"Phandrea? How could you possibly be here?"
"Strange... you're not dead?"
"And you've even returned to your peak condition? How did you manage that?"
Following the direction of the voice, Nahida frowned deeply. Her tone was filled with confusion, disbelief, and a hint of curiosity, as if utterly unable to comprehend how Phandrea, whom she had personally eradicated, could still exist.
"Heh heh heh... Why wouldn't I be here?" Phandrea chuckled in response to Nahida's words, turning the question back on her.
"You can actually resist Irminsul's purification power?"
Nahida's face was etched with astonishment, tinged with existential doubt. She seemed completely unable to grasp how Phandrea, even severely wounded, could withstand Irminsul's cleansing energy and fully recover to her peak strength.
"Not only can I resist Irminsul's purification, but I also know your true identity, Nahida." Phandrea slowly approached the Staff, as if intending to destroy it, though she knew it was futile.
"Ooh, how impressive! Shall I give you a pat on the back?"
Nahida paid no mind to Phandrea's actions, instead sarcastically remarking on the latter half of her statement.
If Phandrea could destroy the Staff, she would have done so already. Why is she still here blathering on?
"So, Nahida," Phandrea extended her hand toward Nahida with a gentle smile. "Do you intend to completely replace her? Since she abandoned you once, wouldn't it be perfectly natural for you to abandon her now?"
"She abandoned you once, and she'll do it again in the future."
"So why not strike first? Abandon her before she can abandon you."
Phandrea's face beamed with confident assurance, seemingly convinced that Nahida would readily accept her proposal.
Given their strained relationship and Nahida's past abandonment, Phandrea couldn't imagine she would refuse such an offer.
"What's going on? Who is this 'her'?" March 7th and the others glanced at Phandrea, then at Nahida, whose expression remained completely unchanged.
Though they didn't know who "she" was, March 7th and the others instinctively sensed that if Nahida agreed to Phandrea's proposal, nothing good could come of it...
"Nahida..." March 7th's gaze toward Nahida carried a hint of nervousness.
Under the tense gazes of March 7th and the others, and Phandrea's confident stare, Nahida slowly opened her mouth and uttered one word to Phandrea:
"Idiot."
Phandrea: ?
March 7th and the others: ?
Upon hearing these elegant words, everyone present was momentarily stunned. They hadn't expected such refined language from Nahida's lips and struggled to react for a moment.
Too lazy to bother with this suddenly appearing idiot, Nahida nudged March 7th beside her, shrinking the Great Book in her hand into a wisp of green light and handing it to March 7th. "I'll handle Phandrea here," she said. "You guys hurry and search for Lumina's location, then give her this Forest Book."
"Nahida, are you... sure you'll be okay?" March 7th asked, accepting the Forest Book with a hint of worry. "Shouldn't we deal with Phandrea first?"
March 7th recalled their previous battle, realizing that Nahida's various techniques had originated almost entirely from the Forest Book. Without the Forest Book, can Nahida still defeat Phandrea?
"What could be the problem?" Nahida asked, glancing at March 7th with a puzzled expression.
"She's just a defeated foe. Even if I fought with one hand tied behind my back, she wouldn't stand a chance."
"Besides, remember what I said earlier?"
"Wasting time is wasting life—especially Lumina's life~"
"So, let's not waste any more time. Ride Little Swarm and hurry to find Lumina."
"Then... we'll go." Hearing this, March 7th hesitated for a moment, but seeing the unwavering confidence on Nahida's face, she grabbed the Forest Book and quickly left with Stelle and Little Swarm.
Nahida seemed utterly confident. Given the circumstances, March 7th and the others had no choice but to trust her.
"Strange... Could it be that your relationship isn't as bad as it seems?" Phandrea muttered, barely registering their departure.
"Of course we have a bad relationship. When did I ever say otherwise?" Hearing Phandrea's mutterings, Nahida crossed her arms and said in a flat tone, "I absolutely loathe her—I can't stand her."
"Hmm? In that case, why don't we..."
"But I hate you even more, you big idiot."
Hearing this, Phandrea assumed Nahida was playing hard to get, so she extended an olive branch once again.
Before Phandrea could finish her offer, Nahida interrupted her with a look of utter disdain, as if she were speaking to a simpleton.
"Heh heh heh... Looks like you'll be forced to drink the penalty wine after refusing the toast..." Phandrea's expression instantly turned glacial, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy, as if a fight were about to break out any second.
"Drinking? Sorry, I don't drink."
Despite the tense atmosphere, Nahida seemed oblivious, responding to Phandrea's words with unwavering seriousness.
Phandrea: ...
"Hahahaha..."
Hearing Nahida's dryly humorous reply, Phandrea burst out laughing.
Nahida didn't interrupt her laughter. After all, she was stalling for time, and this idiot's mindless giggling was only helping her.
Nahida had no reason to disturb her "assistance."
When Phandrea finally stopped laughing, she extended her palm once more, offering a final olive branch: "Nahida, imagine the wonderful life you could have after abandoning her."
"Then, people will only remember Nahida, never her."
"From now on, the Cosmos will have only one Nahida—no her!"
"So, will you collaborate with me, Nahida?"
As Phandrea delivered her impassioned words, Nahida's expression remained unchanged. Her lips parted slightly, and she slowly uttered:
"Idiot."