Rollercoaster Terror and Lobster Dreams
I used mana to yank those bastards up to the ceiling, then slammed them back down to the floor like they were on a rollercoaster. The hall doubled as a banquet venue, so the ceiling was ridiculously high. Dropping from that height in one go would feel just like leaping from a skyscraper—the sheer terror would course through every fiber of their bodies.
"Hiiik…!"
Watching them scream in unison, I repeated the process a few times.
"Ububup…! Beop…! Brub…!"
"Ah, this uncle wants to answer first?"
One guy stepped up as the first to talk, so I kept rolling the others through various patterns while unbinding only his mouth.
"W-We’re prominent figures even in the Holy Empire, how dare a punk like you…"
"Ah, weren't you gonna answer? I didn't unbind you to hear bullshit."
"N-No, no, that's not it! I'll answer…!"
As I moved to rebind his mouth, he hurriedly switched to polite speech and changed his tune.
"A-Actually, we asked His Holiness if we could meet the Saintess and… do this and that…"
"This and that? I'm so innocent, I have no idea what you mean."
I grinned wide, prodding him for a proper answer.
"C-Conversation… with that body…!"
"And His Holiness approved that?"
Even without blood ties, he didn't strike me as the type to greenlight something like that. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover. And no matter how much higher up the totem pole the Holy Emperor was than the Saintess, he had no right to just hand her over like that.
"Whatever. I'll grill His Holiness separately later. For now, looks like you guys aren't making it home tonight."
I rebound their mouths, hoisted them into the air again, and started cycling mana to wring them out right up to the brink of death.
"Ha, that jerk. Dumping his crap on me again 'cause he's too lazy."
Estelle, who'd been watching, let out a deep sigh and spoke up.
"That guy, the Holy Emperor—he's always shoving people he wants dealt with onto me instead of handling it himself. He probably knows my temper well enough to figure I wouldn't let these scum slide."
Apparently, he often rounded up Estelle's admirers from among the people he disliked and engineered situations like this. Estelle wasn't one to stay quiet, and if she created witnesses like maids or attendants who'd seen it all, those guys would face demotion at minimum—or worse—on top of whatever beating they got.
"Anyway, I survived this time thanks to you, Theo-nim."
Hmm. I'd jumped in without thinking because I got pissed, but honestly, with Estelle's skills, she probably could've handled those losers even without me.
"Truth is, dealing with that many at once would've been tough, so I was bracing to let them get a little handsy. But thanks to you, no need at all! This is the best~"
"I have to say, I've never seen anyone handle a group that size so effortlessly."
Eh? Isn't this something anyone with decent mana could pull off? Wait, no, maybe not. It's still early in the game, after all—strong folks might be rare. Or maybe I'm just abnormal since I snagged that hidden class last time. Yeah, makes sense. Gotta have at least one powerhouse in the early game to breeze through villain encounters.
"So, what should we do with those jerks?"
They were already plummeting from ceiling to floor at breakneck speed, over and over, drowning in endless fear of death. Most had pissed themselves filthy, and some were mumbling desperate pleas through their gags.
"I'll handle them however you want, Estelle."
"Make it hurt enough they won't die, but break their minds for real. Physically… well, since they were eyeing my lower half like that, castrate them so they can't use it anymore…"
Oof, castration. This girl's scary.
"Of course, I'll do all that myself. Can't ask Theo-nim to handle anything weird. They've taken plenty of mental damage already, so I'll wrap it up. You two head back to my room and get ready to head out? We can grab something tasty and check out the sights once I'm done."
"You sure you'll be okay alone?"
I couldn't help worrying something might happen to her.
"Totally fine. How long could it take to clean up trash like that~? Plus, you've already tenderized them for me."
"Good. But contact me right away if anything comes up."
I knew they were too weak to put up any fight, but still—better safe than sorry.
"If anything happens, I'll teleport straight to you."
"Got it. But I'm keeping the bindings on just in case."
"Ooh, perfect for me~"
Estelle could've bound that many herself, but who knows what they'd try in the split second if it slipped. I left the binding magic active and headed out of the hall with Iris first.
"You're truly remarkable, Theo-nim."
Iris, walking beside me, suddenly spoke softly.
"Huh? Me?"
"Yes. You always step in right away when you see injustice."
"Well, yeah—but it was extra because it was Estelle."
I figured normal people agonize over whether to save someone in trouble or mind their own business. But for Estelle or Iris? I'd charge in no matter who the opponent was.
"…Would you have done the same if it were me?"
"Of course? If something happened to you two, I'd rush in whether the other guy's the Emperor or the Holy Emperor."
I meant every word. Anyone blocking their happy ending… actually, forget the ending—I'd fully accepted them now, and I genuinely liked them. How could I stand by while people I care about go through hell? Of course, as friends. Just friends.
"Hehe, I really like that about you, Theo-nim."
"Haha, really? Doesn't it come off as reckless?"
"Not at all. It's cool."
O… I'd live to hear "cool" someday. Damn, guess I've lived a decent life after all.
We chatted like that while waiting in Estelle's room for her to return—and it wasn't long before she showed up.
"Let's go already!"
Looks like she'd wrapped things up fine—no sign of injury on her. Not surprising with the binding magic still going. They probably couldn't even twitch.
"First off, sharing my Holy Empire foodie list in the group chat~"
Ooh! A local's picks! And Estelle loves food, plus she wandered around a ton as a kid, so this list is gold.
"Since we got here late today, start with lobster here, then this pie place is the spot. Grab pie for a snack, head up a bit to a fancy restaurant for lobster and steak—that should cap the day! Oh, and tons of souvenir shops and sights along the way, so we can browse while heading over!"
Estelle explained excitedly.
Oooh, bookended by lobster. Can't resist.
"Lobster, huh. I've heard it's best in the Holy Empire."
"Exactly! Iris is gonna flip—'Everything I ate before wasn't even real lobster!' type shock."
Ooooh! My mouth's watering already.
"C'mon, let's move! I'm starving!"
I cut the talk and pushed to go.
"Sounds good. I'll send coords—meet there. This time, Iris, I'll…"
"Ah, mind if I try teleporting with you? Gotta practice moving with someone anyway."
Coming here, I'd gone solo while Iris and Estelle paired up. But the mana flow to the Holy Empire had been super stable, so group teleports seemed doable.
"Uh, um… sure…"
But Estelle's face soured for some reason.
"Too risky for a newbie?"
"No, not that… just no. See you there."
She trailed off, cast her teleport, and vanished in a hurry.
"What's her deal? Something wrong…?"
I started worrying she'd botch the teleport or something.
"Let's go, Theo-nim."
"Yeah. She might mess it up."
"It's fine. Anywhere with you."
O… Did that just sound like a confession or what? Nah, no way. She's just being nice 'cause we're friends. Chill, heart—don't get carried away.