"Lumie, Hertie, I have one more thing to do, so I might not be able to keep you company for a while."
After their conversation with Aglaea, everyone had to go attend to their own tasks.
Castorice needed to leave Okhema to seek traces of the Flame Reaver. Otherwise, Okhema would be left in a passive state, which would be extremely difficult.
As a [Demigod], Castorice shouldered this responsibility.
Moreover, as the Demigod of [Death], she was a rather special one. If she lost a fight, she could simply flee to the Nether Realm.
She could basically remain undefeated. Even if she couldn't win, her opponent couldn't kill her either.
Without a doubt, she was one of the best candidates to search for the Flame Reaver's traces.
The other person was naturally Cipher, the [Trickery] Demigod.
However, Aglaea did not say much about Cipher. After simply mentioning that she would also participate in the search for the Flame Reaver's traces, she ended the topic.
Hyacine, on the other hand, needed to meet her ancestors before setting out. This matter had nothing to do with Lumina, so she didn't go along.
Although they were ancestors, in a sense, how was this any different from meeting the parents?
Of course, Lumina didn't particularly care about this; she simply didn't want to waste her time.
Because she knew that when the time came, Hyacine's conversation with the ancestors would definitely, definitely be filled with all sorts of riddles, which would make Lumina feel sleepy.
In the end, the group went their separate ways without any fuss.
"Miss Lumina, Madam Herta, please stop."
After everything was settled, Lumina and Herta left the Hero's Bath and the Marmoreal Palace. After walking for a while, an Intellitron blocked their way. It was Lygus.
"What, you want to fight?" Herta was already in a bad mood, and the fact that Lygus, who had threatened her before, was standing in front of her made her feel even worse.
Her expression darkened, and she crossed her arms. The aura around her was suffocating, as if she would unleash all the anger she had accumulated if Lygus didn't provide a reasonable explanation.
Herta could sense that the Intellitron before her was merely a clone, not even the true body.
Since that was the case, it would be a waste not to use such a perfect punching bag.
"Miss Lumina, Madam Herta, I have no intention of making enemies of you..."
Lygus naturally sensed Madam Herta's furious posture, but he didn't mind. He was as polite as a young scion from a noble family, making it impossible to find any flaw in his demeanor that could be considered offensive.
But...
Herta raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Oh~ You have no intention of making enemies of us. Does that mean if Lumina weren't here and it was just me, you would dare to make an enemy of me?"
Since Lygus's behavior was faultless, she decided to find the problem in his words.
When one is determined to find a reason to be angry, what's impossible to find?
But this time, Herta wasn't just looking for a fight. She was genuinely displeased with this specific point.
"I have no intention of making enemies of you..." This sentence, on its own, would be perfectly fine.
But one must remember that when she first arrived at Amphoreus, the Intellitron before her didn't say anything like that.
What did it say back then?
Our [Destruction] is mutually guaranteed.
And its attitude toward her had been so indifferent, as if it didn't care about her in the slightest.
This had infuriated Herta, not to mention Lygus's complete change in demeanor after Lumina arrived.
Now that he was saying such things, wasn't he implying that without Lumina's presence, she was nothing?
That Madam Herta was just a free rider, while Miss Lumina was the one carrying the team.
Even if that were true, you could whisper it in private.
But you said it to my face, which means you aren't taking Madam Herta seriously at all!
If you don't take Madam Herta seriously, if you don't respect Madam Herta, then you must accept Madam Herta's punishment, be severely punished by Madam Herta!
Herta's gaze toward Lygus was filled with fury.
During this time, she had been unable to do anything to Lumina, forced to watch her run wild here, which had caused a lot of resentment to build up.
And now, all of that resentment could be released!
"Madam Herta, I didn't mean it that way."
"Then what did you mean?"
Hearing Herta's unreasonable words, Lygus paused slightly, but it seemed to be within his expectations, and no other superfluous emotions were generated.
He explained with a hint of apology in his voice.
But Herta didn't care about any of that. At this moment, she was just here to vent, so how could she possibly listen to Lygus's explanation?
"Um... sorry, Madam Herta, I apologize for my improper words just now." Lygus didn't say anything more, but instead chose to immediately bow and offer a sincere and earnest apology.
Whether Herta was deliberately looking for a fight or whether it was the truth, Lygus didn't care much.
Because Lygus had never cared much about Herta to begin with.
So she could do whatever she wanted. If she wanted to curse him and vent all her anger on him, then Lygus would let her.
If it weren't for Lumina's presence, Lygus wouldn't have to be this humble.
Even if there were only Herta, Lygus would still have to be humble, just not this much.
After all, Lygus saying he didn't care about Madam Herta was because Lumina existed.
Herta's existence would cause Lygus some trouble, but not much.
But Lumina's existence would directly upend this "testing ground."
If Herta were the only one, Lygus would still have to care a lot.
But when comparing the two, wasn't Herta's existence simply something he didn't care about?
If not for the fact that her relationship with Lumina was very good, her attitude would basically be equivalent to Lumina's attitude, and if she suffered any grievances, Lumina would definitely not just sit and watch.
Otherwise, Lygus would want Herta to go cool off somewhere else.
"If apologizing were useful, then why bother with punishment?" Hearing his apology, Herta's expression didn't change in the slightest as she waved her hand, clearly not wanting to forgive Lygus.
With a punching bag appearing right in front of her, how could Herta miss the chance?
"Mm... Madam Herta is right." Lygus slowly rose, agreeing with Herta's words.
"If apologizing were useful, then punishment would not be necessary."
"I am willing to accept all of Madam Herta's punishments."
Lygus lowered his posture very, very low, as if he would agree to whatever Herta said.
Hearing this, Herta raised her eyebrows slightly, appearing quite surprised by Lygus's humble behavior.
"Mm... is this what it feels like to enjoy the breeze under the big tree?"
"It's actually... quite comfortable."
Herta muttered to herself.
As for the Lygus before her, although Herta didn't know his exact identity, judging from his previous words...
He should also be a member of the Genius Society. As for which one, Herta wasn't entirely sure.
But none of that was the most important thing. The most important thing was that a genius with a status almost equal to her own had to bow and scrape to her because of Lumina's presence.
Thinking back, Herta used to be the big tree providing shade, but now she had become the one resting under it...
This experience... felt very strange to Herta, very novel.
But truth be told, Herta didn't dislike this feeling, she even... even liked it a little.
After all, this big tree was Lumina.
Just that, resting under Lumina's shade, wouldn't that make her... the one dependent on Lumina?
Would it mean that she was Lumina's younger sister, the one who needed to be taken care of, the one below?
No, no, this absolutely cannot be.
At the thought of this, all the emotions Herta had just developed vanished without a trace.
Even if she was resting under a big tree, she must be the big tree herself!
Herta shouted in her heart.
Lumina: There's such a good thing?
If Lumina heard this, her small eyes would definitely light up, thinking this was a super good thing.
After all, only Herta would think of using such a thing to distinguish between the roles of older and younger sister.
This is very childish, right?
As long as she is the older sister, she will be the older sister for a lifetime, and she will absolutely not turn from an older sister into a younger sister because of a single action.
Little Herta, this fellow, had obviously not thought of this point.
Resting under the shade of a big tree, this kind of bargain was one that should be taken if available.
Little Herta, this fellow, although she looked smart.
But in reality, she was also a bit silly, a bit foolish.
Her silly level was only second to a certain pink-haired fool.
Fortunately, Lumina didn't know about this at all, which could be considered as avoiding an event where Herta would be harshly mocked by Lumina once...
"Since that's the case, then you..." After no longer thinking about the things in her mind, Herta came back to her senses, listening to the words Lygus said, Herta also decided to say out the things she was prepared to do to Lygus.
However, before Herta could say this thing out.
Lygus changed the subject and interrupted the words Herta wanted to say out: "But... before this matter, I still have one thing I want to discuss with Miss Lumina."
"I hope Madam Herta will forgive me."
Herta: "..."
Being interrupted by Lygus, Herta felt a strong sense of being ignored.
Her little fist clenched involuntarily.
If she didn't want to show her "shrewish" side in front of Lumina, Herta would have directly punched Lygus in the head right now.
If you have something to discuss with Lumina, then just discuss it with her. You should have said it at the beginning, or waited until I finished what I was doing to you before saying it.
What do you mean by interrupting my words and then saying it?
Do you look down on me?
A gloomy mood emerged on Herta's face, and the anger she radiated almost reached a nearly solidified state.
Herta in this state made people feel extremely terrified and scared.
"Forgive me?"
"Forgive your sister!"
Under the pollution of short video networks, someone as pure as Madam Herta had also picked up some bad habits at this moment.
For example, her swearing level had undergone a qualitative change compared to before she had contact with the internet.
Originally, Herta wanted to suppress the thoughts and desires in her heart, but a sentence appeared in her mind that made her desire to endure disappear instantly.
Endure for a moment, and the wind and waves will be calm; take a step back, and the more you think about it, the angrier you get.
Rather than suffer for a moment, it's better to vent on the spot.
Herta knew this truth very well, so after Lygus's voice fell, Herta merely remained silent for a few seconds before directly choosing to launch a heavy punch.
Path power was infused into her small hand, and she swung it like a boxing punch, smashing it fiercely against Lygus's head.
Thud!
There was no resistance, nor did any unexpected incident occur.
Herta's punch landed solidly on Lygus's head.
Under such a powerful strike, Lygus didn't experience the scene where his head and body were thrown out together.
Instead, under the extremely powerful impact, his head was sent flying, while his body remained on the spot...
The fact that this kind of power exploded from Herta's hand was truly... unexpected.
Even Lumina couldn't help but give her a suspicious glance.
When did my Herta become so violent?
Lumina couldn't help but mutter to herself inwardly.
Isn't Herta the type who holds a staff, releases Magic with an expression and posture full of elegance, and bombards her opponents with the support of a bunch of dazzling special effects?
How did she inexplicably become like this?
Lumina scratched her head, and although she was puzzled, she said nothing.
"Hey, hey, Little Herta, Lygus had something to say to us. If you send his head flying like this, what will we do about this matter?"
"What if this matter is extremely important? Wouldn't it be quite difficult later?"
Although Lumina said nothing about Herta's sudden change in behavior, she was still very concerned about the words Lygus wanted to say.
So, using this incident, she lightly reprimanded Herta once.
"Hmph, this is just a clone, what's the rush?" After throwing a punch and seeing Lygus separated into head and body, Herta's mood improved slightly.
Looking at her own still-fair and beautiful little hand, Herta crossed her arms, huffed coldly, and replied to Lumina's words.
"Miss Lumina, I have a request."
His head having been knocked off, Lygus showed no panic or displeasure.
His head floated into the air, then reconnected with his body, returning to its normal state.
Since Herta's anger had already been fully vented, Lygus turned his gaze toward Lumina.
"Hmm, go ahead and say it, I will consider whether to agree depending on the circumstances." Lumina nodded, waving her hand in a somewhat lazy, uninterested manner.
Why wasn't this Lygus a beautiful Intellitron girl?
She silently complained to herself.
"Miss Lumina, could you... leave Amphoreus?"
Lygus didn't beat around the bush and directly said these words out loud.