Since these monsters were merely illusions crafted by Lumina's power, they remained motionless on the ground, not attacking the group upon their arrival.
After a brief observation, the group confirmed that the monsters were all creations born from the Black Tide. Unaware of the intimate exchange happening between Lumina and Herta at that moment, they relayed the Grove's situation to Tribbie through Trianne's connection, seeking further instructions from Tribbie and Aglaea.
Before long, Aglaea's orders were transmitted to Trianne via Tribbie.
Trianne then shared the instructions with the others.
"Alright... Little Grey, Cas, I'll take on the task of finding Little Anaxa and everyone else!"
"Trianne is really good at finding people! I can fly high up in the sky!"
After a brief discussion, Stelle, Castorice, Mem, and Trianne decided that Trianne would be responsible for locating Anaxa and the other survivors of the Grove.
"Very well. Lady Trianne should take the [Weft-Guide]. The Golden Threads will likely be far more effective from a high vantage point."
Castorice nodded in agreement with Trianne's proposal, raising no objections.
In most situations, flying provided a wider and more comprehensive view than walking on the ground, making it far better for searching.
Among those present, only Mem and Trianne could fly, aside from Lumina and Herta.
Mem's small size made her ideal for stealth, but she couldn't fly very high or stray too far from Stelle. That left Trianne as the only viable candidate for the task.
As for Lumina and Herta... Hmm...
Castorice decided it was best not to say anything unless they spoke up first.
At least for now, the situation seemed manageable.
"Lady Lumi... Sister Lumina, Big Sister Herta, what are your thoughts?" Castorice turned to face Lumina and Herta behind her, oblivious to the slightly tense atmosphere between them, and softly inquired about their opinions.
Although Castorice didn't know the full extent of their power, she could infer a great deal from Lady Aglaea's attitude toward them.
After all, Castorice had written plenty of stories about... well, about overpowered protagonists, both male and female.
If they were willing to help, nothing could be better.
"Yes, let's proceed as Little Sister Castorice suggests." Hearing Castorice's words, Lumina stopped dwelling on Herta and offered Castorice a reassuring smile.
Mmm... Castorice still wasn't entirely used to that title. Every time she heard it, a flush of warmth spread through her.
But after being called "Little Sister Castorice" so many times by Lumina, she was gradually growing accustomed to it.
Though the warmth still came, it was much less intense than before.
Perhaps after a few more times, or if my relationship with Lumina grows a little closer, I'll finally get completely used to it, she thought.
Pushing the thought aside, Castorice began giving Trianne a series of safety instructions.
"Mhm, mhm! Don't you worry, Cas!" Trianne replied with a confident smile, hands on her hips.
"Little Grey, Cas, Little Mem, Sister Lumina, and Big Sister Herta, let the brave Trianne clear the way for everyone!"
After shouting loudly, Trianne took off, her short little legs pumping as she ran ahead.
"Little Trianne is so full of energy! I can't let myself be left behind!" Seeing Trianne's enthusiasm, Mem's own spirit was ignited.
"I'll use my unique power—the power of Oronyx—to help all my dear companions!"
Mem puffed out her chest, radiating the confidence of someone determined to catch the culprit, find Anaxa, and rescue all the survivors within ten minutes.
As they continued forward, Mem used her temporal powers on the Black Tide Spawn they encountered along the way, but none yielded any useful clues.
Soon, the group arrived before a locked gate.
"Hmm..." Castorice stepped forward and pressed her hand against the gate.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand and shook her head. "It won't open. They must have sealed it to keep the Black Tide out."
"Hmph." Hearing this, Stelle didn't bother with puzzles or asking Castorice what to do.
Instead, a Dragon King-like smirk spread across her lips. Searing flames erupted in her hand, coalescing into a War-Flaming Lance.
She aimed the lance at the sealed gate and shouted her attack's name.
"Flaming Lance, Charge!"
The ignited spear tip struck the door, sending sparks flying everywhere and nearly setting Mem's beautiful tail ablaze.
But perhaps because the Flaming Lance was merely a Path of Preservation ability, the door remained utterly unchanged despite enduring such a powerful charge.
"Stelle..." Mem was speechless at her companion's crude behavior, so unbecoming of a beautiful girl.
Her little face fell, and she was about to scold and correct her. But the next second, seeing Stelle preparing to strike the door again, Mem frantically grabbed her by the waist and tugged at the hem of her clothes, silently pleading, Can you please stop wasting your energy on such a pointless effort?
"Miss, there's no need to exert yourself further."
"Janus's power is far more resilient than we imagined."
Like Mem, Castorice quickly intervened as Stelle prepared to attack again.
"Hmm..." Stelle's reaction was unusually subdued. After a brief moment of thought, she retracted her Flaming Lance.
Stelle? Mem wondered, suspicious. Since when did she become so obedient?
She placed one hand on her hip, pointed at the sealed gate with the other, and turned to Lumina. "Sister Lumina, hurry up and use your miraculous and powerful strength to break down this gate blocking our path!"
"Uh..." Hearing this, Mem realized she had indeed been overthinking things.
"That won't be necessary." Lumina gently shook her head and continued, "There's an energy attached to this place. Judging by the timing, it should be emerging soon."
As Lumina's words fell, a Memory Crystal suddenly materialized before them.
It depicted a man dressed in scholar's robes. The specific details were unclear, as the Memory Crystal was monochromatic, preventing the eye from discerning finer points.
"Mem!"
At the sudden appearance of the man, Stelle and Mem instantly went on high alert.
"Teacher Anaxa?" Seeing the man appear through the Memory Crystal, Castorice's eyes widened, a hint of joy spreading across her face.
Just as Castorice finished speaking, Anaxa's voice rang out: "My name is Anaxagoras, one of the Seven Sages of the Grove of Epiphany, and the founder of the School of Sapience."
"Let's get this straight: First, don't call me Anaxa."
Anaxa crossed his arms, seemingly correcting Castorice.
Castorice, however, showed no emotion, as if she hadn't heard him at all.
"Uh... Anaxag... Never mind, never mind. I'll just call you Anaxa." The name Anaxagoras was such a mouthful that Mem felt her head spin. She decided not to dwell on it. Since Castorice was calling him Anaxa, she would too.
"Now, can you answer—"
"Second, do not interrupt me. Silence is golden." Though merely a Memory Crystal, Anaxa seemed to anticipate Mem's question. After a brief pause, he cut her off mid-sentence.
Mem swayed in the air. "This guy is so difficult to deal with."
"Teacher Anaxa's personality... well, it's always been like this." As his student, Castorice knew Anaxa's temperament all too well.
"Is this the guy who died on the throne back then?" Although the Memory Shard's nature made Anaxa's features indistinct, Herta could still recognize him.
At the very least, she found him familiar, having seen him not long ago.
He was that Sickly Scholar, the one who looked like a strong gust of wind could kill him.
"Be more confident. Drop the 'is this'—it is him." Lumina saw no need to hide such a minor detail.
She lowered her voice, speaking at a volume only Herta could hear, and answered the question.
Herta's expression remained unchanged upon hearing the confirmation.
She asked doubtfully, "So, what exactly is your goal?"
Herta couldn't understand Lumina's motive. Why had she sought out the Black-Robed Swordsman and had Herta imprison him there, all to protect a man who was already dead?
If either of them had been a beautiful girl, Herta might have understood.
But neither of them was a beautiful girl, and they likely had nothing Lumina wanted. So, what was the real purpose of her actions?
It couldn't just be for fun, could it?
Hmm... even if it was for fun, Herta couldn't see what was so amusing about it.
Based on Herta's understanding of Lumina, she should have either taken advantage of Castorice and the others' absence to cozy up to Aglaea and Hyacine in Okhema, or stuck to Castorice and Mem throughout this journey, getting up to... something.
Wait, that's exactly what she's been doing.
Never mind, then.
"You guess," Lumina replied, refusing to answer Herta's question and leaving her to figure it out herself.
At the same time, she didn't exploit Herta's curiosity to manipulate her.
Given Herta's complex feelings toward her, Lumina was determined not to repeat her previous, amateurish mistakes.
Of course, even if she did slip up, Lumina wouldn't give Herta the slightest chance to gain the upper hand.
It couldn't be helped. The power gap between them was too vast; Lumina had infinite chances to cheat.
After all, she and Herta were already in a fundamentally unequal relationship.
Though they were both human, Herta was a genius.
If Lumina didn't use her power to resist, Herta, with her absolute intellect, could manipulate her as easily as breathing.
Therefore, to maintain a "relatively equal" state, if Herta had superior intellect, Lumina had to have superior power. Only then could they achieve a "relatively equal, relatively balanced" dynamic.
To counter Herta's intellect, I must use my power to keep her in check, Lumina thought, though she knew there was a hint of cheating involved...
Okay, more than just a hint.
Lumina grumbled silently. Even if I'm always cheating, who cares? I'm thick-skinned enough.
As long as I don't flinch while cheating, and as long as I don't think I'm cheating, then it doesn't count as cheating, right?
"..."
Though these thoughts remained unspoken and unbetrayed by her expression...
...but Herta could guess a great deal from Lumina's "punchable" expression and her previous cheating.
Something like, "I have brains, she has power. It's fair, it's balanced..."
"Balanced my ass..." Herta grumbled silently.
What do you mean, if I use my intellect, you have to use your power?
Are those two really balanced? Can my intellect and your power truly be considered equal?
No matter how brilliant Madam Herta's intellect, no matter how perfect her plans, they were utterly useless against Lumina's absolute power if Lumina decided to resist.
The only exception was the scene in the small forest, where Herta had relentlessly provoked Lumina with words, inciting her desire and impulse until Lumina forcefully... cough cough... initiated certain unspeakable acts.
Even then, Lumina had remained dominant, leaving Herta with a bitter taste in her mouth.
Herta wanted to be the "older sister," the one who dominated Lumina.
But that was easier said than done. In reality, it was incredibly difficult.
With her brilliant mind, Herta could only think of one method.
First, let Lumina feast to her heart's content. Once she was satisfied and full, Herta would propose an activity that would offer Lumina a novel experience.
In other words, Herta would become the dominant one, the "eater," while Lumina would become the passive one, the "eaten."
According to Herta's calculations, this method had a nearly 100% success rate.
However, there was one flaw.
Herta had no idea when Lumina would ever be "full."
It could take a year, a decade, a century, or even a millennium. Herta couldn't wait that long.
But aside from this method, Herta couldn't find any other effective solutions.
"Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time."
She had only devised this plan after arriving at Amphoreus.
If she could find one method, Herta was confident she could find another to turn Lumina into her "little sister," into the "eaten" one.
With this realization, Herta stopped dwelling on the matter, shook the thoughts from her mind, and refocused on the present.
At that moment, Anaxa's message was nearing its end.
"Now, proceed to the Throne of Enlightenment."
"Reclaim the Coreflame... and our remains."
Anaxa delivered these horrifying words with chilling calm.
"Thus, the project is complete. My words are finished."
With that, Anaxa's Memory Shard completely dissipated.