章節 145: Villain Simulator, Ch 144

Lucas faced his dissolution with remarkable calm. After all, everything he had done was for Kitsune Saiguu's survival. With that goal achieved, he felt at peace, even as his body began to fade.

"No… don't go…"

For the first time, panic crossed Kitsune Saiguu's face. She desperately tried to hold onto Lucas's arm, but she couldn't stop his physical form from vanishing.

Was this how their hard-won reunion would end—so bitterly?

"Don't leave me…" Tears streamed down her face as she cried out, "Everything is over. Why does it have to be this way?"

"Don't worry. I'm not dying," Lucas said softly, trying to reassure her. "I'll be waiting for you… in the future."

"The future?" Kitsune Saiguu's trembling voice carried a note of confusion. "How far into the future?"

"Five hundred years," Lucas replied, inventing a time span long enough to heal her grief. "Promise me, live well. I'll be waiting for you in five hundred years."

He turned to Yae Miko, his voice warm with affection despite the gravity of the moment. "Take care of Saiguu. And behave yourself—otherwise, in five hundred years, you'll answer to me."

Sniffling, Yae Miko wiped at her eyes. "You'd better not be lying!" she choked out.

"Of course not, I…"

Before Lucas could finish, his body dissolved completely into radiant particles of light, leaving only his clothes behind.

"Five hundred years…" Kitsune Saiguu murmured, clutching his clothes tightly to her chest. "I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

[Mission Complete: Save Kitsune Saiguu]

[Talent Reward: Inazuma Affinity]

[Effect: Significantly increases the likelihood of gaining favor with creatures of Inazuma.]

It seemed that Lucas's actions had inadvertently saved all of Inazuma, leading to this reward.

[Simulation Complete]

[Cause of Death: Sacrificing life as the price of a pact with Istaroth.]

[Rewards have been sent and can be viewed at any time.]

[Please choose a permanent talent: "Great Onmyouji," "Affinity with Yokai," or "Childhood Friend."]

The choice was obvious.

Affinity with Yokai was already covered by Inazuma Affinity.

Childhood Friend wouldn't have much use in reality—besides, if a childhood friend suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it wouldn't be "childhood" anymore but more of a "fated encounter."

[Selected "Great Onmyouji" as permanent talent.]

Back in reality, Lucas felt as though he had just watched an epic film where he was the lead. The entire narrative had come to a sudden stop at the climax.

He knew that the simulator operated within a parallel universe. That's why he had told Saiguu and Miko such a comforting lie.

Time could change many things. Five hundred years would surely be enough for them to overcome the pain of his loss.

Gazing out at the starry sky, Lucas whispered to himself, "I wonder if they, in that other world, can see the same stars I do."

Meanwhile, in Inazuma, Narukami Shrine.

Beneath the vast expanse of the night sky, a pink-haired, fox-eared shrine maiden gently shook a divination stick from its holder. One stick fell to the ground.

The maiden was none other than Yae Miko. She casually muttered an incantation, and the fallen stick floated into her hand.

Great Fortune.

"There's no point in drawing another one," said a voice behind her. A shrine maiden wearing a white fox mask appeared, smiling faintly. "You've drawn Great Fortune eight times in a row. Surely your wish will come true."

"Let me guess—you replaced all the sticks with Great Fortune, didn't you?" Yae Miko shot her a knowing smile. "I'm not so gullible, you know."

"Tch, you're no fun. I miss the little fox who used to be so easy to tease," the masked maiden replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, fortune-telling sticks are just superstition."

"Superstition or not, they're one of our main sources of offerings," Yae Miko said with a resigned smile. "You know, as the former Chief Priest of Narukami Shrine, it doesn't sound great when you say such things."

The maiden removed her mask, revealing short, snow-white hair and a playful grin. "Time flies, doesn't it? Five hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye."

If Lucas were here, he would have been utterly stunned—this maiden was Kitsune Saiguu!

In the original story, Kitsune Saiguu should have perished five hundred years ago, consumed by the Abyssal Dark Will.

But Lucas's intervention had altered the timeline. Five centuries ago, Kitsune Saiguu survived, while Lucas, playing the role of Kamuna Harunosuke, sacrificed himself to save her, leaving behind the promise of a reunion five hundred years later.

Perhaps even Lucas didn't realize that the simulator wasn't merely a parallel universe. It could alter reality itself, much like Raiden Makoto planting the Sacred Sakura's seed in the past.

"Yes, five hundred years…" Yae Miko sighed softly. "Do you think he'll truly come back? Or were those just empty words to comfort us?"

"Even if they were lies," Kitsune Saiguu said, her expression resolute, "I believe we'll meet again. And besides, does it have to be exactly five hundred years? A little margin of error is normal."

For beings of their long-lived lineage, a few more years—or even decades—hardly mattered.

"You're right," Yae Miko agreed, nodding. "I've already prepared some portraits of Ashan. If we don't hear anything soon, we can distribute them as missing-person posters. Better than waiting endlessly, don't you think?"

"That scoundrel made us wait this long," Kitsune Saiguu said with a mischievous smile. "When he shows up, we'll have to properly 'punish' him."

....

The Next Morning

Lucas woke up early.

Having ended the simulation the previous night, he'd gone to bed feeling drained. Upon waking, he remembered he hadn't yet checked his rewards from the simulation.

He opened the system panel and found three A-grade blind boxes and five B-grade loot boxes.

Following his usual practice, he combined the three A-grade boxes into an S-grade loot box and opened all the B-grade ones.

[Opened S-grade loot box.]

[Reward: Shimenawa's Reminiscence (4-piece set).]

[Effect 1: Increases ATK by 18%.]

[Effect 2: After using an Elemental Skill, physical attack damage is increased by 50% for 10 seconds. This effect cannot stack and can activate once per minute.]

[Opened B-grade loot boxes.]

[Rewards: "Shikigami Talismans," "Shikigami Talismans," "Asura's Flame Kill Talisman," "Five Thunder Strike Talisman," "Universal Wind Dragon Talisman," and "Barrier Defense Talisman."]

[Shikigami Talisman]: Enables the user to claim a defeated or willing entity as a shikigami.

[Asura's Flame Kill Talisman]: Summons infernal hellfire to attack enemies. (Remaining uses: 3/3)

[Five Thunder Strike Talisman]: Summons heavenly thunder to strike random targets in range. (Remaining uses: 3/3)

[Universal Wind Dragon Talisman]: Summons tornadoes of stormy winds to attack enemies. (Remaining uses: 3/3)

[Barrier Defense Talisman]: Creates a protective barrier that blocks external attacks. (Remaining uses: 3/3)

These talismans function similarly to magic scrolls in a world of sword and sorcery, storing spells for use when needed. The difference lies in the medium—these are talismans imbued with Onmyoudo magic.

Even those without significant magical prowess or a Vision can activate these talismans, though it still requires some energy. However, talismans are consumables; once their charges are depleted, they become mere scraps of paper unless recharged by an Onmyouji.

What Lucas didn't realize was that by altering the timeline, he had unintentionally erased Kamuna Harunosuke's journey to Liyue to master Onmyoudo, leading to the art's absence in the current Inazuma.

Yet the foundational knowledge imparted by Mountain Shaper remained intact in Lucas's mind. With his [Great Onmyouji] talent, recreating the Onmyoudo system was only a matter of time and effort.

A cheerful knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by an energetic voice:

"Papa! Wake up! If you don't open the door, Klee's gonna blow it up!"

Klee's voice?

Startled, Lucas sprang out of bed and hurried to open the door, knowing her well enough to take the threat seriously.

Sure enough, little Klee was standing at the door, grinning from ear to ear. Behind her was a tall, blue-haired woman—Eula.

"Papa!" Klee squealed, throwing herself into Lucas's arms and nuzzling against his chest. "Good morning!"

"Klee? Eula?" Lucas rubbed his sleepy eyes, still groggy. "What are you two doing here?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," Eula said with a haughty tilt of her head. "I'm not here for you. Klee wanted to visit, and I couldn't let her come alone, so I brought her."

"Is this Papa's room?" Klee asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she took in the surroundings. "Can I explore?"

Children are always curious about new spaces, especially when it's someone they care about.

The room, a guest suite arranged by the Knights of Favonius, wasn't as luxurious as the Goth Grand Hotel but was spacious enough for a small child to run around.

"Such a waste of my time," Eula muttered, stepping into the room herself. She glanced around, frowning. "Why isn't there anywhere to sit?"

"It's a bedroom," Lucas explained. "There's no need for extra chairs. If you don't mind, feel free to sit on the bed. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Hot cocoa!" Klee exclaimed, waving her hands.

"Red tea for me," Eula said, making herself comfortable on Lucas's bed. "Preferably freshly picked from Wolvendom and brewed with dew water."

"You think I'd have something like that here?" Lucas sighed, exasperated. "I've got regular tea."

"Fine, I'll settle for that," Eula huffed. "This is what commoner life must be like."

As Lucas headed to the kitchen, Klee explored every nook and cranny of the room, while Eula, bored, leaned back on her hands. Her fingers brushed against something soft, and she instinctively picked it up.

Her face turned crimson. In her hand was a pair of men's boxers.

The fabric, made of silken thread from Qingce Village, was embroidered in Liyue's characteristic style. From the faint stretch marks, it was obvious they had just been worn.

Normally, she would have thrown it aside in disgust. But realizing it belonged to Lucas, she inexplicably found herself lifting it closer to inspect it.

Even from a distance, she caught a faint scent of sweat—not entirely unpleasant, though slightly sharp. Unbidden, she leaned closer and sniffed.

Was this Lucas's scent?

Eula's face burned hotter. As her mind whirled in embarrassment, the kitchen door suddenly opened.

"Here's the tea," Lucas said, stepping out with drinks in hand. He paused, noticing Eula sitting unnaturally stiff on the bed, her hands behind her back, her face as red as a sunset.

"You okay?" he asked, puzzled. "You look… off."

"N-nothing," Eula stammered, too flustered to discard the boxers, so she stuffed them into her pocket. "I've just… never been in a man's room before."

"Sorry about the mess," Lucas said, oblivious. "By the way, what brings you two here?"

"Oh no! I almost forgot!" Klee suddenly raised her hand excitedly. "It's Thursday! The Good Hunter restaurant has their special limited-edition Mondstadt meat pie today—with a free toy! Papa, let's go get some!"

"Alright, alright," Lucas said indulgently, patting her head. "I'll take you. Eula, you're coming too, right? My treat."

"I don't need your charity," Eula said with a sniff, crossing her arms. "But I was planning to eat at the Good Hunter today, so I suppose I'll join you."

Mondstadt, Good Hunter Restaurant

"Good day. May the Anemo Archon bless you," Sara, the waitress, greeted them with a warm smile. "What would you like to order?"

"I'll have a Mondstadt Meat Pie Combo!"

Two voices spoke at once.

Lucas turned to find himself face-to-face with a golden-haired girl standing at the counter beside him.

----

Author's Note: Guess who's here...