The Blue.
Inside Herta’s private residence.
An extravagant chamber had been decorated with enough luxury to resemble the audience hall of an eccentric monarch.
At its center, a striking woman sat with one leg crossed over the other on a purple throne-like chair.
A pointed mage’s hat rested atop her head, while an ornate staff remained within easy reach.
She wore a gothic purple dress with black stockings and tall boots.
Her violet eyes possessed an irresistible brilliance that seemed capable of drawing in anyone who looked at them.
Yes.
This was Madam Pointy Hat herself.
No.
That was not right.
This was the young, beautiful, and incomparably brilliant Madam Herta.
Member Number 83 of the Genius Society.
She was also one of the rare individuals recognized as an Emanator of Erudition.
Herta was without equal.
Herta’s beauty could make the stars themselves seem dull.
Herta was.
Ahem.
A miniature Herta puppet was quietly removed from the narration.
Herta had just finished a plate of pastries and was preparing to return to her research.
Then she noticed the growing number of red warning markers on the display before her.
Her eyebrows drew together.
“What is happening?”
“Why are more of my puppets disconnecting?”
Asta had previously informed her that Puppet Number 91 could not be found.
Herta had not considered it particularly important at the time.
It was only one puppet.
There were dozens aboard Herta Space Station, along with many more stored throughout her various properties.
Losing one was inconvenient, but hardly disastrous.
However, more than thirty puppets aboard the station had now disconnected from the network.
That could no longer be dismissed as a minor technical failure.
One puppet might have malfunctioned and collapsed somewhere beyond the surveillance system’s reach.
More than thirty puppets vanishing within a short period could not possibly be an accident.
Something was happening aboard the station.
If Herta ignored the problem, even more puppets might disappear.
Most of them had their own assigned duties.
Losing too many at once could disrupt the station’s daily operations.
More importantly, two of the missing puppets were responsible for helping maintain the Simulated Universe.
That was the project Herta cared about above all others.
It represented one of her best opportunities to study the Aeons.
The moment she noticed that those two puppets had also disconnected, the situation received her full attention.
“Could this be a programming error?”
“Perhaps some kind of memetic virus.”
“That still would not explain why the physical puppets disappeared.”
“Interesting.”
“I have never encountered anything quite like this.”
“Asta probably cannot resolve it on her own.”
“It appears I will have to investigate personally.”
“I can inspect the Simulated Universe while I am there.”
…
Herta Space Station.
Storage Zone.
A secluded archive room.
Herta stood with one hand beneath her chin as her violet eyes examined the room.
It was an ordinary data archive.
Rows of black servers stood along both walls, storing portions of the station’s research records.
Several decorative plants and information terminals occupied the remaining space.
Nothing immediately appeared unusual.
Herta slowly walked forward and carefully examined every corner.
At the far end of the room, she discovered one of her puppets lying beside the wall.
The small Herta puppet remained completely motionless, its eyes closed.
There were no visible signs of damage.
In fact, its surface appeared cleaner and more polished than before.
Herta crouched beside the puppet and performed a quick examination.
Her confusion deepened.
“Strange.”
“There is no mechanical damage.”
“All internal systems appear normal, yet I cannot establish a connection or reactivate it.”
“The records show that ten puppets disconnected inside this room.”
“Why is there only one here?”
An unfamiliar sense of unease settled over her.
It felt as though something troublesome was about to happen.
“I should take this puppet back and perform a complete diagnostic.”
Herta bent down and reached beneath the puppet’s arms.
Just as she prepared to lift it.
“Surprise.”
“You walked directly into Kai’s trap.”
“Hehe.”
Herta immediately retreated and spun around.
The door behind her had sealed itself completely.
A charming young woman with long black twin ponytails now stood between Herta and the exit.
This was bad.
Someone had carefully arranged the entire situation.
The moment Herta saw Kai, she understood.
The missing puppets were connected to this woman.
Kai had taken them specifically to lure Herta away from her residence and into this isolated room.
Someone had arranged an ambush inside Herta’s own space station without her detecting the slightest trace.
That left only one reasonable conclusion.
The woman before her possessed the power of an Emanator.
This was going to be troublesome.
Herta had arrived without any specialized equipment.
It was possible to surprise an Emanator of Erudition and gain an advantage.
Giving one enough time to prepare was another matter entirely.
With sufficient preparation, an Emanator of Erudition could become terrifying on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, Herta had prepared for an investigation.
She had not prepared to fight another Emanator.
The situation was far from ideal.
Herta summoned her staff and watched Kai carefully.
“You used my puppets to lure me here.”
“What exactly do you want?”
“As expected of Herta.”
“You understood everything immediately.”
Kai clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head.
A sweet smile appeared on her face.
“Please relax.”
“Kai does not mean you any harm.”
Herta remained completely unmoved by her harmless appearance.
“You expect me to believe that.”
Her voice was cold and openly suspicious.
Kai puffed out her cheeks.
She crouched on the floor and looked up at Herta with a deeply wounded expression.
“Herta thinks so poorly of Kai.”
“Kai’s heart is completely broken.”
“It will take at least ten kisses to recover.”
Herta stared at her.
There was clearly something wrong with this woman.
Kai had stolen her puppets, infiltrated her station, and arranged an ambush.
Somehow, Kai was now acting like the injured party.
Herta refused to lower her guard.
“Enough acting.”
“Explain why you brought me here.”
“Otherwise, I will attack.”
Kai instantly rose to her feet.
Her sorrowful expression disappeared, replaced by a cheerful smile.
“That will not help.”
“Unless Kai is mistaken, you did not bring any of your specialized equipment.”
“You cannot defeat Kai in your current condition.”
“Hehehe.”
“Herta belongs to Kai now.”
Herta’s grip tightened around her staff.
Kai knew far too much about her.
That made the situation even more dangerous.
Kai approached with light, almost skipping steps.
The distance between them gradually shrank.
Her cheerful smile became increasingly unsettling.
Her pale blue eyes studied Herta from head to toe with far too much enthusiasm.
A chill passed through Herta.
This woman was looking at her in a deeply suspicious way.
Waiting helplessly was not an option.
She was Herta.
Even without preparation, she would not surrender to another Emanator.
Herta raised her staff and aimed it at Kai.
“I am warning you.”
“Take another step, and I will attack.”
Kai said nothing.
She merely continued smiling and walking forward.
A powerful beam of energy erupted from Herta’s staff.
It passed straight through Kai’s body.
The next moment, Kai dissolved into a thin cloud of blue smoke.
Herta blinked.
An illusion.
Kai appeared directly in front of her.
Herta reacted immediately and swung her staff.
Kai caught it with one hand.
Before Herta could pull it back, Kai effortlessly tore the weapon from her grasp.
Kai stepped closer and planted one hand against the wall beside Herta’s head.
Herta found herself trapped between Kai and the wall.
Color rushed into her face.
She clenched her teeth and glared at Kai.
“What are you trying to do?”
Kai smiled and gently touched Herta’s cheek.
Her skin was warm, smooth, and remarkably soft.
“You are pushing your luck.”
“I may not be able to defeat you in my current condition, but that does not give you permission to humiliate me.”
“If necessary, I will bring this entire room down around us.”
Herta clenched her fist.
Her expression made it clear that she was fully prepared to follow through on the threat.
Kai reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Herta’s expression became slightly less furious.
Then one of Herta’s boots suddenly slipped from her foot.
Kai immediately dropped to the floor and looked up at her with eager anticipation.
“Herta.”
“Please step on Kai.”
Silence.
Herta stared down at her.
“What is wrong with you?”
◉◉◉◉◉
Save to library!