Elias never would have imagined it.
That by his side, there actually existed so many "traitors."
At this moment, the situation he faced, from a certain perspective, was like that distillery in that detective show with the little reaper — except, in his case, everyone around him was an undercover agent he could never finish rooting out, no matter how many he caught.
After all, no matter how outstanding Griseo's artistic talent was, she was still just a twelve-year-old girl.
Without help from adults—
—it would have been impossible for her to mass-produce and sell her doujin works.
And in truth, Griseo had many "sponsors."
(Eli, I know if you found out I was hiding your doujins, you'd be angry and disappointed… but as a woman, there are moments when one simply must take action!)
Elysia's gaze was firm and burning with determination.
A person experiences three stages of growth in life.
The first, is understanding right from wrong.
The second, is realizing that not everything is simply right or wrong.
The third, is to continue doing what one truly desires even after knowing there's no absolute right or wrong—and to take responsibility for it.
(I know this is wrong, but I've already made up my mind! I'll protect your doujins, Eli! Don't worry—I'll be careful and never let you find out!)
If a lie could last an entire lifetime, then that lie would become the truth. Elysia had already resolved to hide the secret of the doujins for the rest of her life.
Moreover…
(Just in case, if one day you do find out, I'll be prepared to stay in bed for three days straight—and I'll drag a bunch of others down with me!)
If caught, she'd make sure everyone went down together. After all, punishment loses its edge when shared.
Though she had no proof and didn't know the exact numbers—
Elysia was certain she wasn't the only one hiding doujins! Eden, Mei, Mobius, Sakura, Aponia, even Hua—
Each and every one of them must have a copy!
(Griseo once told me that many people had requested custom doujins from her—like "The Forbidden Bond Between God and Nun," "A Special Stage Performance," and "The Dangerous Affair Between the Assassin Priestess and the White-Haired Boy." I have all these classics in my collection! Just by the titles, you can tell who requested them!)
So even if Elias captured Danzhu, it wouldn't change anything.
Griseo would continue drawing. After all, the little artist had a loyal customer base.
"Ely, your expression looks strange…"
Elias frowned suspiciously.
He saw a blazing, almost self-sacrificial determination in the pink elf's eyes—but somehow, it didn't feel very… wholesome.
"Eh? R-Really? Eli, you must've seen it wrong."
Elysia laughed nervously to cover up.
"Cough… speaking of which, Eli, would you ever be interested in our doujins? For example—"
"Ely, that's impossible."
"So decisive! Eli, you sound so sure that it almost hurts. Don't tell me only we—"
Elysia's eye twitched slightly.
Seeing Elias' utterly uninterested expression, she suddenly began to lose confidence.
Could it be… that they really had no charm at all? Eli looked so indifferent—so righteous—that the poor pink elf was starting to feel guilty just for bringing it up.
At this point, she almost wanted to kneel and apologize: "I'm sorry, Eli, for collecting your doujins."
However—
"Though I don't really get what you mean, do you think I need those kinds of comics?"
Elias suddenly pulled Elysia into his arms.
Then, tilting her chin upward with a teasing smile, he said—
"I don't need any of those comics. Because whatever I want to do, Ely and the others will agree to it, won't you? You love me that much. And besides… I won't allow any of those comics about you to exist. You're mine alone."
"!!!"
Elysia took a deep breath.
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
When the angelic boy she loved so deeply suddenly spoke words filled with the arrogance and possessiveness of a devil, the pink elf felt herself sinking—utterly overwhelmed.
"Mm~ yes, I am your Elysia."
Elysia's gaze was filled with dazed adoration.
"!!!"
This time, it was Elias whose breath quickened and heart raced out of control.
He restrained the wild impulse to punish this mischievous pink elf on the spot, and instead gently pressed his lips against hers.
The two of them were masters of love—strong in both offense and defense.
Yet when it came to each other, they always held back to the extreme.
Elias' words could easily shatter Elysia's defenses, and Elysia's charm could just as easily pierce through Elias' guard.
As a result, they kept falling for each other again and again—each time conquering the other's already-defeated heart all over.
In the end, they were both hopeless fools in love, completely lost to their affection for one another.
"Eli, I want to hear your story now. The next Herrscher won't be born anytime soon, and Fire Moth's work is all done. We have an entire day free today… so, let me hear everything."
Elysia spoke as she stood up and turned on the record player.
Eden preferred the warm, nostalgic sound of vinyl records over modern music players, so there was a fine antique turntable in the Golden Courtyard.
The pink elf picked a record with a title she liked, even though she hadn't heard it before, placed it on, and lowered the needle.
In the next moment, a soothing, graceful melody filled the air, as if washing away every trace of sorrow.
"'If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking'? What a beautiful song. My Ely truly has good taste."
"Mm, of course. Your stories are so beautiful, Eli—naturally, they should be accompanied by beautiful music. Just like how a delicious cake must go with fine tea~"
After setting the record to repeat, Elysia returned to the sofa, nestling once more into Elias' arms with an expression that said she was fully ready to listen.
The pink elf rubbed her cheek lightly against the white-haired boy's chest, thinking—if she were a bird, then Elias would surely be her nest.
"Alright. I'll tell you everything, Ely."
Elias gently stroked her long pink hair, as if handling a beautiful yet fragile gemstone.
How could he refuse the girl he loved so dearly when she wished to know more about him? After gathering his thoughts for a moment, he began to speak amid the melodious tune.
"In the future, there will be an unbelievably adorable girl who forms a deep bond with me. Though born from a forbidden experiment, with a name, identity, and past all fabricated, she'll be more lively than anyone, facing each day with a bright smile…"
"In the future, I founded an orphanage called the [House of the Hearth], saving many children who had lost their families to the Honkai. Among them was a poor assassin girl known as the 'Silver Wolf of the Urals'…"
"At the very beginning of my story, I once accompanied a fallen highborn flower. She was a noble lady, but… hmm, I think I've already told Mei's story before, so let's skip that~"
"Ahem… fifty thousand years later, there will be a fool who tries to resurrect a saint. I admit he's a warrior of pure love, but his methods would hurt me and those I care about. So I'll have to take his hope away…"
Nostalgia flickered in Elias' eyes.
As he recounted his memories, his expressions shifted—joy, regret, reflection, anger—all surfacing one after another.
Elysia didn't even blink, silently recording everything in the album of her heart.
As she listened to his stories, her eyes grew ever brighter, her face mirroring surprise, admiration, and yearning in turn.
She couldn't help but sigh once again—her boyfriend's past was far too extraordinary.
If an ordinary person's life could be described as a simple report, then Elias' life was a magnificent, thrilling adventure film!
Elysia couldn't help but be completely enchanted.
She felt so lucky—to have the chance to become part of Elias' life.
And not just any part, but such an important one!
...
By the time the sun was about to set, Elias finally finished telling his story. He picked up a golden goblet from the table, took a sip, and his eyes grew a little unfocused.
Revisiting his past was like flipping back to the very first page of his life and reading it all over again.
Although it was undoubtedly his own life, Elias still felt as if it were a dream.
He glanced at the golden goblet in his hand, the finest wine in the world shimmering within, and couldn't help but think:
(If my past were also a glass of wine, it must be the most fragrant and exquisite wine in existence. No… a single glass of wine could never capture everything my life has been.)
A proud smile spread across his face.
The past behind him was already dazzlingly colorful, yet an infinite future still awaited him ahead.
Clink~!
Suddenly, Elysia lifted her own golden goblet and tapped it lightly against his. The crisp sound echoed gently through the room.
"Elias, the Ego of Origin offers you a blessing—may your future shine ever brighter."
"Thank you, Ely. But don't forget, you're also my future. Since we'll be together forever, doesn't that mean my future is your future too?"
"Oh my, I suppose that's true~"
...
Elysia blinked in surprise, then smiled even more brightly.
"But really, Ely, I thought you might get jealous. After all, every story I told…"
Elias scratched his head a little awkwardly.
He knew full well that his elf was normally selfless and gentle—but when it came to matters involving him, Elysia could get a little… possessive.
And there had been no shortage of girls in the stories he told just now: Kiana, Bronya, Sirin, Mei, Himeko, Rita, Seele, Ji Xuanyuan, Wendy, and more…
Normally, that would've been enough to send the pink elf's jealousy spilling over—but at this moment, Elysia didn't seem the least bit upset. Not a trace of jealousy showed on her face.
"Who said I'm not jealous? I'm totally jealous! Eli, do you have to be that popular? You already have so many rivals in this era alone~"
Elysia gave him a playful light punch.
Heaven had granted her the most wonderful boy in the world—but it had also granted him to others.
Though she hated to admit it, Elysia knew she was only one part of Elias' life, not its entirety.
Just thinking about all the rivals she'd face in the future made the pink elf start to question her life choices a little.
But then…
"So what if there are many rivals! I still have the upper hand right now. Whether it's Mei, Kiana, Bronya, or anyone else—they can all come at me! The pink elf will never lose!"
Elysia's fighting spirit blazed as she spoke, the blue flames in her eyes burning brightly.
...
Elias widened his eyes, then gave her a thumbs-up.
"But seriously, Eli… since you're someone from the next era, are you sure it's okay to be doing this now?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Of course I mean the Honkai! With you here, clearing the Honkai in our era is guaranteed!"
Elysia said this with unshakable faith.
"...I still can't beat Finality, you know."
Elias smiled wryly.
Even though he was already strong, if he really fought against the Herrscher of Finality now, he'd probably only manage to crash her system temporarily at best.
He thought back to how, long ago, in the Sea of Quanta—beyond the Cocoon of Finality's detection—he had secretly constructed dozens of Moonlight Throne battleships using the Herrscher of Reason's power.
If all went well, he figured he could probably crash the Herrscher of Finality for half a month or so.
But to actually defeat her…
(To be honest, I'm not entirely confident. I have no idea what her upper limit truly is. But judging by how, after becoming Finality, that silly parameciuym could shoot across the Moon and obliterate Sa at the edge of the solar system with one blast… yeah, I probably wouldn't stand much of a chance if I faced her head-on right now.)
Elias thought to himself with a sigh. A mere nine-Core Herrscher fused with a Project Chimera warrior and blessed as one of the Palatinus—he still felt far too weak.
At that moment, Elysia gently patted his head.
"It's okay~ When the time comes, you'll definitely figure something out. After all, you've always been so reliable and amazing that my subconscious already believes my dear Eli can do anything."
"For you all, I can do anything."
"But what if you really succeed? Without the threat of the Honkai, what would your era become?"
Elysia asked with genuine worry.
If the Honkai were completely eradicated in the Previous Era, then without question, the Current Era would cease to exist.
If the Herrscher of Finality never used her power over time to reset civilization, then Elias' past might simply vanish.
However…
"There's no need to worry about that. I've already planned it out."
Elias waved his hand casually, showing not even a hint of panic.
So what if he had to make the Previous and Current Eras coexist? He'd already thought through every detail. After dealing with the Herrscher of Corruption, he would begin implementing the plan.
"Wow~ As expected of my Eli!"
Elysia's eyes lit up as she clapped her hands in admiration.
Seeing her look at him with such pure worship filled Elias with pride. He couldn't help but lean over and plant a light kiss on her cheek.
To him, no amount of praise from the world could compare to a single word of admiration from his beloved pink elf.
"Oh right, Ely, I just had an idea."
Elias suddenly said, as if struck by inspiration.
"Hm? What idea?"
Elysia tilted her head curiously.
"Let's form a small group. We'll gather Eden, Sakura, Mei, Aponia, Hua, Vill-V, Mobius, Kevin, Su, Kalpas, Kosma, Griseo, and Pardofelis—and we'll call it…"
"[The Fifteen Flame-Chasers]."
Elias' eyes gleamed with excitement as he spoke.