"Alright, alright~ My stubborn Mr. Leon, what am I gonna do with you?"
"If you really can't handle me, tell me where to find the Sovereign of Delusion."
"Aha doesn't know, okay? How about a sprig of mugwort instead?"
"Want mugwort? Go ask Nanook—They'd probably be thrilled to give you some. If not, Lan works too."
"Darling, you're so cold-hearted. I really don't know where Ming's gone—maybe They're gone for good."
Aha wriggled free from Leon's grasp, buzzing around his ear like a pesky fly.
"Ugh, anyway, Ming's(another OC aeon) your Benefactor's sworn enemy. Why care so much about Them?"
Leon stayed silent.
The system had told him in his first life that both Sky Haven clan (followers of Qi) and the Sovereign of Delusion (followers of Ming) were important.
Though, even the system didn't know why they were important.
The galaxy was vast, with worlds even Akivili hadn't set foot in—let alone him.
After nearly two thousand Amber Eras of reincarnation, he still hadn't found the missing piece of the system.
By now, he no longer expected to find it, leaning instead toward the possibility of uncovering clues once he gathered enough faith.
"Darling, say something!"
Aha couldn't stand Leon's low-energy vibe.
Leon snapped back to the moment.
"Don't know? Ask me, and I'll say it's your least favorite thing—fatalism. Good enough?"
"Pfft~~ Brushing me off! I'm done with you, small fry, small fry, big small fry♥~~"
"…Get out of my sight right now."
"Such a meanie, but Aha loves it! One more friendly reminder: the orphanage really has treasure. Believe me? If you do, go find it."
"Fine." Leon agreed.
"What? You're actually gonna look?!"
"What's that? Weren't you the one who brought it up? Now you're not happy I'm going for it?"
"Damn it, with your character, you're supposed to flat-out reject Aha! You're not playing by the rules!"
"Quit pretending. Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Don't think I don't know—you stir up trouble with Mythus every chance you get to mess with Nous."
It's all about throwing a wrench in Nous's calculations of the cosmos, right?
Belobog's fate, in Nous's eyes, is just a string of data.
Most worlds are, honestly.
What happens when, Nous already knows.
Aha definitely doesn't like seeing such predictable, surprise-free futures.
Always finding ways to throw in obstacles.
Hinting at him to find variables with this kind of talk—boring.
As if, without Aha's nudge, he'd just grab the medicine and leave.
"Darling's getting to know Aha better. Aha's thrilled~"
"Thrilled, huh? Then tell me the location."
"Huh?"
"What 'huh'? You already hinted at it—why should I bother searching myself?" Leon said with a look of disdain.
Aha tilted His head. "Where's your integrity, darling?"
"Integrity? Can you eat it? You're the one who taught me that—forgot already?"
"Hee hee hee, so Aha's getting stabbed in the butt by a boomerang from 1145 years ago? Feels great!"
Leon: "…"
"For darling's achievements on Jarilo-VI, Aha's gonna reward you big time~~"
As His voice trailed off, a dusty photo album appeared in Leon's hands.
He didn't flip it open right away, instead mulling over Aha's words thoughtfully.
"That Sampo's one of your followers, right? So messing with your followers counts as an achievement…"
"Ab-so-lute-ly NOT!"
Aha denied it vehemently, each word deliberate.
"I don't think that way, and I don't like that kind of joy—don't talk nonsense!"
"Toying with Sampo, teaching Sparkle a lesson—Aha totally, totally, totally doesn't expect that!"
Leon nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, right, right, right. You don't think that way, don't like it, and totally don't expect it."
"You get me, darling~~"
"Got you? Now scram, or I'll ignore you for three years."
"Wahhh… heartless scoundrel! Aha's rolling away…"
Aha transformed into an antique-style beauty, rolling across the floor, spinning straight out of the orphanage and vanishing.
Sensing the commotion, Leon let out a soft huff, smiling with relief.
Absolutely wild.
Leon gently brushed the dust off the photo album's surface, flipping through it as he walked.
Unopened for years, the album's plastic edges had curled, and many pages were stuck together.
No idea why the orphanage was so damp.
The moisture had caused many photos to fade and blur.
Most of the pictures were of kids, with Natasha appearing most often among the adults.
Leon wasn't surprised—many in Boulder Town knew of her connection to the orphanage.
Among them, he spotted a young Seele.
Flipping patiently toward the back, his gaze froze as he reached the final pages.
He stared intently at a little girl hiding in the corner of a group, her long bangs covering most of her eyes.
Through the gaps in her hair, her gray-black pupils felt oddly familiar.
Two more pages, and he found the decisive clue.
Wasn't that a mini Bronya?
Her demeanor and behavior were so different he hadn't recognized her at first.
Bronya wasn't Cocolia's biological daughter—that was clear from the moment he saw Cocolia.
Having been a doctor in several worlds, he wouldn't misjudge that.
He'd investigated discreetly on the surface and found nothing, so the underground was the next bet.
Sure enough.
The Bronya in the photo looked only a few years old.
At such a young age, even without deliberate memory suppression, certain methods could make someone forget.
Bronya didn't seem to have naturally forgotten the underground.
Why Cocolia tampered with her memories, and whether it tied to the Stellaron, was unclear.
Whatever the truth, this info needed to reach Stelle—and Bronya.
At this point, Leon locked onto Sampo's true role.
That guy was definitely Belobog's failsafe.
Going to great lengths to guide the Trailblaze team to the underground, all to lead them, step by step, toward the truth.
In the end, uniting the underground and surface rebels to raise their guns against Cocolia, wresting this dying world from her hands.
An ordinary Masked Fool wouldn't have the foresight to know the rough outcome.
Most likely, it was Aha's late-night scheming at its finest.
Staring at the small trinket Bronya held in the photo, Leon released a stream of wind, activating a special outline-sensing technique to search.
Sadly, by the time he was about to leave the orphanage, he still hadn't found it.
"Maybe it's not here anymore…"
"Leon, I cleaned out the pharmacy and rummaged through all the junk bins around the orphanage—brought it all here."
Stelle pulled out a massive pile of stuff, stacked taller than a person.
Leon adjusted his thoughts, letting the system shift the view back to the player's perspective.
"The ticket's built-in space…"
"Packed full, heh. I hauled it over in two trips—check out how much of this can be used as supplies to bring back?"
Stelle brushed off her slightly dirty clothes.
Leon: "A ton of daily necessities can be taken back."
Stelle: "Great, that's another good deed done—deeply living out the Nameless creed!"
Leon was about to speak when he suddenly turned his head toward the stairs.
"Clara?"