There was no doubt about it—right now, Nagami was a Herrscher.
And judging from the current situation, Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder born during the Third Eruption, was completely obedient to Nagami.
Fu Hua, being the one responsible for monitoring K423 as part of the Sirin Project, naturally knew the truth—that Kiana was, in fact, the vessel for the Herrscher of the Void.
Come to think of it, that really made three Herrschers gathered here already... but what the hell was with those "Herrscher candidates" Nagami mentioned later?
Fu Hua's lips parted slightly in shock.
Was this person seriously thinking of rebuilding MOTH by recruiting all the Herrschers?
"...Who are you planning to turn into a Herrscher?" After a long silence, Fu Hua's expression became unusually grave and solemn. "The power of a Herrscher isn't something that can be controlled so easily. You—"
"You don't need to worry about that." Nagami waved her hand casually, cutting her off with a light chuckle.
"Given my condition, and Mei's as well, I've already proven that I can free Herrschers from the control of the Honkai.
As for K423... when the time comes, I'll make sure she can fully master that power too."
For Herrscher personalities that had already been shaped by the Honkai, Nagami could easily resolve them with his Geass ability.
But that would be the last resort.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would never use it lightly.
After all, even though it was called the "Geass of Love," no one in their right mind would mistake this kind of "love" for the real thing.
It was more like a "turn-them-into-a-simp" Geass.
The point wasn't to wipe out Sirin's personality.
If he directly used Geass on her, it would only result in a twisted version of her—a mindless, obsessive follower doting on him without restraint.
And that was the last thing Nagami wanted to see.
This wasn't some bad doujin manga.
Right now, there was no need to use Geass on anything other than the Honkai Will or the Apocalypse Virus.
Twisting human willpower like that… he simply didn't like it.
It wasn't some strange moral high ground—he just genuinely didn't like doing it.
Nagami could kill a person without hesitation if needed, but when it came to distorting human consciousness, he felt instinctive aversion—unless the person was unforgivably wicked.
To the countless who died in the Second Eruption, Sirin was undoubtedly an unforgivable evil.
But if you dug deep enough into the origins of the Second Herrscher… humanity was to blame as well.
Of course, Nagami wasn't arrogant enough to think he had the right to forgive Sirin on behalf of the millions who perished.
But at the same time, he wasn't obligated to hate her or pass judgment for their sake either.
He was nothing but a despicable outsider.
Not a hero, not a savior.
Just someone acting according to his own preferences.
Cold reason told Fu Hua that everything Nagami said made sense. And yet she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Do as you see fit," she warned quietly. "But if I detect even the slightest sign of losing control… I will stop you."
"So?" Nagami tilted his head slightly, grinning. "Want to join? With this many Herrschers, we could easily protect all of Shenzhou, right?"
Protect, huh? More like destroy it by accident first…
"I'm not a Herrscher," Fu Hua replied, shaking her head, glancing sideways at him with a trace of exasperation. "No need to recruit me. Or are you planning to make me one too? Because that's absolutely impossible."
A fusion warrior who had fought against the Honkai since the Previous Era becoming a Herrscher? Ridiculous.
To be honest, Nagami hadn't thought about it until he met the Herrscher of Reason.
"Well then... I'll ask you again when the time comes."
Nagami shrugged, the smug expression on his face clearly suggesting that Fu Hua would become a Herrscher eventually.
Fu Hua's brows knit tightly. "Let's end this conversation here for today."
"Haaaa~" Nagami yawned, stretching lazily before nodding at her. "Looking forward to our next meeting... Immortal Red Kite."
"Wait! Don't go yet!"
Fu Hua reached out to grab his arm—there were still too many things left unanswered, too many questions she wanted to ask.
But as expected, she failed to stop him.
Watching his waving figure swiftly fade from view, Fu Hua stood in thoughtful silence for a while before turning back toward her dorm.
This string of events had been utterly exhausting.
Meanwhile, back in his room, Nagami collapsed onto the soft bed.
Before long, sleep took him.
"Ki! A! Na!!"
Hands on her hips, the heiress Kiana leaned forward, glaring fiercely at the lazy tuna before her, brimming with righteous fury.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! Can't you at least wear proper clothes before coming out?!"
"Sirin, relax. It's fine—Nagami's the only guy in the dorm anyway," Kiana mumbled sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes.
The strap of her thin nightgown slipped off her shoulder, revealing a smooth, round patch of delicate skin that gleamed softly in the sunlight.
'No! That's exactly why it's a problem—because it's Nagami!!'
Watching the hopeless, apologetic (but utterly unrepentant) look on Kiana's face, the heiress couldn't help but sigh in exasperation, massaging her temples.
"Kiana, that's not good~ A proper girl should behave," "Sirin" (True Kiana) chimed in gently with a warm, sisterly smile.
But her soft voice sent chills down Kiana's spine, as if dark flames were silently blazing behind her.
"Uwaah!"
It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured down her back.
Kiana shuddered violently and scrambled back to her room to fix her appearance in a panic.
———————————————————————
[Heiress]: Shouldn't it be the airheaded fool who gets bullied by the schemer? Why has this reversed?!
———————————————————————
The sudden thought from her counterpart made True Kiana's smiling face freeze instantly.
She shot a sideways glance at the heiress, who was actually bold enough to sarcastically complain at such close range.
True Kiana's gaze turned ice-cold.
———————————————————————
[True Kiana]: You're the schemer here! Your whole family's full of schemers!]
[Heiress]: My family is your family too, dear little sister~]
[True Kiana]: Tch!]
———————————————————————
True Kiana, so easily rattled by the heiress as usual, rolled her eyes and turned toward the living room.
She gently lowered her meticulously groomed eyebrows, letting her bangs fall slightly forward to hide the faint blush creeping onto her pale cheeks.
The shy flush on her face gave her the breathtaking beauty of a fragile maiden.
———————————————————————
[True Kiana]: Hey … don't you think C.C. looks even cuter today?]
———————————————————————
Sitting properly on the couch in the living room, the white-haired girl watched as a green-haired beauty stepped out of her room, full of life, her footsteps light and cheerful.
True Kiana sent this private thought to the heiress standing silently behind her.
———————————————————————
[Heiress]: True... she does seem... a little cuter than usual...]
———————————————————————
Raising her head to meet the smiling green-haired girl's greeting, the heiress responded with a dazzling smile.
Today, C.C. wore a sleek black off-shoulder evening gown that clung tightly to her graceful figure.
Her bare arms were smooth as jade, slender and delicate.
The thigh-high stockings perfectly outlined her flawless long legs, and the black strappy high heels beneath the flowing skirt made her already curvaceous body appear even more alluring.
In the morning light, her exquisitely beautiful face seemed to glow faintly, her golden eyes sparkling like precious gems.
The moment she stepped out, a soft morning breeze lifted her waterfall-like, silken hair, causing gentle ripples as if the air itself were enchanted.
———————————————————————
[Heiress]: No… not just a little. She's much cuter today!]
[True Kiana]: Doesn't matter—she's mine either way!]
[Heiress]: You still don't realize who the real little sister is, do you?]
———————————————————————
…
As always, Kaslana's little mental chatroom was as noisy and chaotic as ever… and no one else even noticed.
"Bronya, go wake Nagami for breakfast," Mei said, stepping out of the kitchen with a plate of food, apron still tied around her waist.
She looked puzzled at the cute little girl sitting silently to the side, gazing intently at her own slender legs clad in sheer white stockings—but thought nothing of it and turned back to get the rest of the breakfast.
"Understood, Mei-senpai," Bronya replied politely.
Because Mei turned away so quickly, she didn't notice that this petite girl wasn't floating like she usually did—instead, she lightly hopped along, her small, delicate feet wrapped in white silk gently pattering on the floorboards.
'Raiden Mei, what the hell are you doing?! Raiden Mei!!' ×2
Both the heiress and True Kiana stared wide-eyed at Mei still calmly preparing breakfast, silently screaming in their minds.
Was Mei so unsure of the "hat" on her own head that she had to tempt fate like this?!
Worried for their little duckling, the heiress subtly shifted her body to watch Bronya as she slipped into Nagami's room.
They saw Bronya step quietly to Nagami's bedside, gently reach out her slender arms, and softly shake the sleeping boy, leaning close to whisper something in his ear.
When the boy showed no sign of waking, Bronya lowered her gaze, eyes landing thoughtfully on the white stockings hugging her own slim legs.
Then, without hesitation, the girl slipped her feet into a pair of orange Homu slippers, gave a tiny hop, and landed gracefully on the soft bed.
With smooth, flawless legs, the delicate lace-clad feet stepped lightly onto the mattress.
Even the gentle dip she made in the bedding was perfect in its arc.
The girl moved slowly across the bed toward Nagami, her feet wrapped in white silk stockings stretching gently toward him…
"Br↗ro↘ni↗ya↘!!"
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.