"Wait... wait a minute!"
Luviagelita, enduring the searing pain in her back, struggled to her feet and blocked Jiang You's path as he prepared to leave after mentioning Illya.
"What? Still not willing to admit defeat?"
Jiang You gazed at the stubborn Luviagelita with a look of appreciation. He was beginning to understand why villains would repeatedly tolerate the protagonist's provocations. Their struggle was truly dazzling, making each subsequent defeat all the more satisfying.
"Then let's settle this the traditional way—a duel to the death!"
Melusine abruptly unsheathed her sword. After all, she would do whatever Jiang You ordered, her own will completely subservient.
"No, Melusine, calm down! I was just joking."
If Jiang You had hesitated even a moment longer, Luviagelita would have been reduced to Ruth. This caused his carefully crafted villain persona to crumble instantly, and the role-play became impossible to maintain.
"Alright, what else do you want to say? You must realize the gap between us is now on a different dimension. Even with your stubbornness, you should recognize reality, right?"
"You need to leave some contact information. How else am I supposed to find you?"
Luviagelita rolled her eyes. She could tell Jiang You's thinking differed from that of a traditional Magus—he was just a powerful hedonist. The theft of the Sapphire was a fait accompli, but she still needed to give Kaleidoscope an explanation.
"It seems I don't actually have a base in this world."
To Luviagelita, Jiang You's words carried far more weight than they seemed. What kind of normal Magus or Heroic Spirit would roam the world so casually? Was the Second Magic some common commodity? "How about this? I won't take the Ruby with me. Just find Illya whenever you need it—she's probably the person I know best in this world."
"Wouldn't she be the person you know best in any world?"
While Jiang You and this world's Illya chatted about the Illya from his world, Ruby overheard every word.
"Isn't this basically making Illya your proxy? Entrusting your affairs to an elementary school student? This will tighten your connection with this Illya, won't it? You're just here to collect Illyas, aren't you?"
"If you put it that way, I can't pretend nothing happened."
Once something is brought to light, it can't be glossed over. The game felt too real, stirring up unnecessary emotions beyond just playing cards. Once a desire is kindled, it's not easily extinguished.
"Your gaze is downright terrifying..."
Even Ruby, the Jewel, had to concede. She could see Jiang You was serious.
"To be precise, I'm not just collecting Illya," Jiang You replied. The game was so realistic that even he had started to lose himself, sometimes needing to double-check if he was still in the game. Thankfully, his real-world home was small and cozy, otherwise he'd have completely lost his grip on what was real. He wasn't so much explaining to Ruby as he was explaining to himself: "To me, the entire world is a giant card-collecting game. I don't want to miss out on anything—encountering it, battling it, and then claiming it for myself."
"What a scumbag thing to say! Are you sure that's okay?" Ruby swallowed nervously, if she had that function.
"Your perverted magic wand is overthinking things. I don't intend to turn everyone into that kind of relationship. I'm at least fulfilling their wishes, you know. There are many ways to gather people around me."
While discussing these matters, Jiang You scrolled through his emails. He had long suspected that certain game designs didn't quite align with the game's logic. While having special privileges was a common power fantasy trope in web novels, in reality, if a game planner didn't handle the balance well, they'd risk getting their mother metaphorically "fired" by angry players.
Though it seemed Konami never really cared about such things to begin with.
Some issues could be glossed over as mere testing oversights, but even the most absurd designs should have some framework. Moreover, resolving critical issues at the last moment seemed too convenient.
"...What's wrong?"
Seeing Jiang You suddenly lost in thought, the other party inexplicably sensed that something major was about to happen—the kind of situation where a misstep could doom the entire Parallel World. Even it grew anxious.
Jiang You's wandering thoughts snapped back to reality. He scratched his head, wondering if he was being overly self-conscious. Game technology was advancing rapidly; just a few years ago, full-dive devices hadn't even been perfected. Konami's idiotic practices were notorious, and the fact that 90% of crossover cards never made it into the main game probably wasn't a major problem. Besides, who hadn't fantasized about being the chosen one, destined to save the world?
"I was just thinking about some random things. I'll look into them when I have time. It's not really relevant here. Where were we?"
The real world has its own oddities too. That game streamer named BB is still active, which is strange considering she hasn't been sued yet. Her level of realism is also suspiciously high. I should try contacting her to see what's going on.
"...Never mind."
Ruby's instincts told it to steer clear of that topic, though how a Mystic Code could even have instincts remains a mystery.
"Anyway, I've agreed to Illya's condition to act as your proxy. Honestly, that girl is way too devoted to her Brother Shirou. She acts like life has no hope left! There's so much she could look forward to! Let me teach her about the joys of girlhood!"
Sapphire's Magic Bullet blasted Ruby away. "Sister, please stop saying things that could be misinterpreted!"
"Misinterpreted? This isn't a misunderstanding! It's my genuine—"
Ruby's words were drowned out by its own anguished screams.
Seeing the two magic wands clashing, Jiang You couldn't continue the conversation. He picked up the now-motionless Illya.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. I'll help with the Class Cards too, so don't worry about your mission. Just enjoy your campus life."
"Could you satisfy my curiosity one last time?" Luviagelita asked, gazing at Melusine. This creature didn't seem like a servant at all; she felt more like a living, breathing being. But how could such a fantastical entity exist in the modern world? Is she truly Albion?
"Authentic, through and through," Jiang You replied, ruffling Melusine's hair. The girl showed no reaction whatsoever. This was precisely why Jiang You disliked using Shadow Games to force others to follow him—there was no interaction whatsoever.
"To be precise, she's a fragment of Albion. Since you know about Parallel Worlds, you should know that anything is possible. Who knows? Maybe in another world, Rin's sister was adopted into your family instead?"
"Rin's sister?"
Luviagelita knew about the Tohsaka Family's affairs but had no intention of delving into the matter further. "A fragment of Albion? Does that mean there are many beings like her?"
"No, she's unique."
Melusine's appearance was an unexpected surprise. It made one wonder if Aurora would dredge up enough fragments to form a Melusine Ranger team. "She's the only one of her kind."
"I see... That must be terribly lonely."
Luviagelita's eyes softened with sympathy. Though she and Rin Tohsaka were rivals, Rin always wore such a desolate expression whenever her younger sister was mentioned that Luviagelita found herself unable to continue their usual sparring.
"If only she had family..."
For the first time, Melusine reacted to Luviagelita: "Family... Do you mean others of my kind?"