The Same Thing, Different People

She could feel her arms being held tighter by the Princess's words. She could clearly sense the touch and friction between her skin and that of the beautiful pink-haired girl, and she could clearly feel the simulated heartbeat and the real echo of her soul.

Theresia wasn't like this before. She knew very well what kind of habits Theresia had in the past—she might have been the kindest Lord of Fiends in history. But she was also a pure-blooded Sarkaz. And the way Sarkaz treat Sarkaz hasn't changed much from ancient times to the present.

Make the best use of resources, that's all—even if the attitude is different, the essence will not change much.

So Miss Surtr's answer, which was already on the tip of her tongue, changed slightly.

"No," she said. "I will not grant every request, nor will I be entirely without gratitude. I will grant your wish to change the world because it came from you. I do not expect any reward or response, also because it was you who made the wish."

"That's it," she replied.

She may have made a wrong decision.

Because in the next instant, she felt the Princess's gaze become intense and sharp, even causing her to subconsciously turn her gaze away and meet those exquisite eyes in mid-air.

"Well then, Surtr, I'd like to ask you a favor."

She heard the Princess's voice, and she heard the determination in that voice.

"And part of the commission is that I expect you to take from me a price commensurate with this commission when you agree to it."

5/72 actually fell asleep in front of the computer...

Chapter 162. The Same Thing, Different People

A long time ago.

A long, long time ago.

In the wilderness, on an unusual midnight frontier.

The girl, having finished her journey through the dream world, opened her eyes and gazed at the dark sky and the equally dark and profound black earth.

She had just visited a very interesting place. A world very similar to her hometown, with subtle differences, yet capable of evoking a slight sense of empathy in her.

That world, perhaps it could be called MUV-LUV, is a world where alien creatures have invaded modern Earth. And in that world, she saved the world—humanity's world—as she always had.

The girl reached out and gently clenched her fist—the previous world didn't particularly support direct enhancement of individuals. The result was that she built a massive army and advanced technology in a familiar country, ultimately winning through Quality War. And just as a president isn't easily replaced during wartime, she naturally chose to act unilaterally to secure this victory.

She won, and the human alliance she led also won.

As the final war ended at the border of Pluto, and the nascent interstellar civilization uttered its first cries into the universe, she relinquished all power and smoothly transferred her rule. While the new civilization reorganized its structure, she orchestrated an 'accident' for herself, thus reviving on the land of Terra.

That was an interesting experience. Quite interesting.

This interesting experience caused a thought that had been faintly present in her mind to swell up when she opened her eyes again in Terra, and gradually became the mainstream of her thoughts.

Then, the girl quietly loosened her clenched fist. Raising her fingertips, the sword blade hovering beside her touched her hand.

"Laevateinn," she said.

"I'm here," the sword replied.

"I remember you asked me something before—why I didn't intend to rule this world and guide this entire civilization forward as I did in the homeland of the plan—I didn't come to a conclusion then, but I do now."

"I remember that was a topic from thirty-seven years, one hundred and twenty-one days, seven hours, nine minutes, and six seconds ago. Surtr, it's quite a long process for you to think about this topic."

"Time is not important," the girl said calmly, raising her hand to light the campfire in front of her. "But you remember it so clearly, Laevateinn. The timeline in my mind is already a bit blurry."

Sword didn't answer, but just gave two ambiguous "humphs." Then it steered the conversation back to the original topic.

"But thinking requires a specific trigger—I guess you had some unique experiences during your dream journey just now."

"Yes, I will share the relevant information with you later, Laevateinn." The red-haired girl nodded slightly. A wisp of night breeze lifted the ends of her hair. "I have decided. I will do what I originally planned to do on Terra. I will take responsibility for this land, I will govern it, and then lead the civilization on this planet to distant lands."

The sword remained silent for a moment.

"—You intend to alter the workings and advancement paths of this world as freely as you would in the dream world?"

"Not the Dream Realm, but my homeland." The girl shook her head slightly. "I should be more aware of myself now, having wandered this land of Terra for so many years. The possibility of returning home is extremely slim... I haven't given up on my wish, but until there is hope of returning, perhaps this land has become more important to me."

"Laevateinn, my past life lasted only twenty-one years... Even though I still remember everything from my past life, the weight it holds in my memory is already less than the length of many dream world journeys, let alone Terra, which I will inevitably return to. My desire to return home may just be an obsession, a wisp of self-hypnosis. Perhaps, when the day comes that I finally return to Earth after overcoming many hardships, returning to Terra will become my next wish—if I am still alive by then."

"Then you will suffer greatly, Surtr —if you truly intend to take responsibility for this land. Then the hostility, exclusion, and even betrayal from this land will become powerful against you. They will have the potential to harm you. You never cared about any betrayal in the Dream Realm because you never expected loyalty from the Dream Realm. And the same was true for you in the past Terra."

"Are you sure you really want to do this, Surtr? You haven't even figured out a way to get Vayf and Casters to live peacefully together."

"I don't have any." The girl nodded. "But I think we can try it first."

She stood up and stretched.

"From this moment on, I will sweep away all the nations of the earth one by one. I will banish all the gods and depose all the kings. I will force them, force all the nations and peoples of this earth to become a unified kingdom and nation. Then I will solve all the problems in this new kingdom one by one. Then I will lead them all the way to heaven."

"Laevateinn, I intend to become the first... no, this is Terra in the Arknights universe, so perhaps the first negative Lord of Fiends. I will rule over all living beings and command all things beyond all phenomena."

She reached out towards her sword.

"Will you come with me, Laevateinn, just like before?"

She was full of anticipation.

Then, a response that was both expected and reasonable awaited her.

"You always ask stupid questions, Surtr."

"Even if all the gods and Godfall, even if the Evening World obscures the vast sky, and all things fall silent in the Twilight, I will never leave your hand."

Miss Surtr returned to the real world.

In the realm of consciousness... or rather, in a rather special realm of consciousness, within the Reeds Field where Theresia dwells, her conversation with Theresia did not end with a clear conclusion— Theresia did not reveal the content of her request. Nor did she agree to the demand to take the price upfront.

What was Theresia's request? Ah... it wouldn't be too complicated or tedious, but it must be related to her saintly ambition. And if I accepted, it would mean that I would have to take action on the entire Terra.

—Sweep away all nations on earth, abolish all kings and gods...and then let her ideas become the mainstream of the world.

Peace... To achieve peace in a nation requires a grand war. But to achieve peace on a planet requires even more blood and fire, enough to blot out the sky. Only through suffering can the inhabitants of the earth willingly abandon the pain of war. And if one wants peace without shedding a single drop of blood...

—I'd rather build a mental beacon like Yuri did.

She sighed softly... It was obvious that this commission was of extraordinary importance.

If I were to demand a price commensurate with this commission—ah, even selling Theresia's entire past and future wouldn't be enough to justify it.