"Hmm... We've been walking for quite a while now. It's almost nightfall. Should we rest for a bit?" Lumina suggested, noticing Stelle, Castorice, and Trianne's increasingly labored breathing as the sun began to set.
"Mm... Sister Lumina's right. Traveling at night is a bit risky. Let's take a break."
"The road to The Grove is long and arduous. If we don't get enough rest, we won't have any energy left to enjoy ourselves when we get there!"
Hearing Lumina's suggestion, Trianne stopped, placed her hands on her hips, and beamed, wholeheartedly endorsing the idea.
The long journey ahead, coupled with the pitch-black night, made it difficult to react to potential dangers like wild animals or hidden traps.
Trianne had already been planning to suggest a break herself, but Lumina spoke first, as if reading her mind and voicing her unspoken thoughts.
Truly, a woman worthy of being my mother!
Trianne inwardly praised Lumina, her already high regard for her deepening further.
Seeing Trianne's adoring and fond expression, Lumina chuckled to herself.
If Lumina could hear Trianne's thoughts at that moment, she would surely lean in and affectionately stroke her head, indulging in a tender caress.
Trianne's feelings were written all over her face; even if Lumina tried to ignore them, it would be nearly impossible to miss.
"Then let's take a short break," Lumina suggested.
"One minute, then we'll continue."
Stelle had no objection to Lumina's suggestion, nodding with a smile.
But was one minute truly a break on such a long journey?
Perhaps for Stelle, it was.
Castorice likely wouldn't mind either.
Even if she felt a bit tired, it was merely a minor fatigue.
As long as she could endure it, as long as it wasn't absolutely necessary, Castorice wouldn't bother with it.
However, Trianne immediately objected to Stelle's suggestion.
"No way, Little Grey!"
"A minute doesn't count as a break."
"If we're going to rest, we need a whole night."
"Let's wait until tomorrow when the sun rises before traveling again!"
Trianne delivered her rebuttal to Stelle's suggestion in short, deliberate phrases.
Speaking in this fragmented manner left Lumina, standing nearby, staring thoughtfully at Trianne. Was this her natural way of speaking, a unique quirk, or something else entirely?
Hmm...
Beside her, Lumina stared at Trianne, observing her peculiar speech pattern, and fell into deep thought for a moment.
"Hmm?"
"Sister Lumina, what's wrong?"
"Is there something on my face?"
Having finished refuting Stelle's proposed one-minute break and seeing her scratch her head in awkwardness, Trianne felt Lumina's gaze on her. She turned to look at Lumina and asked curiously.
"Nothing," Lumina replied, withdrawing her gaze and shaking her head with a smile. "You're just so adorable, Trianne. I couldn't help but steal a few extra glances."
"Mm-hmm!" Lumina's answer filled Trianne with contentment and happiness.
After humming softly to herself, she glanced at the darkening sky, bowed her head in thought for a moment, and then announced to the group, "The sun is about to set."
"Let's hurry and gather some branches to start a fire," Trianne said.
Though Trianne looked like a child, she was no ordinary child. She was a thousand-year-old child!
As Trianne's words faded, everyone sprang into action, scattering into the forest to collect materials for the night.
During this collection, Lumina and Herta, deeming the task trivial, bypassed the process altogether, choosing not to use their abilities.
While Trianne, Castorice, and Stelle were collecting materials, Herta approached Lumina, who had been staring intently at Trianne. Herta couldn't resist offering a pointed reminder:
"Lumina, you wouldn't be so desperate as to harm a child, would you?"
If Lumina had truly sunk to such depths, Herta would be deeply, deeply disappointed in her.
Well... of course, disappointment or not, it wouldn't change my relationship with Lumina.
If I'm disappointed, I can either accept it or change whatever caused it.
Just a minor issue, Herta thought to herself. She had infinite patience for Lumina—the kind that never runs out.
"Hmm?" Lumina paused, startled by Herta's words. After a moment of confusion, she rolled her eyes at Herta in exasperation.
"What are you even thinking? Even if I were ravenously hungry... no, wait, that's not right." Lumina nearly got caught up in Herta's twisted logic. How could I possibly relate to the idiom 'ravenously hungry' in any way? she wondered.
Taking a deep breath and shaking her head, Lumina said, "No matter how I look at it, I could never bring myself to harm a child."
Lumina was utterly speechless at Herta's ability to even ask such a question. If she hadn't known Herta so well, she might have mistaken her for someone who had escaped from the Dunce Society.
Dismissing the thought, Lumina refocused her gaze on Trianne. To prevent Herta from overanalyzing further, she offered a simple explanation:
"Trianne's condition is critical; she's on the verge of fading away completely. According to my estimates, if she uses her full power even once more, her body will become critically weakened, and her senses will blur."
"In that state, if Trianne were to use her power again, she would completely dissipate."
Although this concerned Trianne's safety, Lumina's tone carried no sense of urgency.
In fact, Lumina's words sounded almost casual, as if the matter threatening Trianne's life were nothing more than a trivial concern to her.
"Hmm... If it's such a minor issue to you, why are you watching her so closely?" Herta immediately recognized from Lumina's tone that her concern wasn't genuinely about Trianne's safety.
But Herta couldn't guess the real reason.
Since she couldn't figure it out, Herta decided to make a bold guess.
After a moment of contemplation, she stared thoughtfully at Lumina, who looked slightly puzzled, and asked, "Lumina, do you perhaps want a child?"
"???" Lumina's lips twitched at this question.
She was about to retort when Herta interrupted with renewed fervor.
"If you want a child, you can always come to me," Herta said with utmost seriousness.
"???"
Upon hearing this, Lumina felt Herta's words had encompassed her entire year's worth of shock.
"Herta, I..."
"Um... what I meant was, I'm a genius, capable of conducting biological research. I can help you resolve this dilemma."
Lumina was about to reply when, just like last time, Herta interrupted her before she could even finish a full sentence.
Herta had belatedly realized that her previous statement was fraught with ambiguity.
It sounded as if she were telling Lumina, "You want a child? Sure, come to me. I'll give you one."
While Herta's intended meaning was somewhat similar, the actual difference was substantial.
For example, she wouldn't be bearing the child herself.
Rather, she would help Lumina resolve the problem...
No, no, no. Herta meant she would use her brilliant mind—her intellectual prowess—to assist Lumina in solving this issue.
As soon as her initial statement landed, Herta hastily offered an explanation.
Lumina successfully avoided the birth of a misunderstanding.
"I see," Lumina nodded, withdrawing her initial shock at Herta's words.
A faint smile graced her calm face, making it impossible to guess or discern her true thoughts.
"If I ever need that in the future, I'll come find you," Lumina teased with a chuckle.
Though the topic was highly inappropriate, it at least allowed her to put Herta in an awkward position.
This promise about "having children" might one day provide her with a powerful advantage, capable of turning the tide of an entire battle.
"..." Herta's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to respond to Lumina's words.
But after hanging open in the air for a moment, she merely exhaled a warm breath and closed her mouth.
Why did Herta suddenly feel like she had dug herself a massive pit?
A pit she had no way to fill...
"Huff..."
Herta held her breath, longing to release it.
Herta pondered left and right, but couldn't devise any way to release the pent-up energy.
In the end, even the mighty Madam Herta had to swallow this bitter pill in silence.
It was all her own fault for bringing up the "having children" topic with her loose lips.
Well, now it's too late to regret it.
Herta felt utterly remorseful.
But the world offered no elixir of regret. Even if she regretted it, she could only bury it deep within her heart.
At least...
She couldn't let Lumina look down on her!
Taking a deep breath, she feigned a calm, nonchalant demeanor, as if nothing had happened. She quietly observed Lumina, waiting for her next words.
Lumina, though her gaze remained fixed on Trianne, had clearly observed every twitch and movement on Herta's face.
Yet she chose not to comment.
How utterly adorable, Madam Herta.
Lumina merely offered a silent, inner praise for Herta's unparalleled wit and composure...
Snapping back to reality, feeling Herta's gaze upon her, Lumina resumed her conversation with Trianne.
"Her condition is something I could resolve with a mere wave of my hand."
"But, if I did, it might disrupt her cycle of reincarnation, which could have unforeseen consequences for future cycles."
Ever since entering Amphoreus and encountering the Black-Robed Swordsman, Lumina had realized that this realm was trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation.
Trianne would die, but in the next cycle—no, the next reincarnation—she would be reborn.
That was the gist of it, hence Lumina's hesitation.
If she solved Trianne's problem in this cycle, what would the next cycle look like?
Lumina couldn't guarantee anything.
This realm wasn't her area of expertise, after all.
However, that was a minor concern.
The main issue was that Lumina had briefly studied Okhema's history and discovered the existence of a Demigod of Law and a Demigod of the Sea.
Moreover, through the Amphoreus Saga of Heroes, she learned that both Demigods were gacha characters.
Finally, by examining historical details, Lumina confirmed that both Demigods were female.
So, gacha character + female = ?
Without a doubt, it equals a beautiful girl.
Lumina feared that by healing Trianne's condition, she might disrupt the orderly cycle of reincarnation, causing these two demigods to completely turn to dust and be buried in the soil.
This was her greatest concern.
Therefore, Lumina dared not tamper with any significant events in this cycle, lest her meddling erase some of the beautiful girls she had yet to meet from future cycles.
However...
In matters like this, it's best to consult an expert.
Lumina turned to Herta and asked, "Little Herta, if I completely upend this cycle, would it have a massive impact on the next one?"
"Hmm..." Hearing this, Herta, though unaware of Lumina's specific intentions, could roughly deduce them from her inquisitive demeanor.
Her question undoubtedly concerned beautiful girls.
Herta didn't immediately respond. After pondering for a moment, she answered, "It depends on what kind of cycle this is."
"Based on my understanding, it's highly likely to have an impact," Herta replied honestly.
Sensing that Lumina might not fully grasp the implications, Herta elaborated: "The disruption to the cycle isn't coming from someone within the cycle itself, but from us—two outsiders."
"As long as we remain within Amphoreus, our presence will inevitably have repercussions."
"Of course, if someone within the cycle were to disrupt it, that could also trigger a cascade of effects on subsequent cycles."
"I see..." Having heard this, Lumina turned her gaze back to Trianne, her thoughts unreadable.
Lumina didn't want to influence future cycles, nor did she want to erase the two beautiful girls she hadn't yet met.
But...
Even more, she couldn't bear to watch, couldn't endure seeing beautiful girls "die" before her eyes, one after another.
The Flame-Chase is a journey of constant loss, whereas even life itself holds little value.
This line from the [ Amphoreus Saga of Heroes ] had always resonated deeply with Lumina.
Judging by this endless cycle, the heroes' ultimate fate would undoubtedly lead them to Death.
"Ugh..."
The thought of Agy and Castorice dying before her eyes filled Lumina's heart with anguish.
After a moment's deliberation, Lumina reached a decision.
Even if it affects the subsequent cycles, so be it!
Doing nothing—just standing by as a spectator while these beautiful girls die?
There's no way Lumina could ever do that!
Just relax, little beauty, and wait patiently for Sister Lumina's doting affection!