Chapter 60: Chapter 60 – Out of the Frying Pan

The titanic spider monster was still there, inside its giant chamber, excavating. The lumbering giant was using its limbs to first crack open the rocky surfaces, then scoop the broken-up stone away afterward. It still had that web of fire rotating around it—a cage with no openings.

It moved like a living rockslide, one with a beating heart of molten lava. Little veins ran around the body, converging on a glowing spot at its forehead, where the seventh eye of fire burned.

Fayette backed away behind the corner, sharing a look with her party. “So, what do you think? Can we take it on?”

Marie was rubbing her chin, still staring at the monster. “This mana signature… it’s definitely coming from it—but it's somehow distinct. There’s the monster… then something else.” She turned, looking at the [Maid]. “You said this thing was birthing all the other monsters?”

Fayette nodded. “I think so—it’s the only source I’ve found so far.”

The [Lady] backed away from the doorway. “So… if we do take it out, that would take care of any issues the miners are facing… and I think this is what the [Lord] is after too.”

Mireille crossed her arms, face doubtful. “Really? A monster? Why would he want that?”

Marie bit her lip. “It’s… a thing of [Mages]. If my suspicion is right—that thing might be very valuable.” She looked back, this time at the huge chamber the monster was in. “The real question is how it came to be. What was in this chamber originally, and how did this monster arise out of that? That’s the key.”

Fayette peaked in again. This place… why had it been deep underground in the first place? Was it to keep things in, or out? If she really narrowed her eyes, did that little bit of molten brick resemble a pedestal just a bit?

She snapped her fingers. “Aha! Is this one of those a-normal-beast-ate-a-magic-artifact-then-turned-into-a-monster scenarios?”

The [Lady] smiled thinly. “Do you really have a scenario for everything? But yes, those things do really happen. Stories have roots in truth.”

Mireille was nodding. “So, you’re saying—” she looked up, eyes sharp. “—that thing is worth a lot of money? Let’s do it. Can we do it? Olivia?”

The [Doctor] was digging in her bag and looked up at being addressed. She pulled out a syringe. “That thing is huge, but there have to be some weak points in the armor. If we can get close, I can hit it with poison and sedatives, but that wouldn’t be enough to kill it.”

“Would it slow down at least? For just a moment?” Marie asked. She was measuring the room’s ceiling.

“Well, it should manage for a bit at least,” Olivia said. “Though we would first have to get close to it.”

Through that web of fire with no weak points. Fayette was conjuring up a plan. They could do this.

She clapped her hands and turned to Mireille. “I think I have a plan. Mireille, how did you deal with those smaller ones again?”

 

—

 

Four hunters stepped into the chamber, facing a monster.

And the monster noticed them. As soon as their steps echoed into the cavern, lost amongst the rumble of stone excavation, the monster stopped.

Slowly, it stepped away from the corner, and each step rumbled. Laborious, but also fast, six craggy limbs of stone skittered around in a half-circle. It turned, facing them, and six eyes that shone red measured the intruders. One of pure heat glowed in their center and the cage of fire pulsed—shrinking and expanding in a calm rhythm, as like an athlete calming their breathing, readying for something.

It pulsed, pulsed, then really pulsed. It expanded twice as far out as before, shrank back, and left detached tendrils of fire behind. Six long tentacles of fire roared up into position, still attached to that cage. Six limbs of stone below, six of fire above.

Fayette gulped. Well, it’s now or nothing. Then she ran in.

Her task was simple—distract.

Her steps seemed a bit erratic, but there was a rhythm to them, which guided her steps. A dance—or waltz. Marie was stepping to the same rhythm at the back of the room, focusing on her magic, but still watchful.

A rock dropped from the ceiling, and the monster blocked it with a limb, and the rock shattered into pieces. The limb was unharmed. Then it took a step forward, then another, then another, and then it was on her.

Fayette let herself get as close as she could to the fiery tendrils and cage, and stepped back at the last moment, throwing a flask at the monster. The flask held liquid inside—and a fork. [Cutlery Control] guided its path.

It exploded against the cage.

Damn, would have been nice to get that one through. Fayette dodged back, still stepping in that rhythm, then bent back, letting one tendril swing past right above her face.

She had not seen that one coming, but Marie had—and someone with [Waltz Partner] would not let their pair’s dance be disturbed. It didn’t matter whether the disturbances were other dancers or monstrous limbs of fire—a dance should not be disturbed.

The monster crept closer, slamming limbs at her and stepping forward at the same time. The limbs above circled like fiery vipers, waiting for the right moment to strike. There were no screeches or roars from it, just the steady glow of fiery eyes.

But Fayette kept up the rhythm and dodged, feeling more guidance coming from Marie, like a gentle hand at her back. She stepped to the side, past a limb of rock this time, then jumped well back, getting outside of range. All six tendrils of fire slammed at the position she had been in. She had no boon right now, that was on Olivia.

Fayette watched the appendages of fire rise back up, and the heat in the room grew more intense. She threw some more explosive bottles—useless for damage, but loud and flashy, then she stepped back closer, dodged a limb of rock, and hopped back out again. Weaving in and out, using her own balance and Marie’s guidance, she was managing to stay just that one step ahead.

It was working. Good, it’s focusing on me… and that means that—

A needle and thread flew in from the other side and attached to the cage. It began twisting—an opening forming. Just large enough for a slippery [Doctor]. Olivia was ready, and peeled out of a shadow, rushing for the gap in a mad dash.

And then things went wrong.

“No—wait!” Mireille shouted from her cover, fingers twitching madly. “There’s too much of it! Too much—”

Then the gap in the cage closed up and the fire pulsed, thickening. Olivia managed to stop her dive at the last moment, rolling to a stop on the ground just before the fiery web. Then limbs of rock slammed at her and sent her flying. The boon flickered.

Fayette saw the woman fly a long arc in the air, and the boon faded her from mid-flight. Too long of a time? Then she crunched down to the ground, near Marie.

Shit.

Fayette ran back in closer, throwing all the bottles she had left—a desperate distraction. It worked, and the monster turned back to her. But the [Doctor] was down. Marie and Mireille were running to the woman, who was laying in a heap on the ground, groaning in pain. But mostly fine. Hopefully.

New plan—need a new plan. She thought, but she couldn’t think—every single bit of effort had to be focused on dodging. Because the monster was angry now.

She wove around a labyrinth of fire and rock, desperately reaching for the path out. [Maid Martial Arts], [Dangersense] and Marie’s guidance were keeping her ahead just enough, and she managed it.

Then she stumbled.

What? She desperately jumped back, creating more distance, and a rock slammed into her stomach. It was like a boulder, and her [Maid Armour] blocked the worst of it—but it still hurt. And the [Lady’s] guiding hand was gone from her back. She lost the rhythm.

Two more desperate lunges back, just barely away from the fire tendrils, and then she finally managed to look. Marie was down on her knees, clutching at her side, and Olivia was up by her side, giving the [Lady] a stark black pill.

Then Fayette had to focus back on dodging—she was cursing. It was no elaborate dance anymore, she was using her broom too—parrying what she could not dodge. The broom twisted and shuddered under the strain. She heard the [Doctor] approach from behind.

“You two swapped?” Fayette shouted, hitting herself back from a limb with her broom, moments from snapping.

“Her idea,” Olivia answered, staying behind her. She no longer had the boon on. “We need to run, or think of a new plan. Decide.”

Fayette gritted her teeth—she had one gamble. “Keep this thing occupied for just a minute,” she said, then stepped back, leaving Olivia to handle things. One last glance at the lumbering giant. Then she ran back.

To Mireille.

The [Seamstress] was supporting Marie up, as the [Lady] almost heaved out the pill she had just bit into. What is in those?

The [Maid] skidded to a stop before them. “Mirrie, how long can you hold that thing’s web? Can you bundle it up into a clump, just for a second or two?”

Mireille looked up, some panic on her face, but she answered after only a second. “I—yes. I can do that. For maybe like... five seconds. That thing is strong.”

Fayette turned to Marie, who was looking up, gritting her teeth and clutching at her side. “Can you still do the final bit?”

The [Lady] let her magic glow and smiled, showing teeth. “I’m feeling very motivated for it right now.”

The [Maid] nodded, turning back to the [Seamstress] again. “Good, this can work then. Last thing: Mireille, do you still have those mittens you finished?”

 

—

 

Fayette ran back in, broom in hand, just in time to relieve a harried [Doctor]. She bobbed, weaved, and blocked for a few seconds, giving her party just enough time to get into position. She was also wearing thick beavermonkey-pelt mittens now.

Every plan needed a key bit.

She felt Mireille give the signal with her [Dustsense], then ran in closer, throwing her broom down and stepping past the roaring attacks of fire and stone. She got right to the cage and saw a needle fly in right before her.

It bit in, and that segment of the web began to constrict, all collecting into one point. A second needle was flying around it, applying [Quick Stitches], making the bundle of fire web bigger and bigger. The cage suddenly had a pillar of thick webbing in its center, from which hundreds of bits of web parted out at each end.

And Fayette had beavermonkey-pelt mittens. Tough, resistant. Fireproof.

She stepped forward and grabbed the thick webbing into her hands. It felt sticky and burning hot even through the mittens, and she was pretty sure they were melting, but for just a moment, she had a grip on hundreds of strands of fiery web at once. Hundreds of threads, or a…

—Fabric.

Fayette activated [Dry Laundry] and began to squeeze the fire out of it.

She wrung it as hard as she could, as fast as she could. Her arms burned as molten leather stuck to skin, but she persisted, squeezing as harder and harder. Her muscles twisted the threads into a tight wound cord, and streams of liquid fire poured out of it onto the floor, leaving the threads dry. Not on fire.

Then they burned. The threads were still attached to the other burning bits after all. And then there was a hole in the cage.

Fayette jumped back as furious limbs of rock slammed at where she had stood, and she ran to the side, throwing her gloves off, making herself as big of a target as possible. Her hands hurt. A [Doctor] jumped through the hole, rushing under the monster. She jabbed syringes into the roots of each limb, pinpointing weak spots where they could pierce with surgical accuracy.

The [Maid] felt the limbs chasing her slow, and the monster began to grow sluggish. First, she was half a second ahead of the smashing rock, then two seconds ahead of the roaring fire. Then she was free of the chase, and the whole room shook.

The monster’s titanic limbs gave, too weakened to hold the body. Olivia jumped out right as heavy stone smashed to the ground and tendrils of fire fell down like soggy pasta. And Fayette followed the [Doctor], making as much distance as possible between her and the spider. She looked forward, and locked eyes with Marie.

The [Lady] was laying on the ground, shining green with magic, and had her hand pointed right above the giant spider. Fayette turned and saw the giant spike of stone being slowly shaped from the ceiling’s stone, sharpening, lengthening, hardening...

Then the ceiling cracked and the spike fell. Right on top of the monstrous spider’s head. And Fayette watched.

Cool [Maids] did not look away from explosions.

The spike first lodged through rocky carapace, not slowing one bit, then continued down and down, splitting the head. For just a brief moment, Fayette saw a bloated brain splitting into pieces, and some sort of fiery connection winking out between the forehead and the body, and all the fires winked out. Then the spike pierced through the exoskeleton again, underneath, and its thicker base finally separated the head from the body in four pieces.

The monster instantly dissolved into a tide of murky blood, and for the last time in the caverns for some time, that distinctive noise echoed out, one hundred times louder than before.

Splat.

[About time for some proper autumn cleaning! The ruins have been cleansed from centuries of infestation!]

[Level up: You have reached Maid level 20! Congratulations!]

[2 Skill points gained!]

[You have gained a new capstone skill: So Fresh, So Clean!]

[Progress towards next level: 0%]

 

—

 

The party was gathered around the monster’s messy remains, feeling the satisfaction of a job well done. Fayette had collected the big shiny monster core, the [Doctor] was poking at the murky blood with a stick, and Mireille was collecting the remnants of thread from around the room—they were no longer on fire, but they seemed to have something special about them.

And Marie was examining… what exactly?

Fayette eyed the gemstone that was much shinier and prettier than her monster core with some measure of avarice. “Is that a… second monster core?” She asked, really confused. She had been sure she had secured the jackpot with her quick nab of the core, but then the [Lady] had dug that up.

Marie looked at her. “Not a monster core—no. Something much purer.” She tapped the glowing gem with her finger, letting some red energy leak out of it. “This is no dead monster—it’s a bound one—probably a greater fire elemental or something of the sort.”

Fayette blinked, then hefted up her broom, metal end out. “There’s a live monster inside there?”

The [Lady] blinked at her, then chuckled. “No—, well, yes. But it’s quite secure enough in there. This is what [Mages] like to do, it’s a power source you see.”

The [Maid] was staring at the glimmering gemstone, not blinking. It was… shiny. And hot. Just how much stew could I… She didn’t think before saying the words. “Can I have it? I’ll trade you the monster core.”

Marie froze, then stared at Fayette. Fayette still did not blink. The [Lady] moved the gem, and the [Maid’s] head followed. She sighed. “Well, you can look at it some, I suppose. I’ll need it back for some testing eventually, though. Don’t get too attached.”

Fayette accepted the gem, a beaming smile on her face. It felt so warm against her skin. I bet I could heat up baths and cook food so easily with this. She pocketed it, humming cheerfully, then grabbed hold of Marie’s shoulder, helping her up.

The [Lady] was still injured. Olivia’s pill, whatever it was, had helped, but she still had trouble standing up on her own. “Well then, I think we’re quite done with this place now.”

She helped Marie forward, and the pair approached the others. Mireille was still spooling up the thread for herself.

“Hey, are we good to leave? How are you two?” Fayette asked.

Mireille looked up, grimacing. “I really didn’t get as much as I should’ve from that. Guess the leveling penalty really hurts.”

Fayette nodded at her, still feeling slight guilt. The [Seamstress] had reached level 15, but she seemed to have some specific class advancement she was looking for.

“Don’t worry too much—” Marie said, smiling at her. “—I only advanced my class at level 18. You have time.”

Mireille nodded, then went back to gathering the threads. Fayette turned to Olivia.

The [Doctor] poked the goopy spider blood mess one last time, then turned, motioning the two forward. “Ready for another pill, Marie? Need more salve, Fayette?”

Both shuddered. Fayette had finally eaten one of those pills—to help heal her burnt hands, but she still had salve and bandages on them. They would take a bit more to heal. Marie was turning green in the face.

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“I think I’ll wait some more time… I think I’ll be able to walk on my own soon, it’s really not that bad. And, well… I do appreciate that your pills work so well, but can’t you do anything about the taste?”

Olivia smiled ominously at that. “Trust me, it’s better this way. You don’t want to eat the better-tasting ones.”

Fayette was burning with curiosity to know what skill exactly was making those pills, but the [Doctor] was refusing to say. The [Maid] shook her head. “Fine—keep your secrets. Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get out of this blasted place.”

And they did.

 

---

 

The trip back was surprisingly easy. They had food, light, water, everything else they could need, and most importantly…

A route. Mireille had been laying a thread down the whole way in, so to get back, they just had to follow it. And strangely… it was a peaceful trek. No spiders bothered them.

It still took time. It was a constant, grueling march up the slope, and they had injured members. But they were getting better, and they had company, so it was a lively trip back.

Mireille even managed to prod Fayette to share some of her songs, so they were all hollering along happily as they marched up. And oh how up they marched. Fayette felt dizzy as she thought about how far down she had fallen because the trip back up was just that long. A day? Two? They stopped twice for a brief rest, but how long were they awake really?

But their other breaks were little, just brief stops to eat and look over recovering injuries. Finally, they collapsed down into one heap as they reached the blocked-off exit, where a mountain of boulders still blocked off the exit.

They decided to take a break there. And plan.

This had only been a side distraction after all. The real enemies were still outside, up to who knows what. But they had leverage. Who would expect them to still be alive? Or to have found the [Lord’s] target in an ancient ruin?

Or to have leveled. Fayette was rather satisfied with her new capstone skill. After reading the description… she felt it was really fitting for her.

So, after resting and planning, they started excavating a way out, mainly with Marie’s magic, but the others helped too. When the rest of the mines were asleep, four women crept through the corridors, avoiding any watchful eyes.

And so it was that the [Chief Miner] received a rude awakening.

 

—

 

The man, Romaine, blinked in his bed, adjusting his eyes to the sudden flash of magical light in the room. Then he realized that there were four people standing above his bed.

He jolted up and began to shout, but no sound left the room or even arrived in his own ears. He quieted as soon as he had begun.

“Shush—we’re not here to harm you,” Marie said in a placating tone. She stood unsupported, exuding the calm confidence of a trained [Lady]. “We’ve just come to get some explanations.”

The man gradually calmed down, recognition finally passing through his eyes. He spoke more calmly, and Marie released the [Control Conversation]. “You four, you’re alive? I thought there was…”

“A mine collapse, explosion, yes—a most unpleasant business,” Marie said, waving him quiet. Then her eyes sharpened. “And betrayal.”

“The boy?” Romaine asked, voice quiet.

Fayette stepped forward and shook her head, tossing a gnawed-up skull at the bottom of the bed. The [Chief Miner’s] face froze. “This lad did his best, was the older guy who tried to blow us all up.”

A deep hiss of breath exited the man. “Henri, but how? He’s one of my best. He was devastated… Been drinking nonstop ever since.”

“We think there was someone else’s skill involved,” Mireille said, leaning against the back wall. A subtle aura of danger hovered around her too, now. Like a patient observer, waiting for the right moment to strike. “You should still take him in for questioning. But later. We want to stay discreet a while longer.”

Marie took the turn, gazing sharply at the man. “Where are those two strangers—Pierre and Marat?”

Romaine sighed. “Gone. They left soon after you did, saying something about meeting again later. And the [Strike]… it’s not going well. I can feel my skill slowly failing.”

“Why is it failing? Duration? Those two did something?” Marie asked, pacing.

“No, just the [Lord]. He’s acting.”

The [Lady] raised her gaze. “Acting how?”

The [Chief Miner] sat up in the bed, stretching out his hands. “Sent out all his [Guards] to siege us down, even hired some mercenaries. And our suppliers in town have quieted. Nobody can get in anymore.”

Mireille’s eyes flashed, and she walked forward. The [Seamstress] looked at her party. “All his [Guards]? He didn’t have many at the manor before, did he? How empty is it now?”

“He can’t have that many men,” Marie answered, thinking. “He is minor, not that much money. No friends either. And he is not in favor—he can’t have gotten much in the way of reinforcements. If everyone’s staking out this place…”

“Then he’s in his manor all alone, isn’t he?” Fayette finished, smiling. The [Maid] turned to the [Miner]. “By the way—how long were we down there?”

Romaine counted out in his mind for a moment, then nodded. “Eleven days.”

Fayette grimaced. She turned to Mireille. “Sorry, looks like I missed your birthday.”

The [Seamstress] rolled her eyes. “That was three days in—obviously it was longer than that. Just… Let’s get this bastard.”

Everyone nodded.

Marie turned to the [Chief Miner], one last time. “Go back to bed, don’t alert anyone. The [Lord] may have more spies in here. We’ll resolve this by morning.”

The man hesitated, then nodded. “Don’t know how I’ll sleep knowing this…” he muttered.

The hunters left—and went to hunt.

 

—

 

It was night out in town, but the mines were still surrounded. Torches and fires, and [Guards] sitting by them—a perimeter with no holes. The stars twinkled above, and Fayette felt like she was surrounded by waiting eyes. The cave’s still lurking in my soul…

Olivia was glaring at the perimeter—rapidly emptying a bottle of hard liquor.

“Are you sure about this?” Marie asked for the third time, looking at the [Doctor’s] pace with open horror.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before,” Olivia answered, wiping her mouth. Some liquid still dripped off her chin. “It’s the best way to get rid of just one [Guard]. Not technically an attack, so most skills don’t notice it.”

Fayette nodded. “It’s true, she has done this before.”

“Well—just be careful,” Marie finally said, relenting. She still looked worried.

“Don’t worry,” Olivia said, stepping into the darkness and heading towards a [Guard] just a bit away from the others. Her steps swayed a bit.

Now Fayette felt worried too. But as she followed the gloomy woman’s progress, she saw her unerringly get near the nodding-off [Guard], and tag the man, who slumped down against the building’s wall.

The rest of the party went forward, careful to keep their heads down. The [Guard] was snoring. And the [Doctor] was cursing, quietly.

Olivia rubbed at her eyes. “Shit, this bastard really was tired. I’m nodding off already.”

“You still alright to go?” Fayette asked, looking at her with worry. It had been a long night for them too.

The [Doctor] pulled out a flask full of foul-smelling liquid and drank a sip from it. Her eyes opened very wide. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. I’m a professional.”

Nobody commented on the drink, and the four advanced into a sleeping town.

It stood silent around them, lit only by the glints of moonlight and star through the clouds. Almost as if abandoned. Just a bit unnerving.

There really were no [Guards] inside the town itself. After passing the perimeter, they saw nobody at all keeping watch. Just the steady circle of fire around the hill. They made quick progress, and only the tavern still had some signs of life. Fayette [Eavesdropped], heard some scandalous noises coming from inside, then stopped the skill on the splot. She shook her head. Uncivilized. The skill was sometimes unpleasant.

And they reached their target, the mining company’s silent main office. Only two stories, a simple building of wood, but it loomed. There was just something about night-time buildings. Silent but so large. After being underground for so long, even the sky felt unnerving.

“His bedroom was behind the office, right?” Marie asked, squinting at the building.

“Just so, workaholic types are always like that,” Olivia said, readying a scalpel into her hand.

Fayette stepped forward and tried the front door. Locked. She hit the handle with her broom three times. Unlocked.

The door opened, and nobody stood inside. Just a dark room “Are they really this careless?” Mireille asked, staring suspiciously.

Fayette stepped inside, and the floorboards creaked under her. Ominous. But there was nobody, just the simple room lit by moonlight. The clouds were clearing.

“Is this a trap?” she asked, saying what everyone was thinking. Her voice echoed in the empty room, like a murmuring ghost.

Marie stepped inside too, quiet. She thought long, then finally took a step in front of Fayette. “We can hardly run away from an empty building. Maybe he’s making a run for it? Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”

They had survived the abyss of the caverns and defeated a monstrous fire-spider. What was one [Lord]?

Mireille and Olivia stepped inside too, and the four advanced up the central staircase silently. Figures in paintings stared at them, watching their advance inside. And they reached the office, and they opened the door.

And the [Lord] was waiting at his desk. He smiled.

The room was dark, lit only by moonlight, but Marcel was at ease and sat at his writing desk in the middle of the night as if it was the most natural thing to do. His [Secretary], a woman with thick glasses and hair in a neat bun stood by his side, motionless, glasses gleaming like giant eyes.

Fayette shivered, and Marie froze in the doorway.

The [Lord] widened his smile, bony face like an ashen skull in the dim light, almost inhuman. “Welcome, family dearest. I’ve been expecting you,” the [Lord] said, gesturing them inside.

“What is the meaning of this?” Marie asked, not stepping inside.

“Ah, tut tut. [Don’t Be Impolite], I invited you in.” The man said, again gesturing inside. His smile took on a mischievous tint. “I’ve heard you’ve been a naughty girl indeed.”

Marie stared for a long second, measuring. “So you’ve contacted the family? It doesn’t matter. We know what you did.”

“And I know what you did,” Marcel answered, voice dripping with poison. “Are you going to be impolite? Must I invite you again?”

Fayette frowned, was this his gambit? A contest of etiquette skills and blackmail? They had defeated spiders. She had killed [Lords]. It would not be the first.

Fayette looked at Marie, and the [Lady] nodded at her. “His blackmail won’t matter,” she whispered, looking back at the man.

Fayette stepped inside the room.

Nothing happened. She glared at the [Lord] but saw no weapons. All his [Guards] had been at the mine. The [Secretary]? Fayette turned to stare at her, but the woman did not answer her gaze. Just stood there silent, like a puppet. No edge to her at all.

Marie hesitated for a moment and stepped inside too. Mireille and Olivia followed, weapons out.

“What are you doing Marcel? We’ve found out your plot—you have no leverage. Even if you know about my circumstances. I know what you’ve done”

The man chuckled, twiddling an admonishing finger at Marie. “Ironic words, sister dearest. Just the past few days, I happened to hear the most interesting story. You almost got me in trouble.”

Fayette and Marie advanced on the table, stepping in sync. They glared at him, and Marie spoke. “Don’t besmirch my name. Whatever you think you have on me—you don’t have it. Is that what you resort to—blackmail? Pathetic.”

The [Lord] looked between Marie and Fayette, still openly amused. “You think so? But really, just what plots have you gotten wrapped up in your despair?” He looked up at the [Lady], no hints of unease on him. “Two dead [Lords]? Something about a factory in Palogne of all places?”

Marie’s face was blank with confusion, but Fayette shivered, suddenly feeling her [Dangersense] blare out. She looked around wildly, holding her broom out, thoughts suddenly racing. No, have to—

“Ah—well then. I guess it’s time.” Marcel said, then clapped his hands twice.

Fayette began to jump at him. Marie began gathering magic around her, and Olivia and Mireille stepped forward, falling into formation.

The [Maid] was beginning her strike, ready to stop the [Lord] once and for all—

Then all the closed doors in the room exploded. And the windows.

Figures in heavy armor bashed the doors in, aiming swords and crossbows into the center. Cloaking skills were released, and suddenly three men in robes were in the room, readying glowing magic in their hands. Powerful auras blinked into being. Nimbler sorts even jumped through the second-story windows, smashing them in and reaching the room.

Shards of glass were thrown all over and papers strewn about, but even Fayette could ignore that now. She had an instinct about their classes. [Knights], [Lords] and [Mages]—elites, all of them. So many?

Fayette, Mireille, Marie, and Olivia had frozen solid at all the readied weapons, not moving an inch. Then... a figure in brilliant blue armor finally stepped inside. He walked in leisurely, last of all, from the main doorway.

“Marie Adrienne Du Noelle, [You Are Under Arrest], on suspicion of conspiring to murder [Lords] Aumont younger and Castellani, as well as industrial sabotage, and conspiring with foreign countries.”

Fayette recognized one of those names and felt her blood running cold. These things have consequences?

Calm eyes stared at the frozen-solid [Lady], who had no idea what was going on. But she managed to utter a skill. “[Elegant Tea Party],” voice like a mouse.

But this… It would not save them here, Fayette knew. They were the guilty party—the invaders. Etiquette was not on their side.

[Lord] Marcel smiled wide and gestured at his [Secretary]. “Isabelle, leave us and close the door behind you. Ready the men at the mines” He stared at Marie, like a jackal finding injured prey.

“This is a matter for nobility.”