Published: August 10, 2026
The moment Morganaite moved away from Amelia, arrows and magic rained down on us like a downpour.
"Akira!!"
"Shadow magic—activate!"
Along with Amelia's voice, I leapt onto the table and held my hand up to the sky. The extra skill I had prepared in advance unfolded at the same speed as my thoughts, as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
With a whoosh, the shadows that stretched up from beneath my feet and under the table spread out like a giant umbrella, swallowing every incoming arrow and spell.
"What the—!?"
Then I turned my hand and took command of the shadow magic.
The black shadows changed shape into beasts, and dashed around me and Amelia while avoiding the chairs and tables in the dining area.
"Guh!?"
"Gweh!!"
"W-What the hell is that!!"
The people who had been holding weapons around us for some reason were all tripped up by the shadow beasts and fell onto their backsides. The weapons in their hands were already gone. While they were down, the shadow beasts stored every weapon-like object nearby inside the shadow magic. Even chopsticks and cutlery that people had been using got taken in, but I could just return those later.
"Everyone, get on the ground and surrender! Amelia, restrain them. Night, stay on guard around us."
"Okay!"
"Understood!"
The helpless attackers began to slowly lie face-down on the ground, and I left them to the shadow beasts and Amelia's gravity magic. Then, while staying alert for a second wave, I drew Night Blade God and pressed it against the throat of the man sitting in front of me.
If the swords the men around us had held had truly come down, this man's blade would have been the first to cut Amelia open. It had only been avoided because I had noticed their gazes from the beginning, but that didn't mean I could ignore it.
"Eek!!"
"Hey. Tell me your objective and your affiliation. You don't need to say your own name since I won't remember it anyway."
Before the man could say anything, Night Blade God cut through a single thin layer of skin, and red liquid ran down his neck.
"I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
"Don't move. Speak like this. If you ramble on too long, my hand might slip by accident, so keep it brief."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Then, stuttering all the while, he began to explain the purpose of this attack and who they belonged to.
Maybe because his life was on the line, he was confessing awfully quickly. Had they not been ordered to keep silent?
"O-Our objective was to assassinate the elf race princess, and to make the people of the Three Great Families see our us..."
But I never got to hear the rest of his words.
The instant I blinked, the man in front of me had frozen in place with his mouth still open. Then that grotesque statue shattered into pieces in an instant and vanished.
The same thing happened to the others who had been immobilized by Amelia's gravity magic and watched by the shadow beasts—they froze, shattered, and disappeared.
What remained was the ruined dining area, and Amelia, Night, and me standing there. The unrelated bystanders had already evacuated long ago, and despite how crowded it had been moments earlier, there was no one left now.
"This is..."
"Silencing them."
"How cruel..."
Amelia and I exchanged looks, while Night sniffed the area where they had been standing and wrinkled his nose.
It was obvious the magic just now hadn't come from outside, but had been triggered from within them. They had probably been cursed so that if they tried to reveal any information, the magic would activate. In other words, they were nothing but disposable pawns.
It was possible the real culprit was here and had activated the magic remotely, but searching among the people who had come to the market today wasn't realistic.
"Lady Ameliaaaa! Are you all right!?"
"Whoa!"
I was slammed from behind and stumbled forward.
I didn't even need to check who it was. It was Morganaite. Did he really not understand how much space he took up, or was he doing it on purpose? Which was it?
Ignoring me completely, Morganaite rushed over to Amelia and hugged her tightly.