Passing through the portal, Shin found himself in an entirely new space.
It was a study.
"Hey!"
A broad wooden desk was set before the window to catch the light. Alongside stood rows of tall, book-filled shelves, and several portraits of knights in full regalia hung on the walls.
"Hey, hey!"
Shin stepped to the window and pushed open the stained glass. Just as he expected, the scene outside was that of Raymonlet Castle.
Or rather, Raymonlet Castle as it had been a thousand years ago.
"Hey, hey, hey! Do you even have manners?!"
The girl who had been shouting non-stop finally stepped in front of Shin, blocking his view and pouting in frustration.
"First of all, my name is Shin. The first part is my surname. I'm not called 'Hey'," he replied calmly, sizing up the knightly girl before him. "Second, no, I don't have manners."
If he never had any to begin with, then no one could use manners to restrain him.
As he spoke, Shin flicked her forehead with a finger.
Ting!
A crisp sound rang out. Nice resonance.
"Oww~!" Clutching her forehead, the knight girl whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears. "Are people in the future always this barbaric?"
There was no doubt about it. This pitiful knight before him was none other than Olivia Raymonlet, the legendary figure from the tales.
Or more accurately, the consciousness she had left behind.
"Mhm." Nodding, Shin naturally took the seat behind the desk like it was his rightful place. "It's dangerous in our time. Honkai incidents break out daily. Just surviving takes everything we've got."
"You're lying!"
Leaning over the desk with both hands, Olivia looked down at him, unconvinced.
"Mhm, I am," Shin nodded again, casually flipping open a nearby book, only to find—unsurprisingly—that the pages were all blank. "Seriously, can't you read something real for once, my dear Count?"
Back then, the Raymonlet family had held the hereditary title of Count.
"I am the Count! Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?"
Chin raised proudly, the thousand-year-dead knight radiated nobility.
In any kingdom, a Count was the embodiment of prestige and honor.
"Wake up. The Kingdom of Sicily is long gone."
Shin reminded her earnestly.
"Huh? Sicily had a kingdom?"
She blinked in confusion.
In her time, Sicily hadn't even been unified into a proper kingdom yet.
Shin: "..."
How would he know Sicily's history?
"You've been dead for over a thousand years."
He decided to make things clearer.
"Then you must be from over a thousand years in the future?" Olivia asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity, as if itching to dissect him for research. "If Edward knew I could talk to someone a thousand years ahead, he'd be dying of jealousy!"
"Edward?"
Shin raised an eyebrow.
"My husband."
She answered with perfect honesty.
"…Mind if I ask how old you were when you left this consciousness behind?"
"Fifty-three."
"…"
Staring at the woman who looked, at most, twenty-three, Shin was speechless.
He refused to believe it was because she aged gracefully.
As far as he knew, only one person had ever awakened a Stigmata capable of granting near-eternal youth.
"You're thinking something very rude, aren't you!?"
Slamming her hands on the desk, Olivia leaned forward, blue eyes staring straight into Shin's.
"I was just thinking… your marriage must've been a happy one."
Forced to look away, Shin replied sincerely.
For her to still carry that kind of youthful spirit at fifty-three, she must have been deeply loved.
"Of course!" she beamed, pride written all over her face.
"So, why exactly did you leave behind this consciousness?"
Shin turned his gaze toward the bookcases.
He hadn't opened them yet, but he was confident they'd all be blank too.
This place was built from Olivia's memories, and nothing about her screamed "bookworm."
She reminded him of a certain ditzy white-haired girl.
Though Olivia had golden hair and ocean-blue eyes, as dazzling as the sun itself.
"Because it's fun."
She answered cheerfully.
Shin: "…"
Somehow, the most unsurprising answer possible.
"Did Mr. Edward ever say you were a bit of an airhead?"
He asked politely.
"But he loved me for it."
She said with absolute certainty.
Shin was speechless again.
So what if someone loved you?
Olivia seemed to think that someone loving you was everything.
"I'm here for the relic."
Shin got straight to the point.
He'd realized early on that if he indulged her, this eternally-young old ghost could talk his ear off for days.
"You want my Little Moon?"
She asked, instantly going into protective mode like he was about to steal her favorite toy.
"The proper name of the relic is Moonlight Throne: Imaginary-Type Embedded Pulse Obliteration Generator."
Shin corrected her.
From the moment he entered this space, he had sensed the relic's true identity and function.
"You want my Little Moon?"
She repeated, like a glitching program stuck in a loop.
Shin stared at her for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "...Yeah. I want your Little Moon."
If this was how he was going to socially perish, then so be it. After all, no one but a thousand-year-old ghost was around to hear it.
"Sure. I'll give it to you later."
She smiled brightly, like sunshine in midsummer.
"Can't you just give it to me now?"
Shin asked impatiently.
The Moonlight Throne: Imaginary-Type Embedded Pulse Obliteration Generator.
As its name implied, the relic was stored within the Imaginary Space.
Olivia had hidden it there, and it only revealed itself under the full moon's influence.
Theoretically, Honkai energy should only exist on Earth, not on the moon.
But in reality, the connection between the Honkai and the moon far exceeded human understanding.
Every Herrscher of the End had first descended upon the moon.
The gravitational tide during a full moon could even affect the Imaginary Space. That was the true reason the relic emitted Honkai fluctuations at such times.
And during the extraction process, the ripple in spatial stability would leak immense amounts of Honkai energy.
In other words, it would spawn a swarm of Honkai beasts and potentially trigger a major outbreak.
Assuming nothing had gone wrong, Raven was probably already fighting those creatures outside.
"Hmm… it's not like I can't," Olivia mused, stroking her chin in mock thought. "But Edward did say I had to tell you about Little Moon's dangers first."
"I'm pretty sure I know more about it than you do."
Shin's tone turned serious.
Though he'd only recently encountered this relic, his knowledge of the Honkai far surpassed that of someone from a millennium ago.
"Still, Edward said I have to tell you about Little Moon's dangers."
She repeated, winking at him.
It was clear she didn't want to hand it over that easily.
"...Fine."
Shin gave in.
This was her stigmata space, after all, and she'd been dead for a thousand years already. He could give the knight a bit of respect.
Raven would just have to suffer a little longer.
Knowing her, the legendary mercenary wouldn't mind.
"Yoo-hoo!"
Olivia clearly forgot all about pretending to be a dignified knight and broke into an excited cheer.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!