"Elias, do you know what's been going on with Sister Sakura lately? She's acting even more extreme than Kalpas!"
In the Golden Courtyard—
Pardofelis lay sprawled across Elias' lap, enjoying the combination of his lap pillow and gentle caress while asking curiously.
Recently, Sakura's battle record had skyrocketed. The number of Emperor-class Honkai Beasts she'd slain was uncountable, and more than a dozen Judgment-level Honkai Beasts had already died at her hands. For a while, the Flame-Chaser of [Setsuna] had become a name that shook even Fire Moth.
Even the notorious berserker of the Flame-Chasers, Kalpas himself, had been outdone by her.
"Well, I'd say she's just overflowing with emotion right now—probably venting a little. But... that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Elias shrugged and smiled.
That day, he had completely stirred Sakura's heart, mixing all sorts of emotions together until the fox-eared girl's heart was pierced through—and reshaped in his image.
"Uh, yeah, that makes sense. She's been smiling a lot lately."
Pardofelis nodded with lingering fear.
Lately, a new earring had appeared on Sakura's ear.
When Pardofelis had merely complimented it and reached out to take a closer look, she was met with a chilling warning—do not touch. In that instant, she immediately understood: that earring could only have been a gift from Elias.
If she so much as dared to "help store" it for her own collection, that time-freezing sword of Sakura's would definitely slice her to ribbons. Forget nine lives—nine hundred wouldn't be enough.
"Elias, how much did that earring cost?" Pardofelis asked curiously.
"Hmm... about this much."
"Pfft—cough! Are you sure you didn't add, like, three or four extra zeros?!"
The cat burglar nearly fell off his lap, her eyes wide with disbelief. She double-checked several times before confirming she hadn't misheard.
"Wait, don't tell me... that was Eden's money?"
"Nope. I paid for it myself. Being the Savior comes with a good salary—and I've got side income too."
"How could I use another girl's money to buy a gift for someone else?" Elias said, shaking his head. Even though Eden shared her wealth with him freely—telling him he could spend it however he pleased—Elias still couldn't bring himself to do it.
To be fair, being the supreme commander of Fire Moth earned him about ten billion a month, though he made more pocket change performing alongside Eden in concerts.
Life wasn't easy. Elias had to sell his art to make ends meet.
"Here, Pardofelis. This one's for you."
"Eh? I get one too?"
"Of course. I prepared something for everyone."
"Hehe~ Elias, you're the best!"
Pardofelis' eyes sparkled as she eagerly accepted the gift box Elias handed her, her feline tail swaying happily behind her.
When she excitedly opened it, she found a golden bell small enough to fit in her palm. It jingled lightly, producing a clear, pleasant sound.
"Most people don't realize that catgirls are actually sensitive to sound. Bells usually don't suit them. But... you're different, Pardofelis. I did consider a necklace or earrings, but this just seemed cuter on you."
"Elias, I really love it! But... won't it make it easier for people to hear me when I'm out shopping for supplies?"
After all, what kind of master thief wore a bell around her neck? One ring of that thing and everyone would know Pardofelis was coming.
Still, despite her words, she gently blew on the bell and wiped it clean with the corner of her sleeve, her tail quietly curling around Elias' wrist.
"My dear Pardofelis, you're already my cat. Why would you need to 'restock supplies' anymore?"
Elias ruffled her hair with a smile.
"Ehehe~ Guess I'm just used to it."
Pardofelis scratched her cheek shyly.
Anyone watching from afar would have easily mistaken the two for a cat and her owner.
Pardofelis fastened the golden bell around her neck, gave it a little shake, and smiled brightly as the soft chime echoed through the courtyard.
Elias' lips curved upward. In his heart, he sighed at how irresistibly adorable his little feline girl was. Compared to the cat thief in the game, this real one had an even better figure.
Though she was still slender and graceful, the soft flesh on her chest had gone from a B to a C+, thanks to Pardofelis no longer having to starve for a day after every meal as she had in childhood—her nutrition had finally caught up.
When Elias and Elysia went on their world tour, they had stayed in Dusk Street for a full ten days, and during that time... they completely conquered it.
Although Dusk Street was a place filled with honest, capable people, in front of five Herrscher Cores and the Herrscher of Origin, there was really only one choice—submission.
Elias had beaten every gang leader in Dusk Street into submission and became the protector of Pardofelis and Aponia's sanatorium, earning the codename "Boss."
Those gangs had no choice but to obediently pay tribute every month.
After all, how could he bear to let his little cat and that big fluttering moth live hard lives, especially in a place as chaotic as Dusk Street, where even gunfights broke out now and then?
There was even a time when Pardofelis would've died if not for her absurd luck—a silver coin in her chest pouch deflected a bullet for her.
Though that was back in the first loop.
That very same silver coin had been gifted to Elias by Pardofelis, but in this twelfth loop, under his protection, no one in Dusk Street dared lay a finger on her. Whenever people saw the little cat pass by, they'd recall the days when Elias ruled the district.
Forget involving her in a gunfight—no matter how heated a battle got, the moment someone saw Pardofelis, both sides would immediately stop shooting to avoid hurting her.
Because of that, the future support item known in the Elysian Realm as "Nine Lives Unspent" no longer existed. Pardofelis no longer needed a silver coin to block bullets for her.
After all, she was the Savior's cat.
Hurting Pardofelis = angering Elias = becoming the enemy of the world.
Even the Herrscher of Finality wouldn't dare harm her.
(Good thing the system helped me keep this coin.)
Elias retrieved the bullet-pierced silver coin Pardofelis had once given him during the first loop from his system space, gently tracing the mark of the bullet hole with his fingers.
To say the least, it held as much meaning as the cross Kiana had given him—it carried half of Pardofelis' luck.
"Huh? Elias, why do you have a bullet coin? Hmm... it looks kind of familiar."
Pardofelis tilted her head, having forgotten the memory entirely.
"Heh, this is one of my most precious treasures."
"What?! One of your treasures?!"
Pardofelis' ears and tail stood straight up in shock. She looked at the coin in Elias' hand and quickly drew her own hand back.
"...Pardofelis, I want you to keep it safe for me." Elias hesitated for a moment before handing the bullet coin back to the cat girl.
"Wha—no way! I can't! Absolutely not!" Pardofelis shook her head frantically, refusing on the spot.
She didn't care that it was just an old, dented coin—if it was one of Elias' treasures, then it was undeniably special.
"I'm not giving it to you. I just want you to hold onto it for a while. You know how I'm always fighting—if I lose it by accident, that would be bad, wouldn't it?"
Of course, that was impossible. The system space was basically the safest vault in existence.
"Uh... mm, but... alright then!"
Pardofelis hesitated for a long moment before accepting the coin with both hands, carefully cupping it like it might sprout legs and run off. The sight made Elias chuckle softly.
"But, Elias... how long exactly do you mean by 'a while'? You'd better take it back soon! If I lose it somehow, I—I wouldn't even know how to make it up to you!"
"Don't worry, it won't be for long. Just... say, fifty thousand years. When you live long enough to reach my era, you can return it to me then."
"Eh?"
Pardofelis froze, completely dumbfounded.
"Oh, and if you do lose it, I'll be really sad. At that point, you'll just have to give yourself to me to make up for it."
Elias smirked mischievously, scratching under her chin.
"Give... myself to you..." Pardofelis blinked blankly, her tail swaying lightly as her imagination ran wild.
"Were you just thinking about 'accidentally' losing it on purpose?" Elias' lips curved into a knowing grin, seeing right through her.
"Ahahaha, E-Elias, what are you talking about? I'd never do something like that!"
Pardofelis' cheeks flushed red as her tail swayed nervously behind her, and she averted her gaze guiltily. Then, in panic, she triggered her Artificial Cascade.
Her form shifted into that of a tin-can-sized cat, biting onto the silver coin as she tried to make her escape—but Elias caught her instantly, pulling her into a warm embrace filled with kisses and head pats.
Meow~ meow~ meowu~~
Under Elias' master-level cat-petting technique, she let out a string of soft, adorable meows before eventually going limp in content surrender.
Cradling the little cat in his arms, Elias carried Pardofelis to the back garden of the Golden Courtyard to bask in the sun. In the comfortable warmth of the midday light, she soon dozed off.
"Taking naps every day and soaking in the sun... That's your dream, isn't it, Pardofelis? Such a simple but happy dream... You must live to see the future, Pardofelis."
Elias gazed down at the sleeping cat in his arms with gentle eyes.
"Meow... wu..."
Even in her sleep, the little feline murmured unconsciously, as if responding to him. What Elias didn't know was that Pardofelis had found herself a new dream—
—To be petted by him every day.
Huff... huff... huff...
The sunlight was so pleasant that Elias closed his eyes for a brief nap as well. Yet, under his deliberate control, he didn't drift into a dream, but rather entered his own mental space.
Unlike the Deep End, where Herrschers were imprisoned, Elias' spiritual domain held a different kind of captive—a beautiful one.
"Misteln, do you want to come out for some fresh air?"
"No need. For me, there's no place more comfortable than your mental space, my master."
Elias' spiritual world had long since been remodeled by a certain bored [Idea] lady into a grand white palace.
At the moment, Misteln was seated elegantly on an ornate chair, leisurely flipping through a doujin about Elias himself, reading it with great interest.
Elias twitched, snatched the book from her hands, and tore it to pieces. To read that kind of fanwork starring him inside his own mind—utterly absurd!
"Not even a little entertainment allowed? You're such a cruel master," Misteln teased softly.
"Cruel? Who's really cruel here? If you hadn't ratted me out every single cycle, I wouldn't even be in this mess," Elias replied, rolling his eyes.
To prevent the Honkai Eruption caused by Herrscher descents, Elias had to release his Holy Blood each time—which also broke the barrier between the Schariac Stigma Space and reality.
As a result, Misteln had already awakened during the First Eruption, when the Herrscher of Reason first appeared.
But unlike others, as Elias' Stigma, she possessed access to his memories—and thus, Misteln remembered everything. Every cycle. All ten loops.
However...
Every time Elias released her into reality, Misteln would reveal the truth about the cycles to the Flame-Chasers. In the second, third, and fourth loops, she had disrupted his plans significantly.
And she showed no remorse for it.
Her intent couldn't have been clearer:
To stop Elias from continuing the cycles.
"Master, you and Elysia are both selfish people. You ignore everyone else's feelings, sacrificing yourselves over and over again, reliving the same pain endlessly. It's detestable."
"Don't lie. You love me the most."
"...Hmph."
Misteln crossed her arms and let out a soft huff.
Yes, she did love him.
But that was exactly why she couldn't bear to watch anymore.
"I won't deny our selfishness," Elias said. "But look at the results—aren't they beautiful? Ely activated her Authority to protect my future, to safeguard our era."
"And by looping endlessly, I've managed to save more lives each time. If I go through a dozen more cycles, perhaps no one in the Previous Era would have to die at all."
Elias defended himself calmly. He and Elysia's selfishness had saved the world.
He saved the past. Elysia saved the future.
"But you never saved yourselves!"
Misteln clenched her hands tightly, sorrow clouding the face of the [Idea] maiden.
To her, the fate of the Previous Era didn't matter. Misteln was the Schariac Stigma—what she cared about was only Elias.
Watching him repeat his cycles again and again, chasing after hope, trying every possible method only to fail each time... Misteln's heart ached so much she could barely breathe. It felt as though it would split in two.
"Please, Master... stop. I'm begging you."
"...This will be the last time. I promise."
Elias reached out, gently brushing his hand through Misteln's snow-white hair. Her body trembled at his words.
"Really? You won't lie to me, right?"
"If I lie to you this time," Elias said after a few seconds of thought, "then... I'll hand over full control of my body to you."
"!!!"
Misteln's eyes widened in disbelief.
She understood exactly what that meant. Handing over control of his body completely would allow her to become the dominant persona. If she wished... she could even lock Elias inside his own mental space forever.
In that instant, the saintly girl who usually spent her days reading fanfics in Elias' head had already come up with hundreds of possible ways to use that power.
"...In that case, Master, how about doing one more loop?" Misteln asked, blinking innocently.
After witnessing Elias go through ten cycles, even she had once considered taking control of his body herself—to seal him within the mental space and forcibly return him to the Current Era.
If she truly possessed his body, she could monopolize him completely, forever.
"As if I'd let you. This really is the last one." Elias chuckled and flicked her forehead lightly.
"Hehe... then that's wonderful. Oh, by the way—would you like me to weave you a beautiful dream tonight? It's been a while since I last did."
Light shimmered faintly at Misteln's fingertips. With just a nod from Elias, she could immediately craft him a blissful dream—one where anything was possible. In that dream, he could save Elysia, reunite with everyone from St. Freya... she could make it all real.
But Elias shook his head. "No need. This is already the twelfth cycle—I've long passed the point where I need your dreams to sleep peacefully."
"...I see. Heh~ so you don't need me anymore, huh?" Misteln forced a small, bitter smile.
In the earlier loops, Elias had once relied on her Dreamcraft just to get a decent night's sleep. Back then, one could say he suffered from Misteln Dependence Syndrome.
But soon, he no longer needed her dreams—and that left the [Idea] maiden quietly heartbroken. After all, crafting dreams he could never truly change was the only thing she could do for him.
But how could she blame him for being strong?
She only wished he weren't so strong.
After all, what was so wrong with being weak sometimes?
There was an old saying that fit well: "Nothing in this world is hard—if you just give up."
As Misteln lowered her head, sighing softly, lost in her melancholy, Elias suddenly pulled her into his arms.
"Don't make that face, Misteln. It's true that I don't need you to weave my dreams anymore... but I still need you."
"Eh?"
"Misteln, you're the only one who's been with me through every cycle. You've witnessed everything. So... will you stay with me until the end, my dear Stigma maiden?"
Elias' embrace tightened around her.
"...So, I'm still needed by you after all," Misteln whispered after a moment of stunned silence. Then, tears began to flow from her eyes.
"Alright. It's my honor, my dear Master. Misteln Schariac—the Stigma of [Idea]—will accompany you to the very end of this journey, as your witness."