelligence, what do you think?”

“We don’t have a problem. That Big-sis possesses quite remarkable abilities to say, so it’s reassuring.”

“The problem would be their jurisdiction and the location of the base. They will be a unit right under Your Majesty, to say the least. I would need to have a meeting with other staff.”

Revan agreed immediately while King Collard had already begun to rack his brain about the organization’s outline and management.

“Well, I’m leaving the details to you. 一Returning to our previous discussion, Kaguya asked us to wait when we were just about to leave.”
“一Excuse me?”
“Interesting…”

Revan didn’t get the hint but King Collard, being a former adventure guild master he was, smiled realizing where Hiyuki was heading to.

“A valuable treasure?”
“Oh,” uttered Revan, finally catching up to the discussion.
“That’s right. A path leading to the next room appeared when Kaguya pushed off the pedestal she was sitting on and the bottom came out.”

The room was strangely cramped, that’s when they realized there was also a hidden room and so continued Hiyuki.

“We were led by Kaguya. Beyond that passage was… Teleportation Equipment.”
“Teleportation magic circle? Not a valuable treasure or something?”
“No, there were few treasures too. Though, they were just some gold-crafted statues and a jar, not that valuable.”

『I bet they must be unimaginably valuable from an ordinary person’s perspective.』

Or so they secretly guessed in their heart.

“The main issue is that teleportation device. Oh, and King Collard, it is a Teleportation ‹Equipment›, not teleportation ‹magic circle›. Don’t mix them up.”
“……? What’s the difference between the two?”
“Teleportation magic circle range is inherently limited to only between other magic circles, but teleportation equipment can let you teleport to another place even if that said place doesn’t have the equipment. By the way, it can teleport any person or items in a 20-diameter circle at once. It’s just that the point of movement is limited to some extent and as of now, there are only 13 locations around the continent.”

No sooner had King Collard comprehended the meaning of her words, his complexion took an immediate change.

“I-If it were to be used for something malicious, wouldn’t it be a disaster!?”
“You’re not wrong. It’s possible one can easily move an entire army to another nation. 一But I don’t have any plan to make use of it for anything other than peaceful activities.”
“Peaceful activities…… You say?”
“Yeah. Don’t you think this equipment can bring a transportation revolution in a sense? If we use this, merchants can escape from long distance time-consuming travel fraught with danger as well as hardship.”

It was then the dawn of realization illuminated King Collard’s face.

Indeed, the current teleportation movement can only send one person at a time from one teleportation circle to another and that too comes with a limit to the place they can be sent to and the luggage they can carry. However, if there appeared a method where not only the number of people but could even send a large amount of luggage, merchants would obviously make a run for it even if they have to pay a little extra.

“In that case, Wirde一 and consequently, Our Cres Freedom United Nation itself would be recognized as the transit point for trade, wouldn’t it?”
“…Indeed, so.”

King Collard nodded while swallowing down his saliva.

Revan too was gradually catching up with the discussion as he leaned forward with an excited look on his face swallowing the meaning.

“However, wouldn’t other nations think of it as a threat?”
“That would depend on how the negotiation goes. That’s why, Revan, best of luck.”
“Huhh? Why are you wishing me well?!”

Revan cried out in confusion when the responsibility was suddenly flung to him.

“I mean, aren’t you going to have a negotiation meeting with the empire’s Prime Minister soon? You should take this chance to propose this plan too… After all, five of the locations are in the Empire’s territory.”

Saying that, Hiyuki simply showed them the continent’s map on which the locations that the teleportation equipment could send someone to were marked down.

“…I see. There are five in the Empire, three in western region and fortunately, none in the Holy Kingdom. Rest are distributed here and there in small and medium-sized countries, so if our side could form a pact with the Empire, rest would follow without any hiccup. 一This surely is a heavy responsibility, Representative Revan.”

So spoke King Collard somewhat jovially as he received the map passed by Mikoto.

“Give me a break, and don’t say that while gloating as if it doesn’t concern either of you, you two! You know I wouldn’t be able to do that, do you!?”
“You can do it, you’re the next Beast King after all!”
“Indeed, I have conviction you can pull it off!”

So the two put pressure on him, believing the personnel under him would do something about it either way.

Ignorant of their true thoughts, Revan cradled his head in his hand.

But of course, no one at that moment had ever expected this to spark a disturbance in the Empire.