Chapter 73: May the Light of Beauty Protect You, This Lady as Pure as a Firefly
Bronya's boots clicked rapidly against the cold stone floors of Qlipoth Fort. Only after putting a safe distance between herself and the Supreme Guardian's conference room did she finally allow her rigid shoulders to drop. A long, heavy breath escaped her lips.
'The performance just now...'She chewed on her lower lip, a flicker of uncertainty breaking her usual stoic demeanor.'There shouldn't have been any flaws, right?'
Pausing in a quiet alcove, she rubbed her chin and hastily retrieved the crumpled script from her coat pocket, her eyes darting across the lines to double-check her delivery. Her assigned role was surprisingly demanding. The upcoming pursuit sequence alone required a massive amount of coordination. Yet, her portion of the script abruptly cut off right after she was supposed to lead the Silvermane Guards to apprehend the Astral Express Crew, resulting in her accidental fall into the Underworld.
She recalled catching a glimpse of her mother's script earlier. Cocolia's stack of papers was significantly thicker. Bronya didn't feel slighted in the least. After all, her own acting talent was nowhere near the level of the Supreme Guardian's seasoned composure.
High above the grand hall, concealed perfectly within the architectural shadows, Leon leaned against a pillar with a lazy smirk. He had a front-row seat to the entire spectacle. His eyes had easily caught the brief, unmistakable flash of deep shock that crossed Mr. Yang's stoic face the moment the older man laid eyes on Cocolia and Bronya.
Mission accomplished.
Dusting off his hands, Leon slipped out of Qlipoth Fort, thoroughly satisfied with his handiwork. He had no intention of sticking around for the tedious negotiation phases. Cocolia knew her lines; she would execute the rest of the script flawlessly.
He had to admit, Bronya's performance was unexpectedly solid. That final, piercing glare she directed at the Astral Express Crew possessed a genuine, dramatic flair.
Back in the corridor, Bronya sneezed, wondering if her intense glare was just her overcompensating out of a sheer, panicked fear of being exposed. Leon, had he known, would have simply waved it off. Details weren't important as long as the show was entertaining.
The biting wind of Belobog greeted Leon as he stepped out onto the snowy streets. He hadn't walked far from the fortress before a flash of color at a nearby intersection caught his attention.
A silver-haired girl stood near a frosted streetlamp. She wore a distinctive dress, a soft grey bodice flowing into a pale green skirt. Against the heavy, militaristic coats and dark furs typical of Belobog's citizens, she stood out like a delicate spring bloom in the dead of winter.
Firefly.
Leon recognized her instantly. Her presence here wasn't exactly a shock. Silver Wolf had casually mentioned in their chat that she and Firefly were planning a sightseeing trip to the frozen planet. But if Firefly was standing out here in the open... where was the resident hacker? Were they wandering around separately?
Leon extended his senses, a subtle wave of energy rippling outward. A faint, familiar digital distortion hovered just a few yards away. Ah. Silver Wolf was nearby, cloaked in optical camouflage.
He turned his attention back to Firefly. The girl was looking left and right, clearly a bit lost amidst the unfamiliar, snow-covered architecture. The sight was too picturesque to ignore. Leon smoothly raised his camera, framing the silver-haired girl against the snowy backdrop, and snapped a photo, freezing the quiet moment in time.
He then adjusted his collar, adopting a posture of exaggerated, aristocratic elegance, and strolled toward her.
"May the Light of Beauty protect you, oh lady as pure as a firefly." His voice was smooth, dripping with theatrical charm. "Please forgive my sudden presumption. But your eyes... they remind me of the clear, gentle light of a newborn star."
He stopped a polite distance away, placing a hand over his heart. "You stand here like an exquisite crystal work of art, shimmering with a flawless brilliance that inspires a deep desire to protect. Crossing paths with you today is my absolute fortune."
Slipping effortlessly into his favorite Knight of Beauty persona, Leon produced a vibrant, crimson rose from thin air with a flick of his wrist. He offered it to her with a slight bow, deliberately maintaining a respectful distance so as not to startle her.
The sudden, fairytale-like encounter caught Firefly completely off guard. Her eyes widened, and a deep, rosy flush spread across her pale cheeks. Despite the freezing weather, a sudden trace of warmth bloomed in her chest.
"Eh? Th-thank you..." She stammered, her hands waving frantically in front of her in a flustered panic. "I... I am really not as wonderful as you say..."
"If you do not mind the intrusion, perhaps we could get to know each other?" Leon offered a warm, disarming smile. "My name is Leon."
"My name is Firefly..." She responded shyly, her voice soft, before her brain finally processed the name. Her breath hitched. "Eh? Wait... you are Leon?!"
The girl's eyes snapped wide open, staring at him in absolute shock. Wasn't that the name of the Stellaron Hunters' notorious external member? The very same Leon who somehow managed to give even Elio a massive headache on a regular basis! She had genuinely believed he was just a wandering Knight of Beauty!
Firefly leaned in slightly, inspecting his features with newfound scrutiny. Now that she looked closely... the person standing in front of her perfectly matched the footage they had in their database. In fact, he was noticeably more handsome in person than on screen. She certainly had not expected Leon to be the type who suffered from bad camera angles. Between the sudden poetic flattery and the unexpected rose, her flustered mind had completely failed to connect the dots.
"That is correct, Miss Firefly." Leon nodded, dropping the theatrical knight routine for a casual, friendly grin. "I am indeed your resident external member."
Firefly blinked, a wave of surprise washing over her. How did he recognize her so easily? Within the tight-knit circle of the Stellaron Hunters, her true appearance was common knowledge. But to the rest of the universe? She was a ghost. The Interastral Peace Corporation's wanted agencies and the general public had absolutely no idea that 'Firefly'even existed. The official bounty boards only displayed the menacing, metallic visage of the Stellaron Hunter known as'Sam'. There were no portraits, no sketches, and no descriptions of the silver-haired girl behind the armor.
It was this exact layer of absolute secrecy that allowed her to wander freely through places like Penacony under the guise of a simple tour guide. To put it bluntly, only the core Hunters knew that Firefly and Sam were one and the same. But then again... Leon was an external member, and a highly privileged one at that. It made sense that he would have access to her file.
"I took a photo of you just a moment ago. It turned out incredibly cute," Leon said, tapping the side of his camera. "I was thinking of posting it on a public photography platform to share with the universe. I wonder if you would give me your permission?"
"I-I would really rather you did not..." Firefly shrank back slightly, her hands waving in rapid refusal. "After all, we are Stellaron Hunters. If a photo of me spreads across the network, it might bring unwanted trouble..."
She still had her own missions to execute. If her face became public knowledge, it would create endless complications for her future operations. It was far too risky.
"Relax," Leon chuckled, his tone light and breezy. "Even if your image appears on a public feed, people will just assume you are a random tourist or a visitor to the Astral Express. No one is going to magically associate a cute girl in a dress with the Stellaron Hunters." He gestured to himself. "Just look at me. Aside from you guys, who else in the galaxy actually knows I am on your payroll?"
"However," Leon continued, his voice taking on a sudden, businesslike cadence, "since you want me to delete it, that is perfectly fine too. Taking the photo is a free service. Deleting it, on the other hand, costs exactly twenty thousand credits. Would you prefer to pay via mobile transfer or cold, hard cash?"
He leaned in slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a wicked, handsome arc. "If you are short on funds, I am also more than happy to accept items of equivalent value as collateral." He sounded exactly like a crooked merchant peddling scams in a back alley.
Eh?
Firefly froze on the spot. Her mind blanked. Yet, being inherently pure-hearted and entirely unaccustomed to such blatant extortion, she did not even think to question the absurdity of his demand. She bit her lip, pulling out her digital wallet. She stared at her painfully low balance with deep hesitation, but eventually, with a heavy sigh, she initiated the transfer, sending exactly twenty thousand credits straight to Leon's account.
[Ding! Transfer successful.]
Leon stared at the notification on his screen, his jaw going slack. 'No way... she actually paid it!'He had fully expected her to pout, argue, or at least realize he was pulling her leg. The fact that she just handed over the cash without a fight left him utterly speechless.'Seriously, this girl is so innocent I could cry.'
He knew very well that Firefly was far from wealthy. If she had money, she wouldn't have been wandering around Penacony looking for odd jobs just to scrape by. His guess was painfully accurate. After that transfer, the remaining balance in Firefly's account had plummeted to a pitiful one thousand credits.
Under normal circumstances, acquiring funds was child's play for a Stellaron Hunter. But Firefly was different. She stubbornly chose to earn her keep through honest work rather than resorting to the 'rob the rich to feed ourselves' method. That particular brand of aggressive wealth redistribution was a skill the other Hunters excelled at, not her.
From the empty space beside them, a heavy sigh echoed. "You are truly something else, you know that?"
The air rippled as digital pixels materialized, revealing Silver Wolf. She stood there with her arms crossed, blowing a bubblegum bubble that popped with a sharp snap. "And Leon, seriously, stop bullying Firefly the second you meet her."
The hacker shook her head, looking caught between sheer amusement at Leon's audacity and utter frustration at Firefly's gullibility.
"Ah?" Firefly blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them. The realization finally crashed down on her. "Wait... you mean I did not actually have to pay those twenty thousand credits?!"
"Firefly, I honestly feel like if you gave me three hours, I could easily trick you into coming home to be my wife," Leon said, unable to hold back his laughter. "But considering how incredibly easy you are to fool, I am genuinely worried that our future children would end up just as hopelessly silly as you."
"You... that is too much!" Firefly stomped her foot, finally grasping the full extent of his teasing.
He called her silly. He claimed he could trick her into marriage in three hours. And worst of all, he was already worrying about their hypothetical children inheriting her naivety! How completely hateful! It wouldn't be like that at all! A furious, vibrant red flush spread from her cheeks all the way down to her neck, making her look like a steaming kettle.
"Alright, alright, I yield. Here are your credits back." Leon chuckled, tapping his screen to reverse the transfer. Watching her flustered, embarrassed reaction only solidified his opinion. She was dangerously cute. Truly, as expected of Firefly. "As an apology for my terrible behavior, how about I treat the two of you to a proper meal?"
Firefly opened her mouth, instinctively preparing to politely decline the offer. Before she could speak, Silver Wolf grabbed her sleeve and pulled her forward.
"Don't even bother hesitating," the hacker muttered, rolling her eyes. "This guy is absolutely loaded. Let's go drain his wallet."
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