Ophelia did not wait for confirmation from Ryan, nor did she even look for a gesture of approval on his face before acting.

With a fluid motion filled with natural arrogance, she activated the dark teleportation stone she held between her fingers.

The light of the magic contained within the stone flared suddenly, enveloping the space between them with a violet radiance that threatened to swallow them whole.

Ryan felt the vibration of space attempting to fold around him, but his body did not react the way she expected.

Almost at the very same instant the portal gained strength, a faint sound, similar to glass shattering under immense pressure, echoed throughout the chamber.

The teleportation stone in Ophelia’s hand exploded into a thousand pieces, turning into useless dust that slipped through her fingers.

"I’m sorry, but that sort of thing doesn’t work on me."

Ryan said with a calmness that bordered on indifference once the room regained its usual stillness.

He had not moved an inch from his original position, simply staring at the remnants of the magical object on the floor.

Ophelia stood staring at her empty hand for a second, her red eyes wide with shock.

"It disintegrated... it broke... that’s impossible," she murmured, unable to process that an object of that level could have failed.

Refusing to give up, the demon queen reached into her clothes again and pulled out another stone identical to the previous one, showing a hint of irritation in her expression.

"Let’s try again. Surely that unit was defective due to the passage of time."

Once again, the violet glow appeared, and with the same speed, the sound of shattering was heard again as the fragments flew through the air.

Ophelia frowned deeply, glaring at Ryan.

"Hey, stop breaking my teleportation stones already!" she exclaimed, finally realizing that she could not take him anywhere by force.

Frustration was beginning to gain ground in her expression, which until recently had been one of total superiority.

"For starters, it’s your own fault for trying to force my relocation to another place without my consent," Ryan replied sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You lack manners."

Ophelia bit her lip, reacting like someone who was not used to receiving any kind of scolding or etiquette lesson.

However, rather than exploding in anger, she showed a wicked smile that lit up her face in a disturbing way.

"Well, I have one more, and this time I don’t think you have any more relics left to avoid it," she declared as she pulled out a third portal stone.

Ophelia took a quick step and grabbed Ryan by the hand, applying firm pressure while activating the stone’s magic for a third time.

The cycle repeated itself in exactly the same way: the glow, the vibration, and the thunder of the object collapsing in Ryan’s presence.

The demon queen’s hand was left holding only a handful of magical sand that dispersed in the dungeon’s wind.

"Damn it," Ophelia muttered, letting go of Ryan’s hand with a gesture of clear defeat.

"You win. We’ll talk right here since you seem to be better prepared than I thought." She crossed her arms and looked away towards the wall.

’Even if she had kept using those portals, the effect of my status protection relic would have eventually worn off, though she doesn’t need to know that,’ Ryan thought.

He knew the durability of his relic was not infinite, but the bluff had worked perfectly to stake his claim.

Helen and Mirian, who had been watching the scene with their weapons ready, relaxed their stance slightly upon seeing that the demon king could not kidnap Ryan.

Mirian let out a sigh of relief, while Helen remained silent, still processing the strange interaction.

Iris, the green-haired woman, approached her lady with elegant steps and an expression of total serenity despite the failed transport.

"It is a pity, my Lady Ophelia. To think I had prepared a very special place for him myself before coming here."

"You, be quiet!" the demon queen snapped, venting some of her frustration on her subordinate.

Iris simply gave a small bow and stepped back, maintaining that calmness that seemed to irritate Ophelia so much at this moment.

Ryan took advantage of the moment of calm to ask the question that had been circling in his head since they appeared.

"But tell me something, how exactly did you get to this place? You must have been here before to mark the jump point."

"Do you really want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you since you’re so curious," Ophelia replied, pointing an accusing index finger at Beatrice.

"That thing was the reason we found the direct path to your little hideout." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Beatrice, who had been trying to regain her composure, shook her head with a restlessness that was evident in the trembling of her hands.

"What? Me? But I didn’t do anything... I made sure I wasn’t followed by anyone, I swear on my life."

"No, you didn’t do it consciously, you fool," the demon queen explained with a tone of voice that suggested Beatrice was little more than an object to her.

"The robe I gave you for the return journey has the seal of my kingdom embroidered on the back."

Ophelia stepped a bit closer so everyone could hear the technical explanation of her infiltration.

"That seal is the fixed coordinate for the portals we use in my territory. Of course, your little brother’s robe has one as well, which is why we both came."

Beatrice lowered her gaze immediately, feeling as if the ground were opening up beneath her feet while her shoulders slumped under the weight of the guilt.

"So... you used me to get here...? Now, after all, they’ll keep thinking that I betrayed them."

Tears of frustration began to blur the demon girl’s vision, as she once again felt like the cause of all of Ryan’s problems.

Helen glanced at her sideways, but Ryan intervened before the atmosphere could turn toxic again.

"Calm down, Beatrice. No one here thinks you did it on purpose," Ryan said in a firm voice, trying to lift that weight off her shoulders. He knew that Ophelia, being a demon king, should not be underestimated.

"It is true," the demon queen affirmed, looking at Beatrice with an extra hint of interest.

"I was surprised to see that you even dared to attack me with your threads to defend your dear Ryan. It seems you really have switched sides, little one."

Ophelia said it with a tone of mischief and playfulness, enjoying the discomfort her words caused in the relationship between Ryan and the demon girl.

Helen let out an annoyed growl upon hearing the word ’dear,’ but Ryan did not allow the conversation to derail.

"Enough games. That doesn’t explain the real reason for your presence," Ryan remarked, guiding the talk back to the most important point.

"You wouldn’t risk coming to an unknown place just to get to know us."

Ophelia regained her serious expression, setting aside the jokes for the first time since she had arrived at this place.

She looked Ryan directly in the eyes, projecting an authority that served as a reminder of why she was one of the pillars of the demonic world.

"Yes, regarding that, I have a business matter to discuss with you," the demon queen declared while the aura around her grew denser.

"I want to propose a formal alliance between my kingdom and your group to take down that bastard, Demon King Rigal."