"Shien!?"
"Whoa!"
"W-What happened!?"
"!"
Shien's sudden shout gave Vivian, Lumya, Merika, and Tier quite a fright.
Lumya especially—being rather timid to begin with, the Dogkin girl let out a shriek, as though all the fur on her body had stood on end. She was truly terrified.
"Sorry, sorry." Shien immediately grinned like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank. "I just wanted the people inside to come out and greet us themselves. I wasn't trying to scare you."
Though he said that, both his expression and tone made him seem thoroughly insincere.
Still, Shien was telling the truth.
He really did want the people inside to come out on their own.
"Buzz!"
Up ahead, the scenery along the monotonous, run-down road suddenly twisted without warning.
No, it was not the scenery that was twisting.
It was space itself.
As though responding to Shien's call, space first began to spin like a vortex, then rippled like a mirage.
Under those circumstances, the uniform, decrepit road vanished like a faded painting, replaced by an entirely different sight.
"This is...?"
Witnessing this happen with their own eyes, everyone in Vivian's Squad widened their eyes.
Even Shien raised his brows, unable to hide his astonishment.
The scene before them had changed completely.
The formerly decrepit road had become an elegant path paved with smooth, beautiful stone tiles.
The land that had once resembled an abandoned district now held a garden filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
The garden contained ornamental plants that seemed to have been carefully trimmed, an impressively decorated fountain, and even a luxurious mansion nestled within it. It looked like the residence of a great noble, exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
Everyone in Vivian's Squad was stunned.
"An illusion?"
Tier murmured.
"S-So pretty!"
Lumya's eyes sparkled involuntarily.
"How