— — — — — —
"Gozo Island, huh…"
After reading Yukina Himeragi's message on his phone, Lynn's eyes gleamed with a trace of thought.
He vaguely remembered the place, but he wasn't exactly sure where the Twelfth Representative was located.
Stuff like that? Way better left to the Lion King Organization.
He turned to the virtual screen in front of him, which was still displaying the Hueco Mundo, and typed out a reply to Yukina.
"Have the Lion King Organization pinpoint the exact location of the Twelfth and get back to me when they do."
— — —
Main World – Lion King Organization
After getting Lynn's reply, Yukina quickly passed his instructions along to Shirona Kuraki and the others.
Endou Yukari gave a casual shrug. "Welp, looks like we've got another errand to run."
She glanced sideways at Shirona's amused expression and sighed. "Don't tell me… it's me again?
Shirona smiled faintly. "Well, you are the most capable one here."
Endou groaned, rubbing her forehead. "What, is the Lion King Agency out of people or something?"
Shirona gave a long, helpless sigh. "This involves the Fourth Primogenitor…"
"What about her?"
Endou pointed to Koyomi Shizuka, who was quietly sitting nearby. "She's way stronger than me in a fight."
Shirona replied, "Sure, but…"
"…You're better all-around."
Then she turned to Koyomi, signaling her to speak for herself.
Koyomi calmly pushed up her glasses. "I still have school to finish."
"Seriously?"
That's your excuse?
Endou looked at her in disbelief, then turned back to Shirona.
Shirona held up her hands. "You know exactly what I'm good at. You really wanna risk sending me?"
"Fine…" Endou sighed again, her eyes narrowing with thought. "I'll take care of this one, but…"
Her tone shifted slightly as a sly smile tugged at her lips.
"…if any 'serve the Devil King' kind of task comes up later, you two are on it."
That got a reaction.
Shirona instantly froze, her smile vanishing in an instant.
Endou smirked, clearly enjoying herself as she puffed her chest a little with pride.
Shirona's expression turned a bit grim.
Lynn's words echoed in her mind.
"You'd make an excellent familia member…"
Yeah, Lynn wasn't even trying to hide his intentions.
Sure, they were all working for him now, but they'd all been deliberately ignoring the obvious.
They were on his radar.
Honestly, it was probably only a matter of time.
Still, being part of Lynn's Familia wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks to Yukina's introduction, they'd seen what his blessing system could do—and the kind of resources his world offered.
It was overwhelming, to say the least.
So in the end, maybe it was best to just go with the flow.
Shirona steadied her thoughts and nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not really needed for this mission, so…"
"…if someone's gonna join Lynn's familia, I'll go first."
"Oh?"
Endou raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Volunteering now, are we?"
Even Koyomi turned toward her, her usually calm eyes showing a flicker of surprise.
Shirona just smiled, composed as ever. "I mean…"
"…it's not like we'll be able to avoid it forever, right?"
Endou blinked, then chuckled in defeat. "Yeah… fair point."
Shirona continued, "Who knows? Maybe if I join first, I'll get a head start on you all~"
Koyomi: "…"
Endou rolled her eyes at her.
But still…The blessing system. Unlocking the limits of one's body, infinite potential for growth.
Endou found herself momentarily dazed by the thought.
Even as a long-lived elf who had already lived for centuries, hearing about something like that still managed to shake her.
And the craziest part?
It wasn't just for the chosen few.
Anyone who joined Lynn's Familia would be granted that same blessing.
It was practically a straight shot to godhood.
And the price? Just becoming one of Lynn's followers.
Endou glanced at her disciple and couldn't help but feel a little amazed.
She never expected Yukina to end up so lucky—what started out as trouble had turned into an incredible opportunity.
Give her some more time, and with the blessing system, Yukina might catch up to them in no time.
Especially with that weapon of hers, the Snowdrift Wolf, which still had massive untapped potential.
No doubt about it, Yukina would become a powerhouse.
Maybe even stronger than Endou or the Three Saints.
Though of course, if they also got their hands on the blessing system, then all bets were off.
Back inside the Lion King Organization, the group wrapped up their chat and quickly began planning their Gozo Island operation.
Soon after, Endou set off for the island.
Tagging along with her—Yukina Himeragi.
Yep… for now, she'd be serving as Lynn's portable teleport marker.
---
At the same time - At Shuchiin Academy
Minamiya Natsuki received a commission.
She raised an eyebrow at the figures on the screen. "That much money?"
Just one glance at all those zeroes had her whistling.
Talk about a big spender.
"Archaeological survey on Gozo Island, huh…"
Looked like a pretty standard job on paper.
But with that kind of reward? No way it was simple.
Still, the timing was perfect.
She'd just been eyeing some high-end black teas she wanted to stock up on.
This commission couldn't have come at a better time.
---
Elsewhere, word had reached the Black Death Emperor Faction.
"The Twelfth?"
Golan Hazaroff frowned.
Something about this just felt… too easy.
Like someone had just handed it over on a silver platter.
Still, the intel came from the Warlord himself. It was probably legit.
With a wicked grin slowly spreading across his face, Golan growled, "Pass the word—we're heading to Gozo Island. I'm taking back what's mine!"
— — —
Gozo Island – A Research Encampment
Standing in the frosty wind, Gajou Akatsuki stared intently in one direction, his gaze seeming to pierce through the thick layers of ice as if he could see the depths below.
Beside him stood a blonde Caucasian woman in elegant Western attire. Her brow furrowed.
"The Fourth Primogenitor is really in there?"
Gajou turned and grinned at her. "At this point, don't you think it's smarter to just trust my instincts?"
Liana Caruana folded her arms and fell silent, before finally speaking.
"I hope I didn't waste my investment."
Gajou narrowed his eyes slightly.
Did she think he wanted to be here playing archaeologist?
Anything involving the Fourth Primogenitor just screamed trouble.
But hey… this was adult life.
His so-called 'archaeological team' needed plenty of suckers to fund it.
No choice, really.
Liana stared at the icy wall ahead of them. "We've tried everything. How exactly do you plan to break through this thing?"
Despite her doubts about Gajou's claim, the bizarre wall of ice in front of them did give her hope.
Not even her familiar could scratch it—that alone was reason enough to be suspicious.
Taking a deep breath, Liana clenched her fists.
The Fourth Primogenitor, she had to find him.
For the future of her family.
"Relax," Gajou shrugged. "The one who can break it? Already up there."
"…Up there?"
Liana blinked in confusion.
— — —
On a plane headed toward Gozo Island—
Kojou Akatsuki sat beside his sister Nagisa, both looking a little tired.
"That idiot dragged us all the way out here… what the hell is he up to?"
Kojou scowled, clearly annoyed by the sudden mission.
Nagisa, cheerful as always, waved him off. "It's fine, it's fine! Who knows—maybe…"
"…he just wants to take us on a trip to the Arctic?"
She beamed with that usual sunshine-y smile, not a worry in the world.
Seeing that, Kojou chuckled a bit despite himself.
"Let's hope that's all it is…"
But deep down?
He never really trusted his flaky old man.
And a vacation to the Arctic?
Seriously?
What kind of galaxy brain came up with that excuse?
…Yeah.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
A creeping sense of dread was starting to settle in his chest.
.
.
.