"Raiden Mei? Wow… now that's a lovely name! I really like it!"
After learning Acheron's true name, Elysia looked at her with a smile and introduced herself, "I'm Elysia. Quite a cute name, don't you think? As for my hobbies… well, I love getting to know all sorts of adorable girls. I really like your type too, Mei!"
"Oh, and this is Kevin. If you ever meet his girlfriend, you'll be totally shocked—because she looks exactly like you!"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Mei. To be honest, if I didn't know that Mei doesn't have any sisters in this world, I'd almost think you were her long-lost older sister. The two of you look incredibly alike—I'd say about eighty… no, ninety percent similar."
Kevin, standing to the side, couldn't help but scratch his head as he faced Acheron. Confronted with a woman who looked identical to his girlfriend, he wasn't quite sure how to react.
"Who knows, maybe she really is Mei's long-lost sister~"
Elysia teased from the side, but then she let out a light chuckle.
"Just kidding, don't take it seriously. But hey, cute girls are always easy to forgive, right? You won't be mad at me for a little joke like that, will you~?"
And indeed, she wasn't. Faced with such a lively and cheerful girl, Acheron found she couldn't possibly feel upset.
In fact, this girl seemed like the kind of person no one could ever dislike. Maybe it was just as she said—beautiful girls are always easy to love.
"Alright then! Now that introductions are out of the way, Mei, could you tell us a bit about yourself? After all, you just took down a Herrscher single-handedly. If we can't give a proper explanation, the two of us will have a hard time reporting back. We can't just take credit for your work, right?"
Elysia looked at Acheron, her face beaming with a smile.
It had to be said—Elysia had remarkably high emotional intelligence. If it were Kevin asking, he'd probably be blunt and direct. Though he meant no harm, it could easily come off as interrogative or prying.
But when Elysia said it, it felt like she was genuinely looking out for Acheron.
"I... I got lost during my travels and accidentally ended up here. As for my background... I'm not sure how to explain it to you."
As she spoke, Acheron's brows furrowed slightly, a trace of trouble crossing her expression.
She didn't know how to explain it to Elysia and the others.
Talking about Aeons and Paths… even if people in this world knew of such things, truly understanding their nature would be difficult. It would only lead to unnecessary confusion.
The lack of understanding wasn't because people here were ignorant, but because their comprehension would be superficial—after all, this world had never truly been touched by the Paths.
Saying more would only sow more bewilderment.
"No worries, no worries! If you're having trouble remembering, you can tell us whenever it comes back to you! I'll be waiting for you, right up until the day you remember everything."
Seeing Acheron's troubled look, Elysia quickly waved her hands and smiled understandingly.
"But, Mei, where do you plan to go from here? If you don't have any ideas for now... how about this! Join Fire Moth. Kevin and I will help keep your secrets."
"Of course, for your safety, we might have to keep your feat of defeating the Herrscher under wraps for a while. After all, if an ordinary person with no training could take down a Herrscher, people would find it pretty hard to believe, right?"
"I'll follow your arrangements."
In response to Elysia's invitation, Acheron nodded in agreement.
Her goal was to defeat the Herrschers of this world one by one, and ultimately overcome the Finality. Joining Fire Moth would grant her access to information about the Herrschers' appearances—a perfect alignment with her objectives.
"Then... welcome to the team, Mei! From now on, we're comrades!"
After receiving Acheron's confirmation, Elysia happily clapped her hands and then reached out, offering her small hand to Acheron.
Seeing this, Acheron gently took Elysia's hand.
"Mei's hand... it's so warm. It feels really reassuring."
With her hand enveloped in Acheron's, Elysia leaned in close, a mischievous smile on her face.
The flower-like girl was now mere inches away, close enough for Acheron to catch her scent and feel her breath.
At this, Acheron could only respond with a slight smile, choosing not to reply.
"At a time like this, you're supposed to say... 'Elysia's hand is so soft too,' not just stand there in silence."
Elysia puffed out her cheeks, looking at the somewhat reserved Acheron.
"Ah, forget it. A compliment that comes too late is cheaper than grass... but it's fine. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later."
She seemed to possess a certain magic—no one could hold any ill will toward Elysia when faced with her.
"We should get going, Elysia. If the main force arrives soon, it'll be hard to explain."
Kevin, who had been standing to the side, glanced at the time and reminded them.
"Got it, got it! Don't worry, I've already come up with an excuse. We'll just say... Mei assisted us in taking down the Herrscher. That way, she'll have combat merits and can join Fire Moth naturally!"
"Heehee, I'm really curious—if we compared training results, who would do better, Mei or you, Kevin? I bet it'd be Mei! Even if my own results can't beat yours, I've got Mei to stand up for me now, right?"
As she spoke, Elysia intimately linked arms with Acheron. The girl's enthusiasm left Acheron momentarily at a loss, and she could only nod once again.
Witnessing this, Kevin could only shake his head helplessly.
When it came to Elysia, nobody really knew how to handle her...
After obtaining Acheron's consent, Elysia began making a phone call. On the other end of the line was none other than Dr. Mei.
Upon hearing that the sixth Herrscher had been defeated, Mei's tone over the communication line carried a hint of surprise.
"You defeated the Herrscher that quickly? What happened?"
It was undeniable that each successive Herrscher grew stronger. Before Kevin and Elysia had set out, Mei had felt a twinge of worry.
But upon hearing that they had defeated the Herrscher so swiftly, her first thought was whether something unexpected had occurred.
Just like with the previous fifth Herrscher.
Back then, Mei had anticipated a tough battle against the fifth Herrscher, but by the time Kevin and the others arrived, they found it had already been eliminated.
The moment she heard from Elysia that the sixth Herrscher had been defeated, Mei's immediate reaction was: Had the one who eliminated the fifth Herrscher appeared again?
"Nope! The one who took down the fifth Herrscher wasn't Mei. She only arrived here recently."
Elysia seemed to have read Mei's thoughts and directly responded with a giggle.
"I see, so it's not..."
Mei nodded, but then she suddenly froze. "Wait, Elysia, you found the person who defeated the sixth Herrscher?"
Her expression turned astonished—this was no small matter. A powerful warrior capable of single-handedly defeating a Herrscher was an incredibly valuable asset to humanity.
"Of course! And, thanks to the charm of the super invincible, cute, peerless beauty Elysia, Mei has already decided to join Fire Moth! Oh, and by the way, Mei, her identity is a bit sensitive, so we'll need your help to smooth things over."
Elysia said with a cheerful smile.
"I understand. Don't worry, I know what to do. But... once this Miss Mei returns to the base, remember to bring her to see me. I'm really quite curious..."
"Don't you worry, even if you didn't ask, I'd bring her to see you. After all..."
Elysia stopped mid-sentence, deliberately holding back.
"After all what?"
Mei's curiosity was piqued.
"I'm not telling! You'll find out when you see her—it'll be a total surprise! Oh, and you're not allowed to ask Kevin; he won't tell you either! Otherwise, I'll crash your next date and be the biggest third wheel ever!"
After hanging up, Elysia gave a thumbs-up and turned to Acheron, saying, "All sorted!"
"Don't worry, Mei. Dr. Mei will do her best to keep your identity under wraps. If the higher-ups found out about you, you'd be in for a world of trouble... But it's fine. Mei will handle everything."
"I understand. Thank you, Elysia."
Acheron nodded. She could sense Elysia's sincere heart—the girl was genuinely considering her well-being, not just trying to placate her with empty words to bring her back to Fire Moth for some reward.
"Hehe, no need to thank me! It's what I should do. I can't wait to see the shocked look on Mei's face when she sees you."
Elysia chuckled with a slightly mischievous grin. "That girl always acts so unflappable no matter what. Since I've known her, I've never once seen her lose her composure. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if she's still like that when she's alone with Kevin..."
Ahem.
Kevin, standing nearby, chose that moment to clear his throat.
"What's wrong, Kevin? Is your throat bothering you?"
"No, it's nothing."
Kevin glanced at Elysia and then turned away.
Some private matters were better left unanswered. Let's just say... beneath that elegant and intellectual exterior, Mei actually hid a rather passionate heart...
The thought brought a secret sense of satisfaction to Kevin's mind.
So this is how you all see Mei, huh? But when she's alone with me, she's completely different~
Well, the current Kevin wasn't yet the emotionless, legendary "Old Timer Kevin" from fifty thousand years in the future.
At this point, his personality was still that of a normal young man, with his own share of quiet quirks.
However, even though Acheron looked exactly like his girlfriend, Kevin didn't harbor any particular thoughts about her.
What he loved was the essence of his beloved, not just her appearance.
If it were just about looks, back in Chiba Academy, many of Kevin's admirers were no less striking than Dr. Mei.
Quite a few were even young ladies from prestigious noble families. And back then, Mei was so absorbed in her studies that she hardly ever bothered with dressing up...
Compared to other young ladies, Mei didn't exactly stand out. But as the saying goes, it takes one to know one—they just clicked.
But then again, even a hardcore STEM steel-straight girl like Mei fell for him, which just goes to show how captivating Kevin really was.
Back in Chiba Academy, Kevin was known as the "Prince." With his caliber, attracting attention was all too easy. However, after getting to know Mei, he began keeping his distance from other women.
The earliest pure-hearted warrior of love from fifty thousand years ago!
Observing Kevin beside her, a vacant expression crossed Acheron's face. The past had long since turned to nothingness, but within her hazy, fragmented memories, she seemed to recall once having a companion very much like Kevin... Only, the ending had been a cruel one.
Acheron's hand gently tightened around her sword hilt, her thoughts unknown.
"They're here! It's the plane Dr. Mei sent for us!"
On the rooftop of the skyscraper, Elysia smoothed her wind-tousled hair and smiled back at Acheron.
In the fierce wind, Acheron's coat flapped noisily, her purple hair dancing wildly in the gusts.
"Hey there, youngsters! I'm here to pick you up."
In the pilot's seat of the helicopter was Himeko, one of Fire Moth's combat personnel and also Kevin's squad leader. This time, since Himeko had been assigned a separate mission elsewhere, only Kevin and Elysia had been dispatched to this city.
No one had expected the Herrscher to appear so quickly.
And certainly, no one had anticipated that this Herrscher would die just as fast.
Born free, died quick.
"Whoa... So this is the new recruit you mentioned? Are you sure she's not your wife's long-lost sister, Kevin?"
Himeko stared at Acheron, who stood beside Elysia, her face full of astonishment.
"Really, she's not. You know Mei doesn't have any relatives left in this world besides me."
Kevin replied with some resignation.
"You punk, you're not even married yet, and you're already acting like you and Dr. Mei are family?"
"Well, why not? I don't think anyone could ever steal her away from me."
In response to Himeko's teasing, Kevin answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"And what would you do if someone actually did manage to steal her away?"
"I'd hunt him down and end his life with a single strike!"
Kevin didn't even hesitate before answering.
At that, Himeko let out a hearty laugh.
"Miss... please buckle up. We're taking off now."
As she spoke, Himeko began piloting the helicopter, and soon they were airborne.
Before long, Acheron and the others arrived inside a base.
This was one of Fire Moth's branch facilities. To reach headquarters, they would need to transfer to another aircraft here.
After all, a helicopter's range was limited.
Fortunately, the branch wasn't too far from the main base.
Soon after, Acheron disembarked and found herself inside a secret military installation.
This was Fire Moth's headquarters.
"Alright then, I'll take Mei to see Dr. Mei now. Heehee, I'm really looking forward to this—the expression on Mei's face when she sees her!"
As they walked, Elysia's face lit up with an eager smile.
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T/N: While i was translating i didn't realize that maybe i should have differentiated the names of Mei and MEI... well i guess its up to the reader to have 10/10 reading comprehension ability.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.