As soon as Nolan entered the Void Star Sea, he saw Silver Wolf frantically typing on a holographic keyboard, attempting to escape using Aether Editing.
Kafka, standing beside her, noticed his arrival and let out a faint sigh before pressing a hand onto Silver Wolf's shoulder.
"Sigh… forget it. Stop. We've lost."
"Damn it, what the hell is this place?!" Silver Wolf bit her lip, flung the keyboard aside, turned her fair and pretty face away, and shot Nolan a fierce glare.
Nolan spread his hands helplessly. "Well… this is a space under my control. It's not like the objective, passive reality outside that you can casually rewrite."
"Very well, Mr. Security Consultant," Kafka asked calmly. "It seems we've failed this time. Since you've kept us alive until now, I assume we're still of use to you. What do you intend to do with us? Or rather, what do you want from us?"
Even in such a situation, she remained composed and unflustered. Perhaps that was the poise of a true powerhouse.
As the deputy leader of the Stellaron Hunters, she was practically second in command. Her mental fortitude was undoubtedly extraordinary, the kind of person who treated life and death lightly and possessed unfathomable depth.
With someone like her, even threats against her life would likely accomplish nothing.
If one wanted her to obey willingly, it would be nearly impossible unless one could offer something she desperately needed, tempting her with benefits through employment or partnership.
Perhaps that was how their leader, Elio, operated as well. But for Nolan, it did not matter.
With Command Seals at his disposal, he could mold Kafka however he pleased.
Looking at Kafka, who showed not the slightest hint of tension despite being captured, even appearing faintly at ease, Nolan suddenly felt an urge to tease her a little.
With a smile, he said,
"You're right. A deputy leader of the Stellaron Hunters and a top tier hacker of the universe are both high level talents. I want you to work for me."
"What? Work for you? Can you offer what Elio can?" the silver haired girl retorted bluntly.
"Elio is your boss, right? I don't know what he promised you, but what does it matter? I'm simply informing you that as defeated captives, you now belong to me. So you'll have to listen to me."
Nolan shrugged.
"Tch!"
Silver Wolf curled her lips, clearly unconvinced. If she were set free, she would surely bolt immediately. Though Kafka remained silent, she seemed to feel much the same.
"Oh? It seems you still haven't grasped the situation." Nolan chuckled, then crooked a finger at Silver Wolf. "Come here. Let me pinch your cheek."
"Huh? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Silver Wolf snapped. Yet to her horror, her body began moving against her will. Before long, she had walked right up to him.
Nolan pinched her cheek, pulling and kneading it up, down, left, and right as he smiled.
"See? I said I was only informing you. Whether you like it or not, you'll comply."
"Mmph… bastard! What… did you do to me…" Silver Wolf glared at him angrily, her words coming out muffled through her squeezed cheeks.
"Nothing much. You'll just have to obey my magic from now on."
After teasing Silver Wolf, Nolan turned his mischievous gaze toward Kafka.
"Your turn. Come here."
At his words, Kafka's expression darkened, yet her body, just like Silver Wolf's, moved completely beyond her control as she walked up to him.
She simply could not imagine how humiliating it would be to have her cheeks pinched like a child. Gritting her teeth, she said,
"We're already under your control. Is there any need to humiliate us like this?"
"It's precisely so you'll remember it clearly," Nolan replied, pinching Kafka's soft cheeks and kneading them up, down, left, and right just as he had done to Silver Wolf.
Though Kafka was displeased, she could not resist and could only endure it calmly.
After teasing Kafka and Silver Wolf for a while, Nolan noticed that the gray haired girl lying within the Void Star Sea seemed to be slowly waking up as well.
As if recalling something, his eyes gradually turned golden as he looked at her.
[Level: 120]
[Affection Skill Potential: Gold]
[Stelle: A girl who has lost her former memories. The deputy leader of the Stellaron Hunters, Kafka, fused a Stellaron into her body. She harbors immense potential. When the time is right, she may step onto multiple Paths simultaneously, becoming a rare multi Path Pathstrider.]
A multi Path Pathstrider. Even Nolan could not help but feel astonished.
Under normal circumstances, even if a person were compatible with multiple Paths, they could only ever walk one.
Once a Path was chosen, it was impossible to step onto another, nor could one abandon the original Path to transfer to a different one.
Even Paths with closely related concepts, such as Destruction and Finality, were incompatible in that regard.
Yet this girl possessed the possibility of walking multiple Paths at once.
If her growth proceeded smoothly, she might eventually forge a Path that embodied the powers of all Aeons, surpass every Aeon, and become the strongest of them all. The thought felt almost absurd.
If the galaxy had a protagonist like Lumine on Teyvat, then it would undoubtedly be this gray haired girl.
"Where… is this?" The gray, shoulder length haired girl sat up from the ground, gazing at the star filled surroundings with a slightly confused expression.
"You're awake. This is a personal space of mine. Do you feel any discomfort?" Nolan walked over and helped her to her feet.
He then noticed that she was slightly taller than him. Well, perhaps it was because, like Acting Grand Master Jean, she was wearing heeled boots.
"Thank you… Who are you? Who am I?"
After thanking him, the gray haired girl turned to face Nolan. As she asked her question instinctively, she suddenly realized that not only did she not know who the young man before her was, she did not even know who she herself was.
"My name is Nolan. I'm the one who happened to pick you up. As for who you are…" He turned to look at Kafka and Silver Wolf, whose cheeks were still faintly flushed from being kneaded. "Let the two who abandoned you explain."
Following his gaze, the gray haired girl looked toward the two girls, one tall and one shorter, confusion appearing on her fair face.
Her eyes moved back and forth between them before finally settling on the woman with violet red hair and round tinted sunglasses perched atop her head. Subconsciously, she spoke.
"Kafka?"
The moment the name left her lips, the girl herself felt puzzled.
Why did she know that name?
(End of Chapter)
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