One hour later...
On a wide and interconnected avenue, a black stretch limousine was driving along, heading in one direction.
The driver's seat and the passenger compartment of the limousine were completely separated, so the people sitting in the back couldn't see the driver, and the driver couldn't see what was happening in the compartment, ensuring that the conversations and any events occurring inside could not be peeped by outsiders.
This was a mode of transportation used only by individuals of extremely high status, particularly those whose work involved a great need for confidentiality.
And yet, all Kaiser had done was have Mariya Yuri place a call to Sayanomiya Kaoru, merely expressing a desire to take a look at Nikkō City, and the other party immediately dispatched such a stretch limousine to serve as their vehicle, allowing the four of them to safely head toward Nikkō City in Tochigi Prefecture.
The compartment was also spacious enough that even with Kaiser, Mariya Yuri, Erica, and Liliana seated inside, it didn't feel cramped—on the contrary, it felt quite roomy.
At the moment, Kaiser and Erica were sitting together, while opposite them were Mariya Yuri and Liliana—the four of them sitting face-to-face, giving the impression of riding a train or high-speed rail, not a car.
Of course, it was one thing for Kaiser and Mariya Yuri to sit facing each other, but the atmosphere between Erica and Liliana sitting opposite one another could hardly be called pleasant.
"Say, Lili, clinging on so persistently really isn't like your style, is it?" Erica folded her arms, crossed her legs, looked at Liliana sitting opposite, and smiled. "You're just a maid, you really have neither the need nor the reason to follow us to the front lines, do you?"
"Shut up. I already told you not to call me Lili." Liliana sat far more properly than Erica, with her back straight and hands resting neatly on her knees, glaring at Erica. "Don't think you can push me aside, you vixen. I'm not going to just sit by and watch you corrupt a new King with your vile behavior."
"That's really a harsh thing to say. Haven't you broken your habit of spouting nonsense when you get nervous and excited?" Erica smiled easily. "As a knight, you should be more elegant, don't you think?"
"Don't try to influence me with your twisted ideas. As a knight, all I need is to be honest and upright." Liliana snorted coldly. "Elegance? You just say things that sound nice, but in the end, your aim is definitely to scheme against me, to toy with me, right?"
"That's such a huge misunderstanding." Erica put on an innocent face. "Lili and I are friends—how could I possibly toy with you?"
"You're pretending to be dumb now?" Liliana suddenly grew agitated and shouted, "Have you forgotten? Two years ago, when I foolishly agreed to watch a movie with you, you tricked me with sweet words and forced me to see a romance film with intense bed scenes!"
The moment she said that, Mariya Yuri sitting beside her instantly widened her eyes, and her delicate face flushed red.
"Oh ho?"
Even Kaiser, who had been watching the scene, nearly choked on his own saliva, instantly pricking up his ears and paying close attention.
"I didn't know it was that kind of movie either," Erica still wore an innocent expression, but her gaze toward Liliana became teasing. "Besides, weren't you quite enjoying it at the time? I remember you were so captivated halfway through that you were completely entranced, weren't you?"
Now it was Liliana's turn to blush.
"I—I was just momentarily confused… and I wasn't entranced! Stop spouting nonsense!"
Perhaps recalling what happened at the time, Liliana quickly changed the subject.
"And last year, when you said you were buying me clothes as a gift, you dragged me out without a word, shoved me into the fitting room of a boutique, and handed me a bunch of shameless outfits that were cut wide open at the chest and back, even showing the navel! When I refused to wear them, you even took my clothes away!"
Liliana nearly forgot how she managed to escape and make it home that time.
In order to stop her from summoning her combat outfit with magic, this woman even placed magical interference on her, making it impossible to use magic.
So, Liliana had no choice but to wrap herself up like a rice dumpling in the curtain and flee in haste, drawing countless strange looks along the way…
The shame from that time surged back to her heart, making Liliana's hand itch to draw the Il Maestro again.
Meanwhile, Erica remained composed as ever, smiling brightly.
"Weren't those outfits quite beautiful?" Erica blinked and said, "I even bought the same styles for myself and wore them home. What's the problem?"
What's the problem?
There were huge problems!
Liliana looked silently at Erica's proud chest, then at her own shy, budding flower, and felt that the world was full of malice.
Those high-slit outfits—if she wore them, they would surely slip right off onto the floor, leaving her with nothing. But if Erica wore them, she'd look like a real succubus. The rate of heads turning on the street would be a full hundred percent. Especially the men—their eyes would practically fall into the deep slit of that dress.
Don't ask how she knew what would happen if she wore those clothes. If you must ask—it's because she eventually couldn't resist trying them on at home…
Fortunately, it was at home. If it had been outside, Liliana felt she might have seriously considered summoning a Heretic God to destroy either the world or herself.
At this moment, Kaiser finally broke his silence.
"What kind of clothes are those, exactly?" Kaiser spoke up, his tone serious. "Don't misunderstand—I just want to know how pretty those clothes are."
"If the King wants to see them, I'll have the maids send them over when we get back," Erica immediately offered sweetly. "I'll wear them for you tonight. Yuri should try them too—her figure may not match mine, but she'd still fit just fine."
"W-what?" Mariya Yuri was startled, waving her hands and shaking her head in panic, her face burning. "I don't need them! And they don't suit me! Please don't make me wear them!"
Just hearing it made Mariya Yuri feel like she would die of embarrassment. If she really had to wear something like that, she might truly consider death.
Chest and back cut wide open, even the navel showing… No, no! Absolutely can't wear that kind of outfit!
"Great idea." Kaiser, however, seemed completely unaware of her resistance, nodding solemnly. "Mariya does need some new clothes. She's always in either her school uniform or shrine maiden attire. A blossoming young girl shouldn't be dressing like that all the time."
"How about this—have the clothes brought to me first. I'll personally help her pick."
Faced with the King's request, how could Erica, a loyal knight, possibly refuse?
"Understood, my King. I'll have it arranged right away."
Erica readily agreed.
Immediately, Mariya Yuri felt like her world had collapsed.
"Damn fox woman! You really do take pleasure in toying with others! Don't think you can egg the King on to do these lewd things with you!"
Liliana finally exploded, pulling out her Il Maestro.
The entire limousine compartment instantly filled with clattering chaos. The tires lost balance, causing the limousine to skid several times, spinning wildly and startling the cars passing by. Some people even misunderstood, imagining who knows what, and wore perverted expressions.
As for the driver—tears were already streaming down his face.
"Since when did being a chauffeur become a high-risk job? Maybe I really should quit…"
Today's driver, Touma Amakasu, was utterly defeated.
...
Nikkō City, outskirts.
By the time the stretch limousine arrived in this place in a suspiciously battered and broken state, the commotion in the compartment had finally subsided.
Kaiser and his group disembarked from the vehicle, each in different states.
Erica and Liliana alighted shoulder to shoulder—one with a smile, the other with a face full of indignation.
Mariya Yuri looked thoroughly shaken, clearly still affected by the earlier experience, which had been a bit too intense for the delicate Hime-Miko.
As for Kaiser… he appeared completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened. The moment he stepped out, his eyes immediately turned to the front.
What first entered his sight was a massive torii gate.
Yes, a torii.
On the outskirts of Nikkō City, not only had multiple torii gates been erected, but also other elements that shouldn't have been present—such as Buddhist altars, sacrificial platforms, high platforms, bonfires, and banners.
They were arranged in an orderly fashion, surrounded by people dressed in priestly robes, monk attire, shrine maiden garments, and pure white robes.
Some of them were sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, others were chanting spells, and some were dancing while holding ritual implements—altogether creating a scene filled with solemn and sacred atmosphere.
"This is really…"
"So these are this country's magicians?"
Erica and Liliana's attention was immediately captured, their expressions growing serious.
They could clearly tell—this area had become a ritual market full of Magical Power.
The natural environment had turned into a sacred domain, and the flowing air had become ancient and mysterious, causing a vast force to rise like smoke, winding its way around all of Nikkō City.
This force resembled a barrier, as it blocked the abnormal divine power from flowing out of Nikkō City, yet it also acted like a flame, filled with aggression, continuously rushing inward toward the city.
Under the influence of this force, the transformed Nikkō City's power could not spread outward, and was now entangled with it, engaged in a fierce struggle.
"Quite the grand spectacle."
"The power of this country is clearly higher than I imagined."
Erica and Liliana each gave their opinions.
Kaiser watched for a while, then turned to Mariya Yuri.
"Can you see anything? Mariya?"
At those words, Mariya Yuri pushed down the swirling emotions in her heart and turned her attention seriously toward the city ahead.
In her eyes, a faint ghostly light began to gather.