Screech—
After Anaxa's Memory Shard vanished, the locks in the center of the tightly shut door began to turn, shifting from red to blue. Finally, with a creak, the door slowly swung open.
"Wow, the door actually opened!" Mem exclaimed in surprise. "So that message was the key all along!"
"Truly miraculous."
"Mhm... Alchemy is just that incredible." Castorice nodded, her voice filled with deep respect for Anaxa.
...
Hearing Castorice's tone, Lumina felt a pang of jealousy.
Of course, she wasn't jealous of Anaxa himself.
She was only jealous of the respect Castorice held for him.
The respect Castorice showed Anaxa was completely different from the respect she showed Lumina.
If she could, Lumina would trade Castorice's respect for her with the kind she reserved for Anaxa.
Then, Castorice wouldn't be so tense around her.
And Lumina's "room for maneuver" with her would expand significantly.
Hmm... Of course, if things progressed rapidly enough to skip all the preliminary steps and jump straight to the main event—without needing to leverage that respect—Lumina would be perfectly fine with that too.
Lumina would feel a slight twinge of regret at losing a bit of romantic tension.
But if things were already progressing so rapidly, she'd just have to grit her teeth and sacrifice that small pleasure.
As Lumina reveled in this delightful fantasy, an aura imperceptible to ordinary people began to emanate from her.
Even if someone did notice it, 99.9% of them wouldn't understand its meaning.
Unfortunately for Lumina, Herta was part of that remaining 0.1%.
Sensing the aura around Lumina, Herta's small face immediately fell.
Observing Lumina's faint smile, her distant gaze fixed ahead yet unfocused on reality, Herta quickly pieced together the context. She knew exactly what Lumina was thinking.
She's probably fantasizing about something again, triggered by Castorice's respectful words about Anaxa.
Herta didn't know the specifics, but she could make an educated guess.
Respectful tone... combined with the fact that Lumina is always surrounded by beautiful girls...
She's probably imagining some kind of... Empire of Beautiful Girls?
In this Empire of Beautiful Girls, only beautiful girls existed. From the commoners to the emperor, everyone was a beautiful girl.
And Lumina, naturally, would be the Beautiful Girl Emperor.
In this empire, Lumina would enjoy absolute "command authority," spending her days... well...
Hmm...
Okay, that's just my fantasy.
Herta knew Lumina wouldn't actually do that.
At least, she definitely wouldn't summon several beautiful girls every day to... do things.
But building an Empire of Beautiful Girls? That was something she might genuinely attempt...
Sigh...
Herta sighed inwardly as she watched Lumina's profile, still lost in her own world.
When it came to Lumina, Herta felt a mixture of love and hate.
This "love and hate" referred to Lumina's personality and their interactions, not any romantic feelings.
If you were a beautiful girl, becoming her friend was as easy as drinking water.
The moment you met, you wouldn't even need to think of a plan. Lumina would sniff you out like a hound and proactively befriend you.
Unless your personality was completely incompatible with this direct approach, that was always the outcome.
If your personality made it difficult for Lumina to approach you directly, she'd simply get close to the people around you, infiltrating your circle step by step until she finally achieved her goal of becoming your friend.
In short, if you were a beautiful girl and Lumina met you, she wouldn't care about any obstacles or how difficult you were to get along with. She would never give up on the idea of befriending you.
For a beautiful girl who only wanted to be Lumina's friend—to hug her and hold her hand—this was like a gift from heaven.
But...
Given Lumina's stunning looks, her restless energy, and an aura that seemed to have a special effect on beautiful girls, could any of them truly spend time with her without developing... deeper feelings?
After all, Lumina's behavior with her friends was incredibly intimate.
Holding hands, hugging, occasional head pats...
If you acted just a little spoiled, you might even earn "sleeping in the same bed" or the "right to a lap pillow."
These actions would inevitably lead a beautiful girl to the life-altering delusion: Does she like me? Is she in love with me?
Lumina's behavior with beautiful girls was extremely intimate, but it never went beyond that level of intimacy.
If you wanted to take the relationship to the next level, it would be harder than climbing to heaven... No, climbing to heaven would be a cakewalk by comparison.
At that point, the beautiful girl would enter Hell Mode...
Next, dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting more, you'd bravely confess your feelings to Lumina. In return, you'd be met with a series of ruthless actions and words.
These included, but were not limited to: playing deaf, playing dumb, acting like a "wise big sister"... and so on.
Basically, you'd never get the answer you wanted.
To put it bluntly, she'd string you along—never giving you a "yes," but never giving you a "no" either. Just leaving you hanging indefinitely.
How did that line from the short video go again?
She's proactive, but not fully proactive. She rejects you, but not fully. She responds, but not fully...
Herta felt that line fit Lumina perfectly.
Like a super-scumbag, she'd make you think it was possible, but then it wasn't.
She'd make you think you had a chance, but then you didn't...
She'd always maintain that perfect balance, never crossing the line.
Leaving the beautiful girls trapped in Lumina's mire utterly bewildered.
As it happened, Herta was precisely this beautiful girl trapped in the mire.
Even after understanding Lumina's intentions—and despite how truly, truly outrageous she was—the thought of simply walking away had never once crossed Herta's mind...
It couldn't be helped. How could someone already sunk so deep in the mire possibly escape on their own?
...Though, a part of that was because Herta didn't actually want to get out.
Herta was genuinely curious—what exactly was Lumina's sexual orientation?
Was she a lesbian, or asexual?
If you called her asexual, it wouldn't fit. She was the type who couldn't walk straight whenever she saw a beautiful girl, the type who couldn't resist getting close and befriending them.
But if you called her a lesbian, that didn't fit either. She genuinely just wanted to be friends with these beautiful girls, showing no inclination whatsoever to develop a romantic relationship.
Then again, it made sense. If she did pursue romantic relationships... even as an Emanator of Abundance, she'd have to pick one: sore arms, sore legs, or a sore mouth.
Hmm... Or maybe all of them.
No, wait...
Why am I even thinking about this? Why am I picturing the "results screen" of Lumina being overwhelmed by her harem of beautiful girls?
Herta's mind raced with thoughts, but she quickly shook the image of Lumina being "counter-killed" by a group of beautiful girls from her head.
If anyone's going to "counter-kill" her, it should be me, and me alone! What's this about a whole group of girls?
Even if Herta couldn't handle Lumina on her own, her confidence, her pride, and her desire to possess Lumina completely would never allow her to even consider teaming up with other beautiful girls.
And certainly not to "devour" Lumina together.
Sharing a "gourmet meal" with others? What a joke.
If I can't have her, no one can.
Herta was bothered by Lumina's daily flirting and cuddling with other beautiful girls, but she never said anything.
But sharing the "main course"? Herta would never, ever permit it.
If I can't have her, then no one gets to!
Of course, even if she did get to "eat" her, no one else would.
Unless Lumina initiates it... After all, if Lumina actively requested it, Herta couldn't really do anything about it.
She couldn't just storm off in a huff, right? That would be a total loss.
After all, her leaving in a fit of anger wouldn't stop Lumina from doing it anyway.
In that case, she'd end up losing everything—both the small gains and the grand prize.
So, if Lumina were to undergo a massive change later on—suddenly becoming incredibly generous, incredibly... well, Herta didn't know how to describe it.
Anyway, if she changed into the kind of person who wanted multiple beautiful girls to share a single "gourmet meal"...
...then even if Herta hated the idea, she'd have no choice but to let it happen.
Hmm... But Herta does have one bottom line.
And that is...
Every single time, I must be included!
[Incompetent Husband...]
The moment Herta made this decision in her mind, a line of text materialized before her eyes.
"..."
What on earth am I even thinking...?
Seeing the text, Herta instantly snapped back to her senses.
Determined, my ass! Isn't this exactly the kind of behavior from those incompetent husbands in the short video plots Herta always scrolls through?
Lumina can only be mine, and she must be mine alone!
When it comes to this "food," Lumina can only belong to me!
Firming this thought in her mind, Herta forced herself to stop thinking further, lest her thoughts stray again.
Snapping back to reality, she realized not much time had passed in the outside world.
The massive doors before them were now fully open. Stelle, Castorice, and Mem were just about to step inside, heading toward the Throne of Enlightenment that Anaxa had mentioned.
Seeing this, Herta glanced at Lumina, who was still lost in her own fantasy.
A surge of irritation welled up inside her. Without hesitation, she raised her elbow and jabbed Lumina sharply, jolting her back to reality.
"Ouch!"
Herta's elbow strike wasn't overly forceful, but it wasn't light either—clearly delivered in a state of mild annoyance.
So, when the jab yanked her back to the real world, Lumina let out a startled cry.
Lumina turned to Herta, who stood beside her with arms crossed, her expression utterly unreadable. Two tiny question marks seemed to pop up in Lumina's pretty, small eyes.
With a hint of timidity, she blinked in confusion, wondering when she had managed to annoy Herta this time.
"Sister Lumina, is everything alright?"
The trio, who had just started walking, heard the commotion behind them and stopped.
Stelle, acting as the spokesperson, turned and asked with a puzzled look.
"It's nothing."
Since Herta's tendency to get lost in wild thoughts wasn't a new development, Lumina didn't pay it much mind.
Without dwelling on it or asking any questions, she glanced at Herta once more before looking away.
Smiling warmly, she nodded at Stelle, Mem, and Castorice.
"We're heading to the Luminary Throne now, right?"
The Luminary Throne... From what Lumina recalled, that should be the place where the Sickly Scholar—Anaxa—had died.
Wait, that sounds a bit ominous, doesn't it?
Let's rephrase: it's the place where Anaxa rests peacefully.
"Yes," Stelle confirmed. "The Coreflame is there, along with Teacher Anaxa and the others from The Grove."
"Regardless of their current situation, we must go and see for ourselves."
Castorice explained briefly, her hands folded neatly in front of her waist.
We need to find them, dead or alive. That's probably what she means, Lumina thought.
And the Titan Coreflame... It's not just tied to Aglaea's directive; it's the lifeline for all the people of Okhema and Amphoreus. It must be retrieved.
No matter what dangers lie ahead, the Coreflame must be recovered.
"Alright, let's hurry," Lumina said, nodding at Castorice with a smile that made the other girl blush again.
Lumina absolutely adored how easily Castorice got flustered.
"Hmph. Let's go." As if reading Lumina's mind once more, Herta bumped her with her body, giving her a firm shove.
Then, without waiting for Lumina to say anything, Herta quickened her pace, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the others.
Heh.
Lumina paid no mind to Herta's latest inexplicable shove.
Even if Herta bumped her ten thousand times a minute, Lumina wouldn't care in the slightest.
Can't be helped, Lumina thought. When it comes to beautiful girls—especially one of Herta's caliber—such a trivial matter, less significant than a speck of dust, is completely beneath my notice.
With a light snort, she hurried to catch up.
As she drew alongside Herta, Lumina briefly considered taking advantage of Herta's back being turned. As she passed, she could give Herta's butt a firm slap—just to tease and play with her.
But unfortunately, Herta wasn't alone. If Lumina slapped her hard enough to draw the attention of the other three, Madam Herta would die of social embarrassment on the spot.
However, Lumina did have a way to slap Herta's butt without causing social death.
That was... to slap all four of their butts: Herta's, Stelle's, Castorice's, and Mem's...
Under those circumstances, Herta certainly wouldn't die of social embarrassment.
Lumina herself, however, definitely would...
Herta would probably be flustered and angry. Stelle might not care? Or maybe she'd want to slap back.
Mem would probably be stunned at first, then shyly scold me for my indecent behavior toward a beautiful girl.
As for Castorice...
Hmm, she'd probably turn into a steam-powered maiden on the spot, right?
Lumina fantasized inwardly.
A moment later, despite the extreme temptation, Lumina abandoned the idea.
After all...
Lumina still had some sense of shame...