"You're really too much, you know. A little goodwill would've been enough to win my favor—and with it, more of the medicine needed to treat your sickly children."
Su Ran had already visited the House of the Hearth.
The children there were indeed of far higher quality than those recruited from among the ordinary citizens of Snezhnaya.
After all, once they entered that House, they had nothing else left.
Their only family was the one Arlecchino gave them.
And so betrayal was rare.
But fewer traitors didn't mean fewer eliminations.
Even with Arlecchino's rule making the House more humane than ever, children who were ill simply couldn't survive in such an environment.
As the "Father" of the House, Arlecchino considered them all.
She wouldn't play favorites, nor would she neglect any.
Their health mattered to her deeply.
But the House never lacked medicine.
What it lacked was cures for those special illnesses no ordinary doctor could treat.
Perhaps the Doctor had ways.
But she would never trust him.
As for Su Ran… she couldn't trust him completely either.
Yet compared to the Doctor, he was far more reliable.
"If just a little kindness could earn your friendship, then you may rest your head on my shoulder as long as you like."
She had realized it now:
The "Genius" was far easier to get along with than she'd expected.
She had overreacted.
"No need~ I can tell, Arle-chan. You don't trust me yet. You speak so highly of me, but never dare to say it to my face. So shy."
"Next time, why not just praise me directly?"
Even Rosalyne couldn't suppress her laughter behind a hand.
Clearly, among the Harbingers, Su Ran was something different.
He brought life to their atmosphere, treating colleagues like actual people rather than rivals or strangers.
"…If you insist, I can praise you now."
Arlecchino admitted to herself—he was perhaps even warmer and more open than Capitano.
"That's no fun. Right now I'm a parachuted-in Harbinger, with no great achievements to my name. Shouldn't I go out and make a name for myself before earning your compliments?"
His eyes lingered on her.
But unlike the others, they carried no malice.
Only simple amusement.
"You killed one of the Doctor's segments. You blasted a five-hundred-meter crater outside the capital. If that's not an achievement, what is?"
How many Harbingers could claim such feats?
Even ignoring the strength required, the sheer impact was immense.
That crater had nearly kissed Snezhnaya's city walls.
"Killing a useless waste and making a hole that woke half the city? That sounds more like bad press than good."
So you do realize it…
Arlecchino bit back the words.
For the children's sake.
Su Ran smiled knowingly.
"Arlecchino, you don't want those children, wracked by illness, to keep suffering… Do you?"
His tone shifted.
Eyes closed, expression softened—like a priest extending his hand to a boy.
"…No. Do you have terms?"
The children of the House were her reverse scale.
For their sake, she could even betray the Tsaritsa herself.
For all her high rank, she still carried such tenderness.
The contrast intrigued Su Ran deeply— and only made him like her more.
"…Can't you be a little more dramatic? Reading Inazuman light novels would help. The way you just said it—it's like you don't care what the price is. That ruins the mood."
She blinked. "I'll read them."
She didn't quite understand, but the hint was clear enough.
If light novels were what it took to understand this man, then she would read them.
Only then might she find common ground.
"Good. When I visit Fontaine, I'll test you on them."
He couldn't help but wonder what her expression would be then.
Would she look at him as though he were some scummy protagonist?
The thought was oddly exciting.
But curiosity nagged at her still.
As a Descender, this man had no past in this land.
No one knew anything about him.
So she chose the simplest approach: just ask.
"Genius. You and I are both Harbingers. We'll surely work together often. But I want to know—what made you swear loyalty to Her Majesty?"
Direct.
Blunt.
The only way.
Every Harbinger had their own reason for joining.
So what about him?
"Because of the funding, of course. With abilities this terrifying, I can't exactly live by chopping wood, can I? The rich hand out budgets so fast. When I asked for funds to build my workshop, I inflated the numbers several times over—he didn't even blink."
Su Ran sighed, as if exasperated by how simple it was.
"As a Harbinger, I get resources handed to me on a silver platter. Isn't that easier than scraping them together piece by piece? I don't have to lift a finger, and yet resources flow in. What's not to love?"
"…That's it?"
All because of money?
Such loyalty was far too simple.
No higher ideals, no hidden ambitions?
Just funding?
"And if someone else offered you the same?"
Rosalyne frowned.
Was his allegiance really held together by Mora alone?
"That would depend on whether they could also provide what I need."
Arlecchino's interest deepened. "And if they could?"
"I'd pack up Columbina and take her with me."
And if possible, I'd bring the Tsaritsa too.
Even here, in the heart of the Fatui, he didn't hesitate to say it.
Even if someone tattled, what then?
If the Tsaritsa heard it herself, she'd probably just increase his funding.