(It's Elias! He finally made it through!)
Eden stared at the transaction alerts on her terminal. The sudden rush of surprise nearly made her drop her wine glass.
The singer's golden eyes softened with warmth—the long wait had finally come to an end.
(Finally... I've waited so long, and you're finally here.)
Eden downed her glass in a single graceful motion, finding the wine infinitely more delicious than it had been just seconds ago.
In truth, Elias had misunderstood. He believed the system's rewards appeared from thin air—but that wasn't the case at all.
The settlement rewards from the Previous Era came from the deep bonds he had formed with the Flame-Chasers. Thus, the money in that black card naturally came from Eden herself.
As for how Eden could possibly possess such vast wealth even after the Previous Era had been reset—
That was simple. She'd earned it all over again.
After all, the Elysian Realm was no longer the same one from the original timeline. The people within it were not mere memory imprints, but living, breathing Flame-Chasers—each of whom could enter and leave the Realm freely.
In fact, many of the Flame-Chasers had appeared throughout various eras of the Current Civilization. None of them were shut-ins; they often ventured out to experience new ages and fresh wonders.
Among them, Eden was one of the most active. Though she had no interest in money, she was deeply passionate about art—and she could be found in every era where art flourished.
Legends of a goddess who ruled over music and beauty—the Muse of the modern world—were all inspired by her. Time and again, her songs had shaken entire civilizations with their divine resonance.
And with each passing age, Eden's wealth continued to grow.
It was worth remembering that in the Previous Era, she had amassed a fortune rivaling nations in less than ten years purely through her art. Now, across the endless years of the Current Era, her fortune had multiplied to a staggering degree—far beyond what she once possessed.
At this point, if she wished, Eden could easily buy half the world.
And yet, she had never tried to make money—it simply came to her on its own. Like a certain golden hero, her [Gold] Signet seemed to bless her with an unending flow of wealth.
As for why her bank accounts and passwords were identical to those of the Previous Era? That, too, was intentional. It was for Elias' convenience.
Every major bank on the planet was more than happy to comply with the whims of the world's most powerful heiress—after all, the scales of global finance now rested in the hands of the Flame-Chaser of [Gold].
If she wished, Eden could bankrupt St. Freya Academy, Schicksal, and Anti-Entropy within a single month.
However... she was not entirely pleased.
(Elias, did you really spend only this little? How disappointing. Spend more—spend billions!)
Eden frowned lightly as she glanced over the total of ten billion in transactions. For her, it was practically pocket change.
She didn't see herself as particularly strong—her way of supporting the one she loved was through song and wealth. Yet Elias was being far too modest.
To her, this was like a rich heiress urging her boyfriend to be more extravagant—only to watch him use her card to buy something worth ten cents.
(Spend more, Elias! My wealth is your wealth. If you don't use it, what's the point of letting it pile up like worthless paper in vaults around the world? I'd rather burn it all to ashes!)
"Eden? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"Did something happen?"
Elysia and Aponia both looked at their usually composed friend in concern. For a moment, Eden had completely lost her elegance—something neither of them had ever seen before.
What on earth could make Eden react like this? Could it be... that Fu Hua's modest A had suddenly turned into a grand D?
"...It's nothing," Eden replied softly. "I just had a sudden spark of inspiration for a new song. I'm sorry, Elysia, Aponia—I'll have to leave the tea party early. I must seize this inspiration before it fades."
Eden took a deep breath and quickly regained her composure, suppressing her excitement as she rose to her feet.
"Ah, so it's music, then. If something could make you show that kind of expression, Eden, this new song of yours will surely be sung for generations to come. When you're done, I want to be the first to hear it," Elysia said, resting her chin on her palm with a bright, expectant smile.
"Of course, my dear Ely. Once it's finished, I'll sing it for you~"
Eden's expression softened, yet a hint of guilt flickered in her eyes as she looked at the radiant girl before her. Years of sisterhood had built an unshakable bond between them, and now she felt a pang of guilt over her own intentions.
She should tell Elysia the truth—
Tell her that Elias had returned, that they could finally reunite with him.
After all, as the closest friend of Miss Pink Elf, Eden knew better than anyone how deeply Elysia had missed him over these long years.
And yet...
"Ely, listen to me for a moment."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Elysia blinked curiously as Eden filled her glass and raised it toward her.
"What I have to say... is in the wine. Cheers."
"Huh? Oh—cheers!"
Elysia clinked her glass with Eden's, still looking confused, then took a sip—just as her golden-haired friend drained her own in one elegant motion and turned to leave without looking back.
(There. Now the guilt's gone!)
Longing? Who didn't feel it?
Eden didn't believe her yearning for Elias was any less than Elysia's. Information sharing? What a joke! If she told her now, how could she sneak off first?!
(My dearest Ely, you already won enough back in the Previous Era. But times have changed. Now... it's my turn!)
(Still, this is odd. Isn't Hua at St. Freya Academy with Elias? Why hasn't she reported back yet? Don't tell me... she's finally learned to keep secrets?)
At that thought, Eden paused mid-step, her face showing genuine surprise. The reason she'd sent Fu Hua to make contact—besides following Elias' plan—was because the Immortal Phoenix was the most honest Flame-Chaser of them all!
Anyone else would've run off immediately.
But Fu Hua wouldn't even consider sneaking away.
(How surprising... even Hua's grown. But also... how tragic. The most honest among us has learned to lie.)
With that thought, Eden quickened her pace.
She returned to her memory domain and changed into the outfit she'd prepared for this day—the [Crimson Carol] gown. Her beauty, already enough to topple kingdoms, shone even more brilliantly with a touch of light makeup.
Looking at her flawless reflection, the Radiant Song gave herself a small smile of encouragement.
Then, she headed toward the exit of the Elysian Realm. After confirming no one else was around, she prepared to leave.
However—
"Where are you going, Eden?"
"..."
She didn't need to turn around. The voice came from behind, but she knew instantly who it belonged to. Eden sighed softly, her tone filled with reluctant resignation.
"So you found me after all, Aponia."
"Well, I am a psychic-type, after all."
Turning around, Eden saw Aponia standing there—dressed not in her usual robes, but in a black-and-white qipao embroidered with butterfly motifs, perfectly accentuating her divine figure.
Eden's eye twitched. She recognized it as the dress she'd given Aponia long ago—and instantly regretted ever gifting it.
It seemed she could hide from the pink elf, but not from the mind-reading moth.
"..."
"..."
The two women stood in silence, staring at each other. The air between them grew tense. Eden's twin pistols materialized in her hands, while Aponia's circular blades floated behind her.
But a moment later, both of them lowered their weapons.
"Eh~ forget it. If we fought here, even if you managed to restrain me, Aponia, the commotion would draw the others right away."
"Indeed. Even if I used [Discipline] to force you to keep silent, Eden, if Elysia were to find out, she would surely become suspicious."
"...You didn't tell her either?"
Eden raised an eyebrow—not surprised, but slightly amused.
"Of course not. We're comrades, after all. I also put what I wanted to say... into the wine. But I believe Elysia will eventually understand it on her own," Aponia said with a serene, saintly smile.
Eden blinked, then let out a quiet chuckle.
The world where only the pink elf suffers... was complete.
"Alright, since our thoughts align, and neither of us can get rid of the other... let's form an alliance."
"That was exactly my intention. If neither of us speaks, then no one else will ever know. Let's cooperate, Eden."
The two women clasped hands.
They both understood perfectly—whatever sisterhood had existed between them ended here.
From this moment onward, they were co-conspirators.
Trust? That no longer existed. What bound them now was mutual leverage and fragile equilibrium. And sometimes, such a balance was far more reliable than trust.
For their shared desire.
For the one they both longed for.
For ensuring that the pink elf would never rise again.
They would never betray each other—not until their goals were achieved.
"Since we're allies now, we should exchange intel. Eden, what did you learn from the tea party earlier? How's Elias doing now?"
"The details are still unclear. I only discovered that he used my bank card. Having the banks set my account to match the one from the Previous Era turned out to be a wise decision. Also... it seems Hua has betrayed the organization."
"...I see. How unfortunate. But knowing her nature, I doubt anything serious has happened yet."
Aponia looked slightly surprised but soon regained her calm. In the future she had once seen, Fu Hua still had a long, long road before ascending to her true self.
(Hm? Did I see that right? In the future, Hua will lose... to herself? What kind of path is this?)
Ever since Elias had completely rewritten fate, Aponia's ability to see the future had grown unstable. Still, she could glimpse fragments—enough to understand the general flow of destiny.
Eden's reason for proposing an alliance wasn't just because it was the only choice in that moment—it was because Aponia's powers complemented her own.
Money power might be limitless, but not omnipotent.
[Discipline] was effective, but not something that could be used recklessly.
"So, Aponia, what did you see in the future?"
"Not the details, but I can tell that joining the battlefield now isn't too late. We'll gain... quite a lot."
"Hehe~ That's more than enough."
Eden nodded in satisfaction. Having a prophet as an ally was truly convenient—it meant having information others didn't.
The two of them left the Elysian Realm side by side.
"Looks like you already have a plan, Eden," Aponia said, glancing at her partner with anticipation. She knew her own methods were... morally questionable, and she needed someone who could plan things properly.
"Yes, leave it to me."
Eden smiled faintly as she pulled out her terminal and her bank card.
"Although directly meeting Elias would be nice... let's build a bit of an advantage first. Allow me to... buy a few billion things."
It was time to demonstrate her true money power.
...
At St. Freya Academy, inside the principal's office—
"Uuuugh... even though everyone's been working so hard lately, they can't just keep blowing up the training hall every day! The academy's running out of funds!"
Theresa lay slumped in her chair, sipping bitter melon juice while reading a Homu manga, anxiety clouding her expression as she pondered the future of St. Freya.
Even ignoring the training hall expenses, ever since Elias defeated Otto during the Fourth Eruption, large numbers of Schicksal Valkyries had defected to St. Freya Academy.
Although St. Freya Academy's campus was vast enough to accommodate the influx of Valkyries, the sudden surge in population caused its funding requirements to skyrocket to astronomical levels.
Dormitories and teaching materials weren't a problem—but the real issue lay in the sheer consumption of armors, weapons, and various supplies.
On top of that, there were the Valkyries' salaries, as well as the funds needed for the academy's own development.
In short, whether one was saving the world or fighting to protect beauty itself—it all required money! And right now, Theresa was on the verge of financial collapse.
"What do I do...?! It's great that the academy's growing, but at this rate, I won't even have enough to pay everyone's salaries next month! Even if I sold all my Homu plushies and comics, it wouldn't come close!"
Theresa put down her manga and held her head in both hands. The white-haired little bundle of Kaslana bloodline was forced to boot up her brain to think of a way to overcome this funding crisis.
"Ask Anti-Entropy for help? No, that won't do. Even if we're allies, we can't rely on another organization's budget to run ours—and I still owe Welt several months of salary."
"Ask Schicksal...? No way! Those Valkyries defected from Schicksal to join us. And Grandpa Otto just got beaten by Elias—he's definitely not going to help!"
"We'll need a sponsor... Uuugh, but where am I supposed to find a rich sponsor who'd support us with that much money? I knew I should've done more PR for the academy before!"
Theresa rolled around on the floor in frustration.
Although St. Freya was now one of the four major organizations fighting against Honkai—alongside World Serpent, Schicksal, and Anti-Entropy—its actual influence was still limited. At best, it was well-known only across the Far East.
Unlike Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, which both maintained partnerships with major nations worldwide, St. Freya had started purely as an academy—and therefore lacked multiple bases or external sources of funding.
But now, the situation had changed.
Their combat power already surpassed the other three organizations—but their infrastructure could no longer keep up.
"No, as principal of St. Freya Academy, I must solve this problem somehow... But what should I do...? Oh, God, please, grant me a sponsor—someone fabulously wealthy, kind-hearted, and easy to talk to!"
Beep beep!
Just as Theresa despaired, her terminal suddenly chimed with a new message.
To: Principal Theresa Apocalypse of St. Freya Academy
From: [Undisclosed Sender]
Dear Principal Theresa Apocalypse,
I am writing to express my interest in becoming a financial sponsor for your esteemed academy. As a token of sincerity, please accept this initial donation of $5 billion USD.
If you are open to collaboration, please visit the following location for further discussion.
Additionally, I would like to request a personal meeting with Mr. Elias. Should he attend in person, I am willing to add two more zeros to the offered amount.
"..."
Theresa froze completely, staring blankly at the screen. Then, she pinched her cheek hard.
"Ow—! It's not a dream! Elias! Hurry up and come with me—we've got a sponsor to meet!!"
—
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