Inside Schicksal Headquarters.
"You despicable Elias! Do you think that just because you possess the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption, you can do whatever you want?!"
"How ridiculous. You wouldn't actually think that this level of mental attack would be enough to break me, would you? Young people truly are naive! I, this Bishop, feel absolutely nothing!"
Staring at the photo Elias had sent, Otto's eyes widened as his entire body trembled "with joy." He took a deep breath and picked up the wineglass on the table, gently swirling it.
"In the end, she's nothing more than a fake Kallen. Even if you brought the real one… forget I said that."
"Your Eminence, you've spilled your wine."
Amber glanced at Otto, whose trembling hand had already sloshed all the red wine out of the glass, and silently sighed for her future self, who would be responsible for cleaning it up.
(Bishop, compared to saying those words to Lord Elias, it feels more like you were saying them to yourself. Please stop avoiding reality. You're about to crush your terminal screen in your hand.)
At that very moment, Elias—who was out on a date with his beloved cook—used the authority of Corruption to take control of Schicksal's internal surveillance cameras and witnessed Otto's current state. A delighted smile immediately appeared on his face.
If you don't show off your affection while dating, then at least half the fun is gone.
From this day forward, Mr. Green Otto Apocalypse would receive daily photos of him and Eliana being lovey-dovey. First, one photo per day. And once he had more or less grown used to it, it would become ten per day.
Elias wouldn't even mind livestreaming his dates with Eliana for Otto to watch. But what he looked forward to most was the expression Otto would make when he saw their future wedding photos.
As for Otto choosing not to look—that was impossible.
Even if Otto smashed his terminal, Elias could use the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption to directly hack into his soulium body and stuff the photos and videos straight into his visual system.
Elias: (Tsk tsk, this feels amazing~ The authority of Corruption is truly perfect for flaunting affection. To be honest, although not entirely for this reason, seventy percent of why I'm still keeping this damn dog Otto alive is just so I can shower him with lovey-dovey displays!)
If anyone else dared to do something like this, Otto would have immediately dispatched Schicksal's army to blast them into dust.
But unfortunately for him, Elias was currently unbeatable in this version.
When you have strength, you really can do whatever you want—including shamelessly showing off your romance.
Before long, Mr. Green Otto Apocalypse would have an entire photo album titled Elias x Eliana Love Collection.
But this was only an appetizer.
Because in the future, the real Kallen would be waiting for him.
...
Meanwhile, in Nagazora City.
"Elias, why are you smiling so happily?"
"How could I not be happy when I'm on a date with my beloved Mei? …Alright, actually I just found a new source of amusement. But the first half was true too."
Elias interlocked his fingers with Mei's delicate hand and admired the outfit she had specially prepared for their date.
At this moment, Mei was wearing a white dress with a short hem, paired with white high heels. A translucent trailing veil flowed behind her, and her hands were covered by white gloves. Her legs, wrapped in white thigh-high stockings, were adorned with miHoYo-style garter straps. Blue ribbons decorated the outfit in various places, and she held a small white parasol in her hand.
Elias recognized it instantly.
It was the in-game outfit known as [Aeterna Purum].
He had never imagined that one day he would see it in reality. As a result, he had spent over half an hour simply admiring her, to the point that his dear cook had begun to feel shy under his gaze.
"I just can't get tired of looking. My Mei is so beautiful!"
"Hehe. Perhaps that's something I should be saying instead. The number of eyes gathered on you is far greater than those on me," Mei said as she swept her gaze around them.
At that moment, everyone on the street was staring at them—and seventy percent of those gazes were fixed on Elias.
Which was only natural.
After all, who could ignore a sun?
From five-year-old children to eighty-year-old elders—so long as they had eyes, they were drawn to Elias.
And with a Herrscher's hearing, Mei could of course hear several girls whispering among themselves, debating whether they should go up and strike up a conversation. But toward these overconfident women—who didn't even qualify as rivals—
One glance from Mei was enough to suppress them completely.
After being swept by the girl's proud and domineering gaze, those harboring crooked intentions no longer dared to approach.
Those peerless, majestic eyes silently declared that this white-haired boy belonged to a queen. Approaching Elias was allowed—so long as you were prepared to be struck by lightning.
Passing girls: (Can't afford to provoke them! Let's just admire the handsome guy from a distance.)
Raiden Mei: (Hmph! A bunch of trash. You don't even qualify as opponents, and you think you can get close to my Elias?)
After all, to secure this date opportunity, she had fought her way out from among a group of women with outrageously high combat power!
Though Mei's gaze toward others was as domineering and majestic as a queen's, the moment it fell upon Elias, it instantly softened into tender affection, like that of a gentle and virtuous wife.
"But I really didn't expect you to choose Nagazora City as our date location, Mei. It's been so long since I've come back, I've almost forgotten which way to go," Elias said as he looked around at his birthplace and beginner village.
Although he had visited Nagazora many times during the Previous Era, in the Current Era, only the name remained the same.
"I just felt a little nostalgic. Walking through this city's streets together with you makes me feel as though I've returned to being an ordinary person, back to the life we once had," Mei said, recalling the past. In truth, it hadn't been that long ago—but the version of herself who had been just a normal student already felt unimaginably distant.
"Hm? Do you want to be an ordinary person, Mei?" Elias asked curiously.
"An ordinary person? No. I don't."
Mei did not hesitate in the slightest.
She had never regretted becoming a Herrscher or a Valkyrie. Even if she were sent back to the past to begin again, Mei was certain she would still choose to walk the path she was on now.
But that wasn't the reason she didn't want to be ordinary. Nor was it because she was attached to her current power. It was simply that…
"If I were just an ordinary person, then I probably wouldn't be able to stand by your side the way I do now, Elias."
"How could that be? Even if you didn't have any power, Mei, I'm confident I would still fall in love with you."
Elias spoke with absolute certainty.
He knew very clearly why he had fallen in love with the girl named Raiden Mei. It wasn't because of her strength, nor because of her beauty—but simply because she was Raiden Mei.
"You always say things like that to me. Elias, you're really quite sly," Mei said, the corners of her lips curving into a beautiful smile.
"But I'm just stating the truth."
"Mm. Thank you, Elias. But… for the me right now, strength truly is something I must have."
Mei tightened her grip on the small white parasol in her hand as if she were holding her katana.
After all, without sufficient strength, how could she possibly compete with the other women?
A beauty like Elias belonged only to the strong!
That was the driving force behind her growth. Mei felt that for Elias, there was nothing she couldn't accomplish! Whether Valkyries or Flame-Chasers, she would absolutely not lose!
"Uh… Mei, your aura just now was incredible. You looked like a queen declaring war on the world. So cool!"
"Cough—Elias, let's go. We can't waste our time together."
Mei gave a light cough, forcing herself back to her senses.
As the former young lady of ME Corp, even though she hadn't returned in quite some time, many people still recognized her. But no one stepped forward to greet her.
Aside from being intimidated by the girl's presence, more of them simply didn't know how to approach her.
The current Mei was no longer the helpless coward she had been after her father's imprisonment.
After Cocolia had been dealt with by Elias, Raiden Ryoma had been released from prison, and the charges against him had been erased.
All the blame had been pinned onto Cocolia. No one called Mei the daughter of a fraudster anymore.
But even so, those who had once known her, recalling how coldly they had treated her during her darkest days, felt too ashamed to greet her now.
"It doesn't matter. I no longer care about what they think. I didn't return to this city for them anyway. I came back to go on a date with you, Elias."
Mei faced those familiar faces from the past calmly.
She was no longer the powerless coward she had once been. She was the noble Herrscher who fought to protect all that was beautiful.
They now belonged to two different worlds.
However…
"Mei, you really are a kind girl. This is your way of forgiving them, isn't it?" Elias said softly, tightening his grip on her hand just slightly.
His tone was gentle.
But within those golden eyes flickered a cold light.
"Elias, what are you planning to do?"
"Sorry, Mei. I might not be as magnanimous as you think. Even if you can forgive them… I can't. No matter how I look at it, I just can't forgive them."
In one form or another, those people had betrayed the Mei of the past. When she needed help the most, many had not only refused to lend a hand, but had even kicked her while she was down.
Elias couldn't forgive that.
If this had been in the Previous Era, he would have already treated them all as Herrscher of Dominance puppets and executed them on the spot.
But since he was on a rare date with the girl, he didn't want to waste too much precious time on such matters.
So… he simply dealt with the most unforgivable portion of them.
Elias brought Mei to the gates of Chiba Academy. By now, she more or less understood what he intended to do and couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Sigh~ There's really no need to bother with them. They're not worth you making a move, Elias," Mei said.
"How could that be? A grudge only feels satisfying once it's repaid. And people who engage in school bullying don't deserve sympathy. We're not protecting the world for the sake of scum like them."
Elias directly ordered the board members of Chiba Academy to expel every student who had bullied Mei back then. All the teachers who had remained silent at the time were dismissed as well.
These incidents were permanently recorded in each of their personal files. Their future regrets would be their own burden to bear.
Under absolute authority, the board members moved with astonishing speed. In less than ten minutes, everything was resolved.
After all, a certain golden Flame-Chaser had already purchased the entire Far East region. And Elias, who shared Eden's wealth, could be said to be the true master of the Far East.
When the emperor issued a decree, how could they dare to move slowly?
Once the matter was settled, the board members collectively hurried over to Elias and Mei, bowing deeply in classic Far Eastern fashion and repeatedly apologizing with heartfelt sincerity.
Elias: "Now that feels better."
Mei: (It does feel a little satisfying…)
Afterward, the two continued their date, visiting all the interesting places throughout the Far East.
Suddenly, Elias—ever sharp-eyed—noticed a very familiar figure.
"Hm? Isn't that Uncle Ryoma?"
Across the intersection, a dignified middle-aged man with purple hair was waiting for the traffic light. Elias recognized him at a glance as the girl beside him's father.
"Eh? It really does look like Dad," Mei said in surprise, not expecting to run into her father.
"Isn't he working at Anti-Entropy now? Could today be his day off? Should we go say hello?" Elias suggested. After all, he was one of his future fathers-in-law.
Although Raiden Ryoma often had his blood pressure sent soaring by him, since they had run into each other, Elias felt it was only polite to greet him.
What he didn't expect was—
Mei directly grabbed his hand and walked away without even turning her head.
"We can greet him over the phone next time. My date time is limited. Every second is precious. I can't waste it on Dad."
"Uh… that makes sense. Let's go then."
Elias blinked in astonishment at Mei's words. He cast a sympathetic glance toward Raiden Ryoma, silently lamenting that daughters truly couldn't be kept once they grew up.
However, the distance between the three of them wasn't far. And with their appearance, the two were bound to be the center of attention wherever they went.
Naturally, Raiden Ryoma noticed his daughter and son-in-law.
"Hm? Isn't that Mei? Tch! And that brat Elias is with her too. Are those two on a date? No, no, absolutely not! I must sabotage this! Trying to date my precious daughter? Elias, you're ten thousand years too early!"
"Hm? Why are they leaving? Mei! Mei! It's Dad! Why isn't she reacting? It must be too open here—she didn't hear me. Why hasn't this stupid light turned green yet? Should I just run the red light?!"
No matter how loudly Raiden Ryoma shouted, Mei had no intention of turning back. Evidently, the bond between father and daughter had grown thin. The little padded jacket of the past had begun to leak wind.
Elias: "Uh… Mei, your dad is calling you."
Mei: "No, he isn't. Isn't Dad still in prison? You must have misheard, Elias. We can find time to visit him later. Right now, let's go find somewhere to eat."
Elias: "…Didn't you just recognize him? Uh, alright, never mind. Let's go. He looks like he's about to chase after us."
Although Raiden Ryoma's combat ability was decent, catching up to two Herrschers was naturally impossible. In the blink of an eye, Elias and Mei had vanished without a trace.
In the end, the panting old father could only stand alone in the wind, utterly disheveled.
...
Running into Raiden Ryoma was merely a small interlude. The two quickly put it behind them.
Mei's allotted time was nearly over. Rather than wandering around aimlessly again, they decided to end the date with a proper, satisfying meal.
When Mei saw Elias subconsciously choose a ramen shop, she couldn't help but sigh. "Ever since we came back from the Previous Era, it feels like you've grown especially fond of noodles."
"Yeah. Quite a few of the Flame-Chasers loved slurping noodles. I guess I was influenced by them. Especially Kevin—that white-haired husky. He's an absolute noodle-devouring maniac!"
"Pfft! A white-haired husky? That sounds a bit like Kiana. Hm? The two customers at the next table also have white hair… They both look kind of strange."
"Hm? Let me see."
Elias turned his head to look—and instantly understood Mei's comment. The four men at the table beside them really did look strange. So strange that Elias was completely stunned.
One of them had his eyes closed, looking like a blind man.
Another wore a berserker's mask and radiated violent energy.
The third had a pair of black horns growing from his head.
The last one looked the most normal—just a handsome young man full of spirit. Yet in front of him, the empty ramen bowls had already been stacked into a small mountain.
Elias: "Holy—Kevin, Su, Kalpas, Kosma?! What are you four doing here?!"