Double Dagger Delinquent

Chapter 95 Back To The Beginning

The group slipped out of the church, scanning their surroundings to make sure no one saw them. They said their goodbyes to the children, promising to return and visit soon. The kids didn’t want to be left behind.

“Don’t go,” Keal cried softly, clinging a little before finally, reluctantly, agreeing to stay at the church.

Once they were gone, the old priest Gereon walked to the star-shaped statue in the middle of the chapel. He bowed slightly and whispered a prayer:

“Dear Father, protect those young stars on their travels…”

Unknown to Iryoku’s group, a faint, subtle golden light radiated from the statue, gently traveling outward—and it followed them, unseen, as they made their way toward the gates of the town of Babel.

“Shit, I didn’t want to be right,” Iryoku muttered under his breath.

Ahead of them, the town gates were heavily guarded. Standing in front of the group of soldiers was Ligero. He spotted them from a distance and gave a quick signal to the surrounding guards.

Iryoku and the girls, still mounted on Rhogan, immediately turned back.

They began to flee.

“What do we do?” Alessandra shouted over the wind. “Are we going to have to fight?”

Yumi glanced back. “But there are too many civilians… maybe this is a misunderstanding.”

Suddenly, Reika’s attention shifted. She looked down, startled. “Wait—what’s happening?”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue return stone. A flicker of golden energy was streaming from each of them into it. The stone pulsed a deep, glowing blue.

Everyone’s eyes fell on it.

Iryoku frowned. “What’s going on?”

Reika’s eyes lit up with hope. “I think… I think it’s ready to be used.”

A small chorus of surprised gasps and smiles followed.

Iryoku nodded quickly. “Change of plans—we’re using it. Escaping now. Visiting Christina’s church will have to wait.”

They led Rhogan into a nearby alley, out of sight.

Reika focused her energy into the stone. It began to glow brighter and brighter, wrapping them in an ethereal, otherworldly light.

“It’s working!” Reika cried. Her eyes, and Yumi’s, shimmered with tears—not of fear, but of relief. This time, they wouldn’t leave Iryoku behind. This time, they were all escaping together—like they should have when they first used the stone to flee from the monstrous dragon.

Even Alessandra, whose memories hadn’t fully returned, felt something stir in her heart. Almost without realizing it, her hand drifted to her hip—where Iryoku’s hand rested. She reached for his, not with force, but gently—just to make sure he was still there.

Crash.

A sound like shattering glass rang through the air. There was a flash of darkness—then a burst of brilliant light. Reality cracked for a moment, then rebuilt itself in an instant.

And suddenly—

They were standing in the middle of a large study. Shelves packed with books and scrolls surrounded them, and a massive board covered in mysterious markings stood at the far end of the room.

Beneath Rhogan’s hooves, strange magical symbols flickered to life, glowing briefly before fading away.

“Whoa,” Iryoku said, dismounting and glancing around. “This felt... just like the first time we were transported to this world.”

It was his first time using the blue return stone.

Then—clash!

In the next moment, Yumi and Reika leapt onto Iryoku, knocking him to the ground. Before he could react, both girls clung to him tightly, burying their tear-streaked faces into his chest.

"Uh... uhu... uh..."

They sobbed quietly.

“What’s gotten into you girls?” he asked, surprised, trying to sit up.

But what came next surprised him even more.

Thud.

Alessandra collapsed onto his legs and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against him—just like Yumi and Reika. She didn’t care about shyness or hesitation anymore. She simply followed what her heart told her to do.

The three girls stayed like that, clinging to him in silence. Yumi and Reika each reached out with one arm and embraced Alessandra as well, forming a tight, emotional group hug on top of Iryoku.

He didn’t move at first—just breathed in the moment, their presence grounding him. Slowly, his hands rose and gently rubbed their backs and heads—not in a romantic way, but as a gesture of comfort. Of understanding.

He knew what this was.

Grief. Regret. Guilt. Googlᴇ search novᴇlfire.net

The weight they all carried from the moment he stayed behind so they could escape.

After a long pause, they began to gently pull away. Alessandra stood up and turned her face away, hiding her expression for a moment.

Yumi and Reika wiped their eyes, offering soft smiles.

Iryoku, now grinning widely, stood and began looking around the room. He didn’t mention the moment they had just shared or press them for answers—he understood enough.

Reika checked the glowing blue return stone.

“It still feels charged with energy... so maybe it just needed more power?” she wondered aloud.

Iryoku tilted his head.

“You said it might take us all the way back to Earth with enough juice?”

“Maybe. I think that’s what that demon meant back then,” Reika replied.

Alessandra looked around the room.

“So this is the castle in the Uruk Kingdom?”

Reika nodded.

“This was the room of Lady Vitka—a powerful mage who supposedly knew how to return us home.”

Iryoku scoffed as he walked toward a wall covered in markings and old symbols.

“Yeah, well, the old hag’s nowhere to be found. I’m starting to think she never existed.”

His eyes drifted to a painted diagram on the wall.

“Reika, this one looks different too,” he said, pointing.

Reika acknowledged him and pulled out a piece of paper, quickly sketching it. It was a constellation of interconnected points—stars linked by faint lines, forming a complex pattern.

When she finished, she said, “We still need to copy the one from the meeting hall—where Agnes took us last time. I think that one had a different configuration.”

Alessandra scratched her head. “What was all this for again?”

Yumi raised her hand, proud to be the one explaining—she liked moments like this, when she could show her understanding to her sensei.

“According to Reika’s theory, it might be a map of different realms. One of these points could represent Earth—our world—and another could be this place… the fantasy realm… Ante-something?”

“Ante Novissimum,” Reika added. “According to the tower elders, it means something like ‘the last before the end.’”

Alessandra nodded slowly. “Sounds very… mystical.”

Reika looked back and forth between her two drawings, carefully analyzing the star patterns.

“Hopefully we can piece together a clue to get back home using these.”

She held up both diagrams—one from Zora’s tower and the other from this room—comparing them closely.

Suddenly, Rhogan growled, drawing everyone's attention. Iryoku stepped over and gently patted the large rhino spirit.

“What is it, buddy?”

He glanced toward the door.

“It’s strange... by now, Agnes—that voyeur princess—would’ve come looking for us, or at least sent someone.”

The others nodded in agreement, ignoring his jab at Agnes, and began walking toward the door. But when they opened it, a new problem presented itself—Rhogan couldn’t fit through.

“Stay here, buddy,” Iryoku said, giving him one last pat. “Once we find Agnes, we’ll ask her to help get you outside.”

Together, the group stepped into the corridor.

Yumi looked around, frowning.

“This is weird… I don’t hear anyone. No servants, no footsteps…”

Their pace slowed as they approached the stairway. Weapons now at the ready, Iryoku signaled for caution. The girls mirrored his movements, staying alert as they descended a couple of floors.

Halfway down, they spotted a familiar figure—a maid hurrying across the hall. She turned and froze the moment she saw them.

The group lowered their weapons slightly and approached.

Reika called out, “Miss Carla—what’s going on?”

The maid hesitated before answering.

“Champions… it’s good to see you back. Please, follow me. I’ll take you to Her Highness, Princess Agnes.”

They exchanged quick glances. Something about her seemed off—but Carla was a familiar face, someone they trusted. So they followed.

Soon they arrived at a large, ornate door. Two burly knights stood guard, both unfamiliar and rigid in posture. Iryoku frowned—he didn’t recognize them.

Carla bowed to the guards.

“The champions under Princess Agnes have come to see her.”

Without saying a word, the guards opened the doors.

The group followed Carla inside.

The room was vast—just as they remembered. This was the hall where they had first arrived, summoned from Earth by Princess Agnes into this strange fantasy realm.

The memory came rushing back.

Back then, the hall had been a battlefield—soaked in blood and lit by fire. Agnes and her retainers had been fighting for their lives. Goblins, imps, orcs, even a minotaur—monsters had poured through in waves. It had been the group’s first taste of real battle… and of death.

Now, the place had been completely restored. No trace of the chaos remained.

At the far end of the hall stood a group of armored knights and robed mages gathered near the throne. One figure sat upon it, flanked by two others. Dozens more lined the walls in silence, as if witnessing a tribunal or hearing.

But what made their steps falter—what froze them in place—was the sight of who stood at the center of it all.

Princess Agnes.

Her head was bowed, her posture slightly hunched. Gone was the radiant white gown that once highlighted her ethereal beauty. In its place was a plain white top and skirt, with a green cloak draped over her shoulders. The fabric was thick, simple, and worn—clothing suited for a commoner, not a princess.

Her long blond hair, usually styled to hide her elven ears, now hung loosely, revealing them clearly—as if it were intentional.

The group stared in stunned silence, trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

Then, a deep, commanding voice echoed through the hall.

“So, you’ve arrived—the so-called champions from another realm.”

The words cut through the air like a blade, snapping Iryoku, Yumi, Reika, and Alessandra to attention.

The man seated on the throne leaned forward slightly. His voice carried weight—calm, powerful, and full of authority that left no room for question.