The ultimate fantasy element came flying at me out of nowhere, and my eyes shot wide open. The ridiculously stupid sound I just made was completely unavoidable, so please forgive me.

I knew that in this world, the power source for all kinds of magical tools was the mysterious energy called mana. Inside each magical tool was a mana crystal that stored mana, and flipping the switch activated the preset spell. Even if the crystal inside ran out of mana during use, replacing it with a fresh one made the tool usable again.

So to Nagi, magical tools in this dream world were basically appliances, and mana crystals were high-performance batteries. Unfortunately, she had yet to see rechargeable mana crystals or anything resembling an outlet.

And those who could cast far more advanced spells than ordinary commercial tools by using the mana inside their own bodies (without needing crystals) were called mages. But even in this fantasy dream world, very few people were born with mana. Most of them were nobles, which made sense.

Thinking that far, she suddenly remembered Isaac’s earlier introduction.

(Oh, right. These guys said they were the Mage Knight Order or something. Never heard of them before, but the name alone screams “magic-using group,” doesn’t it.)

In other words, Isaac had been running everything she said through a lie detector.

Nodding in understanding, Nagi looked up at him.

“I’m not particularly bothered… Um, so does that mean your magic decided I’m not the person you’re looking for?”

“Exactly. You cannot possibly be our search target.”

He declared it firmly, and Nagi tilted her head.

“But at first you thought I was her, right?”

“That truly was inexcusable. As an excuse, we were under orders from above to search for ‘a young blonde woman wearing a palace maid uniform.’ The outfit you’re wearing right now is that very uniform.”

However, Isaac added with a small, wry smile,

“Our actual target is an eighteen-year-old noble lady. Most likely… someone who helped the lady escape kidnapped you (because you look very similar) and used you as a decoy to buy time.”

Nagi grimaced hard and clenched her fists.

She had no idea what happened before she “woke up” here. But at the very least, for an orphan like Rio to be mistaken for a noble lady, someone had to have orchestrated it. It wasn’t like there were tons of super-beauties with this face walking around, but if it was a blonde girl close in age—and if they covered her head to toe in blood, they probably thought they could fool the pursuers.

“If that’s really what happened, I want to punch the culprit with everything I’ve got.”

There were plenty of ways to make someone dirty without using blood. It felt disgusting, and though her nose seemed numb so she couldn’t tell, it probably smelled awful.

Muttering in a low, menacing voice from sheer anger, Isaac’s eyes widened for a second before he broke into an amused smile. Straightening his posture again, he said,

“Indeed. When the time comes, I’ll punch them for you so your hands don’t hurt. ——Miss Nagi, we will be taking you into protective custody for the time being. Until your future safety is assured, you will remain under our protection.”

(Haa. That’s not a suggestion, that’s a done deal, huh.)

She felt a little annoyed at having no choice, but when she thought about it, she had no real reason to refuse. If she’d stayed here without meeting anyone, she might have remained covered in blood until she woke up in real life. That thought sent a genuine shiver down her spine.

Nagi bowed her head politely.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“No, you have nothing to apologize for. ——Sieghart. From this moment on, you are Miss Nagi’s personal guard. She is an important witness regarding the Nordahl incident. From now on, prioritize her safety above all else.”

At Isaac’s sudden order, Sieghart nodded without hesitation.

“Understood.”

(Eh?)

While she was still round-eyeing over talk of guards and witnesses, Isaac stood and looked behind him.

“If this was a decoy, the real target has already escaped in another direction. We return to the fortress once and coordinate information with the second and third squads.”

Affirmative replies rose from the handsome men. Receiving them, Isaac turned back to Nagi.

“Then, Miss Nagi. I’m opening the return gate now, so please hold on tight to Sieghart.”

“Eh—wait, fwoooaaah!?”

Before she could process his words, Nagi let out a ridiculous yelp because Sieghart had suddenly scooped her up. And yes, it was the classic princess carry.

(Close, close, way too close!! Nooooooo!! The handsome species needs to properly recognize the cardiac damage their faces inflict on common citizens!)

As Nagi froze solid and screamed internally, Sieghart narrowed his golden eyes and chuckled.

“Pretty lively, aren’t you. Hold on properly so you don’t fall.”

(Says the face-destroying weapon… Give me back my lifespan…)

Somehow reviving herself through sheer willpower, Nagi half-glared and pinched the edge of his sleeve with her fingertips. It felt too late to worry, but grabbing someone’s clean uniform with hands crusted in dried blood felt incredibly wrong.

(If he says hold on, I guess I have to. Getting left behind here means the next person I meet might not be nice. In the end, I’m just a Japanese person who goes with the flow. Heh heh heh.)

Right beside them, intense white light burst forth. Startled, she looked over—IIsaac held up one hand, and beyond it floated a glowing circle about 2.5 meters across. Its circumference was lined with layers of complex characters and numbers; the inside was pure white light without a single shadow.

(Ooooh… Fantaaastic… Amaaazing… Great, beautiful…)

Half escaping reality, she stared in awe at the beautiful light as everyone around her leapt into the circle one after another. Before Nagi could mentally prepare herself, Sieghart—still carrying her—followed suit.

“…!”

Nagi instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her whole body.

There was no impact.

But when she opened her eyes again, the world had completely changed.

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