Chapter 377: Mean-Spirited
"Standing before you now—this fair-skinned, pink-haired girl, with looks and figure so perfect they could only be called a living work of art—cute, charming, and mysterious! Who could she be? Why, it's me, Elysia~!"
Her voice was as sweet as birdsong in a spring forest, her figure as light and graceful as a willow in the wind. She was beauty made flesh, her almond eyes glimmering like tiny silver stars.
After Mobius's departure, the world around them shifted—the colors brightened, the ground steadied—and they found themselves in a cozy lounge furnished with sofas and a small bar counter.
And upon one of those sofas sat a fairy-like girl, smiling radiantly as she waved in greeting.
Her skin was porcelain white, her fluffy pastel-pink curls almost ethereal. A white blouse hugged her elegant curves, the soft fabric paired with long black sleeves and thigh-high boots that framed her legs in sleek black stockings. Purple accents adorned her collar, cuffs, and waist, completing the look of an enchanting, otherworldly maiden—just as she'd claimed, both lovely and mysterious.
Elysia tilted her head with a playful, mischievous smile, winking as if deliberately trying to charm everyone present.
Sigurd said nothing. He simply sighed and sat down beside her.
Elysia arched an eyebrow, smiling wryly.
"Got tricked by Mobius, didn't you? Don't worry, I won't laugh. She's always been that kind of mischievous, adorable child. It's only natural she's better at pranks than the rest of us. Anyway—long time no see! How about I make you a Fairy-Style cocktail to celebrate? An Elysia special, just for my dearest friend, Sigurd~!"
A glass materialized in Sigurd's hand—a delicate pink liquid swirling inside. He held it out toward her.
"I remember," he said calmly, "you once babbled about how a lady never refuses a drink from a friend, didn't you?"
"Eh—?"
Elysia's smile froze in place.
Of course she remembered. The last time Sigurd offered her a drink like that, she'd lost her voice for days—unable to speak a single word.
But refusing a drink from someone was so un-ladylike. It went against everything her elegance and pride stood for.
Beads of sweat formed at her temple as her eyes darted around for escape. Then, suddenly, she brightened—her figure shimmered and vanished from the sofa, reappearing behind Hua and Senti.
"Oh my, who do we have here? Isn't this my best friend Hua? Wait— there are two of you now! One physical, one spiritual— but both still my darling Hua! I knew it! Mental-type warriors are always at risk of a little, hmm, personality fragmentation~ But that's okay—you're both still my most beloved Hua!"
Elysia twirled around the two, sparkling eyes inspecting them from every angle. She even reached out to poke Senti on the head, her tone brimming with delighted curiosity.
Meanwhile, Sigurd's cool gaze followed her every move, glass still in hand, silently asking when she planned to come back and drink it.
Eventually, Elysia covered her face with both hands and ducked behind Hua and Senti, hiding from his sight.
"I didn't see anything… nope, I didn't see Sigurd's drink…"
"Pfft—!"
Hua couldn't help but chuckle softly, glancing from the self-deceiving Elysia to the utterly expressionless, unflinching Sigurd.
Well, well. So someone could actually get under Elysia's skin.
Sigurd just shook his head and handed the glass to the approaching Bronya instead.
Bronya blinked, then took a sip. Her eyes lit up immediately.
"It's sweet. Tastes good."
"It's a fruit wine from another world I visited. Low alcohol, excellent flavor. Take it slow."
"Mm. Thank you, Sigurd."
Bronya smiled softly, holding the drink with a cute little lift of her lips.
Then, from behind her, Kiana and An peeked out—one from the left, one from the right.
"I wanna try too!"
"B-Bronya, Si-Sin Mal wants to… ehe~"
For Kiana, it was simply because she liked sweet drinks.
For Sin Mal… the wine didn't matter at all. What mattered was that Sigurd and Bronya had both touched that glass.
Bronya rolled her eyes. She lifted the glass and tilted it toward Kiana, letting her take a sip. Then she gently patted An's head.
"You're still too young. No alcohol for you."
"Oh…"
Sin Mal looked a little down for a moment, but then she brightened with her usual innocent smile, brushing it off.
Just then, Elysia peeked out from behind Hua, puffing her cheeks as she glared resentfully at Sigurd.
"You're mean!" she huffed.
Sigurd's expression didn't change. Another glass of wine appeared in his hand.
"This one's for you," he said evenly. "Drink up."
"Alright, alright— wait! I want her drink!"
Elysia hurried back to the couch—not taking the glass from Sigurd's hand, but snatching the one half-finished in Bronya's instead, tipping it straight into her mouth.
"Mmm, that is good!" she said, touching her cheek with one hand and smiling cutely.
Meanwhile, Sigurd produced a few tiny pills out of nowhere and, without warning, popped them into Bronya and Kiana's mouths one by one.
The two girls immediately covered their mouths, faces turning red at the sudden, intimate gesture.
Elysia's ahoge shot straight up as she stared at the drink in her hand, swallowing nervously.
"Guh! W–what did you just feed them!?"
"Of course, the antidote to the voiceless drug," Sigurd said flatly, as if that were the most natural thing in the world.
Elysia froze, eyes wide, her hand trembling as she held the glass.
"Na–ni!?"
"I'm kidding. They're just candy."
She let out a long sigh of relief, visibly relaxing. Then she downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, puffed her cheeks, and said in a half-complaining, half-coquettish tone:
"Sigurd, you're so mean! Always teasing me like that. My affection points toward you are about to drop from max, you know!"
"Can they drop low enough that you'll stop talking to me? Honestly, you're loud."
"...You'll never get a girl to like you that way, dummy!"
"Allow me to introduce these three—my fiancées."
Sigurd pointed to Kiana, Bronya, and Sin Mal, crushing Elysia's claim with the cold, iron weight of fact.
The three girls blushed in unison, but none of them said a word to deny it.
Elysia's mouth fell open. After a long pause, she leaned forward angrily, her shapely hips rising as she jabbed a finger at Sigurd.
"Mean! Playboy! Scumbag! Treating adorable girls like that is totally unfair!"
"Mm. I know. So does that mean you don't need that finger anymore?"
At the chill in Sigurd's gaze, Elysia instantly retracted her finger and cupped it protectively with her other hand.
She knew all too well that Sigurd would break it without hesitation.
Once upon a time, the hardest people for Elysia to deal with were Kevin, Su, and Fu Hua. The first was too cold, never reacting to anything she did; the latter two were too calm, only responding to her pranks with gentle, helpless smiles, like adults humoring a mischievous child.
Now, the hardest person to deal with was Sigurd. He did react to her teasing, but his reactions were far too brutal. Elysia found herself utterly defeated—and helplessly so.
After puffing her cheeks and glaring at him for a while, Elysia finally burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! Alright, joke's over. So—two years since you last stepped into the Elysian Realm. What brings you back this time? Let me guess—with this many cute guests along, you're here to seek some Sigils, aren't you?"
"That's part of it."
"I thought so. Well, since you're the one bringing them, I don't mind—but the others here might not be quite so friendly to Herrschers. Are you sure you want to try?"
"It's fine. They're exceptional."
"Then I've got no complaints. Oh, but if you're planning to mess with Mobius, I can't help you there! She's my best friend, after all!"
"Which one of your friends isn't your best friend?"
Sigurd gave her a sidelong look, his tone dry.
Ignoring Elysia's playful tongue-out expression, he turned to the other girls besides Fu Hua's group.
"As you can see, this pink long-eared one is your guide. Follow her lead—she'll handle food, drinks, routes, whatever you need. From here on, it's your time. What you can achieve depends entirely on your own resolve and effort. I won't interfere."
Sigils were powerful tools for enhancing strength, and this place was the smoothest path to embedding them. But beyond Sigils, the experiences, insights, and abilities of the Flame-Chasers were boundless treasures—and how much they could draw from them was up to the girls alone.
As Sigurd finished speaking, the girls exchanged glances, then smiled and nodded together.
And so, a trial—one that wouldn't last long—quietly began.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 408: Reunion[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-146627958[3]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-146627958
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-146627958
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed