Chapter 38: Can I invite you to roll out?
「 I had that dream again. In the darkness, a scene slowly emerged. A young girl was bathed in the glow of the Stellaron, her white back like a monument in the snowstorm.
"They will suffer, they will sacrifice, they will die because of my command."
"What awaits them is not death... they will be wrapped in the cradle of a new world."
"What about the people in the lower levels? They will lose the protection of the Architects. They will see me as... a tyrant." The girl's voice trembled slightly.
"You have seen... the world we promised.' Stellaron's voice was filled with certainty. 'A brief misunderstanding will bring eternal prosperity."
"It is your decision... we respect it."
"..."
As if having made up her mind, Cocolia said word by word,
"I understand." 」
「 .....」
~Genshin Impact World~
"Ah, it seems this lady was misled from a young age."
In the Jade Chamber, Ningguang looked at the Stellaron's empty promises with a deep sigh.
"Lady Ningguang, why are you so sure she was deceived?"
The secretary, Baishi, asked in confusion.
"Didn't the Stellaron say it would respect Lady Cocolia's every decision?"
"...Only those in the mountains know the true view."
Ningguang slowly exhaled a wisp of white smoke.
"If Cocolia were in my position right now, with her knowledge and experience, she wouldn't fail to notice the Stellaron's scheme. But with the life and death of a nation resting on her shoulders, it's easy to misjudge."
"The Stellaron's attitude is a tactic of feigning indifference to lure her in. To gain someone's complete trust, you can't completely deny them... you must first respect and affirm them."
"As for the Stellaron's promise... Heh."
Ningguang was no stranger to empty promises.
From the little girl who sold Mora meat on the streets, to the richest merchant in Liyue today, and having successfully inherited the title of "Tianquan Star" among the Seven Stars, Ningguang had seen countless calculations and conspiracies...
She herself had made her fair share of such common empty promises.
—
「 The dream ended. Stelle rubbed her groggy head, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Sampo and a blue-haired older sister dressed as a doctor talking about something. Looking at Sampo's slightly awkward expression, it seemed he was a little wary of this older sister.
"Tell me the truth, Sampo, how are you planning to handle that little girl from the upper zone?"
"Handle her? Handle her with the others, of course, find a chance to send them back... Wait a minute, why are you—" Sampo stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide with shock.
"Do you think you can hide anything from me, Sampo Koski?"
The blue-haired woman's expression was calm, and although her words carried a hint of reproach, her tone had no fluctuations. She seemed to know Sampo very well and was already used to his antics.
Sampo instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, his eyebrows drooping.
"...I didn't intend to bring her. The smoke was too thick, and I was also dizzy. I don't know how I ended up bringing her down."
"I really don't know what kind of mischief you're up to, Sampo."
The woman sighed.
"What does the upper zone have to do with you? Why do you have to get involved in this mess? Aren't you already conspicuous enough? Are you only satisfied when the [Wildfire] sets their eyes on you?"
"Don't say that! I, Sampo, always take care of my friends. These people helped me, so I have to repay the favor."
"Is that why you let them run around underground?" The blue-haired woman's eyes narrowed.
Sampo chuckled, rubbing his hands as if admitting his mistake.
"Oh, accident! Pure accident! I'll go find them all right away."
With that, Sampo vanished from the clinic in a flash. Unexpectedly, even after so long, his ability to escape was still so reassuring.
Seeing that Stelle had opened her eyes and sat up in the bed, the blue-haired woman reached out and gently helped her up, asking considerately,
"How do you feel? Is there any discomfort in your body?" 」
「 .....」
~Demon Slayer World~
"Ah~ I'm uncomfortable all over,"
Zenitsu answered instinctively.
Natasha's greeting seemed to have perfectly hit Zenitsu's heart. After rolling around in the hospital bed, he stared at the older sister in the light screen with a lovesick expression.
So beautiful, and so gentle...
"Inosuke, would you rather have Miss Shinobu Kocho take care of you or the blue-haired older sister in the light screen?"
While Aoi, who was changing his medicine, had walked away, Zenitsu leaned towards Inosuke on the next bed and asked.
"Hmm..."
After a brief silence from the large boar's head, the bristles on its jaw began to move.
"It must be Shinobu Kocho, she clearly looks stronger—when I become the King of the Forest, if I want to conquer a larger forest, of course, a stronger subordinate is better!"
"You're a hopeless boar head."
Zenitsu turned to the other hospital bed.
"Tanjiro, what do you think?"
"Well, about this question..."
Tanjiro seemed to sense something and forced a smile.
"Uh... I think Aoi is pretty good."
"What's with you two... I clearly think this blue-haired older sister is gentler than Miss Shinobu."
Zenitsu showed a lovesick expression.
"Hehe, she's so beautiful~"
But just as the words fell, suddenly—
Killing intent!
Zenitsu immediately felt cold sweat pouring down his back, and a chilling sensation floated over... like a thousand needles simultaneously pricking his back!
Zenitsu slowly turned his head, facing Shinobu Kocho's forced, almost ferocious smile.
The woman's smile was like a flower, but if it weren't for the bulging veins on her forehead, such a smile would surely be very healing, right?
—But at this moment, Zenitsu only felt a sense of impending doom.
"Hehe, Zenitsu, right... Can I ask you to get out of my Butterfly Estate now?"
—
「 Stelle touched her waist. "...My whole body aches."
The woman chuckled. "Although the analogy is quite accurate, normal people don't talk like that."
The woman briefly introduced herself. Her name was Natasha, and she was a doctor at the underground clinic. Stelle briefly learned from her that the underground where they were now was a completely different world from the upper zone.
The people here had been sealed underground for over a decade, living entirely by digging tunnels and mining.
Stelle: "Where are my companions?"
Natasha pointed in the direction Sampo had left through the window.
"They woke up earlier than you. The black-haired young man was the first, and Sampo took him away. There's also a somewhat restless girl who ran out shortly after waking up, probably wandering around nearby?"
"The last little girl dressed as a Silvermane Guard disappeared in the blink of an eye while Sampo was out."
"I heard you talking about the [Wildfire]... What is that?"
"An underground civilian organization. Just think of them as the underground Silvermane Guards—only with a little more human touch." 」
「 .....」