Gems

The sizzling sound of the marbled steak on the hot stone slab filled the air, adding a touch of liveliness to the cold, quiet room. Bai Mo sat on the bed, looking at Anastasia stood silently by the window.

In the next room, Goredolf, biting his thumb glove, said thoughtfully, "Not a sound at all. Should I have chosen Russian food after all?"

Not only him, Atalanta, seeing a group of people eavesdropping, was speechless for a moment. But she didn't say anything more.

Anastasia has been with us since that battle. This is undoubtedly good news. Putting everything else aside, her ability to influence the opposing princess alone gives her significant strategic value.

Anastasia waited until the steak cooled down before speaking:

"Master, is this something done because of the influence of the Yaga? Or is it..."

"It shouldn't have anything to do with this. When there's oppression and a huge gap between the rich and poor, there will always be scum at the top who don't treat those below them as equals. This kind of thing also happened in the 21st century, where I lived before."

Of course, there must have been some in your time, after all, even a ridiculous guy like Rasputin held great power.

Without needing to use mind reading, Bai Mo naturally understood what was troubling Anastasia at that moment.

She had attended many banquets in her life, but what happened today completely changed her perspective, making her doubt the view outside the palace under her father's dynasty.

"Oh, I see... Even your time had things like that? That's utterly rotten."

Looking back now, I realize that my father often took them to banquets, but sometimes, he wouldn't let them participate, no matter how much they cried or made a fuss.

"I had no idea that those nobles who were so polite to me were actually engaged in such entertainment activities."

"You've been quite well protected."

Hearing Bai Mo's words, Anastasia took a deep breath. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground below. Just now, she had seen Yaga, the one who had taken care of her at the banquet.

She was queuing up to receive supplies distributed by Zhang Jue.

"Master, to be honest, I'm a little lost right now. Can you help me make a decision? You must be able to, after all, I am your Servant."

Anastasia's tone was somewhat serious, but Bai Mo raised her hand to stop her.

"Don't let others decide your life, Anastasia. Letting others make decisions for you means handing your fate over to them. Believe me, that's absolutely terrible."

Bai Mo raised his finger, revealing an almost transparent, seemingly disappearing thread.

Anastasia gave Bai Mo a complex expression, a mixture of resentment and unspoken gratitude.

"You're quite a stern person. Well then, let me change the question. Master, should I hate the soldiers who killed me and my family?"

For Anastasia, it was a cruel choice. She was the youngest daughter of the last Tsar, lost the struggle, and was eventually executed in secret by her soldiers.

As a member of the Romanov royal family, she naturally felt a sense of mission to lead the people, but at the same time, it was impossible for her not to hate the soldiers who ultimately tortured and killed her.

Normally, as Servant, one wouldn't need to worry about this; one could simply obey the Master's decision. But at this moment, Bai Mo has placed this decision in her hands.

At this moment, the people next door exchanged glances quickly; clearly, this was the most crucial moment.

Bai Mo did not hesitate when faced with Anastasia's words; these were not words that required hesitation.

"Of course you have the right to hate, and you should hate. That's your right, and no one can take it away from you. They took away your loved ones, your childhood, and your future."

It's as if you unknowingly killed their parents and relatives, and destroyed their lives.

There's a rumor that during your execution, the bullet aimed at you was stopped by a jewel in your pocket. While this is unlikely to be true, rumors don't come from nowhere.

Anastasia laughed upon hearing this.

"I'd really like to know what kind of gemstone could stop a machine gun bullet."

She pulled a handful of gems from her pocket, looking at these Gilgamesh little things. Everyone loved them, and they were a standard accessory for royalty. Anastasia had indeed carried a handful of gems in her pocket before.

Sometimes on snowy days, she would wrap gemstones in snowballs and have snowball fights with her family or servants. Her family was afraid, but the servants were happy to have these sparkly little things hit them on the head.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" Anastasia held the gem in her hand, her gaze fixed on the Yaga below.

"Like I said, these life-altering decisions are yours to make. But whatever the outcome, to me, you're just someone who got caught up in this situation by accident. If you want to leave, no one will point a gun at you."

Hearing this, Anastasia felt a sense of relief; responsibility was the heaviest burden. She knew her abilities would attract the attention of the people here, but Bai Mo still gave her the option to leave regardless of everything.

This Master is really... He should just treat Servant as tools.

Anastasia took a deep breath, then opened the window and threw it forcefully with both hands. The gems and jewelry she wore flew out of the window, Gilgamesh in the air.

Anastasia smiled easily after losing the Gilgamesh trinkets.

"I must stay. As Romanov and a human being, I cannot watch this continue to happen on this land. Master, please allow me to reintroduce you, Caster —Anastasia."

Although I have little combat power, if I were to face that princess, I would become her most deadly enemy.

Anastasia's outstretched hand was grasped by Bai Mo, and at this moment, the two were moving forward with a common goal. If the nobles were to witness this scene, they would probably be so horrified that their eyes would pop out.

Anastasia smiled as she felt the warmth of the other person's hands.

"This time there are no gems to shield me from bullets, Master. From now on, if someone points a gun at me, I'll be counting on you."

"Yes, I'll take charge of the fight. There's another way to handle this. This is the eighth floor, hopefully it won't..."

Then, a familiar voice came from below. Bai Mo recognized the voice immediately; it was Lin's voice.

"Ah, who's so heartless! Wait, all these are gems? The kind person upstairs, you don't want these anymore, right? Are there any more?"

At the banquet, everyone welcomed Anastasia's arrival.

Atalanta handed Anastasia a bottle of wine, a defiant smile on her face.

"Give it a try?"

"Oh, is that so? You think I'm not good at drinking just because I'm a woman? You've chosen the wrong opponent."

As the corks popped twice, Ritsuka's lips twitched as she watched the two of them chug the bottle together. Yaga's liquor had an extremely high alcohol content; it could practically be used as fuel.

"Wow, that's quite a bold drink! May I try some?"

"No."

The Earl beside her pulled her hand away as she reached for the wine glass.

Seeing the two drinking more and more, it seemed less like a celebration and more like they were drowning their sorrows in alcohol. Atalanta wiped her burning lips and let out a low, beast-like growl.

"You're surprisingly good at drinking, huh? In my time, a princess like you would have been passed out long ago, and then... um."

Anastasia didn't back down at all in response to Atalanta's words. For some reason, the two, who clearly had nothing in common, seemed like close friends with shared interests. In any case, under the influence of alcohol, they spilled a lot of things out.

"Ha, she was obviously drugged... By the way, where's my Master? Why isn't he here while I'm drinking? He must be showing off!"

Ritsuka responded with a wry smile.

"What bragging... It seems there's something going on with Yaga, so Brother Bai went over there on his own initiative."

Upon hearing this, Anastasia tilted her head back and took a big gulp, her face flushed with drunkenness as she teased Ritsuka:

"Ha, I don't believe it. Turning me into this, making me act with the resistance... even though it was my decision. Ugh... so shameful, to make me do something like that."

"No... what kind of thing? Brother Bai didn't seem to touch you at all."

Upon hearing this, Anastasia lay on the table, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.

"Making me throw jewels out the window and join the class that was once my enemy... how is that any different from those men who have affairs with wealthy women, and after successfully seducing them, making those married women throw their husbands' rings out in front of them?!"

"No, the difference is quite significant."

Unlike the commotion here, Bai Mo and Koyanskaya were on the outside of the fortress, watching as Yaga brought in a huge spearhead.

The spearhead was half the size of a cart, clearly not a weapon used by humans. Koyanskaya's eyes lit up as she examined the object closely.

"Unexpectedly, I've gained such a pleasant surprise, Mr. Bai Mo. Would you be willing to hire me for a day? Of course, as compensation, I will provide you with a reward that will satisfy you."

Not just here, but also all the intelligence from the Lostbelt in the East, Northern Europe, and the Atlantic Ocean, how about it?"

Bai Mo didn't seem to be moved by Koyanskaya's words; he simply gazed at the enormous creation.

"Before you state your terms, you'd better tell me what these things are."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I got a little too excited in my haste," Koyanskaya explained, gently stroking the massive spearhead.

"This is a weapon used by giants in the Scandinavian Lostbelt, it's self-evident."