Hesitate, and You'll Lose (Continued)

Persephone, sitting opposite her, gently pressed his temples.

"It was a wise choice for you not to bring back the sample, Surtr," Persephone said after a moment's thought. "However, I suspect you probably wouldn't be able to bring it back anyway—based on the patterns derived from the Storm Ruler, the Eye of God, and the divine essence you entrusted to me. I suspect that one of the prerequisites for you to bring the item back is that 'the item must belong entirely to its current owner.' And that power sample—based on your previous description, you cannot seize its ownership."

"Is that so..." Miss Surtr frowned slightly. "Then why have I never successfully brought anything back before... Is it because my dream-entering ability has only recently changed?"

"That's only part of the reason," Persephone shook his head slightly. "The other part is the second premise I've deduced—that is, 'the owner must have the subjective intention to take the items away.' You have to have the idea of bringing things back in order to bring them back—I don't think you had the intention to bring anything back to Terra during your trip to the Dream Realm three days ago."

Miss Surtr opened her mouth slightly—she found herself having no reason or excuse to refute.

So she lowered her head with a hint of melancholy.

"Is that so... I didn't expect my personal wishes to have such a big impact on the Dream World Travel."

"It's quite strange that you never thought of this," Persephone, picking up a notepad from the side and scribbling on the pages. "However, I'm pretty sure that your mental state has a strong influence on the power you possess. Whether it's carrying people or objects or bringing back local specialties, these effects are achieved because of a shift in your mind—you should be aware of that."

"... You mean, the reason I bring other people with me in the dream world is because I've changed my way of dealing with people and my way of thinking... because I want to connect with other people. That's why I can sense other people during my dream journey... My abilities haven't actually changed; it's just that I didn't know how to use them in the past?"

Miss Surtr instinctively reached for Laevateinn's blade—her fingers gripped the edge. And Laevateinn, as always, did not cause her any harm.

But her heart was still trembling and shaking.

—I... I've never been able to bring Laevateinn before because I didn't want to accept it... was it my fault?

—Is it... is it that I'm not worthy?

However, the next moment, Persephone's academic, emotionless voice pulled her out of her panic.

"A flawed conclusion," Persephone replied calmly—these icy words only further emphasized the authority of her theory. "To regard the growth of strength and skill as the only progress is a mistake that warriors often make—your ability to travel through dreams is not undeveloped. Rather, this transformation of your mind is part of the growth phase of this ability."

"Why?"

"It's a very simple principle... A normal person can open it with a glance, but a slightly more complicated security door might take an intellectually disabled person a month to figure out how to use the doorknob. And if you transfer the mind of a normal person into the body of an infant, then the newborn infant will also be unable to open the door."

She blinked.

"A strong mind needs to be paired with a strong physique to wield great power—you made the decision to change your way of thinking three days ago because your mind, strength, body, and skills all reached a critical point of transformation at that moment. It was inevitable and logical. It's not that you could have achieved what you are capable of now just by changing your way of thinking in advance."

"..."

Miss Surtr's expression froze.

Then, he gave a slightly bitter smile.

"If I were back then, I certainly wouldn't be bothered by such a small problem... Do you think this counts as growth Persephone?"

"Growth is a relative term, Surtr. Do you feel your life is better now than it was before? If you can get a positive answer, then it's growth. Or..."

"... You, who love Yan culture, don't even remember the phrase 'pulling up seedlings to help them grow'?"

Forcing growth—weak physical strength and shallow experience cannot support a strong mind. Applying the current way of thinking from the very beginning of arriving in Terra does not mean that you can accomplish what you are capable of doing.

This is a very simple truth, but only those directly involved will be captivated by it.

"...You're right, Persephone." With a soft exhale, the Flame-haired Girl's heart returned to calm. "Ah...I never thought I'd need a therapist. What would I do without you here..."

"Your mind isn't as fragile as you think, Surtr." The Maiden Doctor simply shook her head slightly. "You have ideas, you have decisions. You just... aren't prepared to take responsibility."

"What you said makes me feel a little embarrassed..." Miss Surtr touched her nose in an old-fashioned, overpowered way. "Besides, I think I still have some sense of responsibility... right?"

"Is that so?" The purple-haired girl merely looked at her with amusement. "Then why do you hide your true power on this land? You know perfectly well that you have surprisingly few enemies on this land. And even if you were to display your limited omnipotence, none of the regimes, nations, or religions on this land could do anything to you."

"..." The hand that was touching its nose froze in mid-air. Even though it contained a thousand logically consistent reasons in its belly, surprisingly, it couldn't utter a single one in front of Persephone.

Why not demonstrate your absolute power?

Why design so many identities when the secrecy work is just a haphazard affair?

Is it because they don't want to force things to grow too fast and lead Terra's civilization astray?

Or is it imitating the perverse tastes of online novel protagonists, habitually playing dumb to gain mental pleasure?

No, that's not it. None of it. Perhaps there are some of the reasons mentioned above, but those factors must account for a very small portion.

After all, in the world of God Slayer, "unbridled" perfectly describes his dream journey.

—So, it really is because...

A new reason is about to be fabricated.

However, before that...

"Surtr, if one day you return to your original homeland, will you hide your power and live like an insignificant figure who cannot influence the course of history?"

"Persephone," he asked softly.

She didn't get an answer—not a clear, positive one.

"I'm sorry, I never thought about that..."

—How could one not want to lie and return home in glory?

"Well, let's postpone that question for now." Persephone didn't press further. Instead, he stood up and opened the passage leading to the outside. "I've gathered almost all the intelligence, and I should be able to put together a preliminary report by tomorrow. Surtr, if you don't mind, go get some sleep. I might be quite busy from now on."

"Hmm... hmm." Miss Surtr hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She picked up Laevateinn and headed out of the experimental center.

She paused as she walked out of the conference hall.

"Thank you, Persephone," she said. Sincerely, earnestly.

However, Persephone simply waved his hand.

So she left, disappearing into the night.

Persephone gently tapped her temple, ending her rapid thought process. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the metal wall to her side, where a pink and white-haired Princess was perched on the back, her exasperated expression imprinted on her retina.

Shallow.

Ignorance.

The Doctor's lips almost curled into a cold smile.

"Going with the current before the helmsman decides to take a firm grip on the helm will only capsize the boat."

"She has no intention of taking responsibility for this land yet... even though she has subconsciously regarded this land as her second home. She also refuses to settle down here, for fear of forgetting her true home."

She ultimately didn't laugh; she just spoke to the air, which could also be interpreted as talking to herself.