Chapter 268: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [268] [100 PS]
This bonus chapter is a small gift—may it bring you a touch of tranquility.
---
Moments later, the woman stopped in front of Natalia. Her eyes met Natalia's briefly before flickering downward, landing on the black-and-white outfit in her hands.
A sense of foreboding crept into Eula's heart.
"You're a little late, Miss Eula," Lou Qing's voice rang out smoothly.
"You have three tasks to complete. Including this one, two remain."
Eula's voice was cold. "If you pull the same trick as earlier—three tasks, then three more—I'd rather forfeit the sword entirely."
"Well, since you've made yourself clear."
Lou Qing turned to face her, looking perfectly agreeable. With a glance at Natalia, he signaled her to step forward. Natalia nodded and approached Eula, handing over the outfit in her arms.
"What is this…?"
Eula swallowed hard.
"A special outfit I designed just for you, Miss Eula," Lou Qing said with a sly smile. "Why not give it a try?"
"…"
[Frustration +1 from Eula]
Even from just a glance at the lace trim and inexplicably provocative design, Eula could tell this was no ordinary outfit.
He expected her to wear that?
Was this guy serious?
"Hmph, I'm not putting that on. Give up on the idea!"
Crossing her arms, Eula turned her face away in disdain.
"Oh, really?" Lou Qing's grin widened, his voice dripping with mischief.
"This is your second task, after all. You've already come all this way, so wouldn't it be a shame to leave empty-handed~?"
"…"
Eula was silent.
Her gaze darted briefly to the Song of Broken Pines standing beside Lou Qing, then shifted back to the outfit in Natalia's hands.
She swallowed again.
"It's a very nice outfit. Surely Miss Eula doesn't want to miss out on trying it~," Lou Qing teased, his fingers lightly brushing against the sword hilt at his side.
"All you have to do is put it on, and that'll count as your second task. Then there's only one more to go, and you'll have your sword back."
"…"
"Well? It's a great deal, isn't it?"
"…"
Eula stayed quiet, clearly deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Natalia watched from the side, her expression unreadable.
She couldn't help but feel conflicted. Did her lord actually enjoy teasing beautiful girls like this?
But… he's never teased me.
"Tell me this first…"
After a long silence, Eula finally broke it.
"What's the third task? And will you actually return my sword once I've completed all three?"
"Of course."
Lou Qing nodded with a smile. "Once you've completed all three tasks, this sword is yours again. As for the third task…"
He leaned forward slightly, his grin widening.
"Once you've finished the second, I want you to…"
"What?"
"Sweetly call me 'Master'~."
"…"
[Frustration +10 from Eula]
Eula had never been more certain: this man, Lou Qing, was blatantly using her stolen sword as an excuse to humiliate her!
And now he wanted her to call him "Master" on top of wearing that outfit?
So it is a maid outfit!
What a joke!
She was a proud knight of the Knights of Favonius!
To call a Fatui Harbinger "Master" would be a fate worse than death!
"Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?"
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides as the sting of humiliation coursed through her.
If she could, she would've punched him square in the face by now.
"Hmph! Forget it! I'd rather abandon the sword than call you 'Master.'"
"You just did."
Lou Qing tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes.
"…"
[Frustration +1 from Eula]
Was this guy seriously nitpicking her words now?
"Miss Eula, no need to be so quick to refuse," Lou Qing continued in a gentle, coaxing tone.
"Look around. We're in the middle of nowhere. It's just the three of us here. Even if you put it on and called me that, no one else would know."
"Trust me, we Snezhnayans are masters of keeping secrets~."
"…"
"Hmph! Keep dreaming!"
Eula snorted disdainfully, shooting Lou Qing a look filled with utter loathing.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the maid outfit from Natalia's hands and tossed it onto the ground.
"I'd rather leave it than agree to this nonsense!"
With that, she spun around and stormed off into the night.
Soon, her figure disappeared into the darkness.
Coming here to meet Lou Qing was easily one of the worst decisions I've ever made!
I thought if he returned my sword, I might even thank him for helping during the day…
Now I wish I'd just cut him down where he stood!
---
"My lord, are you not going after her?"
Natalia glanced in the direction Eula had gone, then bent down to pick up the discarded maid outfit. She folded it neatly and placed it beside Lou Qing.
She knew all too well where this outfit came from.
It wasn't designed specifically for Eula, as Lou Qing had claimed. It was a maid outfit originally made for Rosalyne, one of his subordinates. The only reason it had been offered to Eula was because the two women shared a similar physique.
"Why chase her? My goal has already been achieved."
Lou Qing spoke casually, retrieving both the Song of Broken Pines and the maid outfit into his system inventory.
"…?"
"You genuinely want her to wear the maid outfit and call you 'Master,' don't you?"
Natalia couldn't help but chuckle.
Eula was a proud and stubborn knight. There was no way she would ever comply with such a humiliating demand.
"Why not?"
"I just think it's… unlikely."
"Natalia," Lou Qing said, patting her shoulder lightly.
"When have I ever failed to achieve what I set my mind to?"
"…"
Natalia fell silent.
After thinking for a moment, she realized he was right.
When Lou Qing first announced he intended to recruit Rosalyne as his subordinate, none of them believed him. Yet now, Rosalyne was as obedient as a kitten around him.
Then there was the matter of the Raiden Shogun…
That one's on a whole other level.
To think that someone of her caliber—practically a peer to the Tsaritsa herself—had not only kissed Lou Qing but willingly embraced him…
There's no way to put that into words.
"So, what's your plan, my lord?"
"Simple. Patience, Natalia."
Lou Qing smiled faintly as he waved her along, heading toward the construction site below the cliff.
"Taming a tsundere takes time."
At that moment, Natalia looked at Lou Qing's retreating figure.
He resembled a seasoned captain, expertly navigating the stormy seas of life.
---
Ah, Reader. You've stayed for the bonus chapter—how delightful.
Even amidst the quiet of eternity, there's joy to be found in shared moments like this.
If you wish to offer your strength, step forward: [patreon.com/WiseTL].
Each effort helps to shape a world where such moments can thrive.
— Ei
Chapter 269: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [269] [200 PS]
This bonus chapter is a small gift—may it bring you a touch of tranquility.
---
The Balladeer, his body pierced by numerous deep purple conduits, stirred slightly. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"This is…"
A trace of confusion flickered across his face as he processed the strange sensation in his mind.
It felt as if every trace of Electro in the world was gravitating toward him, embracing him. With a single thought, all the Electro elements could be bent to his will, harnessed as his power.
"This is the… power of a god?"
Instinctively, Scaramouche wanted to raise his hand to inspect his palm.
However, as he moved, the Shouki no Kami—now fully fused with him—also raised its massive hand.
The motion startled the nearby Akademiya staff, causing one of them to cry out in alarm.
"Take it easy," came the voice of Dottore from the control room.
"Your consciousness is now completely synchronized with the Shouki no Kami. Whatever you do, it does too. Don't let a moment of excitement bring this place down around us."
"Hmph."
Scaramouche's expression twisted in disdain. "I don't need you to remind me."
"Finally, you've achieved your goal—becoming a new god among mortals. Next, is it time to return to Inazuma and take your revenge?"
"This power still requires further refinement…" Scaramouche muttered darkly, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Once I fully ascend to godhood, all grievances will be erased!"
Although he now possessed the power of a Gnosis and the authority of a god, he couldn't yet compare to deities who had lived for millennia.
Thus, he resolved to bide his time in Sumeru, letting his power grow. Only then would he return to Inazuma to settle his scores.
"For now, you've just begun the fusion process. Until you've fully absorbed this power, it's best to stay put and behave yourself. I've got other matters to attend to—farewell."
With that, Dottore turned and left the control room. Midway, as though recalling something, he turned back to Scaramouche.
"Oh, by the way, Brighella mentioned that he's prepared a gift to celebrate your ascension. Perhaps you should ask him about it yourself."
"Hmph…"
Scaramouche scoffed, recalling Luo Qing's smug, indolent demeanor.
Having skipped Rosalyne's funeral, he had also missed Luo Qing's conferral ceremony. Even now, he couldn't understand why the Tsaritsa would recruit such a lazy, unremarkable individual.
Doesn't that just drag down the dignity of the Harbingers?
Shaking his head, Scaramouche dismissed thoughts of Luo Qing and paid little mind to the so-called "gift" mentioned by Dottore.
Instead, he focused his thoughts, sensing the Electro elements around him.
His godly consciousness unfurled like an enormous net, spreading outward from the Jingliu Workshop.
Within the range of his awareness, he could summon lightning at will.
Discovering this, a smirk crept across his face. He decided to test his newfound godly power.
Soon, his attention fell upon a group of Eremites resting by a riverbank.
Exhausted from half a day's journey, the Eremites were just setting up camp for a break.
Suddenly, a loud thunderclap echoed from the clear, sunny skies.
In an instant, the group of Eremites—unlucky despite the bright weather—collapsed on the spot, frothing at the mouth and unconscious.
"Hmph… Not bad."
With his consciousness alone, Scaramouche could perceive his surroundings without relying on his physical eyes.
This peculiar power brought him a rare sense of satisfaction.
Guided by curiosity, he expanded the reach of his awareness toward the Akademiya, intending to observe the scholars who always looked down on others.
Like an immense spiderweb, his consciousness stretched toward the city of Sumeru.
At first, everything proceeded smoothly.
But soon, Scaramouche noticed something unusual.
In a small area within Sumeru City, his awareness could not penetrate.
Even the Electro elements there refused to respond to him.
"What's going on here…"
Perplexed, Scaramouche fixated on the anomaly, observing the location from the periphery of his awareness.
It was an unassuming two-story house.
"Why can't I control it…"
Feeling his divine authority challenged, Scaramouche poured more of his will into overcoming the barrier and commanding the Electro within that house.
---
Luo Qing's Home, Second Floor
In a cozy room, Ei lay languidly on her side atop a bed. Her loose kimono revealed a tantalizing expanse of pale skin at her chest.
Her long legs were entirely exposed, with only the hem of her kimono barely concealing the absolute territory between them.
The sight was nothing short of mesmerizing.
Propping her head with one hand, she held a light novel in the other. On the small table beside the bed, a variety of Sumeru pastries were laid out.
"I don't remember you being such a homebody before," Makoto said as she entered, resembling a doting elder sister. She began picking up the scattered trash and tidying the room.
Glancing at Ei's bare legs, Makoto gave her a playful smack. "I know you can't wear much under a kimono, but can't you at least cover up a little? What if Luo Qing comes back and sees you like this?"
"So what if he does…" Ei murmured under her breath, thinking, We've already shared a bed. What's there to hide anymore? Besides, didn't he already 'devour' you, dear sister?
Makoto sighed, exasperated at her younger sister's slothful demeanor.
"Alright, I've finished cleaning. Don't mess it up again too quickly," Makoto warned before leaving the room.
Watching her sister's retreating figure, so domestic and maternal, Ei smirked and hummed lightly, returning her attention to her book.
Just as she prepared to immerse herself once more in her novel, a strange probing presence brushed against the mental barrier she had set up.
After Luo Qing had explained the Akademiya's capabilities with their Void Terminal, she had erected a protective screen around the house to prevent any external intrusion or manipulation.
No one should have been able to penetrate it, let alone control anything inside.
Yet now, this intrusive presence felt oddly familiar, though Ei couldn't quite place it.
Still, the very idea of someone spying on her in her current state—wearing only a loose kimono—was unacceptable.
Focusing her will, she strengthened the barrier, decisively blocking the intruder.
---
Back at the Workshop
"This… This is impossible!"
No matter how hard Scaramouche tried, he couldn't breach the defenses of that small house.
How could this be?
He was a god now! How could there exist a power that could resist him?
Could it be the Dendro Archon?
But wasn't she imprisoned by the Akademiya?
Who could it possibly be…?
---
Ah, Reader. You've stayed for the bonus chapter—how delightful.
Even amidst the quiet of eternity, there's joy to be found in shared moments like this.
If you wish to offer your strength, step forward: [patreon.com/WiseTL].
Each effort helps to shape a world where such moments can thrive.
— Ei
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