Damn, I've become a clown!
Watching the heartwarming scene of Lumine and Paimon, Enjou felt a bit regretful.
If he had known Lumine wouldn't get angry, he would have woken her up earlier. He wouldn't have kept guard for so long for nothing.
But there was no rush. Lumine only didn't know who truly cared about her. As long as he told her that he was the one who found her first, he would definitely be able to successfully take Paimon's place.
With this thought, Enjou quickly spoke up.
"Princess, you're finally awake!"
"I've been keeping watch over you since yesterday afternoon, until now. Because you were so exhausted, I wanted to let you rest a bit longer, but Paimon just arrived and woke you up."
"Princess, how did you sleep? It's my fault, I should have stopped Paimon!"
Hearing Enjou's words, Paimon scratched her head in confusion.
Strange, why do I smell a hint of tea?
"You can't blame me for this! The Traveler told us to come find her as early as possible today after the previous battle ended," Paimon explained.
Hearing this, Enjou was completely dumbfounded.
"Paimon, you found the Princess yesterday?"
"To be precise, the day before yesterday."
After hearing Paimon's words, Enjou felt as if a knife had been driven into his chest.
Damn, I've really become a clown now.
Enjou drew circles in the corner in dejection, while Paimon turned to Lumine again.
"Traveler, Arlecchino has something she wants to talk to you about."
Hearing Paimon's words, Lumine looked at Arlecchino with a questioning gaze, and the latter did not keep her in suspense, speaking directly.
"Traveler, I think you also know how powerful Persephone is. Next, I would like to join forces with you."
After Lumine heard these words, she was slightly stunned at first, then a look of joy appeared on her face, and she hurriedly nodded in agreement.
She had witnessed Arlecchino's strength with her own eyes before; she was indeed very strong, already very close to the threshold of a god.
Arlecchino's rank in the Fatui was fourth, which was already very telling.
Moreover, Arlecchino might have been hiding her true strength. If she unleashed her full power, even if she hadn't reached the Archon-level, she wouldn't be far off. An ally of this strength was not a common sight.
Although Lumine did not believe that their alliance could pose a threat to Persephone, at least it could boost their morale!
After receiving Lumine's reply, Arlecchino's heart also settled down a lot.
"I will also join you."
At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka suddenly spoke.
"I will do my best not to hold you back," Kamisato Ayaka said seriously, her eyes filled with a sharp light.
"That's great! Ayaka, with you joining us, our chances of victory will be higher!"
Just after Kamisato Ayaka finished speaking, Paimon flew over and spoke with pleasant surprise.
Lumine also looked at Kamisato Ayaka with a smile on her face, and seeing the other party cheer up again, she also felt a bit relieved.
Kamisato Ayato, worried about Kamisato Ayaka's safety, was about to stop her, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say the words of dissuasion and sighed deeply.
"Sorry, I refuse."
Arlecchino turned around and spoke coldly to Kamisato Ayaka.
"Although these words might be a bit hurtful, this is the fact: your joining will not be of much help to us, but instead will make the Traveler and me have to divert some of our energy to pay attention to your safety."
After hearing Arlecchino's words, Kamisato Ayaka's face turned slightly pale. The other party's words made her feel incomparably harsh to the ear, but she found them somewhat impossible to refute.
Although her strength had made great strides after being able to use two types of Elemental Power at the same time, it was still a bit insufficient for the enemies at the current stage.
Before, she had only cleared some mobs, and her body had already suffered considerable injuries due to the backlash of power, let alone God-level enemies.
Perhaps only after her body gradually adapted to her current strength and she became more familiar with the power would she barely have the qualifications to participate in this kind of battle.
"Arlecchino, your words are a bit too much!"
Paimon looked at Arlecchino angrily, and even Lumine's gaze turned somewhat unfriendly.
"Paimon, Traveler."
Kamisato Ayaka suddenly spoke, shaking her head to Lumine and Paimon.
"Miss Arlecchino's words are not wrong at all. I will indeed hold you back."
"I've thought it over carefully, and I still think I should go on my own."
"But how can you do that? It's too dangerous!"
Paimon hastily tried to dissuade her.
"Perhaps Ayaka's current strength is still a bit lacking, but she's not without the potential to become even stronger!"
Paimon's words warmed Kamisato Ayaka's heart, and she replied.
"Thank you, Paimon."
"But I will still go on my own."
"Ayaka, if you insist on going alone, I won't agree to it!"
Kamisato Ayato finally couldn't hold back and spoke up. Previously, although it was still dangerous for Kamisato Ayaka to join the team, he felt a bit more at ease knowing the Traveler would be looking after her.
But now, Kamisato Ayato could not be at ease no matter what. Even if it meant letting Kamisato Ayaka fall back into her previous state of frustration, he could not stand by and watch her go to her death.
"Leave this matter to me. Ayaka, you should go to Inazuma City with General Kujou and retake control of the Two Commissions."
"No, Elder Brother, I must go!"
This time, Kamisato Ayaka did not follow Kamisato Ayato's arrangements and stubbornly insisted on her decision.
"Ayaka!"
Kamisato Ayato spoke urgently, yet Kamisato Ayaka still showed no intention of changing her decision.
"Ayato, please calm down. We definitely won't let Ayaka go on her own."
Paimon spoke up first to soothe Kamisato Ayato's emotions, then addressed Arlecchino.
"We will never abandon a comrade!"
"You will only end up hurting her," Arlecchino said calmly.
"I have seen this kind of situation countless times. Insisting on completing a task beyond one's capabilities always ends in failure, without exception."
"If you're lucky, you might keep your life. If you're unlucky, they won't even find your body."
After hearing Arlecchino's words, even Paimon felt a chill. She hurriedly turned to Lumine to ask for her opinion, and after a moment, spoke to Arlecchino again.
"We know this is dangerous, but there are some things that must be done."
"As her friends, we will do our best to support Ayaka!"
"Even knowing she has almost no chance of survival?"
"We will do everything we can to protect her!"
After hearing Paimon's words, Arlecchino shook her head.
"In that case, my previous offer to cooperate is void."
"I am used to acting alone. My strength is sufficient, and I will face far fewer dangerous situations."
With these words, Arlecchino prepared to leave.
Since she had failed to persuade Lumine to team up, she was no longer willing to waste her time; she had already wasted enough.
"Wait a minute, Arlecchino, couldn't you just be a little more flexible?"
"Sorry."
Arlecchino spoke softly without turning her head. She couldn't tolerate standing by and watching comrades send themselves to their deaths; this couldn't help but remind her of her own past helplessness.
Clervie, who had so yearned for the light in her heart, ultimately chose to die by her hand, leaving the light to her, while she herself was eternally immersed in darkness.
Arlecchino's only regret was that she had failed to let her know that the House of the Hearth had now changed, and even if she couldn't let her return to this world, she wanted to at least deliver this news, allowing her to walk out from her dark prison.
Paimon wanted to say something more, but Lumine grabbed her arm.
Lumine shook her head at Paimon, signaling her not to try and keep Arlecchino.
Lumine could faintly sense the madness and fury hidden beneath Arlecchino's restraint; this matter must have touched upon some deep-seated wound in her heart.
"Alright, this is for the best. Ayaka, let's team up together."
Watching Arlecchino's departing figure, Paimon finally gave up on trying to persuade her.
After hearing Paimon's words, Kamisato Ayaka spoke with some hesitation.
"Let's act separately. I'm worried I'll hold you all back."
"It's okay, Ayaka! Look, I've always been by the Traveler's side, and the Traveler will protect us well!"
"It's always been like this before. The Traveler is already very experienced."
"Let me tell you another trick. Given Persephone (No. 3)'s personality, if the Traveler loses and we surrender quickly, she definitely won't attack us."
Paimon leaned in close to Kamisato Ayaka's face and whispered the last sentence. Of course, these words did not escape Lumine's ears, who glared fiercely at Paimon.
"Heh heh..."
Kamisato Ayaka opened her fan to cover her mouth and chuckled softly, then said slowly.
"In that case, I'm counting on you."
Kamisato Ayato sighed softly upon seeing the situation.
To be honest, he was truly unwilling to let Kamisato Ayaka go on such an adventure; this mission was far more dangerous than any of their previous ones.
"Traveler, I'm entrusting Ayaka to you."
Kamisato Ayato spoke to Lumine, who nodded gravely in return.
"Go find Persephone's location. General Kujou and I will take care of things in Inazuma City."
After hearing Kamisato Ayato's words, Kujou Sara nodded slowly and said,
"You go on ahead. We will follow after we've dealt with things here."
Kujou Sara also desperately wanted to accompany Lumine and Kamisato Ayaka, but she had to personally intervene at the Tenryou Commission to ensure it could be stabilized in the shortest time possible.
"Alright, we'll go ahead and wait for you."
After Paimon finished speaking, she turned to Enjou, who looked somewhat devastated in the distance, and asked,
"Enjou, we need to get going. What's wrong with you?"
"Sigh, this world is truly so unfair!"
Enjou looked up, glaring at Paimon with a gaze full of resentment.
Paimon had never even considered him a rival in terms of internal status, yet she had outperformed him all the way, as if she were blessed by the heavens themselves.
But Enjou would not be defeated so easily; the harder the challenge, the more his desire to conquer it grew!
Shortly after, Kamisato Ayato watched the group's retreating figures, took a deep breath to suppress his inner unrest, and spoke to Kujou Sara.
"We should move as quickly as possible."
"Mm."
"Once we reach Inazuma City, I will first release the Kujou Clan's retainers and My Lord."
After exchanging opinions, Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara, accompanied by their samurai and retainers, also departed swiftly.
As for Yae Miko, she had spent a great deal of effort but still couldn't find Kitsune Saiguu or anyone else.
Although Yae Miko still maintained a completely indifferent outward appearance, Raiden Ei, who had already entered Yae Miko's body, could sense that her heart was not at ease.
"It seems this is all because of me."
Hearing Raiden Ei's words that sounded like a sigh, Yae Miko did not deny them.
"If Lady Kitsune Saiguu does not wish to see you, I have no way of finding her current location. Her yokai power is far stronger than mine."
As a founding figure of the Yokai Fox Clan, Kitsune Saiguu's yokai power had already reached a level that Yae Miko could never hope to match, and she had also been the person Yae Miko admired most since childhood.
According to Yae Miko's judgment, Kitsune Saiguu's strength should have reached the peak of the spirit beasts, meaning she was at the threshold of becoming a god.
If the Abyss invasion five hundred years ago hadn't been so perilous and Inazuma hadn't been on the verge of complete destruction, Kitsune Saiguu would never have met her fate while choosing to sacrifice herself to save Inazuma.
That Abyss invasion also took away two of Raiden Ei's precious companions; besides Kitsune Saiguu, there was also Torachiyo.
Torachiyo was actually a title she adopted lateron; her original name was Mikoshi Chiyo, a young Oni girl who earned the name by tearing her way out of the belly of a Tiger-Serpent Abyss Monster.
But because the Abyss's corruption was too severe, she eventually lost her sanity completely and even attacked Raiden Ei.
Raiden Ei could not bear to kill her own friend and ultimately let her escape into the mountains and wilderness.
With Torachiyo's strength, she might still be alive in some corner of Inazuma today, or she might have been completely swallowed by the Abyss.
Raiden Ei had also asked Yae Miko for news of Torachiyo, but during the time Yae Miko followed Kitsune Saiguu, she had not seen that young Oni girl, though she had heard Kitsune Saiguu mention the Tengu Sasayuri.
After learning the news that Sasayuri had also been resurrected, Raiden Ei's heart once again became extremely complicated.
She was Raiden Ei's first lost friend, the first time Ei experienced pain, and the first time she truly understood the weight of the word "loss."
Though Torachiyo had not been resurrected yet, Yae Miko knew she had such power. She learned from Ganyu's letter that the Guardian Yakshas had all been revived, even though they had also been severely corrupted by the Abyss.
"Why is Kitsune Saiguu deliberately avoiding me?"
Raiden Ei sighed softly.
"Does she not wish to catch up with me?"
"Heh, Ei."
"This seems to be the first time you have revealed your inner thoughts so frankly."
After hearing Yae Miko's words, Raiden Ei froze for a moment.
It seemed that ever since she learned her sister could return to her side, her state of mind had completely changed.
"Perhaps."
Raiden Ei did not wish to discuss this matter further; after all, the price paid made it somewhat unbearable for her to endure.
Yae Miko shook her head. While continuously attempting to send signals to Kitsune Saiguu through the Stone Fox to request a meeting, she thought silently to herself.
The current Raiden Ei could probably no longer bear a second loss.
With the people of Inazuma as the price, this loss would mean losing everything...