Chapter 275: Unwanted Guests

"What the hell are you doing here, bag of bones?" Ely said, pointing the katana directly at the skeleton.

"Well, well, well, is this how you treat your guests in this kingdom?" he said, bringing a hand to his chest in mock offense. "And here I thought that now that you’re rulers you’d have a bit more class."

"Answer what you were asked, freak," Alice cut in, stepping forward with her gauntlets already summoned and glowing with energy. "And do it fast, unless you want us to kick your ass like last time."

The comment seemed to irritate Rudolf.

"Allow me to correct you on one small detail, brat," he replied, tilting his skull. "What happened that time was nothing but a lucky break..."

"It didn’t look that way to me," Aria commented mockingly. "And if I remember correctly, you ended up running off with your tail between your legs."

"Seems I’ll have to refresh your memory," he replied, noticeably irritated.

The tension in the room reached its peak, and for a few seconds nobody moved.

Both sides waited for the other to make the first move, because everyone knew that the moment someone did, the battle would erupt with no way to stop it.

"I can’t believe these people are our new alliance."

But just as the fight was about to break out, a voice rang out from above, forcing everyone to look up toward the throne room ceiling.

There, suspended in the air with an unsettling calm, was another figure.

At first glance she looked like an angel, thanks to the pair of white wings sprouting from her back, but that illusion vanished the moment your gaze reached her neck.

Instead of a head, an enormous metal gear turned slowly, as if marking the passage of some invisible clock.

Before everyone’s eyes, she began to descend and finally landed gently beside Rudolf.

"Angelica?" the skeleton said, turning toward her. "What are you doing here?... I thought you had other things to deal with."

"I came to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid," Angelica replied in a monotone voice, though loaded with reproach. "Like, for example, exactly the stupidity you were about to do just now."

"..."

"You were sent to deliver a message, Rudolf, not to start a war with our supposed allies on the very first day."

"I was just going to have a little fun..."

"Your idea of fun is exactly what’s going to get us into trouble."

Mark, seeing the situation had just taken a turn, decided to step in before it spiraled out of control again.

"Let me guess," he said, stepping forward. "You two are from the Demon Lord, right?"

Angelica turned that gear she had for a head toward him.

"Unfortunately, yes... and believe me, this excites me no more than it excites you," she replied with obvious disdain. "But we received orders to come here and speak with you, and orders are orders."

Mark let out a long sigh.

The Demon Lord had kept her word and, just as she’d promised, had sent one of her subordinates to meet with them.

The only thing she’d forgotten to mention was that this subordinate happened to be the same one who had already tried to kill them in the past.

"Alright," Mark said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "In that case, we’d better continue this conversation somewhere else... somewhere more private."

"Private?" Ely asked, not lowering the katana. "Why, Master?"

"Because our guests aren’t exactly discreet," Mark replied, gesturing at the two newcomers. "A talking skeleton and a woman with a gear for a head wandering around the palace isn’t exactly the image I want the servants to see."

"You have a point..."

"The last thing I need is panic breaking out or rumors starting," he continued, glancing at Rudolf and Angelica sideways. "It would be an unnecessary disaster for everyone."

Angelica let out what sounded like a sigh, though it was hard to tell where it came from.

"You mortals and your complications," she said with disdain. "Always worried about appearances... what a damn hassle."

Without warning, Angelica snapped her fingers and a flash of light enveloped both her and Rudolf.

The light lasted barely an instant, but when it faded, both of them had changed completely.

Rudolf now had the appearance of a dark elf with grayish skin, short white hair, and sharp features that gave him a stern look.

Angelica, for her part, had transformed into a woman of almost unreal beauty, with delicate, elegant features.

The only thing that still gave her away was the pair of white wings folded against her back, the last trace of her true form she had shown moments earlier.

"Better now?" Angelica asked, now with a much more pleasant voice, though just as laden with annoyance. "Less terrifying for your delicate subjects?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking both of them up and down. "At least this way you won’t trigger a panic attack the moment you cross a hallway."

"Let’s make this quick..." Angelica replied with a frown.

Mark let out a tired smile.

It was clear neither side trusted the other.

The Demon Lord’s envoys looked at them as if they might drive a dagger into their backs at any moment, and honestly, the feeling was mutual.

Even so, whether they liked it or not, they were now on the same side.

If that alliance was going to survive more than five minutes, everyone would have to swallow their pride, at least for the time being.

"Alright then, follow me," Mark said, beginning to walk toward the door. "There’s a room where we can talk without—"

But then the throne room door burst open.

"MASTER!"

Rose stormed into the room, breathing hard, with a clear expression of alarm on her face.

"Are you alright?! I detected two enormous magical signatures inside the palace!" she exclaimed, sweeping the room with her eyes. "I came the moment I could, so tell me what’s happen—!"

Rose stopped dead and scanned the room.

And in the middle of everyone she spotted two complete strangers.

A woman with white wings and a dark elf, watching her with the same expression of bewilderment.

"Master, who are they?" Rose said, pointing at the newcomers.

"It’s a long story..."