"Complete the [Time Titan]'s Trial?"
Hearing this, Stelle's face—which usually looked like a mature, cool-headed onee-san when she kept her mouth shut—now wore a look of adorable confusion.
Her innocent and cute expression reignited the fire in Lumina's heart and made her small hand, which had just calmed down, twitch with excitement again.
Isn't this just a direct assault on my heart?
Who could resist a mature-faced girl pulling such a clueless expression?
If... if there was no one else around, just me and Stelle... I'd probably just charge right at her, Lumina thought.
But with so many people watching, that idea was completely out of the question.
Forcing down the sun-like surge of emotion, Lumina snapped back to her senses and nodded gently. "Yes. Stelle, do you remember the details of the Trial the Time Titan gave you?"
"The Time Titan's Trial?" Maybe Stelle's brain was broken, or maybe she was just pretending.
As Lumina explained further, Stelle didn't show any sign of understanding. Instead, the confusion in her eyes only deepened.
"Trial... Trial... Trial..." Stelle muttered under her breath.
But after a long moment of muttering, she still couldn't figure out what this so-called "Trial" was.
Everyone was speechless at Stelle's behavior.
Those who knew her well understood the truth in an instant.
This guy was playing dumb.
What was her goal? Playing dumb must have a purpose.
The purpose was obvious: she most likely wanted another hug from her "mother," Lumina.
After all, her first words upon waking up were, "Sister Lumina, I don't want to die."
Yet, after the hug, she completely forgot about it...
What other reason could there be besides wanting another hug from Lumina?
"Mem, Mem, Mem, Mem!" Others could tolerate this, but Mem could not.
This was a very important matter! How could her companion be so lost in the gentle embrace of a woman?
She immediately rushed to Stelle's side, placed her hands on her shoulders, and shook her vigorously.
As she shook her, she recounted the words the Time Titan had spoken during the Trial of Time, as well as the main content of the trial.
"..."
Hearing Mem's words, the blankness and confusion on Stelle's face vanished instantly.
After glancing at Mem with a sly smile, Stelle turned her gaze back to Lumina.
Her small face wrinkled slightly, squeezing out tears.
None came out.
But that wasn't a big problem.
Who said you couldn't be sad without shedding tears?
Stelle opened her arms again, her meaning clear.
But this time, she didn't wait for Lumina to make the first move.
Instead, she took the initiative to throw herself forward.
Burying her head in Lumina's chest as she threw herself into her arms, she burst into a fit of sobbing.
"Waaah, Sister Lumina, I don't want to die!"
"Waaah, Sister Lumina, come save me!"
Stelle repeated the words she had said when she first woke up, adding a few more lines.
The sorrowful and helpless tone instantly conveyed the despair of someone on the verge of death.
Except for the fact that there was not a single hint of real crying, and her voice actually contained a trace of enjoyment and happiness...
Everyone knew whether this was real crying or fake crying.
Everyone also knew what she was really trying to achieve.
Lumina, naturally, was no exception.
But she didn't mind it at all.
Smiling faintly, she showed no impatience, just like before.
She gently and tenderly hugged her, returning the warmth while savoring the warmth and softness Stelle's body brought her.
Time passed minute by minute, and everyone else in the room watched the performance between Lumina and Stelle.
They each had their own thoughts about the scene unfolding before them, but none said a word.
"Alright, Stelle, let go. Everyone is watching."
After a while, seeing that Stelle showed no signs of letting go, Lumina spoke up with a hint of helplessness.
She gestured for Stelle to release her.
Lumina could already smell it, the overflowing resentment from Madam Herta.
Um... of course, Lumina didn't care much about that.
Why should Lumina care about Madam Herta's resentment?
It was simply that there were too many people around, and she felt that continuing to hug Stelle like this was no good.
"Alright." Stelle wasn't someone to make unreasonable demands; after her energy was fully recharged, she stopped snuggling in Lumina's gentle embrace.
She obediently pulled away.
As Stelle withdrew, Lumina's arms suddenly felt empty, and a small sense of void blossomed in her heart.
If circumstances allowed, Lumina would have loved to keep a beautiful girl dangling from her even while walking...
Unfortunately, such circumstances would never materialize.
It wasn't that Lumina lacked the strength, nor that the beautiful girl forbade it, but rather that Lumina also had a sense of shame.
Inside Lumina's heart, there was an emotion called her "Shame Meter."
If they were alone or in front of familiar people, doing such things would be absolutely no problem.
But to take it outside, to expose herself to the public eye, Lumina's face was just too thin to endure...
Without thinking further, she slowly stood up, gave Stelle a faint smile, and then returned to Herta's side.
Seeing this, the others also gradually approached Stelle, offering her one word of concern after another.
"Hey, hey, what do you think, Little Herta?"
"What are your thoughts on what Stelle and I just did?"
Coming to Herta's side, Lumina raised her arm and gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow, wanting to know how Herta felt about that scene just now.
"What do you think my thoughts would be?"
-
After spending this period of time with Lumina, Herta couldn't be bothered to say anything more, using three characters to concisely and clearly express her thoughts.
"..." Upon hearing this, Lumina was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond to Herta's words.
But quickly, before Herta could say anything else, Lumina thought of a way to deal with this statement.
"Why not right here, right now, in front of everyone?"
"I promise not to resist."
Since Herta's attack was a magical attack, Lumina would naturally defend herself with an attack that was also a magical attack.
She simply followed Herta's words and continued.
"Heh heh heh," Herta said the three characters with a flat expression, expressing her evaluation of Lumina's magical attack.
I would rather trust that I, Herta, am the new generation Aeon of Erudition, than trust that Lumina won't resist.
Herta complained silently in her mind, but outwardly showed no movement at all.
There was no point in taking any action, only to be mocked back by Lumina. Herta wouldn't be foolish enough to make a move.
Little Lumina, this one, has nothing but lies on her mouth.
But truth be told, although she has a "bad mouth" full of lies...
She is also a "bad mouth" that makes people's hearts stir with desire.
But one can only yearn.
Glancing at Lumina's small lips, Herta quickly averted her gaze.
Who could resist this?
Herta forced her eyes not to fall upon those small lips.
If she kept staring like this, Herta felt she would definitely lose control.
"Want to press them?"
"Want to feel it?"
Although Herta had withdrawn her gaze quickly, with Lumina's abilities, what difference did it make even if Herta pulled her eyes away at the fastest speed?
As long as she looked, she would definitely be seen by Lumina.
After sensing the desire in Herta's heart, a sly smile flashed through Lumina's eyes.
She leaned her body towards Herta.
Seeing Lumina like this, Herta's breathing couldn't help but quicken.
"If you miss today, there might be no tomorrow," Lumina winked, hinting.
"..."
Gulp!
Hearing Lumina's words, feeling her movements, and seeing her expression expectant like a little girlfriend's...
Herta's already hurried breath gradually became heavy.
Even though Herta knew she was putting on an act, even though Herta knew she would never let her succeed, even though Herta kept suppressing the desires in her heart, in the end, her throat still let out a loud gulp as she swallowed.
She couldn't help it, she really couldn't resist at all.
If she could resist this, Herta would directly abandon all her achievements and pledge to become her disciple...
It's fake, it's fake, it's all fake!
Lumina will dodge, Lumina will dodge, Lumina will dodge...
She's just bluffing, she's just bluffing, she's just bluffing...
Herta repeated these words in her heart as if chanting a mantra, trying to suppress all the thoughts born from this.
Herta didn't even need to think to know that Lumina was tempting her, digging a pit for her, and setting up a so-called impenetrable net for her, waiting for her to take the bait.
But... but even knowing this, a small glimmer of hope still flickered in Herta's heart.
What if... what if Lumina wasn't joking this time? What if she had finally changed her mind and was telling the truth?
Although the probability of this "what if" was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly small, but... but what if?
This was the sliver of hope in Herta's heart.
So, so should she gamble on this one-in-a-million chance?
An ordinary person faced with such a difficult choice would probably hesitate for a long time before making a decision.
But Madam Herta was no ordinary person. She made her choice in just 0.000001 seconds.
Gamble!
If not now, then when else?
If she lost, she would just be laughed at by Lumina.
But what if she won?
Then she would be able to taste one of the most delicious foods in the entire Cosmos!
Who wouldn't take a chance on that?
Go all in, or get nothing at all!
Thinking this, Herta hesitated no longer.
With lightning speed, she suddenly charged at Lumina.
She didn't care about anything else, nor the consequences that would follow.
The gap in their strength was obvious. If she didn't take the initiative, she would forever be at Lumina's mercy.
Proud, haughty Herta would absolutely never allow such a thing!
"Hmm?"
The next second, something was pressed against her lips.
Hmm... not her lips.
Hmm...
"..."
Alright, Herta was no fool, and she instantly knew what was pressed against her lips.
Though it was a bit of a shame,
Herta snorted inwardly.
Then, forcibly suppressing her shame, she swallowed it down!
Lumina: ???
"Holy crap!"
Lumina was stunned for a moment, completely dumbfounded.
Listen, sister, aren't you the one who talks a big game?
Talking a big game is all you need to do!
Why are you actually doing it?
How could you, the venerable Madam Herta, perform such an action?
Lumina couldn't understand, nor could she even try to understand, and she couldn't snap out of Herta's action for a long time.
And Herta didn't miss this hard-won opportunity.
Though it was still a bit of a shame, no matter how she thought about this result from any angle, it was a no-lose, big-win outcome.
Even though Madam Herta was so powerful, even though her taste buds, having sampled countless delicacies, were so refined, she was still shocked.
But soon.
When the impulse in her heart gradually faded, she also realized her recent behavior was a bit inappropriate. A crimson blush instantly occupied Herta's little face, dyeing her a little red person...
"Hmm..."
Emotions like shyness and embarrassment did not stop Herta's behavior,
Instantly snapping Lumina out of her state of daze and confusion.
"Are you fucking crazy?"
Lumina, her face full of speechlessness, withdrew her hand and scolded her.
This Little Herta was probably sick.
Lumina looked at Herta, looking left, then right, then up, then down, and two words were written all over her face.
"Crazy."
This Herta was really crazy, truly crazy.
So crazy that she even did such a detestable act.
What else would she dare to do in the future?
Lumina grumbled in her heart.
To be honest, after Herta's action, Lumina was a bit afraid to provoke Herta.
She really dares to do it...
She isn't just talking a big game.
She will actually do it.
In Lumina's heart, a slight sense of awe for Herta emerged.
Damn...
With Lumina's strength, as soon as this sense of awe budded, she sensed it.
As for this sense of awe toward Herta, Lumina would absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not allow it!
The triple absolute expressed Lumina's determination.
But... but no matter how Lumina suppressed it, no matter what means Lumina used to suppress it, she couldn't completely eliminate this budding sense of awe for Herta...
Faced with this, Lumina could only secretly mutter a "damn," then temporarily set it aside.
Let's ignore her for now, let the bud sprout.
Lumina didn't believe that this budding sense of awe could grow into a towering tree in the future!
Lumina was extremely confident, believing that a mere Little Herta could absolutely never pose any threat to her.
What a joke, she possessed absolute strength, how could she let this budding sense of fear grow into a towering tree?
When the situation turned sour, Lumina wouldn't hesitate and would directly crush Herta.
Let's see if this so-called sense of fear would still continue to grow in that situation!
-
PS: This chapter has gone through censorship, and some things have been slightly modified, so it might not look particularly coherent.