“Sumeru?”
Luo Qing feigned a surprised expression.
He hadn’t expected that, after becoming a full-fledged Harbinger, both Arlecchino and Dottore would try to recruit him.
Was this a coincidence, or had Piero orchestrated it behind the scenes?
“I’m conducting a grand experiment with Scaramouche,” Dottore explained, painting a tempting picture. “If you join us, the results could be even more extraordinary.”
“An experiment?”
Luo Qing acted puzzled, though he was well aware of what Dottore was referring to.
The Akademiya’s god-creation project? Old news.
“I’m not exactly cut from the same cloth as those pedantic scholars at the Akademiya,” Luo Qing said, masking his knowledge. “Are you sure I’ll be of any use, Dottore-sama?”
Despite knowing the ins and outs, Luo Qing played the role of the naive newcomer.
He had only recently become a Harbinger, so the longer he could keep up the pretense of being a clueless rookie, the more advantages he could leverage.
“Of course.”
Dottore’s confidence was unshakable.
“I’ll send detailed information to you soon. In half a month, I’ll be returning to Sumeru. Please give it serious thought.”
He gave Luo Qing’s shoulder a firm pat and walked off before Luo Qing could respond.
Watching Dottore’s confident and almost theatrical departure, Luo Qing sank into thought.
At this point, there was no news at all from Natlan regarding the Pyro Archon’s Gnosis.
Should he team up with Arlecchino in Fontaine, strike while the iron was hot, and work toward eventually bringing her under his command?
Or should he follow Dottore to Sumeru, seize the opportunity to interact with the adorable Lesser Lord Kusanali, and maybe even… hmm, would the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still be around somehow?
Such difficult choices…
Shaking his head, Luo Qing decided to head home and consult Makoto.
After all, her visions of the future might offer some useful guidance.
—
Arriving at his doorstep, Luo Qing instinctively scanned the surroundings.
After ensuring there were no spies lurking about, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks.
In the center of the tatami-floored living room, Makoto sat on one side with Rosalyne standing silently behind her.
On the opposite side, Theresa knelt on the floor, her head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground.
Her entire posture radiated fear.
Hearing the door open, all three turned their gazes toward Luo Qing.
“What’s going on here?” Luo Qing asked, bewildered.
“She seems to have made a copy of your house key after dinner last time. Thinking no one was home, she let herself in.”
Makoto crossed her arms and spoke calmly, though her gaze seemed to silently ask:
Want me to make her forget this ever happened?
“Huh?”
Luo Qing’s face darkened as he turned to Theresa.
You guard against thieves all day, but who guards against their own people?
Theresa shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine. She immediately shifted to face him fully, bowing so deeply her forehead nearly touched his feet.
“Luo Qing-sama, I was wrong! I let my impulses get the better of me and accidentally stumbled upon the General’s true identity! Please, don’t kill me to silence me—I have a family to care for!”
“You’re an orphan,” Luo Qing interjected.
“…”
Theresa gulped, then quickly slid forward on her knees and grabbed Luo Qing’s leg, crying out pitifully.
“Luo Qing-sama, please spare me! I’ll do anything for you—be your servant, your horse, anything you want! I promise not to tell Natalia or anyone else!”
Her original plan had been to sneak in and steal something personal from Luo Qing to bring back and… “appreciate” later.
What she hadn’t expected was to open the door and walk straight into Makoto—who looked exactly like the Raiden Shogun—and Rosalyne playing cards in the living room.
The two women had stared at her in silence for a brief moment. Then, with a grace honed by years of service as the Tsaritsa’s former tool, Rosalyne had subdued her effortlessly and waited for Luo Qing’s return.
“Let go,” Luo Qing said, a trace of disgust in his voice.
“You’re so kind, my lord!” Theresa cried in relief, letting go and scooting back to her original position.
She knew Luo Qing well enough to understand that if he hadn’t punished her immediately, he wasn’t planning to pursue the matter further.
“Hand over the key.”
“Um…”
Theresa fidgeted.
“Hmm?”
“Alright, alright.”
Reluctantly, she reached into her shirt, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a small metal key.
Luo Qing blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Her chest is barely a B-cup—maybe a C on a good day—and she managed to hide a key there?
“This happens again, and you’re out. Got it?” Luo Qing warned.
Though he had plans to eventually let his subordinates in on Makoto’s existence, he preferred to do so on his terms, not by accident.
“Understood!” Theresa replied weakly.
Though she wore an expression of remorse, inwardly, she couldn’t help but wonder why her sneaky schemes always seemed to end in her getting caught.
“That’s it?” Makoto asked from the sidelines, her tone perplexed.
She had expected Luo Qing to punish Theresa more harshly. After all, breaking into a superior’s home and attempting to steal something was a serious offense.
In Inazuma, such an act would’ve landed her in prison—or worse.
You’re way too soft on her.
“What else do you want me to do?” Luo Qing asked, noticing the look of disdain in Makoto’s eyes.
Settling in the middle of the tea table, he continued, “Let’s get back to the real topic here.”
He explained Dottore’s and Arlecchino’s invitations and then turned to Makoto.
“So, in the future you’ve seen, where do I go?”
“How should I know? Sumeru and Fontaine aren’t under Inazuma’s jurisdiction,” Makoto replied casually.
“Wow, some prophet you are. Ask you anything, and you’re clueless,” Luo Qing muttered, unimpressed.
“Hmph.”
Makoto sniffed indignantly before smirking.
“I do know one thing: when you hold your wedding, you’ll have so many brides that two hands won’t be enough to count them. How’s that for a prophecy?”
“…”
Luo Qing froze.
That many brides? Am I really that much of a scumbag?
“Uh…”
From her spot in the corner, Theresa hesitantly raised her hand.
“General-sama, am I one of the brides?”
“?”
Luo Qing turned to look at her, unsure how to respond.
“Oh?”
Makoto’s gaze flickered between the two of them, her tone teasing.
“What do you think?”
“Ahem.”
Luo Qing cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track.
“Let’s focus. We have two options before us: Sumeru or Fontaine. This is likely Piero’s plan, so where should we go?”
He wasn’t familiar with either region, making it difficult to decide. However, if he wanted to stick to the timeline, Sumeru seemed like the more logical choice.
“Uh…”
Rosalyne raised her hand slightly and spoke respectfully.
“I have some knowledge of Sumeru. If Master chooses to go there, I could offer some assistance…”
Although Sumeru held painful memories for her, her loyalty to Luo Qing took precedence.
“Is that so?” Luo Qing studied her for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, then. Sumeru it is!”
—
T/N: omg can I stop being wrong
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