"Lumine!" Paimon called out, followed closely by Katherine.
As they stepped into the dark alleyway, Lumine stopped abruptly and turned to face Katherine.
"Huh? Lumine, why did you stop?" Paimon asked, scratching her head in confusion.
"You're not Katherine, are you?" Lumine asked calmly, looking straight at her.
"Huh? Not Ms. Katherine? How could that be?" Paimon shrieked in shock, her eyes wide. She looked back at Katherine, and it was definitely her.
"Ms. Katherine doesn't have the means to heal Dunyarzad, and besides, she usually doesn't show much interest in anything outside of being the Snezhnaya puppet. Yet, you seem to be deeply invested in everything happening in Sumeru City," Lumine said coolly. "Who exactly are you? And where is Ms. Katherine?"
"..." Katherine remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "As expected of a Traveler. I couldn't hide it from you after all."
"Eh?" Paimon's eyes went wide. It really wasn't Ms. Katherine!
"Hello, Lumine, little Paimon. Let us reintroduce ourselves. My name is Nahida, also known as the God of Wisdom, or the Lesser Lord Kusanali of Sumeru." Katherine's eyes glowed with a brilliant green light.
"Lesser... Lesser Lord Kusanali?" Paimon gasped.
"That's right," Nahida nodded with a gentle smile.
"I see. No wonder Ms. Katherine's personality shifted," Lumine said, nodding. She looked at Nahida and asked, "How is the real Ms. Katherine?"
"She is fine. I merely borrowed her body to keep an eye on Sumeru," Nahida explained. "One of my abilities involves consciousness. Ms. Katherine is a puppet; she won't mind."
"I get it." Paimon rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So, Nahida, why don't you go out and see Sumeru for yourself? Are you afraid of social interaction? Or are you worried your people might recognize you?"
"I... I cannot go out..." Nahida suddenly looked saddened, bowing her head and speaking in a small voice.
"You can't? Why?" Lumine asked.
"I am currently in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, trapped within the mechanism where the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata once meditated," Nahida revealed.
"What! Imprisoned?! They actually dare to imprison their own god?" Paimon was stunned. In the last two days, she and Lumine had discovered that the people of Sumeru didn't have much faith in the Lesser Lord Kusanali, constantly prattling on only about the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"I see... I understand what you mean now, dear," Lumine murmured, realizing the situation. "So that's why they treat Sumeru so poorly."
"Was it the Akademiya Council that imprisoned you?" Lumine asked.
"Hmm..." Nahida nodded slowly. "Perhaps I am not worthy of being the God of Wisdom... I am quite weak, after all..."
"Nahida, don't belittle yourself. You are a god, the deity that the people of Sumeru should be worshipping," Lumine interrupted firmly.
"Exactly! How dare they show such disrespect to a god? If it were Akira or the Shogun, they would have likely been executed in a single stroke," Paimon added, shaking her head.
Both of them were genuinely appalled. How could the Sumeru Akademiya be so despicable?
It was important to note that whether it was Barbatos, the wind god who neglected his duties to be lazy; Morax, the rock god who faked his death to retire; or the Raiden Shogun, who led the Vision Hunt Decree that brought disaster to the land—these three gods were still unconditionally worshipped by their people!
That is the natural relationship between gods and men, yet here in Sumeru, they actually dared to bind their deity!
"..." Seeing how shocked the two were, Nahida was a bit confused. She had always assumed the sages rejected her because she had made a mistake. Was it truly their fault?
"Um... Little Paimon, who is this Akira you speak of?" Nahida asked.
At the mention of Akira's name, Paimon's interest piqued. She straightened up and introduced him with pride.
"Akira is the new god of Inazuma! He lifted the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, and he protects the people of Inazuma. He is a truly good god! He is believed in and respected by everyone in Inazuma."
"In fact, Akira's reputation in Inazuma is on par with the Raiden Shogun now," Paimon added, waving her small hand.
"A new god?" Nahida whispered to herself. "Can a new god truly win the faith of his people?"
With a hint of envy, Nahida added, "Lord Akira must be a perfect and powerful god."
"Yes, yes! He's so strong! Plus, he has incredible healing abilities. You know, it was Akira who healed Collei of Eleazar..."
"Paimon!" Lumine quickly cut her off, noticing Paimon getting carried away.
"Ah..." Paimon quickly covered her mouth.
"What? Little Paimon, are you saying Lord Akira has the ability to cure Eleazar?" Nahida's eyes widened, and she asked hurriedly. She knew Collei, the young girl suffering from the disease.
"Ah... hahahaha..." Paimon gave an awkward laugh, looking at Lumine for help.
"Ah..." Lumine sighed and rubbed her forehead. *This silly Paimon! You already said it, how am I supposed to smooth this over?*
*A mighty god of wisdom cannot be deceived by simple lies; tell the truth.*
"Paimon is right. Akira has the ability to cure Eleazar. When I was in Inazuma, Akira gave me a concentrated source of 'Vitality' for Collei." Lumine said sincerely, "After I met Collei in Sumeru and gave her the gift, the Eleazar really did disappear."
"There really is a way to cure Eleazar?" Nahida murmured. She looked at Lumine and asked, "Lumine, could you tell me about your relationship with Lord Akira?"
Lumine nodded. "Of course. He is my lover."
"My lover..." Nahida nodded, looking at Lumine. "Lumine, please... would you ask Lord Akira to come to Sumeru? To save the people of Sumeru?"
"I'm sorry..." Lumine shook her head. "I have spoken to Akira about this before."
"...I see." Nahida understood what Lumine meant, nodding sadly.
No one would dare force a god like Inazume-no-Mikoto to do something he didn't want to do.
Akira hadn't promised to help, but Lumine was determined to do her best to help Nahida.
"Nahida, even if Akira doesn't take action, we will do our best to help you," Lumine promised.
"Then, thank you very much," Nahida nodded gratefully.
"It's no trouble. Once everything is settled, I might need a small favor from you. As the God of Wisdom, it shouldn't be too difficult," Lumine said.
"Alright, then it's a deal." Nahida smiled again. Even if Akira didn't make a move, Lumine was a well-known Traveler with a great reputation across many nations.
After saying goodbye to Nahida, Lumine and Paimon headed straight to find the house Dunyarzad had provided. Nahida and Dunyarzad had dragged them around the market as if they had never seen the world before, and both Lumine and Paimon felt like they were about to collapse from exhaustion.
Many women enjoy shopping, but not Lumine. To her, going out to enjoy the scenery is far better. Little Paimon didn't like it either; she only cared about eating.
When they arrived home, the place was quite clean, suggesting it was well-maintained.
"Ah~ I'm so tired~" Lumine flopped onto the bed, nudging Paimon. "Paimon, could you get me a glass of water?"
"I'm exhausted too~" Paimon grumbled, but she flew to get two glasses, handing one to Lumine.
"Here, have a drink," Paimon said, pouring one for herself.
"Hey, Paimon, do you think I should tell my lover that I met Nahida?" Lumine asked, crawling closer to Paimon.
"Tch~" Paimon rolled her eyes. "You miss Akira, don't you? We just finished a call."
"I don't want to think about it," Lumine sighed, shaking her head. "But I really miss him. If my lousy brother hadn't insisted on me traveling the Seven Nations, I would have stayed in Inazuma."
"If your brother hears that, he'll probably go after Akira," Paimon smirked.
"He wouldn't dare!" Lumine said fiercely. She suddenly laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Let him try. He couldn't beat my lover anyway."
Lumine pouted. "If he goes there, he'll definitely get a beating, which will help me vent my frustration."
Aether: "So, should I go?"
"Aether is lucky to have a sister like you." Paimon was spread out on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Never mind. At this hour, who knows which of my lovers is having fun with their girlfriends in bed? I won't disturb them," Lumine said with a weak wave of her hand.
She immediately grabbed the blanket, covered her head, and muttered, "Sleep! I'm sleeping until I wake up naturally tomorrow!"
"Just go to sleep!" Paimon pulled the small lamp beside her, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness. Paimon crawled under the quilt, closed her eyes, and drifted into a deep sleep.
...
Inside the Narukami Shrine, Rosalyne pouted as she looked at Akira.
"My love~ I want to marry you too~" Rosalyne said.
"Yes, don't worry." Akira reached out and pinched Rosalyne's cheek.
"To be honest, Rosalyne has been talking about this so much for the past few days that I'm already tired of it," Yae Miko smirked. "My love, how could I let such a beautiful woman be disappointed?"
"How could I betray Rosalyne's feelings? I'm already planning our wedding in Snezhnaya," Akira smiled. "Since the invitations to Inazuma have already been sent, only the gods will attend. Rosalyne, don't worry, I won't forget you."
"I know." Rosalyne nodded, reaching her hand out to Akira. "My love, I want a ring too~ Sister Miko said this is your engagement ring."
"Alright~" Akira naturally fulfilled her request.
Rosalyne had changed so much since she was "saved" by him. At the very least, she had cast aside her arrogant and haughty demeanor in front of Akira and his other partners, doing her absolute best to be gentle with him.
A crimson flame glowed in Akira's hand, and a butterfly-shaped ring decorated with a stone as brilliant as a flame appeared.
"What... what a beautiful ring," Rosalyne whispered, staring at it with longing.
"Rosalyne, give me your hand." Akira gently took her hand and said with tenderness, "Your past may have been full of pain, but from now on, you will hold my hand, and I will create the most perfect and flawless new world for you."
"My love~" Rosalyne looked at Akira with misty eyes. She watched him slide the ring onto her finger and snuggled into his arms.
"I believe in you; I've always believed in you. I thought about this a long time ago. Nothing else matters anymore. As long as you are by my side, this world is already perfect..."
"Rosalyne..." Akira wanted to say something, but Rosalyne pressed her lips gently against his.
"My love, kiss me~"
Akira smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss her.
"Disgusting~ So mushy~" Yae Miko shivered, but she watched the two with great interest nonetheless.