(Note: This chapter has been revised, so some of the context may feel a bit disjointed.)
Spy-censor go brr
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"Oh? Our most beautiful, most lovable, and most protective Lumina, who can't bear to see a single beautiful girl suffer—didn't you say you wouldn't help them?"
"How come you've suddenly decided to help Castorice? And you're even offering to handle the aftermath for her?"
While Castorice failed to grasp the underlying meaning in Lumina's words, Herta caught on instantly. Lumina's intention was crystal clear, yet Castorice had completely missed it—which made her seem a little cute and naive. Herta wasn't like Castorice; she understood Lumina's statement perfectly.
Lumina was essentially telling Castorice to go ahead and do whatever she wanted. If any problems arose afterward, Lumina would be there to help her resolve everything from start to finish.
However, there was a deeper meaning beneath Lumina's words.
It was her way of saying, I'm getting involved in this, for sure.
After all, the hardest part of any situation is always the aftermath. The consequences are always the most complex.
Take a few simple examples of "aftermath":
The chain reaction triggered by a single action—that's the aftermath.
Dying as a result of that action—that's also the aftermath.
Losing a fight you can't win—that, too, is part of the aftermath.
And Lumina would definitely step in to help with all of those.
Since Lumina was helping anyway, they might as well just leave the entire matter to her to resolve.
It didn't make a difference either way.
"What I said before was that I wouldn't help Castorice and the others during this process." Hearing Herta's words, Lumina smiled gently, showing no sign of embarrassment.
After all, Lumina hadn't lied.
Did not helping Castorice and the others during the process have anything to do with helping them deal with the aftermath?
Was there any conflict between the two?
None at all.
Since there was none, what was there to be embarrassed about?
Besides,
I, Lumina, will help if I want to, and won't if I don't.
Why should I, Lumina, explain my actions to others, or seek their opinions?
A beautiful girl is the explanation, a beautiful girl is the opinion!
That's all that matters!
"Heh." As if seeing right through Lumina's thoughts, Herta let out a speechless chuckle, seeming a bit helpless.
Though she appeared helpless, in reality, she was just out of options.
When someone is like this, what can you even do?
Besides, Herta was only mocking her a bit; she had no other intentions.
After all, if Lumina was willing to step in and help, this matter would definitely reach its conclusion at the fastest possible speed.
Then they could leave this Styxia, return to their room in Okhema, and continue sharing the same bed with Lumina...
Hmm...
Continuing at this rate, sharing a bed with Lumina wouldn't be a problem in itself.
The problem was... that bed would definitely contain more than just Herta and Lumina.
Castorice and Hyacine had already joined in last time. Next, it would be Aglaea and Cipher, and then...
By the time the next one happened, they would simply have to change to a bigger bed.
After all, with so many people sharing one bed, there would certainly be a bit too little room.
"Sigh..."
Thinking of this, an image of the large bed in their room filled with beautiful girls flashed through Herta's mind, and she silently sighed.
This wasn't some fantasy, but something that was bound to happen in the future.
Last time, four people had already slept in the same bed. Next time, "new members" would definitely be added.
And... and if these new members wanted to join in...
Perhaps... perhaps they would also need to wear those pajamas, the kind that were just as good as not wearing any at all...
Well, thinking about it this way, Herta's mood seemed to improve a little.
After all...
In her own eyes, she was the only one who didn't need to wear those kinds of pajamas to share a bed with Lumina.
Hmm...
By the way,
is this something to be proud of?
Herta complained to herself.
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"The aura here... is the focal point of the Stygian Current." Mydei gazed at the beautiful yet perilous scenery before him. "If I go any further, I might get lost here."
"Castorice, I must leave. The Black Tide is still in the world of the living."
Mydei turned to Castorice and the others, preparing to say his farewells.
"Aren't you going to witness the truth of Thanatos?" Stelle asked curiously upon hearing Mydei's words.
They had come all this way, just one step away from the so-called truth...
Mydei shook his head. "Stepping through the Gates of the Underworld is not my goal."
"..."
After speaking, Mydei crossed his arms and fell silent for a moment.
Then, his tone turned serious as he asked Castorice, "Castorice, will you... fulfill the mission of the Flame-Chase?"
"...I will." Perhaps influenced by Lumina's earlier words, "Go ahead and do what you want to do," Castorice thought for a moment after hearing Mydei's question, then nodded with a resolute expression.
"Heh, in that case, move forward." Mydei smiled with his eyes closed, then turned and walked away.
"I will fight until death, then be reborn from the dead, until the moment a miracle descends."
With these final words, Mydei's aura of a Restless Soul completely vanished, returning to the world of the living.
Everyone watched Mydei's departure.
After Mydei left, Castorice looked at the Alchemical Circle here and thought softly.
"According to that Alchemist's words, the final ingredient is myself."
"It's just... he never glimpsed the past in this way, so he doesn't know the whole story."
"Some parts might be a bit different from what he imagined."
After a long period of thinking, Castorice finally reached a conclusion:
"We must weave these lingering attachments together one by one, ultimately restoring Pollux's complete Soul."
"But... but isn't this all just a guess?" Mem looked over and over at her small notebook, her cute face showing a hint of worry and concern. "What if we ultimately perform this action, but the result is completely different from what we imagined?"
"That's fine too." Hearing this, Castorice gently shook her head, seemingly not bothered by it at all.
"Teacher Anaxa once said that so-called [Alchemy] has always been this way. What we can obtain from this alchemy can only be known at the moment of its completion."
"Therefore, this field of study is called the [Miracle of Creation]."
"Because before completion, no one knows what the final result will actually be. Conclusions drawn in advance are merely guesses."
Castorice remembered the words Teacher Anaxa had spoken, and she was very open-minded about Mem's words.
"Now, the puzzle pieces of Pollux's lingering attachments are almost complete, with only the last piece missing..."
At this point, Castorice paused slightly before continuing: "I will present everything he desperately wants to know within this Alchemical Array."
"...The entirety of my life after I left Styxia."
After speaking, Castorice quietly gazed at the Alchemical Circle before her.
A moment later, Castorice first nodded to Stelle and Mem.
Then, her gaze fell upon Lumina and Herta.
However, her primary focus remained on Lumina.
"What is it, little sister Castorice?" Feeling Castorice's gaze, Lumina maintained her gentle demeanor.
"Sister Lumina, I... mmph."
Castorice wanted to say something, but before she could finish, Lumina slowly reached out her small hand and gently rested it on the other girl's head, interrupting her attempt to continue.
While stroking Castorice's small head, she said softly, "Shh, you don't need to say anything."
"Just go ahead and do everything you want to do, everything you want to complete."
"I will help you... clear away all the 'accidents' along the way."
To prevent Castorice from misunderstanding again, Lumina spoke with utmost clarity, stopping just short of having Castorice step behind her, stand in front of her, take her small hand, and lead her forward.
"Sister Lumina..." Hearing this, it was unclear whether she had understood the meaning Lumina wanted to convey. A touched expression appeared on her exquisite face, and her small eyes shimmered with tears, as if she were about to cry from emotion at any moment.
"Ugh..."
Castorice was already stunningly beautiful, and as a member of the beautiful girls, her current "pitiful" posture made it somewhat difficult for Lumina to control herself.
Gulp...
Faced with this scene, Lumina swallowed her saliva very subtly, and a strange emotion began to surge in her heart.
But just as Lumina was about to do something to Castorice, a certain lady with a pointy hat suddenly slipped and inexplicably crashed into Lumina.
While knocking Lumina's body away, she also interrupted the intimate act the two were about to complete.
"...What are you doing?"
Being bumped like this, the emotion generated in Lumina's heart from the previous action instantly vanished, and she turned her unhappy gaze toward the culprit.
Without a doubt, this culprit was Herta.
There was no one else but her.
"Um... sorry, I slipped." Faced with Lumina's displeased gaze, Herta readily admitted her mistake and offered an apology.
Lumina: "..."
"Um, it's fine, it's fine, please carry on, don't mind me." With a neutral expression, Herta raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, and apologized once again.
"You..." Seeing this, Lumina was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.
Since she didn't know what to say, she decided to simply continue with her previous action.
Lumina's gaze fell back upon Castorice.
At this moment, Castorice lowered her head, as if she wanted to bury her face in her own chest. Her hair covered her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but her bright red ears still revealed a great deal of emotion.
"B... Sister Lumina, I'll... I'll go... finish the alchemy first."
After whispering as softly as a mosquito's buzz, Castorice hurriedly turned and walked toward the location of the Alchemical Array. Her slender back vaguely gave off the impression of someone fleeing in disgrace.
"Sigh..." Watching Castorice's departing figure, Lumina sighed inwardly.
Damn Little Herta, she needs to be taught a good lesson!
Lumina thought viciously.