Amphoreus, Okhema.
The Marmoreal Palace, the Hero's Bath.
"Hyacine, Phainon, Stelle, Dan Heng, and... Sister Lumina, Big Sister Herta, I entrust the mission to defeat the Sky Titan to you."
"If any other problems arise, please do not force yourselves. Return to Okhema, and we will discuss a solution together."
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day to defeat the Sky Titan and obtain the [Sky] Coreflame had arrived. Before the group departed, Lady Aglaea even took the time to mention this.
"Yes, Lady Aglaea, we will definitely return safely with the Sky Coreflame." Both Hyacine and Phainon responded to Lady Aglaea's blessing with utmost seriousness.
"My apologies, Miss, I cannot join you in defeating the Sky Titan." Beside them, Castorice stood with her hands clasped in front of her waist, speaking with a hint of apology.
Originally, Castorice thought she would be able to go with everyone to defeat the Sky Titan, but after hearing Lady Aglaea speak, she also realized the problem with the Flame Reaver.
That guy's strength was formidable, and he could very well become the greatest variable in the Flame-Chasing Journey. He had to be guarded against.
The final leg of the Flame-Chasing Journey absolutely could not face any accidents. Therefore, this mission fell upon Castorice, a [Demigod].
Well... it couldn't be said to just fall upon Castorice, but rather upon all of Okhema's military strength.
Aglaea, Castorice, Tribbie, and the rest would all be on the lookout for the Flame Reaver's arrival, preventing him from taking any action that would harm the Flame-Chasing Journey.
"Castie, your mission is even more dangerous than defeating the Sky Titan." Hearing Castorice say this, Hyacine spoke softly, her face filled with worry.
What Castorice had to do was no less difficult than defeating the Sky Titan; in fact, it might even be more so.
Hyacine already knew about the Flame Reaver and the subsequent arrangements, and she didn't have any objections to it.
Even so, despite her faith in Aglaea's and Castorice's strength, Hyacine still couldn't help but feel extremely worried.
The strength of that Flame Reaver, Hyacine faintly felt, seemed to be anything but simple.
Perhaps... perhaps even if Lady Aglaea and Castie, two Demigods, faced the Flame Reaver together, they might still not gain any advantage.
Although this sounded a bit outrageous, Hyacine had this feeling in her heart.
"Hmm... That guy's strength is unknown, so he is indeed very dangerous." Regarding Hyacine's worry, Castorice expressed her understanding.
Aglaea, who was standing to the side, said nothing, but silently showed her agreement.
No one knew from what remote corner of the world this Flame Reaver had emerged.
"Flame Reaver..."
At the mention of the Flame Reaver's name, the people present each had their own thoughts. Castorice, Hyacine, and Aglaea felt worried and cautious because of it, while Phainon felt enraged.
He clenched his fists, his face tense, as suppressed anger surged from within his body.
The Flame Reaver was the culprit who had destroyed Phainon's homeland.
How could Phainon not be angry?
He wished he could tear the Flame Reaver to pieces and beat him so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
Phainon knew the gap between himself and the Flame Reaver, so he had been practicing constantly during this time.
With the blessing of this conviction, Phainon's strength was steadily rising at an astonishing speed.
Feeling the surging power within his body, Phainon felt that at this moment, even if he couldn't defeat the Flame Reaver, he could probably exchange a few blows with him, right?
Since he could exchange a few blows with him, then the distance to completely defeating the Flame Reaver must be close, right?
Phainon was very confident, extremely confident.
But only Lumina knew that this confidence of his, hmm... was hard to say.
After all, the Flame Reaver was Phainon himself.
Although Lumina didn't know exactly what had happened, she had already smelled an unusual aura.
That was: angst!
If Phainon didn't have any angst on him, Lumina would cuddle with beautiful girls all day!
If there was angst, then she would cuddle with beautiful girls for a whole year!
Lumina made this "bet" to the heavens.
Although no matter what happened, Lumina would be the one who profited.
For Lumina, any outcome that didn't hinder her from cuddling with beautiful girls was an absolute win, one that needed no further explanation.
"Phainon, do not let hatred cloud your judgment." Feeling the emotions radiating from Phainon, Aglaea quickly spoke up to stop him.
Although Aglaea had already returned to normal and could buy more time for the Flame-Chasing Journey, no matter what, Phainon was the successor she had chosen.
Whether she could persist or not, Aglaea would never allow Phainon to stray down a negative path.
"Hmm... sorry." Aglaea's words entered Phainon's mind like a grenade exploding within his thoughts, instantly snapping him back to reality.
He lowered his head and apologized.
Trianne, Anaxa, and Aglaea had not died, and Castorice was not permanently dwelling in the Nether Realm. Life in Okhema was very comfortable for Phainon, and the pressure he felt internally was not as severe.
Although he had matured a lot now, he was still far from the "Leader" that Aglaea recognized.
Hmm... I can't say he's just a little bit behind; I'd have to say he's far behind.
Compared to the Phainon from the original story, the current Phainon is like a child.
It couldn't be helped. Since he arrived in Okhema, the only thing that could truly be considered a separation was Mydei alone guarding Castrum Kremnos.
There was relatively much less room for growth.
However, no one present knew about this.
In addition, Aglaea had plenty of time and had not demanded much of anything.
"The Senate is no longer a threat. The only thing the rest of Okhema needs to face is that Flame Reaver," Aglaea said calmly.
During this time, Aglaea had not been idle. With the Demigod's Power of [Romance], she had completely purged the entire Senate, achieving the great feat that the Imperator had once accomplished.
From then on, Aglaea could be considered the sole authority in Okhema, and no one could stop her actions.
Of course, Aglaea had no desire for so-called power.
Her actions were all for the Flame-Chasing Journey.
Once the Flame-Chasing Journey was complete, Aglaea would naturally relinquish her power and become a "somewhat famous" designer within Okhema.
"In short..." Aglaea didn't think much more, her gaze falling upon Phainon, Hyacine, and the others. "Just focus on obtaining the [The Sky] Coreflame. We will handle everything else."
"Yes, we understand." Hearing this, the expressions of the several people also became more serious.
After receiving their reply, Aglaea turned her final gaze upon Lumina.
Her pink, crystal-clear, and alluring lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the next second, she closed them again.
A barely visible blush surfaced on her fair face. If Lumina's strength were not extraordinary, she might have had difficulty noticing it.
She seemed to want to say something but was too shy to do so, and under the influence of this emotion, a previously unprecedented feeling of shyness emerged.
Well... not unprecedented, but she hadn't experienced this emotion for hundreds of years. Now that it resurfaced, it made Aglaea feel... a little unaccustomed.
Ultimately, it all resulted in a blush.
Fortunately, the blush was so faint that even Castorice, a [Demigod], failed to fully notice it. She only observed a slight flicker in Lady Aglaea's emotions for a brief moment, never suspecting anything further.
As for the others, needless to say, they failed to sense even that slight flicker.
Seeing this, Lumina's expression instantly turned into an interested smile.
She found Aglaea's current state utterly novel and intriguing.
So she waved her hand, gesturing, "Little sister Aglaea, if there's something on your mind, just say it directly."
"Since I am your older sister and you are my younger sister, how could there be any distance between us?"
"If you treat me as a stranger and act too formally, I will be very angry."
Lumina's voice was gentle, but if one listened closely, they could hear a hint of displeasure.
Lumina felt very unhappy and displeased by Aglaea's posture, where she wanted to say something but dared not do so out of consideration for her own status.
We are all family. What's there to be formal about? If you do not speak, it would seem as if I am being unreasonable and making a scene.
"Heh, if you aren't an outsider, then who is? Miss Lumina, the Outworlder?" Hearing Lumina's words, Herta, who was standing to the side, felt a bit speechless and shot back with a retort.
Lumina's actions within Amphoreus had truly left Herta feeling quite displeased. The amount of resentment she had accumulated during this period was far greater than all the resentment she had generated from childhood until now.
Um... the same went for emotions like anger. The various strange emotions Herta had been feeling because of Lumina during this time made her feel very bitter.
As a result, her attitude toward Lumina had also undergone a huge change.
Lumina had seen all these changes in her eyes, yet she did not try to stop or check them.
For changes that benefited herself, Lumina would be too happy to even consider stopping or checking them.
"It's true that I am an Outworlder, but I am also their older sister." Hearing Herta's retort, Lumina paid it no mind at all and gently shook her head.
"As an older sister, aren't her younger sisters her own family?"
"You're right, whatever you say is right." Hearing this, Herta didn't say any more and immediately expressed her agreement with Lumina's statement.
After spending time together recently, Herta also learned that contradicting Lumina's words was completely useless.
Because she could always find some other hidden angle to counter your words, and even make you unable to rebut back.
Of course, even if she hadn't found a way to counter you, even if you spoke the truth, it was of no use as long as Lumina didn't believe it.
Because Lumina had that immense strength. Under the boost of her immense strength, whatever she said was naturally so. Your refutation was completely useless.
Herta understood this truth very well, so she also stopped bothering to refute some of Lumina's words.
Just calling someone "little sister" makes them family? Your family is truly numerous then.
But thinking about it from another angle, what Lumina said didn't seem wrong.
After all, "Affectionate little sister" is still a little sister.
A "Little Sister of Affection" is definitely family.
So what she said seemed to have no issues.
"Yes, I understand, Sister Lumina." After Lumina's words fell, Aglaea, who thought for a moment, also made her choice.
She nodded, agreeing with Lumina's words.
Since they weren't strangers, there was no need to beat around the bush or feel embarrassed; she could just say it directly.
Moreover, what Aglaea wanted to say to Lumina probably... couldn't be considered embarrassing, right?
Aglaea took a deep breath and spoke to Lumina earnestly and solemnly, "Sister Lumina, could I trouble you to... take good care of them during this journey to subjugate the Sky Titan and obtain the Sky Coreflame?"
Although Aglaea had already considered Lumina one of her own, given her utterly absurd strength, Aglaea still maintained a slight boundary with her.
Just like this request of hers.
What Aglaea said was a slightly indirect request.
In reality, this request to have Lumina "take care of them" was actually asking Lumina to help them obtain the Sky Coreflame.
After all, the word "take care of" could imply many, many different things.
Lumina wasn't actually that happy with Aglaea's indirect phrasing.
Since they were beautiful girls, they were all family.
Family didn't need to beat around the bush.
She had just told Aglaea exactly that, yet Aglaea still used such a subtle expression.
But Lumina didn't want to dwell on this issue right now. There was no point in overthinking it; it was better to let things develop naturally.
Anyway, by now, Aglaea's attitude toward her had gradually improved, so there was absolutely no need to rush.
Besides, all the beautiful girls within Okhema had already fallen victim to Lumina's ruthless methods... ahem, they had all already become Lumina's "best" friends.
Lumina could now focus her attention on becoming "best" friends with Aglaea.
Lumina had already devised a plan for... no, no, a plan for befriending Aglaea.
After retrieving the Sky Coreflame, she would help Amphoreus and Okhema complete the Era Nova.
By then, Aglaea would completely drop her cautious and formal attitude toward Lumina, a visitor from Beyond the Sky.
At that time, with just a few simple moves from Lumina, her relationship with Aglaea would naturally evolve into being "best" friends.
After becoming friends with Aglaea, she would see if the Era Nova would result in a few more beautiful girls.
If there were, Lumina would stay in Amphoreus for a while longer, boosting the beautiful girls' affection for her and becoming "best" friends with them.
If not, Lumina would directly help Amphoreus ascend to a Lifeform and assist them in connecting with the Cosmos.
And then...
And then she could shake the dust off her clothes and vanish, hiding her body and name~
Lumina had already customized her entire Amphoreus Plan.
Without thinking any more, she returned to reality.
Facing Aglaea's request, Lumina smiled gently.
"Alright, don't worry, I'll take good care of them."