Amphoreus, Grove of Epiphany.
Lumina and Herta had originally planned to use their journey to find an opportunity to clear up Castorice's misunderstanding of them. However, a suitable moment never presented itself.
After days of arduous travel, just as the thought crossed their minds again, they were already nearing the Grove of Epiphany. Reluctantly, they shelved their plans for the time being, recognizing that the current situation in the Grove was hardly conducive to resolving misunderstandings.
"Mimi... Mimi!"
"Let go... of me!"
As they approached the narrow path leading to the Grove of Epiphany, Mimi, who had been tightly cradled in Lumina's arms like a small pillow and constantly squished and petted throughout the journey, protested in a soft, sweet, and utterly adorable voice.
"You're so cute, little Mimi," Lumina chuckled softly, her petting motions becoming even more vigorous.
At first, Lumina hadn't noticed, but after entering Amphoreus, she had been so captivated by the countless beautiful girls that she had completely forgotten about Mimi.
Mimi seems to have taken human form during the Golden Era of Amphoreus, right?
I think she's the one from the very end.
A pink-haired girl, so cute and adorable.
Lumina absolutely adores her!
So, under these circumstances, Lumina suddenly found herself incredibly busy.
She had to juggle dealing with Herta by her side, managing her relationship with Castorice, and clearing up Castorice's misunderstandings about her and Herta.
And in between all that, she needed to carve out time to ruarua Mimi... no, I mean, to build rapport with Mimi, so that when Mimi transforms into a beautiful girl later, Lumina can secure her in one fell swoop.
That's Lumina's plan!
As for the other two beautiful girls who had already died in this timeline, she'll deal with them later.
She'd wait and see if her actions might cause them to be Cameo'd...
Reincarnation was inevitable—the cycle must continue.
But the Chrysos Heirs couldn't be allowed to die either.
Although these two fates seemed mutually exclusive—an impossible dilemma for ordinary people—to Lumina, it was merely a minor inconvenience she could resolve with a wave of her hand.
If, in the next cycle, the two young maidens weren't cameoed by Cameo due to their actions, Lumina would be even busier...
Herta, Aglaea, Castorice, Hyacine, Mimi, and two unknown young maidens.
Seven in total... Wait, wasn't there another young maiden?
Lumina carefully recalled the Amphoreus Saga of Heroes and realized there was another young maiden who resembled Catcat.
That made it one against eight.
Just one against eight? The advantage is mine!
Of course, this count didn't include Stelle and March 7th, nor Little Swarm.
And certainly not Phantylia Kitten.
But even if they were added, it would only be one against ten—still a resounding victory for Lumina!
Hmm... why is it twelve instead of eleven?
Obviously, Phantylia Kitten had already become the type who couldn't survive without Lumina by her side.
Such a creature naturally wouldn't be counted among the others.
Without dwelling further on these matters, Lumina ignored Mimi's protests and continued petting her while turning to Trianne and Castorice. "If we follow this path up, we should reach the Grove of Epiphany, right?"
"Yes, yes! If we follow this Trail upward, we'll reach the Grove of Epiphany soon enough!" Trianne nodded, pointing to the slightly eerie path ahead.
Had someone stumbled upon this trail without any prior knowledge, they might easily mistake it for a road leading to the Netherworld.
Though it was midday, the surroundings were pitch-black...
As newcomers, Lumina, Herta, Stelle, and Mimi found this peculiar, but they refrained from comment. After all, this might be a unique custom of the Amphoreus people, and as outsiders, they naturally wanted to show respect.
"Mimi!"
On the Meridian Trail, Lumina temporarily released Mimi, who was listless, utterly resigned, and wore an expression of utter despair. Having already pampered Mimi for hours, Lumina knew it was time for her to rest.
What if I wear her out?
A pink plushie that could transform into a beautiful girl—Mimi was truly one-of-a-kind among all the beauties Lumina had ever seen.
The Phantylia Kitten didn't count; she was just a kitten...
Naturally, Lumina cherished Mimi dearly.
"This pink plush toy is gradually becoming more human-like," Herta remarked, watching Mimi finally detach herself from Lumina's embrace and settle back onto Stelle's shoulder to rest. A flicker of enigmatic light flashed in her eyes.
Herta couldn't shake the feeling that this seemingly harmless pink plush toy might turn out to be the ultimate boss of their entire journey.
It was like facing a level's final boss, leaving Herta somewhat puzzled.
Just a pink plush toy—how much trouble could it possibly cause?
Though this thought lingered in her mind, Herta refused to let complacency or arrogance take hold. Once such a suspicion had taken root, she would never dismiss it.
Where Lumina was concerned, Herta had to exercise utmost caution. Absolutely no mistakes could be tolerated!
Driven by this inner sense of impending crisis, Herta immediately elevated the pink plush toy to the highest level of threat.
"Pink... plush toy?"
"I'm... not a pink plush toy!"
Upon hearing Herta's label for her, Mimi, who had been resting on Stelle's shoulder, immediately straightened up, floating in the air. With hands on her hips, she stomped her foot at the void, protesting Herta's description of her.
"Every life has the potential to grow, you know?" Lumina said with a soft chuckle, answering Herta's question after waiting a moment and seeing Herta showed no intention of acknowledging Mimi. "Besides, Mimi already possesses sentience. Having been by Stelle's side for so long, she's bound to have picked up some human speech."
Lumina, intimately familiar with Herta, could clearly sense the wariness and hostility toward Mimi hidden within Herta's words.
At first, Lumina was puzzled as to why Herta would harbor such feelings toward a small doll. But then it dawned on her:
Madam Herta... she's probably jealous of how I'm always holding and petting Mimi, isn't she?
Lumina couldn't be entirely certain, after all, she didn't have Mind Reading.
Apart from this, Lumina couldn't think of any other explanation for Herta's behavior.
Let's just assume this is why Herta has turned out this way.
Hmm... Herta hasn't read the Amphoreus Saga of Heroes, so she doesn't know that Mimi can transform into a beautiful girl.
Does that mean she's...
Jealous of a pink plush doll less than half a meter tall?
Hmm... Madam Herta certainly seems to be enjoying life.
Lumina saw Herta's jealousy as a good thing, actually advantageous to her.
So she decided to let Herta stew in her jealousy and didn't interfere.
"Yes, yes! When I first appeared by Stelle's side, I didn't know anything at all," Mimi said, returning to her usual demeanor after hearing Lumina call her by name.
Her hands remained defiantly on her hips as her starry blue eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future. "I wonder what kind of changes I'll undergo as time passes?"
"What kind of changes will happen?" Stelle, Mimi's partner, pondered the question for a moment.
Her eyes lit up, and she suddenly reached out, gently placing her hands on Mimi's shoulders. Her amber eyes shone with unprecedented earnestness. "Transform! Transform! Transform!"
"Transform into a beautiful girl! Do it!"
"Uh..."
Stelle's loud, clear voice echoed through the room, reaching the ears of everyone present. Castorice, Herta, and Mimi lowered their gazes, their expressions conveying a mixture of speechlessness and confusion, unsure how to react to Stelle's outburst.
Lumina and Trianne, however, remained expressionless, quietly observing the scene unfold before them.
Trianne had no particular opinion on the matter, so she showed no emotion.
As for Lumina...
She shared Stelle's fervent hope that Mimi would transform into a super-beautiful girl.
Therefore, she naturally wouldn't show any signs of speechlessness.
Only endless anticipation, and nothing but endless anticipation.
After staring silently at Stelle for a moment, Mimi finally responded. She lowered her hands from her hips, her gaze downcast, and said with a sigh, "Aiya, why are you shouting so loudly?"
Stelle's loud voice had startled Mimi.
But unfortunately, the current Mimi lacked the ability to transform into a super-sized form.
If she had possessed such a power, she would have transformed without Stelle even needing to ask.
After all, in her current petite form, she was constantly mistaken for a pink doll.
Mimi disliked this intensely.
The conversation, initiated as a joke by Stelle, quickly came to an end.
The journey from the Warp and Weft Path to The Grove was neither particularly long nor short.
Along the way, the group engaged in several discussions, simultaneously concluding several others.
Their talk revolved around matters concerning the Grove Titan. As an outsider, Lumina couldn't discern whether these accounts were official history, unofficial history, or fabricated history.
Thus, she remained silent throughout the journey, listening quietly like Herta to the others' conversation.
Following the Warp and Weft Path ever upward, the group soon arrived at a broad platform.
From this vantage point, they could clearly see the colossal tree towering in the distance, its crown piercing the clouds.
"Look! Such a big tree! It's—enormous!" Trianne exclaimed, breaking the silence.
"Is this the Grove of Epiphany?" Stelle murmured, gazing up at the majestic tree in awe.
Though it couldn't rival the Ambrosial Arbor in grandeur, the view from here was undeniably breathtaking.
"Stelle, you should record this," Mimi prompted, knowing Stelle's mission and guiding her to a prime vantage point.
"Mm-hmm," Stelle nodded after a moment's reflection, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
She retrieved March 7th's blue camera and snapped a photo of the colossal tree.
"Heh," Stelle smirked, reviewing the photo on the camera. A confident expression spread across her face. "This photo deserves to be posted on the Cosmic Forum and win the 'Best of the Amber Era' award!"
Stelle's self-praise went unchallenged by the others.
This wasn't because Stelle's photography was particularly skilled, but rather because...
A photograph is inherently a personal keepsake, and its beauty lies entirely in the eye of the beholder.
If you find a photo beautiful, then it is beautiful.
If you believe a photo holds significant meaning, then it does hold significant meaning.
Everything depends on your own perception.
Well... that's assuming you don't post it online for others to critique.
If Stelle had shared the photo she just took, she'd be roasted alive...
After the photo was taken, Mimi voiced her curiosity about the massive tree, prompting the group to move on to the next topic.
Castorice began to explain.
"Everyone, don't you feel something's slightly off here?"
By now, the Black-Robed Swordsman had been restrained by Herta, and the Black Tide Spawn had been cleared away.
As a result, the Grove of Epiphany was entirely safe, save for the few Black Tide Spawn and the Black-Robed Swordsman that I had deliberately left behind to await our arrival.
Ah... these Black Tide Spawn were the kind I had controlled—docile, incapable of indiscriminate attacks, and simply waiting quietly for the group.
Thus, Lumina patiently waited for Castorice to finish explaining the towering tree before calmly interjecting with a gentle reminder.
"Hmm... Lumina's right. I feel like something's off here too," Mimi said, fluttering back and forth beside Stelle, agreeing with Lumina's words.
"Even in the dead of night, an academy shouldn't be this eerily quiet, right?"
"Hmm... you're right. It's definitely strange," Castorice murmured, snapping out of her nostalgic reverie about returning to The Grove. Her expression instantly turned grave.
"The Grove welcomes scholars with open arms. Calypso even sends gentle breezes to carry leaves, extending branches to form a path as a gesture of welcome."
"But now... neither the Grove's emissaries nor the Titans show any reaction at all..."
Staring at the eerily silent Grove before her, Castorice finally grasped the gravity of the situation.
"Teacher Trianne, everyone, please protect yourselves," she warned solemnly, momentarily forgetting to address Lumina formally.
Lumina watched Castorice's earnest demeanor with amusement, refraining from correcting her mistake or objecting to her presumptuous remark.
Trianne might need Castorice's protection, but Stelle certainly didn't.
As for herself and Herta?
Naturally, they needed protection too.
After all, what if they accidentally sank The Grove?