"No, there's no one inside..."
"Kurosagi-senpai! Don't answer!"
Hearing the voices from the underground room, the corner of Aslan's lips twitched twice.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly felt that Kurousagi truly deserved her nickname, "the idiot rabbit."
Wait—weren't they already exposed? He hadn't even started questioning yet!
He thought he'd have to use tricks to lure them out.
Apparently, he had overestimated Kurousagi and these kids.
"Alright, the Demon Lord's attack from outside is over. You can come out now." Aslan said with a sigh, speaking frankly.
Hearing his voice—unfamiliar, not one of the Arcadia executives they knew—they grew cautious.
No one responded. This time, even Kurousagi stayed silent.
But shortly after, they realized they'd already been discovered, and hiding was pointless.
So Kurousagi immediately asked, "Who are you?"
After all, Kurousagi was the eldest and most mature among the children, even if she occasionally did foolish things.
"Hmm... I'm a god's follower under Lord Shiroyasha. I was ordered by Lord Shiroyasha to come and protect the surviving members of No-Name."
(Well, I can't even say the name Arcadia either?)
But Aslan wasn't surprised. It would've been strange if he could.
However, upon hearing Aslan's words, Kurousagi and the other children fell silent, overcome by unbearable sorrow.
After all, just yesterday, Arcadia had been intact, and everyone lived in peace.
But in the blink of an eye, they had become survivors—and even the Arcadia banner was gone.
Kurousagi tried to say "Arcadia." but what came out of her mouth was "No-Name."
(No wonder Uncle Baron La Croix was in such a hurry to hide the children last night.)
(No wonder everyone was so anxious and rushed.)
At this moment, Kurousagi believed Aslan's words about fifty to sixty percent.
She knew the relationship between Shiroyasha and Arcadia. Shiroyasha often visited Arcadia just to kidnap her.
Or she'd team up with Canaria to tease her, dressing her up in embarrassing outfits.
Yet despite that, Kurousagi could still sense that Shiroyasha meant her no real harm.
Moreover, as a noble of Little Garden's Moon Rabbit race—whose ears were connected to the world's core—she could easily detect lies.
After confirming that Aslan wasn't lying, Kurousagi opened the underground room's door and allowed him inside.
"Uhm..."
Kurousagi stared at Aslan, speechless. She had no idea what his name was.
Seeing Kurousagi's awkward expression, Aslan couldn't help but smile. He then introduced himself.
"You can call me Aslan. I'm a Planeswalker who just arrived in Little Garden and recently became a god's follower under Lord Shiroyasha."
"And I know absolutely nothing about Little Garden—I'll have to rely on you all to inform me."
Aslan shrugged helplessly. Who could blame him? He'd just arrived in Little Garden and was already given this kind of task by his utterly unreliable boss?
"As for the situation outside, you should see it for yourselves."
Aslan stopped Kurousagi, who was about to ask more questions. After all, he "didn't know" what had happened to Arcadia.
Then, Aslan stepped aside, giving space for Kurousagi and the others to exit.
After all, he had no idea how to comfort them in this situation—he was merely an observer.
Moreover, this harsh reality was something they had to accept gradually.
Emotionally and rationally, there was little he could do.
Emotionally, he was just someone who'd newly arrived in Little Garden, unaware of what had transpired. At best, he could only offer a few comforting words.
Rationally, he was a follower of Shiroyasha's, and his position always aligned with her. Right now, Shiroyasha had only ordered him to protect the remaining children.
And according to the original story, this "protection" was merely to avoid unnecessary danger.
Because in the original plot, despite Shiroyasha's indirect help, Kurousagi and the others still had to go fetch water themselves, unable to drink freely.
Let alone now—Arcadia was already a detonated bomb, with many former allies of Arcadia watching this place closely.
What if Aslan did something wrong, and some major figures suspected him of involvement in Arcadia's destruction?
That suspicion would be impossible to clear.
At least until Shiroyasha completed her investigation and made an official statement, Aslan could only do this:
Play the role of a clueless guard.
"Thank you, Mr. Aslan."
After bowing to Aslan, Kurousagi quickly rushed out of the underground room, exiting the only remaining intact building, and looked out over the former Arcadia base.
The land was dry and lifeless.
Ruins and debris were scattered everywhere. Buildings lay in ruins. The river that yesterday still flowed with holy water from a heavenly spring
Now looked as if struck by severe drought, not a single drop remaining.
The entire base, except for that villa, had no other structure left standing.
Perhaps even that villa was only saved because Arcadia's executives had sacrificed their lives?
Instantly, an overwhelming sorrow flooded Kurousagi's heart.
Was it going to be like this again? The same scene from two hundred years ago in Moonshadow City reappeared before her eyes.
Was she, Kurousagi, a bringer of misfortune?
Two hundred years ago, to celebrate her birthday as a child god, nearly all the Moon Rabbits in Little Garden gathered in Moonshadow City for a grand celebration.
Then, the Absolute Evil, Azi Dahaka, appeared. The entire Moon Rabbit race was wiped out—except for her, the sole survivor.
Now, her current home, Arcadia, had suffered the same fate.
Seeing Kurousagi slightly broken, Aslan sympathetically patted her shoulder in comfort.
"Thank you, Mr. Aslan."
Kurousagi quickly pulled herself together. After all, she knew well that she couldn't remain broken forever.
She had the community's children to take care of. She had to be strong.
"Good that you've thought of that, because I don't really understand what's going on, so it's hard to say whether I can help."
"Of course you can help! Your very presence here is already a great support."
Kurousagi said sincerely. Although Aslan's presence was merely an order from Shiroyasha, it signified one thing:
Shiroyasha—and Arcadia's former allies—had not abandoned Arcadia.
No-Name wasn't completely alone.
It gave her a powerful boost of morale.