Toya, Rutherford, Ivory, Bellona, Lustra, Philo, and Gelli stepped out of the massive truck, holding their hands up in a gesture of peace. The guards instantly tensed, their eyes widening at the sight of Philo and Gelli's sleek, high-tech tactical gear, which looked like something from a different dimension compared to the town's rustic surroundings.
Philo let out a bored, audible yawn, scratching the back of her neck. "Can we just move along? I really don't want to kill these people, it's a total waste of time."
"Shh, quiet," Gelli hissed under her breath, shooting her a warning look. "They're just doing their job."
Haruto and Lilith stepped forward from the front of the truck, their presence immediately drawing all attention. As the guards looked up and recognized Lilith, their expressions shifted from hostility to shock.
"Princess Lilith...?" one guard stammered, dropping his polearm slightly. "You're back?"
Lilith folded her arms, her usual confident smirk returning. "Yes, yes, I am. Now listen, these people are with me. We need to head to the palace—is that alright?"
The lead guard gestured frantically toward the towering steel beast behind them, his face pale. "Princess, what... what exactly is this monstrosity?"
Lilith gestured toward the truck with a flourish. "It's amazing, isn't it? It's a vehicle. Think of it like a horse-drawn cart, but instead of animals, it's powered by a high-output engine. It's a machine."
The guard stared at the smoking tires and the imposing chassis, his voice barely a whisper as he echoed, "A machine...?"
The guards hesitated, clearly terrified of the steel titan, but Haruto stepped back into the driver's seat with a calm wave. Philo leaned over, swiftly tapping a few buttons on the control panel to deactivate the "monster truck" mode. With a mechanical groan and a hiss of hydraulics, the towering machine shifted back into its sleek, compact van form.
The group hopped back inside, and as they pulled away toward the palace, the guards watched them leave with mouths agape.
Philo let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle while looking out at the city streets. "What century is this place in? The Stone Age?"
Lilith shot her a sharp look, though she didn't seem truly offended. "Hey, watch your tongue. Don't make fun of my city. It is pretty advanced itself."
Philo just rolled her eyes, unfazed. "If you call this place 'advanced,' then Gampid City must be an entirely different civilization altogether."
Haruto nodded, keeping his eyes on the road as the grand gates of the royal residence loomed ahead. "She's right, the gap is pretty huge. But anyway—we're here. We've reached the palace."
They continued a bit further until they reached the palace grounds. Aeterna was still soundly asleep in Haruto's arms, curled up in his embrace. Haruto couldn't help but smile, thinking about how peaceful she looked, and whispered, "My sweet little weapon, sleep well, I've got you."
Once they reached the designated parking area, Philo tapped a few commands into her wrist bracelet, and with a soft shimmer, the entire van vanished into thin air. "I love that feature," she remarked. "It's definitely the best part about this place; the palace looks so unique and raw without a giant machine sitting in the middle of it."
"This is my home," Lilith said, looking up at the grand structure with a sense of pride.
As they stepped inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Every guard they passed seemed to freeze, their eyes widening in sudden panic as they scurried to make way. Haruto noticed the unease and moved closer to Lilith, leaning in to whisper, "Hey, what's going on? Why does the palace feel so strange today?"
Lilith didn't answer immediately; she just kept walking, her expression hardening. "They weren't expecting us, which is why everyone is acting this way." She paused, scanning the grand hall. "They haven't seen me in almost a month, so they're all probably in shock."
Haruto nodded, but then he froze mid-step. He looked ahead and saw them—standing at the end of the hall were the seven Queens of the palace, all staring at the group with eyes burning in absolute fury.
Haruto and Lilith both swallowed hard, the heavy tension in the air making it hard to breathe.
Lilith let out a resigned sigh, offering an awkward, nervous smile as she waved. "Ah... hello? I'm back, everyone."
All seven queens marched forward in unison, their footsteps echoing sharply through the grand hall. Haruto instinctively flinched, muttering under his breath, "Y-yes... hi, moms..."
The Main Queen stepped right up to them, her gaze cold and piercing. "Haruto, we need to talk with you. Come with us." She then turned her head away from Lilith with a dramatic huff. "And Lilith, we don't even want to talk to you right now."
Lilith crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "What is this? You're going to get mad and ignore me just like that?"
Before Lilith could argue further, the other queens gestured sharply for Haruto to follow them. Haruto carefully transferred a still-sleeping Aeterna into Lilith's arms, whispering for her to hold her tight, before turning to follow the royal elders.
As he walked away, the rest of the group watched anxiously, holding their breath. But deep down, a quiet sense of warmth washed over Haruto. Despite the intimidating aura of the queens, it had been a long time since he last saw them, and seeing them again—even if they were about to scold him—felt strangely comforting.
Led deep into the private chambers, the heavy oak doors shut behind them with a definitive thud. The Main Queen turned to face him, crossing her arms as the other queens circled around, their expressions stern.
"Haruto," the Main Queen began, her voice dropping into a serious, commanding tone. "Listen closely."
Haruto stood straight, swallowing nervously as he nodded. "I'm listening."
Before the stern atmosphere could last another second, all seven queens suddenly broke character. They rushed forward, swarming Haruto in a massive, emotional group hug, wrapping their arms around him tightly.
"Where on earth did you go without telling us?!" one of the queens scolded affectionately, burying her face against his shoulder.
Another gently cupped his cheek, looking him up and down. "And look at you, you've gotten even more handsome... but you've gotten so thin, too!"
"We were worried sick," a third queen chimed in, her voice thick with emotion. "The palace felt so empty and lonely without you around."
Haruto blinked in surprise, the intense disciplinary tension instantly evaporating into warm, chaotic affection. He let out a relieved laugh, wrapping his arms around them in return. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to worry you guys... I'm back now, I promise."
The Main Queen suddenly cleared her throat, pulling back and smoothing down her robes as she regained her composure. "Ahem... we need to keep our emotions in check and maintain our dignity as royalty."
The other queens quickly straightened up, nodding in agreement.
"Now, Haruto," the Main Queen said, gesturing toward the door. "Come along and introduce us to everyone. Who are these new girls outside? We saw you with Lilith, of course, but we need explanations about the rest of them."
Haruto nodded, knowing he had a lot of explaining to do.
They all moved out of the private chambers and gathered in the grand sitting room. Settled comfortably on the plush couches, Haruto began walking the queens through everything that had happened. He told them about meeting Philo and Gelli, finding Daisy, and how they had formed their new alliance. He even touched upon his travels, the modern technology they used, and everything involving Lilith.
The queens listened with intense focus, hanging on his every word as they processed the wild turn of events.
"So, a city powered by advanced technology... and vehicles that can transform into steel titans?" the Main Queen mused, leaning back with a thoughtful expression. "It sounds fascinating, to say the least."
Before anyone could say more, a sudden, frantic knocking echoed from the main entrance doors.
A servant stumbled into the room, trembling so violently he could barely stand, his face pale with stark terror.