By the street in front of the First Research Institute.
Mobius and Blanca sat on a bench by the street, each holding a canned coffee.
They watched as the pedestrians were cleared out by soldiers wearing Fire-MOTH insignias, followed by armored vehicles ruthlessly driving down the street and rushing into the First Research Institute.
"Doctor, the United Government has dropped the charges against us, and the information leaked online has also been blocked."
Mobius withdrew her gaze and took a sip of the canned coffee in her hand. The sweet and rich taste dissolved in her mouth, clearing her mind.
"Very normal. That construction site has already been leveled, and those trash who took the money have been sent to the sky. Dead men tell no tales, so what's the point of holding onto it?"
Speaking of this, a cold sneer appeared on Mobius's face.
"Whether I was falsely accused or not, do you think those old geezers who framed me don't know?"
"They were just waiting for me to beg them so they could extort a massive price."
"Now that the people are dead and the debt is erased, if they still cling to this matter, then there's nothing more to say. We might as well just tear off all pretenses."
Blanca held the canned coffee, counting the armored vehicles passing by in front of her. Hearing Mobius's words, she let out a sigh of relief.
"In other words, this matter ends here?"
"At least for us, yes."
Mobius shook the can in her hand, finding there was still quite a bit left, took another sip, and said:
"Now they have more important things to do. They won't have the time to bother with me for a short while."
What Mobius referred to was naturally the remains of the First Herrscher.
She didn't know how that Elysia's Herrscher persona did it, but after the corpse revived, it smashed right through the high-risk items containment vault beneath the First Research Institute.
The defense system set up by Fire-MOTH, which was enough to stop an Emperor-class Honkai beast, was torn apart in front of her like paper.
And coincidentally, one exit of the underground passage happened to be the newly built laboratory that was shut down due to a "construction accident," so it was leveled along the way.
Mobius guessed this was definitely intentional on the part of Elysia's Herrscher persona.
However, bringing a corpse back to life?
Could it be that Elysia's Herrscher authority was actually Life and Death?
Just as the name Elysia crossed Mobius's mind, a flash of pink appeared in her vision.
She saw a pink figure dash past her eyes, seemingly heading straight for the First Research Institute.
Mobius looked at the retreating back, blinked, and tentatively called out, "Elysia?"
Hearing Mobius's call, the sprinting pink figure abruptly stopped.
Seeing Mobius and Blanca by the street, she immediately turned around and ran over, a look of relief appearing on her face.
"Mobius, I'm so glad to see you're safe."
"I heard there was a riot in your laboratory, and I was really worried..."
From Fire-MOTH's internal alarms, she learned that something happened at Mobius's laboratory. At the same time, she seemed to feel a fluctuation resembling a Herrscher's over here.
So, to ensure Mobius's safety, she rushed over anxiously.
But seeing Mobius and Blanca sitting so leisurely by the road, even having the mood to drink coffee, it seemed they hadn't suffered any harm.
"Thanks to your help, it was a close call but no real danger this time."
"Eh... me? Me?"
Elysia pointed at her own face, somewhat not understanding what Mobius was saying.
Hearing Elysia's surprise, Mobius stared at her carefully for a moment.
"Mobius, are you captivated by my cute appearance?♪~" Miss Pink Elf revealed a flawless smile.
"Oh, so it's not her," Mobius suddenly lost interest.
Miss Pink Elf's flawless smile froze.
"Doctor, what are you talking about..."
Elysia felt that Mobius was exceptionally strange today. But before she could think more about it, Mobius stood up and hugged her.
"But regardless, thank you, Elysia."
She was expressing gratitude to the other Elysia, and at the same time responding to this Elysia's concern. She could see the worry of this friend.
Smelling the mixture of disinfectant and coffee coming from Mobius, Elysia was extremely confused.
She found that today's Mobius seemed different from her usual self—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, deliberately acting cold. She didn't seem to reject physical contact with her. Elysia even felt... she was being somewhat affectionate?
If it were a normal day, Elysia would probably be very happy.
But now, for some reason, she had a strange feeling in her heart.
Although Mobius was hugging her tightly, she felt like Mobius was hugging someone else.
Just as Elysia found this feeling absurd, she saw Mobius suddenly lean close to her ear and whisper something.
"Elysia, you... are actually a Herrscher, aren't you?"
Elysia's body stiffened as if hit by petrification magic.
She forced a smile on her face, but her eyes kept darting around, her heart filled with extreme guilt.
"Dear Mobius, you know how to joke too. How... how could a beautiful girl like me possibly be a Herrscher?"
Your guilty expression practically has 'I am a Herrscher' written all over your face!
Mobius retorted internally.
However, Elysia's reaction also proved that her guess wasn't wrong.
As expected, Elysia is a genuine Herrscher!
And the reason she wasn't discovered by Fire-MOTH is that she has two forms.
The pink one is her human persona, and the light purple one is probably her Herrscher persona.
Thinking of this, a confident smile appeared on Mobius's face—the joy of having solved all the answers.
So, she gently hugged Elysia, feeling her stiff body, and whispered softly in her ear:
"Don't worry, Elysia. I'll help you keep this secret."
"Heh... I'm not protecting you; I'm just doing it for the sake of that one hundred billion in research funding."
Looking at the two women, one pink and one green, hugging and whispering to each other, Blanca, sitting to the side, hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to look at the canned coffee in her hand.
She once again felt like a third wheel.
Moreover, whether it was an illusion or not, she felt that the Yuri concentration around the Doctor was seriously exceeding limits.
If she stayed any longer, she suspected that one day she would also turn into a terrifying Yuri.
So, at this very moment, an idea arose in Blanca's mind.
Should I find a scapegoat to take my place and run away before my orientation gets twisted?
Blanca's thoughts drifted, and a figure with similarly green hair popped into her mind.
Junior Sister Klein, how about you take over?