Takechi and his companions swallowed hard, their bodies trembling slightly as they saw Flynn Deschain and the Knightley Queen's troops approaching.
"...What should we do, Takechi?" Jill asked Takechi quietly, unable to think clearly. Takechi answered calmly, though he was also trembling at the sight of Knightley Queen before him.
"It's okay... We just need to find a way out of this situation."
"But, how...?" Jill asked again.
As they whispered, Flynn suddenly spoke, as if he had heard every word they spoke.
"You should know that the blowing wind always guides the right path."
Everyone fell silent.
"..."
"He, he's giving the words of everyone he's spoken..." Flynn said, then frowned slightly and glared at them. "...Even if it's just a whisper."
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Jill and her friends' necks stood on end. "?!" Meanwhile, Takechi only swallowed hard, staring at Flynn with a wary gaze.
Lilith and Iris had been silent the entire time, unsure what to do next. "..."
Then, Flynn continued. The atmosphere became cold again, whether it was Flynn's fault or something else threatening 'them'.
"Listen, I just want you to surrender yourselves to us. You must be charged for your actions. Let's resolve this without any violence!"
Takechi simply spat after hearing that, then replied with a hint of resentment.
"Tch... You bastard, did you think we'd follow your lead and be charged and humiliated in front of everyone? No thank you!"
Flynn was suddenly startled, not by the answer to his question. But by the presence of a third person observing from a distance.
"?!"
He could feel it; his senses were unmistakable. (There's someone... Again? Besides us here... Where?)
His eyes darted in the opposite direction, and that's when he sensed the energy of a small but striking artifact coming from the direction of a nearby hill. (That...!? It must be there!)
Takechi, who saw this, was confused as to why Flynn had suddenly gone silent after answering his question.
"Hey... Did you hear me, you bastard?"
However, Flynn only replied calmly.
"Excuse me, it seems I have a guest I need to take care of first." Then, he ordered his troops to stand guard. "You guys, guard them all. Don't let them get away so easily."
Hearing the instruction, they immediately agreed to their captain's request. "Yes, captain!"
"Good."
Then, without further thought, Flynn took a single step. In an instant, his figure flickered—the light around him distorted, forming overlapping double shadows. His hair and the hem of his clothes pulled back, as if dragged by an invisible current. That small step transformed into a subtle spatial shift.
His figure disappeared from their sight, and the Knightley Queen's soldiers weren't surprised at all. They were used to seeing it.
But, it was different for those who weren't part of the Knightley Queen.
"?!"
They were shocked to see it happen. Flynn should have been standing before the Knightley Queen's knights—but now, his figure was gone.
"Disappeared...!?" Lilith said softly.
Infori was shocked to see it; he hadn't expected Flynn Deschain to simply disappear from his mission.
(Where is he...? But, this is also a golden opportunity... Since only his troops remain, perhaps I can use Wind O Twister to distract them.)
"Good. In that case—" His words stopped when he sensed a presence behind him, even pointing a large sword at his neck.
"Then what, huh?" he said, his tone cold.
Hearing that, Infori's heart beat faster than usual. He knew the situation he was in, but he still chose to remain calm rather than panic.
"So you ran all the way up this hill to meet me—Flynn."
"I didn't mean to surprise you with my speed, and besides, what's an artifact shopkeeper doing in a place like this?"