'Holy crap!!! This...this isn't about to turn me into a humanoid Herrscher Divine Key, is it?!!!'
Upon hearing Vill-V greet her with the explosive declaration of planning to use her as the base material for crafting a Divine Key, Lunelle felt a shock unlike anything she'd ever experienced.
After all, the idea of directly refining a living, breathing person like her into a Divine Key...
Just hearing it out loud felt a bit too 'adults-only,' didn't it?
As Lunelle instinctively revealed an expression of utter terror, a sinister, runaway aura began to coil around her entire being, thick with the stench of death.
Well, if you Fire Moth folks are gonna pull something this bloody and not-safe-for-work right off the bat, then someone as easily frightened as little ol' me turning dark and going on a rampage to get even seems perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?
The mere thought of the terrifying consequence—a living person being smelted into a Divine Key—filled present-day Lunelle with a reckless urge to just go all out, cause a huge scene, and take everyone down with her!
"Ahem...my dear Vill-V, saying such rude things to a lovely young lady is very, very naughty, you know~?"
Seeing sweet little Seele get so frightened by Vill-V's unexpectedly bold statement, Elysia—who wasn't exactly keen on directly threatening a beauty—could only narrow her eyes and flash Vill-V a smile that looked sweet and adorable on the surface, but carried an undeniable, 'friendly' warning.
It was clear: if Vill-V, who had misspoken, didn't hurry to soothe the frightened little Seele, then as someone personally caught and brought to Fire Moth by Elysia...
A clever person like Vill-V knew perfectly well that Elysia had her own ways to make a loose-lipped individual understand what should and shouldn't be said!
So, to avoid suffering a similar ordeal again, and unlike someone like Mobius who'd rather die than lose face, Vill-V promptly and sincerely apologized to the startled Seele.
In short, it seemed the situation was simply that Vill-V, upon meeting an unfairly cute child like Seele for the first time, had a sudden impulsive urge to see what kind of interesting expression the little one would make when scared.
And being highly capable with her hands, and possessing more than one 'fun-seeking' personality, Vill-V naturally acted on the idea immediately.
Still, realizing she'd made a serious mistake, Vill-V's attitude in admitting fault was exceptionally earnest.
She even came close to dropping to her knees in a dramatic slide right then and there before Seele, just to show the depth of her sincere desire for forgiveness.
For Vill-V, compared to stubbornly refusing to admit her mistake and potentially facing whatever Elysia might do, offering a heartfelt apology to a pleasant-on-the-eyes, adorable little thing like Seele was far more acceptable.
However, coming from a 'Charlatan' like Vill-V, this apology naturally couldn't make the currently jumpy Lunelle let her guard down completely over just a few words.
Yet, Lunelle also noticed with some surprise that her usually reliable danger sense—the one that always pinged in a crisis—wasn't giving her any warnings this time.
Most importantly, considering this was just a simulation and not how things were unfolding in the real world, Lunelle, who had been ready to burn her bridges, gradually calmed down.
She also decided to first see what new trick Vill-V had prepared for her this time.
Besides, biting the dust in a simulation wasn't real death.
So, using the simulation to scout ahead for dangers in the storyline was something Lunelle was still willing to try.
Of course, given the potentially unimaginable cost of failing this simulation, if Lunelle did spot any real signs of danger, she definitely wouldn't just sit back and wait for doom.
Perhaps warned by Elysia, Vill-V didn't pull any more stunts that startled Lunelle afterward.
She even seemed oddly well-behaved, to the point where Lunelle felt a tiny bit unaccustomed to it, honestly.
Afterward, Vill-V directly led the two to a highly advanced-looking engineering console.
Floating above the console was a sphere of liquid metal shimmering with a strange luster.
And a bespectacled "big" sister, whose...'assets' seemed second only to Aponia's, was clearly already waiting there for some time.
If Lunelle's guess was right, this "big" sister who bore a striking resemblance to Mei should be the Previous Era's Dr. Mei.
And that weirdly metallic-glowing stuff was probably Soulium, hailed as the sturdiest metal in the Honkai world, right?
Remembering that every Divine Key was made from Soulium combined with a Herrscher core, Lunelle couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear.
With a setup like this, were they really not planning to refine her alive into something like the Abyss Flower?
"Don't be scared, Seele~. Everyone didn't bring you here to hurt you, I can promise you that much, okay?"
Seeing little Seele getting nervous and scared again, seemingly unfamiliar with such a scene, Elysia—her movements and expression both seeming a bit unnatural—gently patted Lunelle's adorable little head, softly soothing the child.
"Mhm... Seele believes you, Elysia-oneechan!"
Feeling that her beloved Elysia was, for once, taking the rare initiative to reach out to her, the little pitiful one she was, Lunelle couldn't help but instinctively show an utterly delighted expression—like a kitten being pampered by its owner.
Witnessing such an overwhelmingly adorable scene, Elysia nearly had her soul shaken out of her body.
Her cheeks flushed unnaturally as she averted her gaze, though her heart was far from as calm as she pretended.
'Ahhhhh!!!'
'How can Seele be this cute!!!'
'I want to kiss her, hug her, lift her up high!!!'
Fighting that inexplicable thirst from deep within, Elysia suppressed, for who-knows-which time, the urge to pin this adorable Seele down right then and there.
And once again, she couldn't help but marvel—Seele truly was a natural-born enchantress, wasn't she?
How could someone who usually remained unshaken in the face of all kinds of beauties, repeatedly find herself on the verge of losing control only around Seele?
Could this be Seele's unique Herrscher authority at work?
"So this must be Miss Seele? Pleased to meet you. My name is Mei."
Meeting a little Herrscher like Seele, who looked nothing like a killing machine, left Mei quite astonished. Still, she quickly adjusted her demeanor, offering a polite, professional smile.
"Then, Sister Mei, what did everyone ask Seele to come here for?
Is it to draw a little blood each week, like at Dr. Mobius's place?"
By perfectly channeling Seele's gentle, trusting persona, Lunelle authentically acted out the part of someone slowly letting their guard down around people who seemed approachable.
Maintaining that innocent, easily-fooled appearance, she quietly probed to find out just what Dr. Mei had brought her here to assist with.
"No blood draws this time. We've asked Miss Seele to come today only to help us with a small experiment."
"This experiment will only take a little of your time and, in theory, carries no danger or anything frightening. You can rest assured about that."
Faced with the adorable Seele, Mei felt a hint of maternal instinct stir within her.
Her originally somewhat formal tone softened under the terrifying weight of Lunelle's charm.
However, as Fire Moth's true "voice of reason," Mei didn't let the intense urge to cuddle something cute lead to any improper thoughts or unseemly behavior toward Seele.
Then again, it might also be because Lunelle, from the very start, never subconsciously considered Mei—a married woman—as someone who could be categorized within her "beloved wives" circle.
Though Lunelle's heart had room for many wives, and even in the original Honkai storyline, Mei and Kevin had only undergone in-vitro fertilization without any actual physical intimacy, the fact remained that Lunelle had met Mei after Kevin.
Plus, Lunelle didn't share that particular… appreciation for other men's wives.
So perhaps her potent charm, targeted specifically at certain young women, simply didn't manifest as strongly on Mei.
Seeing that Seele was being cooperative so far, Mei felt a bit relieved.
She had been concerned earlier when the little one seemed agitated over minor matters.
"Next, please place your hand here, Miss Seele."
Mei then led the curious Seele over to a device somewhat resembling a blood pressure monitor, gesturing for Lunelle to place her hand inside to be secured.
"Oh… okay."
Seeing that she wasn't being led to an operating table for a forced Herrscher core extraction—the worst-case scenario she'd mentally prepared for—Lunelle secretly let out a small sigh of relief.
She then extended her fragrant, soft little hand into the device.
The device, sensing she was in position, began to slowly tighten around her arm, much like a blood pressure cuff, holding her small hand firmly in place.
Once her arm was secured, Lunelle tested whether she could break free using her own strength.
To her surprise, the restraining force was lighter than she'd imagined.
Thus, she once again suppressed the urge to flip the table right then and there.
"What comes next might be a bit uncomfortable. Please bear with it for a moment, Miss."
With Lunelle, the "battery," now in place, Mei promptly flipped a switch.
Lunelle, her arm fastened, suddenly felt something—something not very distinct to her senses—being continuously drawn out from her body through the device securing her arm.
If not for the lack of any noticeable weakness, she might have suspected this thing was a large-scale "blood-drawing pump."
Just as Lunelle was puzzling over the situation, Dark Seele, afraid of being seen as overly concerned, suddenly initiated a mental link with the bewildered Lunelle.
"Seele? I suddenly sense the Honkai Energy concentration in your body dropping significantly. What's going on over there?"
This was the first time Dark Seele had actively initiated a mental connection, and her tone was deliberately feigning indifference, as if she couldn't care less even if Lunelle dropped dead.
'Huh? So you're saying this device is extracting the Honkai Energy from my body?'
Dark Seele's unexpected call conveniently cleared up Lunelle's confusion.
To be honest, Lunelle wasn't particularly bothered by having her Honkai Energy drained.
After all, whether in simulations or the real world, she had no means to control or utilize the Honkai Energy within her.
In reality, lacking the key medium of a Stigmata, she was forced to be nothing more than a mascot.
In simulations, as a Herrscher, the authorities of "Destruction" and "Creation" were split, bound to Dark Seele and Lunelle respectively—two consciousnesses sharing one body.
Though Lunelle seemed tied to the "Creation" authority, she had never sensed a Herrscher core for it.
Dark Seele, however, did possess a core for her "Destruction" authority.
So, in simulations, Lunelle was left with Herrscher-level Honkai Energy but no way to actively wield her "Creation" authority, having no idea where her supposed core was.
Even with her current doctoral-level knowledge in biotechnology, this situation offered no room for manipulation—a skilled cook can't work without ingredients.
'Will the drop in my Honkai Energy concentration have any serious effects on you, then?'
But if draining this energy would directly impact her beloved wife Dark Seele, Lunelle would never continue cooperating.
"You idiot! They're extracting your Honkai Energy! What does that have to do with me? My energy has been kept strictly within the core all along, just like you asked!"
"If I hadn't been too annoyed to watch you, a fool, get drained dry without even realizing it, still dumb enough to thank those doing it, do you think I'd bother warning you, you moron?"
Hearing her foolish Seele wife worrying about her instead, Dark Seele felt a touch moved but also exasperated. She promptly called Lunelle an idiot several more times.
Yet, that slightly flustered, tsundere tone let Lunelle pick up on the genuine concern hidden within.
Heheh, as expected, her beloved wife Dark Seele was still worried about her, even if she'd never admit it.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.