We'll Escape! (5)
Following Danae's orders, the pursuers chasing Kei numbered seven in total.
All of them were strange beings with heads resembling dogs—more precisely, some creature from Mekrak, though their appearance and abilities weren't much different from actual dogs.
Thanks to their excellent sense of smell, they had detected the magical girls from afar, but their large bodies couldn't navigate the narrow passages well enough to close the distance as quickly as they'd hoped.
“Huh...?”
At that moment, the lead creature made a strange face.
The scent of the fleeing magical girls... it's fading...?
It was as if something had blocked it—the smell that had been right at the tip of its nose suddenly weakened.
Something was wrong.
With a vague sense of unease, the creature pressed forward.
Then the path ended.
“What?”
No matter how it looked, there was no way forward. The passage ahead was blocked by a wall.
“Boss! The magical girls definitely came through here!”
“I know... but where the hell did they go?!”
“Uh... maybe there's a secret door or something.”
“Find it!”
“But it's hard to move in here... Ah, got it!”
After smacking the dazed subordinate's head with a loud thwack!, the dog-headed creature growled and examined the wall in front of it. What had seemed like an ordinary wall actually had an odd pattern on it. It looked like luxurious fabric, but when touched, it felt solid. Even pushing with all its strength, the creature couldn't make it budge.
What the hell was this? Where had the magical girls disappeared to?
While the creatures stood there bewildered, they soon realized the entrance to the secret passage they'd come through had also closed. Every single one of them went into a complete meltdown.
“Ooh, ooooooh...!”
“Using the Flying Carpet like this! You're amazing, Danbi-unni!”
“I'm pretty smart, you know.”
“.......”
We raced leisurely through the secret passage.
To reach this wide corridor, we'd blocked the narrow entrance with the Flying Carpet we'd stolen from the treasure vault, standing it upright to seal it off.
After infusing the carpet with a bit of magic power, it floated up on its own and stuck perfectly to the entrance. Danbi had then cast Hardening magic on it, making it as solid as a wall.
Even those creatures would have trouble getting through that.
“Ah, shit, this is fucking long. How much farther do we have to go?!”
“...Feels like we've been circling the outside of some castle or something....”
I was starting to get out of breath.
“Ah! I think we're almost there! Up ahead!”
Just as Clara shouted, a door handle came into view on the distant wall. We'd finally arrived....
Reaching the handle, Clara scanned the surroundings again. It seemed turning the handle would make the wall open automatically.
“Alright, this is the last step. Once we open this door, we just have to run straight out. Don't worry about traps or being seen. We won't be using the invisibility cloak either.”
Gulp.
The tense atmosphere made me swallow involuntarily.
“Kei-unni and Danbi-unni, you two take the lead and run ahead. For the gatekeepers blocking the main entrance, throw the flash grenade we took from the treasure vault. There's only one, so be careful. Er, you use Unlock magic on the main gate. Only you can do that.”
“Okay!”
“......And one last thing.”
Clara spoke with a heavy gaze.
“——I'm sorry.”
Huh? Sorry?
Before I could even process what that meant, Clara raised her hand and twisted the door handle.
With a rumbling gu-gu-gung-, the wall began to open.
“Well then, it should be about time they arrive.”
Danae stood before a statue on the second floor.
From this statue to the main gate on the first floor, there were no obstacles. No traps, and at this hour, no patrols either. The only things left were the gatekeepers at the main entrance.
However, knowing the secret passage's exit was here, Danae had gathered her subordinate creatures and surrounded the statue tightly.
The moment Kei and the others popped out, they'd all pounce at once.
“Hehe... I'm looking forward to this.”
Danae murmured with a soft laugh, hand resting on her cheek.
Just then, a rumbling gu-gu-gu-gu-gung- echoed.
It's opening now.
Anticipating the moment, Danae stared at the statue.
One second. Five seconds. Ten seconds.
“.......?”
She could hear something moving, but the statue didn't budge at all.
Instead, from somewhere else came a loud uuuuuuuung—!!!!!!
“Um, Danae-nim... that sound just now... didn't it come from the first floor?”
Hearing her subordinate's words, Danae froze for a moment.
——This is our... escape plan....
——The exit is... in front of the statue on the second floor, Danae-niiiim...
“...Hah.”
So that's how it was.
“Clara, that little bitch...!”
She'd actually dared to deceive me...!
“Run!”
“Yaaaaaaaah!!”
The moment the door opened, we burst straight through the wide exit.
The secret passage's exit opened right in front of the main entrance.
『H-Huh?!』
『Magical girls?! Why are they here?!』
The two creatures guarding the gate looked completely flustered.
“Everyone, close your eyes!!”
I hurled the flash grenade in my hand straight at the creatures and quickly covered my eyes with my arm. A deafening uuuuuuuung—!! exploded right after.
『『Uwaaaaaaaaah?!』』
Though we were at a distance, the creatures caught at close range by the sudden blast wouldn't escape unscathed in either eyes or ears.
——I'm sorry.
——It seems Danae already had some idea about our plan.
——So I fed her false information just in case... but if we don't hurry, we'll definitely get caught.
Fortunately, Danae wasn't anywhere in sight. Clara's false intel must have worked.
“Unnis! I got it open!”
“Go go go go go go!!!”
The instant Er disabled the mechanical lock with magic, we kicked the door open and charged outside.
......We were out!!!
“Serves you right~~~~~! Try chasing us for the rest of your lives!!”
“Goodbye, everyone! Kyahahahahaha!!”
“You two are insane....”
“Ahh, even in this situation, cool Danbi-unni is so hot...♥”
We sprinted across the grounds in front of the main gate.
At the edge of the grounds was a dark, deep cave. Passing through it would reveal a gaping hole leading downward.
Normally, operating the system from the control room would lower stairs into this hole, but with the Gravity Control Device in our possession, we could simply leap straight down.
“Pursuers! Danae's flying toward us!”
Danbi screamed.
In the distance, creatures were pouring through the main gate in pursuit. Leading them, Danae flapped her wings and shot toward us like an arrow.
We couldn't get caught!
We squeezed out every last bit of strength and dashed through the cave entrance.
The hole came into view immediately.
Perfect. Just one more jump and...!
“Huh......?”
“Hah, hah... Kei-unni, what's wrong?”
The confused voice came from me, who had been at the very front. Just as I was about to activate the Gravity Control Device, I saw something strange.
Below the hole—where there should have been nothing but empty space revealing the depths below—stairs had been lowered.
We hadn't visited the control room. There was no reason for stairs to be lowered for us escapees.
So why were the stairs there?
The answer came quickly.
“——Whoa, this is amazing. The stairs looked super long, but it only takes a few steps to get here. Is this Mekrak's technology? No need for elevators at all?”
“I don't like high places... Hm? Hey. Those must be the targets.”
Two men in suits were climbing the stairs with confident strides.
One had tattoos visible here and there, while the other had striking dreadlocks.
They didn't look like creatures.
Earthlings...?
Whatever they were, we had to run right now.
Though I didn't know why they were here, just as I tried to shove past them and head down the stairs—
“Whoa, you girls are seriously hot.”
“Guh?!”
“Kei-unni...! Kyaa?!”
I was suddenly shoved backward and slammed into the cave wall. The impact to my back nearly made me vomit.
Er and Danbi were each grabbed by the dreadlocked man and pinned to the ground.
“Play with me too, unnis~♪”
Crack!
The Gravity Control Device sphere slipped from my hand and was crushed under the tattooed man's shoe in an instant.
Oh no...!
Clara stared frozen at the horrific scene unfolding before her eyes.
Kei had been punched by the tattooed man and was slumped limply against the wall. Er and Danbi were pinned to the floor by the dreadlocked man's hands, unable to move.
It had all happened in a single instant—too fast for the eye to follow.
Who the hell were these people?!
Why now, of all times...!
“Hah... Seriously, I didn't expect to get played like this~.”
“Kuh!”
At the voice from behind, Clara reflexively thrust out her hidden dagger.
But her dagger-wielding hand was effortlessly blocked, and instead, a hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat.
“A-Aaah...!”
“Reaaally now~ Clara~ After I treated you so well, I never thought you'd betray me like this. I let my guard down because you seemed like such a plain magical girl~ Who would've guessed you'd resist my Charm~.”
Still gripping Clara's throat, Danae lifted her up with one hand. That slender arm possessed unbelievable strength.
“Ugh... Kugh...!”
Clara struggled and groaned, trying to break free, but Danae's arm didn't budge.
In her thrashing, her glasses slipped off her face and fell.
“Hm? Is that all you've got? You called us here just to catch these two?”
“Mm~ You both came at the perfect time~. I had a feeling. These are the kids we absolutely can't afford to lose. You were planning to come to this castle by tomorrow anyway, right? The day after is the invasion day, after all.”
“...We're being worked way too cheaply.”
“Don't be like that~. You can play with these girls however you want until the plan goes into action~. Or should I provide some service too~? Hehe.”
“Now that you mention it, that does sound tempting——”
Shwaat—!
A bright red heat ray grazed the tattooed man's cheek.
Kei, collapsed against the wall, had squeezed out the last of her magic power and fired a magic cannon.
“......Damn it...!”
“Still not unconscious, huh.”
“Guh!”
The tattooed man casually kicked Kei in the stomach and slung her limp body over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
“Let... go...!”
“Oh my, Clara, you're still resisting?”
Danae pulled Clara close, embracing her tightly before pressing their lips together.
At the same time, she cast Charm. Clara's body trembled, then she stopped resisting entirely.
Er and Danbi were also dragged away by the incoming creatures.
Once again, the magical girls' escape plan had been thwarted.
