"Hey, Funiya, tell me your exact location!"
Walking with Olesha through the gray area of gaudy lights and wine, Lily actively initiated communication magic, hoping to get the other party's detailed location from Funiya.
'Tch, that lazy angel, don't tell me she fell asleep again.'
The communication went unanswered for a long time. Lily felt she was going to die of anxiety. The black-haired ponytailed young woman with an intellectual appearance looked displeased, and the shadow beneath her transformed into various monster shapes within just a few seconds.
'I remember they just mentioned that warlord's people were chasing them, right? So isn't it possible that while fleeing, they don't have a chance to answer your communication?'
Sparked by Olesha's words, Lily had an epiphany. It wasn't that she hadn't thought of this—she just felt too strongly that it was that lazy Funiya deliberately slacking off.
So Shadow Demon Amontis slightly glanced sideways at Olesha. Only then did Olesha feel a bit of what it meant for the other party to be truly formidable.
Being looked at sideways by Amontis felt very peculiar. The surrounding time seemed to stop, even her own heartbeat slowed down.
Olesha took a deep breath to endure that gaze. Incredible, truly incredible. So Lily wasn't entirely lying—at least this power, this black-haired female form emanating demonic aura, really looked super strong.
Damn it, so she really is an incredible ancient being? She really has such unbelievable power. I thought this little brat was completely lying to me.
But! Even so! She's still a perverted old thing! And super trashy!
"I'll have my shadows find the two of them."
"Shadows?"
The shadow at Amontis's feet suddenly moved like a living thing. They transformed into countless black schools of fish that shot out in all directions, quickly burrowing into corners and waterways, leaving almost no trace.
Truly incredible, Olesha thought. Moreover, because this black-haired intellectual woman's image looked much more mature, she even suspected whether this might be the other party's true form.
Instead, that trashy white-haired loli was the disguise shown to her.
"Ugh, the situation is urgent, yet we can only wait here idly."
Seeing Amontis seemed somewhat worried, Olesha was just about to offer words of comfort.
"How about this! Let's go find some fun!"
"Eh?"
The vein on her forehead twitched. Olesha kept doubting every single word she'd just heard.
The situation is urgent, so we're going to find some fun?
How could that be? How could these words, these phrases, form a sentence? Was this some kind of Lily-speak?
"Don't worry. Despite that voice sounding lazy to death, she's a genuine angel. She won't really allow that Kingdom princess to be pushed to the point of selling her ass. My shadows will give results soon. We just need to wait."
"Angel?"
Olesha caught onto this word.
Angel? Wasn't that a creature from mythology? They actually exist?
You have to know, even Catania and Azicat were beings from such a distant past. What they created were merely legends.
And angels, in Olesha's view, had always been non-existent things that only existed in mythology.
"What kind of fun are you looking for? Oh ho, I get it. You arrived at the red-light district and can't walk anymore, right?"
Facing Olesha's teasing this time, Amontis unexpectedly didn't just laugh it off Lily-style.
Jet-black shadows emerged from beneath her feet, transforming into tentacles. Under Olesha's ominous gaze, they made contact with her shadow.
"You... what are you trying to do now?"
"Oh~ Pitiful and lamentable Dragon King, your story must be most suitable for writing into an epic. I wonder if you might be interested in providing some inspiration for me, this wandering bard who has arrived at your side by chance?"
"Lily."
"What say you?"
"You don't actually find this romantic, do you?"
Under the intoxicating magical lights drifting everywhere, Olesha really wanted to curse at this suddenly crazy person.
Idiot.
"Uh... forgot to tell you, Olesha. Before you speak, can you please release the Shadow Lock on me first? During my transformation into summons, my own personality gets affected, so sometimes I might do some like this... or like that... unexpected things."
"Then let me ask you... what exactly are you trying to pull right now?!"
Olesha thanked heaven and earth that Amontis had already taken her into a small alley earlier to release her shadows.
Otherwise, what would they be doing now?! Confessing in the red-light district? That would be quite wasteful.
"Listen to me, Olesha."
"What exactly do you want to say?!"
Despite this person being frighteningly strong, Olesha was surprised to find she wasn't afraid of her at all.
Even in her current state of being bound and unable to move, she didn't feel the other party would actually do anything harmful to her.
In summary, this person was too trashy—trashy to a somewhat cute degree—making her not feel threatened at all.
"I believe you've already figured it out. After all, you often look at me like I'm an idiot."
"Figured out what?! Can you please be normal! If that won't work, just transform back into that white little thing! At least she's cute!"
"You must have already figured it out. I... am me."
Hm? What do you mean 'you are you'! Playing riddles with me here!
"Enough! Enough! Did you come to rescue people or not?!"
Having unconsciously regained her freedom, Olesha kicked a pebble on the ground. Honestly, she really wanted to kick this damn rock at this damn person.
"Cough cough cough! Sorry! Sorry!"
"Seriously, this is what you call personality change?"
"Uh... more or less."
Lily adjusted her glasses. Shadow Demon Amontis's character setting was actually a chuunibyou radio-wave girl.
This caused her already unusual thought processes to become even more unbridled in this form.
Like just now, she actually said something confession-like to Olesha!
Fortunately, Olesha thought it was just her acting crazy again and didn't take it seriously. Phew—good, good. She couldn't become trash who falls for everyone she meets.
"I think I understand now. You collect a whole bunch of underwear that could practically be called fetish wear, and then you go around confessing."
Olesha placed her left hand on her hip and pointed at Lily with her right, looking like she'd completely seen through her.
"Heh, just admit it. Did you fall for me at first sight? Or should I use a more appropriate term—lust at first sight?"
Lily resisted the urge to bite her nails, because Olesha seemed to have hit the mark.
"Heh, stop your delusions, little brat. My heart belongs to Lady Catania alone. I believe that legendary Dragon King must still be in the shadows, working hard to completely kill that demon."
Wow, is this what they call speculation? Well done, young lady. I acknowledge your imagination.
Heh, she's just a big sister type. My summons have plenty with that character setting. Who cares?
I don't care!