Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Dion led Cleo into the village, followed by Mei, Sheila, and Luna, who brought up the rear. Luna’s face was still flushed bright red as Gina perched atop her head, staring down at her with a look of utter confusion. The refugee slaves and the adventurers trailed behind them, entering the settlement as a group. A crowd of villagers remained gathered near the entrance, taking in the commotion, though most of their attention was fixed on the watchtower as it magically pieced itself back together. As they passed the construction site, Cleo paused for a moment.

”Hmm,” she hummed.

”Now what?” Dion asked.

”You built this artifact?” Cleo asked.

”Yeah... Why?” Dion replied.

”No reason... It’s just that a tower capable of self-repair and surging with this level of mana... exists only in books,” Cleo remarked, glancing at Dion with a faint smile.

”Ooh... Is that right? Well, that’s great! Means I’m the only one who’s got one, hahaha,” Dion said, forcing a nervous chuckle.

”Who are you, really?” Cleo asked suddenly.

”Dion von Oswald, and this is my domain,” Dion answered without a second’s hesitation, his tone filled with absolute confidence.

”Sigh... Whatever. Starting today... I’m living here,” Cleo declared.

”Uh... I see...”

”Welcome aboard, Cleo!” Mei piped up cheerfully, cutting Dion off as she stepped forward.

”Yeah, it’s great to have another powerhouse settling in our domain,” Sheila added warmly.

”Hey... hey... hold on a minute, you guys,” Dion interjected, trying to regain control of the conversation.

”It’s perfectly fine. With Cleo here... we’ll finally have someone to teach you what you can and can’t do. You understand, don’t you?” Luna said, stepping up to grab both of Dion’s cheeks, forcing his face to lock directly onto hers.

Dion flinched as he met Luna’s gaze. Her expression had darkened, her eyes were sharp with lingering fury, and her smile was terrifyingly forced. A cold shiver ran down Dion’s spine, and his survival instincts immediately warned him that arguing would be a catastrophic mistake.

”Okay... okay... I get it,” Dion conceded weakly.

”Wonderful... I’m so glad we’re on the same page. Let me show you inside,” Luna said, maintaining her unsettling smile.

Before they could resume their walk toward the mansion, a voice called out, ”Umm... Royal Mage.” Cleo turned around to see the four adventurers who made up her previous party—an armored knight, a swordsman, a female archer, and a female sorcerer—standing behind her. Cleo threw them an ice-cold, razor-sharp glare that made all four of them flinch in instant regret.

”What is it?” Cleo asked curtly.

”Umm... Would it be alright if we head back to Lutherias? We need to report back to the guild that our quest is complete,” the swordsman, the one who had informed Cleo about the slave settlement, explained nervously.

Cleo went completely silent, turning her body to face them. She gripped her staff in front of her with both hands, keeping her eyes locked onto the four party members. Sensing a sudden shift in the surrounding mana, Dion immediately stepped between them.

”Hey... hey... You’re not planning on doing anything drastic, are you?” Dion asked cautiously.

”Stay out of my business,” Cleo snapped.

”Okay... okay... But I’d really prefer it if no one gets murdered on my land, alright?” Dion said, raising both hands defensively.

Cleo turned back toward her old party members and pointed the tip of her staff, the glowing blue gem, directly at the swordsman’s face, forcing the group to take a hasty step back.

”Before you leave, tell me: What exactly are you planning to report to the guild?” Cleo demanded.

The adventurers darted their eyes toward Gina, who was sitting innocently atop Cleo’s head, before looking back at Cleo’s stern face.

”Umm... That the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding? I mean... that there wasn’t actually a calamity dragon after all?” the swordsman offered, forcing a weak, strained smile.

”A misunderstanding, huh?” Cleo repeated, lowering her staff and stepping forward.

Without warning, Cleo whacked the top of the swordsman’s head with her staff, leaving him clutching his scalp in pain.

”Are you completely dense or what?! You will report that we found nothing out north, and that Gemmeth likely flew off into the distance, merely passing through the Thetor Kingdom by chance. And don’t you dare mention a single word about a settlement or a village existing here, or I will personally reduce the Lutherias Adventurer Guild to ashes. Do you understand me?!” Cleo warned sternly.

”B-but what about you not returning with us? How do we explain your absence?” the swordsman asked nervously.

”Hmm... He’s got a point, Cleo. If you give them that story but don’t come back yourself, how are they going to react?” Mei asked, standing beside Cleo.

”How about this: Cleo fought Gemmeth, and both of them vanished, status unknown, dead or alive. Case closed,” Sheila suggested.

”Hah! What if that just causes them to dispatch even more high-ranking parties to investigate and they end up stumbling right into this place?!” Luna protested.

”Kyuu... kyuu,” Gina added from atop Luna’s head, nodding along as if she understood the geopolitical stakes perfectly.

”Hey... Why are you all making this so complicated? Just tell them Cleo is staying here to monitor the situation long-term. Even if someone comes out here to check, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like there’s anything special hidden in my domain anyway, right?” Dion asked casually.

The second those words left Dion’s mouth, Cleo and Luna spun their heads toward him, glaring at him with burning intensity.

”This domain has YOU and GINA in it... Do you have any idea what that means?!” Cleo and Luna screamed in unison. The two of them blinked, looking at each other in surprise at their flawless synchronization, before giving each other a firm nod and snapping their glares back to Dion.

”Oh... What’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with me and Gina?” Dion asked, thoroughly confused.

”Shut up and stay out of this!” Cleo barked.

”Yeah, let us do the thinking!” Luna added.

”Kyuu... kyuu!” Gina squeaked, trying to join in.

”You shut up too!” Cleo and Luna yelled at Gina at the same time.

”Kyuuu?!” Gina squeaked, shrinking back in utter terror.

Mei and Sheila looked at each other and shrugged, still entirely out of the loop regarding the bigger picture. Sigh. Dion let out a long breath, picked Gina off Luna’s head, and cradled the little dragon in his arms.

”Fine, you guys figure it out. I’m going to go check on my watchtower,” Dion said, turning back toward the structure, which was just seconds away from completing its self-repair routine.

Once Dion walked off, Mei and Sheila, still confused, asked Luna and Cleo for the full story. Luna recounted their shopping trip in the capital and their dramatic, shadowy escape. By the time she finished, Mei’s and Sheila’s expressions had darkened completely, while Cleo rubbed her temples, looking ten years older than she had five minutes prior.

”So... the entire Thetor Kingdom went into total lockdown and declared a state-wide emergency because of... Dion and Gina?” Sheila asked in disbelief.

”Yep... Exactly,” Luna answered.

”Hmm... So that’s what happened. If I knew it was going to be that chaotic, I would’ve tagged along,” Mei mused out loud.

”Why, Mei? What difference would you have made if you went along?” Luna asked.

”Well... At the very least, I could’ve knocked Dion unconscious so he wouldn’t make a run for it like that,” Mei replied, shrugging her shoulders.

”Hmm... Good point,” Sheila agreed thoughtfully.

”Forget it. None of that matters now since it already happened and it’s in the past. What matters is figuring out a story so these four can head back to Lutherias and file their report,” Cleo said. She turned her sharp gaze back toward the four adventurers who used to be her party. ”And as for you four, don’t you dare leave until I craft a airtight story for your report. Got it?” Cleo warned, raising her staff threateningly.

”Understood, Royal Mage!” the adventurers squeaked in unison.

With that, the group huddled together to brainstorm a foolproof story. The four adventurers stood frozen like statues, while the local villagers and the newly arrived refugee slaves began mingling. A few locals showed the newcomers to several vacant houses that needed minor repairs, with a few golems stepping in to assist with the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, Dion stood before his fully restored watchtower alongside Gina. He looked down at the tiny dragon in his arms.

”Gina... do you really think what happened to the Thetor Kingdom was our fault?” Dion asked.

”Kyuuu?”

”Right... We didn’t mean any harm, so there’s no way it’s our fault,” Dion reasoned to himself.

”Kyuu... kyuu!” Gina squeaked in agreement, throwing her tiny paws into the air.