65. You’re Strong, I’m Strong; You’re Strong, I’m Strong
In the deep night of the Rosia Empire, aside from those who would revel in the streets all night, guzzling from bottles and dancing around bonfires, few would dare to tread on streets and roads that had not been cleaned by the Rosia aunties.
After all, the snowflakes that occasionally fell during the day, combined with the thick snow piled up by the roadside, would freeze hard under the night’s chill, making walking on them feel like a spacewalk! Setting that aside, who would want to walk the night road anyway?
Yet at this moment, a shadow swiftly darted through the streets and alleys of Rosia. There was no one on the small paths, and on the main roads, no one would notice. Even the occasional Rosia guards who approached out of concern to ask, “Comrade, what’s wrong?” would leave in confusion the next second, indifferent.
Another flash of crimson light flickered, ultimately stopping at a place where it had to halt.
“Stop! What drunken fool is this? Behind is the forbidden zone of the Imperial Palace; no one is allowed to pass without an invitation!”
Silence, then…
A low voice spoke.
“I have an invitation; you’ve just seen it.”
After a moment of quiet, all the guards stepped aside.
“Then please proceed! Uh… what was your name again?”
“You didn’t see anyone pass just now.”
“…”
Looking at the guards who stared blankly for a moment before turning back to their posts, Nilu finally lowered her hat and walked confidently toward the Kremlin Palace where Letty was.
Traveling at night was unavoidable; after all, it was the only time when Mr. Oujilide and Ke Fei Er were still resting. Moreover, with fewer people in Rosia at night, it saved a lot of “explanations.”
Compared to the excitement and tension that bubbled up when I last used my powers to find Mr. Oujilide, this time Nilu felt utterly calm, as if she had completely grown accustomed to the little fairy in her right eye, as if her power had belonged to her from the very beginning, wielded without a trace of fear or worry.
A flicker of fire danced as Nilu hurried toward the palace to complete some “investigations,” when the little fairy Jias suddenly popped out.
“Master! Why didn’t you let me speak during the day!? I’m so furious! That sword that the happy little white-haired girl brought back is clearly your magic sword, Alsas!”
“…”
“Alsas, that traitor! Completely indifferent and unwilling to remember you, Master, snoring away, only sleeping! It’s as if sleeping has made her brain dull, forgetting even her Master and mistaking her identity!”
—
Let me know if you need any further assistance!
“I don’t care.”
Nilu’s response was as calm as ever.
“But!”
“Jias, what I want to retrieve is something I found myself, something that belongs to me, not something I can only obtain with Mr. Ogilvy’s ‘help.’ If it were the latter, how would I be any different from her?”
“Um… if that’s what you expect, then I’ll just pretend I didn’t see Alsace.”
Nilu nodded, “The ‘next’ clue you mentioned, is it here?”
“Absolutely correct.”
Dissatisfaction faded, and Jias’s expression grew serious. “The Rosian Empire hides quite a bit, you just need to find that electric mouse. And when I discovered Alsace this morning, I could sense she must have had contact with ‘another,’ and that would be your next servant, Master.”
“Though I don’t want to disappoint you, Master, that sleeping fairy Alsace is quite a bane to me. With her around, my command power would likely be detected and blocked immediately. So please be careful to avoid Alsace when using me in the future.”
Nilu did not respond, merely taking note of everything, then stepped into the majestic palace before her.
With her previous experience, Nilu had no trouble entering, but for the next part, she would need some “kind-hearted” people to assist her. And there, that figure seemed quite suitable.
Rasputin, the person beside Emperor Ivan Letty, surely knew where Ivan Letty was.
Nilu approached confidently.
“Eh? Aren’t you one of those troublesome maids from the Yng country? Wait, what are you doing here!?”
“I want to see Emperor Ivan Letty, please take me to him, Sister Rasputin.”
The fairy flew out like a flame, a power that ordinary people simply could not stand.
“Yes, Miss! I’m only in my twenties!”
After shouting this, Nilu was briefly puzzled if Rasputin had been unaffected, but the older sister turned around foolishly and began to lead the way, stopping only in front of the largest door in the palace.
“Lord Letty is right here…”
“Thank you, Sister Rasputin, you didn’t encounter anyone just now…”
“Yes, Miss…”
Still absent-minded, Rasputin repeated this line and then turned around, leaving in confusion.
Gently opening a gap wide enough for her to slip through, the room was only illuminated by a dim light. It was clearly past the children’s bedtime, yet Letty was still draped in a large robe, bent over the desk under the light.
The “tyrant” of the Rosian Empire seemed to have garnered popularity not just through cuteness and charm.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Nilu quickly became serious! After all, it seemed like Letty had already noticed her the instant she walked in!
“Who!?”
She reached for the firearm on the desk, ready to shoot without hesitation, but Nilu managed to use Jias’s power to “command” her just in time!
“Emperor Letty, I need to ask a few questions!”
“…”
“Master, don’t let your guard down, this little one’s resistance is quite strong…”
Looking at the increasingly bewildered Letty, Nilu squinted and asked.
“How did you bring back the magic sword Alsas? At that time… were there other fairies present!?”
This was Nilu’s only purpose for tonight!
She needed to become stronger, to draw his attention more, to surpass that woman. But right now, merely possessing the power of Jias was far from enough. Just like Kephiel, aside from saying she wanted to “protect” him, wasn’t she still being protected herself?
Nilu didn’t want to become someone like Kephiel. To truly catch Mr. Oqulid’s attention, to be someone who could genuinely “protect” her, she needed to reclaim more power, more… power that originally belonged to her.
“I half-bought and half-snatched it from an antique dealer in the Great Yng Empire…”
After a moment, Letty… finally revealed the “good news” that made Nilu chuckle coldly.
“At that time, I only bought one. Although it seems the other one had some issues too, I found it a bit disgusting, so I didn’t buy it. How should I put it… this Emperor doesn’t really like dark, gloomy things~”
“The dark… dark fairy Ignis can attach itself to any object and turn it into a weapon for its master to use.”
A voice came from beside her, “Master, we’ve found it!”
“…”
Ah, yes, the opportunities for her to catch Mr. Oqulid’s attention had increased again.
Nilu smiled and thanked the Emperor before quietly returning to her residence with Kephiel after processing all the clues, as if… nothing had happened tonight.
—