With Raynare now serving as their resident cook, Rod had more or less secured a stable foothold in Kuoh Town.
After breakfast, Raynare and the others finished tidying up and headed into the city to purchase ingredients for the coming days.
Asia and Lavinia sat on the sofa watching television, while Rod took the opportunity to check the progress of his Longinus Balance Breaker.
After nearly two days, the progress had only reached about five percent.
"This is… a bit slow," Rod muttered, frowning slightly.
Although automatic progress toward Balance Breaker was certainly a good thing, he still preferred more straightforward methods that directly increased his combat strength.
Still, this Longinus had originally been taken from that old witch, and the fact that the system could amplify it at all was already fortunate.
"Rod, what are you thinking about?"
A voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Want a drink?"
Lavinia handed him a bottle of soda while opening a bottle of milk for herself. A trace of white milk slipped from the corner of her lips and trailed down along her pale neck before disappearing into the curve of her chest.
Though she had changed clothes at home, she was still dressed in an open-collared shirt and short, items they had bought at the mall the previous day, which she had proudly labeled as "loungewear."
Rod had no objections to her dressing like that. After all, he was the one benefiting from the view.
Modern clothing accentuated the girl's already graceful figure. Even compared to Rias and Akeno, she did not fall short in the slightest. Being slightly older than them, she even possessed a more mature allure in certain aspects.
From Rod's current angle, he could clearly see several very tempting details.
Most importantly, as a Westerner, Lavinia rarely bothered wearing a bra except when going out.
"Rod, you're such a pervert," Lavinia said with a soft laugh, noticing his gaze. "This is what you're supposed to say in moments like this, right?"
Rod remained silent for nearly a full minute before replying slowly, "Yes. But the way you look right now, don't let other men see you like this. Otherwise, it would be easy for some beast to hurt you."
"Then what about you? You've been staring this whole time. Won't you turn into one of those beasts you mentioned?" Lavinia asked gently.
"I'm fine," Rod replied. "I have an iron will."
At this, the corner of Lavinia's mouth twitched slightly.
She wasn't ignorant. While she might be a little hazy in the mornings when her blood sugar was low, she was perfectly clear-headed the rest of the time.
As for the "iron will" Rod mentioned, she had to admit she believed it. After all, she had never seen anyone stare without blinking for an entire minute.
Still, she didn't mind. By now, she no longer considered Rod an outsider.
Rather than continuing the topic, Lavinia smiled and asked, "How does it feel, fusing with the Longinus? Are you getting used to it?"
"So far, it's fine."
"Good. As long as there's no discomfort. The power of a Longinus is already immense, but with finer control, you can draw out even greater strength."
As she spoke, Lavinia snapped her fingers. Ice crystals bloomed from her fingertips like flowers, and a chill spread through the room. With that small demonstration alone, the temperature inside dropped by several degrees.
The cold air brushed against the soda in Rod's hand, instantly freezing it solid.
"See? This is my Longinus, Absolute Demise, the Everlasting Ice Princess. The power of a Longinus is tremendous, but if you learn to control it with greater precision, you can unleash far more of its potential."
Rod clicked his tongue.
That might all be true, but now how was he supposed to drink his soda?
"Your Longinus, like mine, is a standalone manifestation type," Lavinia continued. "If I were to give you advice, it would be to strive to become one with its power."
"When controlling manifestation-type Sacred Gears, coordinating with them or issuing commands is normal, Augusta uses hers that way as well. But she hasn't truly understood the essence of a Longinus."
"If you want real control, it's not enough for your body to synchronize with it. You must merge with it from the depths of your soul. People generally say that you should aim for the deepest core of the Sacred Gear and continue delving inward, the deeper you go, the closer you come to the truth."
She paused, then gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. "Though I say all that confidently, the truth is I still can't fully control my own puppet. Whenever I try too hard to dominate it, to merge with it, to seek the truth… I sometimes feel as though I'm the one being devoured instead."
"Normally, I control the Marionette Princess. But sometimes I wonder, what if I'm actually the puppet being controlled by her? That thought frightens me. That's why I studied so much magic, yet even now, when facing this power that has lived inside me since birth, I still feel a trace of fear."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Perhaps she was remembering her childhood, when she had been only a few years old, forced to confront a manifestation-type Longinus all on her own.
A childhood shadow, perhaps.
"Rod, please be careful. That's the nature of manifestation-type Sacred Gears. The more you pursue their true power, the closer you come to the truth, but the greater the chance that power will consume you. A clone is part of yourself, yet also another self. Given the slightest opportunity, that other self could replace the original you."
"Uh…"
Rod almost said there was no need to worry.
After all, the system had already optimized Incinerate Anthem, neutralizing the saint's will within it. Still, he hadn't expected manifestation-type Sacred Gears to carry such a side effect. The anime had never mentioned anything like this.
They really kept that hidden well.
"Don't worry. I won't be consumed, because I-"
"Because you have an iron will, right? Yes, I've already experienced that firsthand," Lavinia interrupted with a giggle.
After speaking, she suddenly seemed to remember something, dashed upstairs, and soon returned holding several sets of clothes.
"We bought quite a lot yesterday. Rod, do you think this outfit suits me?"
Faced with such a life-or-death question, Rod answered smoothly, "If it's for me to see, you'll look good in anything."
Of course, what he really wanted to say was that she looked best without clothes, but clearly, this was not the right moment.
Hearing his answer, Lavinia immediately blushed, smiling brightly.
Meanwhile, Asia, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly found the television far less interesting. With teary eyes, she watched the two of them flirting.
After all… she had been the one who started it first…
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