Outside the prison, the sunny big boy extended his hand toward the white-haired Saintess still trapped within the cage. The torches on the walls flickered uncertainly, illuminating their faces—one looking down, the other looking up—in a hazy glow.
"Hahahaha."
Kallen laughed.
"I'm not going!"
"Huh?"
Fuli, who had assumed everything would go smoothly, let out a confused sound from his throat.
"Kallen! Why won't you go?! Do you realize that if you don't go, our last hope will be cut off?"
Otto, standing to the side, was even more agitated. He stomped his foot and glared at Kallen, looking for all the world as if he were the one waiting to be rescued from a sea of suffering, not her.
Come to think of it, if the opportunity were real, the virtual Otto would undoubtedly be far more fired up about his own freedom than Kallen's.
"It's not that, Otto."
Kallen scratched her head, her clear eyes revealing a confusion that belonged to her era.
"I just don't understand a word Third Brother is saying!"
To a village girl born in the Middle Ages—even one who had trekked across Asia and Europe on a pair of alluring white-stockinged legs—the world she knew was limited.
Kallen didn't understand what "virtual" meant, didn't know what a "network" was, and certainly didn't comprehend what an "aerospace battleship" was or what she would even do there.
All she knew was that this handsome boy, whom she had only just met, said he wanted to take her away from the world she knew so well to a place she had never seen before.
And it sounded like she was going there to be a... wage earner?
What kind of organization was Hyperion? How was it different from Schicksal? Would they also force her to do things she detested?
If she didn't agree, would they use coercive means to turn her into an accomplice of some evil force?
Kallen knew the answer to none of the above.
In that case, why should I go? Why does someone just assume I should go based on their own wishful thinking?
Is freedom really that important? If I, Kallen Kaslana, cared so much about that, why would I have rejected Bishop Niclas's marriage proposal time and again, choosing to march generously toward my death?
Kallen poured all these thoughts out to the two of them, receiving silence from Otto and understanding from Fuli.
Many employees forget that the relationship between a company and a worker is essentially a two-way selection.
Employees have the right to choose whether to take a job, and after joining, they have the right to refuse unreasonable demands. It shouldn't be that the company drops a casual sentence and the person runs over wagging their tail to slave away like an ox or horse.
Thinking of this, Fuli spoke up. "I understand. Next, I will explain Hyperion's operational style, the responsibilities you would need to undertake in the future, and the compensation package."
It didn't matter if recruitment failed the first time. Failure is the mother of success. No one fails forever; they just get a little extra motherly love.
The boy considered his moral compass to be fairly aligned; he didn't think he would turn into the type who treated human life like grass.
Lol, Durandal, that paragon of justice and knight-errantry, checks up on me once a week. Even if I wanted to go bad, I wouldn't have the chance!
Do you really think her Abyss Flower and King's Light are dull?
"Wait, brother."
Otto interrupted the interaction just as it was about to start. "Before we discuss that, shouldn't we change locations?"
Fuli pondered. "Was the noise we made earlier too loud?"
"Not that," the man denied. "When Kallen was first imprisoned, the commotion she made every day was far louder than your arrival just now. These people are used to it."
"I'm worried about the daily scheduled patrol."
He pointed to the irreparable bars. "No matter how you look at it, there's no hiding that."
It was just fortunate that the Middle Ages didn't have full-channel, blind-spot-free electronic surveillance like the future. Otherwise, the moment Fuli appeared in the cell, a hundred Templar Knights would have already surrounded the underground prison so tightly that not even water could trickle through.
"Then let's go."
Fuli made the decision, then asked, "But the problem is Second Sister is currently under the Blood Boil Curse. If we don't lift it, she'll die sooner or later."
"Don't worry, I have intelligence on that front."
Otto had clearly considered this. "The person responsible is on the upper level of the prison. I'll lead the way."
"Big Brother is reliable!"
The boy gave a thumbs up.
Back to 'Big Brother' again...
The man smiled bitterly, turned around, and raised his lantern to lead the way.
As they got closer to the surface, the effect of the anti-magic barrier weakened.
Along the way, they saw quite a few unlucky souls in cells and witnessed many unique punishments.
For example, planting bamboo under the victim's body. Bamboo grows very fast, maturing overnight. During this time, the victim would experience the premium service of Vlad the Impaler. Or the saw torture, where a saw with intentionally large teeth was used. The person was hung upside down, the saw placed between their legs, and they were sawed in half from the crotch down, relying entirely on brute force to tear and pull.
Fuli, seeing this for the first time, instinctively clamped his legs together. His nervous appearance almost made Kallen laugh out loud.
Otto, meanwhile, whispered a crash course on the love-hate relationships between the three major families to his little brother.
Hearing it from the person involved was different from reading cold historical texts. Even though Mei had helped him study up, Fuli couldn't help but angrily denounce the Kaslana family for their nepotism, actually handing such an important position as Saintess to their own kin!
In contrast, look at the Schariacs—they even ceded sovereignty to the hardworking Apocalypse family!
At first, Kallen didn't quite catch the flavor of his words, but then she grabbed her little brother by the ear, ready to help him establish a correct worldview.
Scared, Fuli quickly admitted defeat, terrified that this sister would go Bleurgh! and spit out another pool of blood.
However, how should one put it?
Perhaps because they shared the trait of being disliked by their fiancées, Fuli and Otto actually had a lot of common topics.
As the only person in the current civilization who could access the repository of wisdom in the Void Archives, the future civilization shown within had long made Otto yearn for it.
Unfortunately, no one else in the Middle Ages had this insight. Whenever he tried to talk to people about such things, he felt like a chicken talking to a duck or playing a lute to a cow.
Now that he had someone to talk to, the floodgates opened and he couldn't stop.
And just as women discuss men when they get together, when men get together, the topic gradually tilted toward discussing women.
Fuli: "Second Sister has a vague relationship with that vixen named Yae Sakura? Lol, is the lesbian gene in the Kaslana family hereditary? The one on my ship also can't get over Mei."
Otto: "Brother, it's true that things are impossible between Kallen and me, but you must never give up! Living under the same roof, seeing each other day in and day out—if you lose to those vixens, wouldn't it be a disgrace to us men?"
Fuli: "Forget it. Women only affect the speed at which I level up. But brother, if there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely help you teach that vixen a lesson! I'll let her know just how despicable it is to steal someone's love!"
Pure Love Warrior Fuli explosively kills the Minotaur (NTR) Yae Sakura!
He would ruthlessly wield his Silver Galaxy Baseball Bat—which approaches 1.5 meters after using the Partial Expansion Jutsu—to administer various forms of chastisement and punishment to the Minotaur!
Otto, guessing something, was startled. "Could it be, brother, that in the future you...?"
Fuli smiled but said nothing.
Otto asked in surprise, "Since you have that thing (Key of Corruption), why did you specially infiltrate the database to find an Artificial Intelligence?"
Fuli shrugged. "On one hand, that thing hasn't finished incubating. And even if it does, I can't just keep it on the battleship to handle trivial matters."
He intended to carry Jizo Mitama with him at all times. If nothing else, just the manifestation of the Spirit Avatar increased his combat power by thirty percent.
"Carry it with you? Then, brother, I have to remind you of something."
Otto stroked his chin. "The Void Archives records that the incubation path of that thing changes according to the master's style of conduct. If it were me, it would likely develop a Rated Power similar to the original version, but you..."
He stopped talking and looked Fuli up and down carefully.
Perhaps thinking that saying, "The Jizo Mitama incubated by a battle maniac like you has a high probability of becoming a violent machine comparable to the Key of Destruction," was a bit rude, he didn't say it explicitly.
"Wouldn't that be even better?"
But Fuli understood instantly. "What's the fun in sneaking around? Real men like it Strong! Tyrannical! Powerful!"
He rubbed his hands together impatiently and then enthusiastically told Brother Otto about the glorious moment when he defeated Rin.
Especially when he heard that Rin, using Yae Sakura's body, was defeated by Fuli's Blazing Sun Apollo in a single shot, Otto... Otto!
"Foster Father is above! Please accept a bow from your little brother!"
"No, no, you can't do that!"
Fuli hurriedly bent down to help him up. "You and I are close in age; let's just be peers!"
"Brother!"
"My good brother!"
Slap!
Two hands gripped each other firmly.
The gazes that met seemed to crackle with electricity!
Mutual appreciation—they were on the verge of being overcome with emotion!
"What? What is it?"
Kallen, forcefully squeezing in, interrupted the bromance radiating between the two. "What are you two talking about? Why can't I understand? Also, no bullying Sakura!"
"I will bully her! I'll bully her good! What a Pure Love Warrior like me hates most is NTR—Woah, Sister, don't vomit blood!"
"Little Brother, promise me first you won't bully Sakura!"
"It's not a question of promising or not; her body was already destroyed by me, and only a bit of her soul remains in the gem, who knows what state it's in..."
"Pfft—ack!"
Anxiety attacking the heart, an empty stomach, plus the Blood Boil Curse.
Kallen's eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
When she groggily woke up, she found herself lying on Fuli's back.
Otto followed alongside with a look of envy, jealousy, and hate.
His constitution was too weak. Running and jumping with a person on his back while nimbly dodging the patrolling soldiers that spawned from time to time was a job only Fuli could handle.
Noticing the momentary chaos in the breathing on his back, the boy turned his head slightly awkwardly. "Second Sister, you awake?"
In her trance, Kallen seemed to see a three-headed-tall pink monster cheerfully saying, "Big Sis, Big Sis, you awake?"
She shook her head to toss the hallucination aside and looked at a squad of soldiers standing stock still behind them. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong with them?"
"We were spotted just now, so I used a little trick."
The Body Immobilization Spell. One of the results of the previous system ten-pull. As the anti-magic barrier's effect weakened, it became usable.
[Name: Body Immobilization Spell]
[Grade: C]
[Category: Active]
[Effect: Generates an invisible force field to confine the opponent's body, rendering them immobile for a certain period. If mastered, one can even throw or grab enemies based on this.
This spell can only be used on enemies weaker than oneself. The closer the enemy's strength is to the user, the worse the effect. Against those of the same realm, it often only freezes them for an instant.
Additionally, if used against an enemy stronger than the caster, not only will it be futile, but it will also consume a massive amount of the caster's energy.]
[Remark: "The one used to freeze the Seven Fairies?"
"The one used to freeze the Seven Fairies."
"Were the peaches tasty?"
"Delicious. Each one plump and juicy, moist and delicate. The Queen Mother treats this Old Sun very well."]
(T/N: A reference to Sun Wukong in Journey to the West, who froze the seven fairies to eat peaches instead of doing anything... else.)
When he drew this, Fuli had been thoroughly mocked by Prometheus.
The little girl's exact words were:
Partial Expansion Jutsu learned to strengthen your bat;
Presence Concealment learned to hide your figure;
Clockwork Tricks learned for hypnosis and mind control;
Body Immobilization Spell learned to stop enemy movement;
What genre of work is this exactly (Cat Face Peeking)?
"Oh."
Kallen wasn't the pedantic type.
Talking about mercy in a life-or-death situation? If she were that indecisive, she wouldn't have become an S-Rank Valkyrie in a dangerous era like the Middle Ages.
"Little Brother."
After hesitating, she said, "That child, Sakura... if you really meet her in the future, I hope you can be a little gentler with her."
"Of course, I'm not saying you have to show mercy in battle, but in daily interactions."
The girl emphasized, "That child is truly pitiful. Her only sister was killed when she was young, and as a shrine maiden, she was kept at a distance by the villagers."
Otto, watching from the side, curled his lips. "And so, one day, a madman suddenly sharpened a knife in the night and single-handedly wiped out the entire Yae Village, achieving the heaven-defying achievement of slaughtering her own family."
"She was controlled by the will of the Herrscher of Corruption inside the black box!"
Kallen rebuked angrily, "There is clearly a culprit, yet you push the responsibility onto Sakura, who is also a victim. What kind of twisted logic is this?"
Not just Yae Sakura—if it were anyone else being slandered like this, the Saintess would have been equally filled with righteous indignation and spoken up.
What she detested most was when certain people stood on the moral high ground and blamed the sins on those who were used. Because essentially, this was saying, "Good people should be held to strict standards, while bad people can just turn over a new leaf."
And Otto, whose character was more realistic and rational, obviously did not approve of her theory.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop!"
Seeing the two with incompatible worldviews about to argue again, Fuli, sandwiched in the middle, complained in his heart:
'Personalities so different and both stubborn as hell. It would be a miracle if these two could actually be together.'
He hurriedly changed the topic. "Brother, didn't you say there was a lead on the person who cursed Second Sister? How far are we?"
"About five more minutes."
Recalling the intelligence engraved in his heart, Otto, having cooled down, took the out. "The person in charge of this intelligence is a senior knight. We need to prepare in advance and deal with him before causing a big commotion."
"That's easy."
Fuli beckoned. "Listen to me..."
After traveling a bit further, where sunlight from the outside world could vaguely be seen in some corners, the group finally arrived at the door of a room labeled [Confessional].
Bang bang bang!
"Who is it?"
Inside the room, Augustus, lying on the bed, scratched his beard impatiently.
A clear voice came from outside the door. "It's me, Otto Apocalypse."
"Young Master Otto? Wait a moment, I'll open the door."
Despite saying that, Augustus showed absolutely no sign of urgency.
He sluggishly crawled out of his messy bed, stretched his burly body, leisurely let out a drunk burp, and only then walked over to open the door.
The blonde man stood alone outside the door, smiling gently.
Undoubtedly, this was a very, very handsome man.
Tall and jade-like, elegant and dashing.
Under the lantern light, his chiseled face seemed to be vaguely bathed in a hazy, silky glow, exuding a sense of mystery.
Seeing this, colors of greed and apprehension flashed in Augustus's eyes.
Greed for the person, apprehension for the background.
With Otto's pale, tender, weak-bottom (uke) appearance, if he hadn't been born into the illustrious Apocalypse family, the unscrupulous folks of the Middle Ages would have long since dragged him into some cellar.
"Aren't you going to invite me in to sit?"
Otto smiled slightly.
Seemingly unintentionally, the man revealed his smooth, delicate collarbone and a large expanse of sexy, beautiful pectoral muscles beneath his shirt.
Gulp!
"Of... Of course, no problem!"
Swallowing his saliva, Augustus stepped back a few paces to make way generously. He was a senior knight who had passed the promotion assessment for a full thirteen years. This pretty boy before him was recognized as sickly; Augustus could beat a hundred of him just to be humble.
Furthermore, the engagement between Kallen and Otto had long been the talk of the town. In Augustus's eyes, Otto appearing here clearly meant he wanted something from him.
Asking for help always required paying a price.
And the price Otto could pay...
Carefully sizing up those voluptuous curves, staring intently at the perky buttocks, the man licked his thick lips.
Women? How could women be as thrilling to play with as men?
No matter how cold a man is, his insides are always warm.
As soon as he entered, the pungent smell of alcohol made Otto frown.
Seeing this, Augustus chuckled, "Sorry, Young Master. The dungeon is cold and damp, so I got some cheap wine to drive away the chill."
"Are you here to ask about that witch Kallen Kaslana? Let me say this first: with my status, I can't agree to anything too excessive."
He took a step forward and actively held Otto's hand. "However, there are always exceptions to everything. As long as you are willing to pay a... trivial price, we might be able to think of a way, right?"
For example, selling his trench.
Otto frowned, clenched his fists, bit his lip, sighed, and finally gave a helpless smile. "True. But I'm a little worried walls have ears. So, can you come a little closer?"
His display of internal struggle followed by unwilling submission almost hooked Augustus's soul right out of his body. He hurriedly leaned his face in, preparing to steal a kiss from the blonde beauty first.
Then, Augustus saw four arms simultaneously extend from behind Otto, and two heads pop out from his left and right shoulders.
Fuli, Otto, Kallen.
One black, one gold, one white.
Three Heads and Six Arms from Eastern Taoist magic?
Did I drink too much and start hallucinating?
No, that's not it! This is—!
Augustus's face changed drastically, his hand instantly pressing on the sword hilt at his waist.
Unfortunately, too late.
"You predatory sodomite plotting against my brother's body! Hand over your life!"
Fuli's long-charged Body Immobilization Spell struck with the speed of lightning and the force of thunder, forcibly freezing this senior A-Rank knight for a split second.
"Haa! This is our blood-boiling combo skill!"
A distance of less than half a step was already within Kallen's attack range. Her delicate fists, packing the force of a thousand-pound hammer, whistled through the air with a terrifying sound, precisely bombarding both sides of the enemy's head from left and right.
Double-Sided Cheese Sandwich!
Twin Peaks Piercing the Ears! (Discombobulate!)
"Argh!"
Lust-addled and completely defenseless, Augustus's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight down, unconscious.
Lol, who plays chess or drinks without wearing a helmet?
...