Fortunately, Kiana's Authority of Sentience made everyone around them overlook their little corner.
Otherwise, Elysia's increasingly unsteady voice would've definitely drawn stares from everyone nearby.
But even so…
Miss Wendy sipped her milk tea, watching the whole scene unfold.
She didn't quite get it, but she was utterly fascinated.
Origin… is something else.
To think she could make the Finality afraid.
So cool!
"Sorry…" Elysia finally noticed she'd lost her composure a bit and offered a soft apology.
The atmosphere was a little awkward now.
Kiana sipped her milk tea quietly, turning things over in her mind.
Right.
She had no experience with love—not in this life, not in any previous one. Even though she always said she loved them, when it really came down to it, she'd always shrink back.
She couldn't imagine taking things further.
It wasn't that she couldn't picture it.
It was a deep, instinctual fear.
Like someone else intruding into her personal space—a feeling that was hard to put into words.
Even though she was the one who'd set all this in motion, she was still so timid. Sure, just having them near was enough…
But was that really all there was to it?
"…" Kiana fell silent.
She'd been really absorbed lately—observing the future, watching the world, making videos to show everyone.
But maybe without realizing it, the more she observed, the more she got used to setting herself apart.
Placing herself in what felt like a safe position.
Just being an onlooker.
Was that really what she wanted?
"Thank you, Elysia," Kiana said, looking at her.
"What for?" Did Elysia not understand? Oh, she understood.
Her sensitivity let her sense that something was off with Kiana.
But she hadn't found the right moment to bring it up—until now, in this roundabout way.
And the result… wasn't so bad.
"...I was thinking," Kiana began, choosing her words carefully, feeling a little shy, "if you keep up with daily sit-ups, jogging, and watching your weight, I'll give you a reward."
"Aha~ You still think I'm fat!" Elysia pouted in mock anger.
But the next moment, she grinned and asked, "So… what's the reward?"
"It's a secret!" Kiana stuck out her tongue playfully.
Before Elysia could say anything else, Kiana turned to Wendy.
"Later, I'll take you somewhere."
"Where?" Wendy didn't seem to mind.
"You'll see when we get there," Kiana replied with a smile.
Wendy nodded. "I want to order another one of those ice creams."
"That's called a sundae," Elysia corrected.
Soon after, Kiana led Elysia and Wendy to a quiet alley, opened a portal to the Imaginary Space, and Elysia guessed where they were headed.
That's right.
The Imaginary Prison.
"Heavenly Punishment, are you blind?! Get back to your lane!"
"I was recalling, what's your problem?"
"Sesha, ignore that idiot, come top and gank for me."
"Right away, Master."
As soon as they stepped inside, they saw three luxurious cells, set up like an internet café, with three girls gaming together.
Honestly, Kiana knew they'd pretty much gone to waste, but seeing it in person was still a bit hard to take.
For heaven's sake.
Miss Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment, with the same face and figure as Dr. Mei, had completely lost her former heroic aura.
Dressed in a plain white T-shirt and white shorts, showing off her pale, long legs—her outfit was basic, saved only by her looks.
She sat cross-legged in her chair, one hand on the keyboard, the other on the mouse, looking as lazy as could be.
Her room was littered with discs, novels, and snacks—a total mess.
Sesha's room was much cleaner, at least.
But she also preferred not to wear pants.
Guess pets take after their owners.
As for the Queen…
Well, she'd fallen even faster than expected.
A cup of instant noodles sat unfinished on her desk as she focused intently on the game.
She wore a silk nightgown, like a total shut-in, no better than the others, cursing and spouting gaming jargon left and right.
Was this Elysia's influence too?
Kiana tilted her head, glancing at Elysia.
Elysia just shrugged—'Elysia doesn't know~'
"Who are they?" Wendy seemed to sense something.
"That's the Herrscher of the Void, the Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment, and that's Sesha, her accompanying Honkai beast," Elysia explained. "The Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment was the one before you—the Third Herrscher."
"So my predecessor isn't dead…" Wendy sounded surprised.
"Yeah, not only alive, but living the good life," Kiana said, exasperated.
But since she was the one keeping them tucked away… well, whatever.
If the Herrschers didn't want to cooperate, keeping them locked up might mellow them out eventually.
And if they still didn't want to leave after that… she'd just keep them.
No big deal.
"You have two choices now," Kiana said seriously, holding up two fingers.
"First, as you can see, you'll move in here too."
"Do I get ice cream?" Wendy asked without hesitation.
Kiana fell silent.
Elysia quickly stepped in. "Of course! I'll bring you all sorts of delicious treats and fun things."
"Their rooms were empty at first too. Everything in there was brought by me," she added.
Miss Wendy fell into deep thought.
It looked like she was genuinely tempted.
"What's the second option?" Wendy asked anyway.
"Second, I kill you and use your core to make a Divine Key."
"I'll take the first one!" Wendy declared without a hint of doubt.
She might seem spacey, but she wasn't stupid.
"Don't listen to her," Elysia said, surprised Wendy was so compliant.
Aren't you going to put up any resistance?
"You can just live with us. No need to settle for this."
Compared to the ones in the cells, Wendy was practically an angel.
Not picky, very obedient.
If she was told not to use her powers outside, she wouldn't.
She waited in line without a fuss.
Aside from her big appetite, there were no issues.
Though Kiana and Elysia had planned to scare her a little—playing good cop, bad cop—Wendy's immediate agreement threw them off.
But then…
Things got even stranger!
This time, Wendy was stubborn. She shook her head!
"No, I want to go in."
"?" Kiana.
"?" Elysia.
Thankfully, Kiana had temporarily blocked the three inmates from sensing them.
Otherwise, they'd probably be cussing up a storm right now.
Who in their right mind would choose prison over freedom?
Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment: Oh, right. Me too.
Sesha: Same here.
Queen: …
How to put it?
"Happy here, no thoughts of leaving." JPG
Brilliant.
"I've thought it through," Wendy said earnestly. She wasn't one to lie—she said exactly what she thought.
"I've realized I'm not actually unafraid of death."
She spoke calmly.
"I did think before that it didn't matter if I died early or late—we'll all die in the end anyway, and I can't win."
"And before… whatever plans Origin had, it just meant I'd die a little sooner…"
"But when I first saw Finality, I was instinctively terrified. I wanted to run."
"That's when I understood—I'm not as resigned as I thought."
"I don't want to die."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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