The dining room went quiet for a moment before Mina's loud, cute voice broke the silence. "Well, I think it's time we settle in for tonight, right?!" she said, hands on her hips, beaming. "I couldn't agree more," Sierius said, standing and sliding his chair under the table with elegant precision.
"Our maids will escort you to your rooms," he continued. "They are waiting outside the dining hall. We shall resume this conversation in the morning. I bid you goodnight, ladies and gentlemen." With that, he bowed and left, moving with the grace only a prince could pull off.
"Is he always that tense?" Leo asked jokingly.
Caught off guard, Alliah, Brie, William, and Mina all laughed at his comment. "Well, I'll go see you off to your rooms," Mina said, smiling as usual, her usual cute, mischievous expression in place.
"I swear, I feel like I could eat her face right now," Alliah muttered with a smirk. Brie laughed, William smiled, but Leo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the joke.
Mina giggled and gestured for them to follow her outside the dining hall. They all started walking—except for Brie, who lingered to tidy the table.
"Hey, Brie! Don't worry about it, our maids got this!" Mina called out, looking concerned. She nodded at the maids, who took the plates from Brie, silently signaling it was fine. Brie caught up to the group.
The maids and Mina escorted the boys first to their room. William and Leo exchanged looks of astonishment—the room was massive, bigger than their entire house and apartment combined back on Earth. "Well, now settle in. Big day tomorrow!" Mina said, closing the door behind them.
But just as the door began to click shut, Alliah blocked it with her foot, and Brie grabbed Mina's hands. Mina paused, confused, then let go, watching them from behind the door. "Hey, Macho," Alliah said calmly. Her voice, steady and teasing, reminded Leo of a side of her he hadn't heard since school back on Earth.
"So… we'll see you tomorrow, right? You'll still be here, right?" Brie asked.
William gave her a reassuring pat on her head making her blush slightly, but she quickly controlled it.
"We'll see you first thing in the morning," William replied.
Then Leo held out his fist, and with a smirk, fist-bumped Alliah and Brie—their signature "see you later" move. William followed suit.
Mina watched them with a quiet mix of jealousy and genuine curiosity. Is this human magic? she wondered—the easy bond, the laughter, the comfort they shared so naturally. The girls waved goodbye to the others as they continued down the long hallway, the castle falling silent around them. Massive, arched windows lined the corridor, moonlight spilling through the glass and painting the navy sky in silver reflections. Mina led the way.
She lifted a hand toward the maids in a small, subtle gesture. They nodded in understanding and turned back, footsteps fading until the three girls were alone.
"Where are they going?" Brie asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.
Brie glanced over her shoulder. "So… where did they go?"
"Back to finish their duties," Mina answered casually. "They'll be up half the night if I don't let them go now."
Alliah looked around at the towering walls and glowing windows. "Wow… this place is huge. Don't you ever get lost in here?"
Mina let out a small laugh. "All the time. When I was younger, I once wandered for hours and ended up in the servant kitchens. I cried so hard they thought I was a ghost."
Brie chuckled softly. "Okay, that actually makes me feel better."
They walked a little farther before Brie spoke again, curiosity getting the better of her. "So… do you sleep in some fancy royal bedroom with a giant bed and curtains and stuff?"
Mina smiled sheepishly. "It's not as fancy as you're imagining. I still trip over the rug."
Alliah smirked. "Good. Now you officially feel more human."
Mina laughed at that, the sound light and real. "I'll take that as a compliment."
After a quiet beat, Brie asked, gently this time, "So… how long have you lived here?"
Mina's smile softened. "Long enough to call it home," she replied.
Soon, they reached their rooms. Mina stopped and whispered, raising her eyebrows up and down, "Well… this is it. It's much fancier than the boys' room." Brie chuckled, and Alliah didn't even pause—she walked right in and buried herself in the bed, too full and too amazed by the castle to even think about inspecting the room.
"You know… we never got to thank you for saving us back there in the forest," Brie said gently, smiling.
"That!? Pffft… that was nothing!" Mina shrugged casually, as if it truly wasn't a big deal.
Brie held out her fist.
"What are you doing…?" Mina asked, genuinely curious.
Brie didn't answer. She adjusted her hand closer, signaling a fist bump. Mina hesitated, then finally formed her own fist. They bumped, and both smiled.
"Goodnight, Ms. Wihelmina… Astro… errr…" Brie laughed, waving goodbye.
Mina couldn't help but laugh too and corrected her: "It's Wihelmina Astra-Sophie Stelarius!"
As the door closed behind Brie and Alliah, Mina stood there for a moment, gazing at her fist. She had made her very first friend—other than Sierius.
Leo's snore echoed through the room, loud enough to wake anyone nearby—but there was no one around for his snore to wake up.
William sat on the massive table in front of his bed, a table big enough to spread out his gadgets. A low-battery cellphone and a cracked laptop rested beside him. Both had suffered in the fall—and even worse after the encounter with the bear monster in the forest. His mind drifted to his Tech club back on Earth, imagining his unfinished instant-freeze gun lying on his desk.
Will I ever get back home? he wondered. Will I even finish my instant-freeze gun? Is it even necessary now… if magic actually exists? And if I do return… will this magic stay with me?
So many thoughts, all unanswered.
He rummaged through his bag and felt something unusual. At first, he thought it had vanished, but after a closer inspection, he noticed a small rip at the back strap of his bag. The tear was tiny, but William tugged at it until it gave way, revealing a crest—one of his father's relics, somehow ending up in his bag.
He examined it carefully. It looked just like the piece he had used to complete the wall back at the lab—but this one had a crack. He placed it on the table with care.
Suddenly, the window burst open! Glass shards flew in every direction, clinking against the walls and floor. Leo's snore cut off abruptly as he jolted awake.
Two hooded figures appeared, perched on the window ledge. They wore long violet robes, each bearing a black egg symbol on their arm. William's heart skipped a beat—the symbol looked familiar.
"Did I… invite them with my snore!?" Leo muttered, trying to crack a joke as he jumped out of bed and ran toward William, who stood frozen in place.
Then—BAM! The door burst open.
Wihelmina—Mina—stood there, golden sword in hand. It was the same sword they had seen her wield in the forest.
"Stay back!" she called out, her voice calm but commanding, and her usual playful smile firmly in place.
The boys froze, the tension thick in the room. Outside the window, the hooded figures paused, clearly noticing the new presence.
Mina took a step forward, her stance ready, her eyes glinting with determination.
Mina dashed at the intruders like a yellow flash. The one in front noticed her approach and immediately backflipped, narrowly dodging her strike. The second intruder wasn't so lucky—Mina's sword sliced cleanly, sending a spray of red blood across the room. It was vivid, real… nothing like the yellow blood of the forest beast.
The first intruder, still airborne from the dodge, locked eyes on William. It lunged at him, from the ceiling—Leo reacted instantly, yanking William off the table and out of harm's way.
"Thanks," William muttered, breathless. Leo only grinned and jumped back, positioning himself between the intruder and William.
The intruder quickly grabbed something from the table—the Crest, William's father's relic.
Mina was already on him. She slashed again with precision, the tip of her sword connected to his lower rib, but he was able to dodge in the nick of time, vaulting into the air. He swung his dagger, aiming for her, but she moved so fast she seemed to vanish from the boys' sight entirely.
Landing beside his fallen comrade, the intruder snapped his fingers. The wounded ally floated grey light slowly encircled him then the wounded ally slowly dissolving into a dark goo. Mina tried to strike the intruder again, but it was futile. By the time her gleaming sword reached him, he had already transformed himself into goo.
The two forms evaporated almost instantly, leaving nothing but shards of glass scattered across the floor and the lingering scent of blood.
The room fell silent. Only the echo of the crash and the dripping of blood remained.
Mina stood, chest heaving, sword still glowing faintly. Her hair moved with the aftershock of motion, and her eyes glinted with the calm of someone who had already anticipated this chaos.
"Everyone… alright?" she called out, her voice steady but tinged with adrenaline.
William, Leo, and the others stared at her in awe, processing the speed and precision they had just witnessed.
Even in a room full of shattered glass, blood, and chaos, Mina was untouched—a predator among predators.
The guards finally arrived, weapons drawn—only to find the battle already over. What greeted them was chaos: shattered glass everywhere, scorch marks on the walls, and Mina standing at the broken window like a victorious warrior.
Her sword still glowed like a lightsaber, humming softly—until it slowly retracted, dissolving into shimmering stardust. In a swirl of sparkles, the light compressed back into her cute little wand.
Mina turned to the guards and calmly reported everything, or at least she tried. her demeanor switching from warrior to responsible student in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Leo and William were still on the floor, catching their breath.
"You know," William huffed, "if I knew I'd get Isekai'd, I would've become an athlete like you."
Leo burst out laughing. "Bro, if I knew, I'd be a tech genius too. Isn't it always the smart ones who end up being the main character or something?"
"At least you can protect yourself right now…" William muttered.
Leo patted his shoulder with a grin. "Don't worry, buddy. I saved you a spot on my team back home. Just see me and Coach. Deal?"
William snorted. "Deal."
The boys shared a short laugh—until Mina placed her hands on her hips and loomed over them.
"So…" she said. "Any idea why the Order targeted you?"
Both boys exchanged the most confused look possible.
"I don't think they were targeting us…" William answered honestly. Leo looked at him confused. "How did you know?" Leo added. Mina stared blankly at William who was still sitting on the ground sweating.
But before William could answer, the King and Queen arrived—this time without the king's full Shining Cooper armor. He wore only a regal tunic and the sword strapped to his hip. Their eyes widened at the mess.
"O-Oh my…" the queen whispered.
The king scratched the back of his head. "Well… this is not what I expected to happen tonight."
Before anything else, the queen reached Mina and gently patted her head, brushing her hair exactly like a mother would. It was so adorable that Leo instantly forgot what happened, he nearly melted watching it.
"At least our new friends are safe," the queen said warmly, still fussing with Mina's hair.
The king straightened, shaking off his serious expression. "What happened tonight was no coincidence" the king said with a serious expression his commanding voice echoed through the room. "Your rooms will be repaired by morning, but for tonight, you'll sleep in the guest chambers."
He placed a firm, reassuring hand on Leo's back.
"My guards will escort you. Rest well—and may the night remain peaceful."
The boys nodded.The guards formed up around them, leading them through the corridors toward their temporary room.
Mina watched them leave, her wand tucked safely at her side… and her thoughts heavier than she let on.