Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Later that night at the capital’s inn, after finishing dinner, Aria, Luna, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei gathered in one room, sitting together on the bed.

”Alright... now let’s discuss how we’re going to see the king and inform him about this rebellion,” Aria said.

”Yeah... agreed,” Luna replied.

Cleo, Sheila, and Mei took turns looking back and forth between Aria and Luna. They looked utterly shocked, narrowing their eyes with dead-serious expressions.

”Hold on a second... you brought us all the way here without an actual plan?” Sheila asked.

”I thought you two already had a plan. I read the letter you left for Dion back at the inn,” Mei added.

”See? I just knew it was going to be like this. We get all the way here, and only now do you want to talk about how to meet the king,” Cleo sighed.

”Hey... it’s not like I could just march up to the palace gates, claim to be a princess of the Thetor Kingdom, and demand to speak with the king, right?” Aria asked defensively.

”Wait... then why did you write in the letter to Dion that we were all going to reveal our true identities to the king? You really are an idiot, you damn princess,” Luna barked, the realization finally hitting her.

”Hah... you’re the one who agreed earlier that we couldn’t bring Dion along so he could relax and not worry. Why are you complaining and blaming me now, you brainless princess?” Aria shot back aggressively.

A heated argument instantly erupted between Luna and Aria. Cleo shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, her face clearly showing deep regret for tagging along with them. Meanwhile, Sheila and Mei stepped in to pull the two apart, as Luna and Aria were already at each other’s throats and yanking hair. Once everyone finally calmed down,

”Alright... look, first off, let’s figure out how we’re going to enter the palace. I refuse to leverage my status as an imperial mage of Lutherias or the niece of King Alexius. You all know what the political relations between Minatheras and Lutherias are like,” Cleo stated.

”Is there any way for us to sneak into the palace?” Sheila asked.

”I’ll try to find an opening. I’ll scout it out tomorrow,” Mei replied.

”Hmm... alright, please do, Mei,” Aria said.

”Leave it to me,” Mei nodded.

”Can’t we just talk to a noble who isn’t involved and is on the king’s side?” Luna asked.

”Looking at these documents, aside from the three regional lords, there are several names right here in the capital involved in the rebellion and ready to stage a coup. This is a severe issue that we definitely can’t discuss with just any noble,” Cleo pointed out, holding up the files.

All five girls fell silent as a heavy quiet washed over the room. Their expressions turned grim as they racked their brains for a way to enter the palace without causing a riot. Sheila then turned to look at Cleo.

”Cleo, you have mass destruction magic. What if we just level the capital and lure the king out?” Sheila asked blithely.

Cleo looked at Sheila, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her arms folded over her chest, staring right back.

”Why don’t you try using your brain for once instead of your muscles? Do you not care about the innocent citizens in this city at all, huh?” Cleo asked, thoroughly irritated.

”Of course I care. We’ll just make them evacuate temporarily,” Sheila answered.

”Sheila, this isn’t your kingdom, so please keep quiet,” Mei said, resting a hand on Sheila’s shoulder with a hint of annoyance in her own voice.

”Ugh... if Dion were here, everything would be so simple and handled in a flash. This sucks,” Sheila muttered.

”Which is exactly why we left him behind in Northkeep, got it?” Cleo snapped back.

”Alright... stop fighting. Let’s discuss our plan again, and then we’ll send a letter to Dion letting him know we might be here for more than two days,” Luna intervened to smooth things over.

”Whatever. I’m going to sleep,” Cleo said, standing up.

Before Cleo could even take a step toward the door, knock... knock. Someone knocked on their bedroom door. Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei exchanged sharp glances. They quickly stashed all their documents, slipped off the bed, and lined up in front of the door. Luna pulled the door open to reveal Frederick standing outside, holding a handkerchief over his nose, with five armed knights standing right behind him with drawn weapons.

”Hoho... so it’s true. The demon lord’s henchmen have infiltrated the city,” Frederick declared.

”Huh... demon lord?” Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei asked, completely bewildered.

”Who are you calling the demon lord’s henchmen, huh?” Aria barked in annoyance.

”You lot, of course. My fellow knight commander gave me a detailed description of what you look like... come on out,” Frederick said, looking off to the side.

Frederick stepped aside, and the faces of Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei instantly turned pale, then flushed deep red with anger as they saw René standing before them with a smug, arrogant smirk.

”Welcome to the capital of Minatheras, Imperial Mage of Lutherias Cleo, Princess of Thetor Aria, Princess of Northgard Sheila, Shadow Hand member Mei, and my darling Luna... oh, my apologies, the long-lost princess of the Minatheras Kingdom,” René greeted with a gloating grin.

”It’s you, René. How did you know we came here?” Luna demanded angrily.

”The city guards aren’t blind or stupid. They report every new arrival to the royal knight garrison, and I recognized you all instantly. Now, where is your demon lord, traitors?” René asked, scanning the room.

Suddenly, René drew his sword—clang! He parried Sheila’s swinging axe by crossing his blade over his head to block the strike.

”My, my... the barbarian princess has no patience at all,” René taunted.

”Hah... you’re nothing compared to me. I only let you block that attack as an opening warm-up,” Sheila smirked back.

”Apprehend them!” Frederick ordered.

René shoved Sheila’s axe away and stepped back. The guards surged into the room, leveling their spears directly at the five girls. Outmatched and cornered, the girls were forced to drop their weapons and raise their hands. René strode up to Luna, grabbing her chin and staring down at her with pure arrogance.

”Well? Even if you’re a princess, you’re just an outcast princess. So I’ll make you an offer: agree to become my wife, and I’ll guarantee your life. Otherwise, you’ll be executed right alongside the others for infiltrating this kingdom on behalf of the Demon Lord,” René boasted arrogantly.

Ptooey!

Luna spat right into René’s face. The smug grin instantly vanished from René’s expression, his face turning bright red with pure rage. He raised his hand, preparing to slap Luna, who stood her ground, ready for the blow. But tap—Frederick caught René’s arm, making René snap his head around to glare at his superior.

”You are not to touch them recklessly. Aria von Thorias, Princess of the Thetor Kingdom, and Sheila Stormwolf, Princess of the Northgard Kingdom, both possess diplomatic immunity. Even if you claim they are traitors aiding a demon lord, do you want to be executed for fabricating false reports and violating diplomatic protocol?” Frederick asked sternly.

Hearing Frederick’s stern warning, René yanked his arm back and retreated, though his twisted expression made it clear he was far from satisfied and still wanted nothing more than to crush Luna, who was currently shielded by her royal status.

”We need to talk, René. You will answer for your claims, because from where I’m standing, this looks like a personal vendetta you have against them,” Frederick stated firmly.

”Yeah, yeah... Commander,” René grumbled, turning around to trudge out of the room, wiping the spit off his face as he went.

”Take them all to headquarters for interrogation,” Frederick instructed the knights.

”Yes, Commander!” the knights responded in unison.

With that, Luna, Cleo, Sheila, Mei, and Aria were escorted out of the room by the armed knights. As they walked down the hallway, they exchanged uneasy glances. Aria then turned her head toward Frederick, who was walking out in front.

”Hey, Viscount. Who are you calling a demon lord?” Aria demanded.

”No need for me to answer that, Princess Aria. Though I must admit, you certainly have nerve to return to the Minatheras Kingdom after your cover was blown,” Frederick replied coolly.

”Hah... I came here to speak with your king. I have crucial intelligence for him that I certainly won’t be sharing with you,” Aria shot back defiantly.

”Feel free to explain all of that during your interrogation. Rest assured, as knights, we guarantee your safety since you belong to foreign royal families,” Frederick added while covering his nose with his cloth.

With their questions left unanswered, Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei looked at one another, trying to figure out who Frederick and René were calling a demon lord. Suddenly, images flashed through their minds: Dion as the Ancient One obliterating a mountain, Dion as the Berserker Monk being framed for the Eredor prince’s murder, Dion creating golem watchtowers across his domain, Dion as the Black Knight holding off forces from two kingdoms right in front of his home, and finally, Dion cheerfully riding around on Gina.

Slap!

All five girls slapped their foreheads in unison as the realization hit them all at once, they instantly understood who the so-called demon lord was. Meanwhile, the actual ”Demon Lord” himself was taking a casual stroll through the black market, browsing the goods on display with Gina nestled comfortably inside his backpack.

”Kyuuu?”

”Don’t worry, I’m sure everything is going just fine,” Dion said to the backpack behind him.

”Kyuu... kyuu,” Gina squeaked back cheerfully from inside.