6.27.

Iona was carrying the worn out Linux under her arm.

“It’s time to go.”

The girl in Iona’s hand trembled greatly. And in a burst of power, she quickly escaped.

“D-Don’t you dare touch me like that again! My body belongs to the one and only Great Lady Dianne!” She spat.

‘Mn.. sure thing’

Linux was catching up too slow, Iona decided that it would be a good idea for her to help. Any later and their plans would be further delayed.

“So beyond here is outside the empire huh?” Shiro muttered, looking over the tall fort.

The scenery was the same sparse green lands of the dukedom. Yet, the air felt different.

“Matilda. You must come back safely,” Duke Greg said. “I have assigned two excellent knights under your command. Use them well.”

“Understood father. Thank you.”

These two knights weren’t actually knights. They were infiltration specialists under such a disguise in hopes to fool the kitty Linux. Of course, this was something only Matilda knew.

The convoy they will be on to travel onwards to Dianne’s territory contained all the supplies needed for at least a month’s travel. Though it was unlikely to take more than a week of travel, it was better to come prepared.

If that wasn’t enough, Shiro and Risa both have half-a years supply of sandwiches, onigiri and snacks in their inventory each.

“Take care Matilda,” the duke’s first son said.

“I will, brother.”

Onwards.

Advancing past the gates, the carriage followed down the dirt trail. Beastkins and merchants that were lining up at the gate of entry couldn’t help but glance towards the convoys which bore the emblem of the duke.

Watching the carriages move further and further, the first son spoke. “No matter how I look at it, I only see this as a deathmarch,” headed towards the enemy line alone, what was that if not coveting death?

“I shouldn’t impede what is required for their growth, it’s the hero’s destiny bestowed by the Goddess Ra. The New Dawn is upon us, we need their strength more than ever. If they can’t get through this trial, I don’t foresee any hope for humanity.”

“...”

Slowly, ever so slowly, they disappeared into the horizon.

===

A cold night out in the wilderness. The convoy stopped at the side of the road, tents pitched up in preparation for tonight’s rest.

“What is the place like?” Risa asked.

“It’s no different from your home. It’s got plenty of large buildings inhabited by us beastkins.”

“If you’ve visited the slums– it’s like that, but with wooden buildings more spread out with well built structures,” Sequencee said.

“What.. did you say?” Linux raised her voice, she took that as an insult.

“At least, that was from the last time I visited..” Sequencee added.

“You.. I can’t believe you’d use such a dirty word to describe the heaven built by Great Lady Dianne. You deserve death!” Linux was just one step short of exploding.

“Be aware of your own position, Miss Linux,” one of the knights warned.

“My position? Foolish humans! You may think you’re almight now, but when you are in Great Lady Dianne’s domain, I will make sure you regret for sure!” she snorted, fumming. Rising from her seat, she left the campfire.

“I’ll go monitor her,” the knight said, getting up.

“So you’ve gone there before?” Linton asked, shifting his attention back to Sequencee.

“In the past, yes,” Sequencee kept his gaze on Linux who looked like she was sulking.

“With your mother, I take it?” Shiro added.

“Yeah. With my mother..”

Sequencee then shifted his sights to the flickering flame of the campfire. Memories came flowing back to him as he began his narration.

It was a simple trip.

All of a sudden one day Anna announced that they would be going to visit the beastkin territories to meet with the adventurer named Wolf.

Going from Estia to Luddite, taking the warp gate there to the empire’s capital city then to Lumbire Kingdom. Thenon they reached Dianne’s Territory.

Three years ago, Dianne’s Territory wasn’t the nearest land to the dukedom. In fact, it was Nasct’s Territory. Based on Linux’s information, it seemed that Dianne managed to rule over it, and it was now under her reign.

“So if we’re lucky, we can find my mother’s friend and get her help.”

===

“Okay, let’s review our plans,” Matilda announced.

A sound proof barrier had been made using [Illusion Magic: Universal Haze]. The group of nine gathered in a room.

They had entered Dianne’s Territory, and were now in the jade palace. As promised, as the ‘game’ had yet to begin, none of the guards attacked them. Though, that didn’t mean they weren’t targets of enmity.

“I can’t believe they even have a castle like this. Do you think they eat a lot of fish? Or play with yarns?” Shiro said, looking down from the window.

“It’s like the wild west in fantasy, so weird..” Risa muttered.

“Hero Shiro, hero Risa, come here,” Matilda grabbed them both by the scruff of their clothes.

Even since they found themselves in a world of fluffy tails and ears, they had been acting somewhat odd. Words which Sequencee had never heard before such as mofu-mofu, neko, and quote, ‘an otaku’s dream’ kept popping out.

“So from the story you pointed out earlier, there’s a possibility that this S-rank adventurer still lives in this city, correct?”

“I think so.”

“I don’t know how long of a grace period we have before the game, but you will need to do your best to try and find this person.”

“Got it.”

A lot of the current situation seemed to defy logic. When the matriarch of the territory can initiate an all out ambush, they don’t. Sequencee was left wondering why. So he came to a conclusion that he could only rely on the others to make sense of this dichotomy.

S-rank adventurer Wolf would be a great asset to their party. Sequencee had plans to get information from the newly built Dimitri Guild branch in Dianne’s Territory. He hoped to find some clues there.

“They’re here,” Sequencee said, dissolving the illusion magic.

Just then, the door to their room opened.

“An audience with the Great Lady Dianne,” the beastkin butler announced with condescending eyes.

“All of us?” Matilda confirmed.

“Yes. All of you.”

“Let’s go,” Risa held Linton’s hand.

“Uweh?!”

“I’m only doing this because I’m scared you’d be kidnapped or something. Iona, keep a lookout.”

“I understand.”

In the hall just before the throne room, there were at least a hundred maids and butlers lined up on both sides. As they passed each pair, they would bow. It was as if they were envoys of some grand nation– actually, they were.

“The heroes have arrived!” the butlers announced in a loud voice.

The beastkin knights wearing light vests pushed the doors open. Light particles seemed to burst through the seams as the space beyond opened up to them.

A red carpet led all the way up to the raised cathedra. Spire pillars and massively tall glass windows, light leaked in forming patterns on the ground. From the maids outside to the knights inside which stood on both sides of the path forward, they roared in salutation.

On the cathedra sat a woman. And standing behind here were five other entourages.

The door shut behind them.

Dianne raised herself from her seat.

She opened her eyes. As she scanned the party, a smile curled on her face at the sight of her target– the white haired boy, Linton.

Standing beside Linton was a girl with a cute face, likely the female hero. She looked two steps beside and saw the male hero, a blonde haired girl, and the white haired Linzy. They didn’t look too bad, though, they weren’t to her tastes. Then she looked a step further behind, her toxic purple eyes widened.

“No way.. you’re alive..?”

Everyone turned around to where her sights landed.

Like her, he too was in disbelief.

The S-rank adventurer, ‘Wolf’ who he knew..

She was Lady Dianne, the highest alpha of this territory.