"Ahhh— I'm so full…"
Paimon sat on a little stool, patting her round belly, suddenly feeling sentimental.
Originally, she imagined her and the Traveler's Fontaine storyline would unfold like this:
First, trudging across that desolate desert,
then quietly slipping into Fontaine in a low profile,
then accepting some harmless-looking commission that would suddenly drag them into a shocking conspiracy—
A conspiracy between the former Secretary and the current Secretary.
And then—
by the time they finally solved it, they'd realize it was too late.
The ever-wise Paimon would discover she and the Traveler had stepped right into the center of Fontaine's political vortex.
With no way out, the Traveler would have no choice but to rely on Paimon's brilliance—
using diplomacy, deception, and charm to maneuver between all the major factions.
A perfect dance of survival.
In the end, the two of them would resolve Fontaine's turmoil, and the Water God would insist that Paimon become the next Secretary.
But then—
Paimon would reveal her true identity, stating she was a visitor from afar, destined to continue traveling and could not be tied down to Fontaine.
And thus, under the shocked gazes of everyone,
and the praise for her past achievements across four nations…
Paimon would fling her cloak,
leave without a trace,
and hide her name among legends.
That was the story Paimon had envisioned.
But reality…?
Well, the part about trekking across the desert? Correct.
Entering Fontaine quietly? Also correct.
So where… exactly… Did things start going wrong?
Paimon fell deep into thought.
"Paimon, don't eat too much~ I won't be able to carry you later."
Lumine teased, eyes filled with warmth.
"Humph! I'm not that heavy!"
Paimon puffed up, loudly protesting.
Even if she was heavy, Lumine could still carry her!
But as soon as she thought of Ye Luo, Paimon suddenly felt something strange.
Now that she thought of it… they hadn't seen him for a while.
"Lumine…" Paimon floated closer, whispering,
"It's been a few days. I kinda miss Ye Luo. I wonder what he's been up to."
"…Should we go look for him tomorrow? He's the Water God's Secretary— surely lots of people know where he is, right?"
"Mn."
Lumine nodded lightly.
She also… kind of missed him.
Though it had only been a few days,
she couldn't quite explain the strange emptiness in her chest.
Some people… even a lifetime wouldn't be enough to see again.
"Oh? Are you talking about Ye Luo? That Secretary?"
Across the table, Navia perked up immediately.
"Huh? Does Navia know Ye Luo too? I thought your group didn't get along with official organizations."
Paimon stuck out her tongue awkwardly.
She had deliberately lowered her voice because she didn't want Navia to hear—
but Navia's ears were apparently sharper than a hydro slime's sense for water.
After all, based on their earlier conversation,
Paimon felt that the Spina di Rosula… well, weren't exactly hostile, but definitely not the "official" type.
"Hahaha, we're a civilian organization, yes—
but we DO cooperate with the authorities. We're not a mafia."
Navia smiled, patiently explaining.
Inside the Palais Mermonia
Furina stood by the windowsill, worry flickering in her mismatched eyes.
The height of the palace allowed her to overlook the entire city.
In her hand, she held the note Ye Luo left her.
On it was scribbled:
"Build high walls. Store plenty of grain."
…She had no idea what that meant.
"Do not worry, Lady Furina."
Neuvillette spoke from behind his desk, voice calm.
"With Captain Clorinde present, Ye Luo's safety should not be in jeopardy."
Even so, he hadn't expected this:
That a mere civil official would dare to take on a swarm of Clockwork Patrol Units alone.
Had he known, even the Chief Justice would not have calmly remained at his desk.
"I know."
Furina bit her lip, eyes dimming.
Ever since he came back from Sumeru…
Ye Luo had changed.
More confident.
More decisive.
Acting like someone who already saw through everything.
But no matter what—
He was still just a human…
"I hope Ye Luo will be alright…"
Furina prayed silently.
At Lochrise Pool
The streets had emptied.
Only Ye Luo remained, surrounded by dozens of glowing-eyed Patrol Units.
"As long as I finish all of you now…
that accursed PV won't happen later, right?"
Ye Luo grinned, death-warrior style, as he lifted his hand.
A white flash—
and the unsharpened blade appeared.
His crimson eyes glowed like flames in the dark.
Sorry—
but this is MY cutscene moment.
I am doing it.
His figure vanished and reappeared right in front of a Patrol Unit.
The blade arced elegantly—
a clean, icy slash landing before the machine could process the threat.
The "unsharpened" sword bit into metal like it was tofu.
He pivoted smoothly and kicked another unit away—
a cold gleam trailing his foot.
The machine spun through the air, slamming into another one.
A chained explosion erupted.
Ye Luo danced among the machines,
every strike balanced between precision and brutality—
every dodge like a rehearsed performance.
The "useless" blade gleamed coldly,
each impact sending sparks flying.
One by one, the Patrol Units fell before him.
A volley of purple projectiles suddenly fired behind him.
Ye Luo's blade whipped up—
clang!
He deflected them, letting the projectiles smash into a group of machines behind.
Explosions lit the night sky.
"…d*mn. This unsharpened sword is kinda growing on me."
Ye Luo muttered.
Then—
ten more Patrol Units locked onto him.
Hydro bombs.
Electro bombs.
Dendro bombs.
"Hah? You guys do elemental reactions now?"
Ye Luo's eyelid twitched.
"What next? Going to hyperbloom me?!"
Fine then.
If you want fireworks—
we'll ALL play.
His left hand summoned the silver sword.
The two blades met—
He posed to charge up—
When suddenly—
The machines all rushed him at once.
"??? HELLO?! Do you NOT understand that transformations and charge-up animations CANNOT BE INTERRUPTED?!"
He was furious.
This was supposed to be his normal attack string, damn it!
But because his real swords were lost,
and his power got nerfed with them—
his normal attacks had become an Ultimate move level of effort.
"…Fine. If I can't do my laser beam, then I won't be Saber."
He abandoned the charge-up.
Switched to close combat—
and dove in headfirst.
Tonight—
The Secretary joins the hunt!
And gods, it felt GOOD.
Though…
there were definitely more mechs than in the original storyline.
He glanced around at the massive pile of wreckage.
His eyebrow twitched.
Well… whatever.
They'd all be sent to the Fortress of Meropide for repair anyway.
Good scrap metal.
Recycling saves Mora.
Deep breath.
His eyes sharpened again.
Good thing all that training with Lumine in the desert had paid off.
Otherwise, he'd be out of stamina.
Can he win?
Of course he can.
Just as he prepared to unleash a full burst—
A shout came:
"Is… that Ye Luo!?"
"Get ready, Mylas! We're helping him!"
Navia yelled.
"Yes, Miss!"
And another voice—
"Lumine? Lumine! What's wrong?!"
Paimon cried.
Ye Luo held his swords tighter.
Well.
Great.
Everyone's here.
…But that's fine.
I just need to finish fast.
His crimson eyes glowed again.
"You like my Nine-Headed Dragon Flash?"
He whispered—
The unsharpened blade trembled—
A massive sword aura erupted outward, like nine raging dragons devouring the battlefield.
Machines were shredded.
Sparks rained like fireworks.
Explosions painted the sky purple and blue.
Ye Luo flashed through the debris,
too fast for Navia to even see clearly.
Only a faint silhouette remained.
The metallic scent and smoke filled the air.
The wreckage around them testified to the brutality of the fight.
Navia couldn't help cursing:
"Damn it— they hired THIS many Patrol Units?!"
A final arc of light swept the battlefield.
Ye Luo stepped out from the dissipating glow.
He sheathed his sword, brow raised, smirking like a devil.
"Isn't this the Traveler and Navia?
A few days no see and you two got weak already?"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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