Chapter 028 : Answer Me, "Dark Rose"

As mentioned earlier, because Ling ke was the Herrscher of Domination, who "united the hearts of all," he trusted no one and had never distributed the authority he held...

Thus, his learning ability had been greatly enhanced.

And this thousand-fold increase was still growing rapidly as the number of Dominator Puppets under his command increased.

It was thanks to this advantage...

These days, he not only found time to learn a vast amount of practical knowledge and skills in various fields—medicine, astronomy, geography, special operations, art... he dabbled in them all—but also took the opportunity to practice using the authorities of the "Herrscher of Reason" and "Herrscher of the Void."

Today...

"Miss Rita, let's play a game!"

Inside Rita's personal restroom at Schicksal Headquarters.

The Domination Puppet, remotely controlled by Ling ke and identical in appearance to him, smiled and said, "Of course, you don't have the right to refuse."

Hearing this, Rita didn't respond.

What she wanted to do now, and was doing, was buying time.

The message had already been sent.

At least Durandal had received the intel.

Soon, she... and possibly others, would arrive.

Therefore...

"Before coming here, I carefully selected ten cities."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" used the authority of the Herrscher of Reason to materialize a semi-transparent projection in mid-air.

It was a virtual globe.

Currently, on its surface, ten red dots were flashing.

"Sky City, Hot Springs Capital, Snow Pear City, Ankara, Holy City... Delhi City, and... Manchester."

Hearing the names of these ten cities, Rita's expression shifted slightly.

She was familiar with all of them.

"Correct."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" gestured with his right hand and explained, "As Miss Rita has guessed, nine of these ten cities are related to anti-Honkai operations you've participated in."

"One could say that the reason they still stand today is because you contributed, more or less, during those operations."

"And the tenth city... Manchester, is your hometown."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" synchronized Lingke's true body's facial expression, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Now, let's stop here for the introduction..."

"The game today is simple."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" pointed at the virtual globe in mid-air, "These ten cities will be the targets of our full-scale attack next."

"Of course, since this is a fight to the death, we will not hesitate to... massacre the cities."

Rita frowned deeply.

The person in front of her continued, "And you, Miss Rita..."

"Next, you will answer a few of my questions."

"If your answers satisfy me, then for each corresponding question, one city will be spared from this catastrophic fate."

"Naturally, since this is a reward for you, the specific city to be spared will also be decided by you."

Rita's heart sank.

Having often dealt with the dark side of the world and having ample experience in this area, she knew what Ling ke was trying to do.

Clearly, this was another form of psychological torture.

She had already realized that the so-called Q&A game wasn't about the correctness of the answers but rather the seemingly secondary condition of... choosing which city to spare.

Because Ling ke hadn't said that the number of questions would match the number of cities.

And if the number of questions was fewer than the number of cities, then every time she made a choice, it wouldn't just mean protecting one city but also "abandoning" another.

Just like back then, as a member of the Nagazora City investigation team, she had abandoned her emotional judgment.

Thus, indirectly influencing many events, ultimately leading to the birth of this Herrscher, who was once a person full of hope.

"Now, let the questions begin!"

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" didn't wait for Rita's response at all and directly started asking questions.

Rita remained relatively calm... at least on the surface.

For now, she tried to calm the intense emotional fluctuations in her heart and gracefully sat back down on the edge of the bed.

It looked as if she were having a private gathering with an old friend.

And in this atmosphere...

"The first question: Miss Rita, do you think you are a good person?"

"..."

Rita had anticipated this.

She knew that Ling ke would never ask a formulaic question with a definitive answer.

Instead, it would be the kind of purely tormenting question that required her to gauge the questioner's mindset—a question with no clear answer.

To this...

"No!"

Rita gave her answer.

She believed that Ling ke would want to hear this answer from her.

Moreover, this was also the conclusion she had reached after reflecting on herself.

Over the years, as the assassin codenamed "Dark Rose," she had taken on too many dirty jobs under Otto's orders, her hands long stained with blood, no longer clean.

Even on the surface, her true purpose as the vice-captain of the "Immortal Blades" squad... every time she heard that golden-haired girl say with a smile how much she trusted her, it always left her with mixed feelings.

However...

"This is not the answer I wanted."

The Domination Puppet: Ling ke" shook his head regretfully and said, "In my opinion, Miss Rita, you are undoubtedly a good person."

"?"

Rita was stunned upon hearing this.

Then she heard...

"Living in darkness, yearning for light."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" said with a light smile, "In my personal opinion, these sentences are undoubtedly the most fitting description of you."

"..."

Rita did not respond.

She silently looked at the black-haired young man on the sofa not far away.

The latter simply smiled, seemingly with no intention of waiting for her to express her thoughts, nor any desire to explain further, and continued, "The second question..."

"Saving someone is a kindness, not saving is a duty... Miss Rita, do you agree with this statement?"

"..."

Without a doubt, in the current situation, this was undoubtedly the most pointed question for her.

Because the questioner was Ling ke.

The person whose plea for help she had ignored in the past.

So, her answer...

"I don't know."

She truly didn't know the answer to this question.

To be honest, Rita envied those who could answer "I agree" without hesitation.

Because they would live more easily.

But, if the roles were reversed, and she was the one in need of saving...

Could such an answer still be spoken so casually?

How many people in desperate situations would long for a savior to reach out to them?

Perhaps, like Ling ke back then...

All he wanted was a glimmer of hope.

Maybe, just that, would have been enough for him to struggle and never fall into the abyss.

To still believe that there was something beautiful in the world worth fighting for.

However, now...

"Hmm, I understand."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" nodded, "Not knowing... that is also an answer."

He smiled, "To be honest, I quite like this answer."

"So..."

He pointed at the virtual globe floating in mid-air, "Choose, Miss Rita."

"Which city will you save?"

(TL/N: damn. so cold!)