Alvanio grabbed my shoulders, making me look into his gray eyes.

Ugh, his eyes never fail to amaze me.

He leaned in and put his hand on the back of my neck, making me feel nervous.

"Uh- Marquess?" Seriously, what do you want to do?

"Just be quiet for a moment."

...

Slap

"Ouch... Lady squirrel, you're fierce." Alvanio stroked his red cheek because I slapped him.

"Who told you to come closer? My brother always says to slap anyone who comes close."

"Pft-" Alvanio laughed loudly, making me look at him strangely.

"The Alfaret family's upbringing was admirable... Marquess Fabian, your action just now was very dishonorable." Julian looked at Alvanio in displeased.

Uh- actually... it's my brother in the real world- I mean, this world is real but, well, you know-

Alvanio stopped his laughter as best he could. "Don't get me wrong, I only took this." He showed me the purple pearl necklace I had been wearing.

I spontaneously grab my neck, which now has nothing on it. "Huh? What's my necklace for?"

Alvanio looked at me strangely. "What for? Are you kidding me? You know what this is for, right?"

...I don't think I know it. For real, what is that thing?

"?? Isn't that one of those? I just noticed it." Julian's words made me more confused.

Alvanio sighed. "This is a crystal made by your brother, whose name is famous throughout the country."

"Huh? Isn't it supposed to be black?"

"According to my estimates, it's been used once."

Uh... Was it pebble- I mean marble from that time?

"Whatever then. Crown prince, I only need your orders and approval."

"Of course, I approve because this concerns our kingdom's fate. You have my full approval."

"Great then!" Alvanio smiled and slammed the marble on the floor.

Purple smoke came out quickly until it filled the room.

Alvanio beaming with light. "Ah... That is! That feeling was great!"

A few seconds later, all the smoke gathered into one and disappeared, replaced by a familiar figure.

"...What does this mean." Damarius' distinctive voice entered my ears. In that second, Damarius' gaze spontaneously locked with mine.

"Lord Alfaret, it is an honor to meet you." Alvanio gave a friendly smile.

Damarius ignored him. Instead, he examined me from head to toe and then looked around.

He just looked at Julianus for a moment, then nodded like how a normal person greet each other.

...What the heck?

Without being bothered, Julianus responded with a short nod and a friendly smile.

Alright, what the heck is this?! I'm speechless!

"So cold. Anyways, crown prince, now it's your turn with your power to shine."

Julianus smiled reluctantly. "Lord Alfaret, sorry for summoning you suddenly through an intermediary who is your younger sister. Because the current situation is urgent, I hope you can help us in this case."

"Say."

... Say? That's it? Wait, who has more power here?

"I want you to arrest a group of people who previously gathered here by tracking them through the traces of magic used. If possible, arrest them all without exception."

Damarius glanced at me then sighed deeply. He took a deep breath and then raised his hand. Right after his palm opened, a faint purple light appeared, spreading to cover the entire room.

My eyes, which were strangely undisturbed by the light, saw the process of forming the light that gathered into arrows and numbers in a few seconds.

"Not too far..." Damarius clapped his hands together as hard as he could.

"Crack it."

A crack in the air appeared, making me amazed.

Then he put his palm in and grabbed the crack from the inside. He stretched his arms to the sides, widening the crack into a portal.

"This is very interesting. I want to try it sometime." Alvanio smiled brightly with an expression of admiration.

Uh... But you don't have magic powers, right?

I turned my attention back to Damarius who stepped away from the portal. He stretched his arm forward.

"Take it." From the palm of his hand emerged a light that radiated like a laser. He grabbed the light and then pulled his hand with all his might.

A group of people came out of the portal while being bound by magic altogether. There were 6 of them, and William was not among them.

Sigh... As I thought, he succeeded and ran away like usual.

Alvanio squatted in front of them and laughed. "Very efficient! They are the people I saw earlier. By the way, look at their expressions, aren't they interesting?"

Uh... I think you're the only one who likes this situation.

Damarius stood in front of me, looking at me intensely.

Huh? What?

I looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

He came closer and put his head on my shoulder, making me freeze in surprise. "I thought you were in danger."

I grabbed both of his shoulders and pushed him back.

"You surprised me!" Don't attack my heart so suddenly! I could die young because of your behavior and handsome face!

Damarius scowled in displeasure, making me reflexively release my grip.

He came back closer and hugged me. "You're the one that surprised me. I gave you that thing for emergencies if you were in danger."

I returned his hug hesitantly. "Uh, this is also an emergency, right? I mean, this concerns the fate of the kingdom that we live in."

Over Damarius' shoulder, I could see Alvanio and Julianus looking at my interaction with Damarius with expressions I couldn't decipher.

Uh... It's starting to make me embarrassed...

I pushed him back as soft as I can, making our eyes meet.

"About that, I realize that it was my mistake. But as you can see, I had no other choice. I apologize for the trouble I caused you." Julianus looked at Damarius with a guilty expression.

"Yup, completely this guy's fault." Alvanio smiled without feeling any shame.

...I'm speechless.

Damarius turned around, giving off a sinister aura.

I tried to change the topic desperately.

"Uhm... So... What should we do to them?" I pointed at William's subordinates, who looked anxious.

Damarius said something quietly that I could hear. "I want to burn them into ashes."

Seriously? Come on! Isn't that too extreme?

"Ho? I think it's a great idea to burn some of the rubbish that fills this world. Since there are still other members, I agree if they're gone." Alvanio said that happily and without hesitation, giving me goosebumps.

Crazy... I forgot that all target capture is crazily dangerous...

Julianus cleared his throat. "For now, put them in the palace prison. There could be information we can dig up from them."

Agree! Damn, Julian! Looks like you're the only normal one in this room besides me!

"After that, you can decide their fate. You can burn them to your heart's content." He continued, making me retract my previous thoughts immediately.

"Sweet! That's the right decision. Isn't that good news?" Alvanio patted one of the rebels on the shoulder.

You guys are crazy... Ah... Poor them...