"Snap out of it, Bronya."
Seeing the girl utterly devastated, Welt couldn't help but sigh.
Scenes like this weren't unfamiliar to him; he'd experienced similar, perhaps even more heart-wrenching situations himself.
That's precisely why he understood all too well the pain she was feeling right now.
"Later, I'll find a way to send you back to your home world first. Since Kevin has already broken free, there's no point in me maintaining such a vast labyrinth any longer."
"So, I'll recall all my power and attempt to retrieve Lynelle and Seele... No matter what, I will bring this to a conclusion."
"...No."
Bronya suddenly lifted her head.
"Mr. Welt, Bronya doesn't want to go back... Is there any way for Bronya to gain power?"
"If Bronya retreats now, then Bronya is no different from when she was a child. Bronya doesn't want to wait in despair like that again, only to receive terrible news…"
"Even if the outcome is destined to be a bad end, at the very least, Bronya wants to use her own efforts to give it a process that's a little less terrible..."
"Is that so? Then... there might actually be a way."
Welt was reminded of a secret Herrscher Core compatibility test for St. Freya students that Lynelle had strongly advocated for back at St. Freya.
"However, I need to test you first, to see if you possess the requisite resolve and ability... After all, even if you make such bold declarations, I can't just let you throw your life away."
"If you're ready, then let's begin. I've prepared three trials for you. Pass them, and you will gain a power, one... that will give you the ability to change the outcome."
--+--
Meanwhile, the serpentine Kevin had carried Lynelle all the way back to a peculiar World Bubble.
This World Bubble was once a cage crafted specifically for him.
Of course, in reality, this cage itself didn't have such a strong binding force on Kevin. The reason it worked was simply because of the prefix to the cage—it was built by Su.
After Su left his legacy behind and passed away peacefully, this World Bubble lost its effectiveness.
One could even say that the World Bubble persisted until now solely thanks to Kevin, the nominal 'prisoner,' actively maintaining it.
The great serpent shifted into human form, and Lynelle naturally landed on her feet, instinctively reaching out to steady herself against something nearby—a cherry blossom tree with lush branches and leaves.
"Mmm... Kevin?"
"Mn."
Kevin responded tersely, offering no extra words.
"Whatever you want to say, you can say it directly. There's no need for restraint."
"Really?" Lynelle asked cautiously.
"Mn."
"Haa..." The pink-haired girl seemed to let out a sigh of relief, and then her questions immediately spilled out like a string of firecrackers.
"Kevin, Kevin, wasn't you taking me away a little too rough? Not towards me, I mean, but wouldn't my friend have been really startled? And also, what did you fish out of the World Bubble on the way here? It felt so familiar..."
Watching the cute girl who wasn't the least bit distant from him, but instead chattered away by his side like a lark, a long-dormant stir of emotion unexpectedly rose in Kevin's heart—he felt like he had experienced such a scene long, long ago.
Only, back then, besides Elysia, he had many other companions by his side...
But... that memory was far too distant, so distant that Kevin wasn't quite sure if it had truly existed.
And now by his side, only this one, equally lively and pure, pink-haired girl remained, as perhaps... the child left behind by his companions?
"Your companion is fine. I merely stunned her temporarily through your barrier and pushed her towards the direction of that Herrscher of Reason. So, she will be unharmed."
"As for what I picked up along the way, she is a girl who unfortunately fell from the home world into the Sea of Quanta."
"However, she seems to possess a strange affinity for the Sea of Quanta. If I hadn't seen how she 'fell' from the home world, I would have doubted if she was a creature born on Earth."
"Furthermore, the Stigma on that child also has some connection to me... All these years, I've kept her near me."
"While her talent is quite good, there are also malicious entities in the Sea of Quanta. If she stays near me, those entities wouldn't dare approach."
"Now that I'm about to leave, I plan to bring her back to the home world along the way."
"As for this place, it was left by an old friend of mine. You might have heard his name..."
If Grey Serpent, or any of the surviving heroes from the Previous Era who made it to later times, were present, they would undoubtedly be astonished by the change in Kevin.
Unlike the Kevin they knew, whose speech was so brief it bordered on emotionless, this Kevin patiently answering Lynelle's questions unexpectedly held a faint resemblance to his Previous Era self—while not exactly the openness of his youth, he at least had a bit more human warmth about him.
That's right, the warmth of a human being, not that of a [Lord] lingering solely to defeat the Honkai.
And Lynelle sat obediently by his side, occasionally interjecting a few words.
"Is that so? Then you might just encounter an unexpected enemy soon! Bronya has quite the compatibility with the Herrscher of Reason core, you know. And the girl you intercepted is her little sister... Now you've really gone and made a mortal enemy out of them!"
"That is unimportant. Recognizing one's own weakness is especially crucial under the shadow of the Honkai."
"If viewing me as a hated enemy allows her strength to progress rapidly, then I do not care how she perceives me."
After saying this, Kevin fell silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at the girl whose height barely reached his chest.
"The same goes for you. I do not care how you view me."
"Eh? What kind of talk is that..." Lynelle wanted to poke Kevin, but he easily evaded her.
"My body maintains an extremely low temperature year-round. For your safety, it's better if you do not touch me."
"Fine... But, why do you think I would dislike you?"
"Because of Project Stigma." Kevin fell silent once more, his gaze drifting into the distance.
"To execute this project, I will not hesitate to sacrifice [the vast majority]. Even among those, your friends might be included."
"To stop me, Su was willing to sacrifice his own life, just to seal me here... To carry out this Project, I can only ever be your enemy, especially yours."
"Or could it be that you also support Project Stigma?"
"Of course not." Lynelle shook her head with certainty. "Due to certain reasons, I'm all too familiar with Project Stigma. So, I will definitely stop you from carrying out Project Stigma."
"Or rather, I will make you see a better Project EMBER."
"But, just because I oppose Project Stigma doesn't mean I can't understand you, Kevin!"
--+--
T/N: I was thinking, could Lynelle lowkey save amphoreus cause she's the Herrscher of Corruption?
--+--
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.