Chapter 92

Finally, we arrived at Elsie.

We sent a letter to Cyril in advance, so it shouldn't be a problem for us to arrive around this time.

As we approached the massive city walls, the gatekeepers came over.

I told Kuna and Anne to wait in the carriage and stepped outside.

It might have gone more smoothly if Kuna had come with me, but since the runaway girl Kuna looked somewhat awkward, I decided to talk first on my own.

"Welcome to Elsie. What brings you here today?"

An elf with a gentle demeanor asked with a smile.

Next to him was a red-haired fire fox woman.

Both were very attractive. Elves and fire foxes are known for their good looks.

"Today, I've come to meet the leader, Cyril. We made an agreement to come to Elsie the other day, and I sent a letter as well."

"Could it be..."

When I spoke, the gentle elf looked thoughtful, perhaps because he had heard about it in advance.

"It must be that. Look, Lady Kuna's..."

The woman standing next to him whispered in the man's ear.

"Is that so? If that's true, we can't let him live here."

"What are you saying? That's ridiculous!"

The gatekeepers discussed among themselves.

Once they reached a decision, the man turned back to me.

"Could you be Lord Soji?"

"Yes, I'm Soji. It's good to see that the message got through properly."

I don't want to waste time arguing with the gatekeepers.

Well, in the worst case, I could call Kuna, and she could get us in with her charm.

"Yes, I've heard from Sir Cyril. He said to guide you in as soon as you arrive. Apparently, you are Lady Kuna's fiancé."

They know that much.

During Anne's sword ceremony, Yuki's mischief led to Kuna and me becoming fiancés.

It seems this story has spread throughout Elsie.

"That's right. I'm Kuna's fiancé. I plan to stay in Elsie for a while with Kuna and one other person."

The man smiled.

For some reason, his hand, which was gripping a spear, was trembling from the force.

"I see. Lady Kuna has brought her fiancé to Elsie. I understand. If I kill you here... He's here! The enemy who kidnapped Lady Kuna, Soji, is here!"

Suddenly, the gentle man transformed and shouted.

The fire fox woman next to him clutched her head.

Then, elves and fire foxes appeared from all around.

"How dare you lay a hand on Lady Kuna!"

"Even if the gods forgive you, we won't!"

"We'll make you regret being born!"

There were about twenty of them, all armed and radiating a large amount of wind and fire mana.

Are you kidding me!? There are five or so here who are stronger than me in full health! The rest, while lower in rank, have excellent magical techniques. What a formidable group.

Then, their heightened magic power was released.

"Are you serious!?"

I raised my magic power to defend... but no, that's not necessary. This is fundamentally...

As I was thinking, a woman descended in front of me. She looked to be in her early twenties, with golden hair and a golden tail, a beautiful adult woman. She somewhat resembled Kuna.

The moment the men's magic was released, this woman leaped down from the outer wall of Elsie.

Is she trying to die? As I thought that, she took control of the fire released by the fire foxes and "burned" the wind released by the elves.

"What do you think you're doing? To be so disrespectful to my father's guest and my dear sister's fiancé."

The woman smiled gracefully. Her smile exuded an aura of authority that made people bow.

The elves and fire foxes trembled in shock.

"Oh no, it was just a little joke."

Then, the men who had been so aggressive started to cower.

"Is that so? A joke, a joke. Then, let me play a joke too. My joke is no joke, you know♪"

The faces of the elves and fire foxes twisted.

Overwhelming magic power burst from the woman, and fire mana was summoned from all around. Even the fire foxes' followers were forced to comply.

If this were released, everything around would turn to ashes.

I have to stop this. I searched for words and opened my mouth.

"Thank you for your help. But it seems they were really just joking, so please forgive them. The fire and wind were designed to just graze my nose and disperse or veer off."

I had seen through all their techniques.

It was a warning. They must have intended to surprise and mock me, Kuna's fiancé.

They didn't mean to harm me. Still... the sheer power and precision of their magic were terrifying. The techniques were grandiose but wasteful.

"Is what Soji said true?"

The men nodded frantically.

The beautiful golden fire fox woman sighed.

"If that's the case, I'll just give them a little pain."

In the next instant, all the men were blown away.

Each one was knocked down with a blow to the forehead.

What did she do!? The construction and release of the technique were too fast to understand.

"Soji, it's noisy. What's going on?"

Kuna appeared from the carriage.

"Ah, Sora-nee-sama."

"Kuna, you really came back."

The woman smiled.

Even though she was smiling, Kuna's tail bristled. That's Kuna's reaction when she's on maximum alert.

"Yes, I'm back. What happened here!? Everyone is holding their heads and crouching."

Kuna exclaimed in surprise as she looked at the men.

"These men tried to attack Soji, so I gave them a taste of their own medicine."

"They tried to do something terrible to Soji?"

Kuna exclaimed in shock and glared at the elves and fire foxes.

The fire fox woman, who was called Sora-nee-sama by Kuna, smiled wryly and spoke.

"Yes, they probably thought their beloved Kuna was being taken by an outsider."

Kuna ran to me and clung tightly to my arm.

"It's terrible to do such things to Soji. I'll start disliking all of you!"

The moment Kuna said that, every man except me looked devastated and collapsed, sobbing.

... The damage was more severe than when they were blown away by Kuna's sister.

"Apologize to Soji. Or I won't forgive you."

Kuna puffed her cheeks while clinging to me. Her chest pressed against me.

Stop it, Kuna. You're just pouring oil on the fire.

But the men were incredible.

Tears streaming down their faces, they glared at me, who was being clung to by Kuna, but still...

"We're sorry!"

They prostrated themselves.

They must have been desperate not to be disliked by Kuna.

What a show of manliness.

"Soji, can you forgive them since they've apologized?"

"Ah, yeah, it's fine."

Kuna looked relieved.

Kuna is so cute.

"That's good. Everyone, stand up. You mustn't do anything terrible to Soji again."

Kuna smiled.

The men, seeing Kuna, extended their noses.

Elsie might be doomed.

As I was stunned, the woman who seemed to be Kuna's sister spoke.

"Phew, that's settled. Everyone, stop slacking off and get back to your posts."

"Yes, ma'am."

At Kuna's sister's command, the men left.

"Soji, I'm sorry for the embarrassing scene. The men didn't have any ill intentions. They are just the extremists of the Kuna Security Force."

"Such an interesting group."

"...Yes, Kuna is very popular. She looks good and has a mysterious charm in her singing. It's a point that makes you want to protect her. Plus, more than anything... her lack of guard makes her seem easy to overpower."

"Sora-nee-sama, what are you saying? I've never heard of this before!"

I nodded inwardly.

Kuna is too defenseless. But that's good.

"Anyway, please come in. The leader, Cyril, is away until tomorrow. I, Sora Elsie, the acting leader, welcome you."

"Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm Soji. I'm a student in the Sealed City and Kuna's fiancé."

I shook hands firmly with Sora, and we stepped into Elsie.