When Silas and Elysia arrived at the venue, the banquet was already in full swing. Since Silas really didn't enjoy such lively occasions, he had planned to attend only the dance later. Choosing to come at this time was also his way of avoiding drawing attention.
As expected, most people were immersed in the joy of the banquet and the celebration of victory, paying little attention to them—though not no one.
Ato sipped the red wine in his goblet, nodding to himself. It seemed Silas's fashion sense wasn't bad at all. Standing next to Elysia, they really did look like a well-matched couple.
Not a bad reward for risking his life to play matchmaker under Dr. Mobius's nose.
Pardofelis, who had been listlessly wandering because she hadn't seen Silas, instantly perked up when he entered the hall—only to wilt again upon spotting Elysia at his side.
Beside her, Dystopia stroked her chin. "Didn't think that Silas actually had such taste… and he's quite handsome too. At first glance, anyone would think he and Elysia were a couple. But, Little Pardo, don't lose heart—so long as they haven't made it official, the battle isn't over!" Even if they had made it official, as long as the hoe swings true, there's no wall that can't be knocked down.
She patted Pardo's shoulder. "Don't worry, the real highlight is the dance to come. Give it your all, Little Pardo!"
Pardofelis nodded vigorously.
Mobius, in the middle of discussing research matters with Mei, also noticed the pair. Seeing how they were dressed, she pursed her lips and began calculating how she might bargain the next time Silas asked her for training.
At the very least, she'd make him give her an extra breakfast in the morning—made by his own hands!
Vill-V studied Silas's attire with interest, murmuring, "If I'm not mistaken, that suit's combination matches Lilith's taste quite well."
Then she suddenly switched to a slightly exasperated tone. "What exactly do you pay attention to on a daily basis?"
And back again: "I've said it before—I'm not interested in fighting the Honkai. I'm only interested in Silas. Is that so wrong?"
Well, wrong it wasn't… but was her behavior really okay?
Pure Evil recalled what she had seen and heard in the previous life—how Lilith had, in her own silent way, left her mark on Silas, ensuring she would accompany him for a lifetime. Such calculation… Even Pure Evil, with half of Vill-V's genius, had to admit Lilith's skill in this area was formidable.
Vill-V was indeed a genius, but her skill points hadn't gone into romance—and even if they had, it probably wouldn't have mattered much at the time.
After all, back then almost everyone thought Lilith and Silas were a couple. Even now, both a certain very-easy-to-name Kevin and a certain not-so-easy-to-name masked man thought so.
Sometimes Pure Evil wondered if things were still unfolding according to Lilith's script. Even if Silas hadn't accepted her, as long as everyone believed they were lovers, it amounted to the same thing.
But this time, Lilith didn't have the overwhelming advantage she once did.
Pure Evil narrowed her eyes and spoke softly. "Magician, is your trick… ready?"
"Of course. I am the greatest magician of this era. My magic will be the center of everyone's attention."
"Good… Then the moves Lilith used—I can use them too, right? Hehe…"
Silas suddenly felt an ominous tension in the air.
Elysia glanced at his arm, wondering if she should link her arm with his and greet others together… but quickly gave up.
She realized Silas genuinely wasn't interested in the banquet. After grabbing a plate of food, he simply sat down in a corner to eat, showing no intention of talking to anyone.
Now she understood why Silas found banquets boring.
A banquet without any interaction really was meaningless.
But this wouldn't do. She had to correct this bad habit. After all, even Kevin organized team-building activities from time to time. Sure, she'd never been to one, but before Kevin became the stoic cool guy, he had been a sunny young man. His team events couldn't have been that bad, right?
Elysia didn't know that Kevin's every team-building event had hardly ever been missed by Silas. And just like now, he would usually grab a bowl of noodles, eat quietly by himself, and leave right after.
This was actually one of Silas' major flaws—he believed that most people present here would die sooner or later, so there was no need to get to know them. In his eyes, they weren't worth knowing.
And, in truth, it was more or less the case. Every banquet would see fewer familiar faces and more new ones.
Elysia would feel downcast for the sacrifices of others; he wouldn't, because he never even knew who had died. Feeling sorrow for them never crossed his mind—at most, he would offer a token of respect, and that was it.
She had just been about to introduce Silas to others when someone took the initiative to greet him.
"Hello, Silas. Didn't think you'd come to this banquet. Everyone was saying you wouldn't show."
Silas looked up. It was a young man with short, tousled golden hair and freckles across his cheeks.
Who's this? He instinctively turned to Elysia, his gaze seeking help.
Elysia looked at the young man for a moment before saying, "You're… Vincent, right?"
The youth's blue eyes lit with warmth. "Yeah! Didn't expect you to remember me, Elysia."
Vincent? Who? No recollection at all.
Silas had originally planned to just keep eating and ignore him, but then he thought—since he was currently, at least on the surface, Elysia's friend, constantly brushing people off might hurt her reputation with others. So, he decided to humor this Vincent.
Putting down his knife and fork, he stood and said, "Sorry, I don't recall ever meeting you… Did you need something from me?"
Vincent didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he smiled. "Of course you wouldn't remember me. You're always so focused during training, and you go on a lot of missions. But you're the most popular rising star in Fire Moth right now—there are plenty of people who know you."
"I see…" Silas nodded. "Well, I appreciate your attention, then."
"Just as I thought," Vincent chuckled. "You're not very good at talking with people, are you?"
I just think it's unnecessary… well, fine, I guess I'm not great at dealing with strangers, Silas thought.
Vincent then turned to Elysia. "Everyone was guessing you wouldn't care for a banquet like this. They said, in your eyes, the time would be better spent killing more Honkai Beasts. But me? I figured—with Elysia here, you'd definitely show up."
"You're right," Silas didn't deny it. He had come here for Elysia. If she hadn't invited him, he wouldn't have come at all. In fact, he might even be out on another mission with Kalpas right now.
Vincent seemed a little surprised by that answer. His gaze quickly swept between Elysia and Silas before he smiled. "I see. In that case, I won't intrude any further. You two—make sure to enjoy the banquet."
With that, Vincent turned and left.
Silas: "…"
What was with that guy? Just came over, said hi, and left? Was it really that boring? And he even made Silas stand up, interrupting his meal… This was exactly why he hated banquets.
Elysia, however, caught another meaning in Vincent's gaze. Was he… implying there was something special between her and Silas?
Her cheeks suddenly felt a bit warm…
"Silas." Sakura's voice rang out. Both Silas and Elysia turned toward it, only to see Sakura in a formal gown, holding the hand of a little girl.
"Wow, is this your sister, Rin? She's so cute." Elysia crouched down with a smile. "May I pinch your cheeks?"
Rin blinked her big eyes and nodded, so Elysia wasted no time and went right ahead.
Silas walked over to Sakura's side, looking at Rin, whose cheeks were being gently squished by Elysia. "She's still just like I remember her… That's nice."
Sakura spoke softly, "I've never had the chance before. Only now can I properly say this to you."
Silas looked at her.
Sakura met his gaze. "Thank you, Silas. Thank you for protecting Rin back then. Thank you for making sure I didn't become a failed sister."
Silas looked away. He felt unworthy of such gratitude.
"You were never a failed sister. To Rin, you've always been the best sister in the world," he said.
In his previous life, his original plan had been to stand by and watch the soldiers act. But in that instant when he saw Rin's pure eyes, he recalled their past days together. A bullet hitting her would hurt… wouldn't it?
In the end, his heart softened, and he decided to step in to protect her. He could have slaughtered all the soldiers right in front of Rin, but he didn't. He remembered the words of a certain Kamen Rider's grandmother: Children are treasures bestowed upon humanity by the heavens.
Up to that point, he had always taught Rin to believe in the world, to love the world.
So he didn't want to take action in front of her, to let her witness the cruelty of the world. Because of that, he didn't fight back.
But ultimately, it was nothing more than self-comfort. He had already anticipated that the soldiers would use Honkai energy-disruption rounds against him. He guessed they wouldn't kill him—just put him down for a while. But during that time, Rin would likely be killed.
Yet things turned out differently. Because she witnessed him being hurt by the soldiers, and in her confusion and overwhelming rage, Rin chose to take her own life—thus awakening as the Twelfth Herrscher.
Unlike the original events, this time Rin willingly accepted being sealed away.
He had always felt guilty about it, and ashamed of his own pettiness.
Sakura gazed at Silas, his figure reflected in her eyes. In that moment, it felt as if no matter how loud the world became, it had nothing to do with her.
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