"As expected of Madam Herta, your strength truly lives up to its reputation!"
Seeing Herta imprison the Black-Robed Swordsman so easily, Lumina cast an approving glance at her.
It was as if she was saying: as expected of the great and wise Madam Herta, her strength really lives up to its reputation.
I'm in love! Great and wise Madam Herta, please accept Little Lumina's knees!
Although this wasn't what Lumina meant to express; Lumina's intended meaning was merely an affirmation of Herta's strength, without all that subsequent "fanatical worship."
But it didn't matter. Little Lumina didn't mean that, but Little Herta would use her imagination.
Therefore, upon seeing Lumina's glance, after a round of imagination and over-interpretation, Herta immediately puffed out her chest and revealed a little expression that was several times prouder than becoming a member of the Genius Society or an Emanator of Erudition.
"Mhm?"
Taking in Herta's little expression, Lumina's eyes suddenly lit up.
Herta's super cute appearance at this moment made Lumina's palms itch a little.
If it weren't for the Black-Robed Swordsman watching her and Herta from a short distance away, Lumina probably would have already reached out with both hands to pinch Herta's cute, prideful little face.
But that was just a minor issue.
After observing for only a brief moment, Lumina had already figured out the prerequisite for making Herta show such an expression.
With this prerequisite, everything naturally became much simpler.
Understanding this, Lumina temporarily pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
Her gaze shifted to the Black-Robed Swordsman. As she walked toward him, she said, "Sorry, mister, you'll have to stay in there for a little while."
"...Who?" The Black-Robed Swordsman struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the restraint, but it was of no use.
Realizing that breaking free was futile, he shifted his attention to Lumina and Herta.
"I'm Lumina, just an ordinary little physician, not some resounding big shot. You wouldn't know me."
"As for her, the super expert who restrained you is Madam Herta. She's a massive bigwig. If you have any questions, you can ask her. Although she is capable of answering them, she definitely won't pay you any mind."
Standing before the Black-Robed Swordsman, Lumina offered a simple introduction with a gentle smile.
For herself, it was the same plain introduction as always.
But this time, when introducing Herta, Lumina hyped her up to an absurd degree.
In response, Herta crossed her arms, shot Lumina a deadpan glance, and then looked away, not bothering to engage further.
Lumina's occasional bouts of madness were nothing new. Let her say what she wants, Herta thought. It's not like she's wrong, anyway.
If you have questions, come ask me? Who do you think you are, Lumina?
Go ahead and try asking. See if I even bother to acknowledge you.
"Lumina... Herta..." The Black-Robed Swordsman paid no mind to Lumina's style of introduction, his attention fixed on their names.
"Black and White... no, not Black and White... it's... Ashen White."
He muttered these strange phrases, as if the names "Lumina" and "Herta" had triggered some long-buried memory.
"It's... the Ashen Dawn... not... the Black and White Dawn..."
Lumina and Herta waited quietly for a while, wanting to let the Black-Robed Swordsman finish his words.
But after a period of time, he was still muttering, as if he had fallen into some kind of demonic obsession.
In response, Lumina and Herta looked at each other, both seeing the meaning in each other's eyes.
The meaning in Lumina's eyes was: Look, the child was driven mad by Madam Herta's domineering aura.
The meaning in Herta's eyes was: The patients in the mental hospital in the Grove of Epiphany are quite amazing.
A mad scholar, a crazed Black-Robed Swordsman.
Truly worthy of the World calculated by the Emperor's Scepter, it lives up to its reputation!
Withdrawing her gaze and letting it fall back onto the Black-Robed Swordsman, looking at his appearance hidden by the mask and cloak, a strong sense of playfulness arose in Lumina's heart.
If his mask and cloak were taken away, in what posture would he face the Main Cast later?
Lumina was very curious in her heart.
Doing as she thought, when it came to seeking amusement, Lumina would never hesitate or falter.
She immediately raised her palm, a faint green light emerging from her fingertips, surging towards the Black-Robed Swordsman.
She began to remove his black robe and mask.
"?"
"!"
To the shock of the Black-Robed Swordsman and Herta, Lumina lifted the Black-Robed Swordsman's black robe.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
But before Lumina could lift it much, the Black-Robed Swordsman, restrained by Herta, didn't put up any resistance.
Instead, it was Herta who reached out and grabbed Lumina's faintly glowing small hand, stopping her action.
"Lumina... you, you can't do this to him!"
Regarding Lumina's action, Herta might have misunderstood something.
Pursing her lips tightly, she uttered these words.
Lumina: ?
Lumina's brain couldn't quite process Herta's words for a moment.
What was Herta talking about? Why was she being so inexplicable?
Lumina stopped what she was doing, a huge question mark appearing above her little head.
And the next second, the words that came out of Herta's mouth shocked her for a whole year.
Herta's fair face gradually turned rosy, and with a slightly trembling voice, she stammered, "If... if you really can't hold it back, you can... you can... you can take off mine."
"???"
Hearing this and looking at Herta's flushed appearance, the corner of Lumina's mouth twitched slightly.
Hmm...
Herta's words probably didn't mean what Lumina thought they meant, right?
She shook her head, not thinking too much about it.
Although she didn't know exactly what Herta was thinking or what those words truly meant, Lumina knew one thing.
Herta had definitely gotten the wrong idea.
Thus, Lumina gave her a speechless look and explained, "I just see him wearing that black robe and mask all day, so I just wanted to take them off him. What on earth were you thinking about?"
"Could it be that you're..." Lumina paused here. Then, lowering her voice, she leaned close to Herta's ear, exhaled gently, and chuckled softly, "Thinking about some unspeakable things?"
"Ah?" Hearing Lumina's explanation, realizing her misunderstanding, and recalling what she had just said, Herta's face turned even redder.
However, as a Genius Society member and an Emanator of [Erudition], her psychological endurance was clearly quite formidable.
After a short while, the redness on Herta's face completely dissipated, and she instantly returned to normal.
"Phew..." Taking a deep breath silently in her heart, Herta replied to what Lumina had said earlier: "I also thought you were going to take off his mask and Black Robe."
Naturally, Herta couldn't possibly say what she had been thinking at that time.
But it seemed like she had already said it out loud.
That sentence, "If... if you really can't hold back, you can... you can... you can take off mine," was actually pretty much akin to blowing her own cover.
But it was only 'pretty much'; it hadn't completely reached the level of blowing her cover.
So, as long as Herta denied it to the death, there wouldn't be any problems.
"Hehe." Lumina chuckled softly, pressing her lips against Herta's earlobe, rubbing it lightly before continuing, "When we get back to Okhema, when we get back to our room, I'll take yours off."
"Okay?"
"I... I..." At such an intimate gesture, feeling her ears now burning hotter than the Sun, that rosy flush once again appeared on Herta's face.
But with Herta's strong psychological fortitude, she quickly returned to normal, just like last time.
At first, she might have been bluffed by Lumina's words.
But now, after understanding exactly what kind of personality Lumina had, even if Herta was bluffed, she could quickly recover.
Because Lumina was just all talk.
If she really dared to stall after returning to Okhema, then Herta would really dare to let her stall...
Without putting up any resistance, and even cooperating with her...
But unfortunately, such a thing was absolutely impossible to happen.
"Sure."
So, after a moment to process, Herta gave a generous reply.
Signaling that after returning to Okhema, she could stall however she wanted.
"Uh..."
And Lumina's reaction was exactly as Herta had expected.
Hearing Herta actually play along with her words, Lumina fell into a moment of speechlessness.
"Then you'd better prepare yourself well~"
A moment later, Lumina snorted softly, ending this topic.
She shifted her gaze back to the Black-Robed Swordsman. With a gentle lift of her finger towards the Black-Robed Swordsman, the Black Robe worn by him instantly fell into Lumina's hands.
"!" Facing this scene, the Black-Robed Swordsman began to resist violently, but under Herta's restraint, he could not cause any ripples.
"Who... exactly are... you?"
"Not... Ashen..."
"Are you... Dawn...?"
"Do not... stop... the recreation of the world..."
The Black-Robed Swordsman's hoarse voice continuously emerged from beneath his mask.
To this, Lumina paid no mind at all; with another hook of her finger, she removed his mask as well.
It revealed the ruined face underneath.
"Hmm... shouldn't be much of a problem?" Looking at his face, Lumina observed briefly and immediately knew what the culprit was that turned him into this state.
It was the wear and tear of Time.
Lumina roughly estimated from his condition that he had probably experienced hundreds of millions of years.
Moreover, all those years were experienced in the exact same scenario.
"Under the calculations of the Emperor's Scepter, undergoing cycle after cycle."
"And then, having the memories of every cycle... how tragic."
After a brief observation, Herta reached the exact same conclusion as Lumina.
To be stuck in a cycle of reincarnation was not the most tragic part; the most tragic part was possessing the memories of every single cycle.
Enduring hundreds of millions of years of reincarnations was nothing short of a miracle for a data entity that couldn't even be called a [lifeform].
"Just what kind of conviction is supporting his will?" Herta looked him up and down with great curiosity.
To be able to hold on for so long, there definitely had to be a goal, a conviction.
Otherwise, he would have lost himself in the dense fog of confusion long before the wear and tear of time took its toll.
"It probably has something to do with that Lord Ravager in Amphoreus," Lumina hummed softly, putting away the black robe and mask in her hands.
Although Lumina sympathized with the Black-Robed Swordsman's plight.
But sorry, sympathy is sympathy, and my bad ideas... no, my good suggestions definitely have to be implemented.
Wearing a black robe and a mask all day, not being able to feel the sunlight, is very bad for your body.
"Mr. Black-Robed Swordsman, for the sake of your health, I'll be confiscating this black robe and mask for now, ha. I'll give them back to you next time."
Lumina not only took away the black robe and mask that the Black-Robed Swordsman used to conceal his body and appearance, but she also feigned an expression of 'I'm doing this entirely for your own good' and spoke to him in an earnest tone.
"Your actions paired with that expression really make you look so obnoxious..." Having watched everything Lumina did, Herta lowered her eyes and spoke faintly.
"Do you like it then?" Hearing this, Lumina snorted softly, her body gradually leaning closer to Herta's.
Just a split second before they touched, Lumina suddenly gave her a bump, causing Herta to stumble, nearly lose her balance, and fall to the ground.
After steadying herself, Herta glared fiercely at Lumina.
"I don't!" she scoffed coldly, venting the dissatisfaction in her heart with a few short words.
"Hehe."
Forcefully resisting the urge to pinch Herta's cheeks, Lumina elegantly and calmly turned to the black-robed... no, he was no longer wearing a Black Robe.
Lumina elegantly and calmly gave a polite bow to the swordsman in front of her.
"Sir Swordsman, please just stay here for a period of Time."
"We will not interfere with your actions in any way, so please wait patiently."
"Wait for the passage of time, wait for the time to arrive; when that moment comes, the confinement placed upon you will naturally be undone."
Since he had endured the cycles of hundreds of millions of years, he surely had a goal in his heart that he must accomplish and wait for.
This goal must be incredibly important to him.
Therefore, Lumina naturally would not ruthlessly trample his goal into the dust.
She knew what she could mess with and what she couldn't.
Lumina was very clear about the boundaries when it came to the things she could play with.
Phainon—that was the hidden appearance of this Black-Robed Swordsman.
Since he had hidden it, it meant this appearance could not be revealed to others.
After all, it was evident from what he had just been about to do to the Sickly Scholar.
His target was the very thing inside the Sickly Scholar's body that sustained his life.
And this same thing was also inside Agy and Tribbie...
Thus, Lumina wouldn't push things to the absolute limit. When the time came, the moment anyone from the Main Cast or the Chrysos Heirs arrived, Lumina would have Herta lift this confinement.
Then she would see what kind of reaction he would have.
Would he temporarily stay his hand, or continue with his actions?
Lumina was really looking forward to it.
Of course, what Lumina anticipated the most was...
The scene of Phainon meeting this Black-Robed Swordsman...
"The cycle... world recreation... it won't work..."
"Prophecy... Lie..."
"Despair... the cycle..."
Faced with Lumina's words, the Black-Robed Swordsman continued to use his hoarse voice to spout a bunch of things that Lumina and Herta couldn't understand at all.
"By the way... what do this world recreation and prophecy mean?" hearing the Black-Robed Swordsman's words, Lumina muttered.
"It seems that after returning to Okhema, I'll need to briefly look into these things."
Otherwise, it's really uncomfortable when everything you hear sounds like it's coming from a riddler.
"It seems that after returning to Okhma, I'll need to get a basic understanding of these things."
Otherwise, it's really quite annoying when everything I hear sounds like people are speaking in riddles.