Walking back to Tsuyokuni, Yumeha looked at her hand and squeezed it—she could already feel she had grown stronger. She approached Enrico cautiously and whispered:
"Master, did you become stronger?"
Enrico simply decided to tell her the truth—and would explain later, when they were alone, that he knows the future. Since telling others but not her could cause problems—she wouldn't betray him, but it was better to avoid anything risky.
"Yes, I was searching for an artifact and with it I managed to evolve a bit."
Even though Enrico couldn't see Yumeha's eyes beneath the strand of hair covering them, there was a bright excitement in her energetic aura.
"Incredible, Master—how did you know?"
"I'll tell you later."
Rina approached them, adjusting the ribbon in her hair for the third time, trying to appear confident.
'Now or never…'
Clenching her fists with a rehearsed smile and determined steps, she slipped in beside Enrico—casually inserting herself between him and Yumeha.
"Lord Enrico, did you know that statistically, the Ketsumei–Musubinin pairs that survive the longest are those whose emotional connection is balanced by compatible abilities?"
In her thoughts, she chastised herself for sounding foolish.
'I mean, of course he knows—I know he came from the future… but he doesn't know that I know that, so maybe it'll work.'
Rina composed herself. Yumeha merely arched an eyebrow beside Enrico. Enrico shot Rina an almost playful look.
"So—what are you suggesting, exactly?"
"That… perhaps I would be an excellent Musubinin for you. From what I observed fighting in the dungeon, we'd have very good synergy."
She smiled, proud of her own formulation. At that moment, Aoi appeared behind them. Her quiet presence was almost undetectable, though the muffled laugh under her mask revealed everything.
"Heh… interesting theory, Rina wants a commitment ring already."
Her voice was soft, almost teasing. It annoyed Rina—she should have been by her side, not taunting her. Immediately, Enrico's system flashed a holographic window before his eyes:
[Congratulations, Enrico. It appears you're going to marry a second wife. Please prepare the dowry and be ready to receive the reward of two wives.]
Enrico looked at the system amused—this teasing system had gone too far.
'Thanks—this is the best reward you've given me since I arrived in this world.'
[Tsk.]
Yumeha stepped forward, her sharp gaze fixed directly on Rina.
"Musubinin? Sorry, but my master said for now… not you, sister."
Her tone was sweet but laced with poison—since gaining her Ketsumei, she was slowly gaining confidence. Rina glared at her interrupter, laughed, and tried to change the subject.
"Oh! Right… it's not like our mothers competed—they stayed with our father even so… Speaking of something else… did you see that strange mana formation in the ground back there? It might be a displacement trap."
With that obvious lie, Yumeha raised both hands, slightly trembling upward—cute but determined.
"Don't change the subject. If you want to be his Musubinin, you'll have to prove yourself. With sweat and maybe blood."
Aoi was now fully behind them, enjoying the scene like a private play.
'This is fun… Should I join in?'
Meanwhile, Enrico had already taken a step forward, wanting to leave—he wasn't going to form a bond and compromise Rina's evolution, at least with his current potential. He raised his hand, eyeing the blood-red necklace, deciding to ignore the subtle tension forming behind him. The two girls exchanged glances as sharp as knives, but their smiles remained serene, as if just two teammates watching the environment.
Rina, however, thought:
'If I don't hurry… it might seem like Enrico is leaving today… I have to ask my father to send me to Astrong and get more time!'
Lianhua watched everything carefully from behind. She thought about fleeing to Tianlong as quickly as possible—or watching a bit longer. The disguise she had used since the Emperor of Tsuyokuni fell ill no longer worked—since his condition had worsened, they were desperate and hadn't noticed the death of the guard they'd chosen carefully, with no family to arouse suspicion.
When they arrived in Tsuyokuni, they were immediately summoned to the Emperor's chamber. He looked sorrowful upon seeing Enrico—but quickly recovered with a smile.
"Enrico, you were right about the spy being Soushi. I've already handled the situation. Thank you."
Aoi, Rina, and Yumeha widened their eyes in surprise.
Lianhua trembled, holding an item behind her back—nervous, as she stood before a ninth-circle mage. She thought she was in a trap, but Renzou said nothing about her. She calmed herself, trying to understand why Enrico hadn't revealed anything.
"Enrico, why don't you stay? You'd receive much from Tsuyokuni."
"I'm sorry, Emperor, but I must return to Astrong. I still have many matters to handle."
"Even so—you are part of Tsuyokuni now, so you may return whenever you wish."
Renzou looked at Yumeha and Rina, who realized what he meant. Rina nodded confidently. Yumeha nodded too—though less respectfully toward her father—prompting Renzou to sigh; he expected this. The fault was his.
After the bows—and at their father's instruction to speak with them about Soushi—Enrico stepped away and asked Takeshi to teach him some spear maneuvers. He planned to ask to face Liam when he returned to the academy.
Lianhua left, using an item that teleported her away. She hadn't used it before because she didn't know if the Emperor realized she was a spy—and if he did, she'd be stopped immediately. Once she reached the Tianlong base, she saw distraught guards.
"What happened here?"
"Miss Lianhua, we do not know exactly. But the two attacks we launched on the Shironami and Tetsukage cities of Tsuyokuni failed. It's as if they knew it was coming."
Another guard, desperate, handed her a report.
Not only that—a large-scale Tsuyokuni attack recovered two of the three zones we had captured.
"What?"
Lianhua's expression turned incredulous. She remembered Enrico's words and pressed the paper tighter in her hand.
"Take care of the zone we still have. I will return to Tianlong and speak with the Empress."
The guards nodded, and she left with frustration and irritation—but if Enrico really knew the location of the elixir, she would set aside everything else. She hurried to return to Tianlong immediately.