"Have the two of you finished your deliberations?" Seeing Firefly step forward, Cocolia understood that Clara and Firefly had reached a conclusion on whether to inform her about the ice castle.
"Even if you choose not to tell me, I won't press further."
"You have come because of the Eternal Freeze. Even without sharing this information with me, I would trust you unconditionally."
"Because…"
"This concerns the people of Belobog, a matter of utmost importance to all Architects of Belobog!"
Cocolia placed a hand over her heart, her face the picture of sincerity, speaking as if every word were true.
"So… does that mean I don't have to say it?" Hearing Cocolia's words, Firefly, missing the underlying implication, brightened with relief and glanced at Clara.
Clara: ?
A profound sense of exasperation filled Clara's heart upon hearing that.
Honestly, with Firefly's level of intelligence, Clara could trick her into bed ten times with a single piece of candy.
And with the very same piece of candy, no less.
While Cocolia appeared utterly earnest and sincere on the surface, if Firefly truly remained silent, being expelled from Belobog would be the least of their worries.
"Tell her. If you don't, this memory crystal in my hand will spread across the entire universe, you know~" Clara grinned, a memory crystal materializing in her palm.
It recorded the scene from before, when Firefly had set the sea ablaze on that desolate, godforsaken planet.
Seeing the crystal in Clara's hand, Firefly's face instantly flushed a deep red.
Of course, the reason for Firefly's blush wasn't that Clara had witnessed her ocean-burning spectacle. Rather, it was the memory of Clara's soft lips that surfaced…
So soft, so incredibly soft… and so pleasant to press against… The memory replayed in Firefly's mind every night, lingering and refusing to fade…
"Hehe, scared now, aren't you~?"
"Then hurry up and tell her~ I'll destroy it once you're done~"
Clara's giggling demeanor showed she was completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
"O-oh." Every time that moment came to mind, Firefly struggled to control herself, but with an outsider present, she had to force herself to calm down.
Firefly took a deep breath, mustered her courage, turned her gaze to Cocolia, and embarked on her journey of storytelling.
"The tale I shall tell originates from an age immemorial, a time before the continent was shrouded by the Eternal Freeze, before the Fragmentum creatures emerged."
"Humans and elves coexisted in harmony, ushering in an era of prosperity and flourishing."
"Wait, elves? What are those?"
Hearing the name of a race that only existed in legends, Cocolia couldn't help but interject.
"Uh… I…" Cocolia's interruption nearly shattered all the courage Firefly had painstakingly gathered.
"Th-that… is precisely what I was about to explain."
Firefly paused, collecting herself and adjusting her tone before continuing her fabrication:
"This planet we stand upon was once a renowned existence within the cosmos of that era."
"And upon this planet, two major powers stood."
"The first was the human empire. The second, the elven kingdom."
"Though friction arose between the two nations, it never truly shook the foundation of their friendship."
"Through mutual assistance and support, the two countries ultimately created the prosperous and glorious world of that golden age!"
Firefly's voice grew increasingly passionate as she spoke, as if such a planet—unbelievably prosperous and splendid—had truly once existed.
Well… it actually had.
Hearing this, Clara couldn't help but shoot Firefly a glance.
She actually managed to stumble onto the truth.
"But…"
At this point, Firefly's tone turned somber, as if she had immersed herself completely in the narrative.
"After the Eternal Freeze descended, everything changed…"
"As the elven kingdom was located at the epicenter of the Freeze, it took but a single night."
"The kingdom fell into ruin…"
"As for the human empire, following the guidance of the Architects, they built great walls. Though they could not halt the Freeze's advance, they managed to preserve a remnant of humanity's flame."
"That remnant is present-day Belobog…" Firefly's eyes held a complex mix: three parts nostalgia, three parts sorrow, and three parts joy.
Nostalgia for the once-prosperous world, sorrow for the fallen elven kingdom, and joy for the continuation of humanity's flame.
Clara: ?
Hiss… Taking in Firefly's entire performance, Clara drew a sharp breath.
So Firefly's acting skills were this advanced?
Had she herself been deceived by Firefly before?
No, no, impossible. Absolutely impossible. That little Firefly couldn't fool anyone, least of all me. She's destined to be under my thumb her whole life.
Such were Clara's thoughts, not giving Firefly's potential for deception a second consideration.
"Then, you two are…"
Aside from the elven kingdom, everything Firefly said matched the history left by the Architects almost perfectly.
Thus, Cocolia found herself believing Firefly's account, accepting the past existence of the elven kingdom.
And so, Cocolia now had some conjectures regarding the duo's identities…
"Mhm." Sensing Cocolia's train of thought, Firefly was now fully immersed in her role.
"When the Eternal Freeze fell, one elven race managed to survive. That is the race we belong to—the Ice… the Snow Elves."
"And I!"
Firefly placed a hand over her own chest, her demeanor undergoing a dramatic, earth-shattering transformation, as if she were an emperor.
"Am the Empress of the Snow Elf Clan!"
"The Cryo Archon!"
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap~
As Firefly's words fell, the office instantly echoed with Clara's thunderous, enthusiastic applause.
"Wooow~ All hail Her Majesty! How majestic! How awe-inspiring! The Empress who stands firm between heaven and earth!!!"
"Mmmph…"
Hearing Clara's applause, Firefly finally realized what she had just declared. Her face snapped into a deep crimson, like a ripe red apple, tempting one to take a bite.
"Cl… Clara…" Firefly was now too flustered to speak coherently, hurriedly trying to get Clara to stop.
"What is it, my dear Empress~?"
"Mmph…"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing. Keep going with your story~"
Seeing Firefly on the verge of fainting, Clara ceased her mischief.
"Y-yes." Firefly took another deep breath, forcibly pushing down the embarrassment.
But in a corner Firefly failed to notice, Clara held the memory crystal, secretly recording everything from beginning to end…
...
Friendly reminder: Never do what Clara is doing~ It'll get you absolutely wrecked.
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 2 chapters per day. 150+ chapters in advance on patreon.
patreon.com/intraneer
Give power stones please I survive solely off of number go up.