As they walked back to Tsuyokuni, Yumeha looked at her own hand and squeezed it slightly. She had already noticed during the dungeon that something had changed. Her body felt lighter, her movements more natural, and the amount of mana she could feel within herself was clearly greater. After hesitating for a few seconds, she approached Enrico and spoke quietly, making sure the others could not hear.
"Master... did you get stronger?"
Enrico decided to answer honestly. Later, when they were alone, he also intended to tell her about his ability to know the future. If Yumeha found out from someone else that he had told someone about it and not her, it could end up creating an unnecessary situation. He trusted her and knew she would not betray him, but he preferred to avoid any possibility of trouble.
"Yes. I was looking for an artifact and managed to evolve a little thanks to it."
Even though he could not properly see Yumeha's eyes because of the hair covering them, Enrico noticed the excitement in her expression.
"Incredible, Master! How did you know where to find something like that?"
"I'll tell you later."
Yumeha nodded in satisfaction, accepting the answer for now. A few steps behind them, Rina watched the two while adjusting her hair ribbon for the third time. She had already thought about what she would do, and now she was trying to gather the courage to put her plan into practice.
'Now or never...'
Rina clenched her fists, put on a confident smile, and quickened her pace until she was beside Enrico. Then, seemingly casually, she stepped into the space between him and Yumeha.
"Lord Enrico, did you know that, statistically, the Ketsumei and Musubinin pairs that survive the most are those in which there is a balance between emotional connection and skill compatibility?"
At that very moment, Rina regretted her own sentence.
'What an idiot!'
She took a deep breath and tried to maintain her confidence.
'I mean... of course he knows. He came from the future. But he doesn't know that I know this, so maybe it'll work.'
Enrico glanced at her, almost amused.
"So what exactly are you suggesting?"
Rina straightened her posture.
"That... perhaps I would be an excellent Musubinin for you. Considering what I saw during the dungeon, our abilities would have good synergy."
She smiled, satisfied with her approach.
That was when Aoi approached from behind. Her presence was so discreet that she had almost gone unnoticed, but a small muffled laugh escaped from beneath her white fox mask.
"Heh... interesting theory. Rina already wants an engagement ring."
The soft, teasing voice made Rina immediately turn her head.
"You should be on my side!"
Before she could continue, a holographic window appeared before Enrico's eyes.
[Congratulations, Enrico. Apparently, you're going to marry a second wife.]
[Please provide the dowry and prepare to receive the reward of two wives.]
Enrico stared at the message for a few seconds before smiling.
'Thank you. That was the best reward you've given me since I arrived in this world.'
[Tsc.]
The system disappeared, apparently annoyed at having been outdone by its own provocation.
Yumeha, on the other hand, stepped forward. Her gaze turned directly toward Rina, and although her face remained partially hidden by her hair, her posture had changed. For the first time since forming the bond with Enrico, she seemed willing to compete for something.
Rina immediately noticed.
The two stared at each other in silence while Enrico, standing between them, began to realize that his trip to Tsuyokuni was becoming much more complicated than he had planned.
"Musubinin? Sorry, but my master said no for now, sister."
Yumeha's tone was calm, but there was a small provocation hidden in her words. Ever since obtaining her Ketsumei, she had been gradually gaining confidence, and this was probably the first time she had allowed herself to provoke someone from her own family.
Rina looked at her for a few seconds, clearly noticing the intention behind the sentence, but soon let out a laugh and tried to change the subject.
"Ah, well... it's not like this is a competition, right? Our mothers were sisters and still ended up with our father... Speaking of something else, did you see that strange mana formation on the ground back there? I think it might be a teleportation trap."
The lie was so obvious that Yumeha immediately raised both hands, clenching her fists as she leaned slightly forward. Her expression showed that she had no intention of letting Rina escape so easily.
"Don't change the subject. If you want to be his Musubinin, you'll have to prove yourself. With sweat and maybe blood."
Aoi, who was walking right behind them, watched everything in silence, enjoying the situation as if she were watching a private play.
'This is so fun... should I join in?'
Meanwhile, Enrico was already a few steps ahead and only wanted to keep walking. He did not intend to form another bond at that moment.
With her current potential, doing so could end up interfering with Rina's evolution, and he did not want to alter the future even more without necessity. So he raised one hand and looked at the necklace he had received, pretending not to notice the growing tension behind him. Rina and Yumeha continued exchanging sharp looks, although they maintained relatively calm expressions.
Rina, however, was thinking about something else.
'If I don't hurry... it looks like Enrico is leaving today. I need to talk to my father and ask him to send me to Astrong. That way, I'll have more time to stay close to him.'
Lianhua was also watching the situation carefully. Ever since assuming the identity of the guard who had disappeared, she had been trying to act normally, but now she needed to decide whether she should immediately flee to Tianlong or remain for a little longer to find out what was happening.
The disguise she was using had worked because, while Renzou was sick, everyone had been too focused on the possibility of his death to notice the disappearance of a guard without family or close ties. Now that the emperor was healthy again, remaining there was becoming increasingly dangerous.
As soon as they arrived in Tsuyokuni, the group was immediately summoned to the emperor's room. Renzou was sitting on the throne, and his countenance still carried some signs of the period during which he had been sick. Upon seeing Enrico, however, his face lit up with a smile.
"Enrico, you were right. The spy was Soushi. I've already dealt with the problem. Thank you."
Aoi, Rina, and Yumeha widened their eyes at the same time. None of them expected Enrico to have discovered something so important during those few days.
Behind them, Lianhua felt her arm tremble. She was holding an item hidden behind her back tightly, feeling her nervousness increase. She was standing before a Ninth Circle mage and was certain that, if Renzou discovered that she was a spy from Tianlong, she would have no chance of escaping. For a moment, she thought that all of this was a trap.
But Renzou said nothing.
Lianhua discreetly breathed out, trying to understand why Enrico was also remaining silent.
"Enrico, why don't you stay? Tsuyokuni can offer you a lot."
"I'm sorry, Emperor, but I need to return to Astrong. I still have many things to resolve."
"Even so, you're already part of Tsuyokuni. You can return whenever you want."
Renzou then looked at Yumeha and Rina. The two immediately understood what he meant. Rina nodded confidently, while Yumeha did the same, although her expression showed far less respect for her father's order.
Renzou simply sighed. He had already expected that reaction and knew that, in part, it was also a consequence of his own previous decisions.
After the bows, Renzou asked Rina and Yumeha to remain in the room to talk about Soushi.
Enrico, meanwhile, moved away and asked Takeshi to teach him a little about spear handling. He also began thinking about asking to fight Liam when he returned to the academy. If he intended to keep evolving, he needed to learn to use as many resources as possible.
Lianhua left the place shortly afterward and, as soon as she managed to get away from the city, used the teleportation item she carried with her. She had not used it earlier because she did not know whether Renzou had already discovered her identity. If she tried to flee while being watched by a Ninth Circle mage, she could be stopped immediately.
When she finally arrived at the Tianlong base located outside Tsuyokuni's territory, she found the guards in a state of despair.
"What happened here?"
"Lady Lianhua, we don't really know, but the two attacks we launched against the cities of Shironami and Tetsukage failed. It's as if they knew we were going to attack."
Another guard quickly approached and handed her a report.
"And that's not all. A large-scale attack by Tsuyokuni recovered two of the three zones we had conquered."
"What?"
Lianhua stared at the report in disbelief. Enrico's words immediately returned to her mind. She squeezed the paper between her fingers while trying to understand how that was possible.
'What else does he know?'
"Take care of the zone we still have. I'm going back to Tianlong and speaking directly with the empress."
The guards nodded.
Lianhua immediately departed, leaving the base behind and carrying a mixture of frustration and irritation with her. If Enrico really knew where the Golden Dragon Elixir was, however, she would have to put all those matters aside for now. She needed to reach Tianlong as quickly as possible.