"Huh? Help?" Aya's first reaction was disbelief. After all, she was in her own castle. Even if her Holy Rank powers were diminished, she still had MimiJustice and a group of castle guards. Who could possibly attack?

But after Tiran shouted just once and there was silence on the other end of the contract, it became clear that something was not right. Considering the recent attack that had occurred, there was a possibility that a strong enemy had actually appeared. If she wasn't there, it could be a big problem.

"Elder, what happened?" Angel asked curiously, as she noticed Aya suddenly stop walking.

"We have to go back to the castle," Aya said.

...

In the city of Yikante, the king was still busy with the preparations for the army's assembly.

Although it was not necessary for him to personally handle such matters, the fact that many high-ranking military officials were trapped in the capital during the coup meant that his subordinates were lacking in manpower. Furthermore, he still had influence within the army, as many of the mid-ranking officers had fought alongside him eighteen years ago. His personal command would undoubtedly boost the morale and efficiency of the troops.

"After issuing this order, send it to the military camp below and deploy another squadron of cavalry to conduct surveillance near Gusteberd's jurisdiction," Granzon said, taking a deep breath after signing the final order. He then returned to his study and stared silently at the large map spread out on his desk, focusing on a particular important location.

Delua, standing behind him, looked at him with a sense of admiration and satisfaction. She couldn't help but feel that this was the War King she remembered, someone whose serious demeanor surpassed that of any noble or aristocrat she had ever encountered. It was this aura that left a deep impression on her when she accidentally saw the young commander triumphantly returning on that street eighteen years ago.

Unfortunately, after becoming a secretary and witnessing his carefree and playful behavior during peacetime, she realized that he was quite different from the image she had imagined. It was a disappointment that shattered her girlish fantasies.

In a sense, she was grateful for this war, as it allowed her to see the king in his serious and handsome appearance again.

- Of course, it was best to keep these thoughts to herself. War was not a game.

"Your Majesty..."

"Delua."

Both of them spoke almost simultaneously, but then fell into an awkward silence, staring at each other without saying a word. Granzon tried to hide his discomfort and coughed twice, thinking, What's going on? That evasive gaze and the ambiguous atmosphere in the air! My wife is still in the backyard, so don't create any trouble!

"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if you needed coffee. You've been working continuously all day," Delua respectfully asked. She knew that Granzon, as a Great Knight, had a level of physical endurance that could handle three consecutive sleepless days, but she couldn't help but worry.

"Yes, bring me a cup. One spoonful of sugar, three small cups of milk, and some snacks. I'm a little hungry," Granzon nodded.

"Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, what did you want to say just now?"

"Nothing... I just suddenly remembered something," Granzon rubbed his chin. "Do you think I look pitiful when I'm being bullied by my daughter?"

"...If I may speak frankly, I think you often bring it upon yourself, Your Majesty," Delua paused for three seconds before answering slowly. "And please, focus on your work!"

So why did I even think of such a thing! Instead of this, shouldn't we be fully focused on recapturing the capital? How did we go back to our usual state again! I can't understand this way of thinking!

"Well, there's no other way. After all, there are only two and a half people in the entire kingdom who can truly make little Tiran listen."

"Two, two and a half?"

"Yeah, my wife counts as one, the Hesse family's girl counts as half, and there's still one..."

"The one from the Magitech Academy?" Delua tentatively guessed.

...

The wings of the dragon behind them spread out, the airflow swept by, and the outline of Gilliast Castle appeared in Aya's sight.

"Aya senpai, there's an energy fluctuation over there." Angel, who was being protected by Aya's golden Chi, suddenly raised a finger and pointed towards the castle ahead.

"I sense it too. There's indeed something going on." Aya nodded.

She had become even more worried on the way back. She clearly had a master-servant contract on her, and when necessary, Tiran could forcibly summon her back. This was the effect of the magic, and it worked regardless of the strength of the power.

In other words, she might not even have time to activate the summoning?

Aya's heart started to race. It took her less than ten minutes to fly back at full speed, but if it was a strong enemy, the castle might...

"We're here!"

Breaking through the thin clouds, the situation of the castle could be seen clearly. Aya almost instantly noticed the giant spider-like object in the castle courtyard, moving rapidly with its eight metallic legs.

"What the hell is that?"

After experiencing the incident in the Magitech Kingdom, Aya had developed a sense of awe towards these mechanical creations. But awe aside, it was obvious that Tiran's reason for seeking help was undoubtedly this thing!

"Tiran, stop hiding and come out, don't waste time." A voice with an indistinguishable metallic synthesizing tone came from the interior of the mechanical spider, revealing impatience.

With its bizarre appearance, it was difficult to determine its actual combat capability, but if it had defeated Mimi and Justice, it certainly wouldn't be easy to deal with. However, it didn't seem to have noticed her yet.

After putting a slow descent spell on Angel and letting her go, Aya's hands were enveloped in a bright golden light. All the Chi she had released earlier to protect Angel, who had her powers sealed, condensed into the brightest point.

Aya's idea was simple, take advantage of not being noticed and attack from behind.

With a burst of energy, the golden flame fired a thin golden thread towards the mechanical spider on the ground. In the clear daylight, it was difficult to notice.

The golden thread landed directly on the back of the mechanical spider, silently piercing through a finger-sized hole, and then went straight underground.

The movement of the mechanical spider immediately stagnated, and in the next moment, the massive mechanical body exploded continuously from the inside. In just half a second, the once ferocious being was reduced to a dazzling fireworks display.

"What? Is this thing really that weak?"

Aya was dumbfounded to see how smoothly it went. She had initially thought that this thing was powerful, so she concentrated as much Chi as possible in one point to break through its defenses, not hoping to cause too much damage. In fact, she was preparing for follow-up attacks...

But how did this thing explode just by touching it? It's so fragile, it shouldn't be like this, right? Then how did Mimi and Justice lose to it?

Before Aya had time to figure it out, she saw countless bright purple dots appearing in the air about ten meters above the ground below. These dots then transformed into sharp arrows that shot towards her.

Magic? Time to eliminate it!

The attacker retaliated quickly, but Aya reacted even faster. She swiftly changed her prepared attack into a powerful Magic, amplifying it with a massive annihilating element aura. The aura, like a dark cloud, pressed down towards the arrows below.

However, when the aura made contact with the arrow formation, the countless magical arrows did not dissipate like regular Magic. Instead, they effortlessly pierced through.

"What the hell?!"

…

On the ground, a figure dressed in a deep red cloak slowly walked out from the buildings of the castle. Frowning, she stared at the magical radiance emitted after the arrow formation hit.

"Elemental annihilation? Who is this person?"

Just a moment later, her gaze shifted away from Aya, who had been engulfed by the magical arrows from the sky. With a somewhat annoyed expression, she looked at the mechanical spider that had been reduced to scrap metal.

"What a headache... This thing was worth quite a bit of money."

"Hey, don't get distracted during a fight. I'm not down yet!"

A dissatisfied shout came from above, and the next moment, a figure shrouded in golden flames plummeted like a meteor and landed a few meters away.

Receiving the arrow formation head-on had caused some damage, but it was not a major problem for the golden dragon's magic resistance.

"Who are you? Why did you launch such a high-profile attack on the royal castle?"

"... Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Aya was taken aback when she heard the question from the other side. What's going on? Clearly, she was the one running around the castle with a giant spider... Are attackers nowadays this shameless?

Both of them, who were previously on edge, were momentarily stunned by each other's words, and the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Fortunately, someone came out at a critical moment to intervene.

"Mr. Raether, Miss Aya, please stop fighting."

A familiar figure appeared in front of a tower's entrance. A man in a butler's uniform, with Sword of Growth fastened to his waist, hurriedly approached the two. He first halted Aya's actions, then bowed slightly towards the red-robed girl standing to the side, who had also been in a tense position.

"Justice?"

What's going on? This guy shouldn't either be coincidentally not in the castle or already taken down by the invaders, right?

The small brain capacity of the dumb dragon instantaneously fell short.