Iphatia's Sister's Sister's Sister

On the second floor of the Brierda Opera House. Along the corridor stood statues of eleven deities from neutral factions. Between the statues, slender white vases were arranged atop spaced wooden pedestals, their blooming flowers releasing a delicate fragrance that added a subtle, elegant perfume to the hallway. "Taking a trip down to the precinct today honestly felt like gaining a whole new layer of life experience." Toliado led his companions down the corridor, chatting casually as they walked, a relaxed smile on his face. He spoke without pause, detailing the creative background of this opera and the creative material he had gathered across the Northern Continent. "I wonder how those students I sent on a youth campus prison tour back at the Protos Royal Magic Academy are doing. Frankly, that would make fantastic material too." Lanqi nodded in agreement from time to time, chiming in with reflections on his own years of appreciating opera. The two of them walked in front, robes fluttering gently, their footsteps falling softly against the carpet. It felt just like their days back on the Northern Continent, strolling and conversing at the Protos Royal Magic Academy. "By the way, I think I heard about you back on the Northern Continent, Tata." Sigrid, trailing behind with Tata, seemed to recall something and turned her gaze toward her. "What?" Talia had not expected her nickname to have reached the Northern Continent. "It was the afternoon Lanqi got out of Helrom Prison. He came by my place to chat for a while..." Sigrid began. She noticed Talia's expression curdling with an unmistakable, pouting tartness. Sigrid's gaze quickly flicked down toward Lanqi's feet. "The cat was there too that day," Sigrid pivoted smoothly. "Actually, it was Boss Cat who brought you up." "That's right, meow." Boss Cat popped out of the shadows, floating into midair to explain to them, "I mentioned your name back then, Tata, and Side got intensely curious about it!" That dated back more than half a year, a week before the decisive battle at Helrom. Boss Cat remembered that on that afternoon, it had accidentally mentioned Tata living at the Boss Cat Restaurant, and Sigrid's eyes had instantly locked onto it. It had leapt alertly from the sofa right then and there, blurting out that she was just a child of the house, terrified of igniting an imaginary lovers' quarrel around Professor Lan. The memory of Side and Hubao nearly coming to blows was still vivid in its mind. Fortunately, at the home of Gloria, a direct soldier of the Northern Continent's Domination branch, Lanqi had remained as steady as ever. Under Sigrid's relentless questioning, he simply asked Side if she had ever read *Holy War Romance*. Sigrid had been injured and bored out of her mind at Gloria's place during that period, and she really had finished the entire book. So Lanqi told Side that one of the female leads in that novel was either eating or holding food every single time she appeared, and he felt that character concept was quite similar to Tata. Recuperating from her injuries, Sigrid immediately felt she understood, and her guard against Tata vanished completely. "Oh, I see! So you all still remembered me!" Hearing that it was the truth, Talia beamed happily. "Toliado... Shiduo, hey, I've read your book!" Sigrid suddenly remembered that day's events and pointed at Toliado. It was a book published nearly a year ago by the Imperial Royal Magic Academy Press, authored by Shiduo Arendelle, an associate professor in the academy's history department. Sigrid had heard the Holy Son mention before that Shiduo had once attempted to win over Lady Cloris of the Duke Berenhardt household for the Domination branch; the connection to that pivotal figure, Lady Cloris Berenhardt, had been brokered by Associate Professor Shiduo of the Protos Royal Magic Academy's history department. Later, Lady Cloris was placed under house arrest in the ducal manor on framed charges of treason. Over a month before the decisive battle of Helrom, she passed a piece of intelligence to Lanqi—stating that Duke Morotian, holder of the [Original Slate - Undead], had gone missing, and the current Duke Morotian was merely an alchemical puppet she had temporarily thrust onto the stage. The veracity of that report had remained an enigma. Back then, Lanqi and Sigrid were facing their direst hour of survival, unable to tell friend from foe, and completely unaware that the man who had ambushed them on the northern border was none other than Protos's Duke Morotian. As for the seemingly suspicious Associate Professor Shiduo, he had vanished without a trace before Lady Cloris ran into trouble. Out of curiosity, Sigrid had searched Gloria's house for books written by the associate professor, finding them surprisingly good for passing the time. Back then, she had assumed the Holy Son brought it up to steer the conversation toward serious matters; she never imagined it was just to take a dig at Tata. "You read it too, Side?" Toliado turned back in surprise. "Of course. I'm a legitimate reader who bought the genuine article! Members of our Domination branch purchased your book!" Sigrid raised her chin proudly. "Reading legitimate copies is wonderful! Please support official releases; all patrons who read authorized editions are truly kindhearted souls," Toliado praised sincerely. He firmly believed that all official readers would find smooth sailing and endless good fortune in everything they did. "I seem to have noticed something. The imperial royal family and the military seem to revere the culture of the Creti Empire's predecessor, the Sairos Empire, the most—even the emperor's personal blade is named the Sword of Sairos Heroic Spirits. Meanwhile, academic factions like the Saint Creti Monastery inherited the benevolent traditions of the Elsaya Sanctuary and are beloved and respected by the people. Commercial and artistic fields, on the other hand, are most heavily influenced by the Vince Free Federation." Lanqi directed his gaze toward the walls of the opera house's second floor. They turned a corner. The walls on both sides were adorned with beige marble, carved with reliefs depicting the heroic epics of the Vince Free Federation from before the Creti Empire's founding. Hundreds of years ago, the land beneath their feet was divided into three great territories: the Sairos Empire, the Elsaya Sanctuary, and the Vince Free Federation. The Vince region where the Vince Free Federation once stood was fertile and rich in resources, celebrated as the granary of the southern part of the Southern Continent. For mutual benefit, the local lords had formed a relatively loose alliance, each governing their own lands. The Brierda Opera House, originally constructed by artisans of the Vince Free Federation, seemed to carry on its artistic heritage and its spirit of revering justice and prosperity. "Actually, you'll find that in today's Creti Empire, the nobility and ruling faction lean toward the ideals of the Sairos Empire, the common populace leans toward the Elsaya Sanctuary's ideals, while the neutral factions—including people like us who are labeled rebels but are actually trying to save the country—lean toward the ideals of the Vince Free Federation." As Toliado spoke, he pushed open the door at the end of the corridor past the turn. This was the entrance to Abigail's residence. Though a private apartment, its domed ceiling reached roughly fifty meters high, painted in a style matching the opera house's main auditorium. The surrounding walls were lined from floor to ceiling with dark brown hardwood bookshelves, every shelf packed with precious musical and theatrical literature. This space belonged exclusively to Abigail and served as her current residence. Abigail was leaning back against a sofa, reading a book. She looked every bit the noble lady. "You're here." The finely tailored fabric of her black off-the-shoulder evening gown hugged her graceful curves, and a black gemstone necklace circled her pale throat. She tilted her head toward them. "Pardon the intrusion, Miss Abigail," Lanqi greeted her. Beyond the countless antique collections, the central area where Abigail sat featured a sofa set and low table in the ancient Vince Free Federation style, on which rested an exquisite silver tea service. A wine cabinet along one wall displayed various high-end spirits and crystal glasses. The entire space was bathed in warm lighting, and the terrace outside offered an open view over the entirety of Broadway Central Square. However, both Lanqi and Talia, having been here before, knew the room was far less simple than it appeared. Beneath every surface lay incomprehensible spatial barrier runic engravings. As a Tier 7 spatial magic artisan, Abigail possessed modest personal combat power, but inside a stronghold she had meticulously engineered, the story was entirely different. "It's fine. You're all my friends; feel free to come to the opera house anytime," Abigail replied with a nod. She rarely stepped outside the opera house. Furthermore, Abigail felt there were more and more people gathering in her home lately. Originally, at most Toliado would drop by occasionally. Now five or six people would arrive all at once. It was practically turning into everyone's communal hangout spot... "I still need to recover some mana before I can teleport Iphatia. Have a seat for a moment. That Imperial Special Operations Department really gave me a fright—being cuffed in standard-issue military magic-suppressing steel slowed my mana recovery to a crawl." Toliado stood not far from the entrance, unbinding the flexible-slot magic cards on his body. He pulled several accessory equipment cards that accelerated mana regeneration and boosted mental attributes from books on Abigail's shelves, temporarily soul-binding them. Although the Special Operations Department's magic-suppressing steel could not truly seal away a cardinal's mana, being bound in it still hindered him to some degree. "Why were you at the Imperial Special Operations Department in the first place?" Abigail turned her head, looking at the Cardinal of Dimensions with utter bafflement. Teleporting a Tier 8 cardinal ally all the way to Brierda had already drained nearly all of Toliado's mana. Before recovering it, he had gone running around outside as if daring disaster to strike. "He took a pair of binoculars to spy on Professor Landry's house and got arrested by the Special Operations Department," Sigrid explained with an open-palmed shrug. "You absolute dumbass," Abigail snapped at Toliado. If this fool wanted to die so badly, he should have just dropped his Cardinal's Crest and Original Slate for her first. "..." Sigrid stared blankly at the exchange between Abigail and Toliado. When she arrived at the opera house at noon, she had already noticed that the Dimension branch's saintess and cardinal treated each other like equal partners. She never imagined the saintess actually held the higher status. If this were back on the Northern Continent—say, in the Silence branch—and the Silence Holy Son dared speak like that to Cardinal Askesan, his head would have parted company with his shoulders the very next second. Oh, wait, Askesan couldn't object anymore. Sigrid still occasionally felt a pang of nostalgia for that old nemesis. "Their branch is just like that," Lanqi explained, catching Sigrid's eye. He felt as though he and Sigrid were somehow on the exact same wavelength. "I really don't know how you ever persuaded Abigail to become your Dimension Saintess," Talia remarked to Toliado, sighing at her old friend from the Demon Realm. To her mind, such an embarrassing master had no business taking on such an impressive disciple. "My old friend, why have you become so aggressive lately...?" Toliado asked Talia, taken aback. He admitted he ranked at the bottom among the Great Demon Generals and was occasionally a bit disgraceful, but he was still a vital combat asset on their side. "Tata, come look over this script with me while I prepare some refreshments," Abigail said, standing up and motioning for the guests to take their seats by the sofa. The group stopped chatting in the entryway and moved to the rug in the residence's central lounge area, settling onto either side of the sofas. The seating arrangement this time was rather unique. Abigail and Tata sat on one side, while Sigrid, Lanqi, and Toliado sat across from them. It seemed Abigail deeply disdained Toliado, but had grown quite fond of Talia, even showing signs of wanting to make Talia her exclusive lead actress. She would occasionally contact Talia to chat and recommend books. "Tata, try this." Abigail brought over a newly purchased luxury tin of cheese coconut crisps and directed a mana-powered automaton to serve them drinks. Even though Talia's performance as a female lead had a bizarre, indescribable quality—a sort of comedic undertone where she could turn a tragedy into a comedy and derail the entire cast—Abigail could not find a better actress for the time being. "Abigail, are you thinking something impolite about me?" Talia faintly sensed something. Abigail largely seemed to acknowledge and appreciate her, but her thoughts carried a twinge of sorrow. "Just eat, don't overthink it." Abigail picked up a coconut crisp and popped it straight into Talia's mouth, plugging it shut. Busy chewing on the crisp, Talia had no chance to speak. Beneath the flaky layers of crust and melt-in-the-mouth cheese lay sweet coconut meat paired with bright red, sweet-and-sour hawthorn jelly. "Tell me about the situation in your Shadow World first," Abigail said, turning to Lanqi. Lanqi occasionally suffered the illusion that Abigail was the true leader of the Dimension branch, and that this whole faction was held together solely by this reliable magic engineer. "We essentially experienced the attempt to breach Blood Moon City ten thousand years ago. Aside from the Ninth Progenitor, Marquis Bernhard, always falling first, significant changes occurred across each iteration..." Lanqi began explaining the critical points of the Shadow World to Abigail and Toliado, along with intelligence that might relate to the modern Creti Empire's Blood Clan. Beside Toliado, Abigail served as their alliance's most vital communications technician and base maintenance specialist. They had to place their full trust in her; she was their indispensable logistical backbone. In just a few minutes, Lanqi summarized his experiences in the Mirror of Tiberius and the conclusion of the Shadow World, before turning his focus back to the present Creti Empire. "Today is November fourth. We don't have much time left." "At the end of this month, our operation to storm Blood Moon City will be the turning point of this war." "As long as we can breach Blood Moon City and seal the Blood Clan Progenitors, the imperial dignitaries, nobles, and War Gods controlled by the Third Progenitor, Duke Rasheal, will regain their free will." "At the same time, they will realize this war was a catastrophe instigated entirely by the Blood Clan pulling strings from behind the scenes." Lanqi laced his fingers together, speaking with a solemn expression. At that point, the entire empire would be thrust into a turbulent dilemma— Some might advocate fighting on, while others might begin seeking peace talks. During that window, the greater the influence one possessed, the better. They had to stand firmly anti-war to tilt that critical balance. If they failed, the disaster devastating all living beings would continue. If they succeeded, perhaps this Southern Continent conflict would come to an immediate close. "So Lanqi, you must secure the position of chairman of the Imperial New Mana Institution. When the Creti Empire undergoes its reshuffling, you have to hold the trump card," Abigail nodded, instructing him earnestly. With the Domination Cardinal joining them and Iphatia being cured, they would possess the combat power of two cardinals and a quasi-cardinal. That barely brought their fighting strength to a level where they could attempt to battle the three Blood Clan Marquises across the Hall of Extinction, the Hall of Absolute Cold, and the Hall of Souls. Yet it remained perilous. Only Sigrid held an advantage against any given Marquis; their other two fronts would inevitably be at a disadvantage. No matter what, they were racing against the clock. They had to recruit allies and prepare for the assault before the National Day celebration late next month, striking on the one day when all the War Gods returned to Brierda. That was their single best window of opportunity. Because the Twelve War Gods would all be immobilized while receiving divine protection during the Creti Empire's National Day ceremony, it guaranteed that none of them could intervene in the battle at Blood Moon City. They would have a window of roughly two hours to raid the city. As the saying went, fortune favored the bold. That day was the only time they could be certain of avoiding interference from the War Gods. On any other day, there was no guaranteeing whether a War God might make a sudden return, or whether the War Gods already stationed in the capital would enter the fray. Yet they still had no solution for the Tier 7 Blood Clan Earls or interference from the empire on the surface. Nor did they have the spare strength to rescue Duke Migaya, let alone handle unforeseen variables, all while keeping enough in reserve to execute a smooth retreat. Abigail's brow furrowed with worry. "If we don't have absolute combat strength on National Day, could we consider finding a better day later on?" Talia offered gently to Abigail, trying to ease her concerns. After all, the imperial War Gods could not all remain stationed in the capital of Brierda on ordinary days. Only the First War God, Diamond Seat Hyacinthus, and the Sixth War God, Chrysoberyl Seat Violet, were permanently stationed there. Most of the other War Gods stayed close to the front lines, with at most one or two returning unexpectedly. "That gamble is even more dangerous, and the longer we drag this out, the more unknowns will pile up," Abigail said, shaking her head. She would rather assault Blood Moon City on National Day with their current forces than take risks on any other day. She constantly felt that the turmoil within the Creti Empire was far more convoluted than that of the Horning Empire in the Shadow World. If allowed to fester, matters might spiral completely out of control, stripping them of their informational advantage. "Toliado, where would you rank among the War Gods?" Lanqi could not help asking. "I definitely can't beat the Sixth War God, Chrysoberyl Violet, but I should be able to handle the Seventh War God, Carnelian Philip," Toliado explained. "What about Side?" Lanqi asked him next. He noticed that Toliado seemed to have a clear grasp of the relative strengths of other Tier 8 supreme powerhouses. After all, Toliado, master of escape, had spent his life courting death while always managing to survive. He was naturally sharper than anyone at sensing power differentials. "She might be able to fight the Second War God, Obsidian Seat Saron," Toliado answered seriously. "Is the First War God stronger than me?" Sigrid asked Toliado, slightly displeased. She was currently only short of faith power to ascend to Tier 9. "That guy can't be judged by common sense. Even if you told me he slayed a Tier 9, I'd believe it." Having lived for so long, Toliado had seen Tier 9 beings in the old Demon Realm, so he understood precisely what kind of presence Hyacinthus gave off. "..." Sigrid dropped the argument. She truly could not defeat a Tier 9. Only at night, with her werewolf enhancements, might she hold out for a couple of exchanges against a Tier 9, but winning was out of the question. When Lanqi simulated Pope Lancelos at his peak through the Mirror of Tiberius, even against four Tier 8 combatants from the Saint Polish Theocracy led by Xigelei, and with Lancelos having no special advantage against humans and practically holding back an ocean, he still suppressed them effortlessly. Even a Tier 9 like Duke Rasheal could handle three standard cardinals without breaking a sweat. "Which means challenging Blood Moon City while we cannot predict the movements of the Twelve War Gods is simply too dangerous. We must act on National Day. In the meantime, Toliado and I will do everything we can to recruit reliable allies," Lanqi said, finalizing their plan. Abigail shared his view. "We still have the backing of Third Imperial Princess Alexia. Among the four companions she found, there might be individuals with considerable influence in the empire," Toliado added optimistically, leaning back. "We'll fully cooperate with you as well," Abigail promised, looking at Lanqi. She would protect the Creti Empire she loved. She would never allow those vampires to occupy her country's lands any longer. "Keep it up!" Talia cheered them on, still chewing on a coconut crisp. She had been listening quietly beside them. It seemed they had only three core objectives. First, help Lanqi climb higher in the empire and secure authority within the Imperial New Mana Institution's committee. Second, make every effort to locate Princess Alexia, who had recently fallen out of contact, or the companions she had recruited. And finally, prepare for the decisive assault on Blood Moon City. "..." The other four looked down at the tin of coconut crisps, only to discover there were just four left. The rest had vanished while they were talking. "Why are you all staring at me?" Talia looked at the others in bewilderment, her fingers glossy with oil and dusted in pastry flakes. Lanqi swallowed a laugh, while Sigrid seemed to be mentally calculating how many treats had been in the tin to begin with. Abigail dearly wanted to urge Tata to act in a stage play next time; she could eat as much food as she wanted on stage, finishing the whole performance just by snacking her way through it. "Ahem. It seems my mana is about ready to bring Iphatia over." Toliado stood up, breaking the awkward silence, and walked over to the wall of bookshelves. Over a distance of a dozen kilometers, teleporting a Tier 8 who was weaker than him should pose no problem. Gathering a spatial formula, he closed his eyes to locate the coordinates. Then, he drew a circle crackling with silver sparks across the bookshelf wall, connecting it to another spatial barrier Abigail had constructed. The space directly before the silver arc warped, its color fading until a vortex materialized, transforming into a translucent, circular doorway. A surge of peerless mana blossomed once more in the room, drawing everyone's attention. No matter how many times Lanqi witnessed such ultra-long-distance teleportation magic, he marvelled at its lofty nature. Had it not been for the comprehensive containment barriers, the terminal connection of a peak Tier 8 mana fluctuation would have instantly alerted the Creti Empire. On the other side, within a snow-dusted, silvery-white palace, a figure took notice of the mana fluctuation. She had short silver hair, the slightly flared tips brushing just against her jawline, giving her a casual, refreshing air. Yet her brownish-red eyes were brimming with pure delight. "What are you calling me over for?!" Iphatia cheered with excitement, hopping through the spatial gate and greeting them. She immediately spotted Talia and Lanqi sitting in the lounge, as well as an unfamiliar woman with light hair and purple eyes. To her surprise, the second floor of the opera house had become even livelier. "Brother, Sister, you're back!" Iphatia bounded happily toward the sofa, diving straight onto Talia's lap and sprawling out without moving an inch. She had assumed it would take many more days for her sister to return from the Shadow World. "My little princess, please don't take the teleportation gate back today. How is it that in just one month, you seem to have gotten a little stronger again?" Toliado rubbed his forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness. "Don't do that, Yabo! If I leave the barrier, the Blood Clan will sense me, so I can't take a carriage back!" Iphatia hurriedly apologized to Toliado while still lying flat. She did not even bother sitting up to do it. Toliado waved a hand, too tired to argue with this pampered little princess. "What an adorable child." Sigrid gazed at the girl lying relaxed across Tata's lap opposite the sofa, quickly deducing that this was the Iphatia whom Tata and Lanqi had spoken of. She truly was a breathtaking beauty. Sigrid could not help recalling a rubbing of a famous Southern Continent painting that had circulated to the Northern Continent, something she held a faint impression of. The painting depicted a tranquil, serene scene. A lovely young girl in a long gown lay upon a four-poster bed. Her dark brows were softly relaxed, her cherry lips slightly parted, her expression sweet and gentle like a sleeping angel. Long silver hair spilled across white pillows, and fair silk sheets set off her porcelain skin. Outside the window lay a lush forest, vibrant and verdant, where dappled sunlight filtered through the lattice, casting wavering patches of light across the sleeping maiden. She looked strikingly like the child before her. However, that painting was quite old; after more than a decade, the sleeping beauty depicted in it should have grown up, rather than still looking like a young girl. "And who is this?" Iphatia shifted slightly, noticing Sigrid beside Lanqi. The moment she laid eyes on her, Iphatia instinctively felt the woman was extraordinarily strong. Moreover, for reasons unknown, she swallowed hard. A sudden impulse urged her to bite into the woman's neck and drink her blood, causing the Blood King Divine Flame scorching her entire body to flare searingly hot, the pain mounting with fierce intensity. She shook her head vigorously to clear her mind. Starting from Iphatia's neck, branch-like crimson fractures and magma-like conduits of mana drifted constantly, roasting her flesh and inflicting an agonizing wound that refused to heal. She had never experienced such a bizarre urge before. "Don't worry, Iphatia. That's a normal reaction after being afflicted by the Blood King Divine Flame; you naturally crave a potential antidote," Lanqi said to her. "Antidote?" Iphatia sat up in confusion, looking back and forth between Lanqi and Sigrid. "She is the high-tier savior of the Wolf Clan, Miss Side," Talia told her younger sister with relief. "...?!" Iphatia glanced at the solar calendar hanging on Abigail's wall. She remembered Lanqi promising to find an antidote for her less than a month ago. Sometimes international express delivery wasn't even that fast! "Waaaah, thank you so much!" Overcome with emotion, Iphatia burst into tears. She had never met such reliable people in her life. They had promised to cure her poison, and without the slightest delay or hollow excuses, they had resolved it almost immediately. How was this any different from making a wish upon a star? "You should thank Yabo too. He exhausted all his mana just to teleport Side here," Lanqi said with a smile. "Thank you, Yabo! You really are reliable when it comes to serious business!" Beaming through her tears, Iphatia gave Toliado a salute. "If you're going to thank someone, thank Side. The moment she heard you needed help, she came straight to the opera house." Toliado couldn't shake the feeling that Iphatia's qualifier implied he was completely unreliable the rest of the time. Then again, Iphatia was probably the demon who respected him most in the entire Demon Realm. "Miss Side, I truly don't know how I can ever repay you," Iphatia said, gazing at Sigrid with boundless gratitude. "It's nothing. You're Tata's sister, which makes you my sister too." Sigrid picked up a glass Abigail had prepared on the low table. With a sharp flick of her fingertip against her wrist, a thin line of red appeared, and vivid crimson blood began dripping into the glass. After a moment, Lanqi gently grasped Sigrid's elbow, signaling that it was enough. The cut on her wrist healed in an instant, and she handed the half-filled glass of blood to Iphatia. "..." Iphatia stared at the wolf blood brimming with bone-chilling frost. Her throat bobbed, barely able to fathom how deeply drinking it would quench her burning thirst. Closing her eyes, she drank the scarlet liquid down in a single gulp. The instant the blood passed her throat, an icy chill flooded her entire body, as if she had plunged into a frozen cavern. Moments later, a warm current rose from her lower abdomen, rushing swiftly through every limb and vessel. Iphatia felt a tempestuous wave of vitality erupt within her, like raging flames consuming her flesh, yet also like a surging tide washing her clean. Her pale skin flushed with healthy color as if she were being reborn. The crimson fractures tracing down her neck gradually faded into a faint rose blush before slipping seamlessly back beneath the skin, leaving not a trace behind. The magma-like conduits of mana also lost their fiery glare, softening into a gentle, tranquil hue that no longer scorched her body. A delicate layer of frost settled across her skin, as if she had draped herself in a veil woven from moonlight. "Phew—" Iphatia let out a long breath. Her entire body felt light as a feather, the lingering agony entirely vanished. Her countenance appeared even more ethereal and refined, like an immortal descending into the mortal dust, her brows carrying an air of transcendent detachment. From this day forth, she was freed from the curse and the pain. As if shattering its shackles, the mana within her began to surge upward once more. "Does it still hurt?" Talia took hold of her sister's arms, turning her front and back to inspect her thoroughly, making certain there was no trace of the Blood King Divine Flame left. Talia had originally thought that by hitching a ride through the Shadow World and rising from Level 82 to Level 84 under level theory, she had closed the gap with her sister's original quasi-cardinal level of 85. Who knew her sister had grown even stronger; she was likely Level 86 now, hair-splittingly close to the cardinal threshold of Level 87. Yet Talia couldn't care less about levels right now. Even if she remained the dead-last Great Demon General forever, she only wanted her sister to be safe and whole. "Mhm, I'm completely revived!" Iphatia chirped happily. "So you can head home with your sister later today. Don't make me open another gate for you," Toliado muttered weakly, shaking his head as he slumped back down beside Lanqi. "Iphatia, I already prepared a room for you! From now on, we won't have to rely on communication magic just to chat every day," Talia said eagerly, clutching Iphatia's hands. "Can I really stay at your place?" Iphatia asked, glancing timidly at Lanqi. She didn't want to intrude on her sister's and Lanqi's life. Besides, seeing the familiar closeness between Lanqi and Miss Side made her terribly curious about what kind of household Lanqi actually ran. "Well..." Lanqi hesitated, his mind racing through calculations. He was genuinely afraid that Iphatia would get too comfortable calling him 'Brother.' If they returned to the Hutton Kingdom later and she couldn't break the habit, how could he look Hyperion in the eye? *The good news is, I found your mother.* *The bad news is, I trained your mother into my little sister.* That was not the kind of thing a human being could say out loud. "As long as you don't mind me, it's totally fine. I'll be staying at their place too from now on," Sigrid declared to Iphatia, exuding the authority of the master of the house. She was Lanqi's superior and Tata's elder sister, which naturally made her the head of the household. What she said went. "How could I ever mind?! You're my savior, Sister Side!" Iphatia poured her heart out to this dashing older sister without holding back. "I like you so much! I want to get to know you and talk to you all the time!" "Wait..." Lanqi hurried to interject. Before he could finish, Iphatia burst into tears again. "Thank you... You're all such wonderful people," she sobbed, vigorously wiping away the tears pouring endlessly from behind her bandaged eyes. The Aransal family, reunited at last... She had never dared to dream of such a day arriving. Thank goodness she had so many friends helping her. "There, there, don't cry!" Sigrid hurriedly sat across from her to comfort Iphatia, surprised that her simple remark had set the girl off again. "..." Lanqi's eyes glazed over, his voice caught in his throat. In an atmosphere like this, if he refused to let the tear-streaked Iphatia reunite with her sister, he would look like an absolute monster. "Now that I've taken your blood, you're my family! I have a decent amount of wealth back in Ikerite. When you come to the Hutton Kingdom, I'll show you all around the royal capital, and you can just stay at my place!" Iphatia promised, throwing her arms around Sigrid. "Actually, I have an elder sister too. She's in Ikerite as well..." Sigrid pressed an index finger to her cheek, struck by the coincidence. Not only did she plan to attend Ikerite Academy as an exchange student in the future, but she also planned to disguise herself as Xigelei to hang out with her sister. "Really?" Iphatia looked up curiously, letting go of Sigrid. Talia looked over in confusion as well. She hadn't known Side had an older sister on the Southern Continent. "She isn't in the Creti Empire right now, but she's definitely in Ikerite. I'll introduce her to you when there's a chance," Sigrid said, clenching her fist with bright anticipation. "I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what my sister's sister's sister is like," Iphatia said dreamily, clasping her hands together against her cheek. She had to be a truly extraordinary woman. Off to the side. Lanqi had completely gone numb, slumping back into the sofa with his face buried in his hands. Only the little black sootball was gently patting his shoulder. "What on earth is even happening anymore...? Please, just let it end... I can't take this anymore." A trembling whimper drifted out from between Lanqi's lips.