The chibi-style little Yuzu rapped on the table, speaking with an air of gravitas.
[Don't go saying that the Aeon of Beauty had already fallen by then, unlike Destruction, whose Aeon is still around and acting personally—of course they'd be more overbearing.]
[But we all know that even if an Aeon falls, their will endures forever. Their Path is essentially their incarnation.]
[It was the Path of Beauty that chose Elysia—and naturally, that means the Aeon of Beauty chose Elysia.]
[Coincidences… often aren't really coincidences. Sometimes, it's all just fate.]
--+--
She swiped away the illustration of Nanook on the screen.
Then the image of Idrila, the Aeon of Beauty, appeared on the display.
It was a Live2D animation, so breathtakingly beautiful it defied description.
Even though everyone had already seen this Aeon of Beauty back when Kiana's harem was being listed, they still couldn't help but gasp in awe, feeling dazzled all over again.
--+--
[So, y'see?]
[Lady Idrila knows how to invest.]
[Thanks to Elysia, she wasn't just revived—she even smoothly made her way into the young lady's harem. Now, all the other Aeons have to show her some respect.]
[Pretty impressive, huh?]
--+--
Inside the Imaginary Space.
The Herrschers held in the prison quietly watched the screen that had been shared with them.
Listening as the Vtuber chattered on about this and that.
They were genuinely surprised, sure.
But if you're asking whether they felt any particular way about it… well, not really.
The list was all about girls connected to Kiana.
Not Elysia.
Or anyone tied to Elysia.
So, their hearts remained pretty calm.
Sure, on the surface, it might seem like Kiana just tucked them away here like a collection, hoarding them like rare stamps and then leaving them be.
Really, acting like a total jerk.
But truth be told, they weren't all that bothered by it, and didn't have many complaints.
What can you even say?
Actually, Kiana had seen right through this from the start, which is why she handled things this way.
Because whether it's Miss Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment, Wendy, Ana, or the Queen, they were all closer to Elysia—and fonder of her, too.
Not that it's necessarily romantic or anything.
But there's definitely some affection there.
Unlike them, who see Kiana more as a mission objective—and honestly, they're still pretty scared of her.
If that weren't the case…if even a hint of fondness for Kiana existed in their hearts…Kiana would never have let them off the hook.
After all, with Kiana, expecting her to confess her feelings is like pulling teeth—but if someone likes her, and they're not a bad match, she'll take them in if they confess.
Heck, even if you tried to leave her, she wouldn't let you go.
Since these girls weren't on the list of Kiana's beloved 2D wives from her past life…
Well, no point forcing it.
Even with the same face, they're not the same person.
Idrila probably wasn't on that list of past-life 2D waifus, but she managed to climb her way up through sheer effort.
Xipe, though, is another story.
After all, that moment when Xipe opened her eyes and gazed upon the Trailblazer—Kiana's heart skipped a beat right then. Xipe still had that charm, you know?
That's the difference.
--+--
[Speaking of which, Lady Elysia secretly let slip that originally, Lady Jyahnar wasn't like this!]
--+--
As she went on.
The chibi Vtuber seemed to remember something.
She raised her index finger and chirped happily.
--+--
[She went from not understanding human hearts, to grasping a bit of human nature, and now she's almost… kindly?]
[At the very least, every time I go to her place to hang out, she gives me treats. During holidays, she even gives me red envelopes.]
[It's hard to imagine she used to have such a prickly personality—what was that even like?]
[If I could travel back in time… I'd love to see it for myself!]
--+--
Alright!
Got it.
Jyahnar was already someone to be revered, but now? The level of respect she commands has shot up even higher.
A prickly personality?
Doesn't that just mean she was difficult to deal with?
Being close to her was like lying next to a tiger.
If you couldn't read her right, it was better to keep your distance and play it safe.
Better not stir up any trouble.
Higher-ups in various countries and organizations took mental notes, passing down the order later: anyone who dared make waves would get five minutes against the wall.
"Got it!"
--+--
[Alrighty then.]
[That's all for this edition of the list~]
[Hmm… Let me think.]
[For the preview! Let's go with this…]
[There's a girl who, without any Aeon's gaze, walked far enough on her Path. Not an Emanator, yet rivaling one. Her lifelong wish was to slay an Aeon—and in the end, she actually did it, killing one and taking its place.]
[Next time!]
[We'll be talking about this incredible big sis.]
[Stay tuned!]
--+--
"Damn, I thought no matter how strong an Emanator was, they couldn't kill an Aeon! The power scaling's broken!"
"What if the young lady secretly helped?"
"Well, that makes sense then."
All around the world, people were discussing it.
On lawns, in public squares, at night market stalls—wherever you went, you could hear arguments breaking out.
Think tanks and elites worldwide dug out old records, flipping through the names of Aeons they'd jotted down before.
Scanning them one by one.
"Which Aeon do you think she's talking about?"
How the hell should anyone know?!
Aside from the Aeons from the old era, whose names are pretty obscure…
The rest are all from the new era.
They didn't even bother using alternate identities—they went by their original names. Even their appearances didn't change much.
Even when walking among mortals.
They'd just throw up a perception filter.
Easy.
"Must be one of the new-era Aeons!"
"No shit, Sherlock!"
Who doesn't know that?!
Thanks for stating the obvious.
But you have to admit, every time, this Vtuber on the Sky Screen is such a tease.
She blabbers on, sometimes forgetting to switch images, other times forgetting to play the animations, but what she says always hooks your interest.
And right at the very end, it's almost like she's assigning homework.
Always sparking endless discussions.
Looking at how things are, no doubt about it—in many regions shrouded by night, plenty of people are going to lose sleep over this.
Elsewhere, those at work can't focus, and students can't concentrate.
Now that the Honkai threat is pretty much negligible, if I'm not here for the gossip and the drama, what else is there to do?
Makes sense, right?!
"My dear Kiana, do you know which one it is?" Mobius asked, using that distinctive voice of hers, laced with a playful, almost Elysia-like lilt.
Kiana smiled faintly.
"I'm just a viewer too, you know. What makes you think I'd know?"
She kept up the act, smooth as ever.
And even though the Sky Screen had ended, fading away to reveal the night sky once more…
It wasn't really that late.
Perfect for everyone to hang around, chat a bit, maybe discuss the topic over some tea.
Truth be told, this kind of routine…
Had already started becoming a habit a while back.
Because Elysia had complained—the Sky Screen exposés only lasted ten, twenty minutes, half an hour tops. To go through all that preparation and then just pack up and leave right after?
What a waste of emotional investment, right?
Might as well unwind, talk about other things.
As long as everyone's happy~
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.