"Fine, your Abyss Flower. Here you go." Su raised his index finger, flicked it slightly, and the long wooden box floating behind him shot forward like a projectile, reaching Eleanor's face in the blink of an eye.
"Hm?" Eleanor frowned. Despite being highly vigilant and prepared for the possibility of the man attacking suddenly, this strike came too quickly. She had no time for conscious thought, only managing to instinctively raise her hand to block...
Given the box's speed and the distance between them, it reached Eleanor in less than a tenth of a second. Even reacting instinctively, she had only just managed to lift her fingers.
"Tch! Guess I have to take this head-on?" Eleanor cursed inwardly, bracing for pain and already planning her counterattack. Unexpectedly, the wooden box stopped abruptly, just two or three hairs' breadth from her head.
Her body instinctively recoiled, then, losing balance, pitched forward again, ultimately making it look like she had headbutted the box herself.
"Damn it!" As the prized daughter of the Schariac family, she had only experienced embarrassment a few times in her twenty-odd years, mostly related to Kallen. But to be this disheveled and utterly powerless, this was only the second time.
Now was one, of course. The other time was on the Kipchak Steppe.
It was naturally hard not to feel intensely ashamed and angry, although this shame held other meanings—
Before this, she had always found two consolations regarding the Kipchak Steppe incident: First, Kallen had been just as pathetic. She lost face in front of the one who loved her; Eleanor lost face in front of the one she loved. They were evenly matched; neither was better off. Second, the battlefield was obscured by dust and smoke at the time; neither the other A-rank Valkyries nor Schicksal's reinforcements saw her sorry state.
Unfortunately, the man before her was one of the few witnesses. And with just a flick of his finger, he had effortlessly reduced Eleanor to the same pathetic state...
Rationality shattered in an instant. Eleanor slammed her hands together. The fragile wooden box exploded into countless fragments, shooting outwards. She gripped the butt of the Abyss Flower with her right hand, using her waist to spin, whipping a shower of wood splinters towards Su.
The wood splintered along the grain, the broken ends incredibly sharp. Combined with the immense force Eleanor applied, an ordinary person hit by this would surely be riddled with holes. But she had no idea what effect this move would have on the man opposite her.
As expected, all the splinters stopped strangely just before reaching the man.
At first glance, it looked like an invisible wall blocked them all. But Eleanor's intuition told her otherwise. The situation felt more like... countless invisible hands precisely pinching each individual splinter, and then...
Eleanor's pupils contracted, alarm bells screaming in her head, but it was too late—
Su pointed his index finger forward. She only had time to shut her eyes before hearing the sound of something slicing through the air beside her ear.
After a moment, she tremblingly opened her eyes a sliver. Su still stood there, eyes closed, his right hand now hanging by his side, but otherwise motionless.
She clutched the Abyss Flower in her right hand, patting herself down clumsily with her left. No pain, no injuries. She naturally turned her head. All the wood fragments were piled up behind her, leaning against the heavy gate, arranged into the shape of the Schariac family crest.
Eleanor's mouth slowly opened, then her lips clamped shut tightly. In just a brief encounter, she had been utterly defeated. The man before her had strolled casually... no, he hadn't even strolled. He had moved only two fingers from beginning to end, nothing more.
And while Eleanor prided herself on having hidden trump cards, who knew how much the opponent held back?
Undoubtedly, this man was not only acquainted with the Immortal Celestial she encountered on the Kipchak Steppe but was also an opponent of the same caliber, someone she couldn't possibly defeat right now.
Eleanor unconsciously retreated slightly, but quickly forced herself to overcome her fear. Clearly, in that brief exchange, the person before her had at least two opportunities to kill her, yet she was still alive. This, in a way, proved he didn't bear much malice.
Good, survived another day. But this didn't bring Eleanor relief, only further anger. She raged against the life granted so generously by another, and raged even more at her own powerlessness.
"Playing mysterious!" She spat out the words through gritted teeth. Though still impolite, she finally had to concede: "Speak. What is your purpose in seeking me out personally?"
"It's actually nothing too important..." Su shrugged. Before he could finish, Eleanor interrupted, "Just say what you need to say! Schariacs hate people who beat around the bush!"
Su's lips twitched visibly this time. He thought to himself: Very well. Let's hope your ancestor hears the heartfelt words of their descendant.
He obviously couldn't say such things aloud. He thought for a moment; no special pretext was really needed. So he chuckled lightly and said, "It's truly nothing important. I simply have some deep connections with the Schariac family. I've just been busy with other matters and haven't paid attention to the family's situation for a long time, so I came specifically to see how things are."
"That's all?" Relying on her woman's intuition, Eleanor felt something was off. But the man before her seemed to exude a strange power that made her subconsciously want to believe him.
She rubbed her temples vigorously, as if trying to clear her head, perhaps enough to find a loophole in his words— "Well now, you have deep connections with our Schariac family? Judging by age, you're at most my age, yet you speak with such airs."
She regretted saying it the moment the words left her mouth. Naturally, Su provided a clear reply: "Has Miss Eleanor forgotten? It's not self-boasting, but although I appear ordinary, ultimately, I am of the same generation as that Immortal Celestial. My age... Miss, you might find it hard to imagine..."
"Cough cough cough! Is that so... Is that so..." Eleanor coughed repeatedly to cover her embarrassment, simultaneously touching the tip of her nose with her left index finger, then releasing her tight grip on the Abyss Flower with her right hand to scratch the back of her head.
Su closed his eyes. Though unable to see physically, his mental power reflected everything within his field of vision in perfect detail in his mind. Because of this, when he noticed Eleanor's actions, a pang of guilt and nostalgia fermented rapidly within him, like downing a liter of black coffee in one gulp, leaving only a bitter taste spreading in his mouth.
But it was only for a fleeting moment. He readjusted his mindset, reaffirming his resolve. If given a choice, Su would certainly want to be a thoroughly good person. But the burdens he, Kevin, and Michael carried were simply too heavy, leaving them... without a choice.
Just as he was immersed in this strange sentiment, he heard Eleanor question him again, her tone still impolite: "So, you've seen what you came to see. Shouldn't you be leaving now?"
"Heh." Su chuckled again. He wasn't deeply versed in psychology, but after several exchanges, he felt Eleanor wasn't quite the "Apocalypse" he initially thought. She presented an arrogant facade, yes, but it was merely armor worn to prevent exposing her true self to the world.
Just like her ancestor.
"Miss Eleanor, dismissing a guest without a word, that's considered improper etiquette in any country, wouldn't you agree? Besides, I'd like to learn more about the current state of the Schariac family. For instance, why have you combined your home and the orphanage?"
Honestly, his current behavior was somewhat shameless, but Eleanor pursed her lips. Her usually sharp tongue unexpectedly uttered the word "Please," before she turned and led Su deeper into the orphanage without further comment.
She wasn't a fool. How slow could a woman's emotional perception be? She had sensed, to some extent, the complex emotions churning within this man earlier. If initially, when mentioning the name "Schariac," he carried the same faint mockery as that Immortal Celestial (actually just indifference, but in her mind, indifference towards the great Schariac name equated to mockery, quite similar to Otto), then when he mentioned "Schariac" later, it was already tinged with concern and wistfulness.
Perhaps he truly does have deep ties to the Schariac family... Eleanor thought, turning her head slightly. Her gaze fell on the silver-gray long hair of Su, who walked half a step behind her.
An absurd possibility popped into her mind. It was said that the Schariac ancestor had silver-gray hair...
"Sir..."
"Just call me Su."
"...Mr. Su, I tend to be straightforward, so I'll ask directly—Could you possibly be... our Schariac ancestor?"
"Mm... Hmm? Ah? Ha? Hahahaha!" Su opened his eyes, his expression suddenly becoming very strange. If not for the fear of provoking this incredibly proud girl beside him, he would have burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Even though he deliberately controlled himself, the soft laughter still deeply stung Eleanor's sensitive heart. She stomped her foot, turning back somewhat angrily, "Enough! What's so funny!"
"My apologies, my apologies, Miss Eleanor. Alright, I'll be honest. I am certainly not your ancestor." Su widened his eyes, pointing at them towards Eleanor. "See? This should serve as proof, right?"
"Couldn't see clearly. Can you open them wider?"
Su's handsome face twitched. He said in a low voice, "...They're already as wide as they can go!"
With that, he quickly closed his eyes again, leaving Eleanor feeling rather bored. She turned her head back, rolled her eyes, then quickly stuck out her tongue, as if afraid someone else might see.
"Then what is your relationship with our Schariac family?"
"Want the truth?"
"Yes."
"Comrades-in-arms."
"Hm?"
"Your Schariac ancestor was my comrade-in-arms."
"Ha?" Eleanor kicked a small pebble out of the way. The surrounding light was dim, but the tip of her foot still accurately hit the target. The pebble cut through the murky air, landing in a nearby bush with a soft swish, followed by silence.
After a while, Eleanor turned her head again. The twilight's afterglow burned in her silver-gray eyes, the pale pink pupils hidden within the firelight, resembling precious embers.
"Then the one holding the Judgment of Shamash last time, that was the Kaslana ancestor?"
"Yes."
"After all, the Kaslana features are just too easy to recognize!" Eleanor spread her left hand, shrugging. Her tone was exaggerated, as was her gesture.
Why not spread both hands? Because her right hand still gripped the Abyss Flower's shaft tightly, as if terrified the man beside her would snatch it away.
As if suddenly remembering something, she took half a step sideways and asked in a low voice, "By the way, can he cook?"
"Who?"
"The Kaslana?"
"Yes..."
"Ah—" Eleanor dragged out the sound, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.
"But his wife's... cooking skills, I can only say are indescribable."
"Oh? Is that so? I knew it! It's Kaslana, after all!" Her suspicion confirmed, Eleanor narrowed her eyes, smiling brightly.
Meanwhile, Su's brows, hidden under his heavy bangs, furrowed together. He seemed to suddenly understand something. Perhaps he had been projecting all along—the development of this world line was ultimately too different from what he had observed. And the Schariacs, they were, after all, his and her bloodline. How could they be as he observed...
This girl's hostility towards Kallen was perhaps more a manifestation of friendship itself.
If so, his original plan to use her as a starting point to guide the entire world line could already be declared a failure.
To avoid revealing more unnecessary information by continuing the conversation, he should withdraw promptly.
But just as he was about to make an abrupt farewell, he heard Eleanor ask again, in that low, gossipy tone, "What about you? What's the surname of the descendants you left behind? Don't tell me it's Apocalypse? No, you don't look anything like them."
"I do have some connection with the ancestor of the Apocalypse family, but it was limited to verbal guidance. Besides, he wasn't from our era." Su's tone was as flat as ever, yet seemed tinged with something else, like a viscous liquid coating his voice, reaching Eleanor's ears as a delayed, low echo.
"Then your descendants?"
"I did not leave any descendants."
"Ah?"
"Are you puzzled, Miss Eleanor?"
"Uh... No, I was just surprised. After all, you said you were figures from the same era..."
Su pressed his lips together, saying nothing more. Kevin and MEI, Michael and Elysia—they left descendants under extremely special, almost desperate circumstances, as continuations of their lives. As for Su, he had neither someone to continue his life with, nor...
Suddenly, he remembered something. It felt like his heart was violently squeezed, forcing a buried memory into his mind—
Kevin's words when holding Adam for the first time:
"He might have to kill me."
Su had assumed Kevin wanted to immediately implement Project Stigma and had frantically tried to persuade him for a long time. Looking back now, perhaps it was a prophecy... No, perhaps Kevin and MEI had kept things hidden from him, and what they wanted was for "Adam" to kill Kevin?
Correction, not Adam, but "Kaslana."
Su had an epiphany. So, this too was within MEI's calculations?
Seeing the man beside her lost in thought again, Eleanor found it unsurprising. She waved her hand dismissively, then childishly spread her fingers and waved them in front of Su's face. "Hey! It's dinner time! Want to eat with the kids?"
Su returned to his senses. Thick cumulonimbus clouds gathered overhead, leaving only a stubbornly burning patch of fire in the far west. Melodious bells chimed from the church tower. The bustle of the distant market gradually subsided as people, weary-footed, headed towards the church for the day's final mass.
"I do not require sustenance." Su shook his head, declining Eleanor's kind offer. He then asked, in a tone completely devoid of curiosity, "Don't you need to attend mass?"
"Tch!" Eleanor tossed her head dismissively, her high ponytail swinging with the movement. "That 'Lord' stuff might fool ordinary people, but convincing me is another matter."
She clicked her tongue again. "Tsk! But well, for the kids, we can't just cruelly shatter their fairy tales. Still, being one of the Three Great Families must have some perks, right? Like, maybe just saying grace before meals is enough?"
With that, she turned to Su and smiled, but the smile blurred in the encroaching darkness. "Actually, I don't have much appetite either, but I still have to take care of those kids... Oh, you don't know why the Schariac family adopts so many orphans, do you... Ah, never mind, they're banging their food bowls. I have to go feed them first. You wait here, don't move, just wait a bit, okay!"
Eleanor waved her hand and skipped away towards a nearby low building with steps completely different from before—light and quick.
But after only a couple of steps, she turned back again. Her expression seemed hesitant, but then she firmed her resolve and offered the shaft of the Abyss Flower towards Su.
"Mm... Hmm? Isn't this your Abyss Flower?" Su remembered her earlier words and couldn't help but tease her slightly.
"Can't help it." Eleanor bit her lip. "Can't exactly carry this while serving mashed potatoes to the kids, right? Eh? You want to see me serve mashed potatoes with this thing?"
Thinking she'd told a great joke, she covered her mouth and giggled, suddenly becoming surprisingly familiar. Then, she deftly planted the Abyss Flower in the ground in front of Su and skipped away like a little girl.
Watching her retreating back, Su fell into deep thought. In a daze, her silver-white hair seemed to become fluffier, its color shifting to a familiar pale pink.