"What final lesson? Who's taking the final lesson?"
Himeko was a little confused after hearing Welt's sudden and inexplicable words.
If they encountered danger, shouldn't they be protecting March first?
Why was he trying to protect her instead?
Seeing Welt's reaction, Lucian did not step forward to explain anything. Instead, he stood behind everyone, quietly laughing as he covered his mouth.
It seemed that the Herrscher of the Void had beaten Welt quite badly back then, and Himeko's death at Sirin's hands had left a deep trauma in his heart. From the look of it, he had even taken out the Star of Eden, as though he were preparing to go all out and create the strongest black hole possible.
"Huh? Who are you?"
Sirin, not noticing Lucian standing behind the Astral Express crew and seeing only a man holding a cane while glaring at her with unconcealed hatred, questioned him with an extremely wary expression.
It was only natural for her to be cautious, because from within that cane, she could sense a strange energy that made even her heart tremble.
Just as the situation became increasingly tense and the atmosphere reached an extremely delicate peak, more movement suddenly came from inside the house.
*Tap—Tap—*
Footsteps and the chattering voices of women echoed from inside as they drew closer and closer.
"Sirin, who are you talking to?"
A lively voice rang out, and immediately afterward, Kyuusyou poked her head out from the doorway, curiously looking outside with her clear, bright eyes filled with youthful energy.
Seeing the new woman, Welt could not help but feel a strange sensation, as though she were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Right after Kyuusyou appeared, another small figure clung to the doorframe and squeezed her way outside.
White hair, an iconic cross-shaped hair accessory, a fluffy skirt, and a thick book held in her hands—who else could it be but Theresa?
As she stepped through the doorway, Theresa blinked her innocent, wide eyes and looked at the crowd of strangers outside with a surprised expression.
"Eh?! Are they guests?"
Theresa let out a surprised cry, her eyes widening slightly before she tilted her head and asked in confusion.
Upon seeing yet another woman—though she looked more like a little girl—Welt felt as though his breathing was about to stop.
It couldn't be helped.
Because this little newcomer was someone he knew all too well.
'Principal Theresa?! Hadn't she succeeded as the Overseer of Schicksal? Why is she here too?!'
Welt screamed inwardly, his thoughts instantly thrown into chaos.
One familiar face after another kept appearing before him, and each new arrival dealt an even greater blow to his already strained nerves.
Unfortunately for him, it still wasn't over yet.
A golden-haired woman carrying a dignified and noble aura soon walked out from within the house and calmly took her place beside Theresa.
Her posture was straight and elegant, and her steady eyes slowly swept across the gathered crowd, carrying the natural authority of someone accustomed to standing above others.
'Durandal!'
As soon as he recognized her, Welt felt his heart begin to pound uncontrollably, his pupils contracting slightly as disbelief flashed across his face.
'Is this some kind of illusion...? Damn it, when did this happen...?'
He immediately racked his brain, trying to make sense of everything before him while beginning to question reality itself.
'Honkai! Yes, this has to be the Honkai's doing!'
As he continued struggling internally and attributing all these impossibilities to the Honkai, yet another unexpected surprise struck him without warning.
"Guests? Who?"
An alluring red-haired woman bearing a striking resemblance to Himeko suddenly appeared beside Theresa and asked in confusion, her beautiful face carrying a clearly puzzled expression.
Needless to say, she was none other than Himiko, Himeko's counterpart.
In this gradually growing, strange atmosphere, the moment Himiko appeared, her eyes instinctively fell upon Himeko, who was standing among the group, and almost at the same instant, Himeko's gaze fell upon her as well.
For a brief moment, both women froze slightly.
After all, seeing someone who looked almost identical to oneself was not an experience most people would ever have in their lives.
When their eyes met across the distance, each of them immediately noticed the striking similarities in the other's appearance.
"..."
In the end, after several seconds of silence, the two of them suddenly exclaimed the exact same words in unison:
""Another me?!""
Seeing the scene before him, Welt, whose thoughts were still in complete chaos and who no longer knew what he should say, ultimately remained silent.
Unfortunately for him, this was still not the end, as one familiar face after another began to appear before his eyes.
A young woman with a sluggish expression, carrying a trace of frailty yet unable to conceal her beauty, soon appeared beside Himeko.
Wendy, the Herrscher of Wind!
Right after Wendy, the next to appear was a young woman whose gaze was slightly gloomy and cold. Despite her outwardly cute appearance, she wore a fluffy coat that only further emphasized the contrast in her temperament.
Ana Schariac, the Herrscher of Ice!
Yet another figure appeared, and this time, it was a young woman with short black hair and unique golden eyes, her gaze carrying a hint of playful amusement.
Ji Xuanyuan, the wielder of the Xuanyuan Sword!
Immediately afterward, a brown-haired young woman walked out and tilted her head in confusion.
The Herrscher of Earth!
Next, a gray-haired young woman casually walked over to Theresa's side and leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
The Herrscher of Sentience!
Finally, a young woman with long pink hair, dressed in a white kimono, stepped forward.
The Herrscher of Corruption!
One after another, aside from a few whom he had never met before, all the others were old acquaintances from Earth within Welt's memories.
Just like that, faces that were familiar, powerful, or carried complicated emotions for him appeared at the entrance of the house like images on a revolving lantern, standing neatly in a row.
As these familiar women observed him and his fellow Nameless with curiosity and suspicion, he completely froze like a statue.
It would have been reasonable to assume that they were merely variants of the people he knew, but for so many familiar variants to appear all at once, all in the same place?
From his perspective, the probability of such a thing happening was still lower than the probability of Lucian somehow sending him back to Earth.
Could it be that Lucian had actually brought all of his old acquaintances from Earth to this alien planet?
As that idea crossed his mind, Welt stood rooted to the spot with his mouth slightly open and his eyes completely unfocused. Even the light on the cane he tightly gripped seemed to dim a little.
'Did I go back to Earth?'
'Or am I dreaming?'
'They can't all be alternate-world variants like Himeko, can they?'
Welt questioned inwardly while looking toward Himeko and March, then pinched his own cheek hard.
"Hiss..."
He felt pain, which meant it was not a dream.
March watched Welt's strange behavior for a moment before looking back at Lucian in confusion, completely unable to understand what was happening.
Before Welt could recover from the massive cognitive shock, two more people walked out of the house while chatting and chuckling together.
On the left was a tall woman with long purple hair as smooth as silk, an exquisitely beautiful face, and a gentle temperament that carried a natural hint of coolness.
Raiden Mei!
On the right was a woman with long white hair tied into a high ponytail that swayed lively behind her, while a bright smile as radiant as sunshine spread across her face.
Kiana Kaslana!
As soon as he saw the two newcomers, Welt felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his head.
Even though their appearances and presences were not exactly the same as Raiden Mei and Kiana Kaslana—the two beloved students he knew so well—Welt, whose mind was already in complete chaos, could not help but see them as those very people.
Mei and Kiana were the Herrscher of Origin and the Herrscher of Finality who had saved Earth, representing the planet's strongest combat power.
'How could they be here?'
Welt stood there in a daze, his emotions in complete turmoil, while the Astral Express crew looked at him with growing confusion, utterly unable to understand his weird reaction.
"Don't worry, they're all my friends."
Feeling that the prank had gone on long enough, Lucian finally stepped forward with a faint smile and called out to the group of women standing in the doorway.
As soon as he finished speaking, the thirteen women at the door—each possessing a different style yet all breathtakingly beautiful—immediately turned their gazes toward him in perfect unison, like predators locking onto their prey.
In the next instant, under the astonished gazes of the Astral Express crew, their expressions blossomed into incredibly intimate smiles at the same time, each one filled with unmistakable affection.
"My darling! You're finally back!"
Kyuusyou was the first to rush forward and throw herself into Lucian's arms.
"Hubby! You brought so many of your friends back?"
Theresa hopped over happily, her sweet voice enough to make anyone dizzy.
"Welcome home."
Bianka gave a slight bow, her posture both respectful and intimate, making her look every bit like a noble, virtuous wife.
"You rascal~ why did you bring another me back? Wasn't having me enough?"
Himiko smiled brightly as she spoke with playful sarcasm, clearly teasing Lucian for bringing back a woman who looked exactly like her.
"Hubby~"
Wendy floated directly over and wrapped herself around one of Lucian's arms.
"Lucian!"
Ana called out as well, her voice as sweet and gentle as ever.
"You jerk! You still remembered to come back?"
Senti put her hands on her hips and spoke fiercely, though the joy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Husband, welcome back."
Xuanyuan gave a slight nod and spoke calmly, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"Lucian, you haven't come back for several days."
Azta complained with a slight pout.
"Husband, you must spend more time with us this time."
Sakura followed, her voice carrying her signature gentleness along with a subtle trace of charm.
"You were hiding back there, pranking me again... so annoying..."
Sirin, having already forgotten her earlier confusion, hugged Lucian's arm and complained in a tone that made her sound like a spoiled wife.
"Welcome home."
Acheron stepped forward and naturally took Lucian's hand without the slightest hesitation.
"Master!"
Kiana was even more direct as she tried to cling to Lucian like a koala, rubbing her small face back and forth against his arm.
Just like that, Lucian was immediately surrounded and pulled into the center, his entire body engulfed by the soft embraces of his thirteen wives.
What was called a land of tenderness?
Needless to say, this was the true definition of a land of tenderness.
Meanwhile, while Lucian was thoroughly enjoying himself under the sweet welcome of his wives, the newly acquainted friends nearby were completely dumbfounded.
"Husband?"
"Hubby?"
"Master?!"
Seeing thirteen women affectionately welcome Lucian home just as wives would welcome their husband made it abundantly clear that everything he had said earlier about having many wives had not been bragging at all.
Welt's expression changed drastically, and his mouth fell open to its absolute limit.
Hearing that series of earth-shattering affectionate forms of address and seeing those 'old acquaintances' cling to Lucian with such intimacy, dependence, and familiarity, the little bit of color that had just returned to his face vanished instantly.
His eyes widened.
His jaw nearly hit the floor from shock!
He slowly and stiffly turned his head, staring fixedly at Kiana—the foolish girl of the Kaslana family, Siegfried's precious daughter, and his beloved student.
Why was she calling Lucian 'Master'?
And why was she rubbing her face against his arm like an obedient little puppy?
"Ki-Kiana?!"
Welt's voice trembled uncontrollably as he called out to her, his face filled with disbelief and horror.
"Do-Does your father know? You're sharing one husband with more than a dozen women... and even with your own aunt..."
He felt as though his worldview was being run over repeatedly by a cosmic battleship, again and again, until it was shattered into countless tiny pieces.
At this moment, he finally realized that all of his old acquaintances had been completely led astray by Lucian.
If Siegfried ever found out about this, he would probably draw the Might of An-Utu on the spot and fight Lucian to the death.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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