"So, Captain… you just agreed to it like that?"
By the bank of a certain river, the young woman named Bianka Ataegina, also known as Durandal, listened to her captain recount the story of what had just transpired. Her expression was incredibly peculiar.
While she had been lying in wait for a certain dopey Saintess, Li Zihan, who claimed he was going back to catch some more sleep, had instead come here to shoot the breeze with her.
And during that pointless chatter, she had heard a rather melodramatic tale.
For instance, her perpetually philandering captain had apparently decided to take someone to get a marriage certificate.
And, for instance, Li Zihan had used his special ability to see the Yae Shrine miko's naked body, she had found out, and he was now being forced to take responsibility.
The former—the prodigal son returning—was a development Durandal was delighted to see. She even wanted to join in the fun and be a bridesmaid.
The latter, however, was a bit… well, that.
To have such a ridiculously cliché plot point, the kind that should only appear in a morning soap opera, happen to someone right beside her, made Durandal the Dull Goose feel like the whole situation was surreal.
But what made it even more bizarre was…
The Captain had actually agreed!
Just last night, he was being all lovey-dovey with Seele, and was supposedly planning to try settling down in Siberia for a while to get married after they returned. And yet, this captain had actually agreed!
What was going on?
Honestly, the Dull Goose's brain was in a bit of a chaotic mess.
"If I hadn't agreed, I doubt I would have made it out of the Yae Shrine," Li Zihan recalled the Sakura Fubuki, which had been glowing so red it was on the verge of becoming the Blood-Soaked Sakura, and gave a shrug.
"So, I promised her that after we meet again in five hundred years, I will try to marry her."
Miss Yingyingying was a classic case of fěnqiēhēi—pink on the outside, black on the inside.
That much was certain.
In the original story, just because Kallen was kind to others, Sakura developed the idea of turning her into a doll that would belong only to her. After being possessed by a still-darkened Higokumaru, she wiped out the entire Yae Village that very day before launching an attack on Kallen.
If Li Zihan had refused, it was highly likely she would have drawn her blade on the spot.
"But… Captain, even if you had refused Miss Yae, nothing much would have happened, right?"
Durandal fell silent for a moment after hearing Li Zihan's explanation, then spoke up.
In the Dull Goose's perception, Li Zihan was dangerous in every sense of the word, while Yae Sakura's combat power wasn't particularly impressive.
In truth, Yae Sakura wasn't weak. Even now, without being turned into a Pseudo-Herrscher by Higokumaru, her combat strength was still on par with an A-rank Valkyrie. And A-rank was already an extraordinary level.
Take the Far East Branch for example. Excluding the various monsters and freaks who had snuck in, in that entire massive branch, there were only two people who surpassed A-rank: Theresa, a woman of exceptional talent who could take on Emperor-class Honkai Beasts from birth and was incredibly strong when she used her brain, and Murata Himeko, who had over-trained to the point where she had very few years of her life left.
A-rank was already an extremely outstanding Valkyrie.
However, the Dull Goose was a cheater with a small world hidden inside her, capable of casually slamming an Emperor-class Honkai Beast—one that had fought Rita to a standstill—into a wall until it questioned its own existence.
Durandal figured that her captain, a man who could give her a sense of crisis, wouldn't be taken out by an A-rank Yae Sakura, even if his legs were weak from last night's activities.
"Captain… you didn't just agree because Miss Yae is very beautiful, did you?"
Durandal looked at the handsome young man sitting beside her, munching on an oversized rice ball. Her expression was slightly complicated.
Just a few days ago, this man had given her the impression of being the Light of Schicksal, the Savior of Humanity. But after spending more time with him, her impression had changed to… a gender-bent version of Scum Rita.
"Dull Goose, do you really think that's the case?" the young man, who had indeed been thinking exactly that, retorted with a shrug.
Isn't it?
The Dull Goose froze. Her heroic, azure-blue eyes widened, filled with utter incomprehension.
Is there some hidden reason behind this?
"Then… Captain, what is the meaning behind your actions?" the Dull Goose pondered for a moment before turning to ask Li Zihan.
Although she was vaguely aware that her captain might be a scumbag, she still believed he was a wise man who was unlikely to act without reason.
"Let's keep it a secret for now," said Li Zihan, who hadn't come up with a good excuse yet. He sat by the river, watching the rising tide.
"A secret?"
Durandal mulled over these words, then closed her mouth.
Since Li Zihan, her captain, said it was a secret, then she, his subordinate, had no right to question him under normal circumstances.
And so, she continued to sit by the river, her eyes fixed on the spot where a certain white-haired dope was said to be swept up by the tide all the way from Tokyo Bay into this river.
Li Zihan, meanwhile, had tied a fishing line to a long spear covered in black and red thorns and barbs, and was now fishing.
And…
He caught nothing.
The oppressive aura emanating from the demonic spear, thick with the stench of blood and chilling killing intent, had scared away every last fish in this entire stretch of the river.
However, Li Zihan was having a great time.
He fished while keeping an eye on the incoming tide, occasionally telling stories and jokes to Durandal beside him.
Durandal had originally intended to reprimand her captain. One must remain focused during a mission.
But every single story Li Zihan told featured a cat, and Miss Bianka…
Was a total cat slave.
She listened with rapt attention, completely engrossed. She then launched into an excited discussion with Li Zihan about the key points of raising cats and the best techniques for petting them.
Li Zihan easily kept the conversation going, talking about different cat breeds, how to trick a cat into taking a bath, and how to make cat food.
Having found common ground, the two chatted happily.
And then—
As they were fishing and chatting, a large wave surged in from the distance.
A white-haired dango in a nun's habit was washed into the river along with it.
"Oho—"
Suddenly spotting the primary target of their trip, the young man, aided by his A+ rank Clairvoyance, easily found the dopey girl.
"Kallen has arrived."
The young man's eyes glowed a dark red as he stood up and snapped his fingers.
Golden chains materialized behind him, extending without limit. They slithered forward like snakes and snatched the dopey Saintess, pulling her back.
Before Durandal's slightly stunned expression, Li Zihan calmly reached out towards the Saintess's chest.
And then—
He yanked away the demonic black box she was clutching tightly and casually tossed the white-haired Saintess in Durandal's direction.
"Cap-Captain, what are you doing?!"
Durandal quickly bent her legs, lunging to catch the Saintess who would have otherwise landed face-first on the ground.
"Next, I'm going to go discipline Higokumaru."
---o---