Allegiance

"Lady Eriri, and all my dear sisters, welcome to my home," Erica greeted everyone with a smile, giving Liliana a discreet nudge to pull her out of her shock.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Liliana Kranjcar," Liliana said, still trying to process her surprise that this "Lady Eriri" seemed to be around the same age as herself. Nevertheless, she maintained her formality and offered a proper knight's greeting to Eriri and the others.

"You must be Lily! You're very cute. I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura. It's nice to meet you," Eriri replied casually, returning the greeting with a natural ease. She took a moment to size up the serious-faced Liliana. Though Liliana and Erica were the same age, Liliana had a youthful, adorable charm.

At that moment, Arianna and the rest of the group chimed in, warmly greeting Eriri, creating a lively and sweet-sounding atmosphere filled with their friendly voices.

"Huh? Lady Eriri knows about me?" Liliana asked, a bit taken aback.

"Of course. Not just me—everyone here knows all about you, Lily, in many ways," Eriri said with a knowing smile.

Thanks to the chat group's shared memory features, everyone had learned plenty about Liliana, from her personality to her quirks, far more than most people, save for Liliana herself and her loyal maid, Karen.

Liliana nodded but didn't press the matter further, assuming Erica must have already introduced her to the others.

At that point, Erica clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. "Alright, I'm sure you're all hungry. The food is ready, and I promise Arianna's cooking won't disappoint."

With Erica leading the way, Eriri and the others headed toward the dining hall. The six cars remained parked outside, untouched.

…

Over an hour later, after enjoying their long-awaited lunch, everyone was thoroughly satisfied. Arianna's cooking skills were indeed impressive, earning her numerous compliments. The praise made her beam with pride, as the hour she had spent preparing the meal had clearly paid off.

Throughout the meal, Erica subtly hinted to Liliana several times to approach Eriri, but Liliana hesitated, feeling a bit shy or perhaps intimidated. Eriri noticed their little interactions but chose not to interfere.

After a brief rest, most of the group began to think about returning to their respective worlds. Many had come on temporary leave, while others had important responsibilities they couldn't neglect for long. Before they left, Eriri gathered them in the courtyard and pulled out the cars she had stored in her spatial inventory. With the six cars already parked in the courtyard, there were now a total of fifteen vehicles neatly arranged.

Thanks to the cloaking barrier Erica had set up around the estate, no one from the outside could see the astonishing scene unfolding within the courtyard.

However, Liliana, Arianna, and Karen—who were unaware of the chat group's existence—stood dumbfounded, their mouths agape as they watched nine cars suddenly appear out of thin air. Although Liliana herself could summon her beloved sword at will, she had never heard of anyone being able to summon entire cars like this.

Eriri then told the others they could each pick a car to take with them as a gift from her, a gesture that sent everyone into a state of excitement. Having already experienced the cars' capabilities firsthand, they knew these weren't ordinary vehicles. Not only could the driver adjust the interior's sound levels with just a thought, but the cars also had exceptional adaptability, functioning perfectly in the mountains, in water, or even in the air without any issues.

These vehicles were also equipped with powerful offensive and defensive mechanisms, and as long as the driver had enough energy, the car could run indefinitely. At this point, these cars were more akin to powerful artifacts than simple means of transportation.

One by one, everyone except for Arifureta, who was content to sit in Eriri's passenger seat, eagerly went to pick out their favorite models. Even young Sakura didn't miss out—though she couldn't drive yet, she knew she'd grow up someday, and in the meantime, the car would make a great protective tool.

No one fought over the cars; instead, they gathered together and discussed how best to divide them. Soon, each person had chosen the car they liked, and with Eriri's approval, they happily stored their vehicles in their respective spatial inventories.

As for Arifureta, she insisted that all she needed was to ride with Eriri. Nothing else mattered as much. Hearing this, Kanae couldn't help but feel that her newly acquired car suddenly didn't seem quite as exciting anymore.

With the cars tucked away, the once-packed courtyard now felt open and spacious again, with only four cars left parked outside. After this, Arifureta and the others used the Cross-Boundary Talisman provided by the chat group to return to their worlds, leaving only Eriri, Elaina, and Shinobu behind in the world of the Campione.

Eriri's main reason for staying was to track down and reclaim the Villains Chat Group, which was hidden somewhere on Earth. Elaina, on the other hand, was eager to explore this new world. As for Shinobu, she simply wanted to stay and play a bit longer, having grown bored of her usual routine in her original world.

While Eriri's group stayed behind, Liliana, Arianna, and Karen were left in a daze, staring at the spot where the others had just been standing.

"Erica... where did they go? Do they all have spatial powers or something? How is it possible that so many powerful people exist without anyone knowing about them? Even the Mage Association doesn't have any records of such individuals!" Liliana asked in shock once she finally snapped out of it. She was particularly agitated after witnessing the group's ability to summon cars out of thin air and then disappear through a mysterious portal.

"Oh dear, I suppose there's no hiding it now," Erica said with a playful smile. In truth, when she decided to introduce Liliana to Eriri and the others, she had no intention of keeping the chat group's existence a secret.

Seeing the confusion on Liliana's face, Erica explained the existence of the Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group in general terms. She also outlined the power levels across the multiverse and provided a rough description of the strength of each member in the group.

The constant stream of revelations from Erica left Liliana and her companions utterly bewildered. They now understood why Erica, even as a newly ascended Godslayer, still showed such deep respect for Eriri and willingly served her as a knight.

In the grand multiverse's power scale, Eriri was ranked at the Eighth Level, while Godslayers were only at the Fifth Level. To put things into perspective, an Eighth Level being could destroy an entire universe—an incomprehensible feat, considering that their Earth, with its Godslayers and frequent visits from Heretic Gods, was but a tiny speck in the vast cosmos.

The difference between a Fifth Level and an Eighth Level entity was beyond imagination.

Liliana, as the heir to the magic society Bronze-Black Cross, a famed witch with the Spirit Vision ability, was merely a Second Level fighter at best.

In that moment, they all realized how small their world had been, their horizons suddenly broadened by an incalculable magnitude.

Liliana now understood that Eriri had only casually lent Erica some power to help her kill a Heretic God. It wasn't even a significant effort, far from the full power Liliana had imagined. As a result, Liliana's admiration for Eriri grew immeasurably.

...

After storing her pink sports car back in her inventory, Eriri walked over to Liliana with a graceful stride, her natural fragrance captivating Liliana, who couldn't help but feel enchanted.

"For those present, Lily, these remaining three cars are for you three. Consider them a gift from me. Don't feel shy about accepting them," Eriri said warmly.

For others, these cars might be priceless treasures—perhaps among the rarest items in existence. But to Eriri, they were just a few billion yen's worth of cars, casually enhanced with cosmic energy. They held little value to her.

"Uh..."

Liliana, Arianna, and Karen exchanged puzzled glances. Though it was incredibly generous of Eriri to give away such expensive cars as a gift for their first meeting, they weren't short on money. Buying a few luxury cars themselves wouldn't be an issue. They couldn't quite understand why Kanae and the others had been so excited about receiving these vehicles—maybe it was simply because they were gifts from Eriri.

Nevertheless, the three graciously accepted Eriri's generosity with smiles, feeling grateful.

"Thank you, Lady Eriri. I really like this gift," they said in unison, their voices sweet and their happiness evident, though not as exuberant as Erica and the others had been earlier.

Erica, fully aware of what they were thinking, quickly interjected to clarify just what these cars were capable of.

"Lily, don't underestimate the cars Eriri-sama has given you," Erica said with a knowing look.

As Erica listed out the cars' remarkable abilities, Liliana and the others' expressions shifted dramatically. By the time she finished, they were utterly speechless.

"Lady Eriri, these gifts are far too valuable. You should take them back," Liliana stammered, clearly uneasy.

In the world of Campione, staying inside one of Eriri's gifted cars practically made them invincible!

They finally understood why Kanae and the others had been so excited. The real joke was on them.

Although they were reluctant to part with the cars, Liliana, Arianna, and Karen all requested that Eriri take the gifts back, feeling unworthy of such divine artifacts.

"Don't worry about it. They're just small toys. Keep them as a token of our meeting. Besides, I don't take back gifts I've already given," Eriri said with a wave of her hand, her demeanor radiating the confidence of a supremely wealthy young heiress.

"Well... alright."

There was no other choice. With a mix of reluctance, nervousness, and excitement, Liliana and the others accepted the supercars Eriri had bestowed upon them.

Liliana then took a deep breath, seemingly making up her mind. With determination in her eyes, she stepped forward, knelt in front of Eriri, and spoke from her heart.

"Lady Eriri, I know I may not be worthy, but I still hope you'll accept me as your personal knight."

Her voice was filled with resolve. Like Erica, Liliana also wanted to become stronger.

Seeing this, Karen was overjoyed. This was exactly what she had hoped for. If Liliana could form a connection with Eriri, the Bronze-Black Cross would undoubtedly flourish under her protection.

However, standing before Eriri, Karen knew better than to be overly enthusiastic. Instead, she silently cheered her mistress on.

"Sure."

"I understand if you don't want to, but... Wait, you're agreeing?" Liliana was momentarily confused, her words tumbling out incoherently as she processed Eriri's response.

"Of course, I'm agreeing. With a cute girl like you wanting to be my knight, how could I refuse? Now, stand up," Eriri said gently, reaching out to pat Liliana's head. Her silver hair was incredibly soft to the touch.

"Yay!"

Liliana quickly stood up, her face lighting up with pure joy.

"Congratulations, Lily," Erica said, offering her sincere congratulations. "From now on, we're fellow knights."

"Hmph, I'll protect our master from now on. You, Erica, are no longer needed."

"Oh really? You think a little Second Level knight can handle it? Or will you rely on your daydreams? Speaking of which, your romance novels are quite the read. I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"Ugh... Shut up, Erica, you sly fox. Don't push it too far!"

The usual bickering between Erica and Liliana resumed, as though nothing had changed between them.

...

Sometime later, after Liliana had calmed down, she bid farewell to Eriri and made her way back to the Bronze-Black Cross to report the day's events to her superior.

However, there was one issue: her grandfather had been in a foul mood ever since hearing the news of Duke Voban's death. He harbored some resentment toward Erica for killing Voban.

Liliana sighed at the thought. Her grandfather had been an avid admirer of Voban, so much so that he had once willingly sent her to be a sacrificial maiden for Voban's ritual to summon a Heretic God.

Of the hundreds of maidens involved in that ritual, only she and another girl from Japan had survived. Otherwise, the "Fairy Knight" Liliana Kranjcar might never have existed.