Reincarnated as a Princess's Pet: With Trash Stats, but SSS-Rank Skill

The red dot continued glowing on Dorian’s forehead.

The elf stared at it curiously.

"What does that magical light do?"

Max felt his blood run cold.

He recognized it immediately.

"That’s not magic."

Dorian tilted his head.

"No?"

"Get down, now! It’s about to shoot you!"

The android didn’t hesitate.

A red glow ran across the strange metallic rifle.

A beam of energy shot toward them.

Dorian barely had time to react.

Max jumped in front of him, and the shot slammed into his body.

But instead of piercing him, a blue barrier appeared around him.

The Countercharge Shield.

The energy blast ricocheted.

A shockwave exploded back in the opposite direction.

BOOM.

The android was hurled backward and crashed into a wall of the inverted corridor.

Dorian’s eyes widened.

"That does seem dangerous."

"You’re only realizing that now?"

Don was clutching one of Seraphine’s sleeves.

"I really don’t want to be here."

Seraphine smiled.

"Don’t worry."

She closed her eyes.

"I’ll deal with that metal creature."

The mage opened her grimoire.

Its pages began turning on their own.

Until they finally stopped.

Seraphine placed a finger on a specific page.

Her eyes scanned the spell.

"Perfect."

Meanwhile, the android rose back to its feet.

The rifle in its hands was sparking.

The front section had been completely warped by the reflected shot.

It looked damaged.

But that didn’t stop it.

On the contrary.

Its body began to glow.

Small arcs of electricity danced across its limbs.

Max felt a terrible sensation.

"I don’t like that."

The android started running.

And it did so while completely ignoring gravity.

It ran along the floor.

Jumped onto a wall.

Continued across the ceiling.

Then dropped back down.

Getting closer and closer.

Seraphine remained focused.

Dorian watched her.

"She needs time."

Max nodded.

Then he reached for the necklace hanging around his neck.

"Time to improvise."

The jewel glowed.

Three magic circles appeared before him.

And from them emerged three skeleton knights.

Max pointed at the android.

"You three."

The skeletons immediately snapped to attention.

"Stop it."

The knights charged forward.

The android didn’t even acknowledge them.

One skeleton leapt onto it.

Another grabbed one of its legs.

The third tried to knock it down with a shield bash.

None of it worked.

The robot kept moving.

Dragging them along as if they weighed nothing.

"Well, that didn’t work either."

Dorian swallowed.

"Max."

"I know."

The android’s body continued growing brighter.

It looked like a walking bomb.

Max extended a hand.

His hammer appeared in it.

"Let’s see if this helps."

He threw it.

The weapon spun violently through the air.

CRASH.

It struck the android in the chest.

The metallic creature staggered.

But it kept advancing.

The hammer automatically returned.

Max caught it.

And threw it again.

CRASH.

Another hit.

Then another.

And another.

The entire corridor echoed with every impact.

But the android kept coming.

The sparks became increasingly violent.

The skeletons still clung to it.

Unable to stop it.

Don took a step backward.

"I think it’s going to explode."

"So do I."

The butler went pale.

"Then why are you so calm?!"

"Because panicking won’t help either."

The android was already far too close.

Max hurled the hammer once more.

But this time it barely slowed it down.

He caught it again.

Then looked toward Seraphine.

The mage was still concentrating.

Sweat ran down her forehead.

The pages of the grimoire glowed intensely.

"Seraphine."

She didn’t answer.

"Seraphine."

"What?"

"I don’t want to worry you."

"Then don’t."

"The bomb is getting closer."

The mage sighed.

"I know."

"How much longer?"

A smile appeared on Seraphine’s face.

"Not long."

Magical energy exploded around her.

"I just finished."

A gigantic magic circle appeared beneath the android’s feet.

The metallic creature froze in place.

Then it was lifted into the air.

A translucent sphere of energy began forming around it.

The android tried to escape.

It slammed against the walls of the sphere.

The sparks intensified.

Its circuits began breaking apart.

"Perfect."

Seraphine closed her grimoire.

Then pointed at the sphere.

"Look away."

Don didn’t need to be told twice.

He was already covering his eyes.

Dorian turned his head as well.

Max did the same.

"What’s going to happen?"

"A lot of noise."

One second later...

BOOOOOOM.

The light pierced even through closed eyelids.

The shockwave slammed against the inside of the sphere.

But Seraphine’s spell held.

All the energy remained trapped inside.

The magical walls vibrated.

And finally vanished.

When Max looked again...

Only smoke remained.

And pieces of metal slowly falling.

Fragments of gears.

Chunks of metal plating.

Burned wires.

Nothing else.

Don dropped to the floor and sat down.

"I almost died from fright."

Dorian smiled.

"You need to trust the heroes of this castle more."

"Heroes?"

"Of course."

The elf pointed at Seraphine.

"The most powerful mage in the world."

Then he pointed at Max.

"A new legendary adventurer."

Finally, he pointed at himself.

"And an incredibly handsome healer."

Max burst out laughing.

"One of those three titles is fake."

"And it’s obviously not mine."

Seraphine shook her head.

"Dorian never changes."

Then she walked toward the remains of the android.

She crouched beside one of the fragments.

Studying it carefully.

"How strange."

Max approached.

"Can you figure out how it works?"

"Not at all."

The mage lifted a metallic component.

"It has no runes."

"No?"

"No magical crystals."

"Then what?"

Seraphine examined the burned circuitry.

"I don’t know."

Max thought of computers.

Engines.

Electricity.

Technology.

Things impossible for most inhabitants of Eldoria.

"I think it came from my world."

"We already suspected that."

"But it’s still strange."

Dorian stepped closer as well.

"More importantly."

He crossed his arms.

"Who sent it?"

No one had an answer.

Seraphine stored the metal fragment away.

"Whoever it was."

"What?"

"They know we’re here."

Max didn’t like the sound of that at all.

And then it happened.

The world spun again.

"Oh, not again..."

The floor vanished beneath their feet.

Or rather...

It stopped being the floor.

Gravity shifted instantly.

Max felt himself launched away.

Dorian screamed.

Don began flailing his legs desperately.

And Seraphine’s eyes widened.

"Damn it!"

The entire corridor had inverted again.

The walls rotated.

The whole group fell.

Don screamed.

"I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"

Max activated his boots.

But this time it wasn’t necessary.

Because Seraphine reacted first.

The mage thrust both hands forward.

A magic circle appeared beneath them.

And a huge fluffy white cloud materialized directly in their path.

POF.

The cloud compressed.

Completely cushioning the impact.

Don spoke.

"I have a feeling I’m going to need a vacation when we get out of here."

Max laughed.

"Me too."

Dorian adjusted his hair.

"I need a drink."

Seraphine stared down the inverted corridor.

Her expression had become serious.

Very serious.

"No."

The others looked at her.

"What is it?"

The mage frowned.

"This isn’t a simple mirror dimension."

Max felt a chill run down his spine.

"What do you mean?"

Seraphine looked at the remains of the android.

Then at the corridor.

"I mean..."

She slowly closed her grimoire.

"Someone is actively manipulating this place."