The portal unfolded in the center of a vast room. Phaser stepped through, greeted by the unmistakable sound of a woman mumbling happily to herself.
"…mmph… more chocolate fudge… oh this is divine..."
Phaser stopped halfway out of the void, blinking slowly at the sight before him.
Hinesia, princess of the House of Rameses, was eating from an enormous bowl of ice cream that looked as though it could serve as a communal dish for twelve. She wore nothing but a pair of soft pink shorts and a long, oversized white t-shirt that hung halfway down her thighs. He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and stepped fully into the Chronological Palace's living room.
The portal sealed behind him with a sound like a whispering ticking clock.
"Welcome back, Master Nihris."
"Thanks Observa. And you Princess, when I just come back from near-death diplomacy, you're eating something the size of a small moon."
Hinesia looked up, a bit of ice cream at the corner of her lip.
"You'd be eating too if you weren't busy playing pretend commoner hero."
Phaser grinned slightly under the mask and deactivated Faceless Identity. His body shimmered with a faint ripple of light. His outfits changed to casual wear. His brown eyes shifted back to their silver hue and his height extended back to his true 210 centimeters from 178 centimeters. He stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders, letting out a low groan of relief.
"Finally. I missed being tall for a few hours. The Lone Nomad's height is insulting. I felt like a child at a grown-ups' table."
Hinesia snorted into her spoon.
"You looked adorable though. All short and mysterious."
"Adorable doesn't win battles."
"No, but it wins hearts, just like what you did in your speech."
Phaser ignored that, brushing past her to flop down onto the nearest couch. The living room was vast and pristine with extremely clean floors, towering arched windows looking out over the snowy sky and yet scattered across the low glass table were several open snack wrappers and what looked suspiciously like a half-eaten box of macarons. He glanced at her bowl.
"Is that your dinner or snack?"
"Both. You saw Asnarade?"
He exhaled, running a hand through his long crimson hair.
"Yeah. She's exactly what I expected. She's sharp, cautious and paranoid. Guess the game wasn't lying when it said she's the kind of person who sleeps with one eye open and a knife under her pillow. But she's loyal to Ceresei. Too loyal in fact."
Hinesia sat on the armrest beside him, bowl in one hand, spoon in the other, looking curious.
"I saw your match. The whole world did. The Lone Nomad is now a Commoner Fluxer rising from nothing. The people are calling you an 'icon of endurance.'"
"And it's all a lie," Phaser replied calmly, taking her spoon right out of her hand and scooping up a mouthful of ice cream without asking.
"Excuse me?"
He nodded as he chewed, savoring it.
"Mhm. That's good. Chocolate?"
"Give me that back," she said, trying to snatch it, but he leaned away and took another spoonful.
"You're welcome. Anyway, yeah, it's a lie. You and I both know that Frost Beetle wasn't wild. It was under her control."
She sighed, her expression deflating.
"Yeah. I figured. You didn't fool me, Lone Nomad. You think I can't tell when someone's puppeteering a creature that cleanly?"
Phaser shrugged, licking a bit of ice cream from the corner of the spoon.
"Hey, at least the public bought it. Makes me look like a legend. Which is good for business apparently."
He reached over, set the bowl on the table, and leaned back with his arms behind his head.
"Anyway, here's what happened."
He began to summarize it without missing anything. He described the alley, Asnarade's suspicion, the negotiation, the chip, and how he dropped the bait about the Void Saint, Russia, and the survivor. Every detail rolled out of him like a man recounting the weather. Hinesia listened in stunned silence at first, then gradually relaxed, eating again while staring at him like she wasn't sure whether to be impressed or slightly terrified.
"You… you lied your way through a conversation with an Ecliptarch?" She asked with her mouth half full.
"Not lied. I just rearranged the truth. Everything I said was technically correct. Except about my personas."
"So now Ceresei thinks they're getting Russian data."
"Oh, they're getting it, all right, but not what they think. After all, Esmodra already has all the information in her gloves so the suitcase is useless to us now. Anyway, on August 1st, you'll meet the Zero Ecliptarch."
Her spoon froze halfway to her mouth.
"Wait, me? You're serious?"
"Dead serious," he said, leaning forward to steal another bite of ice cream before she could react. "You'll hand off the information to him personally in the VIP section."
Hinesia's eyes sparkled. Her genuine excitement made Phaser smile.
"You mean I finally get to meet the Zero Ecliptarch? Even in the game, he never appeared! He was like this omnipresent mystery! This is insane!"
Phaser chuckled softly.
"Don't fangirl too hard. Remember, you're representing me, the Eidolon Saint."
"Oh shut up. But wait, why aren't you coming?"
"Because you're engaged to me now. You'll start handling some of my duties."
Her expression went flat.
"You're making me do paperwork with international terrorists?"
"Diplomatic terrorism," he corrected, stealing another bite. "That sounds classier."
She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Fine. Fine. You're right. If it involves the fall of Russia, which is the Second Dominia Quest after the University Arc, we don't have a choice."
"Exactly. The fall of the Russian government is the next stage."
Hinesia nodded slowly, exhaling through her nose.
"You know… I don't like Ceresei but we both know they're a necessary evil. Without them, Altera Earth won't be in check."
"Yup. You can't kill the serpent before you make sure it's eaten your enemies first."
She looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"That's darkly poetic."
"Thanks to Phasnovterich's memories."
Hinesia laughed, setting her bowl aside. She looked at him and sighed softly. She leaned back beside him, her legs tucked up under the oversized shirt, and smiled at the ceiling.
"Someone has to stop you from burning the world down."
He looked at her, amused.
"And yet you keep handing me the matches."
"Because I trust you not to waste them. Even though I don't know your true objective, I'll know it soon. I'll just help you and you'll help me. You're not the only one with an objective."
He chuckled quietly, letting his head fall back against the couch. For a few quiet moments, the world outside all felt far away. It was just him, her, and a half-eaten bowl of melting ice cream.
"You're doing the dishes," Hinesia murmured after a pause.
He replied without hesitation.
"No."
"You're doing the dishes."
"You're the princess."
"You're the fiancé."
"Why am I engaged to an abusive princess who looks like an elf?"
"Quit whining and wash them before you go to sleep. There's no dishwasher. The others were training and cooked a lot of food. I'm not doing all that so go on, Lone Nomad."
"Yes ma'am."