"This is your bus stop."
Dora snapped his fingers, causing a dimensional hole to appear below Erick who tumbled into the hole without understanding what was going on, and soon he was plummeting freely under the bridge.
"Say hello to the parents of my payment, stones and sticks."
Erick plummeted endlessly, while Dora was curious of his thoughts at that time. Nevertheless, his primary concern was his companions.
"W... What... Where's Erick?! What did you do??" Leon shouted.
"On the bright side... Now you really have the harem of girls you've been dreaming about."
"Bring him back, now!"
Leon stormed towards him with intense fury, his tightly clenched fist radiating waves of dangerous energy, his preferred method of negotiation.
"Scary."
Dora swiftly snapped his fingers, causing a hole to appear beneath Leon, sending him tumbling down under the bridge. Despite what others may claim, gravity has always proven to be a powerful force.
With ease, the boy managed to defeat two E-rank emissaries, which may not be considered extraordinary, but it is undeniably impressive.
"Are you crazy?! When… What did you…"
"Ah, I forgot you, Morgy."
"... Wait, what?... Wait- wait a second, calm down, I'm not going to fight..."
"I will."
Morgiana also flew, on the side this time, but as the bus had already passed the bridge she landed on the road and rolled back. Dora blew into his fingers like a gun.
"Triple kill, anyone else?"
The group was astounded. The benefit of an unexpected and carefully calculated attack was that he could launch multiple attacks without anyone having the clarity of mind to stop him.
"... Dude..." Hope murmured.
"What? Don't tell me you're shocked now, you wanted me to act."
"...Y-yeah but... This is a real attempted murder... How did you do that?"
"And you think what you would have done would be different? They are emissaries, a simple fall will not kill them, but if we stop the bus now, the blood will really flow."
The last four members from Shining Swords were stunned. Liliana immediately went to the bus driver, while Elizabeth shook Dora's shoulders in disbelief.
"Are you stupid?! What are you thinking?! Go get them already!"
"Calm down, your energy is showing."
"I don't care, GET THEM BACK!!!"
"... If they come back, I won't join the academy, and I'll tell everyone about your relationship with Hope."
Elizabeth's family connection remained hidden following her rise to A-rank, shielding her from potential harm. Despite attracting attention from nobles due to her status, she managed to deter unwanted advances by demonstrating her power. In contrast, Hope, an E-rank, would face potential bullying and threats if his relationship with Elizabeth was exposed.
"...You... Fucking... Snake..."
"You mean moon, right?"
"I misjudged you so much... You're pure evil."
"And you took me out of my nest, look what you've done."
Intrigued by their animosity, Hope made an effort to keep them apart.
"Let it go, sis, he's just teasing you."
"Do you know how many times he used you to blackmail me?"
"You're exaggerating, and it was his fight anyway, we had no right to interfere... But now you're really in trouble, man."
Dora waved, completely unconcerned.
"I'll deal with it, sooner or later."
"Guys! Something is wrong with the driver!"
Liliana returned in a state of distress. Despite the chaos in the back, the driver remained calm and composed, never slowing down even when the young girl shook him.
"There's no point, this woman is under my control, she won't stop her course."
Dora once again became the center of attention, with everyone even more astonished than before.
"Mister Anesi?"
"B-bro what the fuck?"
"Like I said, I used a hypnotic spell on her when I got on the bus, wasn't that hard, she's a normal human, and now she's fully under my control."
"It's... It's impossible... You're a debuffer... You can't control people!" Sana whispered in disbelief.
"Isn't sleep another debuff skill? why do you think this is different?"
"You planned that from the beginning...''
"You can't fathom the number of things I've planned these last few days. Now, like I said, they are emissaries so they're obviously alright, Morgiana has gone to the bridge instead of following us, and your destination is further away, so they will join you soon. Basically, everything is fine, and if you feel uncomfortable about leaving them behind, just say I took you hostage."
They looked at each other puzzled.
"Hostages? Idiora, what the hell are you doing?"
"You wanted a proper goodbye, so I'm going to explain my choices to you properly, you're not going to blame me for dismissing the other 3 like that, especially without a fight."
"That will probably happen later... But I guess that's fair, right?"
Marie shifted her gaze towards Sana, Lilith, and Liliana. The trio shared a quick glance before Liliana released a sigh.
"My God... Why is it always so complicated?" Liliana sighed.
Lilith cautiously glanced at the rear window.
"Since we're hostages…then there's nothing we can do, can we? But you realize Leon is going to kill you, don't you?"
"Only if I allow it, and it won't happen again."
"That doesn't explain anything, how did you do that? It was dimensional magic, wasn't it? How long have you had it?"
Out of all of them, Sana appeared to be the most unsettled, but in a peculiar manner.
They all took a seat, and Dora proceeded to recount most of the events, excluding any mention of Elizabeth and their agreement.
As he glanced around, he noticed that Liliana's eyes were filled with joy, while Marie and Lilith seemed burdened with something else.
"Amazing! I knew you were something special but this is beyond my imagination!"
"Now I'm not sad, I'm just disappointed. Idiora, you just left the party to take a shortcut."
The boy crossed his arms, in deep though.
"I wouldn't say 'left', more like kicked with extra steps."
"I'm also disappointed bro, so after all, after all these battles, you were not a hero in heart. You are just a mama boy."
Among all the fights he had with Hope, this was the only time he actually hurt him, a very little bit.
"... You have a sister complex."
Elizabeth coughed at her spot, meanwhile, Lilith couldn't hide her frustration anymore.
"Great, after all this time you finally decide to move on, but obviously you didn't want to do it with us, you did everything to get fired and now you're going to have fun with your new life and fame."
"We can't help it, I really didn't think about it at all. It really took me by surprise too."
"You don't seem to hate it..."
"I mean... Do you know the allowance for an Academy student? I could retake classes for years but I'll have enough money to live comfortably for many ye... Hm!... But of course I will give my best..."
"Well, that's very good for you, being among the students of the academy is insurance for a great future. I heard that the best students are consulted for political decisions... So, congratulations. " Sana smiled bitterly as she spoke.
"Yeah, I forgot about that. Maybe I'll use this to increase my future salary."
"Oh my God." Elizabeth facepalmed.
"Bro, you are pathetic!"
With a triumphant smile, Dora straightened his collar.
"Keep my financial situation out of this."
Liliana couldn't sit still, occasionally jostling Marie in her seat.
"I'm very happy for you, I thought you had completely abandoned your passion but it's good to see you so motivated again."
"Can't we talk about my motivation? Sarcasm makes me want to answer honestly but now is not the time."
Suddenly, something strange happened. Sana, who had been staring at Dora since they sat down, leaned in closer.
"Of course, you had to work a lot to get recruited, so I'm sure you need some rest. It's good to see you looking so refreshed again."
This change seemed to trouble everyone, particularly after the way they ended their relationship. Liliana attempted to divert the conversation.
"Anyway, you're quite mature Mister Dora, I thought you'd hold a grudge after all that but in the end, you only reacted when you were attacked."
"Why hold a grudge? Getting kicked out was part of my plan, I can't blame you all for doing what I wanted. I've only dropped Leon and Erick because I hate their guts."
"... And Lady Morgiana?"
"... Just because."
"I'm really mad at you for manipulating me!"
Lilith was filled with anger, her eyes glistening with tears. Dora gently caressed her small head, resembling a compassionate elder with his beloved puppy.
"There, there, that's no reason to cry. You should be happy that I'm doing my best like you wanted."
"I'm not crying!... and I wished that we... Well, you're just a selfish idiot!"
She kept pesting, but for once she didn't refuse his pats, a lot had changed in a few minutes.
"Yeah... If you had been motivated like that one day earlier, everything would have been different."
Sana whispered softly, but the silence that ensued and the expressions on everyone's face made it clear that they had hear her.