A Date, a Sister, and a Grand Plan

The lingering aftermath of the heavy rain had long dissipated, and the royal capital, Lucien, seemed to have been thoroughly cleansed, the air crisp with a touch of coolness. Sunlight streamed through the clear sky, bathing the entire city in a translucent vitality. On such a rare and beautiful day, Allen de Laval and Marianne were preparing to embark on a special ‘date’.

Marianne wasn’t wearing her iconic maid uniform today. She had changed into a brand-new white dress, its hem light and airy, its collar and cuffs adorned with delicate lace—this was Bernard de Laval’s first gift to his daughter. The dress perfectly accentuated Marianne’s slender waist and youthful curves. Her characteristic short black hair lay smoothly against her cheeks, and the usually stubborn and somewhat sickly glint in her eyes was replaced by a clear anticipation, making her radiate the pure innocence of a summer spring. She looked demure, adorable, like a girl next door.

Allen, too, had forgone his usual noble attire. He wore an unassuming set of dark linen trousers and a simple shirt, the kind that would allow him to blend seamlessly into any crowd. The characteristic arrogance and gloom of a dissolute young master had vanished from his face, and his dark eyes, once vacant and confused, were now calm and gentle, like a stream thawing in early spring. He appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary, even mild-mannered, fifteen-year-old boy.

Marianne gazed at Allen’s completely transformed appearance, momentarily stunned.

“Young Master… you look entirely different from before,” she murmured.

“Oh, do I?” Allen chuckled, feeling significantly lighter himself. His change of heart seemed to have transformed his entire being.

A complex mix of emotions stirred within Marianne. Witnessing such a profound change in her young master, she felt both the heartwarming satisfaction of a ‘child finally grown’ and the flutter of a young girl’s heart encountering her crush in a completely new light.

Allen was also observing Marianne. Accustomed to the usually gentle, respectful, and occasionally dangerous head maid, the sight of this fresh, lovely girl in a white dress was quite impactful. It was then he truly realized that Marianne genuinely deserved the title of ‘lily heroine’—provided one overlooked the glinting handle of a tooth extraction forceps subtly peeking from her pocket. Allen stared, almost dumbfounded, his eyes even welling up slightly. ‘This change… it’s truly wonderful.’

Marianne keenly caught Allen’s shift in emotion. ‘Could the Young Master be feeling something for me?’ She decided to act immediately. With a graceful twirl before Allen, her skirt billowed like a blossoming white flower.

“Allen, do I look pretty?” she asked, her voice clear and tinged with a hint of playful pride. Before they left, Allen had specifically instructed her not to call him ‘Young Master’ in public; his given name or ‘brother’ would suffice! Marianne was secretly thrilled by this—she could openly call him Allen!

Allen’s reasoning was simple: in front of the common people, he needed to maintain the image of an anti-feudalist fighter. How could a noble young master who dragged his maid everywhere earn the trust of the populace?

“Absolutely stunning,” Allen exclaimed, covering his mouth, his tone particularly moved. “If you stood next to Livia von Stern in that outfit, you’d be the most beautiful painting in the world! I’d pay a million livres for it!”

Marianne: “…” Her smile instantly faltered by half, and she pouted, lightly punching Allen’s chest with her small fist. “Can’t you just praise me sincerely? Stop trying to package me with Livia von Stern and sell us off!”

“Good!” Allen immediately switched to an expressionless, tough-guy mode, giving a thumbs-up.

“That’s not what I meant!” Marianne stomped her foot in exasperation, knowing he was feigning ignorance again. ‘Never mind, he’s impervious! It’s already wonderful to be out on a ‘date’ alone with the Young Master!’ This was her first time going out alone with a male other than a family member in fourteen years!

Seeing Marianne’s eyes, still bright despite her pouting, Allen completely shed his villainous facade. Dropping all pretense, he offered the purest smile of a young boy and said casually, “Come on, Marianne, you look absolutely lovely today. The weather is perfect for a ‘date’.”

“Ugh—!” Marianne’s face instantly flushed crimson, like a ripe apple. “You idiot, Young Master! You’re cheating! You’re mean! How could you launch a surprise attack like that?!” she cried, indignantly flailing her small fists, raining blows on Allen’s arm.

Allen quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Stop, stop, stop! You’ll break me apart if you keep hitting me!”

“Eh! Is this some kind of game? I want to play too!” a lively voice interjected. Anna, carrying a large stack of freshly washed clothes, happened to pass by, her amber eyes sparkling as she watched the two playfully scuffling.

Allen, recalling Anna’s monstrous strength—enough to punch a False Mark Knight to death—felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. “Ahem, this is definitely not a game!” If she were to ‘play’ with him a few times, he’d probably go straight to meet his Creator!

Anna’s identity, after all, was that of an Observer from the Heretical Inquisition. Although she was rather simple-minded, Allen couldn’t truly treat her like a pet. Moreover, she had just rendered a service, and deserved a reward. Allen looked at Marianne, as if seeking her opinion.

Marianne was so annoyed her teeth nearly ground together; their lovely two-person date was utterly ruined! However, she also knew that the Heretical Inquisition’s suspicions had not vanished, and Allen needed Anna’s help to clear their names. She couldn’t possibly let her personal desires put the Young Master in danger.

“Sigh,” she let out a heavy sigh, “Do you have any other clothes?”

Anna excitedly replied, “I have my combat uniform! Are we going to fight? I love fighting heretics the most!”

Marianne looked at Anna’s innocent and naive expression and suddenly realized that this red-haired girl was essentially just a naive child. ‘Forget it, I’ll just treat her as a cheap younger sister.’ She instantly understood some of Allen’s helpless feelings when dealing with his own ‘sister’—mature people instinctively tend to take more care of ‘children’. ‘Hmm, I need to improve my ‘wifely qualities’ (?), so the Young Master will notice my charm more!’

“Come to my room; I’ll lend you some casual clothes,” Marianne said, leading Anna away.

A short while later, Marianne returned with Anna, who was now dressed. Anna wore a common floral dress for girls; though a bit tight in size, paired with her red hair and bewildered expression, she looked like an utterly innocent younger sister, oblivious to the ways of the world. The three stood together, not like peers, but rather like a family—Allen as the gentle older brother, Marianne as the caring older sister, and Anna as the bewildered younger sister.

“Can you get used to wearing the dress?” Marianne instinctively adjusted Anna’s collar.

“It’s a bit tight… around the chest.” Anna looked down at her bulging chest, a troubled expression on her face.

Marianne: “…” Her movements froze instantly, her gaze turning dangerous, as if she were assessing an obstacle that needed ‘handling’.

“Marianne! Hey! Head Maid! Your expression! Watch your facial management! She’s not your enemy!” Allen quickly intervened to prevent Marianne from further ‘darkening’.

Thus, what was originally planned as a two-person ‘date’ had forcibly transformed into a ‘family outing’.

Allen hadn’t taken his family carriage for this outing. His task for the afternoon was to conduct a field survey of the social and economic conditions of the entire royal capital. If not for the constraints of his noble status, he would have preferred to visit other parts of the kingdom to see the true face of this world. He had a premonition that the kingdom’s false peace wouldn’t last much longer. Facing the tide of the era alone would be like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot. What he truly needed to do was mobilize the entire society!

Anna happily walked at the forefront, like a bird released from its cage, curiously observing the streetscapes of the Upper City. Wide streets, stately stone mansions, intricately carved doors and windows, splendid carriages rolling by, busy servants sweeping… Everything appeared orderly, tranquil, and dignified, the air filled with a mingled scent of damp earth and expensive wood.

Allen and Marianne followed behind Anna. Marianne remained vigilant, her gaze sweeping her surroundings, while Allen held a small notebook and charcoal pencil, recording as they walked—the architectural styles, the nobles’ decorative preferences, details of people’s clothing, the types of shops lining the streets… To others, these might be ordinary sights, but in Allen’s eyes, they converged into fragments of an era’s tapestry.

He needed to see the true nature of this world. If someone claimed to want to change the world but couldn’t even discern the true face of the world they wished to change, then their so-called change would merely be a meaningless historical cycle. This was the tragedy of history—those on the stage grandiosely declared history rewritten, but those below saw only history repeating itself. The true breakthrough point for overturning the old order often lay hidden in everyday details.

Allen, precisely, was a meticulous and detail-oriented grand villain. To bury the old world—this was not just a slogan. Allen said he would do it, and when he did it, he would do it best.

Some said that the only lesson humanity learned from history was that it never learned any lessons. ‘Won’t learn lessons, huh?’ ‘If humanity won’t learn, then this damn game, *Starlight Love Song*, won’t be played by humans anymore!’ Before The Observer moved to eliminate humanity, Allen didn’t mind helping The Observer complete part of their work first. Allen had no interest in becoming a hero of justice; that method of saving humanity was too inefficient. As a villain, he would dominate humanity as a wise king! Allen believed he was capable of this great responsibility.

After 999 deaths, Allen’s obsession with completely breaking the cycle had grown to an unimaginable degree. Only someone as mad as Allen was qualified to abandon his ego, abandon his personal desires, and transform himself into a purely altruistic tool. ‘There is no sacrifice too great to accept, and no betrayal too small to forgive.’ As long as he could make the mastermind behind the cycle pay and ensure the continuation of human civilization, Allen would sacrifice everything, including himself! If the world refused to let him, refused to let humanity live, then he wouldn’t mind personally sending this world to its death! If human civilization was destined to perish, then that demise must be the most spectacular explosion in the universe! Perhaps, this kind of hysterical struggle was the only sight The Observer, observing with cold eyes, had ever truly wished to see.

The thought of The Observer suddenly gave Allen a conjecture. He looked at Anna, who was gazing around curiously ahead, and asked in a gentle tone, “By the way, Anna, did anything happen at the Heretical Inquisition yesterday?”

“Hmm, I guess so?” Anna tilted her head, her face innocent. “I received a notice saying the Church was on a Level One alert, telling me to stay at my post and not leave.” She then smiled happily. “How could I leave when I get to eat my fill!”

The Church had such a strong reaction right after The Observer finished speaking with him. It seemed The Observer had indeed deleted the Church’s database. The Church was probably greatly startled by The Observer’s sudden ‘punishment,’ and was now in a state of extreme paranoia and fear. Allen stroked his chin in thought. In this situation, how should he approach the Church? Directly calling himself a “messenger of God” would be too aggressive; he needed to take it step by step. Allen instantly came up with a plan.

He could first pretend to be pure and innocent to gain the Church’s trust. Then, through continuous interaction with the Church, he would gradually reveal his prophetic mystique, slowly building up his prestige. Finally, Allen would find a suitable moment to suddenly perform a “divine manifestation” in public, making the Church bow down to him! After this whole process, Allen was confident he could handle the Church.