"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
"Titan, let's perish together!"
Amphoreus, Grove of Epiphany.
While Lumina and Herta were observing the Black-Robed Swordsman, the scholar who appeared extremely frail and sickly reached his destination.
He walked to the throne at the apex of the Grove of Epiphany and decisively sat down.
Then, he burst into maniacal laughter until his aura completely dissipated, "dying" on the throne.
"Ah, I get it now." Witnessing the frail scholar's actions, Herta's face lit up with sudden realization.
"This person isn't some weak scholar. He's a patient who escaped from a mental hospital during the disaster here."
"Hmm... I didn't expect this," Herta mused, then sighed in admiration. "The facilities in this data world of Amphoreus are quite advanced."
"They even have mental hospitals."
"It seems this Emperor's Scepter might be far more than I originally imagined."
Herta's eyes once again filled with fervent zeal.
What had been just an idea was now a plan she was determined to execute.
Dismantle the Emperor's Scepter that computes Amphoreus, then integrate it as a component of the Simulated Universe. Let it serve as the Simulated Universe's operational brain, drastically accelerating the project's progress.
"Madam Herta, your imagination is quite vivid," Lumina remarked, nearly bursting into laughter at Herta's words.
Though Lumina didn't know who the sickly scholar was, she was certain it had nothing to do with mental illness.
Well... alright, maybe there was a slight connection.
After all, scholars, especially top-tier ones, were beings beyond ordinary mortals.
Just like the Genius Society—how many of its members were truly "normal"?
From a common person's perspective, wasn't a place like that just a mental hospital disguised under the name of academia?
Lumina shook her head, dismissing the thought. She glanced at the sickly scholar one last time, deciding not to intervene, then turned her gaze to the Black-Robed Swordsman slowly approaching from the distance.
"Aren't you going to save him? It's only a matter of time before he dies."
Even though the man was just a cluster of data, Herta could discern his condition through the data streams in her vision.
A quick glance was all it took for Herta to know the man's life was on a countdown.
"What's there to be afraid of? I already said I'll save him after he's completely dead."
Hearing this, Lumina dismissed it as a minor issue.
Mere fatal wounds, a mere near-death state... just wait until he's dead, then save him.
"Fine," Herta conceded, seeing no point in arguing with Lumina's decision.
Together, they fixed their gazes on the Black-Robed Swordsman.
"Hmm... that massive pile of stuff inside him... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before," Herta murmured, her analytical gaze piercing through the swordsman's essence.
She saw the hundreds of millions of tiny components swirling within him and felt a nagging sense of familiarity.
But after a moment's thought, nothing came to mind. Herta shrugged it off.
If Herta forgot it, could it really be that important?
If Herta forgot it, then let it stay forgotten.
"Let's go, Herta. We'll block his path," Lumina said. Her figure instantly vanished and reappeared just ahead of the Black-Robed Swordsman.
Herta followed suit.
"Who's this? It's not like there's a beautiful girl under that robe. Why are you blocking him?" Herta asked, peering at the shattered face beneath the black hood with confusion.
Lumina returning to block a man on the verge of collapse—this was something Herta wouldn't have even dared to imagine.
After getting a clear look at the Black-Robed Swordsman's face, Herta's first reaction wasn't surprise at Lumina's actions, but suspicion that Lumina had been possessed by some unknown creature.
"Don't you think he looks a little familiar?" Lumina scoffed lightly, gesturing for Herta to take a closer look.
"Familiar?" Herta frowned, her gaze returning to the Black-Robed Swordsman for a more careful, detailed inspection.
"Who is this?"
After a moment, Herta still couldn't find any memory matching the man under the robe.
"Isn't that Phainon? Don't you think he looks exactly like Phainon?" Lumina glanced at Herta in astonishment. Seeing Herta's genuinely clueless expression, she couldn't tell if she was pretending or serious.
"Who's Phainon?" Herta asked, even more confused by Lumina's explanation.
Phainon... Lumina?
Is Phainon Lumina's underling? Herta muttered to herself, truly having no idea who this "Phainon" was.
"Uh..."
After a brief observation, Lumina realized Herta wasn't pretending and was suddenly at a loss for words.
But on second thought, it seemed perfectly reasonable that Herta wouldn't know who Phainon was.
After all, Lumina had been the only one to enter the sickroom to check on Phainon's condition. Herta hadn't come in at all.
Wait, that's not right... Didn't I introduce Phainon later?
Even if Herta hadn't entered the room, she should still have some impression of him, right?
Hmm...
Alright, fine. For a genius like Herta, someone she'd never even seen wouldn't be worth remembering.
"Never mind, never mind. I'm just here to make my presence known," Lumina said, shaking her head and quickly changing the subject with a flimsy excuse.
"Could it be that this Black-Robed Swordsman is the matchmaker who introduced you to some beautiful girl?" Herta mused, unable to think of any other reason.
"Matchmaker... Matchmaker my ass!" Lumina's lip twitched at the word, and she gave Herta a light, exasperated tap on the head.
How could a genius's brain possibly come up with something like that?
After silently roasting Herta in her mind, Lumina turned her gaze back to the Black-Robed Swordsman.
"Herta, conceal your aura," Lumina said, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she signaled for Herta to suppress her presence.
"?"
Herta shot her a questioning look but didn't say a word. She simply did as Lumina asked, concealing her aura.
Lumina did the same, suppressing her own presence.
In an instant, Lumina and Herta appeared like two beautiful, defenseless young women.
A moment later, as they waited, the Black-Robed Swordsman arrived before them.
He stopped, his gaze falling upon the two women who now showed no trace of aura fluctuations.
"Leave... or die!"
The Swordsman's hoarse voice rasped from beneath his black robe, chilling them to the bone like a messenger from Hell.
"..."
"So... are we going to fight him?"
As a genius, Herta couldn't possibly tolerate such a tone.
Her exquisite face instantly creased into a frown, revealing deep displeasure.
She turned to Lumina beside her and asked in a low voice.
If Lumina had given even a single word of permission, Herta would have dismantled the Black-Robed Swordsman before them in the very next second.
Hearing Herta's question, Lumina shot her a meaningful look.
Her eyes seemed to say, "If you dismantle him, where's the fun for me?"
"Fine."
Understanding Lumina's unspoken words, Herta temporarily shelved her plan to tear the Black-Robed Swordsman apart.
A smile bloomed on Lumina's face as she addressed the Swordsman. "Young man, we're lost. Do you know the way to Okhema?"
"..."
"Left."
Though the Black-Robed Swordsman radiated murderous intent, he still, after a moment of silence, pointed the way to Okhema for Lumina and Herta.
Apparently, he wasn't a complete monster after all.
At least...
He still had a shred of humanity?
Hmm... or maybe not humanity, but a sliver of rationality.
After all, the child was on the verge of shattering.
"Thank you, young man," Lumina said, snapping back to the present and thanking the Swordsman.
But as the Black-Robed Swordsman took a step toward the Sickly Scholar, Lumina pushed her luck. "So... young man, could you escort us back to Okhema?"
"I'd be incredibly grateful if you could."
"..."
"Leave... or die!" Faced with Lumina's request, the Swordsman was no longer as "amiable" as before. He halted, his gaze turning icy as he stared at Lumina and Herta.
It was as if one more word from them would turn them into fertilizer for the soil.
"Hmph."
Herta crossed her arms. Even though she knew this was just one of Lumina's little games, she still felt incredibly annoyed.
If Lumina hadn't wanted to keep playing, Herta would have swung her magic wand long ago.
"W-we want to leave too, but... but we don't know the way," Lumina said, putting on a pitiful and delicate act. She wanted to see how the Black-Robed Swordsman would react to this display.
"Final... warning... one... last... time."
"Leave... or... die!"
While Lumina was indeed beautiful, and her pitiful act was heart-wrenching enough to make anyone want to pull her into their arms and grant her every wish...
Unfortunately for her, to a Black-Robed Swordsman whose mind was on the verge of shattering, Lumina—aside from being slightly prettier—was no different from any other person.
He treated her just as he would anyone else: with a "get in my way and die" attitude.
Well... alright, even a Swordsman on the brink of mental collapse treated Lumina significantly differently than he would anyone else.
If Lumina and Herta had been anyone else, the Black-Robed Swordsman might have answered their first question.
But after that, if they had continued to push their luck like Lumina, his sword would have fallen.
Actually... it wasn't that the Swordsman was singling them out.
It was because being near Lumina brought a slight sense of ease to his nearly shattered spirit.
This was the reason he had bothered to speak to Lumina and Herta at all.
"Alright, alright, we'll go, we'll go! Don't be angry, little brother," Lumina said with a smile, raising her hands in surrender. She sensed that her aura had slightly soothed the Swordsman's fractured mind.
She made it clear she would leave, pleading with him not to get angry.
Seeing this, the Black-Robed Swordsman—whose condition had indeed improved slightly under Lumina's influence—didn't press them further.
Though he didn't recognize them, it didn't mean he would kill them.
Since he didn't know them, they were likely just ordinary civilians from Amphoreus.
And if they were merely civilians, the Black-Robed Swordsman had no reason to cut them down here.
Withdrawing his gaze, the Black-Robed Swordsman took heavy steps toward the Sickly Scholar.
"Hmm... I knew something felt off," Lumina murmured to herself.
"So this is what it was."
She perceived the Sickly Scholar, currently sitting on the throne, his life precariously sustained by something within his body. Then she glanced at the Black-Robed Swordsman, who was advancing on the Scholar with his sword raised, as if preparing to rip out his heart and lungs.
Lumina finally understood why she had been drawn to the Grove of Epiphany.
Back in Okhema, when she had sensed the aura from this place, an overwhelming urge to come here had instantly seized her. It had surprised even her—someone whose priorities in Amphoreus were typically centered around beautiful girls—to have such an impulse.
So, with some free time on her hands, Lumina had embarked on a spontaneous trip.
At the time, she had wondered, Why am I even going here? Just to save someone?
While that reason alone was certainly enough to bring her here, it wouldn't have been enough to spark such a compelling urge.
After all, she could save people just as easily within Okhema.
Only now did Lumina finally understand why.
From the Golden Era of Amphoreus, I remember that Sickly Scholar's name... The Dullard, A-something-something-us?
He's probably a gacha character.
And if he's a gacha character, he must have a Main Story questline.
But based on what's happening now, if I don't stop this Black-Robed Swordsman, A-something-something-us will actually die.
The Swordsman's target was clearly the object inside the Scholar's body that was keeping him alive. If he were to take it, A... the Sickly Scholar would surely perish.
That would likely derail any future story involving him.
So...
"Herta, Herta, it's your turn," Lumina said, winking at her. "Don't kill him. Just restrain him for a bit."
Knowing the Sickly Scholar couldn't be allowed to die just yet, Lumina gave Herta the signal.
Lumina didn't have the script for Amphoreus, so the current situation was entirely unknown. As for whether the Sickly Scholar should die, she felt it was best to keep him alive.
And specifically, barely alive, just hanging on by a thread.
Otherwise, what would happen to the rest of the story?
"Hmph." Hearing Lumina's words, Herta was clearly unsatisfied with the "just restrain him" request.
Still, she complied.
Just as the Black-Robed Swordsman reached the Sickly Scholar, a beam of purple light erupted, trapping him within.
"!"
This power...
Realizing he couldn't break free, the Swordsman paused in confusion before understanding dawned.
His gaze shifted to Lumina and Herta behind him.
"Who... are you?"