"Auntie, when are you and Elias coming back? It's already dinner time. If you don't come back soon, I'm going to eat all the fried chicken."
"Sorry, everyone go ahead and eat first. We... will probably need a bit more time."
Because it had taken so long, a call had already come from the Valkyrie dorms. Theresa couldn't help glancing at the three people beside her who were still chatting about topics from the past.
She only felt that it might take even longer.
But precisely because these were topics she didn't know about, Theresa listened with great interest, occasionally letting out surprised exclamations.
(So something like that even happened? Repeatedly reincarnating and starting over just to pursue the best possible ending... my God, Elias actually did such reckless things back then!)
(This is at least ten times more reckless than the version of him I know. As expected, it wasn't as easy and simple as he always says. Honestly! If Himeko and the others found out about these things, how heartbroken they'd be.)
(I want to know even more. What kind of adventures has Elias actually been through?)
Right now, Theresa was a little reluctant to let this end.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to truly understand Elias. From Eden and Aponia's mouths, she could learn many sides of the white-haired boy that no one else knew.
Eden and Aponia also welcomed Theresa joining the discussion. After all, they were very curious as well about what Elias had done during the Current Era.
Although Elias himself had talked about some of it in the past, they didn't even need to think to know that he had definitely skipped a lot, especially the difficult parts, which must have been glossed over quite a bit.
Kiana: "Can't you just let Elias come back first? Auntie, you can talk to the sponsor yourself, can't you?"
Theresa: "Kiana! Have you finished today's homework or not? If it's not done by the time I get back, you'll—"
Kiana: "S-Suddenly the signal is bad, Auntie bye-bye! You and Elias take your time, really don't rush. Even if you talk things over until tomorrow, that's totally fine!"
As soon as homework was mentioned, this little paramecium predictably chickened out. While borrowing Mei's homework to copy, she hurriedly hung up the call. Theresa's eye twitched as she thought that once she got back, she'd hang this brat up and beat her properly.
"Was that Miss Kiana who called just now? She sounds like a lively and adorable girl. Elias often talked to us about you all in the past."
Eden gently swirled the wine in her golden goblet as she spoke. She was also full of curiosity about everyone in the Current Era, though more than half of it came from the mindset of understanding potential opponents.
"Really? Then what did Elias say about me?"
"Uh, let me think. The world's Nth cutest Judah launcher? A white-haired dumpling who loves drinking bitter melon juice? And also..." Eden tilted her head and recalled for a moment.
"E-Eden, you're already drunk, aren't you!" Elias broke out in a cold sweat and tried to cover his songstress' mouth.
"Elias, who are you calling a launcher and a dumpling?!" Theresa's forehead popped with veins as she felt her authority plummet.
"Hehe, aren't those very cute nicknames?"
Aponia looked at Theresa with a kind, benevolent gaze, like a mother looking at her daughter.
Although the latter looked like a little girl on the outside and was actually over fifty years old, in front of Flame-Chasers whose true age exceeded fifty thousand years, calling Theresa a little girl was already generous.
"By the way, Miss Theresa, may I ask if you have any intention of letting me acquire St. Freya Academy? Price is not an issue."
Eden suddenly asked.
"Hm? I'm sorry, Miss Eden. No matter how much money you offer, I have no intention of selling the academy. To me, it's not just a simple school, but a place like home."
"I see. That was my discourtesy, I sincerely apologize. This is a trivial token of apology. I'll punish myself with a few more drinks."
"Uh, there's really no need to go that far!"
Watching Eden hand over a check with ten zeros on it, then drain the wine in her cup in one gulp, Theresa hurriedly waved her hands, indicating that taking just the check would be fine.
Eden shook her head apologetically. Her reason for wanting to acquire St. Freya Academy, when it came down to it, was simply to create a more advantageous position for herself when it came to pursuing Elias.
However, although she failed to buy the Valkyrie academy, she soon thought of another method.
Before long, with Eden's massive financial investment, this [Gold] Flame-Chaser became a board member of St. Freya Academy, her status already surpassing Theresa's position as principal.
"Please arrange a position for me as a music teacher later on, and give Aponia a position as a psychology teacher. As for accommodation, living in the same dorm as Elias will be fine."
"No problem! A trivial matter! Board Member Eden, you can do whatever you want! Elias, hurry up and pour her some wine!"
Theresa's eyes had already turned into money symbols. With Eden's strong sponsorship, even expanding St. Freya Academy tenfold would be an easy task for her.
As for supplies and funds, there was even less to worry about!
This rich lady's exquisite legs absolutely had to be hugged tightly!
Elias' eye twitched as he clenched his fists and pressed them against both sides of Theresa's head, twisting inward forcefully. In his heart, he thought that this Teriri really did start a dye workshop the moment she was given an inch.
Decided! Next time, he'd swap her bitter melon juice for mustard juice!
"Speaking of which, Theresa really does only drink bitter melon juice. Why not try something else once in a while?"
"Mm, that's true. There was a period before when my sense of taste had problems and I could only taste bitterness, and then I accidentally came to like bitter melon. But trying some other things sounds pretty good too."
Theresa curiously looked at the red wine in the three people's cups. After hesitating for a while, she put down the bitter melon juice in her hand... this was even a premium bitter melon juice that Eden had specially asked someone to prepare.
Seeing that she wanted to try the red wine, Elias hesitated for a moment as well. But on second thought, although Theresa looked only twelve years old, her actual age already exceeded fifty.
And she was also a Vishnu-type fusion warrior.
(It should be fine, right? No way one cup would... holy crap, she's down just like that.)
Thud!
Theresa's little head slammed directly onto the table.
Elias' eyes widened in shock. Looking at Theresa, who had only taken a tiny sip yet already had flushed cheeks and was completely unconscious, he was genuinely stunned.
He couldn't help but think that maybe Vishnu-type fusion warriors had a weakness when it came to alcohol. Thinking carefully, Kosma at banquets also only drank carbonated beverages and never touched alcohol.
Then next time, he'd go look for him to run an experiment.
Eden: "..."
Aponia: "..."
At this moment, the two women exchanged glances, imperceptibly nodding to each other. Then they filled their own cups and began drinking without restraint as well.
Although most fusion warriors had extremely high resistance to alcohol, Eden was not one of them. As for Aponia, as long as she didn't use Honkai energy to neutralize the alcohol, drinking a bit more would still make her drunk.
Elias stared wide-eyed as the two women drank themselves drunk, not knowing how to react for a moment. Although he also wanted to get drunk together with them, his constitution simply wouldn't allow it.
Sometimes Elias truly hated this body that couldn't get drunk. Little did he know, the female Flame-Chasers felt the same way.
Eden: (If Elias could get drunk, then many things would become much simpler.)
Aponia: (Yes, what a pity. Drunk people can temporarily forget the troubles of reality, but Elias can only remain clear-headed at all times. This is also the world's unfairness toward him. But since that's the case...)
Eden: (Then it can only be us getting drunk!)
The two of them, once drunk, instinctively collapsed into the white-haired boy's arms. As for their purpose, there was no need to say it out loud—this was exactly why the discussion had been held in this presidential suite.
Moreover, Eden and Aponia knew very well that Elias was not someone who would retreat at a critical moment.
Joy or anger, love or hatred—expressing one's emotions through concrete actions had always been one of Elias' firmly held beliefs.
Toward those he liked, he would go and hug and kiss them.
Toward those he hated, he would go and inflict pain.
"...So that's how it is." Elias looked at the two of them with a helpless smile, finally understanding what they were trying to do.
Now his own songstress and nun had already delivered themselves right to his doorstep. If he were to refuse the two of them now, it would undoubtedly bring them shame.
That was something Elias would never do. And so...
"It seems I won't be able to return to the dorms for dinner tonight. Then as a substitute... I'll 'eat' the two of you instead. Don't worry~ Eden, Nia, I'll be very gentle."
"No, Elias, this time please don't be gentle." x2
"...Alright."
...
When the next morning came.
The first to wake up was not Elias, Eden, or Aponia.
It was Theresa, who had been knocked out by a single sip of alcohol.
"Th-This, this, what is going on?!"
Seeing Elias' sleeping face right in front of her, Theresa completely fell into chaos. She shakily sat up, looked around, and then froze entirely.
The suite looked as if it had been hit by a tornado. At this moment, the bed the four of them were lying on could be said to be the only pure land left. And right now, she herself was sleeping on top of Elias' body. To his left lay Aponia, and to his right lay Eden.
"Aba aba aba aba..."
Theresa clutched her head with both hands, losing the ability to speak.
This scene was far too stimulating for a fifty-year-old child. One had to know that she was a pure nun who had never even read shoujo manga, only ever reading HOMU comics!
(What on earth happened last night!! Could this be the legendary drunk and disorderly... wuu! As expected, bitter melon juice is the best thing in the world. I'll never drink alcohol again! What should I do now, what should I do? Should I wake the three of them up?)
Theresa was so anxious she was like an ant on a hot pan. She sat duck-style on Elias' abdomen. Even though she remembered nothing, she subconsciously started to imagine the events of last night.
Soon, white smoke drifted up from her head. If someone put a kettle on it right now, it might boil in no time...
And at this moment, Elias also opened his eyes.
"Mm... good morning, Theresa."
"Ah, um, good morning... no, wait! Elias, you'd better confess honestly. What exactly did you do to me last night? We didn't already do that kind of thing, did we? I'm finished, I'm finished. How am I supposed to explain this to Kiana and the others when we get back?!"
Theresa raised her little fists and started pounding on Elias.
She was completely panicked right now, thinking that once she went back she was probably doomed, forced to be dragged into the now-routine daily battle over Elias. In just an instant, Theresa imagined more than a dozen different ways she might die.
"Haah~ You're really energetic so early in the morning."
Elias yawned, letting those delicate little fists fall on his body. Then he raised his hand and flicked Theresa hard on the forehead, directly knocking this Teriri over.
"Wuu, that hurts. I'm going to tell everyone on you!"
"Tell them what? I didn't do anything to you. If anything, you were the one who sleepwalked over here."
"Huh? I... sleepwalked?"
Only then did Theresa notice that although her clothes were a bit wrinkled, they were still worn properly and not messy at all.
Completely different from Eden and Aponia, whose shapely curves were exposed and whose clothes had all fallen to the floor.
"After you got drunk last night, I put you on the small bed. Then you sleepwalked over here in the middle of the night. But don't worry, Theresa. I wouldn't do that kind of thing to a child."
"Wh-Who are you calling a child! I'm an adult!"
"Ah yes, yes, you're an adult. But keep your voice down a bit. My dear Eden and Nia are still sleeping."
"Uh, sorry..."
Elias raised his hand and gently stroked the wine-red and pale-golden long hair of the two women. His eyes were filled with affection and deep love. After such a long-awaited reunion, their enthusiasm had been extremely high, and they had accidentally gone a bit overboard.
He released the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, healing Eden and Aponia's already exhausted delicate bodies. Pure white blossoms bloomed, adding a few more traces of holiness to these two peerless beauties.
Under the restoration of authority, the two of them slowly opened their eyes.
"Good morning, Elias. Thank you."
"Yes. Last night was truly a wonderful night."
Eden and Aponia's faces were a little pale. Last night's fierce battle had been far too perilous. Even after joining forces and giving it their all, the two of them were still no match for Elias, defeated so thoroughly they were left utterly routed.
...
But that was only natural.
Two fusion warriors of Emperor-level Honkai Beasts, even if one possessed extremely strong defense and the other an extraordinarily large pool of vitality.
In front of Elias, a Planet-class MANTIS, they still had not even the slightest power to fight back.
Logically speaking, the battle should have ended within half an hour. Yet Eden and Aponia had miraculously held on for an entire night. It could only be said that... they relied purely on the power of will.
After lying there for another hour, under the continued healing of the Herrscher of Rebirth's authority, the two of them finally recovered the ability to move.
"It's about time to head back. We accidentally forgot to notify the dorms last night. Everyone must be worried by now."
"Guh... I'm done for..."
Theresa checked her terminal and found dozens upon dozens of missed calls.
Yesterday, because she had dragged Elias over in such a hurry, he hadn't even had time to bring his own terminal. As a result, all the calls had gone to Theresa instead.
"Then let's go together. We can also take the opportunity to meet Hua. Hehe, I hope she won't be too surprised."
"Uh, by the way, Eden and Nia, you two arrived quite late. Hua told me she had contacted you long ago. And why didn't the rest come along?"
"Ah, well... the others have some matters to deal with. For example, Ely is currently traveling the world. It will still take some time before that trip ends, so let's not worry about her for now."
"Traveling the world? She didn't even take me with her!"
Because of his absolute trust in the two of them, Elias didn't doubt what Eden and Aponia said.
Still, thinking about how he wouldn't be seeing Elysia, Mobius, Sakura, and the others for a while left him feeling a bit dejected.
Eden: "Don't mind it, my dear Elias. Although Ely is no longer here, you still have me... us."
Aponia: "From now on, we... will stay by your side forever. We'll love you together with Ely's share as well. We won't let you be lonely again."
"I really love you two so much!"
Elias was immediately moved beyond words and hugged the two tightly.
Although what they said sounded as if a certain Miss Pink Elf had already passed away, it must have been unintentional, right?
Enjoying Elias' embrace, Eden and Aponia revealed satisfied expressions. Behind his back, they raised their thumbs at each other. This time, everything had gone exactly according to their plan.
With only the remnants of sisterhood left, the two of them simultaneously apologized in their hearts to a certain pink elf.
(Dear Ely, I'll take good care of Elias for you, so you should just continue staying in Elysium~ Mm, let's set a small goal first and get the marriage certificate of the Current Era!)
...
Meanwhile, at St. Freya Academy.
From early morning onward, the academy gates were flooded with a terrifying aura powerful enough to scare away even Judgment-level Honkai Beasts.
Mei, Kiana, Bronya, Rita, and the others stood fully armed at the entrance. The girls' faces were grim, and the weapons in their hands glinted with cold light.
All: "Theresa / Principal / Auntie, when you come back later, you'd better give us a reasonable explanation."
Theresa: "...I have a very ominous feeling. This can't be an illusion, right, ┭┮﹏┭┮"