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The two girls continued their playful squabble for a full half-hour before finally settling down.
Thirty minutes later, after placing a call to the hotel dining service for a delicious breakfast and properly freshening up, the two girls finally began discussing serious matters.
"So, Maria, are you going to contact Zolgear's liaison now?" Mio asked, carefully wiping her mouth clean with a napkin.
Earlier, during their meal, Bokue had neatly explained Maria's circumstances. Mio wasn't unreasonable—quite the opposite, in fact. Despite previously seeming quite fierce during her chase, the moment she understood Maria's reasons, she readily forgave her half-sister without hesitation.
Now, Mio had fully committed herself to proactively cooperate with Maria's plan.
"That's right," the silver-haired succubus girl nodded lightly. "Once I summon her, she'll appear immediately."
Mio still hesitated a little. "Are you sure we should summon her directly like this? Maybe I should, um… pretend to be unconscious or something?"
Maria replied honestly, "Actually, Mio-sama, that was my initial plan…" She glanced uncertainly at the relaxed-looking young man with his arms casually crossed beside them. "But Bokue-san said it wasn't necessary."
"I-I see…" Mio glanced curiously at Bokue.
She didn't doubt him—in fact, due to their contract and relationship, her trust in Bokue was already nearly absolute.
If he said it would work, then it would surely work.
"Alright, then I'll start the summoning." Maria stood up, walking toward an open area in the living room. She raised both hands, spreading her fingers as purple succubus magic glowed gently around her. Gradually, a teleportation magic circle quietly emerged on the floor.
Alongside the circle, a figure emerged: a shapely, brown-skinned beauty.
Short white hair, black-and-green dragon-like horns, a wild yet refined face that exuded both fierce beauty and aloofness, and a tight, black, deep V-cut armor that gave her the look of a demonic valkyrie.
As she opened her vivid green eyes, confusion clearly appeared in her gaze.
"What's going on here, Maria Naruse? Zolgear-sama explicitly instructed that Mio Naruse should be rendered unconscious…"
"Enough of your nonsense." Bokue bluntly cut off her questioning. Golden spiritual energy rose, subtly coloring his eyes. That faint golden hue instantly reflected in the female warrior's green eyes, blanketing her gaze in a hazy sheen.
Immediately, her voice ceased as she stood silently, seemingly frozen mid-question.
Bokue calmly exhaled, casually asking, "Who are you?"
The response came instantly, devoid of hesitation: "I am Zolgear's magical creation—Zest, a magical soldier and his personal bodyguard."
Huh?
Sensing a slight shift, Bokue raised an eyebrow. Earlier, she had referred to her master respectfully as "Zolgear-sama," yet after being controlled by him, she dropped the "Sama," using just "Zolgear." Was that respect merely superficial?
"W-was that mind control just now?!" Maria gaped, utterly astonished. "Could it be, Bokue-san, are you secretly a fellow succubus—one of my kind?"
"Dream on," Bokue lightly flicked Maria's forehead in gentle admonishment. "I'm 100% human. Consider this skill just a byproduct of my power. I'm actually not that good at it, so it only works easily on much weaker opponents."
Against someone like Zest, it worked effortlessly. Against Vali in Juggernaut Drive, it might just momentarily stun him. And against someone of Sirzechs' caliber, it probably wouldn't even register.
"I see…" Maria paused briefly before hesitantly asking Zest, "Then, what's my mother's current condition?"
Zest answered mechanically: "Ms. Sheila is currently held captive within Zolgear's secret base. She's unharmed and safe. This morning she had mushroom cream soup for breakfast, accompanied by an Underworld fish sandwich and—"
"That's enough detail…" Maria's expression twisted awkwardly.
Really, it was absurd. Somehow her mother never seemed worried about her own safety. Despite being a captive, Sheila always managed to eat well and sleep soundly.
And here Maria had been worrying to the point of sprouting white hairs—oh wait, she already had white hair. Well, never mind then.
"Anyway, let's go rescue Maria's mother first," Mio urged anxiously.
"Agreed," Bokue nodded firmly, turning to Zest. "Take us directly to Sheila."
"Yes, sir." Without any hesitation, the controlled Zest raised a hand, conjuring a teleportation circle.
As magic flashed and faded, their surroundings swiftly changed.
Stone walls, dim lighting, and a giant birdcage came into view.
Bokue and the others had arrived within what appeared to be a spacious castle-like secret chamber. Despite the chamber's size, most space was dominated by a massive birdcage—similar to the cage that imprisoned Asuna atop the World Tree in Sword Art Online.
At its center, calmly sitting upon the floor, was a young succubus woman nearly identical in appearance to Maria. Indeed, the resemblance was uncanny, the only real difference being that Sheila's horns were slightly longer.
"Mother!"
The moment Maria spotted her, she couldn't restrain herself, impulsively rushing forward.
But Zest swiftly reached out from behind, firmly grabbing Maria's arm, stopping her.
"Don't. This cage is Zolgear's special creation," Zest explained monotonously, still fully under Bokue's control. "If external force attempts entry or if the captive tries to break free from inside, the mechanism above will instantly activate, firing countless rays downward and slicing the occupant into thousands of pieces."
"T-then what should we do…?" Maria froze, eyes widening in despair.
After yearning so desperately, her mother was finally right before her—but she still couldn't rescue her. If so, what was even the point of their coming here?
"Hmm…?" Inside the cage, Sheila sensed the commotion. Curious, she stood gracefully and approached the bars, peering outward with mild surprise.
"Zest? Maria? Why are you both here? And…" Her eyes slid past Mio, settling curiously on Bokue. "Oh my~ What a handsome young man. Could you perhaps be my darling Maria's boyfriend?"
"We can talk about that later," Bokue calmly stepped forward, raising his hand, golden energy surging smoothly to his fingertips. "For now, let's just get you out of there."
Yet, before he could finish—
A second teleportation circle abruptly lit up in the secret chamber, accompanied by the sudden arrival of a tall, bald, hideously aged figure.
The old figure sneered coldly:
"Good thing I sensed something was amiss and came to check personally. What exactly are you up to, Zest?"
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