Chapter 36: The Teleport Dilemma

Words : 1007 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 36: The Teleport Dilemma As Louis stepped in front of the desk and faced the captain, both the captain and Shiao Yi turned their faces toward him. Their expressions were flat and unreadable, like cold steel. It looked like a ventriloquist and his puppet. Louis had known Dominic since the man first joined the knight order. They had known each other a long time. And yet, at that moment, Louis realized—he didn’t understand the captain at all. This was a man who had always pushed people away. Someone who lived with a wall of indifference around him. So why, all of a sudden, was he acting like this? It was clear the captain had feelings for Shiao Yi and only Shiao Yi—but even so, wasn’t this going way too far? Was that it? Did he just have no experience with this kind of thing? Does he have no immunity at all? Even so... isn’t he being a bit too careless about how this looks to everyone else? —Ahh, what a troublesome, inconsiderate man. That whole situation aside, the captain and Shiao Yi were having a serious discussion. "Yes. Even if we ride the horses day and night without stopping, it’ll still take at least five days at the fastest," the captain said. "And we don’t have that kind of time right now, do we?" Shiao Yi replied. "What are you two talking about?" Louis asked. "We’re talking about sending word to the royal capital about Dalmasca’s foolish decision and how badly they messed up," the captain explained. "We need to deliver this proof in person." On the desk were the documents the captain had taken from the ruins of the Dalmasca Army’s camp. When Louis picked them up and looked through them, he saw not just command orders, but even detailed diagrams for the installation of the magic circle. It was all solid, undeniable evidence. Louis understood then—this wasn’t something that could be handed off through messengers. "In order to move His Majesty into action, and to request the dispatch of high-ranking mages, I need to go there myself," the captain said. The round trip alone would take at least ten days. Then, time would be needed to enter the royal castle and attend meetings, which would make the trip even longer. In total, he’d be away from the fortress for at least twenty days. And honestly, the captain didn’t have that kind of time to spare away from the fort. "I’ve said this many times already—I’ve never ridden a horse. There’s no way I can travel such a long distance on horseback." "...Huh?" "Even more than that, I can’t bear to be away from Shiao Yi for so many days. I don’t want him out of my sight. Not for a single day, not even for a minute or a second!" —Wait, that’s the problem? That’s what this whole argument is about? Right in front of Louis, who stood there utterly dumbfounded, Dominic looked into Shiao Yi’s face with a spark of inspiration, like he’d just come up with a brilliant idea. "Shiao. What if you teleport us there? If you use that ability, wouldn’t we arrive in an instant?" "Teleporting to a place I’ve never been before is risky. I have to be extra careful. And I can’t let anyone to see me appear out of nowhere—that would be bad. So, I can’t teleport to the royal capital directly." "But with the people we have in this fortress, it’s impossible to destroy that magic circle. We might not even be able to put up a proper barrier. We need reinforcements." "Uh... Captain," Louis cut in, "how about asking one of the mages to set up a teleportation circle instead? If they do that, you could reach the capital in an instant." "They’re already putting all their strength into the forest’s barrier right now. Do they really have the energy left to create a teleportation circle too? It would be great if I could do it myself, but I can’t use teleportation magic," the captain said. "I’ll go ask, just in case. I’ll head to Segoy’s place right now," Louis replied. Without wasting a moment, Louis ran straight to the east wing, where the mages were stationed. He found Segoy and practically dragged him and his assistant all the way back with him. "Y-You want to go to the royal capital?" Segoy asked while panting heavily. The mages, especially ones like Segoy who preferred to stay indoors, didn’t have the same stamina as knights. And Segoy was older, too. Running like that must have been rough on him. "We’d like you to set up a teleportation magic circle," Louis explained. "A teleportation circle, huh. Right now, all of us are already busy putting up the barrier. But... let me see. If it’s just for sending someone one-way, we might be able to manage. But a permanent-type ritual that can keep the circle stable for days? That’s not possible." "So, just a one-way trip then." "Hey, Dominic," Shiao Yi said, turning to the captain. "Roughly how much magic power do you think it would take to break that barrier around the circle? Like, how many people would it take—if we had someone like Segoy or even someone like you?" At that moment, Segoy turned his eyes toward Shiao Yi, who was still sitting quietly in the captain’s lap. It seemed like this was the first time he truly noticed him. As expected of an experienced mage, though—his expression didn’t change even a little. He completely ignored the strange sight like it was nothing. "From what I could feel when I saw it, it would take at least ten people with Segoy’s level of power," the captain answered. Segoy’s eyes went wide in shock when he heard that. "T-Ten people of my level? Is the barrier really that strong?" "That’s not all. As for the magic circle itself... even with thirty mages, it still might not be enough to deal with it." "That powerful!?" Segoy exclaimed.

Chapter 36: The Teleport Dilemma

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