Looking at the snake coiled up on her bed—who knows how long she'd been lying in ambush there—and currently wrapped around her body like a water snake, Lynelle felt her breath catch in her throat.
Wait, is this how it's supposed to go?
Isn't this the part where I'm supposed to get a good night's sleep, then head back to World Serpent tomorrow to beg Klein for help, sneak back through a special Elysian Realm passage, and by the time Snake finds out, I'll have already rounded up a bunch of people to plead my case, finally resolving this crisis smoothly?
How come Snake just showed up directly at the Salt Lake base to corner me?
Didn't they say the Flame-Chasers couldn't interfere with the main world for extended periods?
That's not how the script goes at all—Kevin, where's Kevin when you need him, save me!
"Oh, my dear little pink mouse... you seem surprised?"
Because of the height difference, plus the fact that Mobius had emerged from under the covers, the petite green-haired loli nimbly slid upward just a bit to ensure she wouldn't be blocked by Lynelle's two prominent, full mounds.
"N-no, not at all, Doctor. Look at you, coming to see me without even telling me. Oh, by the way, the party outside isn't over yet, Doctor, would you like to come have some—"
Before Lynelle could finish, a sharp sting shot through her chest, followed by Snake's faintly amused voice.
"Heh, my little pink mouse has grown up... actually thinking you could exploit my weakness for drinking to get me drunk?"
Mobius propped herself up slightly, wearing an expression that clearly said, 'Go ahead, keep performing.'
"Indeed, such a disobedient child really does deserve proper punishment..."
"W-well, can I still explain? I really didn't plan on using the self-destruct method from the start, you know? It was purely due to circumstances, plus if I hadn't done that, Bronya might have actually been in real danger..."
"Mm, nicely said." The corner of Snake's mouth curled slightly.
"I do believe the latter part... but, my dear little pink mouse, do you know something?"
"Kn-know what..."
"That Elysia, as a traitor who deceived everyone, actually couldn't lie at all?"
"Even when deliberately 'misleading' with truths, or making harmless little jokes with others, her gaze would wander just slightly—that was her tell for guilt."
"If you watched carefully, it was actually quite obvious."
"And you... have fully inherited this 'charm'~"
"That's not true..." Lynelle instinctively averted her gaze, refuting somewhat guiltily.
Yet the next second, she realized her behavior perfectly matched Snake's description, and somewhat awkwardly met Snake's faintly amused, slit-pupiled eyes again.
"So, you have no room for argument now, do you?"
Snake shook her head slightly while her fingers began to wander restlessly.
"I recall telling you before that if you didn't start cherishing your body, I'd administer some special little 'punishment'... So a certain naughty child must have mentally prepared themselves when they decided to use the self-destruct tactic, right?"
Damn it, past me...
Lynelle was on the verge of tears at this point, her misty pink eyes already growing hazy under Snake's nimble movements.
"At, at least... not here, let's go back to the Elysian Realm first..."
"Really?" Snake tilted her head slightly. "You chose this... yourself, okay?"
"Huh?"
Before Lynelle could react, Snake had already used the Corruption Virus within Lynelle to complete the conversion of the girl's data form, then activated a one-time data channel she'd set up during her idle morning, bringing Lynelle back to the Elysian Realm.
And then... Lynelle instantly realized she'd fallen into a trap.
Because this the Elysian Realm area wasn't Mobius's laboratory section—it was... a pink space.
Who in the Elysian Realm would decorate their memory space with pink? Such a mystery.
"I knew it, sweet little Lynelle wouldn't forget about the lonely Miss Pink Elf~"
The Miss Pink Elf, who'd been waiting long in advance, smiled sweetly as she pulled the slightly smaller Lynelle directly into her embrace.
"W-wait, if it's the two of you together, I'll break!"
"As the Herrscher of Corruption, you can repair your body anytime using the Elysian Realm data, so not only won't you break, if there's enough data you can even become an eternal fountain~"
"Told you not to come to the Elysian Realm..." Snake shook her head helplessly, then "disdainfully" pushed Elysia aside a bit.
"Elysia, you've gained weight again—"
"Have not! A beautiful maiden's weight never changes!"
Following that, within this tightly sealed region, all sorts of bizarre watery sounds began to echo—sounds that could make anyone's imagination run wild.
--+--
Three days later.
"I was such a fool, truly. I thought snakes only had long mating periods in nature—didn't realize it applies to MANTIS soldiers too..."
Lynelle lay on the bed, which still carried a strange odor, her head fuzzy and her gaze vacant.
Though, it was hard to blame Snake entirely.
First, her special abilities meant she had no refractory period whatsoever; second... given Snake's level of tsundere (affection) toward Elysia, seeing two Elysias, one big one small, stacked up on the bed—it was only natural she couldn't control herself.
"No no no..."
Lynelle sat up abruptly.
So much time had passed during this stay, and she still hadn't handled her business!
She needed to find Elysia and Vill-V quickly, then head back to St. Freya—truly, wine and women are the downfall of progress!
Realizing her time wasn't exactly abundant, Lynelle quickly dressed and headed to where Elysia usually hung out—
"Huh, Lynelle?" Seeing the pink-haired girl running toward her, Elysia blinked in slight surprise, then immediately flashed a sweet smile.
"I thought you'd sleep longer, given how much energy you expended the past couple days... Something up?"
"Silly Elysia... you're at least half responsible for my energy expenditure." Lynelle's pretty face flushed, then she leaned close to Elysia's ear and murmured a few sentences.
Elysia blinked in confusion.
"Why do you suddenly want that, Lynelle?"
"Because I have a theory lately and want to test it out—anyway, help me, Elysia!"
"Alright alright, Elysia will answer all your expectations~"
Elysia patted Lynelle's little head.
"It's just, I actually don't know how to make that thing either, so you'll still need to go find Vill-V. As for the ELF Elysia you want... I'll go get it for you."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.