The Royal Capital of Lugunica, Aomori's residence.
In the backyard, Fynea slumped over the table, letting out a long, weary sigh. "I'm so bored... The capital is huge, but after wandering around for so many days, I'm exhausted. Isn't there anything fun to do?"
"Fynea-nee, if you're bored, you can join me in my training," Elsa said. She was currently in a horse stance with over a dozen thick books balanced perfectly on her head, motionless.
"No, no way. The morning and evening drills are already killing me. Just let me rest for a bit." Fynea stuck out her tongue; she was ready to fully embrace being a layabout.
"It's because of that attitude that your strength has remained stagnant." Aomori's cool voice drifted into her ears, making Fynea bolt upright instantly.
"I-I'm just taking a temporary break! I'm starting training right now! Huh?"
She saw not only Aomori but also two adorable twin girls following behind him. Her eyes lit up immediately. "What cute little sisters! Are they the new maids?"
"Yes, this is Ram and Rem. Besides household chores, they will be responsible for the security of this mansion. You can think of them as battle maids," Aomori introduced.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Ram/Rem. Please look after us," the twins said in unison.
"Battle maids?" Elsa's eyes flickered. She subtly scanned the two girls, her gaze lingering on the pink-haired one. Sensing a hint of a threat, she smoothly lowered the books from her head to the ground and walked forward with a beaming smile.
"Wonderful. Finally, two girls younger than me." Elsa put her hands behind her back and stood before the twins. "I'm Elsa. Why don't you both call me 'onee-san' first?"
"Elsa-nee," Ram said immediately.
Rem hesitated for a moment before following suit.
"Good girls." Elsa affectionately took their small hands in hers.
"Get familiar with the environment for now; work starts tomorrow. Elsa, Fynea, show them the ropes."
"Yes!"
After a brief instruction, Aomori left the backyard.
The mansion wasn't large, and they finished the tour quickly. Fynea said with a smile, "Come on, let's take you out for a walk around town."
Through their earlier conversation, they had learned that the sisters were visiting the Royal Capital for the first time. With no objections, the group headed out together.
…
The prosperity of the Royal Capital left Ram and Rem in awe. Having lived in remote forests and mountains their entire lives, they had never seen such a dense crowd. The dazzling array of goods nearly made their heads spin.
"It doesn't seem so bad here."
"But Rem isn't used to places with so many people. And... a lot of people are staring at Rem."
"That's because Rem is super cute! And Ram is too."
Ram nodded slightly but didn't answer. She noticed that among the crowd staring at them, quite a few held malicious intent. 'As expected, there is no shortage of scum among humans.'
"Let's head through this alley. There's more fun stuff over that way," Elsa suggested with a smile, earning a lingering look from Ram.
"Sure."
The four beautiful girls turned into the deep alley. Many who caught sight of this move wore predatory grins.
As Elsa and the others walked leisurely through the alley, a purple-haired young boy suddenly came running toward them from the opposite direction. He looked frantic as he shouted, "Danger! Get out of here, quick!"
"Danger? Where?" Fynea poked her head out curiously to look around.
"Probably the people chasing him," Ram said calmly. "Hm, there are quite a few behind us, too."
"Eh? Are we surrounded?"
"This is bad." The purple-haired boy sighed and turned to face the pursuers.
They were street thugs armed with iron pipes, wooden clubs, and small daggers. The leader snarled, "Kid, you dare to meddle in our business? You tired of living?"
"Boss, look at how delicate he is. He'll fetch a good price. Let's just take them all."
"Naturally! Hahahaha!"
"Committing crimes in the Royal Capital... are you prepared to go to prison?"
"Don't try to scare us. Since we're in this business, we've been prepared for a long time," a thug said with a smirk. "One job lets us live like kings for months. Who could refuse a deal like that!"
"I think I get it now," Fynea said with delayed realization. "You're human traffickers, right? Why are you guys everywhere?"
"It's natural. They are like rats in the gutter, you can never kill them all." Elsa narrowed her eyes, recalling unpleasant memories.
"Onee-chan, what should we do?"
"Turn them into pulp."
"Roger!"
Hearing the girls' words, the thugs weren't afraid; they actually wanted to laugh. "Keep acting tough until we lock you in the cages. Get them!"
Just as the thugs were about to swarm them, a majestic voice rang out from the alley entrance.
"Stop! Bullying the weak and attempting to harm others, I cannot turn a blind eye to such atrocities!" A red-haired youth in a knight's robe declared righteously.
"Tch, I wondered who it was. Another brat looking to die. You think you can stand up for them alone?"
"Then how about including us?"
At the other end of the alley, three small figures appeared: a blond, red-eyed boy, a green-haired girl with a high ponytail, and a servant with cat ears.
With the help of these newcomers, the thugs were predictably defeated.
Being of similar age and having performed exceptionally, they all left varying impressions on one another. Their fates converged here, stirring a future that had been as stagnant as a pool of dead water. Where would the ship of the world sail now? No one knew.
…
One year later.
"This must be the place."
A middle-aged man with a weathered face and a glimmer of hope in his eyes knocked on the large gate before him. He didn't wait long before the gate opened. Two twin girls stood on either side, saying in unison, "Welcome to the Klein Miracle Merchants. Please show your credentials."
"...Oh, right." The man dazed for a moment before hurriedly fishing a black card from his pocket and handing it to the pink-haired girl.
"Credentials verified. Welcome, guest. Please come in."
"Thank you, thank you!"
Crossing the threshold and passing through a beautiful flower garden, the man was led into a sealed room. Mist swirled within, and an opaque curtain hung in front of him, blocking his view.
"What miracle do you seek?" A cold voice rang out, making the man shiver involuntarily and fall to his knees.
He took a deep breath of the fragrant mist. His emotions stabilized slightly as he looked up and said, "I heard that if I bring this card here, any wish can be granted. Is that true?"
"Only half true. For us to show you a miracle, you must pay a corresponding price."
"A price?" The man froze, then gritted his teeth. "As long as you help me, I'm willing to pay any price."
"Very well. Then the miracle you seek is?"
The man snarled, "My brother—no, my former brother. To seize my merchant firm, he gave vital information to our rivals to backstab me. Now, I want to take back my firm, ruin his reputation, and see him dead without a grave!"
"Understood. Then, the price for this miracle is that you and your family will become our servants. Do you accept?"
"Servants?" The man's expression shifted. After a long silence, he made his decision and nodded heavily. "I have nothing left anyway. I accept. Just kill him for me!"
"The contract is formed. We will execute it shortly. Please go home and wait for the good news."
After seeing the man off, Elsa walked out of the secret room with a cold face. She said to the twin maids, "Rem, Ram, you heard that. Gather information on that target as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
"Phew." Elsa exhaled, walking to the backyard with a sigh. "The business of the Klein Miracle Merchants is growing. It's getting hard to sustain this with just us. Onii-chan, you've been gone for half a year. When are you coming out of seclusion?"
…
The Sanctuary.
Roswaal waited before the tomb as he always did. Ever since Aomori entered six months ago, he hadn't come out, and even his clones had vanished. The thought of Aomori spending six months day and night with his beloved teacher made Roswaal's heart ache.
"It's been so long. Are his questions still not finished? He didn't sneak away, did he?"
Using spatial abilities, he could indeed have bypassed Roswaal to leave the Sanctuary. Staying inside a tomb for half a year without eating or drinking was beyond the realm of humanity. If Roswaal hadn't been barred by the barrier, he would have rushed in long ago.
Evening came, yet the tomb remained silent. Roswaal sighed and turned to leave. Just then, the entire tomb began to glow with a green light, making him stop in his tracks.
"This is..."
The light grew more intense until, with a booming roar, a ring of light rapidly expanded to cover the entire Sanctuary. Roswaal's expression changed as he looked toward the sky. "The barrier of the Sanctuary... has been lifted? How is this possible?"
A hand rested on his shoulder, startling him. What was more terrifying was that all the Mana in his body suddenly went out of control.
'Who?!' Roswaal spun around and saw the figure he had been thinking of day and night. "It's... you?"
"What? Surprised?" Aomori smiled. "Come on. It's time to resurrect your teacher."
"You got the answer you wanted?"
"Yeah, close enough."
Aomori tilted his head toward the sky, his purple eyes shimmering with an unusual light. In his vision, the sky was no longer just the sky, but a series of unknown runes strung together, though those runes were blurred and indistinct.
With Echidna's help, Aomori had reached the gates of transformation. He just needed one final push to break through.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Pleiades Watchtower at the Augria Sand Dunes to meet the Witch of Envy."
…
The Witch of Envy, the terrifying existence that nearly destroyed the world. She had been sealed in a Sealing Stone by the combined efforts of the Divine Dragon, the Sage, and the First Sword Saint. The stone was cast into the depths of the Augria Sand Dunes, guarded by the Sage's disciple, Shaula, with a strict prohibition against anyone approaching.
"You really intend to see the Witch of Envy?"
In the desert, Roswaal looked at the defiled sands ahead, his brow furrowed. "To resurrect Sensei, isn't it enough to just slay the Divine Dragon?"
Though the Divine Dragon might be stronger than the sealed Witch of Envy, he would much rather face the Dragon than provoke the Witch. In his eyes, it was a suicidal act. "What if you break her seal?"
Aomori's smile remained as he waved it off. "Just stay here. Even you can't enter that place unscathed. Just help me hold off that big scorpion."
"It seems you've made up your mind." Roswaal nodded. "Fine. I'll do my best. I hope to see you again."
"Don't worry. Dealing with 'Love' is what I'm best at." Aomori gave a thumbs-up, and his figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
…
"So this is the Witch's Shrine?"
In a pitch-black environment, Aomori opened his eyes and stared at the dense mass of darkness before him. His smile slowly faded. Three colors—black, white, and purple—lit up on his body, blocking the darkness that tried to swallow his existence.
"Witch of Envy, Satella... don't disappoint me." Aomori took a step forward, venturing into the darkness without hesitation.
Madness, loneliness, hatred, guilt...
All sorts of negative emotions tried to burrow into Aomori's mind, only to be blocked by layer upon layer of Psychokinesis. Hundreds of "Unseen Hands" flailed wildly in the darkness but could not penetrate the soft white barrier.
At the densest point of the darkness, a silver-haired girl lay curled up with her eyes closed.
"Getoutgetoutgetout... Die die die die..."
The repeating sentences pierced through the Psychokinesis shield and reached Aomori's ears. He frowned against the noise in his head and said deeply, "Talk about double standards. It seems you don't like my type."
"Hate hate hate... Die die die..."
"So blunt. It's heartbreaking." A smile tugged at the corner of Aomori's mouth. "But then again, you are destined to never have Natsuki Subaru."
As soon as he said the name, time seemed to stop. Aomori's body was instantly frozen.
"Shut up shut up shut up..."
Black palms erupted from the darkness, threatening to consume him completely.
"That's it. Let's see whose 'love' is stronger." Aomori's eyes went wide. The purple intent in his eyes grew so thick it spilled out of his sockets, slowly spreading across his entire body.
In this rare life-and-death moment, he mobilized all his power for a final charge.
"Damn gate... OPEN!"
BOOM!
It felt as though ten thousand nuclear bombs had detonated in the depths of his soul. Aomori finally pushed open the gate that had remained closed for ages. The scene behind the gate entered his vision, making him murmur:
"I see it. I see it clearly now. So this is... Rules. So this is the truth of the world..."
Black, white, and purple condensed into a single mass, piercing through the darkness and soaring straight into the sky, reflecting in the eyes of every living soul on the continent.
TN: Changing Laws to Rules.