Caelus kept rubbing his cheek against Topaz's thigh. Just as Topaz was about to scream, she suddenly found the sensation on her thigh strangely familiar. Looking down, she saw Caelus kissing the black mole on her thigh again, and so she screamed even louder.
"Aaaahhh!"
Only after Topaz screamed did the company employees around her react. They grabbed Caelus's limbs in a flurry, trying to pull him away, but his hands seemed glued to Topaz's thigh. If they forcibly kicked him off, their director would be in a wheelchair from now on.
"Let go of me."
Topaz knew that Caelus responded better to softness than force, so she spoke to him quietly. For now, she had to go along with him.
"I missed you so much."
Caelus had no intention of letting go of Topaz. He had finally managed to hug this thigh. Of all the women he knew, Topaz's thighs were his favorite. He simply could not get enough of them.
"Yes, yes, I missed you too. Stand up and tell me what you need."
Topaz said helplessly, patting Caelus on the head. Only then did he let go, stand up, and grin at her.
"Wife Topaz, what are you doing here?"
Caelus asked happily, reaching for Topaz's hand. Naturally, she avoided him, and she was quite angry about it.
"Who's your wife? Call me that again, and I'm leaving."
Topaz glared at Caelus. Although there was some twisted fate between them, she had not decided whether to board Caelus's pirate ship yet. How could he just start calling her his wife?
"No, no, Miss Topaz."
Caelus said tactfully. Pursuing a girl required knowing when to push and when to pull. Taking advantage when he could was a profit, but he could not go too far.
Himeko and March 7th covered their faces nearby. They wanted to pretend they did not know Caelus. His behavior was far too embarrassing in front of so many people. Fortunately, he was not representing the Star Rail Express. This was entirely personal conduct.
"Long time no see, Miss Topaz."
March 7th raised her hand in greeting. Topaz looked at her and Himeko, relief appearing on her face. At last, she had encountered people she could communicate with normally.
"Long time no see, everyone from the Star Rail Express. I heard all about what happened to you from Aventurine."
Topaz said with a smile. Her purpose was obvious as well. She and Aventurine had come to carry out the same mission: reclaim Penacony. For such a major operation, it was not hard to understand why two Cornerstones had been sent.
Aventurine Is My Brother
"So it was Aventurine. I told you long ago that Aventurine was my good brother. Sure enough, he called you over." Caelus immediately said.
"You and him?"
Topaz looked at Caelus doubtfully. She did not understand how Caelus and Aventurine had become sworn brothers. Besides, Aventurine had only been in Penacony for a short time, hadn't he?
"That's right. When he heard I was pursuing you, he worked really hard to bring us together. Look, he begged me to help him before, and he said that if I helped the company reclaim Penacony this time, he'd put all the credit under your name. Then he'd come drink at our wedding banquet."
Caelus lied through his teeth, then took out his phone and opened his chat history with Aventurine for Topaz to see. From the fragments of conversation inside, it really did resemble Caelus's description. Aventurine had even sent Caelus money to spend. Wasn't that what good brothers did?
March 7th covered her face. She knew very well what had really happened. Caelus would stop at nothing to trick Topaz into becoming his wife. Still, Little March was not so boring as to ruin Caelus's strategy.
"That guy..."
Topaz was filled with resentment. She knew exactly what kind of person Aventurine was. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Selling her off to Caelus as a wife was merely basic procedure. There was absolutely no need to doubt Aventurine's character.
"As you can see, the company isn't very welcome in Penacony. The Family's hospitality is only surface-level politeness. What was once a frontier prison now wants to put shackles on company employees instead."
Topaz quickly set aside the matter of Aventurine selling her out. She spoke helplessly to Himeko, who looked behind her and noticed several Family members in black watching Topaz.
"Only Aventurine, who has an invitation, is allowed to attend the grand event. The rest of us accompanying him don't even qualify to enter the dream. We can only stay in the real-world hotel."
"No wonder Aventurine has been looking everywhere for allies. So he can't receive the company's support inside the dream."
March 7th said with an understanding expression. If Topaz could enter the dream, she would definitely be a hundred times more reliable than Caelus. Unfortunately, she could not enter.
"I heard his situation isn't looking too good. You're helping investigate things unfavorable to the Family, right? If you need anything outside the dream, tell me anytime. The company has never treated its partners poorly."
Topaz did not know Aventurine's exact situation, but since he was working with the Star Rail Express, that was still something worth being happy about. Caelus might act bizarrely, but at least he had been directly recruited by the BOSS, hadn't he?
"Thank you, Miss Topaz. We were just about to ask the Hounds about the case. Perhaps you've already dealt with them?"
Himeko raised a hand to cover Caelus's mouth, stopping his excessive request in his throat. Topaz's polite words were not meant for Caelus.
"They're following right behind me. Just go ask them. It'll be perfect if you can help divert their attention. Being watched all the time is too uncomfortable."
Topaz pointed at the men in black behind her. It was clear she had been miserable ever since coming to Penacony, and Caelus felt heartache for her.
"Little March, go teach them a lesson. I'll stay here and comfort Topaz's wounded heart."
Caelus waved to March 7th. They only needed to ask some questions, so there was no need for everyone to go. He had more important things to do.
"You scumbag."
March 7th glared angrily at Caelus. He had been all lovey-dovey with her in the dream before, but after seeing Topaz outside, his face changed again. Not a single word out of Caelus's mouth could be trusted.
"Topaz, have you been doing well lately? No one at the company has been bullying you, right?"
Caelus found a place to sit and spoke to Topaz. She sat across from him. Hearing his obvious concern, she gave him a sidelong glare.
"If only you could act this normal all the time. Why do you always turn into a pervert at the drop of a hat?"
Topaz said, embarrassed and annoyed. Never mind that she was a company executive—even an ordinary woman would call the police if someone came up and started kissing her thigh. Yet she had not had the heart to cut ties with Caelus, nor was she as angry as she had imagined. Perhaps she had grown somewhat used to being tormented by him.
"I just couldn't help myself when I saw you. I like you enough to wake up from a beautiful dream at any time."
Caelus scratched his head awkwardly. He realized that he had awakened at exactly the right time. If not for investigating clues, he would have missed Topaz in the dream, since she could not enter it.
"I'm doing pretty well. Not many good things, plenty of bad ones. And now I'm here to collect another pile of bad debt."
Topaz said with a smile. This was simply how life was for her. Though she handled dirty, exhausting work, she was generally satisfied with it.
"You weren't punished when you went back from Belobog, were you?"
Caelus asked with concern. He had mildly sabotaged Topaz before, leaving her able to recover only the principal but not the interest. To the company higher-ups who wanted the entirety of Jarilo-VI, that had been a source of enormous dissatisfaction.
"Of course I was punished. I'm one rank below Aventurine now."
Topaz spread her hands. Judging by her expression, though, she did not really care. Once one reached this level at work, moving up or down became something to take in stride. She was simply doing what made her happy.
"Sorry. I was the one who made you suffer. Just wait until I make something of myself. I'll get you promoted a hundred ranks, a thousand ranks."
Caelus said apologetically to Topaz. Though he had acted forcefully before, Topaz had ultimately suffered a loss because of him. It was also because he was not strong enough. If he had influence and backing like Asta's family, a debt of this scale could be repaid in minutes.
"There aren't that many ranks to be promoted through. Still, it's not bad if you're willing to work hard. If you were already an accomplished man now, that would actually be less interesting."
Topaz said with a smile. She had met countless men more accomplished and outstanding than Caelus, yet none had moved her heart. Instead, this bastard who constantly wanted to freeload off her labor and make her marry him just to work for free made Topaz feel he was worth investing in.
"Are you really willing to help the company reclaim Penacony?"
Topaz changed the subject. Her smile was warm, but Caelus looked somewhat guilty.
"Y-yes, really."
Caelus did not really dare guarantee it. If he truly stood with the company, never mind what Robin thought, Uncle would definitely bite him to death. Caelus was not afraid of Uncle, but he could coax women—he had never tried coaxing Uncle. If things became too tense, Robin would be caught in an awkward position as well. Caelus was in a difficult spot.
"Robin is part of the Family, isn't she?"
Topaz looked at Caelus meaningfully. Because she understood the man before her, his thoughts were easy to guess. There was no need for scheming.
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PS: The little story between Topaz and Caelus was also recorded in the final arc of the previous season.
Emanator Trial Card
"Yes."
Caelus still looked very guilty. At a negotiating table, Topaz would have ten thousand ways to toy with someone whose every emotion was written on his face. But Caelus would never sit at a negotiating table. He was more likely to make Topaz's mentality explode outside it.
"You had no reaction when you saw Robin?"
Topaz asked with a smile. She did not believe a super pervert like Caelus would not be tempted after seeing Robin. He was absolutely the kind of bastard who only looked at faces and figures, the sort who could join the universe's scumbag club. The only difference was that he truly pursued girls with unwavering devotion, aiming for marriage rather than amusement.
"Ahaha, you really know me. I do want to pursue her as my wife."
Caelus scratched his head. Since Topaz had already seen through him, there was no point denying it. Besides, it was not something he needed to hide.
"Then why did you say you'd help the company? Trying to have it both ways?"
Topaz said irritably. She encountered this type of person often: people who wanted to please both sides. Yet they usually ended up with nothing. Of course, that was when they encountered her. In reality, such people often succeeded through their cleverness.
"Well, Robin's relationship with the Family isn't actually good. She's already a huge star herself, so she doesn't need to care about the Family's opinion. More importantly, the Family's actions have disappointed her."
Caelus thought for a while about how to answer Topaz's question. He knew Robin's only bond with the Family was Uncle. As long as Uncle agreed to let go, Robin would not fight for the Family.
"Oh? From the sound of it, you've already gotten close to Robin. You even became her confidant. Otherwise, how would you know she's disappointed in the Family? That isn't the sort of thing she should tell a guest, is it?"
An astonished expression appeared on Topaz's face. Honestly, she rather admired Caelus. How long had he been in Penacony, and he was already Robin's confidant? She had thought a superstar would be harder to pursue. Was the superstar easy to fool, or was Caelus simply that skilled?
"Robin being disappointed in the Family could affect whether the Grand Gala takes place. If this information is true and the gala cannot be held, the Family will lose all face. That would be another good opportunity for the company to act."
Topaz stroked her chin. She had unexpectedly gained useful intelligence from Caelus, and her face blossomed into a smile.
"Did you just trick information out of me?"
Caelus froze, then looked at Topaz strangely. He did not think much before speaking. He had not expected company people to have thousands of tricks hidden in their hearts, enough to draw him in like this.
"You're simply too unguarded."
Topaz said with a smile. Having gotten one over on Caelus made her feel much better. The stifled irritation from being taken advantage of earlier had completely vanished. Caelus really was quite useful.
"Why would I guard against my own wife? If you brought over a stranger, I wouldn't even look at them."
Caelus crossed his arms unhappily. It felt like being deceived by someone close to him. Topaz merely smiled and did not refute him calling her his wife.
"Do you know about Cornerstones?"
Topaz changed the subject. Caelus's attention was diverted, and his arms dropped.
"I think I heard Asta mention them. Aren't they the origin of the Ten Stonehearts?"
"That's right. There are ten Cornerstones in total, and each of the Ten Stonehearts holds one."
Topaz explained some common knowledge to Caelus. He had no particular opinion about it. He only knew that his wife was impressive, capable of reaching this position through her own efforts, though he did not know the details.
"So Aventurine has one too." Caelus said.
"That's right. Ordinary people don't know what Cornerstones do, but we do. They contain extraordinary power, and their holders need to carve them open with their will. That allows them to temporarily obtain the power of the Sumeru King."
Before saying this, Topaz snapped her fingers. Numby, following beside her, opened its mouth and swallowed her voice—or rather, swallowed the sound in this area. That way, only she and Caelus could hear their conversation.
"Wait, isn't that Emanator power? An Emanator trial card?"
Caelus was genuinely drawn in by this information. He looked at Topaz with sparkling eyes. He had not expected the woman he liked to be not only beautiful but also so capable in battle. Though it sounded like a one-time trial card, angering Topaz meant facing Emanator power. That ensured her safety.
"That's just how it is."
"Then what use is telling me?"
Caelus asked strangely. This should have been a major secret, or Topaz would not have blocked out sound. Her trust made Caelus happy, but he could not see how knowing this helped him.
"There's a problem now. Aventurine's Cornerstone was confiscated by the Family when he entered the dream. They know what it does too."
"Haha, the trial card is gone."
Caelus laughed heartlessly upon hearing that, but Topaz's next sentence shifted his smile away.
"My Cornerstone is with Aventurine."
"Why? I'm jealous."
Listening to Topaz's description, Caelus felt that the Cornerstone should be more important than life itself. Topaz could even entrust her life to Aventurine. He had not expected that at all, and Caelus spoke his thoughts directly. He had not even touched Topaz's Cornerstone yet.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. The Ten Stonehearts advance and retreat together. We all work for the company's interests. Reclaiming Penacony is a difficult mission, so looking after each other is only natural."
Topaz smiled and shook her head. There truly were not many men who would fight over her like this. She also made it clear that this did not mean she and Aventurine were life-and-death companions; it was purely cooperation for the company's interests. That made Caelus feel much better.
"So that means the Family has two Cornerstones now. Aren't you afraid they'll throw yours into a toilet? You're enemies, after all."
Caelus complained. It felt as though the Family had already acquired one-fifth of the Ten Stonehearts' shares. If he were a company executive, his scalp would be tingling right now.
"Can you use a different comparison? Even a black hole would be better than a toilet."
Topaz glared at Caelus. She would rather the Cornerstone be thrown into a black hole. Theoretically, the Cornerstones were not things created by the Sumeru King, so that would not count as blasphemy. The Family absolutely could not hear Caelus's nonsense.
"Sorry, force of habit."
"What's frustrating is that the Family took the Cornerstones into the dream world. In other words, no matter what we do in the real world, we can't possibly retrieve them."
Topaz spread her hands. If the Cornerstones were in reality, they could fish them out even if they had entered a black hole. But the dream was far too mysterious. People could enter and leave it, but who knew how to bring an item out?
"I remember there's a line in the Dream Manual saying the Family has final interpretation rights over dream items. If they tell you later that, due to some accident, the items can't be brought out, won't your thighs hurt from sadness?"
Caelus thought of something important and stared at Topaz's thighs. Topaz immediately lowered the right leg she had crossed over her left and sat upright, looking at him seriously.
A Genius Named Acheron
Before you continue