Ah, just look how frightened the poor kid is.
Sylvia helplessly stole a glance at Stelle.
It made her feel a bit awkward, unsure how to help Stelle digest this shocking truth.
"...Why tease the kid? That's not really your style."
Sylvia looked at Kafka with a sigh, but Kafka just chuckled softly in reply:
"I just found it amusing. Somehow, seeing Stelle clinging to you made me want to tease a little."
"..."
Sylvia looked at Kafka with a strange expression.
She couldn't help but feel...
Compared to their last meeting, there was something different about Kafka's aura this time.
Kafka wasn't usually like this.
Since when did she enjoy joking around?
Sylvia's gaze was unconcealed, but Kafka showed no intention of explaining.
Noticing that Stelle still seemed to be processing the startling news, Kafka started a new topic.
"Darling, do you believe in fate?"
"...?"
Sylvia didn't understand why this topic came up so suddenly.
Kafka glanced at Stelle, who seemed to have been drawn in by the question, and continued:
"You know, if one possessed eyes like Elio's, the world would no longer appear as you and I see it now. Countless possibilities overlap, every moment an infinite number of choices converge into a single point, becoming the present and the past."
"So...?"
Sylvia was still puzzled.
The Stellaron Hunters often spoke of fate. Even their leader, Elio, was called 'Destiny's Slave.'
Sylvia recalled how many players had analyzed in the past which Path the Stellaron Hunters followed.
One speculation was 'Finality.'
It seemed highly likely that Elio walked the Path of Finality, and the other Stellaron Hunters might share the same Path.
When observing the world, their perspective seemed different from others.
Or rather, the Aeon of Finality itself was utterly different from the other Aeons.
Finality wasn't about prophecy; it moved backwards from the end of time. For it, the future was the past.
Precisely because of this, Elio was called 'Destiny's Slave.'
Because what Elio wrote wasn't prophecy, but a 'future that has already happened.'
Though there were many possibilities within that future, only one endpoint existed.
That's why Elio was called the 'Slave.'
Honestly, Sylvia didn't know how much impact her own appearance would have on the 'script' in Elio's eyes.
It might completely overturn it, or perhaps it still couldn't change the predetermined outcome.
But Elio was willing to cooperate with Sylvia on those contractual actions.
It must mean quite a lot had already changed.
Just like the look in Kafka's eyes as she gazed at Sylvia now.
Sylvia sensed a certain expectation.
An expectation laid bare.
"In Elio's prophecies, darling, you became the most uncontrollable variable."
As she spoke, Kafka raised her hand and gently stroked Sylvia's cheek.
"The fate Elio sees often changes abruptly, without reason, because of you. Sometimes the change is small, other times, vast."
At this point, Kafka seemed to remember something and suddenly laughed:
"Your appearance multiplied Elio's workload by so much. He complained quite a bit about that, but—"
"Fate has already changed because of you, darling. Fate has become less... reliable."
When Kafka said this, her tone grew strangely hollow.
As if it took great effort to utter those words. After speaking, her chest rose and fell as she let out a sigh of relief.
But obviously, for an outsider who hadn't encountered Finality or studied Elio closely, such words weren't all that earth-shattering.
Yet for Kafka, in the past, they acted according to Elio's script not because it was prophecy, but because it was a visible future, choosing the most suitable path among them.
But Sylvia's arrival changed everything.
The visible future began to blur.
Fate related to Sylvia started changing randomly, and Elio couldn't even foresee it in advance.
For the first time, Destiny's Slave was flustered by matters of fate.
Sylvia truly didn't feel the weight of it much.
After all, she wasn't a specialist in this field. But to hear such words from Kafka's mouth, Sylvia still showed considerable surprise.
"Coming from you, that's a rather surprising thing to say."
"You don't look very surprised yourself."
Faced with Kafka's playful remark, Sylvia didn't take the bait. Instead, she glanced at Stelle, who seemed to have snapped out of it and was now pondering Kafka's words.
"So... what's the situation now? Is the one inside unable to hold on any longer?"
Sylvia forcefully pulled the abstract topic back to the reason Kafka had called them here.
Seeing that Sylvia didn't intend to dwell on it, Kafka smoothly steered the conversation back:
"Yes. Blade's Mara-Struck state is usually suppressed by my Spirit Whisper. But ever since returning to the Xianzhou, the Mara has been erupting violently, at times to a degree where even Spirit Whisper can't suppress it. That condition makes interstellar travel impossible."
Kafka smiled at Stelle and continued:
"I need to continuously use Spirit Whisper to weaken and suppress the Mara. During that time, I must focus entirely and can't remain vigilant of my surroundings. Therefore, I need someone to watch over me."
"And darling, I might need you to assist me with that newly acquired power of yours."
With just a few sentences, Kafka had clearly assigned their roles.
Stelle seemed a bit reluctant, but after Kafka promised to answer some of her questions as payment for her help,
This Galactic Baseballer raised her bat high and went off to scout the nearby area.
Sylvia stayed behind, summoning a bit of the Abundance's power.
"Do you really need my help? If I understand correctly, this condition of his is because of the Abundance, isn't it?"
"Of course. Power that can be controlled is good power. With you here, it'll make things easier for me."
As she spoke, Kafka took Sylvia's hand.
She leaned down, their faces almost touching, and explained to Sylvia what she needed to do.
After Kafka finished her instructions, she simply looked up, smiling as she watched Sylvia, seemingly waiting for something.
It wasn't until Sylvia retrieved the set of coats from her personal space and handed them over, that the smile on Kafka's face shifted.
"Thank you for the gifts. Though I knew you'd bring something for me when you came, I'm still grateful. After all, during this trip to the Xianzhou, I haven't had a moment free for shopping."
"As long as you like them."
Sylvia hadn't been sure if Kafka would like the coats she'd picked out, but the thought was what mattered.
"There are also ones for Firefly and Silver Wolf. Please pass them along for me."
Handing over the remaining pastries as well, Kafka smiled, lowered her head, and gently pressed a kiss to the corner of Sylvia's mouth.
Leaving a very faint trace of lipstick behind.
"That's my thanks."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.