[Watching you protect one another layer upon layer, Red Kite Immortal parted her lips slightly, yet did not even have the interest to say anything.]
[She only took a deep look at you, then turned and left, strolling leisurely without a speck of dust tainting her.]
Until Red Kite Immortal had walked completely far away, Otto finally lowered his outstretched arms and let out a long breath.
Immediately following, his legs went limp as if the bones had been sucked out of them, causing his body to uncontrollably lean backward.
He did not fall; instead, he tumbled into a warm embrace.
“Scared like this?” Lucien’s teasing voice came over.
“No,” Otto said, his face flushing slightly and his heart skipping a beat as he shook his head, “I’m not scared at all.”
Hearing this, Lucien chuckled inexplicably and said:
“How nice.”
“Nice?” Otto asked, puzzled.
“Isn’t it nice?
In just the blink of an eye, you were able to stand in front of me and say you weren’t afraid,” Lucien explained.
After hearing the explanation, Otto laughed along, “It really is nice.
From now on, I’ll be the one protecting you.”
Kallen, who was sitting slumped on the grass nearby, watched the two of them laughing happily for no apparent reason, scratched her head, and started laughing too.
[With the Platinum Retinue suffering heavy casualties, they naturally had no way to bring new ideas to the land of Shenzhou anymore, and this fairytale-like “Eastern Expedition” came to an end.]
[You, Kallen, and Otto led the scapegoating commander-in-chief and the remaining remnants to retreat back to Europe.]
[On the way back, Kallen discussed this Eastern Expedition with you.]
[After battling the Red Kite Immortal, she began to have doubts.]
[She doubted Destiny’s conduct this time, doubted the significance of leading an army to the Kipchak Steppe, and doubted the legitimacy of the war…]
[Yet you only smiled, patted her head, and told her that Destiny initiating a war of aggression was undoubtedly evil.]
[However, the legitimacy of your actions in leading the Platinum Retinue to offer liberation to the world was absolutely beyond question.]
[If there was any fault, it was merely that you failed to win this final battle.]
[These words were not false.]
[If you had won, or if the Immortal hadn’t stopped you and let you step into the territory of the Ming Empire to do as you pleased, everything would have only moved in a good direction.]
[It wasn’t because your liberation could achieve immense success, but rather that after being baptized by this advanced ideology, the future Shenzhou wouldn’t fall too far behind, nor would it have to endure such severe beatings.]
[However, you didn’t really care about that anyway.]
[You just hoped to use this method to block the stain falling on Kallen and help refine her ideology along the way.]
[For you, the current outcome might not necessarily be a bad thing.]
[…]
[Judging by complex human emotions, the unfinished state of things is always more eye-catching, and similarly, unfulfilled matters are more easily recalled time and again.]
[Many people in later generations boldly hypothesized about the end of Destiny’s Eastern Expedition, and they usually had only one thought: If the Platinum Retinue had truly stepped into the territory of the Ming Empire, would everything have become different?]
[Unfortunately, this thought will never get a definitive answer.]
[After returning to European territory, the commander of the Platinum Retinue was angrily beheaded by Destiny Bishop Nikolas in league with other upper-class bigwigs.]
[The “quiet” shift in the nature of the war and the defeat at the Kipchak Steppe brought painful losses to Destiny.]
[To make up for the losses brought by these wars, Destiny ultimately chose to issue “Indulgences”, further intensifying extortion in the name of faith.]
[This also made the conflicting relationship between Destiny and the already struggling citizens of various Western European countries increasingly intense.]
[Seeing the people living in dire poverty, Destiny glossed over the peace.]
[Hearing complaints filling the roads, Destiny used a heavy hand to silence them.]
[Kallen witnessed everything that happened; some she could change, and some she could never change, causing her dissatisfaction and doubts toward Destiny to continuously accumulate deep in her heart.]
[By chance, she unexpectedly encountered a special “performance”.]
[A masked red-haired girl stood on a high platform, holding a sharp sword, proclaiming justice while cursing Destiny.]
[Even with Destiny’s lackeys swarming around, she remained fearless and undaunted.]
[Upon seeing this, Kallen immediately felt that she was a pillar of the people, and thus rescued her.]
[In the end, Kallen unexpectedly acquired the mask that the red-haired girl had once worn.]
[At the same time, the seeds of rebellion sprouted deep within her heart.]
At noon, at the dessert shop.
Having finished off a strawberry cake, Kallen stood under the warm sunlight, the mask half-hiding her charming face as she smiled brightly, “How is it, how is it?
Am I cool?”
Lucien and Otto, sitting opposite her, exchanged glances and chuckled as well.
“Right, right, right, so cool, huh?” This was Lucien.
“Yes, yes, yes, it really is quite cool.” Otto chimed in.
Kallen pouted as she watched the two of them tag-team “brushing her off”, but the next second, as if thinking of something, she smiled even more happily.
Let’s go steal their gold coins!
Phantom Thief Kallen!
Let them know that justice still exists in this world!” she said with a smile.
Hearing this, Otto and Lucien fell silent together.
This was a momentous matter, and Otto was waiting for Lucien’s reaction.
Meanwhile, Lucien was deep in thought.
[You thought that after experiencing all those previous events, Kallen’s ideological level would become even “higher” than before.]
[Even if she didn’t start a revolution, she should at least raise an army to seize that bishop’s bird position, right?]
[You didn’t expect her to still pull off something like a phantom thief.]
[Oh well.]
[Without leaving “home” it’s hard to grow up; without experiencing trials, one remains naive in old age.]
[Growth is not something that happens overnight, nor can it be exchanged simply by speaking a few grand principles with one’s mouth.]
[Since Kallen has an idea, you are also willing to accompany her in making a fuss.]
[Without counting the time closely, it had been a long time since you last saw such a pure smile on her face.]
[Willing to enter the bitter sea as a boat amidst the towering waves of the mortal world.]
[Only…]
[Let us hope her “growth” in the future won’t be too painful.]
Lucien shook his head slightly, shaking off the intertwined thoughts in his mind, and then walked behind Kallen with a chuckle, resting his hands on her shoulders like a lingering spirit.
“The idea of a phantom thief is indeed not bad, but every mature phantom thief has a set of exclusive attire.
Do you need me to help you design one?” he coaxed patiently like this.
As his voice fell, Kallen, whose face had been blushing shyly while she lightly scratched her cheek with her index finger, instantly changed her expression as if nothing had happened, her azure eyes sparkling with tiny starlight:
“Yay!
Are we setting off right now?”
“Um, you first—”
Otto watched the two interacting and chatting cheerfully, his eyes shifting between light and shadow as he fell into a brief trance.
He lowered his head and looked at the teacup in front of him.
The deep red tea soup had not the slightest ripple, resembling an exceptionally fine mirror.
Otto gazed at himself in the mirror, examining his own self.
Right at this moment, a plate of cake was silently pushed in front of him, thus bursting into his field of vision.