Chapter Twelve: Olivia

Raven looked toward the sky, where the faintest glimmer of light had begun to appear, and slowly shook her head.

If they missed today, they could only wait until next month.

Hearing Raven's words and looking at the silver-white disk already slanting westward in the sky, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Shi Hen's mind.

"I think I probably know where that thing is."

The corners of Shi Hen's lips curled upward.

"Hm?"

Raven looked at the youth in surprise.

"Natasha, do you remember Raymond's ending in the story?"

Stepping out through the hole in the wall, Shi Hen stood completely bathed in moonlight.

"Of course. At the end of Raymond's life..." Raven spoke softly, then a look of realization crossed her face. "You mean she hid that thing in—"

Raven looked up at the silent moon in the sky.

So that was why the relic emitted fluctuations of Honkai Energy during a full moon?

Still, even though they knew where the relic was, they had no way to retrieve it.

She had not brought a flying vehicle this time.

"To find Raymond's relic, we only need to do as she did and fly toward the moon."

Ignoring the mercenary's frustration at gaining and losing hope in the same breath, Shi Hen spoke calmly as he slowly lifted his right foot.

Tap!

A crisp footstep rang out, pulling Raven from her disappointment over missing the treasure.

Where had that footstep come from?

As the question arose in her mind, Raven saw the youth's body rising higher and higher in the next instant, accompanied by clear, ringing footsteps.

Tap, tap, tap...

With every step the youth took, a pale white glow lit up beneath his feet, as though he were stepping on invisible stairs.

Honkai Energy!

This guy had actually condensed Honkai Energy to the point where it could take physical form!

Watching the unbelievable scene before her, Raven's heart was completely filled with shock.

If it were merely a matter of condensing Honkai Energy until it could be touched, she could do that herself.

But what Shi Hen was doing now was something as absurd as stepping on his own left foot to fly into the sky.

For a moment, Raven felt as though everything she had believed about Honkai since childhood had shattered into pieces.

Geniuses never made sense, because they were reason itself.

Watching the youth stroll through the air beneath the moonlight, Raven had no choice but to admit that he truly was a genius who defied common sense.

When it came to Shi Hen, common sense was what needed redefining.

Within the bright moonlight, the black-haired youth rose step by step, and the shadow he cast gradually covered the entire castle.

No, it was not that the youth was growing larger. A new light had appeared before him.

The instant the light appeared, fierce winds rose, and even the moon's radiance began to sway unsteadily.

Amid the sound of steady footsteps, the youth advanced without hesitation. A thousand winds cheered for him, and the moonlight bestowed a crown upon him.

A pitch-black doorway gradually took shape within the light before him.

Chapter Twelve: Olivia

Passing through the doorway, Shi Hen found himself in a brand-new space.

It was a study.

"Hey!"

A broad desk stood before the window to catch the light. Beside it were rows of wooden bookshelves packed with books, while several portraits hung on the walls, each depicting a valiant knight in armor.

"Hey, hey!"

Shi Hen walked to the window and opened its stained-glass panes. Sure enough, Raymond Castle came into view.

No, it should have been Raymond Castle from a thousand years ago.

"Hey, hey, hey! Do you have any manners at all!?"

The girl who had been shouting nonstop since earlier stepped in front of Shi Hen and blocked his view outside. Puffing out her cheeks, she spoke in an openly displeased tone.

"First, my name is Shi Hen, and the first part is my surname. I'm not called 'hey.'" Looking at the girl dressed as a knight, Shi Hen spoke calmly. "Second, I really don't have manners."

As long as he had no manners, she could not use that to restrain him.

As he spoke, Shi Hen flicked the girl's forehead with a finger.

Clang!

The sound was crisp and pleasant. What a fine forehead.

"Wah..." Covering her forehead and letting out a pitiful cry, the knight girl looked at the youth as if she were about to cry. "Are people from the future all as barbaric as you?"

Without question, this pitiful knight girl was the legendary Olivia Raymond herself.

Or rather, a fragment of consciousness left behind by that legendary knight.

"Mm." Shi Hen nodded and sat naturally in the chair before the desk, as though he were the owner of the room. "Our era is dangerous. Honkai incidents happen every day, and everyone has to struggle with all their strength just to stay alive."

"You're lying!"

Olivia braced both hands against the desk and looked down at the youth.

"Mm, I was lying." Shi Hen nodded, picked up a book, and opened it. As expected, every page was blank. "Can't you read something properly, my Count?"

A thousand years ago, the hereditary title of the Raymond family had been Count.

"I'm the Count. Are you telling me what to do?"

The knight lifted her chin slightly, her face full of pride despite having been dead for a thousand years.

In any kingdom, a count was a symbol of honor and nobility.

"Wake up. The Kingdom of Sicily has been gone for a long time."

Shi Hen reminded her sincerely.

"Huh? Sicily had a kingdom?"

The knight girl blinked.

In the era when she had lived, Sicily had not even formed a unified kingdom yet.

Shi Hen: "..."

How was he supposed to know Sicilian history?

"You've been dead for over a thousand years."

Shi Hen decided to put it more plainly.

"Then you're from more than a thousand years in the future?" Olivia's eyes were filled with wonder, as though she wanted nothing more than to cut him open and study him properly. "If Edward knew I could talk to someone from a thousand years later, he'd be so jealous he'd die."

"Who's Edward?"

Shi Hen asked with some interest.

"My husband."

Olivia answered frankly.

"...May I ask how old you were when you left behind this consciousness?"

"Fifty-three."

"..."

Looking at the knight before him, who appeared to be no more than twenty-three, Shi Hen fell silent.

He absolutely did not believe it was because she had some secret to preserving her youth.

As far as he knew, there was only one person capable of awakening a Stigmata and attaining a nearly eternal lifespan.

"Brat, you're thinking something very rude, aren't you!?"

Olivia slapped the desk heavily, leaned forward, and stared straight at the youth with her blue eyes.

"I was thinking that you and your husband must have had a very good relationship."

Forced to avert his gaze, Shi Hen answered sincerely.

To still retain such a mindset at fifty-three, Olivia must have been dearly loved.

"Hmph hmph! Of course!"

The knight looked immensely proud.

"So why did you leave behind this consciousness?"

Shi Hen turned his gaze toward the bookshelves crammed full of books.

Though he had not checked them yet, he was certain those books were all blank as well.

This space had been constructed from Olivia's memories, and she did not look like the sort to read properly.

Just like a certain white-haired idiot.

Though Olivia had the classic golden hair and blue eyes, her hair shining as brightly as the sun.

"Because it's fun."

The knight answered casually.

Shi Hen: "..."

It was such an unexpected answer that it was not surprising at all.

"Did Mr. Edward ever say you were an idiot?"

Shi Hen asked politely.

"But he likes me."

The knight answered as though that settled everything.

Shi Hen was speechless again.

Was having someone like you really that impressive?

Olivia told him that yes, having someone like you really was that impressive.

"I'm here for the relic."

Shi Hen got straight to the point.

He had already realized that if he kept chatting with her, this old monster pretending to be young could ramble with him for ten days and nights.

"You want my Little Moon?"

The knight wore the expression of someone protecting her favorite toy from being stolen.

"The name of this relic is the Moonlight Throne: Imaginary Embedded Pulse Annihilation Generator."

Shi Hen corrected her.

The instant he entered this space, he had understood the name and function of the relic Olivia possessed.

"You want my Little Moon?"

The knight repeated herself, like a program trapped in a repeating bug.

After staring at her face for a long while, Shi Hen chose to compromise. "...Yes, I want your Little Moon."

So be it if he died of embarrassment. Other than a ghost dead for a thousand years, no one else could hear him anyway.

"Sure. I'll give it to you in a moment."