Eldritch Horror Theatre

"What do you mean?"

After back-to-back setbacks, the broken-claw queen's expression finally turned cold. She was clearly not happy.

"I only held back just now to be polite, Akasha."

"This friend from the outside is far more terrifying than you imagine..."

Yet Ballard didn't even bother to look at her, keeping his eyes locked firmly on Fu Qian.

"If I had joined the fight, it would have been a battle to the death."

"And in my judgment, win or lose, your chances of dying were over fifty percent."

"...So what do you plan to do?"

Hearing Ballard say that, the broken-claw queen known as Akasha fell silent for a moment.

"Are we treating Mister Andiel to a meal? I'd be more than happy to. I just didn't expect you to share my hobbies."

"No."

Ballard shook his head.

"Mister Andiel has already eaten. Now he needs to come with me. I have to ensure he doesn't disrupt the order here."

His tone was completely firm; he had clearly made up his mind.

"Actually, I only had the appetizers."

Faced with this plan, Fu Qian put on a solemn expression and pointed out the inaccuracy of that statement.

"Also, while I don't mind adapting to local customs, I have to wonder: what will you do if I disagree?"

"It's very simple. As I just said, Akasha would most likely be the one to die."

Ballard delivered the line without a shred of hesitation. The threat was unmistakable.

"I haven't seen you for a few days, and your self-righteousness has only gotten worse."

But as the sacrificial victim in this hypothetical scenario, Akasha was visibly displeased.

"What makes you think I'd cooperate with you to maintain your ridiculous order? Even leaving all that aside, Mister Andiel is far more handsome than you are."

"A ridiculous order... look at this place."

Ballard finally turned his head, staring coldly at Akasha.

"I tolerated your actions before because you were able to gather dangerous elements together and keep them in line, even if your original intent was just to taste different flavors of blood."

"But you actually let a dangerous character like Catherine out and caused this mess. Did you think you could just get away with that?"

"If they stay locked up forever, their flavor turns stale."

Faced with his accusations, Akasha's momentum inevitably weakened a fraction. She surveyed the messy ruins around them and offered an excuse.

"Besides, didn't I rush over here right away?"

"If it wasn't for Mister Andiel here, everyone in the restaurant would probably be dead."

Ballard scoffed.

"That's what you call rushing over right away? Do you think that had any effect?"

"Don't sound so high and mighty. Since you brought it up, I have a question too. Why are you here?"

As a Demigod, Akasha clearly had a temper of her own. Faced with his merciless accusations, she finally began to fight back.

"To maintain order, of course."

Ballard snorted.

"Relying on the Prophet to divine that there might be a problem here? That doesn't surprise me at all."

"The problem is, by the looks of it, you didn't step in right away either!"

Akasha sneered repeatedly.

"Could it be that this mysterious Mister Andiel frightened you? Frightened you so much that you disregarded your great principle of maintaining order?"

As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized the word "great," her disdain perfectly clear.

"Wake up, Ballard. We both know this place is just a prison. No matter how much we struggle, we'll all just rot in this prison in the end."

"Your so-called order is completely meaningless, and I don't care about it at all... Of course, there's still something to be happy about today—"

Akasha licked her lips as she spoke, staring at Fu Qian with fiery intensity.

"We've gained a very delicious new inmate."

"You flatter me. Lady Akasha looks quite delectable herself."

Listening to the two Demigods engaged in fierce verbal sparring, Fu Qian didn't forget to exchange professional pleasantries when the topic shifted to him.

"Thank you."

Despite the bizarre compliment, Akasha was immensely pleased, laughing uncontrollably and shaking with laughter.

"So, are there many outsiders like me?"

A moment later, as if recalling something, Fu Qian looked at Ballard and asked.

"Not that many. But without a doubt, they are all incredibly annoying."

Ballard's tone carried genuine emotion.

"I'm starting to side with Akasha now."

Yet before Ballard finished speaking, Fu Qian sighed with obvious disappointment.

"For an enforcer of order, you don't seem like much."

"What do you mean?"

He might not have cared much about the mockery, but some piece of information in the outsider's words instantly put Ballard on high alert.

"You'll find out soon enough. You won't even need to rely on divination."

Fu Qian played the cryptic riddler perfectly, acting in a way that begged for a beating.

"Of course, until then, you can go ahead and waste your time on me."

"Do you think I'd believe such vague nonsense?"

But Ballard maintained his seasoned investigator persona. He wasn't about to let him off so easily.

"If you please, Mister Andiel. All three of us need to take a trip to the Base."

...

"Why do I have to go too?"

While Fu Qian was left wondering what kind of place the Base was, Akasha voiced her objection.

"Because I'm not entirely confident that I can make Mister Andiel here cooperate obediently all on my own."

Ballard spoke with absolute sincerity.

"That's exactly my point. This is your business. Why should I get involved?"

Akasha clearly had no interest in meddling with such matters.

"It's simple. You're making up for your own mistake. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind dispersing that massive pile of blood bags you've collected once this is all over."

Ballard stood up, making no effort to hide his threat. At the same time, his faceplate slowly began to close.

"Let's go. It's obvious you appreciate Mister Andiel, so the two of you can share the back seat."

"Your Covetous Heart Chariot?"

At those words, Akasha actually sounded somewhat intrigued.

After a moment's thought, she actually lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Fu Qian's arm.

Half of her body was pressed flush against him. Even the bone claws on her back had folded down at a subtle angle, making her look far more docile.

"Mister Andiel, you look even more charming from this angle!"

Gazing up at Fu Qian, Akasha smiled brightly.

"Ballard's Covetous Heart Chariot... This is a rare opportunity. Let's go check it out together!"

"Sure. You smell wonderful, Akasha!"

Seeing the Demigod—who was nearly as tall as he was—acting like a dainty bird leaning on his shoulder, Fu Qian obligingly returned the compliment. He then called out to Ballard.

"It's about time. Bring the car around, Grimm."

...

This casual tone of a man ordering his chauffeur around brought a dead silence to the air for several seconds.

In the end, Akasha's laughter broke the silence, though it clearly sounded exceptionally grating to Ballard's ears.

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