Eldritch Horror Theatre

She was young, after all. It made sense that she still cared about such things.

Naturally, Fu Qian completely understood volunteer Lotte’s final request.

Whether it was wearing her sister’s pajamas or offering herself up in a sacrificial seduction attempt, both were the sort of epic feats that could keep a person tossing and turning in bed years later whenever the memory resurfaced.

Young people were still a bit lacking in the art of self-deception; Lotte clearly found it difficult to convince herself that it had all just been a dream.

”Alright. But you don’t need to treat it as a stain that has to be erased.”

Fu Qian readily agreed.

Growing up always meant accumulating a few memories you wished you and everyone else could forget, but true growth often manifested the moment you realized that.

Of course, Fu Qian wasn’t actually that interested in moral education. He only offered this casual guidance as a small return for Veil’s earlier behavior.

Even without him emphasizing it, she had consciously chosen to keep his information confidential to avoid any negative consequences.

Such tact truly made her a delightful trading partner....

”Thank you... I will try my best.”

Chicken soup for the soul worked differently depending on who served it. It was obvious that Lotte, having just outgrown her chuuni phase, was quite touched in that moment—even if it didn’t quite trigger a sudden enlightenment.

After a long silence culminating in her solemn expression of thanks, the tension between her brows seemed to ease a fraction more.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn’t give her any more time to digest his words. With a casual snap of his fingers, the inspection instantly came to a perfect close.

Yet even as the dream shattered and they returned to reality, their surroundings remained surprisingly peaceful and serene.

The three people waiting outside the door seemed to be holding their breath, straining their ears with all their might for any sound from within.

Considering there hadn’t been a single sound since the start, this gossipy curiosity was perfectly normal.

”Thank you very much. We can set off now.”

Fu Qian, never one to ruin a mood, immediately offered an extra concluding remark to let the eavesdroppers’ imaginations run even wilder.

”Understood... Thank you for your hard work, Excellency.”

The moment they returned to reality, Lotte seamlessly switched her emotional state, going from partly cloudy to completely overcast.

Of course, she still gave a polite response to Fu Qian’s words.

For her older sister, this was enough to put her mind slightly at ease and conclude that the interaction had gone smoothly.

...

”Thank you.”

Veil’s immediate thanks the moment she was let inside was proof enough.

A second later, after looking her younger sister up and down and confirming that her emotional index had actually improved slightly, her own expression brightened in tandem.

The examination had just taken place within a dream. Having experienced it once herself, Veil naturally figured that out right away.

Precisely because of this, she had been worried that her sister might be triggered by the setting and refuse to cooperate.

She still had faith in Mr. Fu’s character, of course. Now that the test results were confirmed, it was time to smoothly proceed to fulfilling the reward.

”I just thought about it, and since I don’t have much going on today, I’ll go with you.”

But before the two sisters could say anything else, Professor Lanaya—who had just finished shooing the trouble away—suddenly spoke up after a moment of hesitation.

”I checked earlier, and it’s both of their first times here. Just to be safe, I’ll tag along and keep an eye on things.”

Curiosity truly was one of humanity’s finest qualities.

Seeing Professor Lanaya acting so serious and responsible, Fu Qian couldn’t help but marvel.

It certainly wasn’t because she had suddenly remembered her sacred duties or anything of the sort.

Judging by how her eyes had darted between him and Lotte ever since she re-entered the room, it was clear that this seemingly complicated situation had thoroughly piqued her gossipy nature.

Tagging along naturally involved a sense of duty to ensure nothing went wrong, but her main motivation was likely just to satisfy her curiosity—such as figuring out exactly what kind of relationship these two sisters had with him.

Fu Qian naturally didn’t mind this overactive imagination; after all, that was one of the very reasons he had acted that way just now.

With an extra set of eyes from the Disciplinary Department watching, Professor Lisa would undoubtedly take things a bit more seriously, if only to uphold the prestige of Apocalypse.

Of course, Lanaya wasn’t the only one feeling curious.

...

”What... you want me to help treat her hand?”

”I’m very busy, you know. Why don’t you do it yourself? What’s your relationship with them?”

Not long after, inside a tall, solemn Tower whose interior brimmed with the warmth of spring, Professor Lisa—the outstanding young academic he hadn’t seen in days—stared wide-eyed at Fu Qian and fired off those very questions.

Although they had claimed to be in no rush, the Veil Sisters raised absolutely no objections when Fu Qian suggested leaving immediately. They packed their things at near light-speed and embarked on their medical journey.

And just as he had confirmed with Classmate Liushuang on the way to breakfast, the highly anticipated Professor Lisa was indeed still buried in her Laboratory, bitterly researching the spoils from their previous academic expedition.

It was easy to tell that this Bone Mask, harvested from the giant bat, was causing her quite a bit of trouble.

Although she wouldn’t get dark circles under her eyes over it—possessing first-rate Combat Power just below the Demigod Realm—the sheer frustration brought on by her lack of progress was blatantly obvious at a glance.

So, when Fu Qian interrupted her research to hand out work assignments, that foul mood was unleashed almost instantly.

”I owe them a favor.”

Fu Qian stated the facts plainly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

’You owe them a favor?’

’One is an ordinary person, and the other is still a step away from Mid Tier. You are a dignified Demigod of Apocalypse—what kind of trouble could you possibly have that requires their help?’

Although she didn’t voice it aloud, this heavy suspicion was palpable in the shifting expressions on Professor Lisa’s face.

Under her scrutinizing gaze, the Veil Sisters—visiting an institute of higher learning for the first time—were clearly a bit at a loss.

This was especially true given that Professor Lisa, despite her overwhelmingly charming aura, was wearing a pristine white lab coat and looked incredibly professional.

”And Cass isn’t here.”

The atmosphere was delicate, but that could hardly stump a professional so skilled at breaking the ice. Fu Qian quickly offered another reason.

”I know he isn’t here, but aren’t you still around? Even if you wanted to slack off, there are so many other people! How did this suddenly fall into my lap?”

However, Lisa—having finally found an outlet to vent—didn’t seem so easily persuaded. She kept her brows furrowed and continued voicing her objections.

”No, no, you misunderstood my meaning.”

Fu Qian immediately waved his hands.

”What I meant is that, as one of the only two Demigods in Apocalypse, with Cass away, I am naturally the person in charge. This project didn’t just fall into your lap—I’m officially assigning it to you.”

...

’I...’

It was clear that Professor Fu’s angle of response was truly novel, leaving his audience reeling from the impact.

Seeing his arrogant expression, Professor Lisa—as the unfortunate recipient of this forced assignment—felt a sudden urge to punch him. But after opening her mouth several times to speak, she ultimately couldn’t find a way to argue back.

Outranking someone by a single tier was an absolute advantage. Even though the Academy was an academic circle, it was still an academic circle within the transcendent realm.

Even if Cass would never force her to do something she didn’t want to do.

”And then I’ll owe you a favor as well.”

Amidst her silent grumbling, she heard the interim spokesperson of Apocalypse continue speaking.