"…Eden, are you inclined to believe there is no traitor among the Flame-Chasers?"
Eden said: "I didn't say that. And please, Miss Mei, don't let the surrounding atmosphere influence you. You need to hold your own judgment."
"For example… what if I were the traitor? What if the one telling you all this is actually the person hiding everything?"
"What if I was captivated by the fine wine called the new era, desperate to leave this place at any cost, and for that I used everyone… Under that assumption, would you still do as I say, Miss Mei?"
Mei said frankly: "No. I don't believe you're that kind of person. This is the judgment I made after spending time with you day and night, and I trust it."
Eden continued: "That is also my answer, Miss Mei."
"The truth is as distant as the stars, but false lies are as numerous as falling hail. Be extremely careful—you must learn how to discern."
Mei nodded: "…I understand. Eden, thank you for your admonition."
"Though your style is completely different from Kevin's and Elysia's, I think… you are also an excellent leader."
Eden smiled and said: "Haha… thank you, my friend. It's nothing more than old platitudes—I'm just doing what I can."
"But… Miss Mei, how I once wished that the day when I would have to act as leader would never come."
"But I suppose… that's life going against one's wishes."
As Eden departed.
Mei stood there for quite a while. She could understand Eden's feelings and admired her even more.
Only when Eden's figure could no longer be seen ahead.
Did she continue with her own task.
She remembered that when she last met Vill-V, the other had said she would go to the tower.
When she arrived at the tower, she saw a note pasted on the door: To my lovely audience, the Great Magician awaits your arrival at the amusement park—just on the other side of the tower.
She pushed open the door and stepped through the threshold.
Walking inside.
Vill-V's voice immediately rang out: "Welcome, lovely audience!"
"What I'm about to present is the most spectacular live magic show of the century!"
"Featuring a genius unseen in a hundred years, the great magician—"
"Come out before I draw my blade." Mei gave a cold shout, cutting her off.
Puff~
A cloud of smoke appeared in front of her, and then Vill-V's figure emerged: "Oh my, not only barging backstage in the middle of the performance, but threatening the magician in return—this audience member is truly…"
Mei said coldly: "Enough, Vill-V… now is not the time for lighthearted banter."
Vill-V asked: "Why? Because Kevin died?"
Mei was somewhat surprised: "You… already knew?"
Vill-V sighed: "Ah, don't look at me like that. Those papers falling from the sky are scattered everywhere—it'd be hard not to know."
"I never expected that after the Elysian Realm, I'd lose the headline spot again—this time to Kevin. Now even I feel a bit like a failure."
Mei asked: "You don't seem surprised. In fact… you don't seem to care at all."
Vill-V said: "Maybe I just see things more openly. Lovely audience, perhaps my dazzling performance made you forget a simple fact…"
"Memory bodies are originally the dead. For us, death isn't such an unfamiliar word."
"—Oh, I know what you want to say. Not everyone is dead, right?"
"But that's from your perspective. When the Flame-Chasers left their memory bodies behind, every single one of us did so with the firm resolve to die, fully prepared for sacrifice."
"We are the epitaphs the Thirteen Flame-Chasers wrote for ourselves. As for the us outside… we're not that important anymore."
"Rather than the Elysian Realm, I'd prefer to call this place the mausoleum of extinguished flames. Memory bodies disappearing… is something that was bound to happen sooner or later."
Mei said: "That's not the point!"
Vill-V said: "You mean why Kevin disappeared, right?"
"Alright, don't be nervous. I just don't want to pretend to be shocked, but as for the truth behind this matter, I might be even more curious than you."
"Though memory bodies are just data, that also gives them the possibility of a second life—even perhaps making up for regrets that couldn't be fulfilled in reality…"
"When you think about it that way, isn't it kind of interesting? That's what Elysia said. She was the first to relay SAKURA's request from outside to us."
"SAKURA didn't want her memory-body self to know about that matter, so she asked Mobius and Elysia to tamper with things a bit."
"Some truths in this world are happier unknown. If you're ignorant, you don't have to make agonizing choices and can continue trusting Fire Moth, remaining by your comrades' side as a Flame-Chaser."
"SAKURA…" Hearing her mention this, Mei took the opportunity to say: "Actually, I also wanted to talk to you about her."
"The last time I saw SAKURA, she mentioned you to me."
Vill-V asked puzzled: "The last time… what do you mean?"
Mei said frankly: "She's also gone missing."
Vill-V said in surprise: "Oh… that's a bit scary. She did come to see me to retrieve the repaired Seven Thunders of Retribution."
"Her expression was so serious back then, and she even drew her blade after so long—I was wondering if someone had said something they shouldn't have."
"…Seven Thunders of Retribution?" Mei fell into thought.
Vill-V continued: "Yes, SAKURA's other sword, specially used for cleaning house and slaying traitors. Drawing that blade on her own initiative means… SAKURA has started taking action."
"Though I don't know what mission she still has."
Mei asked: "You mean you noticed her abnormal behavior but didn't stop her?"
Vill-V said: "Don't put it like that. What do you think I could do—stand in her way and get split into two Vill-Vs?"
"For a Flame-Chaser, even the thought of persuading them is arrogance. And besides… everyone has their own little thoughts. Dig too deep, and you might put yourself in danger, you know?"
"Why are you suddenly so concerned about SAKURA? Don't tell me… you suspect SAKURA killed Kevin?"
Mei said: "I just want to know where she went."
Vill-V said: "Just to be safe, let me add one thing—you'd better abandon that idea. To take down Kevin alone without alerting anyone? Impossible."
"In this regard, I'm an undisputed expert. The attempts I've made probably outnumber the clothes Kalpas has burned by dozens of times."
"All the anti-Kevin armaments developed by Vill-V add up to over four digits, yet not a single one has achieved the goal—not in reality, and not in the Elysian Realm."
"No one can do it—I've been racking my brains every day trying to figure out how to kill him."
"…"
Vill-V pretended to be surprised: "Huh? From your reaction just now… could it be that I'm the… most suspicious one?"
"Could it be… the lovely audience is suspecting me? Suspecting that my anti-Kevin armaments finally worked?"
Mei said: "It's hard to say."
Vill-V said: "Ah, looks like it's necessary to show you my selected anti-Kevin armaments. Though I'm not used to displaying failures, I have to prove my innocence, right?"
She somehow pulled out all her armaments.
She asked: "So… lovely audience, which one would you like to see first?"
Mei examined all the armaments. Frankly… at this level, these props were completely incapable of posing any threat to Kevin.
Until… she saw the most special one—
Anti-Kevin Armament: Model 666.
"Hm? This one is…"
Vill-V said: "Ah, sorry, this one can't be used anymore."
"Model 666, official name: Elysian Realm Data Indiscriminate Irreversible Great Surprise Cleanup Tool."
"It's basically a command string that can delete the entire Elysian Realm with one click."
Mei said in shock: "You said delete the entire Elysian Realm?"
Vill-V said: "That way it would ensure the elimination of memory-body Kevin. But unfortunately, even I would be deleted along with it, so I abandoned the invention."
"And now the activation conditions no longer exist anyway. In short… it can't be used."
Seeing this.
The audience grew even more curious.
Even Vill-V invented so many armaments and still couldn't kill Kevin—so how exactly did he die?
Kiana was especially anxious: "The dog director said Kevin really died, but Vill-V here also says Kevin is extremely powerful—unless the entire Elysian Realm is deleted, no one can eliminate Kevin. So how did he die? Who could kill him!"
She looked toward Hessian, hoping he'd at least spoil a little.
This was too agonizing to watch.
But she found Hessian sitting in the corner, completely ignoring her.
As for why he was in the corner—it was because of the earlier riot; the group had forced him into it.
Especially SAKURA!
She had deliberately let water through, allowing Theresa and Kiana to get close to him.
His arms had been bitten more than a few times by those two.
Seeing that Hessian wouldn't say anything, Kiana looked pleadingly toward Eden: "Sister Eden, can you tell me?"
Eden shook her head: "Sorry, Kiana. I don't know the truth behind Kevin's death either."
She knew Eden would absolutely never lie to her.
So she looked toward Elysia.
Elysia also shook her head: "That scene didn't have any of my parts, so I don't know either."
Theresa, mustering her courage, asked Kevin: "Kevin, tell me how you died, and I'll treat you to ten bowls of ramen!"
Uh…
Kevin actually hesitated for a split second.
Hessian immediately spoke up: "If you spoil it, in the later plot I'll write Mei as tragically as possible and make your relationship as miserable as possible."
"…"
Kevin instantly shivered—Hessian's threat was too terrifying.
He hurriedly said: "Everyone, just watch the TV in peace. Spoiling would ruin the fun, wouldn't it?"
"…"
Theresa muttered: "Dog director! Not human!"
Kiana also shouted: "Enough director! Not acting human!"
But with no answers, they could only continue watching the TV with uneasy hearts.
On the TV.
Mei looked at those armaments and commented: "Your inventions… really are full of creativity."
Vill-V said: "Now you can be certain that killing Kevin is an extremely difficult task, right? No need to keep groundlessly suspecting me and my comrades."
Mei said calmly: "…Comrades? I didn't realize you were someone with such a strong sense of camaraderie…"
Vill-V said: "After all, including me, quite a few Flame-Chasers are easily misunderstood."
"The Thirteen Flame-Chasers are ordinary people too. Everyone has an unknown side, and each has their own motives for wanting to leave this place—I think that's not hard to understand."
"Let me think… besides SAKURA, Mobius, Kalpas, Aponia… no need for me to say more—they're probably already on your suspect list, right?"
"And the others… like Elysia, actually you've been wavering back and forth on the scales of suspicion and trust toward her too, haven't you?"
"Kevin? Always stone-faced, refusing to say anything, heart only set on fighting for humanity—might just run off one day to confront the Honkai in person."
"Eden always says she belongs to the old era, but she actually seems quite interested in the newborn world. After all, she's an artist—who doesn't crave new inspiration?"
"Su… I don't know what he saw with Cosmic Juggernaut, but after that he paid special attention to Kevin and Mobius. No one can guess what's really in an Awakened One's mind."
"Kosma must really want to go out and see the end of the Ark Project, right? Griseo is obviously hiding something from the others too."
"Fu Hua is an honest person, but who can be sure the Fu Hua here is still Fu Hua? Same goes for Pardofelis."
"So you see—the culprit obviously can't be any one of us."
Mei stared at her, as if seeing through her thoughts: "This conclusion… seems completely opposite to what you claimed earlier."
Vill-V asked: "In your view, why does a person believe something—because they have the will to believe, or because there are things worth believing?"
Mei asked: "What do you mean??"
Vill-V said: "I want to believe in my comrades—that is my will, the foundation of everything. But now, some conflicting things have appeared."
"In this situation, what do you think I should do?"
"The answer is—I still believe in my comrades. And for that, I must first suspect them, then cleanse each person's suspicion bit by bit until the truth is uncovered."
"That is my stance, Miss Mei."
Mei said: "Your tone right now doesn't sound like a magician anymore."
Vill-V said: "Oh, sorry—I haven't told you yet. On stage, I am the Magic King of the Twilight Era. But in my spare time… I'm also a fairly well-known detective."
"After all, I'm a genius. Have you heard that reasoning has to happen before the performance? It's essentially the same thing."
"Actually, before you came, I was planning to investigate alone. Since you're also full of interest in the truth of the matter, want to join me?"
"That way, you can also serve as my witness. After all, for a detective, the most important thing is proving one's own innocence."
"…"
Mei just stared at her.
In her heart, she could be certain she still couldn't fully trust Vill-V.
And the things she said also made her somewhat concerned.
After a moment, she decided to first observe Vill-V's methods…
She said: "I accept your proposal. However, I will remain vigilant."
Vill-V said: "That's exactly what I want. That way I can get objective and impartial testimony."
"Then… before we begin, I still need to make some preparations. Oh, you haven't been to this amusement park before, right? Why not take a look around nearby first?"
"Look, there happens to be a very suitable guide over there."
Mei looked in the direction she indicated: "That's… Fairy Ellie?"
Vill-V gave a charming smile and vanished on the spot, just as suddenly as she had appeared earlier.
Mei quietly approached Fairy Ellie.
She heard her muttering mysteriously: "Mmm… ah! No, that's not right… mm…"
Mei said: "You're… the fairy administrator? Why are you here?"
Fairy Ellie said: "Ya! It's the cute human! Did you come specially to see me? I'm so happy!"
"Hmph, who knows who messed up the archive room like that. I had no choice but to come to the amusement park to relax."
"…"
Hearing this, Mei couldn't help feeling a little sad and slowly lowered her head.
Fairy Ellie asked concernedly: "Mm? What's wrong? Looking so down doesn't suit you at all! Cheer up, or… I'll worry."
"Strange, isn't the mature me with you? To leave you alone like this is really bad."
Mei asked hesitantly: "You… don't know?"
Fairy Ellie asked: "Know what?"
"…"
Mei was silent for a long time before speaking: "Elysia… she disappeared."
"…Dis-disappeared?"
Fairy Ellie thought for a moment: "Oh— you mean she's hiding, right? It's hide-and-seek! I love that the most!"
"That's so mean! I want to play hide-and-seek too. Let's go find her together, okay? Okay?"
"Mm…"
Mei agreed, and together they searched the entire amusement park.
Rather than searching, it was more like touring the amusement park. During that time, Fairy Ellie would explain every attraction in detail.
Mei sighed: "You really are very familiar with this place."