"Who I am isn't important. What's important is 'that one'."
"I am merely a vessel for His will."
He? Will? Vessel?
My Warp alarm is blaring!
Alexander looked at the girl, silent.
The girl blinked, looking back at Alexander.
"Thank you for being willing to trust me. I am for—hmm?"
Before the girl could finish, she suddenly froze.
Her precognitive ability told her that Alexander was about to punch her.
"Wait, don't come closer! Let me finish first!"
The girl raised her hands in a panic.
But Alexander didn't give her the chance.
Having suffered losses from Tzeentch before due to overthinking, Alexander chose to abandon thought this time.
He charged forward with a single stride, his fist, clad in Superman Gloves, directly smashing towards her.
The girl quickly dodged using her precognitive ability.
The fist slammed into the garbage pile behind the girl, causing the entire pile to shake.
The girl's eyes widened.
Alexander was curious about the girl's identity, curious about who "That one" in her words was.
Her hallucination? Tzeentch? Slaanesh? Nurgle? Or other lesser gods lurking in the Warp?
Or… that desiccated corpse on the Throne?
But before curiosity, first knock her out, control her, and take her back for a slow interrogation.
This garbage mountain was too close to the Bottom Nest and the Nest outskirts.
The frequency of cultists, genestealer, mutants, and raiders from the wasteland was far higher than in other areas of the Lower Nest.
And the location was chosen by the other party, which made Alexander uneasy.
"I can listen, but let me punch you first!"
"Don't be afraid, one hit and you'll be out cold."
Alexander said with a serious expression.
The girl looked at Alexander's fist, then at the garbage pile behind her that was still shaking from his punch, and quickly shook her head.
She wanted to run towards the nearby mountains of garbage.
"Reyna!"
Alexander shook his head and shouted into the darkness surrounding the garbage mountain.
"Eh?!" The girl froze the instant Alexander shouted.
She saw a glimpse of the future a few seconds later, but she suspected her precognitive ability was malfunctioning.
She saw…
Footsteps suddenly echoed in the darkness. Ark Gang members, hidden in the shadows of the garbage mountain, emerged in droves from various corners.
They held Agrippina Type III automatic rifles that Alexander had brought from the Old Eight District, surrounding the area completely.
Reyna walked out from the crowd, her arms crossed:
"Zealous Thief, you're fucking surrounded, you know that?"
The girl's body instantly stiffened.
She knew that the fate of the man before her was extremely complex and entangled, and she couldn't see it clearly.
All the girl could do was discern a few more probable possibilities from the chaotic future.
She guessed that Alexander would bring people, guessed that Alexander wouldn't keep the appointment, and guessed that Alexander would come with Reyna.
But she didn't expect the other side to directly bring two hundred gang members to surround her.
This… this was too much, wasn't it?
"I… I have no ill intentions, and I'm not a follower of the Chaos Gods…"
The girl's face turned pale as she raised her hands, speaking weakly.
"Would a follower of the Chaos Gods admit it?"
Alexander said with an unmoving expression.
Even if you're a saint of that desiccated corpse on the Throne, you still have to come back with me to talk.
"Be good, let me punch you. I'll knock you out and take you back, and we can talk slowly."
"Can't… can't I just go back with you guys?"
As soon as the girl spoke, her precognitive ability told her that Alexander's answer would be no:
"Can I just find a wall and knock myself out?"
Alexander subtly twisted his wrist, shaking his head and saying, "What if you're faking it?"
"Don't be afraid, my fist is very strong. One punch will guarantee you're out cold."
The girl saw herself being knocked out by Alexander in the chaotic future.
Indeed, she was only knocked out; he controlled his strength and didn't break her spine.
But looking at the garbage mountain shaking from Alexander's punch, the girl felt genuine fear.
The worst part was that her precognitive ability told her she couldn't escape this punch.
"Can you be gentle?"
"Don't worry." Alexander, without changing his expression, punched the girl on the back of her neck.
With a crack, the girl passed out heavily.
"Strange! This is truly strange!"
Reyna walked out of the room where the Zealous Thief was being held, looking vexed.
She sat opposite Alexander, who was looking through the navigation logbook.
"Zealous Thief—that little girl completely ignored me."
Reyna said, looking depressed.
She seemed to have intended to reclaim her savings from the Zealous Thief.
"What about your psychic powers? Mind-reading!"
"…She can resist psychic mind-reading." Reyna said with a bitter expression.
Her usually infallible Seducer's Whisper and psychic mind-reading had failed again, and again, and again.
"That little girl just kept repeating that she wanted to talk to you."
Reyna rubbed her temples, pointing at the door and saying:
"You go try?"
"…I'll go see what she wants to say." Alexander nodded slightly, pushed the door open, and entered the room where the Zealous Thief was being held.
The girl, with somewhat dry hair and a simple, pretty face, was bound by restraints in the corner of the room.
She looked a bit weak, but didn't seem overly concerned by her current situation.
The girl raised her fawn-like eyes, blinking as she looked at Alexander.
"What's your name?"
Alexander asked the girl.
"…My name isn't important."
The girl shook her head, saying as before:
"What's important is 'that one'…"
"Before understanding 'that one' you speak of, I'm more curious about who you are." Alexander interrupted the girl.
"…Joan. He gave me this name."
The girl lowered her head, speaking softly.
"Joan?"
Alexander's gaze became slightly strange.
Joan, wasn't that Joan of Arc, the saint who was roasted fiercely in the Orleans fire in the history of Terra?
Which scoundrel named her Joan and made her call herself Orleans?
That's too hellish, too wicked…
"So, Reyna, who is 'that one' you speak of?"
"And what does He want to do?"
Alexander composed himself, staring at the girl who called herself Joanas he asked.
"All He wants is salvation, to save everyone."
Joan lowered her head and said:
"He granted me the ability of precognition, allowing me to see the future."
"I need to find someone to accompany me and fulfill the mission He gave me."
"I'm sorry for entering your home, but I needed an item of your clothing to help me strengthen my prophecy about you, to confirm if you are the person I'm looking for."
Joan said softly:
"You are. You can help me. The future He showed me also indicates this."
"He is… He is the Emperor."
Listening to Joan's words,
Alexander surprisingly felt no surprise at all.
He even silently sighed in his heart, thinking, Ashford today, still so full of talented individuals.