This was the instruction Frondier had given Cassian.

When Selena reached the north of the barrier, he was to take her and meet Aster at the Tyburn.

However, Frondier hadn't anticipated that Merlin would advise Aster. Naturally, Aster headed west, and Selena east.

And now they had met.

"...Then, was Merlin's advice to meet you?"

Aster looked at Selena.

Aster didn't know what abilities Selena had. Of course, he didn't know about 'Shadow Transfer'.

"...We have to meet everyone."

"!"

Despite that, Aster spoke. What he needed now, what he had to do.

"Frondier is in danger right now. But I can't do it alone. Can you help?"

At Aster's sincere words, Selena's mouth opened slightly and then closed.

It wasn't impossible.

If they used Selena's Shadow Transfer.

But transferring someone else along with her put a severe strain on Selena. When returning to Yeranhes, Selena's body was left in tatters from a single leap.

However, as Aster said, if Frondier was in danger now.

'But just trying recklessly is too reckless. I'll collapse before we even meet everyone.'

Selena, who was thinking for a moment, met Mei's gaze.

"...That's right."

Selena didn't fully know Mei's identity yet, but she knew that she could also use Shadow Transfer.

The two of them were currently sharing almost the same shadow. They could match the destination point.

Selena took Mei's hand.

"We can do it together."

"Huh?"

"You can do Shadow Transfer, right?"

"Ah, that thing from earlier? I can do it, but."

Selena nodded at that.

'The reason the transfer is difficult is because I have to force open a door that was meant for one person.'

As Selena held Mei's hand, their shadows naturally connected.

"If there are two of us, we might be able to maintain that passage. If we can maintain it, there's no need to widen it."

"...Have you ever done it before?"

Mei's question was only natural.

To a natural question, a natural answer,

"No."

Selena shook her head.

"But we have to do it now. Mei, please help me."

"I'm just following along."

"That's enough."

Mei nodded at Selena's words.

Aster, who was watching them, opened his mouth.

"Hey, what does that mean..."

Tap-

In the middle of Aster's words, Selena placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go."

Before Aster could even finish his sentence,

The two horses and three people.

Vanished from the spot.

* * *

Shadow Movement was originally meant to be used individually.

The idea of reaching the same place together didn't exist. There was no reason for it.

However, Selena had already attempted a transfer with multiple people before, and she knew why it was dangerous.

A shadow was given to one person, in the amount of one person.

Using it as a passage for transfer was reckless from the start, let alone using it for more than one person.

But if there were two, while one person was transferring, the other could keep the passage open.

If the transfer passage didn't close, even if everyone couldn't transfer at once.

"...Did it work?"

Mei, the last one in the Shadow Movement, popped her head out to check the situation.

"...Yes."

They had succeeded.

This was the place where one of the shepherds, Cohen, was.

Selena could check the status of the person connected to her shadow.

Cohen was dead, and the connection with a deceased shadow naturally broke once the residual Mana in the body disappeared completely.

But it wasn't yet, so they were able to emerge onto Cohen's shadow.

Therefore, naturally.

"Huh? What? Aster! Selena!"

Sybil, who was regaining her balance, recognized them.

"Wow! How did you get here, ow ow, it's good to see you all!"

Sybil got up and greeted them.

Although the damage from the fight still lingered, her cheerful voice made them forget for a moment that this was a battlefield.

"Sybil!"

Aster shouted as soon as he saw her.

"Let's meet everyone!"

"...!"

Aster didn't know how Selena and Mei had gotten here.

But he didn't ask about it one by one.

The 'fact that they had arrived' was enough.

He had to move forward. Before worrying about trivial things, he had to make choices and walk ahead of anyone else.

Aster himself didn't realize it, but that was his quality.

"Let's meet everyone and go to Frondier!"

"...Yes!"

As if there was nothing more to hear, Sybil nodded vigorously.

Selena and Mei's transfer continued, and one by one, those who had successfully defended the barrier battle gathered.

Thus, Elodie and Aten joined, and all preparations were complete.

However, a problem remained.

"...Hagley."

Selena's eyes narrowed.

"He cut off his shadow connection with me."

For Selena to return to Manggot now, she had no choice but to move through Hagley's shadow.

But Hagley had severed the connected shadow. With his paralyzed body, unable to even use magic. It was tremendous willpower.

"Then what do we do?"

"Let's just ride our horses! There's no time to hesitate!"

"Those who can fly, let's all fly! Once the vanguard arrives, Selena's transfer will work!"

"I can take a few people."

The gathered people spoke their minds, and they moved to take precise action, but.

"Wait a moment."

As if he had been waiting for them all to gather.

The door of a building opened, and someone they all knew appeared.

"Isn't that too late?"

Everyone's mouths dropped open at his appearance.

"H-Headmaster!"

Someone shouted, and Osprey smiled.

Aten muttered in surprise,

"During the deployment, I heard you were inside the Imperial Palace to build the rune..."

"That's right. We didn't know who from Manggot might secretly infiltrate."

Osprey's role was to create a giant rune in the Empire and observe its interior.

So he couldn't move until the war was over. Everyone thought so.

"But there's no need for that now, is there?"

"No need for that?"

"All of Manggot's shepherds have revealed themselves."

At those words, some of them let out an "Ah".

Since the head-on collision between the teachers of Manggot and Constel, all of Manggot's shepherds had been marked.

"The moment all of Manggot's shepherds were observed, I was to be released from the role of the rune and move. It was planned from the beginning."

Everyone admired Osprey after hearing those words.

However, some of them had slightly different thoughts, and

Aster Evans, who was among those few, decided to ask Osprey directly.

"Who made that plan?"

At those words, Osprey looked at Aster for a moment and smiled.

"Of course, Frondier de Roach. My close comrade in arms."

"...!"

This was truly what Frondier had been waiting for until the very end.

The reason why he had stalled time in the fight with Belphegor, why he had waited for the arrows of Selena and Mei to be shot, and for Manggot and Constel to clash.

To enable Zodiac Osprey to move.

"As you may have just seen."

Osprey pointed to the door he had just opened.

"I can use doors to cross over to distant locations. It's a kind of spatial magic. Of course, the doors need to be connected beforehand."

"Oh, oh...!"

Everyone cheered in admiration.

Selena, who had blinked for a moment after hearing those words, said,

"E-Excuse me, but there's no door at the entrance of Manggot."

Even at those words, Osprey replied as if he didn't care.

"Don't worry about that."

His gentle smile instilled trust and reassurance, especially at times like this.

" 'The door' is also prepared for Frondier."