Before her consciousness was fully swallowed by the darkness, the last thing Durandal saw was Elysia's frantic face as she pulled her into a tight embrace.
That face, which always wore a smile, seemed stained with the tracks of tears. Perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her; how could she ever let Elysia cry?
Immediately after Durandal collapsed, Elysia whisked her away, ensuring no one else noticed anything amiss.
As for the robots Vill-V had left behind, they had ceased functioning long ago, the moment the Honkai energy concentration hit a certain threshold.
By the time Vill-V, Fuxi, and Nuwa realized the Honkai levels had subsided enough to return to the chamber housing the Selene, both women had vanished without a trace.
Just like before, they had simply disappeared into thin air.
Vill-V merely recovered the scrapped robots and checked the instruments shielded by specialized materials nearby.
After confirming they hadn't crashed due to the previous energy surge and had faithfully recorded every scrap of data, she let out a sigh of relief.
With this data, there would be no need for Durandal—the leader of their organization—to personally risk her life next time.
As for the whereabouts of Durandal and Elysia, Vill-V maintained a calculated silence.
Coincidentally, the rest of Schicksal followed suit.
This time, they didn't even bother searching for the pair as they had in the past. Instead, everyone carried on with their duties as usual, patiently awaiting the return of their Leader and Deputy Leader.
Only in brief moments of stillness did their furrowed brows betray a hint of the anxiety lingering in their hearts.
In such a situation, only the words of Miyuki, as a familiar, could offer any comfort to the crowd.
"I can feel it. Lord Durandal is a bit weak right now, but she's perfectly fine."
In truth, Miyuki could even sense Durandal's exact location, but she knew very well that this particular "disappearing act" was different from the last one.
The previous time had been a complete accident; they had vanished before they could leave a single word. This time, it was intentional.
As for the reason...
It was simple. Schicksal was currently under the watchful eyes of many factions.
A weakened Durandal was at her most vulnerable; rather than exposing her to the scrutiny of the world, it was better to disappear for a while and return only once she had recovered her peak form.
As for how Schicksal would explain their absence to the outside world during this time...
Did they even need to explain?
This was a top-secret internal matter of Schicksal. "Terribly sorry, but we have no comment!~"
So, where exactly were Durandal and Elysia while everyone at Schicksal was worrying over them?
As it turned out, after Durandal fainted from anemia, Elysia had swiftly moved her from the Spiral Workshop to the seaside.
Moored here were Schicksal's luxury cruise ships and yachts, originally intended for the victory celebration after resolving the Third Honkai Eruption. Now, it seemed the two of them would be putting them to use first.
Elysia first boarded a cruise ship to grab an emergency medical kit, then took the kit and Durandal onto a yacht, heading toward an island far from the city.
Only after landing on a deserted small island did Elysia finally breathe a sigh of relief and begin to assess Durandal's condition.
In her pursuit of strength, Elysia had been no stranger to injuries, and long illness had made her a bit of a self-taught medic. After examining Durandal and confirming it was merely a case of excessive blood loss, she immediately administered iron supplements and prepared various nutritional fluids.
"Hmm... with all this energy I'm pumping into you, I wonder how long you'll have to exercise with me to burn it all off? ♪"
Even at a time like this, Elysia still found the breath to tease.
Estimating that Durandal would wake up soon, Elysia took a garment bag she had snagged while grabbing the medical kit and changed into the clothes inside.
Actually, she had planned to wear this outfit to give Durandal a surprise at the victory banquet. For various reasons, the reveal had simply been moved up.
When Durandal finally drifted back to consciousness, she was greeted by an unfamiliar room and ceiling.
If it weren't for the familiar figure sitting by the bed, she might have wondered if she had crossed into another world again.
"Where is... this...?"
Durandal vaguely remembered being in the Spiral Workshop.
How did she end up here?
Furthermore, she could faintly hear the sound of waves crashing nearby and catch the salty scent of a sea breeze.
Was she somewhere by the coast?
"It's the place we prepared for Schicksal's second team-building retreat—that little island the Nagazora City government gave us."
Elysia offered a brief explanation.
Because of the anemia, Durandal's reactions were a bit sluggish. It took a long moment for the pieces to click into place and for her to recall that such a thing did indeed exist.
"Then... Elysia, what's with the outfit?"
In fact, from the moment she woke up, that was the question Durandal wanted to ask most.
What was the deal with this black-and-white maid uniform?
And the "Absolute Territory" formed between the white over-the-knee socks and the hem of the skirt... it was almost impossible to look away.
Durandal considered herself a serious person, and she was still very weak, yet she couldn't help her mind from wandering as she took in Elysia's appearance.
"As you can see—a maid outfit. Do I look good? ♪"
Elysia stood up, backed away a few steps, and slowly twirled in front of Durandal to show off her new look.
"You... you look great!"
Durandal had to admit that even this standard, non-frilly maid outfit looked "unbelievably magnificent" on Elysia, with her striking pink hair, angelic face, and devilish figure.
Of course, Durandal understood that it wasn't the clothes that were magnificent, but Elysia herself.
Hearing the compliment, the smile on Elysia's face widened. She returned to the bedside, her right hand gently stroking Durandal's cheek as she spoke in an intimate tone.
"This outfit was originally meant for the banquet. I was the maid, and you were the butler. As for why I'm wearing it now... naturally, it's because for the next few days, I will be your exclusive maid, dedicated heart and soul to taking care of your every need."
"Durandal, I want to make sure that whenever you think of a maid in the future, the first face that pops into your head is mine and nobody else's. I know I can do it! ♪"
Durandal: "..."
Well, even though Elysia hadn't mentioned any names specifically, why did Durandal feel like the sea breeze smelled a bit more like vinegar than salt?
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL