When the smoke cleared from the massive explosion, no one was left standing.

However, the Third Princess, Liliana Arclight, staggered to her feet, relatively unscathed. I had intentionally controlled the blast to avoid directly hitting her. There were questions I needed answered, and it wouldn’t do if she passed out now.

"...W-what is this?"

She scanned the devastation around her, seemingly at a loss for words.

Unsurprisingly, the Magic Barrier hadn’t been enough to fully shield them. The ground was gouged out, Shimizu’s armor was cracked and broken in places, and Nagai’s robe was in tatters. Her staff had snapped in two, possibly from the strain of maintaining the barrier or the force of the explosion itself.

"Well, now we can finally talk properly," I said.

"Indeed, no more interruptions," Rio added.

The two of us approached the Princess, who was muttering something under her breath. Was she in shock from how easily Shimizu and Nagai had been taken down? Either way, she wasn’t going anywhere, nor did we plan to let her.

Stopping a few meters from her, I crossed my arms—though the gauntlets made it awkward.

"Now then, Liliana Arclight. Why did you try to kill us?"

Rio and I pressed her together. Her sharp gaze turned toward us, and despite her situation, she still exuded an air of defiance. She was definitely hiding something. Just in case, I activated a modified magic disruption field.

"We need to know your reasons. Depending on them, we’ll decide how to respond."

"That's right. If you don’t cooperate—"

"Teleport."

The Princess interrupted us by speaking the command word for teleportation magic.

But before it could activate, the magic disruption field I had set up scrambled the spell, rendering it useless.

"...What?"

She spun around, looking up, down, and behind her, realizing that nothing had happened.

"Why!? Why didn’t it work!?"

Panic and desperation crept into her voice as her final option seemed to fail.

"Oh? What were you just trying to pull?" I asked.

"We heard you say ‘Teleport,’ didn’t we?" Rio added.

"Don’t tell me you were planning to use spatial transfer magic to escape," I said, advancing with a smirk.

"Was that it, Liliana Arclight!?"

Rio and I closed in on her. Trying to escape at this juncture? That was unacceptable.

It was surprising to learn that the Princess could use teleportation magic. I hadn’t even begun practicing it myself, and here she was, trying to use it in the middle of this confrontation.

"This should work...!"

Still scrambling for a way out, she pulled something from her pocket, aimed it at us, and squeezed the trigger without hesitation.

...A magic gun?

Recognizing the device, I immediately deployed a Magic Barrier. However, there was a loud click, and nothing happened. The disruption field had rendered the gun inoperable as well.

"How... how is this possible...?"

With all her options exhausted, the Princess collapsed to the ground, sitting in defeat.

"Is that it?" I asked.

Hearing my voice, she looked up at me, resignation written across her face.

"...I have nothing left."

"Liliana! Are you here!?"

A loud voice boomed across the courtyard.

A man strode into the open area, flanked by several knights.

"We’ve been infiltrated by enemies! You must evacuate immediately—wait, who are you!? What are you doing to Liliana!?"

The man, sporting a well-groomed mustache and dressed in luxurious attire, barked orders at the knights as he marched toward us.

"...Brother..."

The Princess’s voice trembled as she looked at him, a hint of relief on her face. Her brother? That made him a prince.

This was getting more complicated.

"We’re just here to ask her a few questions and return something," I explained.

"Such insolence! Watch your tone when addressing Prince Jester!" one of the knights growled.

"Quiet down. That same Princess you’re defending tried to have me killed," I snapped back.

"What!?"

"Is that true, Liliana?"

The Prince turned to her, his stern tone demanding an answer. After a pause, she gave a slight nod.

"...Yes, it’s true."

"I see. So, you must be the so-called heroes Liliana summoned."

"Hero or not, I’m one of the people she dragged here by force," I replied flatly.

"Hmm... And the so-called intruders—was it you?"

Glancing at Shimizu and Nagai’s unconscious forms, the Prince sighed, his disappointment evident.

"I told them, even if they excelled in dungeon exploration, their abilities were nothing remarkable. Sloppy to the end," he muttered.

"You...!"

The knights bristled at his words, but he paid them no mind. A prince’s perspective was undoubtedly broader than most, and he seemed unimpressed with the others.

"Now, let me get this straight," I began, glaring at him. "This Princess abducted us from Japan through summoning magic, enslaved us with those cursed collars, and even tried to kill some of us. What are you going to do about it?"

The Prince had walked in at the perfect moment. Now, it was time to lay out everything Liliana had done.