As his eyes fell upon the slender fingers already grasping the hilt of her sword, Li Zihan understood one thing with perfect clarity.
He…
Seemed to have encountered a rather special situation.
"Calm yourself, Sakura."
The young man, whose careless boast had revealed that he'd witnessed the "wailing monster" performing her Suigōri ritual, spoke as he watched the Sakura Fubuki quiver, on the verge of being drawn.
The miko, standing on the very brink of an emotional explosion, took several deep, steadying breaths to pacify her racing heart.
"My apologies. I lost my composure."
She then resumed her intense stare, her azure-blue eyes locked on the young man before her, waiting for an answer.
"I believe I can understand your position," the young man said with a shrug, for he genuinely could comprehend Yae Sakura's feelings. "You truly have no reason to be this agitated."
His words caused the corner of Yae Sakura's eye to twitch.
For a woman from an ancient era to be suddenly informed that she had been seen completely unclothed without her knowledge… it was frankly a small miracle she hadn't fainted on the spot.
The one blessing in this misfortune was that the man who had seen everything was, at least, a man of quality.
He was powerful, immensely knowledgeable, and his appearance was second to none.
Furthermore, his eyes held a special power that had allowed him to witness parts of her life, which in turn had fostered his affection for her.
To be honest, Miss Yae's own heart was stirred.
This was, after all, a man who had crossed the expanse of time for her sake, arriving in this era that was, to him, the distant past.
For someone to go to such lengths for her… it would be unnatural not to be moved.
Born in this ancient era, she was accustomed to the wealthy and powerful taking multiple wives and concubines. While the thought of her future husband having relationships with other women was somewhat distasteful, it was not something she couldn't accept.
She was capable of turning a blind eye.
Once she disregarded the "playboy" label attached to this man, Miss Yae felt that choosing him as the one to whom she would entrust her life was an excellent decision.
With this thought solidifying in her mind, she slowly began to speak again.
"Li-kun, I trust you are aware of the lifelong impact on the performer should their Suigōri ritual be witnessed by another."
Having said this, the miko named Sakura gracefully closed the distance between them. She tilted her head up slightly to gaze directly into the young man's eyes, trying to read what lay within.
She was certain that Li Zihan was interested in her.
If he held no feelings for her at all, he would never have mentioned spying on her Suigōri ritual in the first place, and this entire scene would never have unfolded.
Having reasoned this out, the miko looked at the young man who was practically flawless—save for his scumbag tendencies—and stared into his vivid red pupils as she continued.
"Since you were willing to speak of witnessing my pre-ceremonial ritual, fully aware of the consequences… I believe that you, in fact, also harbor feelings of admiration for me, do you not?"
"That is correct," the unabashed scumbag admitted with complete candor.
Although he had spent his days calling her "Sakura the Donkey," "the Wailing Monster," and "the Fox-eared Donkey," Yae Sakura was undeniably a stunning beauty with a superb figure.
It would be far more abnormal if he didn't feel some attraction.
Li Zihan had always told himself his type was cute, soft, moe girls or gentle, domestic Yamato Nadeshiko.
His "second brother," however, did not agree.
His second brother's opinion was that as long as the woman in question wasn't some depraved pervert and was sufficiently beautiful, he would spring to attention and salute her as a potential mistress of the house.
Li Zihan's second brother was just that much of a disappointment.
Li Zihan himself was helpless in the matter.
Receiving the answer she had hoped for, the miko's lips curled into a faint smile.
If Li Zihan had rejected her, she truly would not have known what to do.
Fortunately, his answer was an affirmative.
"However," Li Zihan began, having already foreseen Kallen's afternoon arrival with his Clairvoyance, "that is not a matter for the present."
"I do not belong to this era."
"The time you speak of… is it the future?" Yae Sakura asked, showing no surprise, as Li Zihan had already told her this much.
"To be precise, five hundred years from now," Li Zihan stated his temporal origin matter-of-factly.
Five hundred years?
Yae Sakura was taken aback. Her expression became hesitant.
She knew Li Zihan was from the future, but she had never imagined that future was so impossibly distant.
Could she, an ordinary mortal, possibly live for five hundred years?
"My next step is to find the Herrscher of Erosion, implant her into your body, and transform you into a Pseudo-Herrscher. Then, I will have you slumber for five hundred years."
The young man, who recalled seeing a version of Yae Sakura with ears that could have been a rabbit's or a donkey's but were definitely not a fox's, grew thoughtful.
Yes, it's better to add them.
A Yae Sakura without her fox-donkey ears is as soulless as an Otto without his green hat.
The method, naturally, was Pseudo-Herrscherfication.
Through his Clairvoyance, Li Zihan confirmed Kallen's imminent arrival. And Higokumaru was currently nestled in her arms. Once he found the dopey Saintess, finding Higokumaru would be no trouble at all.
He had already acquired Yae Rin's soul and was on the verge of acquiring Kallen's, all to trade for the First Divine Key. The thought filled him with a pleasant sense of accomplishment.
His journey was nearing its end.
He would extract the core of the Void Archives, turn himself into a Herrscher, and then begin his other experiments.
At that point, neither a Yae Sakura prone to turning dark nor a battlefield of jealous Herrscher-capable girls could possibly harm him.
A Herrscher of Reason clad in the Three-Target-Garment would surely be better at surviving than Welt "Sit-up" Yang, wouldn't he?
At this thought, the smile on the young man's face grew even brighter.
"The Herrscher of Erosion? What is that?" Yae Sakura, a simple village girl, asked with a look of confusion.
"She was once the Twelfth Divine Apostle, a rather formidable character. These days, however, she's a bit of a letdown. Just think of her as a powerful big sister throwing a tantrum."
Li Zihan gave a concise and cutting summary of the lackluster Herrscher.
"My plan is to beat her up a bit first, then have her transfer a portion of her power to you. That will grant you a sufficient lifespan, and then I will put you to sleep until five hundred years from now."
Li Zihan stated a plan so direct it would have sent Ling into a towering rage.
"Is… is that so?" For some reason, Yae Sakura felt a pang of pity for this Herrscher of Erosion.
"Don't worry," the young man said, noticing the look of pity on Sakura's face. "My future self and the Herrscher of Erosion's true form get along quite well. I won't hit her too hard."
This was his second encounter with the Herrscher of Erosion, and he still intended to communicate through physical means.
The Key of Binding—the Oath of Judah. The very Divine Key that, five hundred years from now, would once bind Ling up into a helpless bundle.
This time, his dear Miss Ling was about to receive another personal greeting from Judah.
Author's note:
PS: Eight thousand words to finish this.