"So that's how it is… s-sorry, I was being too willful."
Only then did Yiji realize how much Arden had done for her. Guilt welled up in her heart, and at the same time, her gratitude toward him deepened.
Of course, everything Arden said was a lie—or rather, an excuse.
Yiji would meet Anby one day, but not now. It had to wait until Yiji fully regarded Yunkui Summit as her home, until she could no longer bear to part from it.
Arden had no intention of letting the girl he had gone through so much trouble to save be snatched away by Nicole—that would be far too much of a loss.
"..."
Ju Fufu, who had been listening quietly at the side, shot Arden a sideways glance. She knew very well that his so-called divination had nothing to do with revealing the secrets of heaven—it was pure fabrication.
But Ju Fufu didn't expose him. She knew that if Arden said this, he must have had his reasons.
As long as Arden was the one acting, Ju Fufu would always choose to trust him.
In fact, it wasn't just Ju Fufu. Everyone at Yunkui Summit, including Master Yixuan, was more or less the same—placing unconditional trust in Arden.
If Yunkui Summit were compared to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, then Arden would be Ainz Ooal Gown, while everyone else showed varying degrees of the so-called "overinterpretation".
"It's okay."
Arden pulled Yiji into his arms and gently patted her head in comfort. "Don't worry, I'll help you find Captain Anby. But for now, let's first look for the remaining information about Harin."
Harin was Soldier 11.
"..."
Yiji said nothing more, quietly feeling the warmth of Arden's embrace.
.....
The three of them began searching for clues about Harin.
After all, the reason Anby had committed suicide was to protect Harin from being disposed of. Therefore, as the last research result of the Silver Army, it was impossible for anything to have happened to Harin.
"Captain… Harin… why…"
Yiji's thoughts were in turmoil. She couldn't understand why Captain Anby—whom she regarded as perfect—would willingly choose death for Harin's sake.
Why didn't you come and save Twiggy?
Was it because Twiggy was a defective failure?
Was Twiggy… not worth saving?
...
This was a common flaw among intelligent people—the smarter they were, the more they overthought things, and the easier it was for them to spiral into dead ends.
"I've got it!"
Just as Yiji was caught between hope and despair, Arden's voice was like warm sunlight after the rain, shining into her heart.
That's right—why am I still struggling over that? Haven't I already said goodbye to the past? I'm Yiji now, not Twiggy anymore.
"I found Harin's file."
Arden didn't notice the change in Yiji's expression as he continued reading the data. "Harin has been reclaimed by the military as a soldier and renamed Soldier 11. She should be assigned to another department. Yiji… Yiji?"
Receiving no response, Arden turned his head back in confusion.
"..."
Then, he saw what Yiji looked like at that moment.
Her slender, fair arms hung in front of her, fingers interlocked. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, and her lively eyes shimmered with bright light as she stared at Arden without blinking.
Gulp…
Arden swallowed subconsciously, feeling as if he were being targeted by a lovestruck yandere.
"!!"
Ju Fufu immediately stepped in front of Arden with vigilance.
"Um… thank you, Arden, Senior Brother Arden, Arden… Master!"
Yiji's smile fully bloomed across her face.
What do I have to be jealous or resentful of? The captain saved Harin, didn't I also have a master who saved me? He pulled a despairing me back from the abyss! And compared to Captain Anby, Master is even more…
Perhaps she thought of something embarrassing, as a blush crept up onto Yiji's pretty face.
"Your face is so red—do you have a fever?"
Arden walked over in confusion, placed a hand on Yiji's forehead to check her temperature, then compared it with his own and Ju Fufu's. "The temperature doesn't seem high at all?"
"N-no… I'm fine!"
Yiji lowered her head, looking like a shy young woman.
"Uh… could it be that you're—cough cough!"
Arden, being fairly experienced, quickly guessed something, but wisely chose not to say it out loud and instead changed the subject. "Right, the file also records the address of the department where Soldier 11 is currently stationed. Should we—"
Compared to Anby, meeting Soldier 11 wouldn't be a big deal. As long as Yiji's identity wasn't exposed, it wouldn't attract the military's attention.
"No need, Senior Brother Arden!"
However, Yiji shook her head and refused. "Knowing that Harin is safe is enough."
As the sole remaining research result, the military would certainly not make any excessive decisions regarding Harin. Moreover, Yiji herself shouldn't reappear in the military's field of vision—if trouble arose… she didn't want Arden to take risks for her.
"Let's go back to Yunkui Summit."
"Alright!"
To be safe, Arden destroyed all the remaining materials and left no backups.
The Silver Army's research data was indeed valuable, but Arden didn't need it. He had plenty of ways to achieve his goals—there was no need to sacrifice so many Anbys for it.
Little Anby, Anby, Big Anby, Fire Anby, Mega Anby—those were already more than enough.
.....
With the trouble surrounding her resolved, Yiji settled into a peaceful life at Yunkui Summit.
Every day, Yiji would accompany Arden and Ju Fufu to pay respects to Master Yixuan, then cultivate like an ordinary disciple. After that, she also had to study to become a Proxy.
In addition, after Yi Jing was expelled from the sect, the vacant responsibilities of the Assembly Hall—namely Yunkui Summit's finance and logistics management—were partially taken over by Yiji.
Yiji was extremely busy every day, yet she had no complaints. On the contrary, this fulfilling life made her feel exceptionally good, giving her a genuine sense of truly being alive.
Arden once mentioned that Yiji's aptitude for spells was quite good, but because her attention was divided among many matters, her progress in spell cultivation could only be described as passable. In contrast, she managed Yunkui Summit's many industries exceptionally well—the sect's finances visibly grew stronger by the day, becoming increasingly well-off.
With money available, some of Yunkui Summit's outdated facilities were improved, residential buildings were renovated, and the meals became more and more abundant.
Originally, the fact that Yiji was directly accepted as a registered disciple without any assessment inevitably caused some complaints, but her contributions quickly dispelled all dissatisfaction, and she was soon accepted by the entirety of Yunkui Summit.
However, to Arden, all of this was merely incidental. What he valued most was Yiji herself.
That's right—her youthful and beautiful bo… her increasingly refined Proxy skills.
Although Yiji couldn't operate the HDD system like Phaethon—calculating Hollow conditions in real time through Bangboo outside the Hollow and maintaining communication for guidance—she had her own strengths.
Yiji could personally enter the Hollow. By combining spells with Proxy techniques, along with suitable equipment, "Proxy Yiji" was capable of accomplishing no fewer feats than Phaethon.
And today was the moment to put Yiji's Proxy skills to the test.
Early in the morning, Arden drove a sidecar motorcycle, carrying Ju Fufu and Yiji, and arrived at Scott Outpost near Hollow Zero.