Chapter 67

Anyway, Lady Yulande's martial prowess is unmatched. If she finds out that she has been tricked, the so-called treaty is nothing but a piece of waste paper.

With such confidence, she naturally had no scruples.

"I wonder if Commander Kotori knows the concept of statistics?"

She wanted to talk about something else.

Statistics? Why ask that in this context?

Kotori seemed a little confused, but nodded nonetheless. "I understand the concept."

"Of course, statistics is a broad concept. To help you understand it simply, let me ask you a question."

The maid's smile remained unchanged, "If you didn't have a lover last year, but you have one this year, how many lovers will you have next year?"

"Ha?"

There are two answers.

Rita continued, "There will be three, or perhaps four, the year after next."

Kotori gave her a look that said, "Do you want to listen to what you're saying?"

"You think it's ridiculous? But that's statistics."

Rita finally revealed her meaning. "How did Ratatoskr come to the conclusion that the elves were sealed? Besides your case, is there any other data? When the data is insufficient and not accurate enough, the conclusions drawn will inevitably be ridiculous, especially since you yourself do not even know what your feelings were at the time."

Kotori then understood that the other party was questioning the authenticity and success rate of their plan.

This very point is the key factor that has been holding Ratatoskr and her neck in check. It is precisely because of this that they did not confront Schicksal about the matter from the beginning, because there was really no credibility to it.

Kotori pondered how to enhance her persuasiveness. Should she really say that she truly liked Shiori?

Chapter Ten: The Actions of the Three Forces.

In the end, Kotori couldn't bring herself to say it, because Amber had already made the decision, and they could just test it out themselves when the Pokémon appeared in the world.

As for any danger, she will be the first to stop it.

The task of blocking DEM doesn't necessarily require her to personally intervene. Schicksal isn't the strongest armed force in the world just because it leaves Yulande. Yulande is an indispensable and strongest fighting force for Schicksal, but Schicksal is still invincible in the world even without Yulande.

With Yulande's assurance, Shiori was visibly more relaxed. The issues that needed to be discussed had been settled, and the rest was beyond what could be decided by words alone. So they stopped the topic and moved on to dinner.

Rita's cooking style leans towards Equilibrium of energy and nutrition. While the flavors are carefully considered, health takes precedence, resulting in a stronger taste in the food itself. Although not unpalatable, it cannot compare to dishes made with more spices.

Shiori's cooking is more ordinary. Although she also prioritizes nutrition, she focuses more on taste. The temptation of delicious food is still very strong for a girl like her who lives in an ordinary world. Even if she occasionally exceeds her energy intake, it will be fine as long as she eats lighter food afterwards.

Moreover, because she often needs to walk, Shiori doesn't experience a lack of energy. As long as she doesn't overeat, she can maintain her slender figure.

Thanks to Shiori, Amber also got to eat 'junk food', something she hadn't experienced in a long time.

The private discussion among the four was no secret, and the next morning Kotori reported the details of the discussion to the higher-ups in Ratatoskr.

The higher-ups never expected things to develop in such a strange way, but they were immediately overjoyed. They never imagined that they would gain Yulande's friendship through this unexpected situation. Although it was Shiori and Kotori who gained the friendship, Kotori was the commander of Fraxinus under Ratatoskr, which was also considered a high-ranking position.

They then asked if they needed any more assistance, since they were now considered "one of their own." Although World Serpent and Schicksal were powerful, they didn't have any presence in Japan. If they needed anything, Ratatoskr could provide a lot of help.

After Kotori conveyed the higher-ups' message, she received a rejection from Amber.

Although their cooperation has been reached, there are conditions for assessment. If Shiori Itsuka fails to make contact with the spirits after five attempts, the cooperation will need to be renegotiated.

Ratatoskr, of course, had no way to refuse. Might makes right. Rather, the fact that she didn't forcibly take Shiori and Kotori away after learning everything, but was willing to stay here in a cooperative manner, already speaks volumes about the character of this strongest Valkyrie.

Everyone, including Amber, thought the trial period would be long, but they didn't expect to receive the Spirit Wave from the real world again on the third day.

Judging from the fluctuations, it's the Princess again, and it's Amemiya City again.

This coincidence seemed strange to everyone, but the patterns of Spatial Quake and manifestations are not always accurate. It's not entirely impossible that the same spirit would choose the same place to manifest on Earth three days later.

The appearance of the elves also signifies the beginning of Fraxinus's work.

The DEM's attack order also appeared at the same time.

Since the captain had brought news of Yulande back to DEM last time, Wescott immediately sensed that there might be something unusual about this small island nation, which attracted Schicksal's attention.

Furthermore, since Schicksal prevented DEM from getting close to the elves, he had reason to suspect that Möbius had made some breakthrough progress in his research on the elves.

He never underestimated Möbius and always maintained the utmost respect for him. This was not only because Möbius was the controller of the two strongest forces in the world today: armed forces and intelligence organizations, but also because he was very familiar with Möbius.

The two had met several times, and each meeting made him feel uneasy and pressured, as if in the other person's eyes he was just an ant that could be dealt with at any time.

He also admitted that Möbius's talent was no less than his own, as he was able to create the Valkyrie system and Valkyrie Armor single-handedly.

And yet, this same Möbius sent Yulande to this tiny island nation, Wescott naturally had to figure out Möbius's intentions.

So this time he mobilized even more troops, and even directly appointed DEM's strongest combat force, Ellen Mirameses.

As one of only two candidates to Strongest Magician in the world, Wescott had complete confidence in Ellen's fighting ability. Even when facing Yulande, he didn't think Ellen would be much weaker.

He knew that Yulande possessed a level of destructive power that Ellen could not match, but individual combat was not just about destructive power. Yulande could easily suppress elves, but Ellen, with the world's strongest Imaginary Domain, could do the same. Everyone only knew that Yulande had defeated three elves, but they did not know that DEM had actually captured one as well.

The difference in skill level can only be determined through combat.

At this moment, Amemiya City has entered a state of highest alert due to the mobilization of the three forces. The spies of various national forces are aware of the situation, and countless eyes are monitoring the situation in Amemiya City through various means, watching for subsequent developments.

Shiori was in class, was taken to the warship by Fraxinus and quickly thrown into the neighborhood destroyed by the Spirits' appearance.

Led by Rita, the members of the Blade of Immortality arrived at a nearby high altitude, clearly indicating that unauthorized personnel should stay away.

As for the 'Idle Man', he soon arrived at a distance from the Blade of Immortality, where they faced off.

"Where is Yulande?"

Ellen, who was leading the team, asked directly.

"Yulande has more important matters to attend to and is unable to receive these uninvited guests at the moment."

Rita smiled, her magic maximizing her combat power under the amplification of the Moon Soul Armor, and the scythe in her hand faintly radiated a chilling aura.

Seeing her confident demeanor, Ellen sneered, "Just a nobody, trying to stop me, the Strongest Magician... But it doesn't matter, I'll make you understand the difference in strength."

"The Strongest Magician?"

Rita wasn't frightened at all; her smile widened even more. "As far as I know, the only one in this world who can be called the strongest in combat is Yulande. If you want to perform Magecraft, then the circus might be more suitable for you."

There was no point in saying more. Since the other party was not going to give way, Ellen was too lazy to waste words and directly ordered, "Enter combat stance and shoot down all those who are in the way of Schicksal."

Rita had nothing to say either, "As Yulande's troops, you are top-notch in both combat and logistics. The afternoon tea we prepared for you today is... a closed door."

Chapter Eleven: The World's Strongest Magician.

"Very good, we can already see the Princess's figure."

Amidst the ruins, Amber and Shiori had reached the outermost center. Although the buildings and structures had collapsed and the area was surrounded by smoke and dust, at least the place where they were was a relatively flat road.

Before them, in the center of the ruins, had become a semi-circular crater three hundred meters in diameter. The only figure in the crater was a girl wearing purple armor, sitting on a golden throne. Such distinctiveness made it easy for Amber to recognize her at a glance as the Sword Spirit, who at this time had no name and whose identification code was Princess.

Hearing Kotori's voice, Shiori swallowed hard. "That's true... but what should we do next?"

"Hmm... Shall I go up and say hello?"

Kotori said.

"This doesn't feel like an atmosphere where you can just casually say hello..."

Shiori was quite uneasy. Although she had prepared herself, actually facing this situation was a different matter.

"From an efficiency standpoint, I shouldn't continue to interfere."

Seeing this, Amber, who had been escorting Shiori through the ruins, said, "But you were just an ordinary citizen before today, so it's understandable that you're afraid. So if you'd like, I can go with you."

While it's generally better to let Shiori and the spirit be alone when trying to win over the spirit, this isn't always the case.

If Shiori displays an exaggerated communication impediment out of fear, the situation will only worsen. Instead of making the spirit feel attracted, it will only make the spirit more wary.

It has to be said that Mio really knows how to arrange things. In the original work, the first person Shido was paired with was Tohka, a little fairy with no experience in human society. Even though Shido himself was a novice, his sincerity alone was enough to win Tohka over.

It might not work if it were applied to a later spirit.

Shiori's situation is more difficult than Shido's. After all, Shiori has come with a mission that is not pure. This certainly gives her the courage that Shido had in the original work, but it also makes her somewhat negative because of her self-loathing.

(The reason why Satoshi was so brave in the original work, able to withstand the Spatial Quake, was mainly because Kotori's position was located at the center of the Spatial Quake.)

"Then... shall we go together?"

Girls tend to prefer companionship, but Shiori leans more towards having someone by her side.

Kotori frowned, but didn't say anything more.

Muramasa Reine remained expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever.

To her, one more person meant nothing. Whether she liked someone or not wasn't something that could be decided by having one more or one less person, just like when she ran away from Wescott and Eliot.

After agreeing on their plan of action, Amber led the way, and the two headed towards the deep pit.

Even with the added friction from the mud and gravel, the steep pit was still difficult to stand on, so Amber simply grabbed Shiori's body and slid down with her.

Who are you?

The Princess, sitting on the throne, naturally saw the two approaching her, but since they were unarmed and did not seem to be attacking her immediately, she did not show any hostility at first.

She slid down the deep pit until she could slide no further, at which point the distance between the two sides was less than fifty meters, Shiori could hear the Princess's voice.

"Us..."

Shiori paused for a moment.

It wasn't simply because she didn't know how to answer, but because she was moved by the expression on the face of the purple-clad girl opposite her.

How can one describe it? Just by looking at her expression, Shiori felt a deep sadness welling up inside her, as if she were seeing her daughter out in the world, enduring wind and rain, and she felt a strong sense of heartache.

"It's time to make a choice!"

Kotori didn't expect Shiori, who had never been in a relationship, to come up with any good opening lines. Her confidence in Shiori's ability to win over spirits came from the countless battle-hardened love masters on her side and Fraxinus's strongest artificial love AI.

At Kotori's command, several options appeared on the big screen.

1. What happened here? Why are we in such a dangerous place? Let's take shelter quickly!

2. I am Shiori Itsuka, and I've come to save you!

3. You should say your name before asking others!

The experts made their choices at lightning speed; thanks to the acceleration provided by their Imaginary Domain, they could process ten or even twenty seconds' worth of information in a single second. (Similar to Kiritsugu Emiya's Time Alter.)

"The first option seems appropriate, but in reality, it will only leave people with a first impression of being clueless and unreliable."

"While the third option suggests taking control of the conversation, we don't yet understand the elves' personalities, and it might be perceived as a provocation."

"Compared to the other two, the second option, although seemingly reckless, is not without its straightforwardness. It demonstrates an understanding of the opponent, puts oneself in the opponent's position, adds a certain mystique to oneself, and avoids any sense of provocation."

Seeing that Kannazuki had given a concise explanation of the three options, Kotori nodded.

"I heard Shiori, the answer is the second one."

Shiori thoughts were also accelerated by the Imaginary Domain, was initially stunned in the Princess's eyes, but then she said with a firm expression, "I am Shiori Itsuka, and she is Bianca Yulande Atagina. We are here to save you."

"Save?"

The Princess was filled with doubt and skepticism. "You are human too, aren't you? Why are you talking to me about salvation?"

"Yes, but we are different from those who attacked you!"

If before it was for the greater good, now Shiori truly cared about this matter. In her eyes, the girl in front of her was out of place in this world, as if she were being rejected by the whole world. Her expression was nothing but sorrow and death.

Seeing Shiori's reaction, the Princess frowned even more. Although she herself did not realize it, she subconsciously regarded the blue-haired girl as a harmless human being.

But... there's another person here.

The Princess looked at Amber. Compared to the blue-haired, seemingly weak human, the blonde-haired one was clearly different.

She exuded an aura more powerful than any human she had encountered before. Whenever she was conscious, she was either lost in thought or fighting. She possessed extremely keen combat instincts, which made her very wary of Amber.

However, her intuition did not warn her of danger as usual, which is why she hesitated to take action.

The atmosphere froze for a moment, but that stagnation was quickly broken.

The sudden sound of something cutting through the air reached their ears, and Amber and the Princess immediately turned their gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.

"I've finally found you, Yulande."

Wearing Manifestation Device and sporting long, off-white hair Ellen flew to a spot not far from Amber, a battle-ready smile on her face.

Where are my teammates?