Chapter 483: Marry Acheron - 483

Mei flashed a mischievous smile.

"My dear big sister, you're the one who said all I had to do was call you 'big sister,' right?"

There wasn't anyone else in the train car, after all. With that in mind, Mei leaned forward and reached out toward Sylvia with those wicked hands of hers!

"What are you trying to do?! You're exploiting a loophole! I never agreed to—Mmph!!"

"Oh? What's wrong, big sister? You were so confident a moment ago."

Mei's smile grew as she leaned closer, forcing Sylvia to sink back against the sofa. Before Sylvia could come up with another excuse, Mei caught her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Mmph—!"

Sylvia's eyes widened. She'd expected Mei to tease her, but she hadn't expected her to be quite so bold.

The kiss was brief, almost playful. When Mei pulled away, however, she stayed close enough that their noses nearly touched.

"That's one. Should I keep going?"

"You little—who said you could count them?!"

"You're awfully difficult to please, big sister."

"Stop calling me that!"

"But you like it, don't you?"

Before Sylvia could protest, Mei kissed her again. This time, Sylvia caught the front of Mei's clothes, intending to push her away, but her fingers only tightened around the fabric.

When their lips parted, a string of saliva still connecting the two, Mei brushed a stray lock of hair away from Sylvia's face, breathing out a huff of warm air. Her other hand settled at Sylvia's waist, drawing her a little closer.

Sylvia shivered at the touch.

And then—

"Attention, passengers! The Express is about to depart! Please take your seats and hold on tight, pom-pom!"

Pom-Pom's voice rang out over the speakers.

Sylvia, who'd been pinned to the sofa by Mei, finally managed to shove her away, her face bright red. She then turned her hands into blades and unleashed her secret technique, Tsubame Gaeshi, sending a flurry of knife-hand strikes toward Mei's vital points!

"Take this! And this! I'll poke you to death!!"

"Be good. The train's about to leave."

Mei kept smiling as she caught every single one of Sylvia's strikes without breaking a sweat. After all, what kind of technique could there be behind attacks thrown by someone who'd completely lost her cool from embarrassment?

Exactly.

--+--

The Express soon completed its warp jump and arrived at Herta Space Station.

As they stepped off the train, they found Asta waiting on the platform, looking as elegant and lovely as ever. However, someone was standing beside her this time.

It was a little Herta.

And this time, she really was a little Herta, not one of those puppets. She even had dragon horns, though she'd gained a small shawl that seemed to hide her dragon wings underneath.

"Hi, Sylvia~"

"Long time no see, Asta."

Sylvia made a point of leaving Mei behind and went straight over to give Asta a hug.

Little Herta tilted her head from the side. When Sylvia looked her way, she stood on tiptoe and raised both hands.

"Hug!"

Sylvia smiled and crouched down to scoop Little Herta into her arms.

Whether it was due to her partly mechanical nature or something else, Little Herta had been smart since the day she was born, but her emotions were rather subdued. Although Sylvia had entrusted her care to Herta, that didn't mean she'd intended to abandon all responsibility for the child.

She'd even told Little Herta that she could contact her whenever she missed her or needed anything. If she ever got bored of the space station, Sylvia would happily bring her aboard the Express to play. Yet throughout all this time, Little Herta hadn't contacted her even once.

"So Herta really did leave this child in your care?"

"That's right. I nearly had a heart attack when it happened."

Asta sighed helplessly.

When Madam Herta first brought the child out and asked Asta to help look after her, millions of words' worth of dramatic possibilities had flashed through Asta's mind. She'd spent quite some time wondering where this little Herta had come from.

Little Herta rested against Sylvia's chest, once again falling into her usual quiet state. Asta reached out and stroked her hair, and the child didn't resist.

"Still, Little Herta loves learning, and she's very curious about all kinds of subjects. Life on the space station actually suits her quite well."

"I see."

Sylvia blinked. Had the child really inherited some of Herta's traits?

"If I had to name one problem, it'd be that she isn't very affectionate. Her personality reminds me a little of Madam Herta's."

Asta sounded like an older sister complaining that her little sibling wasn't affectionate enough.

Standing behind Sylvia, Mei smiled as she looked between her and Little Herta. The child opened her eyes wide and tried her best to hold Mei's gaze, her expression filled with curiosity.

'Somehow, the little one's actually more mature than the big one.'

'Unlike Sylvia, who's as childish as ever.'

With that thought, Mei reached into Sylvia's pocket and pulled out a lollipop. She peeled off the wrapper for Little Herta and gently placed it in her mouth.

"Nom~"

Little Herta accepted it without complaint.

Although she was mature for her age, she was still like an ordinary child when it came to her love of sweets. Of course, she also enjoyed the occasional snack of pure energy.

Born through Sylvia's power, Little Herta combined the traits of an inorganic life-form and a creature of flesh and blood. She'd inherited the advantages of both.

Her teeth were certainly impressive. Anything a mechanical life-form could eat, she could eat. Anything a human could eat, she could eat that too.

"Little Herta, do you want to come out and play with me this time?"

Sylvia asked while holding the child.

Little Herta clutched her lollipop and shook her head with all her might.

"No. There's still a lot of knowledge at the space station I haven't finished studying. I haven't completed the assignments Uncle Screwllum gave me either. Besides, I'd rather play with the Simulated Universe, but Mom won't let me."

"...All right."

'Who on earth did this kid get her maturity from?'

Sylvia felt a little embarrassed.

It was clear that the child genuinely loved learning. She was still so young, yet she'd already set her sights on the Simulated Universe project. And when had Screwllum gotten involved in her education?

With two geniuses teaching her at once, what kind of person was she going to become?

--+--

"Is this another commission from Madam Herta?"

Asta asked as she walked alongside Sylvia and Mei.

Sylvia usually came here by teleportation. The room she'd been given at the space station was practically her personal respawn point. It was rare for her to bring the Express all the way back like this.

"Yeah. There's some troublesome business to deal with, and Herta's been pushing me to hurry."

After Sylvia finished speaking, Little Herta patted her shoulder and jumped out of her arms. The small white wings on her back fluttered, slowing her fall and allowing her to land on the ground with ease.

Sylvia looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Daddy, you should go take care of your work. I've got studying to do too."

Little Herta was about to leave when Sylvia grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back into her arms.

"What's the rush? You're a kid. Why are you acting so responsible?"

"..."

Forced to lie against Sylvia's chest, Little Herta rested her chin on Sylvia's shoulder and gave her a deadpan stare.

She really wasn't being that considerate.

Sure, she didn't want to bother her parents while they were doing important work, but the bigger reason was that she genuinely wanted to get back to studying.

There was already enough knowledge aboard the space station to keep her occupied for ages, not to mention everything Herta and Screwllum knew.

Just thinking about it was exciting!

But since her daddy was being so insistent, Little Herta let out a small sigh and decided to play along.

It wasn't as if she'd have to endure it for long. At most, she'd be carried as far as Mom's office.

Mei had been watching Little Herta the entire time.

Although the child had come into existence through rather unusual means, she could certainly be called Sylvia's daughter. Mei caught the little girl's sigh and couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face.

Now the big one looked even more childish by comparison.

--+--

They finally let the utterly defeated Little Herta go outside the office.

Asta waved goodbye and prepared to leave, but to Sylvia's surprise, Mei took Little Herta's hand and left with them.

Mei knew what this visit was about. Since there wasn't anything she could do to help, she had no intention of getting in the way.

Sylvia entered the office alone.

As usual, several Herta puppets were busy adjusting the equipment, while Screwllum assisted them by handling the programming side of things.

When Herta noticed Sylvia entering, she beckoned her over.

"You're here. Good. Let's get started. We can test for bugs while we're at it."

Sylvia walked onto the platform and gave Herta a curious look.

This was the first time she'd ever heard Herta ask her to help look for bugs.

"Wait, why are there still bugs?"

Herta's expression didn't change, but Screwllum offered an explanation.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Miss Sylvia. Logic: The new version of the Simulated Universe hasn't finished debugging. Madam Herta believes we shouldn't delay this operation for too long. She also believes that leaving a few suitable vulnerabilities in the system will make it easier to lure Polka Kakamond into action."

"..."

Sylvia fell silent and narrowed her eyes at Herta.

Perhaps Sylvia's stare was simply too intense, because Herta turned her head away before speaking.

"Don't worry. This time, you've got three geniuses backing you up: me, Screwllum, and Stephen—"

Sylvia kept staring.

"Fine, I'll admit I'm a little impatient. But you don't want some dangerous lunatic keeping you in her sights every day either, do you? Screwllum and I have each cast one vote, and Stephen abstained. You can make the final decision yourself."

Under Sylvia's relentless gaze, Herta had actually compromised.

That wasn't like Herta at all.

"Wow. Herta actually backed down. Are you sure you're the Herta I know?"

"Brat, am I really that stubborn in your eyes?"

The Herta puppet planted her hands on her hips and glared at Sylvia.

"...Aren't you?"

"When someone makes a reasonable argument, am I really that hard to talk to?"

"..."

That was the most technically correct piece of nonsense Sylvia had ever heard.

When it came to expertise, who could compete with Herta apart from another genius? Didn't that mean she could act however she pleased around almost everyone?

Sylvia glanced at Screwllum.

"Conclusion: Madam Herta does indeed have a strong tendency to follow her own judgment. However, that doesn't mean she's incapable of listening to advice from others."

What a master of diplomacy.

Sylvia hadn't known Screwllum was capable of saying something like that.

"Well, I'm already here, so we might as well run the test. But does that mean we can openly say Polka Kakamond's name this time?"

"Of course. In fact, I'm worried she might not hear us."

Previously, they'd used Polka's title because they hadn't wanted to invite unnecessary trouble. But now that she'd already set her sights on them, what was the point of avoiding her name?

Sylvia took a deep breath and prepared to connect to the system. Then she noticed that the Herta puppet was still standing beside her, with no sign of stepping down from the platform.

"You're coming too?"

"Of course I am! Having Screwllum and Stephen remain outside is more than enough."

Herta had always intended to study this stretch of history herself. Even with Sylvia here, she still wanted to see it with her own eyes.

To investigate the mystery, Herta had committed the full computing power of the Simulated Universe to this operation. Her goal was to recreate this period of history with the highest level of realism the system could achieve.

Of course, that was only possible because this particular period of history probably wouldn't involve a direct encounter with an Aeon.

In short, Herta intended to immerse herself in the simulation and search for clues through her own observations.

"Sylvia, there's something I need to tell you before we go in. This operation will most likely pit us against a fellow genius. You're incredibly powerful, but strength alone won't always help when you're dealing with the unknown."

Herta looked at Sylvia with an unusually grave expression.

"Our objective this time isn't to defeat Polka. It's to gather as much information as possible. So if things start looking bad, don't hesitate. Grab me and run!"

"..."

The first part had sounded serious enough, but Sylvia's expression turned strange when she heard that last sentence.

"Don't you think that sounds a little cowardly?"

"It's the truth. We're dealing with one of the smartest people in the history of the universe. Nobody knows the upper limit of Number Four's power over causality. Acting recklessly will only give our opponent an opening."

Herta was worried that Sylvia's recent surge in strength might have gone to her head.

Polka Kakamond was an Emanator, and one of the smartest Emanators at that. A brilliant mind operating unseen from the shadows was a terrifying threat in its own right.

More importantly, Polka Kakamond had already killed more than one genius.

That meant Polka's methods for dealing with geniuses were bound to be far more extensive and thorough than anything they'd prepared.

Herta had no intention of underestimating her.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone so far as to call Stephen in to help guard against her.

"Got it. I'll stay on guard."

Sylvia nodded.

Herta was usually so confident that she acted as though she was the smartest person in the universe. Seeing even her display such rare caution was more than enough to make Sylvia take the threat seriously.

There was no way she'd underestimate their opponent now.

Soon afterward, the Simulated Universe activated.

For a brief moment, Sylvia's mind went blank, and she felt herself sinking into a warm, thick mire. This time, she wouldn't be entering the simulation as an Aeon. Instead, a more suitable identity began to take shape around her.

As the scene before her eyes grew clear, Sylvia found herself standing inside a laboratory.

"You there, the new assistant. Set the observation precision of the Imaginary Background Calibrator to its highest level..."

A woman's voice rang out.

If the Simulated Universe had recreated everything correctly, then the scholar standing before her looked remarkably similar to a key historical figure Sylvia had seen while reading about the Scholars' Strife.

Patavia Adler Sommerville.

The scholar who'd proposed the Solitary Waves Theory.

To prepare for this journey into the Simulated Universe, Sylvia had spent some of her free time forcing herself through the dry and tedious historical records of the Candelagraphos.

She hadn't studied the Scholars' Strife in much depth, but Patavia's name was important enough to stand out even in a history filled with remarkable scholars.

On top of that, Herta had been the one to solve the problem Patavia had proposed.

That was why Sylvia recognized her so quickly.

The simulation this time was remarkably lifelike.

While playing the role of a proper assistant to keep the scenario moving, Sylvia struck up a conversation with Herta.

"Isn't it a little too convenient that this Unknowable Domain starts with her?"

"It is rather strange. There's never been a unified opinion on exactly when the Scholars' Strife began."

Herta was also playing the role of an assistant. She operated the equipment with practiced ease, recording the solitary wave they were observing.

"But no matter how you look at it, there's no reason to use her as the starting point."

"Yeah, that's true."

Sylvia nodded.

Patavia had risen to fame during the latter half of her life, but she'd been a perfectly ordinary scholar in her younger years.

Herta continued speaking as she examined Patavia's research.

"If someone deliberately defined the boundaries of this Unknowable Domain, and its purpose isn't actually tied to the Scholars' Strife, then why did Polka choose her?"

The words 'I'm curious' might as well have been written across Herta's face.

After all, this mystery was connected to the research that had made Herta famous. And she had nothing but praise for Patavia, the scholar who'd discovered and proposed the Solitary Waves Theory.

Patavia might not have been a genius, but her work had laid the foundation for major advances in academic research.

--+--

--+--