"It's the rules! How many times are you going to ignore the Senate's orders!?"
Her glare could've bored holes into him if it could.
Neo clicked his tongue.
He could've left without paying her any heed.
It wasn't like she could stop him with force.
He, however, decided to confront her.
"Rules," Neo pursed his lips. "You are saying I should let myself be interrogated by you, and maybe even be imprisoned since it's a rule to capture the Wanderers?"
"Then, that solves the problem."
Neo's smile disappeared.
"According to the rules, you don't have the authority to interrogate me."
"I am the clan leader of the Great Clan of Death, the 73rd ranked Grim Reaper, and the Second Prince of the Underworld."
The air around her seemed to grow heavier as his presence bore down on her.
If the pressure before had been suffocating, now it felt as though she was being crushed beneath an ocean, unable to breathe, unable to fight or even resist.
"Tell me, who are you to dare say you have the authority to interrogate me?"
Signora took a step back without realizing it.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
She froze, realizing she was feeling overwhelmed by his presence.
A surge of anger and defiance flared within her heart.
"I'm Signora Everly, the 17th ranked disciple of Senator Sir Nicolas Montague!"
A confused look appeared on Neo's face.
"Not top 3 or top 5? But 17th? Is that a rank to be proud of?"
"Of course you think it is. It's why you are proudly flaunting that pathetic authority."
Neo's pressure increased again.
It almost brought her to her knees.
"Tell the Senate to bring someone worthy enough to interrogate me.
"Then, according to the rules, I will answer their questions."
He looked at Dorothy.
She had an excited look, hoping to see more of Neo's strength.
It did not seem she had any intention of helping Signora.
'Crazy bitch,' he thought and spoke. "Let's go."
"What about the Window?" she asked.
"It will close soon."
He had left an Intent Clone there.
Dorothy clicked her tongue.
There went her chance of seeing him in action.
"Remove the Time Stop before we leave."
Neo, of course, couldn't say he had no way of removing the Time Stop.
The moment Neo left the Window, Beelzebub jumped out of his pocket.
'That bastard. I was starting to think he cares about me.'
'He ditched me for food the moment we returned.'
Neo wanted to cry, but he had no tears.
He couldn't remove the Time Stop even if he wanted!
Why the fuck was everyone thinking Neo had used Time Stop?
Beelzebub had activated it.
He did it to make sure no one disturbed him while he was foraging for food throughout the country.
Even the aura Signora felt at first was from Beelzebub.
He was trying to stop her time too, only to be unsuccessful.
Neo didn't pressure Signora with his aura until he spoke to her a few seconds ago.
Hell, he didn't remember who she was until she revealed her name.
'I'm going to grill that fucker and feed him to Morrigan when he returns.'
Dorothy and Neo moved towards the barrier's opening that Dorothy had made.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth.
Faint mist curled around the edges of the broken barrier.
Neo used the Shadow Jump Spell to carry himself and Jack.
Dorothy, using her plain physical speed, kept up effortlessly.
Her footsteps never seemed to touch the ground.
'Seeing as how both of us have more or less the same speed, she must be Grade 2 or Grade 1 Paragon at this point in time,' Neo thought.
The two reached the border of the broken barrier.
They stepped through and arrived in an abandoned forest.
The trees were overgrown.
Their twisted branches formed a natural canopy that filtered the dim sunlight.
Dorothy had broken the barrier in a secluded place that wouldn't attract attention.
"Let's use a ride from here," Neo said, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet forest.
"Sure," Dorothy replied.
"I'm… fine… You don't need to worry… about me…"
Jack muttered, struggling to speak.
His back was drenched with sweat, and his face was pale.
Neo's sheer power was too much for Jack to handle.
Being in close proximity while Neo was using Spells and releasing his energy was burdensome for Jack's current self.
The trio left the forest.
They emerged in a quiet neighborhood with quaint houses and narrow streets.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the paths.
"Wait, I'll book a cab," Dorothy said, taking out her device.
Neo looked at her with a strange expression.
"Just call your personal driver."
Dorothy shook her head without a second thought.
She had entered Aubern after breaking the barrier meant to protect the country.
She knew her driver—butler and guardian—would scold her for such reckless behavior if he came to pick her up.
'Yup, I'm not calling him in front of these guys.'
She shook her head again, more firmly this time.
The cab arrived before Neo could ask for Dorothy's device and call for a driver from home.
The trio entered the cab.
The seats were slightly worn but comfortable.
It dropped them at the train station.
They took a bullet train for Skovia City, where Demigod Academy was located.
From there, they took another cab to the academy.
"Hahaha," Dorothy chuckled awkwardly.
Contrary to her thoughts, Neo didn't have any problem with public transportation.
Though, after spitting at the face of a Templar, claiming he was a high-authority figure, only to stand in line to buy tickets for the train, was a very humbling experience.
The trio got weird looks wherever they went.
Jack was handsome—thanks to devouring countless things and gaining secondary stats related to appearance.
Dorothy was a natural beauty.
She turned heads everywhere she went.