Peeking out from under the umbrella Gray Serpent had shrewdly opened just in time, Imhotep's mouth twitched as she looked at the trio piled on the floor and the gaping hole in the ceiling.
"Where's Kiana? And what happened to this room?"
The first question was for Cioara. For the second, the girl turned to the Dragon Girl and her doll servant. Not seeing Kiana or the nominal culprit, Little Sirin, Imhotep felt an even worse premonition—
Those two missing people are probably off causing another major incident...
"Huh? That White Blazing Cat? The damn cat ditched me here, said she was going after the real culprit, and vanished in a flash. She ran so fast—"
"Hmm, running away is shameful, but it works... Though knowing her, she probably did go to solve the problem... just with less-than-ideal results. So, what happened to this building...?"
Imhotep glanced at Benares, who was trying to pry her Queen off her face. Though she already had a good idea of what had happened, the girl still wanted confirmation from the master and servant duo.
"Your Majesty, please get down! Those things are gone now..."
With her vision mostly blocked by the little doll, Benares finally resorted to brute force, prying Doll Sirin off her face.
At last able to see the two who had saved them, Benares bowed slightly to Imhotep in gratitude.
"Thank you for your assistance, madam and sir..."
With the strange phenomena gone, the Dragon Maid regained her composure. Trained by Rita, the Dragon Girl thanked Imhotep and Gray Serpent with the grace of a butler.
"As for what happened... we might have to wait for Lady Kiana to return to explain. But generally speaking, I suppose you could call it an accident? An accident involving a certain young artist... Should we find another place to talk?"
The sound of sirens grew closer from the distance. Apparently, the city guards, having freed themselves from the previous incident, were now rushing toward this new disaster zone. Meanwhile, the house they were in, battered by the recent chaos, seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Yes, that's a good idea... After all, I'm technically an undocumented resident. Getting tangled up with this city's authorities would just be asking for trouble."
"I know a hidden path nearby... Ladies, please follow me. As for our destination, let's go back to the bar we were at earlier..."
Gray Serpent glanced at Cioara, who was smiling awkwardly. He began to seriously consider whether he should actually fire her. Ever since her villa island was destroyed, the student he'd brought along seemed to be growing increasingly unstable.
"Looks like no one objects. Let's go—"
Imhotep nodded and prepared to leave the room.
Just as the group was about to leave, a noise came from the pile of tables and chairs in the corner, which had been blasted there by Gray Serpent's . Under the extremely nervous gazes of the three cowards on the ceiling and the impassive stares of Imhotep and Gray Serpent, a white Armed Puppet angrily climbed out, brandishing a Shamash Mini. It glared around, searching for the little bastard who had just recklessly fired a and blasted it into the pile of junk.
Soon, Kevin Mini found its target, staring daggers at Gray Serpent, who was holding the weapon and didn't know where to toss it.
"Let's go, let's go. Stop glaring at Gray Serpent. You're a big puppet now, still sulking over something like this?"
Imhotep darted forward, grabbed the Kevin Doll by the scruff of its neck, and led the way out of the room. Meanwhile, Gray Serpent and Raven were left to ponder a difficult question: which was more disrespectful—Miss Imhotep carrying The Sire's avatar like a chick, or themselves, who had previously thrown The Sire's avatar out to take the heat and then shot it with a weapon
-
Under the cover of deep night, the group slipped back into Raven's bar...
"Welcome, what can I get for you... Did you all just retreat from a battlefield in Syria...?"
Bronie recited her welcome phrase, looked up at the entrance, and froze.
Of the four who had left looking relatively presentable, only three had returned. Imhotep and Gray Serpent were in better shape, merely dusted with debris from the collapsing ceiling. In contrast, Cioara and the three new "guests" looked utterly ravaged.
"Um... we do have restrooms... Would you like to freshen up first?"
"Thank you."
The three disheveled figures hurried upstairs, following Bronie's directions. Only the Kevin Doll casually brushed the dust off itself, activated its built-in purification function, and instantly became pristine again.
"...This Armed Puppet of The Sire. Miss Imhotep, where did you get it?"
Gray Serpent finally voiced the question that had been nagging him throughout their journey.
"It's a secret. Of course... it's not entirely impossible for me to tell you—"
"I hear you're a businessman who respects the spirit of commerce. So, Mr. Gray Serpent... as payment for saving that worthless student of yours earlier, you'll do something for me. How does that sound?"
"...Fine. But I have one condition, Miss Imhotep: this must not harm my interests or those of World Serpent."
"Hehehe... Of course not. In fact, it might even teach one of your companions a lesson. It seems the setback in England didn't do much to curb her arrogance—"
"This doll was a gift from Old Ancestor Kevin Kaslana himself. To be precise, it was a gift for a little friend who hasn't arrived yet."
"Ah, I can practically read your mind... Don't overthink it. Yes, I have met him."
Imhotep rolled her eyes at Gray Serpent's silent, unresponsive stare.
"The little guy really was a gift from him. You can ask him yourself. If you still don't believe me, I can even share some of Old Ancestor Kevin's embarrassing history—"
"Back in high school, he'd pretend to understand Doctor Mei's lectures, nodding along stubbornly. Whenever she asked, he'd just say, 'Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes.'"
"During every MANTIS Squad team-building event, his favorite thing to do was to find a chair and a table, get a bowl of hot noodles, cross his legs, and just slurp them down with gusto..."
"Stop! Miss Imhotep, please say no more... I believe you..."
"So you must be the Kaslana descendant who met the Sire deep within the Sea of Quanta, correct?"
Desperate to preserve the Sire's last shred of dignity and reputation, Gray Serpent abruptly changed the subject, cutting off the girl before she could reveal any more of the Sire's embarrassing history in public, especially in front of the children.
"Oh my~ It seems you know quite a bit, don't you?"
Imhotep flashed an amused smile.
"The Sire mentioned that a descendant of his had been communicating with him in the Sea of Quanta for a long time... But according to his description, she..."
"She was supposed to be a blonde girl with blue eyes, right?"
Imhotep finished the man's sentence.
"That was before her awakening. After all—it's not unusual for a Kaslana descendant to have a second-stage transformation, is it? The Old Ancestor himself could induce a controlled Honkai Collapse—"
"Hmm... That does sound plausible. The awakening of a Stigmata can indeed cause significant changes."
"Since you are the Successor... the power of World Serpent will now aid you... Miss Successor. However, we need to confirm one thing—or rather, we hope you can do one thing: awaken the true form of the Sacred Relic, just as the Sire did."
Gray Serpent nodded, tentatively acknowledging the identity of the girl before him.
"Wait a minute, what did that noodle-addicted Old Ancestor tell you guys???"
Imhotep sensed something was off in Gray Serpent's words.
"The Revered Master said that if any problems arise, we should come to you for solutions... It seems he holds your abilities in very high regard."
"I just skipped out on my shift at Schicksal—!!!"