After chatting for a while, Sephie returned to her unfinished work.
As for her suspicion about whether her daughters had romantic feelings for Eriri, she ultimately didn't ask.
After meeting with Sephie, Eriri and the others didn't head elsewhere—they simply returned to Lala's room.
The reason the three sisters didn't go see their father was simple: he wasn't currently on Deviluke.
Back in the room, Lala busied herself sorting through the pile of inventions scattered around, while Eriri, Momo, and Nana chatted and played nearby.
Lala occasionally joined the conversation from across the room, and cheerful laughter rang out now and then.
The inventions were ones Lala had made over half a year ago. Though powerful, each of them had minor flaws.
They couldn't compare at all to the perfect inventions she now created.
Naturally, sorting through these old gadgets led to a few funny mishaps.
But with Lala's current strength, even the flaws in her inventions couldn't do much to her.
And just like that, over thirty minutes passed quickly.
"Eriri, Onee-chan, Momo—let's go hang out outside the palace!"
Nana, sitting casually on the floor, suddenly suggested the idea with a grin.
"Sure! Now that you mention it, I haven't walked around outside the palace in ages," Lala said happily with a nod.
Before going to the Saekano world, Lala had spent most of her time inside the palace, focusing on her inventions.
She was basically a tech geek—though not too extreme.
Back in the Saekano world, she holed up in her room developing the new Sword Art Online system and studying Schwi's body structure.
It wasn't until she finished all that that she started becoming less reclusive, eventually attending Toyogasaki Academy with Arifureta and the others.
Even now, she still made time for new inventions.
Momo, sitting to Eriri's right, also nodded with a smile. "Sure, there's nothing urgent going on. Let's have some fun."
But when it was Eriri's turn, her response surprised the three sisters.
"Hmm, it's a nice idea, but let's save it for next time. I have something I need to do," Eriri said seriously.
Hearing that, Lala immediately perked up with interest.
"What is it? What are you going to do, Eriri? I want to go with you!" Lala said eagerly.
"Me too!" Nana and Momo said in unison.
They didn't care where or what—they just wanted to go wherever Eriri went.
"I plan to return to the past."
"To the past?"
"Yes, about twenty-three years back."
Before Lala could ask more questions, Eriri continued, "This time I want to go alone. And you three just got back to Deviluke—don't you want to stay a little longer?"
"But..."
Lala still wanted to say something, but Eriri cut her off.
She reached out and gently pinched Lala's cheek, laughing softly. "Come on now, we're not parting for good. I'm just going to the past, not the future."
"Alright..."
Reluctantly, Lala gave up on the idea of accompanying her. Momo and Nana did the same.
"Oh, one more thing. When I return to this timeline, I'll already be on Earth. So if you want to see me early, just head to Earth directly."
After saying that, Eriri immediately twisted the timeline and vanished from the three sisters' sight.
When she stopped the timeline shift, she had arrived on Deviluke twenty-three years in the past.
At that point in time, the Sixth Galactic War was nearing its end, and nearly all inhabited planets in the galaxy were engulfed in conflict. Countless worlds were destroyed daily by the war.
Only the most remote planets were spared from the flames of battle.
Though Eriri could end the war with a single thought, she had no interest in doing so.
After all, the war would naturally conclude in a little over a decade.
And the one who would end the conflict and unify the galaxy—King Deviluke—was still just a young man, traveling from planet to planet for martial training.
Without lingering long on Deviluke, Eriri pinpointed a direction and instantly teleported to her true destination.
...
This was a ruined planet, scarred from the ravages of war.
On one part of the planet stood a unique research facility.
Though not the largest lab in the galaxy, the scientists working inside were among the most elite in the universe.
The facility had one objective: to use nanotechnology and biotech to create living weapons.
The first generation of such weapons had already been successfully developed a year prior.
Eriri's reason for traveling back twenty-three years and coming to this world was to find that first-generation biological weapon—Eve.
At that moment, a chase was unfolding inside the lab.
No, to be more accurate—it was a hunt.
Being hunted by two armed men in black was a stunning blonde woman who looked completely unfit to fight.
She had long, golden hair reaching to her heels, tied near the ends with a blue butterfly ribbon.
Around 170 cm tall, she wore a black sweater, blue jeans, and a standard white lab coat worn by researchers.
Her figure was perfect—curvy and well-proportioned.
She had on delicate, frameless round glasses, and her flawless, beautiful face was filled with panic, evoking instant sympathy.
Breathing heavily, the blonde clutched her left arm where she'd been shot and fled down the hallway. Bullets whizzed by all around her.
If the shooters had been just a bit more accurate, she'd already be lying in a pool of blood.
Her name was Tearju Lunatique.
A genius with an IQ over 200, she was a galactic authority on nanotech and biotech—and the most vital researcher in the facility.
That was, until Eve had been created. After that, her value diminished. Now she was someone the organization behind the facility needed to eliminate.
As the genetic donor for Eve, Tearju was like a mother—or perhaps a sister—to her. Since Eve's creation, Tearju had treated her like a normal human girl.
But her approach clashed with the organization's goal of weaponizing Eve. As a result, she was now targeted for silencing.
Though she was far from the room she once shared with Eve, Tearju was determined to survive and reach it, no matter the risk—just so she could rescue Eve.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the facility, inside the room where Tearju and Eve had lived together—
Three strange-looking researchers stood silently, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.
Just then, the faint sound of footsteps and labored breathing echoed from outside the room. A crisp, childlike voice followed.
"Tearju..."
As the voice rang out, a young girl in a black dress with long golden hair ran into the room.
"Look, I made this for you, Tearju! It's a gift!" Without even checking if the person she was looking for was present, the golden-haired girl held up a star-shaped necklace and smiled sweetly.
It was clear this girl—who looked very much like Tearju—was Eve.
However, a moment later, she noticed the three researchers in the room, and a puzzled look spread across her face.
When Eve spoke, the three researchers in white lab coats turned around, their expressions twisting into sinister grins.
"Lunatique isn't here anymore. She abandoned you and left."
At those words from the lead researcher, Eve's expression instantly froze. The necklace slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.
"Why?" Eve asked blankly.
"There's nothing to worry about. Let us show you the correct path—a weapon's path."
As he imagined the future where Eve and other bio-weapons would help the organization dominate the galaxy, the researcher's smile grew darker and more twisted.
But before he could savor that image for more than a second, a voice suddenly echoed through the room.
"Oi, oi, what nonsense are you spewing? How could adorable little Eve-chan be just a weapon?"
"Who's there?!"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the three researchers tensed instantly, eyes scanning the room in search of its source.
But no matter where they looked, they couldn't find anyone else.
And then, in the very next second, two feminine figures abruptly appeared right behind Eve.
They were none other than Eriri and the just-rescued Tearju.
"Eve!"
At the sight of Eve, Tearju shouted emotionally and dropped to her knees, pulling the small girl into a tight embrace as tears ran down her cheeks.
"Tearju?"
Feeling the familiar warmth, light returned to Eve's eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't abandon me!" she said happily, clutching Tearju's clothes.
"Of course not. We promised we'd always be together!"
"Yeah! Hehe."
Eve's smile grew even brighter.
"Oh right, Tearju, I made you a gift."
Eve stepped back from her, bent down, and picked up the necklace she'd dropped earlier. Smiling, she held it out to Tearju.
"This is for you, Tearju."
"Eve..." Tearju looked at the tiny girl before her, overwhelmed with emotion. "Thank you. I'll treasure it always."
Eriri stood nearby, watching their heartfelt reunion with quiet satisfaction.
She had always hated how this scene played out in the original story. Now, having resolved it perfectly with her own hands, she felt truly content.
And with both her and Tearju now in Eve's life, the girl's future would never again be one of assassination and bloodshed. She would know happiness, and the name "Golden Darkness" would vanish.
"So, Lunatique, you're still alive."
A cold, vicious voice interrupted the reunion.
"You survive death and instead of fleeing, you try to take this 'weapon' with you? You've got a death wish."
As he spoke, the man pulled a device from his coat and slammed his thumb down on its single button.
These three researchers had never taken Eriri or Tearju seriously from the start—in fact, they even harbored some unsavory thoughts toward Eriri.
To them, this facility was their stronghold. As long as they were inside it, escape was impossible.
That confidence made them brazen and arrogant.
Seeing the lead researcher press the button, Eriri asked with amused curiosity, "Trying to call for backup?"
Before he could answer, she continued, "I wouldn't get my hopes up. You see, there's no one else in this facility besides us anymore."
As she spoke, a sly smile crept onto her face.
"What... did you say?"
Her words froze the researchers in place. A bad premonition seized their hearts, and their smug grins disappeared.
This was the designated area for the bio-weapons, so there were usually many guards stationed nearby—especially on a day like today, when security should've been at its tightest.
By all logic, the moment the signal button was pressed, every guard in the facility should have received it and begun converging on the source.
Any guards just outside the room should've been inside within five seconds, tops.
But now... far more than a few sets of five seconds had already passed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven