At Yae Sakura's strong insistence, dinner was once again Yae-style rice balls. Same familiar taste, same familiar portion size.
Do you have some kind of obsession with rice balls? Ming Yu complained silently. After all, "one's mouth is soft after eating another's food, and one's hands are short after taking another's things." Ming Yu didn't dare to object. At least the rice balls tasted good. Ignoring the hefty size, they were actually quite delicious.
The night passed without incident.
After waking up the next day, Ming Yu felt the vigorous power in his fully recovered body, and his hopes for the future grew stronger. Not only had his physical strength reached a new level, but the skills he had mastered had also greatly improved compared to before his injury. If he were to face the Loyal and Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombies now, he wouldn't say it would be a piece of cake, but at least he wouldn't be so grievously injured.
After breakfast, Ming Yu requested to leave from Yae Sakura.
Seeing the determination in Ming Yu's eyes, Yae Sakura knew she couldn't stop him, nor did she have any reason to. Ming Yu had the right to choose his own path, and Yae Sakura couldn't prevent it. After all, they were just strangers who had met by chance. Even though Yae Sakura had saved his life, her kind nature never thought to use that to demand anything.
"I know Yu must have his reasons for being in such a hurry. I won't stop you." Yae Sakura paused, then added, "But it's still very dangerous outside. Yu must take care of yourself."
Seeing how understanding Yae Sakura was, Ming Yu couldn't help but feel emotional. In these few days, although they hadn't interacted much, each with their own thoughts and secrets, Yae Sakura was truly kind to people. Ming Yu never asked about her obviously inhuman rabbit ears, and Yae Sakura never questioned why he appeared in the core area of the Honkai eruption. This was a small, unspoken understanding between them.
Ming Yu nodded and promised, "I will cherish my life. Thank you for your care during this time, Sakura. As a token of my gratitude, let me tell you a story."
Without waiting for Yae Sakura's response, Ming Yu continued, "A long, long time ago, in a distant western land, there was a powerful kingdom. Since ancient times, the kingdom had been fighting against a disaster called the Honkai.
Among the warriors who fought the Honkai, there was a knight hailed as the strongest. Upholding the 'name of protection,' the knight stood firmly on the front lines, defeating one strong enemy after another, and was seen as a symbol of hope by all.
The knight originally thought that fighting the Honkai was protecting the country and its people. However, the knight gradually discovered that the kingdom cruelly exploited its subjects, while the upper class lived in luxury. The kingdom even secretly captured innocent girls for Honkai Energy experiments, hoping to unlock the secrets of the Honkai.
The righteous knight, in a fit of rage, stole a black box that the kingdom was researching and fled with it alone to the far east.
The kingdom sent numerous pursuers to capture the renegade knight, but the knight managed to escape them all. However, the knight was not unscathed during the escape. Severely wounded, the knight eventually collapsed in the land of the far east.
Fortunately, a kind-hearted maiden found the injured knight. She took the knight back to her home and treated their injuries. In the days they spent together, the maiden and the knight fell in love."
At this point, Ming Yu paused, glanced at Yae Sakura, and continued in a more somber tone, "However, the story had only just begun.
What the knight failed to notice was that the demon within the black box had exploited a vulnerability in the maiden's heart, breaking the seal and gradually taking over her body.
The demon, free from its seal, destroyed the village. To completely control the maiden's body, the demon turned its blade on the knight.
But the demon did not expect that the maiden's lingering will was still resisting it. Through the combined efforts of the maiden and the knight, the demon was defeated, but the maiden's soul and the demon's will became entangled, inseparable. In remorse and helplessness, the knight chose to seal both the demon and the maiden together.
The battle with the demon worsened the knight's injuries, and they were eventually captured by the kingdom's pursuers. At the knight's trial, they still refused to yield, stubbornly saying that the girl who became a Herrscher was innocent, and that they had fallen in love with her.
The enraged king sentenced the knight to death. To prevent anyone from attempting a rescue, the king transferred all of the knight's former subordinates away from the capital.
On the day of the execution, an admirer of the knight released monsters that the knight had previously captured, creating chaos in an attempt to save them. But the righteous knight could not tolerate letting monsters harm civilians for the sake of their own rescue, so they rejected the admirer's plan and used their weakened body to stop the rampaging monsters.
The weakened knight was ultimately no match for the savage monsters and died in the line of duty, protecting the civilians."
By the time the story was finished, Yae Sakura was already in tears. She knew who the people in the story were and understood what Ming Yu wanted to tell her. After drying her tears, Yae Sakura said softly to Ming Yu, "Thank you."
Seeing the weeping Yae Sakura, Ming Yu felt a little guilty. He didn't accept her thanks, but instead continued to ask, "Sakura, do you believe in souls?"
Hearing Ming Yu's question, Yae Sakura was somewhat taken aback and looked at him in confusion.
"I believe that the knight's soul is still somewhere in the world, waiting for the maiden to awaken, to once again fulfill that promise of 'protection'," Ming Yu said solemnly.
"Really?" Yae Sakura's face showed a glimmer of hope.
"Really!" And you'll be able to see it soon, just in the Stigmata Space, Ming Yu added silently. The Kallen that appears in the Stigmata Space could really only be explained as a soul. In this world of Honkai, Ming Yu felt that science was unreliable; metaphysics seemed more useful.
"Thank you for your kind words," Yae Sakura said gratefully. "I'll take that as a good omen."
"Sakura, there's one more thing I want to ask you." Ming Yu said with some embarrassment, as it was somewhat rude. "Have you seen three girls before? One with white hair and blue eyes, one with long, black, waist-length hair, and one with spiral twin-tails."
Yae Sakura's expression became a little unnatural. She asked, "Are they friends of yours, Yu?"
Beside her, a fox-like shadow appeared, hissing, "I knew you were with them! Die, you brat!"
Ming Yu gave an awkward smile and explained, "We're not exactly friends yet, but I am planning to find them. Do you know where they are, Sakura?"
Yae Sakura glared at the fox shadow beside her and said helplessly, "It was a few days ago when I met them. I don't know their current location."
"Then where did you meet them?" Ming Yu knew that Kiana and her group's goal was also to leave Nagazora. Knowing their last known location would give him a general idea of their direction.
Yae Sakura told Ming Yu the approximate time and place. Meanwhile, the fox shadow beside her kept angrily clamoring to kill Ming Yu.
Ming Yu glanced at the fox shadow and said meaningfully, "Higokumaru, fifty thousand years have passed. The people you hate are long gone. Why not try to start over? Not all humans are untrustworthy."
Higokumaru shot Ming Yu a look and said disdainfully, "What do you know? You know nothing at all. You just talk big." In contrast, Yae Sakura gave Ming Yu an apologetic smile.
Ming Yu didn't say any more. After mentally comparing the approximate location of Kiana's trio, he took his repacked bag and bid farewell to Yae Sakura.
Ming Yu didn't want to change Yae Sakura's ending, nor did he have the power to. Neither the Pseudo-Herrscher Yuno nor the S-rank Theresa were people Ming Yu could influence right now. He had no standing to participate in an S-rank battle.
If he simply took Yae Sakura away, where could he go? No matter what, Yae Sakura was a Pseudo-Herrscher. He might trust her, but that didn't mean others would. Moreover, Schicksal's Overseer, the number one cuckold Otto, would not let a Herrscher who cuckolded him go. He would definitely not make things easy for Yae Sakura.
To take it a step further, the only thing supporting Yae Sakura right now was her belief in finding Kallen, and the encounter in the Stigmata Space was her only chance. Being with a false Kallen in the Stigmata Space might be the best outcome for Yae Sakura.
Watching Ming Yu's retreating figure, Yae Sakura was a little lost in thought. Yu, who are you really? Yae Sakura shook her head slightly, glanced at Higokumaru beside her, and Ming Yu's words suddenly flashed through her mind. She turned and continued her search for Kallen.