Published: September 10, 2025
This chapter is written from a third-person perspective, not Satou’s.
“Li-Lirio!”
At the fountain plaza in front of the lord’s castle in Seryu City, a black-haired young man named John Smith was gazing intently at a red-haired, boyish girl named Lirio.
“W-What is it?”
Feeling John Smith’s unusual mood, Lirio blushed.
Her words came out a bit sharp, but it was probably due to her nervousness and embarrassment.
“Aaah, this is so frustrating!”
“Lower your voice a bit; the two of you can be heard.”
“But you see—”
Not far away, Lirio’s colleagues Iona and Luu, along with two beautiful women who served as John Smith’s guards and members of the trading guild, watched the unfolding scene with a mixture of impatience and anticipation.
“I-I want to—”
John Smith’s words faltered as he looked into Lirio’s eyes.
“Hey, don’t chicken out now.”
“Chairman! You can do it!”
Luu and the guard beauties whispered encouragement to John Smith.
“Marry me (・)!”
Seized by momentum, John Smith blurted out his proposal.
He stumbled over the words slightly, but neither he nor Lirio noticed.
“He said it! He actually said it!”
“Chairman!”
Lirio’s smile was about to break, but then she stiffened as she glanced at the guard beauties watching over John Smith.
“Y-You want me to be your mistress as well as the guardian of those two beauties?”
“No! They’re my guards.”
“Mistress and guard at the same time?”
“I haven’t laid a hand on them!”
John Smith desperately tried to clarify the misunderstanding Lirio had jumped to.
“You’re the only one I want to hold!”
“D-Don’t say such embarrassing things!”
Lirio stammered as John Smith spoke boldly.
He pulled her close so that their noses nearly touched when she tried to turn away.
“Once more. Be my wife, Lirio!”
“O-Okay... I’ll marry you.”
“Lirio!”
John Smith embraced her with a smile as she muttered with a maiden’s shy expression.
“That’s great. Congratulations, Chairman.”
“Aah, come on! You should at least give a kiss here!”
“Lirio beat me to it.”
“We’ll have to celebrate later, then.”
The two guard beauties and Iona with Luu cheered the couple on.
“Lirio, come live with me in Rumork City, where my trading guild headquarters is.”
John Smith whispered this invitation into Lirio’s ear as he held her close.
He kept quiet about the real reason—that Seryu City was dangerous due to the labyrinth.
“Lirio, will you come with me?”
“...Yeah.”
Lirio answered shyly, but her words were drowned out by the city alarm bells of Seryu.
Amid the ringing, a strange commotion could be heard from deep inside the castle and beyond the city walls.
“What’s this? At such a good moment!”
“Details later. Let’s return to the castle. Lirio, come!”
Iona tapped Luu’s shoulder and grabbed the hem of her long skirt as they started running.
Luu quickly followed.
“Don’t go, Lirio!”
John Smith grabbed Lirio’s shoulder as she tried to turn away.
“I’m sorry. Right now, I’m still a soldier of the lord’s army.”
Lirio placed her hand over John’s and then pulled it away.
“Don’t worry. Among the soldiers, I’m one of the strongest.”
Lirio said that in a playful tone to reassure John and then lightly saluted before running off.
“Chairman, Rita has been dispatched for information gathering. Let’s evacuate to a safe place.”
John Smith, watching Lirio’s back, was urged by one of the guard beauties to head quickly toward the underground shelter.
Given the recent unsettling developments, no one could predict what might happen.
“Lirio, please stay safe...”
Though he felt powerless, praying only for his beloved’s safety, he chose what he thought was the best course of action.
The alarm sounded because sentinels overflowed from the Purple Tower near Seryu City.
The main force led by Count Seryu was dispatched to the city walls and the Purple Tower, but Lirio’s unit was stationed at the fortress surrounding the “Demon’s Labyrinth” in downtown Seryu City.