"Rosalyne, tell me, who invented the Delusions?" Akio asked.
"..." La Signora was silent for a moment before answering, "The Second Harbinger, Dottore. He's a madman."
"Based on the timeline, he should be in Sumeru right now, conducting those disgusting human experiments, right?" Rosalyne said.
"Hmm… then it seems it won't be long before the Balladeer makes his appearance," Akio looked at Rosalyne. "Pitiful woman, you can't even guarantee your own future."
"?" Rosalyne was stunned, but in the next moment, her expression changed, and her breathing quickened.
In Akio's hand appeared a magnificent chess piece crackling with lightning—the Electro Gnosis.
"The Gnosis! Why is the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis in your hand?" Rosalyne asked.
"This thing is just a toy to the gods. She has no use for it, so I took it to play with. Is there a problem?" Akio smiled. "I can see you really want this, don't you?"
Rosalyne nodded.
"Unfortunately, that's not possible," Akio waved his hand. "This little thing, the Shogun and I want to conduct an interesting experiment with it, so I can't give it to you for now."
Akio tossed the Gnosis in his hand. "So, Rosalyne, there's no need for you to waste your efforts. Everything you've done is meaningless now."
"..." Rosalyne clenched her teeth. What she wanted to do most right now was rush over and snatch the Gnosis from Akio's hand, but she didn't dare. In front of Akio, she was completely powerless.
"But I can give you a chance," Akio said with a smile. "For now, stay by my side. If you perform well during your time in Inazuma, I can give you the Gnosis after our little experiment is over. You can take it to your Tsaritsa. How does that sound?"
"I have no other choice," Rosalyne nodded, closing her eyes. She could already imagine the dark days ahead.
"Good, you're very self-aware," Akio nodded. "My first requirement for you is to control your temper. I don't like women who lose their temper easily."
"I understand. I'll do my best," Rosalyne nodded.
"My second requirement is that you must unconditionally obey everything I say. Remember, unconditionally."
"I understand," Rosalyne nodded, resigned to her fate.
"I like this obedient side of you," Akio stretched and stood up. "Come with me, let's go to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
Taking La Signora to the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko circled around Rosalyne twice, clicking her tongue. "Well, well, Akio, you actually managed to bring a Fatui Harbinger to be your maid. As expected of you! I've heard this woman is hard to deal with—she even slapped the Anemo Archon."
"Of course," Akio smiled. "Hard to deal with depends on who's dealing with her. I believe Rosalyne will be very obedient from now on, right?"
Hearing Akio's words, Rosalyne trembled and quickly nodded. "Master, rest assured, Rosalyne will be obedient."
Calling him "Master" was Akio's request. He had wanted to hear it for a long time, and after all, La Signora didn't dare to defy him, did she?
"Tsk tsk tsk, when it comes to playing around, you're the best, Akio," Yae Miko said with a grin when she heard Rosalyne's address.
Then, she took out a shrine maiden outfit from her Vision and threw it to Rosalyne. "Since you're at the Grand Narukami Shrine, don't wear that flashy Harbinger outfit. It makes you look like a villain."
"Oh, and since you're calling Akio 'Master,' call me 'Mistress' too," Yae Miko, ever the troublemaker, said with a smile.
"Mis… Mistress," Rosalyne took the shrine maiden outfit, struggling to get the words out. She really wanted to just die on the spot.
"Go change into the outfit first," Yae Miko said, satisfied, pointing to a nearby room.
Rosalyne quickly went into the room to change.
Yae Miko's expression turned serious. "Akio, are you serious? The Delusions are already circulating?"
"Yes," Akio nodded. "With a factory producing them, even if the production is slow, a lot must have already been distributed. Besides the Resistance, I suspect many high-ranking families in Inazuma have also purchased quite a few Delusions."
"Damn it!" Yae Miko gritted her teeth. "Why don't we just kill this woman? How dare she cause trouble in Inazuma? Even if we kill her, with you, the Shogun, and Ei here, their Tsaritsa wouldn't dare to make a move."
"There's no need. The crimes La Signora has committed are indeed serious, but compared to others, they're not the worst," Akio waved his hand. "In the end, she's just a pitiful woman. Besides, isn't it interesting to turn a Fatui Harbinger into one of our own?"
"Hmph! You've taken a liking to her, haven't you? Look at that figure! What does she eat to grow like that?" Yae Miko glared at Akio, her tone teasing. "Even I'm a little envious."
It was true. La Signora's figure was undoubtedly the most perfect among the female characters. Yae Miko's figure was also excellent, but compared to La Signora's voluptuousness, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. After all, what woman wouldn't want to be a bit more well-endowed?
"You're right, Yae. I do like her, so I don't want her to die," Akio said with a smile, not hiding it at all.
"Fine, as long as you can keep her in check," Yae Miko nodded. She didn't really care about this. After all, La Signora hadn't truly wreaked havoc in Inazuma yet. The Delusion Factory was mostly Dottore's doing.
As for Akio taking a liking to La Signora and not letting her die, neither Akio nor Yae Miko saw any problem with it. Perhaps this was double standards, but so what? Akio had absolute power. As the god of a nation, didn't he have the right to decide who lived and who died?
La Signora was guilty, that was undeniable. But Akio simply didn't want her to die. He wanted to give her a chance to atone for her crimes in Inazuma. This wasn't about whitewashing her.
In Akio's eyes, La Signora was a criminal, but he wouldn't let her die. His interest in her was her greatest immunity. However, a criminal still had to atone for their sins.
This wasn't about some bizarre behavior making people forget the criminal's actions. A criminal was always a criminal. There was no need to whitewash them, nor was it possible.
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