"So, you came to find me to help you save the Saintess of Janusopolis?"
After inviting this strange, beautiful boy who knew her name into her home and listening to his purpose, Seliose couldn't help but look astonished.
"Why did you find me? Or rather, how do you even know of me?"
"Prophecy."
Prophecy?
A trace of confusion flashed in Seliose's eyes. She was just an obscure village girl. Why would anyone make a prophecy about her?
"Seliose, the Daythunder Knight. You are the future Master of the Sky, the warrior who conquers the 'Authority of the Sky' with your own martial prowess."
Me?
Future Master of the Sky?
The girl couldn't help blinking, looking in disbelief at the beautiful boy boasting in front of her. She was just good at a little bit of martial arts. How did that translate to conquering the Authority of the Sky?
Master of the Sky might barely pass as becoming the leader of the Sky People.
But the Authority of the Sky...
Wasn't that Lord Aquila's domain?
Me, fighting a Titan? For real?
"You will be the first Chrysos Heir in history to conquer a Titan through absolute martial force."
"Later generations of Chrysos Heirs might have some 'Mandate of Heaven' flavor to them, but you, Seliose... You are the only woman who beat a Titan into submission!"
Leaving aside whether a "forcibly twisted melon is sweet," the fact that you could twist it off the vine at all proved the intensity of this super-stat monster.
"So, you think I can help you break into the Temple of Janus and rescue a Saintess you've never met from heavy encirclement?"
"Yes."
Miss Seliose started to think this kid's brain was a little loose.
What is all this?
If it was something she could actually help with, she wouldn't refuse.
But opening with a request to storm a god's temple and snatch another family's Saintess? Even with Seliose's single-thread thinking, she couldn't possibly agree.
"I don't think I can help you."
"But I will earn your trust, Seliose. Without your help, I won't be able to take the first step to break out of this world."
"...How do you intend to earn my trust?"
"Please, hold my hand."
Half-believing, half-doubting, Seliose took the beautiful boy's hand. The next second, her body staggered. Her vision shifted rapidly, and finally...
It transformed into a "world" covered in cold gray and black.
"Aizen-bao, you... oh, wait..."
"Could this person beside you be Miss Seliose?"
Before she could clearly see her surroundings, a little girl with a sweet smile leaned in close.
"Where is this place?"
Seliose frowned slightly, looking down at Aizen. This boy had brought her here in the blink of an eye. Was this some kind of divine art?
Was it the legendary "Gate of a Hundred Worlds"?
"The Tomb of Demiurge. Or rather, the gestation and resting place of the Thirteenth Titan."
Aizen held his forehead. Even after teleporting many times, he still hadn't fully adapted to the dizziness. After panting for a moment, he spoke again.
"Amphoreus's true trump card is this Thirteenth Titan,the only existence capable of countering the monster breeding within the Black Tide."
Thirteenth Titan?
The only existence capable of countering the monster in the Black Tide?
What is he talking about?
"I told you, I would earn your trust. Because without your help, I probably can't even take the first step. So... I will explain everything about Amphoreus to you."
"Everything about Amphoreus? What exactly are you saying?"
"This is a story that spans thirty million loops."
Then, Aizen rapidly recounted the history of Amphoreus to the knight lady, detailing the efforts of the Tomb's owner and the story of the savior traversing thirty million cycles to buy time.
At first, Seliose was skeptical. But as Aizen's story deepened, the details became more substantial, the logic interlocking perfectly. Her expression gradually turned serious.
A gentleman can be deceived by righteousness.
Seliose was, without a doubt, this type of "gentleman" character,at least for now.
Although she would become "so righteous she loops back to evil" in the future, that was only after her corruption and the influence of Aquila's will.
Right now, she was the most orthodox knight character straight out of a traditional fantasy novel.
Slap a blonde wig on her, and she could debut in Camelot no problem.
She might even be better than that King who didn't understand the human heart. After all... well, although this girl was young, she had an astonishing "chest capacity." Thin branches hanging heavy fruit.
Forgot the beginning, forgot the middle, but in short, since Pangu split the heavens, I have been a loyal follower of the "Tremor Faction."
Tremor Sect!
"...I cannot fully accept everything you've said immediately."
After listening to Aizen's story, Seliose clenched her fists. If it was as the story claimed, this millennium had already looped tens of millions of times.
And if in those tens of millions of loops, she had personally exterminated her own clan, sending every last one of her people into the "Boiling Gold"...
Then, if she continued down her current path, would she inevitably reach that despairing end too?
But the "self" in the story was too similar... It sounded exactly like the choice she would make.
"I can give you time. But we don't have much. The mother of the former Saintess died at the hands of those priests. Once she makes a move, she will likely fall victim to those villains as well."
Tribios.
My... future best friend?
But how can I just storm a god's sanctuary based on a story told by this boy?
"Aizen-bao."
"If Miss Seliose doesn't believe it, let me try."
Just as Seliose hesitated, that gentle voice spoke up again. Only this time, the tone was a few degrees weaker than before.
Seliose turned to look. The little girl who, according to the story, had also walked through thirty million loops was standing there prettily, her face still wearing that bright and gentle smile.
However.
Within that gentle smile...
Seliose could catch a trace of anger.
Even if it was just a faint trace.
But that faint anger actually made Seliose trust her existence a little more.
"What are you doing now?"
Aizen looked at Cyrene, who was practically on the verge of disappearing, and spoke in a low voice.
"I already told you, don't..."
"I will!"
Rarely, the little pink-haired girl interrupted Aizen directly, stuffing his words back down his throat. That gentle little face even carried a hint of oppressive force.
"I said... I am going to do this. You... are not allowed to refuse, Aizen-bao."
"I... no, I can't watch you go on alone anymore."
"You were right. Perhaps I have become numb to things like dedication and sacrifice. It's almost instinct now."
"Forgetting the part of myself that is 'human,' only to serve that goal. Instinctively fawning, trying to hold onto anyone and anything that can help me complete that goal."
"Although I don't remember everything you said... and maybe, after I dissipate and wake up again, I will lose this part of my memory too."
"But right now, right here, in this moment..."
"It is the 'me' standing before you who wants to do this for you."
"This is absolutely not an action taken to save Amphoreus or anything like that. Instead... this is my revenge."
She laughed softly, then spoke again.
"Saying a beautiful girl as cute as a flower isn't human... next time, if I hear that again, I'll give you two solid punches, clank clank."
"It's just that I probably can't do that right now."
"So, at the very, very end, let me... return a small bit of a maiden's revenge to you."
"I will incubate that seed... of trust, within her."