"Hey System, I'm about to challenge a Wild Map Boss. Do you think I'll win?" Lumina asked the System as she strolled through Cloudford, gazing at the clear sky.
[Whether you win or not, I don't know. But don't you think you've been coming to Cloudford a little too often?]
[If you call that a coincidence, no one would believe you.]
The System didn't care whether Lumina won or lost.
Of course, if Lumina failed, the System would feign concern.
"Fail? I don't even know what that word means," Lumina retorted, rolling her eyes at the System's comment. "I just want to be friends with her, good friends. I have no ulterior motives."
"It's just like my relationships with March, Stelle, and Asta—we're all just good friends."
Lumina continued walking, explaining her perspective to the System.
Though she didn't understand why the System misunderstood, Lumina genuinely felt this way.
Having wandered through countless Amber Eras, Lumina had encountered all kinds of people. She considered herself an expert on human emotions.
Lumina saw no trace of romantic feelings in the eyes of March, Stelle, or Asta.
She could also state unequivocally that she harbored no romantic emotions toward them either.
Rather than simply friends, Lumina preferred to describe their relationship as one of "close confidantes" or "besties."
Of course, if she had to categorize their bond more specifically, Lumina would say it resembled a mother-daughter relationship with March, Stelle, and Asta.
As for everyone else, they were just ordinary friends or typical confidantes.
Therefore, there was no romantic entanglement, no "two-timing," and no deception of anyone's feelings. So, how could there possibly be any talk of a "relationship disaster"?
Shaking her head to dismiss these thoughts, Lumina sensed the location of her target. In the next moment, her entire form vanished from the spot.
On the other side of Cloudford, countless Mara-Struck soldiers lay scattered across the ground, their bodies riddled with identical wounds of varying sizes, clearly inflicted by a single assailant.
At the center of this carnage stood a white-haired woman with her eyes veiled in black silk. Her aloof demeanor, graceful figure, and peerless beauty gave her the ethereal appearance of an innocent celestial being cast down to earth.
Ignoring the scattered remains of the Abominations around her, she turned to leave.
"Miss, you can't just litter like that, you know~♪"
Before she could take more than a few steps, a gentle voice, soft as a mother's whisper, reached her ears.
"...!"
The woman's expression remained unchanged, as if she had anticipated this intrusion. She turned toward the source of the voice.
There stood another breathtakingly beautiful woman, clad in white robes, her bare feet resting on the ground. Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow.
Sensing the woman's gaze, she pressed a hand to her chest and introduced herself:
"Hello there, beautiful lady~ I'm Lumina, just a humble little Physician♪"
Lumina stared intently at the aloof woman's face for a moment, then her gaze slowly drifted upward to her head.
I wonder what would happen if I touched her? Would that haughty expression change? Lumina mused, a daring thought suddenly surfacing in her mind.
[ It would trigger her Mara-Struck transformation, and she'd chase you down with a sword! ] the System replied.
"Wow, really?! Being chased by a beautiful girl wielding a sword sounds absolutely delightful~♪" Lumina seemed genuinely excited by the prospect.
[ ? Are you... unwell? ] the System asked, astonished by Lumina's outrageous remark. This Witch seems to be seriously deranged...
"Jingliu. A nameless wandering swordswoman," the woman said, offering a simple introduction.
Jingliu knew Lumina's identity and could sense the Abundance Emanator aura radiating from her at all times. But she remained indifferent.
"Jingliu... What a beautiful name," Lumina replied with a warm smile. Then, with a casual wave of her hand, she dismissed the group of Mara-Struck soldiers sprawled on the ground.
In an instant, the Mara-Struck soldiers crumbled to dust, their remains returning to the earth from which they came, dissipating into the air.
The battlefield became eerily vacant. Lumina stepped forward, approaching Jingliu with a smile.
"Miss Jingliu, I've done you a great service. How will you repay me?"
"What's your purpose?" Jingliu retorted coldly, ignoring the question.
"Purpose? I have no ulterior motives," Lumina replied, shaking her head lightly. "I simply happened to be passing through Cloudford, happened to encounter you, and happened to notice the trail of corpses you left behind."
"So I decided to help you clean up the mess."
Lumina's expression and tone were utterly sincere, showing no hint of deception.
But Jingliu remained unmoved, refusing to believe her words.
"Is your target the Ambrosial Arbor on the Luofu?" Jingliu's voice was clear and sharp, like an ice lotus blooming atop a snow-capped mountain, its purity strangely soothing to Lumina's ears.
However, Lumina deeply disliked Jingliu's tone and attitude.
If Lumina hadn't found Jingliu so beautiful, she would have knocked her unconscious with a single strike of her staff long ago.
"I..."
"Hey, you two! What are you doing here?"
Just as Lumina opened her mouth to explain that she had no interest in the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor, a slightly childish male voice rang out from behind.
Lumina: ...
Hearing that voice, Lumina's lips twitched.
Seriously? Did you teleport here or something?
To spend more time with Jingliu, Lumina had deliberately sensed Yanqing's location earlier. Finding him relatively far away, she had relaxed. But she hadn't expected Yanqing to move so quickly.
Well, he's already here. I can't exactly slap him away now, can I?
Turning to face the suddenly materialized Yanqing, Lumina feigned surprise.
"Eh? Yanqing? What are you doing here?"
"It's you!"
Yanqing's eyes widened in confusion upon recognizing Lumina, then his face lit up with astonishment.
Earlier, Yanqing had noticed the white-robed figure with long, silver hair tinged with green at the tips. The back of the head seemed vaguely familiar, and he initially mistook it for Lumina.
However, remembering her status as an honored guest of Luofu, Yanqing quickly dismissed that possibility. Given Cloudford's current state, it was hardly the kind of place a distinguished visitor would appear.
So, when Yanqing realized the figure truly was Lumina, he visibly stiffened in surprise.
He quickly regained his composure, his expression hardening with suspicion as he scrutinized her. His voice, laced with interrogation, broke the silence.
"Lady Lumina, would you care to explain your presence here?"