The four beasts were defeated a few minutes after Shizuka had sensed their presence. All four had lost consciousness and laid collapsed on the ground.
“Devil Princess-san, I know how this might sound but... was it really okay to not kill them?”
Though they were originally dogs, they were now modified weapons. Once they regained consciousness they would probably still be hostile, and they must be miserable, living as weapons. The Sun Rangers point was quite justifiable.
“They're unfortunate dogs... but strategic convenience wins out this time. Though they might not be intelligent enough to contact their owners on a regular basis, they've probably been made to let them know of their deaths”
Theia had avoided killing the dogs because she was thinking ahead. Her intuition told her that they shouldn't kill the dogs. If the dogs died then there would be an absence of guards. In that case, there might be a mechanism to let the owners know if that happened. Theia's and the others goal was just to reach the secret base, and for that purpose, risks needed to be kept at a minimum.
“I see... that does seem like a possibility”
The Sun Rangers seemed convinced, but Ruth who was listening nearby wasn't. She smiled and spoke to Theia.
“Your highness, you can admit that it's just because you felt sorry for them”
”I don't really...”
“Really?”
“...I-It's because I felt sorry for them”
Theia had another reason for not killing the dogs other than the strategical one, and with two reasons there was no reason to go out of their way to kill the dogs.
“Satomi-kun would surely praise you”
”Yeah, Satomi-kun looks like he likes be― animals”
“W-Well, I guess everything worked out alright... That's right, Maki. Could you keep them asleep for a while?”
If the beasts woke up they would very likely become a threat again. That's why Theia wanted to keep them asleep until the battle was over.
“For better or for worse, that's the kind of magic I specialize in”
Maki was a magician who focused on mind manipulating indigo magic. Causing someone to fall asleep was her specialty. But the current Maki felt somewhat saddened by that. Maki having a wry smile as she nodded couldn't be avoided.
“That would really help. Please do so right away”
”...As you wish, princess”
Theia's bright smile felt reassuring as it was like Theia was saying that Maki was fine the way she was.