After Sheele was forcibly released from prison, Elias went with her to visit many places. First, they bought a few sets of clothes to replace that pink little dress which didn't quite suit her style.
Then they bought plenty of snacks and tasty food.
Elias found that her taste was quite similar to both Seeles: she liked sweet things but didn't reject spicy ones either.
However, during this time Sheele repeatedly tried to attack others—not out of her own will, but because of the mission forcibly branded into her by the Honkai, an instinctive drive she couldn't control.
Fortunately, Elias managed to stop her each time.
"Elias, I-I can't hold back anymore."
"Are you alright, Sheele?"
"No… just seeing humans makes me want to lash out. My heart fills with uncontrollable hatred… ahhh, I want, I want to kill so badly. Elias, can I kill someone?"
Sheele's body trembled slightly. Her once-clear eyes were now hazy, the forced mission branded by the Honkai making it hard for her to control herself.
Elias frowned and pulled her into his arms, holding especially tightly onto her hand—one already imbued with the remnants of the Herrscher of Death's power.
Her small hand was wreathed in black mist. Even if the power was only a fraction, it was still fatally dangerous—ordinary people, even low-level fusion warriors, could not withstand it.
"No, Sheele. You must not kill anymore. I will never allow you to kill again."
"But, I'm about to…"
"It's fine. Since looking at others makes you lose control, then just don't look at them. From now on, just look at me. Come, let's walk hand in hand."
Elias gently patted Sheele's head and whispered softly into her ear.
At the same time, he held onto her black-mist-covered hand, using white flowers to neutralize it, and stuffed a cup of milk tea into her other hand.
This way, with one hand holding Elias' and the other holding milk tea, Sheele wouldn't have a free hand to harm others.
"Just… look only at you…"
Sheele took a deep breath and followed his words, focusing her attention on Elias. At once, she felt much better—the killing intent in her heart was slowly fading.
She didn't notice that she was starting to feel warmth toward Elias, her subconscious affection for him gradually increasing.
But of course, that was only natural.
At this moment, Sheele was like a young wolf who had strayed into a herd of deer. She instinctively wanted to hunt, but her fangs and claws had already been taken away.
Humans were enemies and prey to her. But Elias was different—the only one who made her feel a sense of kinship. Not an enemy, not prey, but her only companion.
To her, the world was filled with enemies.
So, her only companion was someone she instinctively clung to.
"Well done, Sheele. That's it."
Sheele's breathing gradually steadied. The raging Honkai energy inside her calmed once more. Then Elias, as if conjuring from nowhere, brought out a string of candied hawthorns and handed them to her.
"Here, this is your reward for your effort."
"Hmph~ I don't want to eat human food."
"Really? Then think of it as doing me a favor. If you don't eat it, I'll just have to throw it away."
"What a waste… ahem! Fine, for your sake, Elias, I'll reluctantly eat it."
Sheele swallowed nervously and gave her classic tsundere response.
Elias chuckled softly, thinking that she was truly adorable this way. Instinctively, he also wanted to take extra care of this girl.
After all, that face identical to Seele's pierced right into Elias' softest spot. And in the future, the Herrscher of Death's stigma that birthed Dark Seele would be created from Sheele's memories.
So she could be said to be Dark Seele's prototype. It was only natural their personalities were similar.
Elias hadn't returned to the Current Era in a long time. Though his journey in the Previous Era was good, he sometimes felt like a foreigner lost in another land, unable to find the way home.
Sheele's appearance made him feel as though he had returned to the Current Era. Simply put, he wanted to be close to her.
Their favorability toward each other grew quickly.
But after all, Sheele still bore the identity of the Herrscher of Death. For those who didn't recognize her, it wasn't an issue, but once the two of them returned to the Fire Moth base, many warriors immediately recognized her.
"Damn! Isn't that the Herrscher of Death?!"
"Crap, scared me half to death—why is this monster out here?"
"With Captain Elias watching her, it should be fine."
"Hmph! Go die already, Herrscher. There's no place for you in the human world."
As expected, Sheele was completely rejected by everyone. Some even directly drew their guns to shoot her—but all the bullets were caught by Elias.
"You have every right to fire, so I won't stop your actions. But I will block the bullets for her, because she's under my care now."
"Captain Elias…"
"Sheele's Core has already been extracted by me. She's no longer the Herrscher of Death. Her range of activity is limited to five meters around me—she won't harm you."
Elias spoke calmly. He was someone who could distinguish right from wrong.
At the moment Sheele became a Herrscher, the Honkai Eruption she triggered did indeed kill countless people. Even though it wasn't her conscious will, it was still a sin that had to be counted on her.
So facing hostility was natural. But Elias would not allow anyone to excessively harm her.
After that, Sheele continued to face rejection and hostility. Some especially resentful toward Herrschers acted recklessly—though Elias stopped them, Sheele still suffered a flood of verbal abuse.
And with Sheele's personality, how could she tolerate it? She immediately fired back with her own sharp tongue. No matter the result, at least in momentum, she never lost.
But once those people left…
"Uu… uuuhhh…" ┭┮﹏┭┮
The girl who had just been a sharp-tongued little devil switched to White Seele mode, now like a wounded little angel, pitifully wiping her tears.
Elias raised his hand to gently pat her head in comfort.
Overall, the first trip outside wasn't too bad. Sheele found more things to be interested in, her favorability and dependence on Elias grew, even if she also felt humanity's rejection and malice.
But that couldn't be helped in the short term.
Although many still rejected Sheele, as time passed they got used to her trailing behind Elias like his shadow. Wherever he went, she followed. Gradually, they began to accept her presence.
...
A few days later.
Other than missions, Sheele stayed by Elias' side. Though her Herrscher instincts still made her want to lash out, with Elias there she never got the chance.
However, when facing others, Sheele would always fight back when insulted. Yet when it came to Elysia, she only ever ran away. But with her activity range limited to five meters around Elias, no matter how she ran, she couldn't escape.
"Elias, you have to be careful of that pink bad woman. I can feel she's not simple!"
"Oh? Of course Ely isn't simple. But she's definitely not a bad woman. Can you explain more specifically?"
"…I can't put it into words, but she gives me a strange feeling. She's not like ordinary people."
Sheele sat on Elias' lap with a serious expression. But out of annoyance, she didn't explain fully. The truth was, Ely felt similar to Elias—their aura was alike.
"Oh my, talking about me? Of course Elysia isn't like ordinary people. After all, I'm a super cute beauty." Miss Pink Elf sparkled as she appeared.
"Guh… she appeared…"
The moment Sheele saw Elysia suddenly show up, she immediately acted as if facing a mortal enemy, hiding behind Elias.
She absolutely disliked this overly familiar Pink Elf. A social extrovert like her was someone Sheele just couldn't get along with.
And every night was a torment for her.
With her range of activity limited to five meters around Elias, at night she could only sleep on his bed. But Elias and Ely never cared about her presence when being intimate.
Every day Sheele felt like she was choking on dog food. Sometimes she even wished she could poke her own ears deaf.
Sheele: (Damn it, with you two making such a ruckus at night, how do you expect me to sleep?! And saying things like 'be careful or Sheele will find out'—what a joke, Elysia, you weren't careful at all!)
One night she really couldn't take it anymore. Sheele grabbed a pillow and made a bed on the floor—only to get the fright of her life. Tied up beneath the bed was a snake…
Mobius, caught for the 76th time trying to sneak food, had been bound and turned into a nighttime amusement tool. Tragic.
Either way, Sheele tried her best to avoid Elysia.
After all, Elias was the only one who wouldn't help her when it came to Elysia.
Though Elias treated Sheele very well—spoiled her, even—his affection for Elysia was at least ten times greater! That level of favorability was something ordinary people couldn't even dream of. Miss Pink Elf had been building it up for over a decade.
"Good morning, Ely. You look beautiful as always. But… why are you dressed like a nurse today?"
Elias' eyes lit up. Today, Elysia was wearing a nurse's outfit. The white uniform outlined the elegant curves of her body—pure yet alluring.
"Because I took a mission at the hospital. We're not weapons, you know. Fighting Honkai Beasts all day is unhealthy for the mind. Sometimes we need a change of pace, so I decided to do something different."
"I see. That's good… but change your clothes."
Elias' tone left no room for argument.
"Eh? You don't like it?"
Elysia blinked in surprise, a little unsure.
"I love it. But I don't want others to see. Ely, you don't want me to get jealous, right?" Elias said directly.
"Uu… that's true. Jealous Elias is scary."
Elysia shyly touched her belly, her cheeks flushing red.
Sometimes, they both got jealous. After all, both were the type to be kind to everyone.
But toward each other, they also had a special kind of possessiveness.
Whether Elias or Elysia, both had once thought of locking the other away in a little black room for life. Finding a prison stronger than the Deep End to keep him or her locked away forever, with a door that only opened from the inside—then throwing away the key before stepping in themselves.
"Boys are so sly. When I get jealous, I punish you, Elias, and you don't repent—you even enjoy it. But when you get jealous, I almost get killed. (muttering)"
Elysia pulled Sheele off Elias' lap and sat down herself.
"Ah… then next time I'll let you punish me, Ely. But about the nurse outfit—"
"I get it, I get it. From now on I'll only wear it for you, Elias. Oh, and tonight the Elf Clinic will be open. Eli, want to come in for a full-body checkup?"
Elysia suddenly pulled out a stethoscope, placing it on her elf-like ear. She pressed the diaphragm to Elias' chest and closed her eyes with a smile, listening to his heartbeat.
"Is this examination legitimate? If it is, I'm not coming." Elias wrapped an arm around her waist, blinking playfully.
"My, don't make me spell it out. I'm a girl, after all." Elysia pouted coquettishly.
"…"
Not far away, Sheele's eye twitched. The saccharine air around them made her roll her eyes.
She inexplicably let out a burp, then quickly opened the window for ventilation, her heart heavy with exhaustion.
What sin had she committed to be forced to watch this lovey-dovey display every day? If she had known, she might have preferred staying in the Deep End.
After that, Elias also accepted a hospital mission. The three of them busied themselves at the hospital for an entire day. Elias and Elysia were fine, but Sheele's mood was indescribably complicated.
She was a Herrscher meant to destroy humanity!
And yet she spent the whole day helping at a hospital.
Something was seriously wrong with this world.
"Thank you for helping, Elias, Elysia, and… Herrscher of Death."
Wearing a white coat, Su expressed his gratitude. But when he addressed Sheele, his tone was noticeably awkward.
"It was nothing. I just didn't expect you to be working here, Su. Kevin complained last time that he'd invited you to get noodles several times, but you kept saying you didn't have time."
"Hehe, I just didn't have time for Kevin because I was simply too busy with work. Don't laugh, Elias—but being a doctor has always been my dream."
"Mm, being a doctor suits you well. But still… there really are so many patients here."
Elias frowned slightly. Clearly, the Previous Era had already suppressed the Honkai far better than the original timeline, yet so many people were still dying.
"Yeah. Ever since the Sixth Honkai Eruption, the global Honkai energy concentration has risen sharply. Many people have contracted Honkai disease, and now they can only live in despair, prolonging their lives as best they can."
As Su spoke, his gaze grew complicated as it landed on Sheele. The girl instantly bristled.
"Don't look at me—it wasn't me."
Honkai disease had existed long before. It was the symptom ordinary humans without resistance developed when exposed to Honkai energy.
And as each successive Herrscher appeared, the global concentration of Honkai energy rose higher. Naturally, more and more people contracted the disease.
In the Previous Era, Honkai disease was a terminal illness. The only serum developed so far required extracting material from the corpses of over a thousand Honkai disease patients just to produce a single dose.
"Everyone is suffering. It's so pitiful."
Elysia's expression dimmed. She had already tried using her wish-making power to save them.
But a wish like "let all Honkai disease patients in the world be cured" could not be realized—or rather, to realize such a wish required a price far beyond something as simple as dizziness or fatigue.
The mechanism of Elysia's wish-making was that the wish was fulfilled first, and the price was paid afterward. Which meant even if the cost of the wish was so vast she could not bear it, she could still grant it—at the price of her own life.
(For example: granting a wish to restore a Herrscher's humanity and free them from the destiny bound by the Honkai.)
And deep down, Elysia had a faint feeling. One day, she would indeed make a wish at the cost of her life. She just didn't know if that day was now.
"…Leave this matter to me."
Elias suddenly spoke as though making a firm decision.
Elysia and Su both froze, momentarily stunned.
"Elias, what do you mean to do?"
"What else? Of course—I'll cure every Honkai disease patient in this world."