Trapped in Another World With No Magicc
Chapter 170: A Grim Relic of What Could Have Been

The existence of magically-mutated beasts in the world of Zenkon is as inevitable as the sunrise. Mana is a powerful force of nature on this world, capable of a great many things that are known to its inhabitants, and an even greater number of mysteries.

It is widely known that the number and power of monsters, as the mutated beasts are called, is directly proportional to the mana that seems to concentrate into seemingly invisible pools. 

On the hunt for answers to the mystery of these apparent ‘pools’ of raw magic power, Daniel and his group, now with Ryuogriar having arrived due to an anomalous presence around Daniel, are investigating the fog-strangled marsh where the pol’vapporr was. 

“So what do we know? There are no aggressive beasts in the marsh, and Sir Neith looks adorably foolish when he hops around like a child, yes?” Ryuogriar’s jest has a serious, matronly tone, but quickly sums up what they’ve learned since entering the marsh; it’s relatively safe.

Wenlianna clears her throat. “Y-Yes, and the mana’s strength seems to settle right around… here.” Wenlianna stands in a specific spot nearby, showing how the mana detector has reached the peak through fine adjustments of the iris and motions of the device itself.

“I thought… I guess… I hoped it would be something tangible…” remarks Veiranoei, a knight of Mattarglos and the granddaughter of its Grand Premier.

There’s a moment of quiet as everyone collectively thinks for a moment.

Daniel is the first to speak. “It’s above or below us.”

“What?” asks Treia. Though she cares about the outcome, she is the least affected directly and less-invested in the mystery, making it easy to snap out of the disappointment.

The human from Earth clarifies, “Well, the detector only shows the strength of a signal, which is one dimensional by itself. Our ability to carry it on the ground we walk grants it two dimensions, generally speaking. If there is a physical core, we need to search all three dimensions.”

This resonates with the most educated members the quickest; Wenlianna, Lyrtef, and Gwenesphia each twitching as it strikes a chord with them. It’s basic geometry that Earth had defined long before the historical birth of Christ and the beginning of the modern annual count.

It's not that Daniel is the only one that would think of it, but he was ready for such a thing. A video game he played in high school had a mechanic for scanning solar systems that required placing scanners to create overlapping detection points to actually locate objects. This was one of the most elaborate scanning mechanisms he ever dealt with, and the player had to account for all three dimensions of space. Additionally, he had to practice radioactive spill and contamination drills using various radiacs to find as small as a single drop or two of radioactivity.

Radar and sonar work fine with or without accounting for height or depth in most cases because direction is the most important factor to get the eyes looking in the right direction. But, when searching for a small, non-visible target, every corner needs to be checked.

Daniel looks above them as he thinks out loud, “Unless it has been grown into one of these trees, it's most likely below us.”

“What if it is merely a stagnation of the natural flow of mana?” asks Aoloan. “Like a whirlpool in the water, or eddies in a stream.”

“If that’s the case… We’ll have to consider options. I don’t know if we can steal the mana, rather than place anti-magic objects, but I want to avoid that if we can.”

“Why not? I thought you said it was a good idea before,” replies Ryuogriar, not understanding her emperor’s change of mind.

“It seemed easy in theory, but our usage of anti-magic materials has made it obvious that the returns won’t be worth it. For starters, it would likely take a large amount of material to neutralize this much mana, and it would need replaced regularly. Without the Citadel, it’s completely impractical to neutralize more than a handful of locations like this, which I suspect there are many.” He looks at Neith. “First, let’s find out what we’re dealing with. Sir Neith? Would you do the honors.”

“It will be my genuine pleasure, my Liege.” Neith bows, and he sprouts his wings, requesting the detector from Wenlianna. “I’ll search high first, but your Grace Wenlianna, is it safe to assume this device will be unharmed by water?”

“Oh! Uh, yes. The magic circuitry and crystals are all made of the most recent designs, and enhanced magic crystals aren’t harmed by water, as you know.” She smiles, glancing at Daniel. “That said…” Her expression turns serious, and she adds a cautionary statement. “I don’t know how the water will affect the reading, so please keep that in mind.” She hands the device over to the dragon, who carries it with just his one hand, not bothering to use the shoulder strap to alleviate the weight.

“Understood, your Imperial Majesty. Excuse me for a moment.”

“You have one minute,” replies Ryuogriar sternly.

“Mukori, don’t put a time limit on him like that,” replies Daniel with a light laugh. Neith chuckles dryly as well, and the Dragon Empress huffs.

“If he chooses to behave like a loyal dog, he should be treated like a loyal dog. I simply have high expectations for him. He is a dragon after all.”

“You truly flatter me, your Grace. Please excuse me.” Neith bows briefly before taking off into the air to test the change in mana relative to the ground level.

The platinum dragon matriarch huffs as she crosses her arms, showing off every bit of her regal form. She gives Daniel a suspicious side-eye, adding in a low tone, “Mukori, I know what you did between them.”

“Between who?” asks Daniel, genuinely not knowing what she’s talking about. 

Neith lands on the ground, saying confidently, “The lights began disappearing the higher I ascended. I shall proceed towards the bottom of the hidden lake. Please excuse me once more.”

Neith uses wind magic to create hole through the floor of the foggy marsh, and he disappears into the water beneath without any hesitation.

Ryuogriar adds quietly, “What you’ve done for the… ahem, siblings. I know the prank that is a rotting branch waiting to snap that you have so deviously enacted, waiting for the result. But, I know both the meaning and the intent. That fool is doing his best, and his foolish sister talks about him more and more.” She cups her cheek, remarking admiringly, “It’s rather cute, honestly. I just wanted you to know I’m on your side.”

Daniel laughs. “I… see…”

“Who are you talking about?” asks Wenlianna innocently.

“Obviously, Ge-...” Daniel snatches hold of Treia to cover her mouth, saying quietly, “Shhh! She’ll be summoned if you say her name out loud.”

The gatonine narrows her eyes to scowl at him. When he releases her, she retorts dryly, “It’s kinda pathetic you’re afraid of your own Empress, Daniel.”

“Afraid? No. We’ll never get anything done if she shows up another time.”

“Ah…” replies the magic artisan who asked. “I know now.” She clears her throat. “Yes, let’s not trouble her. In fact, R-Ryuo-Mu-Mukori… Should either of you be the ones coming to our aid so… readily…?” She looks at the dragon’s belly, which is ready to pop.

“I will not remain if a prolonged battle is imminent. Though, I may quickly decide to take my Mukoris with me. I have no interest in this mission, other than the fact that it will bring even further glory and wealth to the Fievegal. But, there are monsters in the Fievegal’s territory.”

“That’s true, but Rohgattabor and Tyror were already known quantities to the denizens of Mattarglos. There aren’t many ‘natives’ of the Fievegal territories, and Grendel Six is still dealing with the Lesh-... Uh… Damn… What did I call that thing?”

“Kernuules,” replies Kera’tai. “Though, I think the goblins call it Koggus… something. Koggus comes from the goblin word for ‘forest’.”

“Probably ‘Koggus Gristak’, then,” replies Aoloan. “Goblins almost always name anything they bother to name after Alkus Gristak.”

Vaergraes clarifies for the non-demon-kin people present, “The goblin equivalent of the Land of Death. Goblins are actually extremely superstitious, but they only have a handful of widely shared myths and legends.”

“So… they just make up their own superstitions on the spot?” asks Wenlianna curiously.

“Yes. Even social goblins are far less social than humans, so it’s whatever they come to believe at the time.”

“In my experience,” starts Senn, who likely possesses the most experience of anyone present. “Superstitions, religions, myths, and legends all stem from a need to define the unknown, with or without the evidence to support them. Goblins live hasty, inattentive lives, typically, always residing in the present. If they’ve bothered to name a phenomenon, and further, decided to spread that phenomenon, it is truly impactful to them, or easily understood by their peers.”

“And, digging to deep into the ear-, uh, ground and dying is one that most goblins can relate to,” remarks Daniel, knowing from Shek and Skloe what Alkus Gristak means from a practical aspect. They either reach deep enough to suffocate from oxygen deprivation, hit the water table, or even reach magma. It must be common enough that the goblins as a whole seem to fear Alkus Gristak as a human of Earth might fear Hell.

Neith returns from his subaquatic excursion, climbing out of the water rather gracelessly. He doesn’t seem to be abundantly out of breath, but he is completely drenched and waterlogged.

“Pardon my ragged appearance and my delay, my glorious Imperial Rulers. I had to dig once I reached the basin of the lake. I found this…”

The grey dragon approaches and kneels before presenting an object in both hands, like a historical knight of Earth presenting a trinket of great significance.

However, it sends a quiet chill over everyone present, and Daniel can feel his own heart tighten, as if being squeezed. It’s almost identical to what he felt the day the curse took effect on him.

It’s very much not a dragon’s egg. Daniel recognizes it quickly, though its strange shape and pitch-black color probably wouldn’t immediately register to those who did not spend their formative years watching wildlife shows. 

For those who would recognize a ‘mermaid’s purse’ for what it is, this would be a mermaid’s shoplifting bag.

“Wh-What is that thing?” asks Treia, clearly the first to readily admit that she doesn’t know what it is.

With horror staining her face, Ryuogriar murmurs, “I-It can’t be…”

“Such power… radiating off of something so small…?” murmurs Vaergraes. Even Daniel can feel a light pressure that seems to be coming off it, like a feeling of static electricity, or the most faintly-detectable breeze.

“It’s an egg,” replies Daniel, surprising everyone that looks at him. Even Neith didn’t seem to know what he was holding.

“Th-The pol’vapporr?” asks Veiranoei urgently. “We must find the-...”

“No,” replies Daniel. He searches through his bag as he approaches the grey knight. The mechanic withdraws a magic-crystal flashlight, and he twists the body to engage the mana crystal and turn it on. A bright beam of light comes out of the device, and Daniel holds it under the egg.

Ryuogriar’s legs give out as everyone studies the shadow cast through the egg’s faintly transparent shell. She flops to the ground on her hands and knees, staring silently at the ground as tears form in her eyes. Though small, there are shadows of an embryo within, and it already possesses distinctive triangular protrusions from its head, though folded back, a fox-like muzzle, and a proportionally large tail, though there is no apparent fur or hair on it.

Regardless, the shape is pretty easily distinguishable.

It’s a baby feldrok.

Ryuogriar vomits on the ground, horrified, and Neith trembles, visible in the shadows because of his hands. “Is… Is that… a feldrok egg?” asks Kera’tai, her voice trembling. “It… It doesn’t look anything like an egg…”

“Some sharks on Earth lay eggs like this,” replies Daniel, studying the embryo for any signs of movement. Given the location, any normal terrestrial being would long be dead and rotten. “Or rather, it’s an ‘egg case’.”

Neith murmurs, “I… I always thought… they were just jewelry feldroks sometimes wore…”

When they look at him, he adds, “Th-... They would wear them… on their chests, mostly. Adorned with precious metals or other decorations… I… I never would have guessed…”

Daniel replies quietly, “The tendrils are perfect for entangling the eggs to their fur, so that they could carry them without tying up their foreclaws, but also secure them in a nest virtually anywhere.” The human touches the egg, saying softly, “Come on, little one… Move… show me even the smallest sign of life… please…”

Everyone is quiet, except for Ryuogriar who is sobbing on the ground as she whimpers, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I was a coward… I didn’t… I couldn’t… I’m so sorry…”

Senn finally speaks up, “Daniel…”

“Don’t say it,...” replies the human, knowing what she’s going to say. “Please…” Senn nods, remaining silent.

“Why would an egg cause the anomaly?” asks Kuboen quietly. He wants to be respectful, but they did all come on the mission for a purpose. “Wouldn’t that mean Hekate is a walking source of monsters?”

Goelselmo quietly growls, “Mind your words, Kuboen. She is the Empress of the Fievegal.”

Kuboen is quiet, but he nods in understanding. “Apologies…”

“It’s fine, and I’m not sure…” replies Daniel quietly. That certainly could be the case, since Hekate nearly became a corrupted monster herself like the Devourer when she absorbed its immense amount of mana collected over centuries, which far exceeded the amount she absorbed from Lugrae when he perished.

“I-If I may…” starts Wenlianna, and everyone gives their attention to her. She points at the mana device, which Neith shouldered upon his return. “Why… is it not showing a high degree of clean mana? It’s showing… almost nothing.”

Daniel looks at the mana detector, and he flinches. It’s also showing almost no raw mana, either.

“Neith, did you adjust the mana detector any further?”

“My liege? Oh…” The dragon looks towards his hip where the device rests, and he notices what Daniel is pointing out. “No, it was reading nearly maximum when I dug up the egg, your Grace.”

“What does that mean?” asks Peiburi. “Was there some sort of spell on it or something?”

“None. I checked fur curses once I discovered the egg, but there was nothing cast on it. It simply radiated mana. Enough to make me feel nauseous, which I only ever felt in the presence of Lugrae, the Feral Feldrok, on one of the few attempts I made to infiltrate the Citadel after his awakening.”

“Lugrae was born powerful and aggressive,” replies Daniel. “He had to have been in order to chase Morty out of the Citadel itself. He couldn’t be fooled the same way as his parents because he was an instinct-driven apex predator. And, because he recognized dragons as his enemies, they couldn’t even get close to the Citadel without being hunted.”

“There are thousands of monsters produced every day… Are all of them feldrok eggs?” asks Aoloan. Daniel notices her expression seems more serious than just curious. He’s almost certain she’s the one being used as an infiltrator, but it’s difficult to tell if she’s being mind-controlled, or if she’s the one pulling her own strings. He’s leaning towards the former, but she still acts like herself, making it difficult to tell for certain.

That said, he’s almost certain it’s not a magical contract, because he has seen enough of her body to know there is no contract mark.

Though, he also has never asked if contract marks can be hidden, since clothing covers them easily enough, and Doephluev has dozens of invisible tattoos on her body.

“That’s impossible,” replies Neith. “They would have been discovered by now.”

“Are you certain, Sir Neith?” asks Gwenesphia. “Their locations are often swarming with monsters as a result…”

Daniel agrees with Neith. “I don’t think it’s exclusively feldrok eggs. The fact that the effect seems to have dispelled for now suggests we’re back to what Aoloan mentioned earlier; a stagnation of mana.”

“Mana can pass through almost anything, though,” replies Vaergraes. “The entire world contains some amount of mana.”

The group collectively thinks for a moment.

“For now, let us return,” suggests Baron Goelselmo. “I’ll request the Grand Premier’s cooperation to provide mages to analyze the egg. Assuming the Fievegal wishes to leave the investigation to us.”

“You’re right,” replies Daniel. “But, we’re committed to the outcome as well. We don’t have many scholarly mages, but we’ll tackle the mystery together.” He carefully takes the egg from Neith, saying, “We’ll store the egg for now. I don’t know if anything can be done to save this child, but it’s strange that the embryo didn’t decay into a protein soup, as grim as that sounds.”

“Wait…” croaks out Ryuogriar wearily, finally looking up. “M-Mukori… P-Please… Let me… carry the child.”

“Mukori…” murmurs Daniel. She quickly urges, though her voice is still ragged, “Please, Mukori! Please let me carry it. Please. Please…”

Daniel silently hands over, unable to watch her beg so desperately. “Ryuo,... none of it is your fault…”

“I… I could have… I could have hidden some… or… I could have… I…” She hugs the egg, beginning to cry again. Daniel kneels down and hugs her, trying to comfort her.

“Mukori…”

“If I hadn’t been so selfish… so hung up on my own tragedy…”

“The answer is simple, Mukoris,” states Wenlianna, trying to have a chipper and confident tone. She declares proudly as she adjusts her glasses, “We’ll track down as many of the anomaly sites as we can, because maybe more of them will be feldrok eggs. Maybe all of them. Then, Hekate won’t be the last one if we can hatch any of them, and we’ll raise them together.”

Ryuogriar keeps crying, but she nods against Daniel’s shoulder. The mechanic smiles at the brunette, who is happy to have helped a little.

“Let’s return and begin planning out what to do next,” replies Daniel. “It seems this area is clear for now, but we’ll send another team later to confirm the anomaly is tied to the egg.”

Senn offers in addition, “If we can narrow it down a stagnation of mana, perhaps having powerful mages visit each site and use spells to ‘stir up the magic energy’ can help.”

“Definitely worth a shot. We’re working to figure it out, and if we can disrupt the epicenter of the anomalies, it might be as easy as permanently fixing the issue, or something that can be done routinely.”

“Certainly preferable if we can handle it ourselves with a team of mages,” points out Lyrtef. “Even our Barony can muster a handful of our own people with enough magic to cast some spells.”

“Yes, that would be perfectly acceptable if it means we can prevent monster incursions,” agrees Goelselmo.

“Sounds like a plan,” replies Daniel. “Neith, let Hekate and Doephluev know to meet us at the airship. We have enough information to crunch for now, and Grendel Six’s mission may shed more light on the situation.”

“As you wish, my Liege.”

Daniel comforts Ryuogriar for a little longer as a majority of the team heads out to secure the landing zone. Neith stands guard along with Kera’tai, Wenlianna, Aoloan, and Vaergraes, and the blonde Dragon Empress cries for a bit longer, still clinging to the feldrok egg.

Daniel’s not sure why it didn’t rot, nor why it became the epicenter of a ‘pool’ of stagnated mana, but for now, they’ll have to remain patient and keep gathering information.

And, with the negotiation summit with Mornistae on the immediate horizon, it would be reckless to continue wandering around instead of getting everyone rested and briefed for the negotiations.

The ladies also need to discuss how to behave at the summit, since the goal this time is to actually end the conflict and, if possible, lure out Aoloan’s true intentions or her master, whichever the case may be.

Today is one of those days where I really wish I could just be a blue-collar worker again… thinks the wayward mechanic to himself. Or, a ‘Harbinger of Calamity’ that lives peacefully in seclusion because everyone’s actually afraid of provoking him…

***

Commander Nesparu studies the discovery his team made minutes ago. A campfire is being maintained off of the path heading towards Mattarglos, with a handful of mercenaries, a merchant wagon loaded with crates of goods, and a honey-hued brunette woman wearing strange, skin-revealing clothing only partially covered by a robe. She isn’t wearing a dress or skirt of any kind, nor is she wearing riding pants. Her legs are visible to all the world in an indecent show of vulgarity.

Just like she was when she appeared in this world.

The problem is the mercenaries. One of the men is a gatonine, and another is a shenwulf. Regardless of the human mercenary, the two non-humans are almost a perfect round-off for a mercenary team thanks to their heightened senses and formidable physical abilities. Humans are said to have the tactical advantage during the day because they generally have well-rounded abilities compared to other human-kin, but at night, shenwulves and gatonines are rather unmatched.

Nesparu’s team has the small group outnumbered, but from what they’ve seen, the woman is worth dozens of soldiers alone. A frontal assault isn’t an option. 

However… She has shown a strong desire to help people, in spite of being from another world. Is that simply a trait of Divine Summons?

The Commander looks at his team, which consists of mostly humans, but he has a couple of gatonines at his disposal.

She fled from the castle without warning, but she seems to be cooperating with these mercenaries. If there is any level of loyalty present…

He takes a breath and exhales quietly, lest he alert whichever of the two beastkin that might hear him.

It’s a gamble, but I don’t know how else we can capture her. If mithril bindings can’t hold her… Let’s hope magic can do it.

Nesparu looks to his second in command on his left side. He receives an affirmative nod, and Nesparu writes in the dirt to his right for the gatonine sergeant to read.

“[Sergeant, once the target is asleep, take the gatonines and capture the mercenaries alive as quietly as possible. We’ll move into position to surround the group, but it is imperative the girl does not wake up before we have control of her allies.]”

The sergeant gives an affirmative gesture, and the group spreads out to keep an eye on the woman until she goes to sleep. They’ll have one shot.

I should make a few extra preparations… His Imperial Majesty will forgive a minor clerical error if it means we secure his Divine Summon. She cost the Empire a great many well-respected and skilled mages. Though I doubt it, I sincerely hope she can repay that debt.

Nesparu retreats to the main group, requesting a pen and paper. He begins writing carefully with his most official and steady hand possible.

“Serrentuk…”

The elven man appears from the shadows. It’s unknown what the full circumstances are, but the elven sage has been mute ever since Nesparu can remember, having served Nesparu’s family for generations. The other family servants said basically the same thing, no matter their age; Serrentuk never speaks to anyone.

Regardless, he has proven to be loyal time and again. “Serrentuk, I’ll be counting on you if the other parts of the plan fail.”

Messy, pure white hair nearly obscures grey, lifeless-seeming eyes. But, Nesparu knows Serrentuk has power on par with the legendary Senn, in spite of his sluggish and disaffected appearance.

The sage dips his head in obedience, dissolving into the shadows once more. Serrentuk’s abilities are dangerous to everyone around, especially his innate skill. 

But, if Nesparu’s first plan doesn’t work, he’s going to need an insurance plan, no matter what it costs. He knows Serrentuk will pull through, but if it can be avoided, he hopes his first plan will work.

That said, what he’s writing is going to need to be convincing if it’s going to succeed.

***

Zuzia checks her messages on her phone as she settles into her sleeping bag. She has a couple of messages from Amalaskae, who has enjoyed communicating with Zuzia every night before bed, and a handful of times during the day.

The Polish woman can’t help but smile.

“[Zuzu! Let me know if you need anything. I might be able to sneak you some beer or something, but it’ll probably take a little time.] [I got lectured today, so I have to behave for a while. But, Ryukana told me that she has been scolded many times, so as long as I don’t cross the line TOO much, I’m happy to help you! ;) ]”

Zuzia starts typing, replying with a smile that won’t leave her face. “[Don’t be reckless, Amala. I’m fine. Though, next time we get some time, I wouldn’t mind sharing some drinks with you.]”

Seconds pass before she gets a reply. “[Consider it done, Zuzu! <3 <3 <3]”

“[Oh! While I’m thinking of it, have you looked into what kind of guy this Daniel is? I’m not becoming part of his harem.]”

“[You don’t have to worry about that! I wouldn’t let him steal you from me! Heeheehee!] [More importantly, though, he doesn’t seem to be like that.] [What I mean is, he doesn’t force anyone to be in his harem.]”

“[What about the rumors about… little girls?]”

“[Ryukana mentioned those rumors are spreading fairly quickly. But, nothing inappropriate. Hekate is young, but they maintain a platonic relationship. If anything, it’ll be a relief to have you keeping him in check! ;P ]”

“[Understood. Thanks, Amala!]”

“[Of course! I’m restricted from what I can do to intervene, but I swear I won’t let you die. So, no matter what shenanigans he tries to pull, just do your best to be safe, and I’ll figure something out!]”

Zuzia smiles, touching her phone. She’s not sure why there are so many rules on God’s angels, but it’s also not so surprising. If angels could intervene in every little problem, the journey of life would have no meaning. Her grandfather taught her that when they were hiking up a particularly tall mountain. Zuzia complained about the summit being so far away and the climb being too difficult, but he encouraged her with saying, “That’s what makes it an accomplishment. If it was flat, it wouldn’t mean anything, right? It’d just be walking across a parking lot. It’s the same with life. The challenge is what proves our strengths and dedication.”

I miss you, Grandpa…

“[I’ll be counting on you to rescue me, Amala. ;P]”

“[Leave it to me! <3]”

“[Thanks. Love you, Amala! Good night!]”

“[Oooo! I love you too! Good night, my sweet Zuzu!]”

Zuzia is just about to put her phone away when a picture comes through. She instinctively looks at it, but she just as quickly presses her phone to her chest to hide it, since she’s not exactly in a completely private setting.

The goofy angel just sent the brunette a revealing torso picture with “Karaluchy pod poduchy!”  [A/N 1] written in what appears to be drizzled fried cheese, which looks positively lewd, and Zuzia’s cheeks feel like they just lit on fire with embarrassment. She glances around desperately, confirming no one is nearby enough to see. She glances at the picture again as a final message comes from the devious angel. “Słodkich snów, kochanie! [Sweet dreams, darling!]”

Zuzia giggles to herself, feeling a little hot and anxious seeing the image. Are you really an angel, Amala? Or, are you a demon?

The amused otherworlder sends a devil, fire, and heart-eyes emotes in reply, locking her phone and using the trick Amalaskae showed her to unsummon it so it can’t be stolen. 

If I can’t fall asleep, Amala, I’m holding you responsible.

She shifts in her sleeping bag, trying to find the right comfortable position.

I wonder what kind of cheese that was…

The picture she saw dances through her mind, and she can’t help but be distracted by it. She rolls onto her side, squirming her legs.

Darn you, you succubus. You really are a demon.

In her frustration, the Polish woman squeezes her hands into fists between her thighs, trying to resist. Sh-... Should I message her? But, if I keep ‘meditating’ too often… Gah! I…

Snap.

Zuzia halts all her thoughts. It was an innocuous sound, and given the fire being maintained by Wulfsten for the moment, it’s not especially out of place.

However, perhaps due to her anxiousness or sheer dumb luck, she becomes more alert because of it.

It could be one of the watchstanders checking something, or enough time has passed in her failure to fall asleep thanks to Amalaskae that they’re swapping out.

But, her gut tells her something is wrong.

Zuzia summons her phone and requests her bear spray, which Amalaskae sends without hesitation. She does add a warning, “Be careful, Zuzu. Y-You’re surrounded.”

Damn! Thinks Zuzia to herself. She swiftly darts out towards the fire, and she finds Verbert struggling against two more gatonines as they bind him. He’s already gagged and growling as loudly as he can, which Halkadon should hear with ease.

She glances towards where the shenwulf mercenary should be sleeping, but he, too, has been ambushed by a trio of gatonines.

Likewise, Wulfsten is dragged out of the darkness, already bound and gagged.

“You…” growls Zuzia, just about to spring an attack. The soldiers notice her and swiftly draw daggers against the necks of all three mercenaries, causing her to hesitate.

“I hope you found a way to understand me,” states a male voice from behind Zuzia, and she keeps her footing to look over her shoulder. 

She doesn’t know the factions of this world, but the man is obviously a higher rank officer compared to the soldiers that captured her companions.

“We need to have a brief discussion, Otherworlder Summon.”

Hearing this surprises the mercenaries. They had to have had suspicions, but they never pried into Zuzia’s background too much.

Given that he knows about it, this man must be part of the people who tried to summon her. Amalaskae said another Earthling named Rikuto was present at the castle, and she remembers hearing English words, but she was too panicked to pay attention to anything other than escaping.

She could try to play dumb, but unless she plans on abandoning her new friends, she has very little to gain from that.

“You have me at a disadvantage, Sir…?”

At least for now, she’s going to have to play along. Given the smirk the military officer gives her, she’s playing right into his hands.

***

A/N 1: “karaluchy pod poduchy” literally translates to “Cockroaches under the pillows”. While not as charming translated into English, it is a humorous and lighthearted way to wish someone “sweet dreams” while wishing them a good night, usually playfully used for children. Part of the longer phrase: “Kolorowych snów, karaluchy pod poduchy, a szczypawki to zabawki” meaning “Sweet dreams, cockroaches under the pillow, and earwigs are toys.” The rhymes of the words are what are intended to make it further humorous in Polish. Sincere thank you to Sparrolek for clarifying some things for me.

***

~Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! Thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy my story!~