Point-of-View: Ariella Velle

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"Damn it...damn it, damn it, damn it...," I muttered, as I paced around impatiently.

"Why don't you sit down, Ariella?" Suggested Isla with a smile.

"I'm fine," I responded restlessly.

It was a couple of hours later, about twenty-seven hours since we first set out on the raid. My body felt exhausted, but there's no way I can relax, let alone sleep, right now.

I was currently in the Union, waiting for their report on the analysis of the area where the Archdemon had vanished with Kai and the others.

As I continued pacing around, I perked up as the door opened, one of the Union's staff stepping into the room.

"Excuse me, Miss Ariella-..."

"Well?! Did you find out where Kai is?!"

"I, er...no, the analysis isn't complete yet. But, frankly, it's highly unlikely that we'll be able to discern anything worthwhile from this analysis," He informed me solemnly.

"I...I see..."

"On another note, uh, Kaivel's summons have returned from their raids, and they're asking to speak with you."

Huh? Oh, that's right, Luxuria and Invidia...I completely forgot about them.

They might know something!

"Where are they?"

"Follow me, I'll take you to them."

I bounded after him as he led the way, heading through the building.

I hope those two have some answers...they can sense Kai's emotions, so they should have some idea of what kind of situation he's in.

I need to know that he's okay, if nothing else.

We soon came to a stop in front of a room, before I stepped inside the Union staff guy opened the door, Luxuria and Invidia seated inside.

Luxuria was missing her left hand and had a lot of scratches all over her arms, and Invidia had a chunk of his right side missing, his left eye slashed.

"<Hey, where's Master? Do you know what happened to him>?" Inquired Luxuria with a frown, standing up as I walked in.

Huh?

"No, I...I was hoping you two would know something. He was fighting an Archdemon, he almost defeated her, but the area around them suddenly began glowing. It looked like Kai couldn't move, and then, they suddenly disappeared," I responded with a grimace.

"<I see. Well, for over an hour now, the two of us have been sensing a strong desire from the Boss...he wants us to tell you to open Treasury. For some reason, it's harder to sense his emotions than usual>," Chimed in Invidia.

Wait, that's right, Treasury!

"[Treasury]," I chanted, my eyes widening as I noticed a new item placed in one of the empty slots.

I opened the slot and reached it, taking out the item. It was an empty takeout box, with writing inside it. The writing's been done with sauce, it says...

'I'm OK. In the Monster world. I'll find a way back. Love you.'

A sense of relief washed over me as I read the message, but it didn't last long...on the one hand, he's okay.

But on the other hand...he's in the world that the Monsters come from?

Damn it, that Archdemon, she must have teleported him there...how are we supposed to get him back to our world?!

"<Woah, for real>?" Remarked Invidia, as he peered over my shoulder.

"<Hey, this Archdemon Master fought, did you use Appraisal on her? What was her name>?" Inquired Luxuria warily.

"Yeah, I used Appraisal. Her name's Fenelza Zazzeka," I replied, glancing at her as her eyes widened.

"<That's...the Fifth Seat of the Demon Lord's Generals. I had no idea she could teleport, let alone teleport between worlds. I get it now...she's among the weaker of the Generals, so I never understood why she held such a high position. This explains it>," Responded Luxuria with a grimace.

"Hey, if I stay inside a conquered Dungeon, will I be taken to that world when it recedes?"

"<No clue, so I'd say don't risk it...at the very least, save it as a last resort. You ending up there isn't going to help matters, all that'd change is that both you and Master will be stuck there, instead of just him.

He's got Acedia with him, and us too, once he withdraws us, so he'll be fine. And besides, the last thing he would ever want is for you to take such a risk>," Pointed out Luxuria.

"Damn it...if only we could put living things in Treasury, then he'd been able to return through it," I sighed wistfully.

"<Hm...what if you both open the same slot? That could create a tunnel between the two worlds>," Suggested Invidia thoughtfully.

"Hey, good thinking! It's definitely worth a shot! How do I let Kai know, though? Guess I'll just have to put a message back and hope he sees it," I responded, before creating a copy of a box of fried chicken, the same box Kai had used to write his message.

I took the sauce container and opened it, before closing the empty box Kai had written inside, dipping my finger in the sauce and writing on top of the box...

'Open same slot at same time'

"<Huh, that's barely legible. Master's writing was a lot easier to read>," Remarked Luxuria in bemusement.

"H-Hey, I've never written by hand before, give me a break!" I huffed defensively, before placing the box in the same slot, leaving it open.

"<Hey, kill one of us to send us to the Boss. Otherwise, it could be a while before he checks Treasury>," Pointed out Invidia, before his head suddenly flew off as Luxuria formed a blade of Negative Energy and slashed through his neck before I could respond.

"<Good idea, let Master know, fuckboi>," She smirked, giving him a wave as he began to disappear.

"<You dirty whore...>."

"<Heh, see ya later, you incel beta male>."

"Anything?" I inquired, as I stared expectantly at the open slot.

"<No, not ye-...oh, wait, I'm getting something. Huh...it seems Master can't open the same slot you've got open. Seems the same slot can't be opened simultaneously...well, at least, not across two different worlds>."

"Oh. I see..."

"<Also...he wants me to tell you that your handwriting sucks>."

"Come on..."

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