The smoke of the grueling battle had barely settled, but the weight of the Miyi intervention still hung heavily in the air. Standing amidst the weary survivors of the recon battalion, Geldbarun stepped forward to coordinate the next move.
"All units, return to the kingdom immediately," Geldbarun ordered, his voice echoing across the quiet ranks.
He harbored every intention of conducting a full analysis and receiving a comprehensive report regarding the battle, but those official procedures would have to wait until they were safely behind the kingdom's walls.
When the convoy finally reached the kingdom's Exit 2 Gate, the atmosphere remained incredibly tense. Standard security procedure required the high-tech magical barrier to be processed to allow reentry.
Normally, as the supreme commander of the battalion and the absolute highest authority on the field, this protocol was Princess Iris's direct responsibility.
However, Geldbarun stepped up to handle the procedure personally.
He took the task upon himself entirely for Iris, ensuring she wouldn't be disturbed so she could have the quiet, uninterrupted alone time she desperately needed inside the vehicle.
Inside the car cabin, the silence was suffocating. Iris stared blankly at the floorboards, completely speechless.
A hollow pit of bitter disappointment consumed her chest; she felt utterly weak because she hadn't been able to protect her sister, Rory.
Resting across the seat, Rory lay completely still, her head resting on top of Iris's lap as she recovered from the ordeal.
Sitting directly opposite them was Miyi. He looked at Iris with deep concern, but he kept quiet, purposefully giving her the space she needed to be alone with her thoughts.
But the fragile peace didn't last. As the recon battalion passed through the gate threshold, a sharp, furious figure blocked the path. Princess Sliviy was waiting, her face flushed with pure rage.
"
STOP!
" she shouted, throwing every ounce of her strength into that single word.
"Where is Father!?" she demanded loudly.
The soldiers of the recon battalion collectively froze, keeping completely quiet to avoid her wrath. Seeking a quick way out of the line of fire, the driver in the lead vehicle of the battalion slowly raised a hand and pointed straight at Miyi's vehicle.
Inside the cabin, Miyi's survival instincts flared. A wave of pure panic hit him because he knew all too well what would happen if she caught him.
Desperate to escape, Miyi focused his mind and actively tried to cast some kind of magic to slip away undetected. But before the magic could fully form, Geldbarun grabbed his right arm, and Iris locked onto his left hand.
"What are you guys trying to do!" Miyi asked out of concern, his panic spiking as they firmly held him back. Suddenly, a double knock echoed against the metal.
Knock, knock.
"Father, are you there?" Sliviy's sharp voice asked from outside the vehicle.
Miyi panicked completely, turning his head from left to right slowly, desperately signaling Geldbarun and Iris to say no.
Geldbarun merely flashed a sarcastic smile at him for a few moments. Turning toward the door, the captain called out, "He is in here!"
The color drained from Miyi's face as he accepted his grim fate. "I cannot believe my supposed allies would betray me like this," Miyi thought bitterly within his mind.
But then, his characteristic positive thinking kicked in.
"But! If I can handle the Great Warlord of Gaia, I can handle no problem for sure," Miyi said with positive thinking within his thoughts.
The vehicle door swung open, revealing an incredibly angry Sliviy, her eyes completely locked onto Miyi.
"Father, I can't wait to tell Mother about this, when she gets back." Sliviy said very firmly.
The Gaia War confidence vanished instantly. Miyi jumped out of the vehicle the moment Sliviy opened the door, dropping straight into a desperate apology.
"Please don't tell Miyuki about this! I am sorry!! I beg you!!" he cried out in sheer fear.
Sliviy stood up perfectly straight, planting both her knuckles firmly against her hips as she tilted her head back slightly, looking down her nose at Miyi.
"Father, I am gonna bring you straight to your bedroom," Sliviy said, her voice dripping with absolute anger."Don't you think I'm gonna let you go easily. This is gonna be painful."
"Huh?" Miyi replied, turning completely to stone.
Sliviy instantly began casting her magic. A glowing pink magic circle materialized violently underneath both Sliviy and Miyi.
"Wait, is this...?!
" Miyi thought in utter shock, stunned by the sheer scale of the spell.
"
Dimensional Teleportation
!" Sliviy shouted aloud. In a flash of light, both of them completely disappeared into the air.
An instant later, the space fractured, and both appeared exactly inside the royal King's chamber.
There, Sliviy unleashed her full lecture upon her father, subjecting him to two grueling hours of non-stop scolding and lecturing once again.