"My dear lady, you're really wronging your dearest old Sampo here!"
In the lower district, inside a half-abandoned house, a charming and adorable pink-haired girl was fiercely kicking a tall man's backside.
If not for the man's exaggerated howls of pain, any passerby would've thought he had some peculiar tastes.
Though, in a way, the whole scene looked rather amusing.
"Save your breath!"
Lynelle snorted dismissively. "I refuse to believe you don't know about Sparkle coming to Belobog. Out with it—what's she planning, and where is she now?"
"I'm innocent, I really don't know—"
If not for the fear that grabbing the girl's leg would earn him even more vicious kicks, Sampo would've been clinging to her thigh while pleading his case.
"That Sparkle comes and goes like a ghost—how could I possibly know when she arrived? Besides, old Sampo's mask is still in her hands. I wouldn't dare cross that woman..."
"However, I do know how Sparkle managed to find you..."
"Oh?" Lynelle blinked in confusion. "Wasn't it because of the commotion I caused on the Xianzhou?"
"The Xianzhou? Well... if I remember correctly, Sparkle shouldn't have much interest in that place."
Sampo's voice suddenly became evasive. "Um, actually... do you remember that ceremonial scythe you bought from me?"
"...!"
Lynelle suddenly caught on, pulling a crescent-shaped scythe from her system space. "This one?"
Her impression of this weapon was quite vivid.
After all, it was one of the rare arms specifically suited to amplify Lynelle's Herrscher of Corruption powers.
Though in recent battles, she'd either forego using her amplified authority entirely or rely on pulled cards and objects to smash through problems with brute force, leaving this weapon gathering dust for some time.
Still, its unique design meant Lynelle remained rather fond of it.
"Yes, yes, that's the one..." Sampo nodded repeatedly. "Well, probably after Sparkle sensed this weapon had left my possession, she guessed you might have appeared in the galaxy. So..."
"Wait, so it still traces back to you?!" Lynelle felt the urge to whack Sampo a few times with the small scythe.
"Why didn't you tell me about this from the start?"
Sampo silently averted his gaze. "Because I can't afford to cross either of those young ladies either..."
"A-anyway, that little scythe won't continuously reveal your location. Believe me, if it could really track you constantly, there's no way I'd have sold something like that..."
"Hmph, I'd guess you wouldn't dare." Lynelle examined the ceremonial sword in her hand.
Highly similar to Cyrene's weapon, capable of amplifying her Corruption authority, originating from Sparkle, and most likely coming from Vita's hands...
This thing looked more and more like specialty goods from her old hometown!
"Whatever. Consider this making up for selling me this thing. Do me a favor, and we'll call it even."
Lynelle thought for a moment, then gave the apologetically smiling Sampo beside her a light kick.
"Absolutely, sis! Whatever service you need? Old Sampo will give it his all!"
"Simple enough..." A mischievous smile curled at the corner of Lynelle's lips. "I need you to, for the next few hours..."
"Eh?!"
--+--
"This should be the place called the Robot Settlement, right?"
Sparkle hopped and skipped her way to the settlement's entrance, then unfolded the map in her hand.
"This Sampo guy, even his maps are drawn so abstractly... wasted so much of my time on the road... Whatever. I heard earlier they were going to visit someone called Serval. In other words, Lynelle probably won't be coming down here this early."
"Then..." A wicked grin spread across Sparkle's face as she snapped her fingers.
[Greetings. Welcome to the Robot Settlement. Pl—please, [Tang Bzzzrt]...]
Under Sparkle's influence, the little guard robot Perkins immediately began shuddering and fell into an illusion.
Don't ask how a robot can fall for an illusion. The path of Elation works in mysterious ways, huh?
"According to Sampo's intel and the information compiled from Big Sister Vita, Lynelle should have two good friends here in the Robot Settlement."
"One of them happens to be similar to my build... Hehe, perfect. I'll just let that little girl sleep a bit longer. I'll be the one to meet the lovely Lynelle~"
Casually hiding her geta in a corner, Sparkle stepped barefoot into the snow. The icy sensation crept up from her soles, making Miss Sparkle shiver involuntarily.
"Why would anyone prefer not wearing shoes? Especially in a freezing hellhole like this..."
Muttering quietly about a certain white-haired girl's habits, Sparkle walked step by step towards the presence she sensed.
The other residents of the Robot Settlement acted as if they couldn't see her, going about their own business.
Soon, Sparkle found her target: another white-haired girl, also barefoot, with a large robot following beside her.
"Huh? Big sister, are you here to... mmm—"
Normally, encountering such a well-behaved, cute little girl might have sparked Sparkle's playful side, tempting her to tease the child a bit. But this time, she was in a hurry.
So, a phantom image of a goldfish instantly darted in front of Clara. The weak white-haired girl immediately went limp and collapsed into Sparkle's arms.
"Mission accomplished. And next... you too~"
As another goldfish phantom swam by, Svarog's red eyes flickered several times, then halted his prepared attack motion.
"Playing two roles at once is a bit too troublesome. I'll just take control of Svarog after Lynelle arrives. For now, this should do..."
Following Sparkle's actions, Svarog stood still for a few seconds, then looked at Sparkle and said, "Clara, the person in your arms is..."
"Ah, Mr. Svarog, her name is Sparkle." The 'Clara', now transformed by Sparkle, held the real, unconscious Clara in her arms and spoke very obediently.
"I found her outside the settlement. It seems she fainted from exhaustion."
"But, we can just let her rest in a room for a while, right?"
"Scanning... Status check complete. The individual has indeed entered a sleep state." Svarog nodded. "Then, Clara, please take her to a room. Remember to be quick; Lynelle will be here soon."
"Eh? That fast... Ah, I mean, I won't be late to meet Lynelle big sister!"
Hearing that Lynelle was progressing much faster than she anticipated, Sparkle felt a surge of relief in her heart.
Thankfully, she had acted quickly and taken Clara's place before Lynelle arrived. Otherwise, she would have missed a perfect opportunity.
As for whether Lynelle would see through her... Sparkle wasn't worried in the slightest.
To quote a line from a game she'd been playing recently: 'How can mortal eyes perceive an Adeptus' transformations?'
Though she wasn't an Adeptus, unless someone specialized in mental powers or had reached Emanator-level abilities, most people wouldn't see through her illusions.
Miss Sparkle smiled, brimming with confidence.
Beside her, 'Svarog'—or more accurately, the person puppeting Svarog—smiled along with her.
--+--
T/N: Again, how tf does a robot smile?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.