The aftermath of the heavy rain had long since dissipated, and Capital Lucien seemed to have been thoroughly washed clean.
The air was fresh, carrying a faint chill.
Sunlight streamed down through the clear sky, and the entire city radiated with a nearly transparent vitality.
On such a rare day of good weather, Allen de Laval and Marianne were preparing to go out for a special “date.”
Today, Marianne was not wearing her signature maid uniform.
Instead, she wore a brand-new white dress, the hem light and flowing, the neckline and cuffs adorned with delicate lace—this was the first gift Viscount Bernard had given to his daughter.
The dress perfectly accentuated Marianne’s slender waist and youthful curves.
Her distinctive short black hair lay smoothly beside her cheeks, and the usual stubborn, slightly unhealthy glint in her eyes had been replaced by a clear, expectant gleam, giving her an aura of pure summer spring water.
Well-behaved and cute, like the girl next door.
Allen was not dressed in noble finery either.
He wore a simple, dark linen outfit that blended seamlessly into the crowd.
At this moment, all the usual arrogance and gloom characteristic of a wayward noble youth had vanished without a trace.
His black eyes, once hollow and lost, now looked calm and gentle, like a thawing stream in early spring.
He looked like an ordinary, even somewhat mild, fifteen-year-old boy.
Marianne stared at Allen’s completely new appearance, momentarily stunned.
“Young master…you look nothing like before,” she whispered.
“Is that so?”
Allen smiled, feeling noticeably lighter himself.
His mindset had changed; he seemed reborn.
Marianne felt a swirl of emotions.
Watching the tremendous change in her young master, she felt both the relief and joy of “the child has finally grown up,” and the flutter of a girl seeing the one she admires become someone new.
Allen also studied Marianne carefully.
Used to the gentle, frugal, and occasionally dangerously sharp-eyed head maid, the fresh, lovely girl in a white dress before him was a striking contrast.
Only now did he truly realize that Marianne was worthy of the title “Yuri heroine”—
That is, if one ignored the faint glint of the Tooth Extractor handle peeking out of her pocket…
Allen was so stunned that his eyes welled up slightly.
This change…was really wonderful.
Marianne keenly sensed Allen’s shift in mood.
Could it be that young master was a little moved by me?
She decided to strike immediately!
Spinning lightly in front of Allen, her dress fluttered like a blooming white flower.
“Allen, do I look good?” she asked, her voice clear and tinged with a little pride.
Before leaving, Allen had explicitly told her not to call him “young master” outside; just use his name or call him “brother”!
Marianne was delighted—finally, she could call him Allen openly!
Allen’s thought was simple: in front of the common people, he had to maintain the image of an anti-feudal warrior.
A noble young master running around with a maid—how could he earn the people’s trust?
“You look beautiful.”
Allen covered his mouth, deeply moved.
“If you stood beside Livia in this dress, it would be the most beautiful painting in the world! I’d pay one million Livre to own it!”
Marianne: Her smile instantly fell by half, and she pounded Allen’s chest with her small fist, pouting, “Can’t you just sincerely compliment me? Why do you always want to package me with Livia and sell me off?”
“Good!”
Allen immediately switched to his stoic tough-guy mode, giving a thumbs up.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Marianne stomped her foot angrily, knowing full well he was pretending to be clueless again.
Forget it, she thought, this stubbornness was hopeless!
Being able to go out on a “date” alone with young master was already amazing!
This was her first time in fourteen years going out alone with a male who wasn’t family!
Seeing Marianne’s angry but still bright eyes, Allen’s villainous burdens completely melted away.
He dropped all pretense and showed the purest smile of a boy, saying lightly, “Let’s go, Marianne, you look very cute today. The weather is perfect for a ‘date.’”
“Ugh—!”
Marianne’s face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.
“You idiot young master! Cheater! Bad intentions! How can you attack me by surprise like that?”
She waved her little fists in mock fury, raining punches down on Allen’s arm.
Allen hurriedly raised his hands in surrender.
“Stop, stop! If you keep hitting me, I’ll fall apart!”
“Hey! What game is this? I want to play too!”
A lively voice cut in.
Anna was passing by, carrying a pile of freshly washed clothes, her amber eyes shining brightly as she saw the playful pair.
Allen thought of Anna’s monstrous strength, strong enough to take down a Pseudo-Order Knight with a single punch, and broke out in a cold sweat.
“Ahem, this is not a game!”
If she “played” with them a few times, he might have to meet the Original Creator sooner than expected!
Anna was, after all, an Observer assigned to the Order of Heretic Inquisition.
Though she acted silly, Allen could never truly treat her as a pet.
Besides, she had just earned merit and deserved a reward.
So Allen looked to Marianne, seemingly seeking her opinion.
Marianne ground her teeth in frustration—their perfect two-person “date” was ruined!
But she also understood that suspicion from the Inquisition had not vanished, and Allen needed Anna’s help to clear the doubts surrounding them.
She couldn’t selfishly put the young master in danger.
“Sigh,” she sighed heavily.
“Do you have any other clothes?”
Anna excitedly said, “I still have my combat uniform! Want to go fight? I love fighting heretics the most!”
Looking at Anna’s innocent, carefree expression, Marianne suddenly realized this red-haired girl was basically a child at heart.
Fine, she thought, I’ll just treat her as a cheap little sister.
She suddenly understood some of Allen’s helpless feelings when facing his own “younger sister”—mature people instinctively take care of their “little friends.”
Hmm, I need to improve my wife skills (?), so young master will notice my charm more!
“Let’s go to my room. I’ll lend you my everyday clothes.”
Marianne led Anna away.
After a while, Marianne returned with Anna dressed in fresh clothes.
Anna wore a common floral dress typical for girls.
Though a bit tight, it matched her red hair and innocent expression perfectly, looking exactly like a naive little sister.
The three of them standing together didn’t look like peers, but rather like a family—
Allen as the gentle older brother, Marianne the caring older sister, and Anna the clueless little sister.
“Are you comfortable in the dress?”
Marianne habitually adjusted Anna’s collar.
“The chest…is a bit tight.”
Anna looked down, troubled by her noticeably full chest.
Marianne: Her hand froze instantly, her eyes turning dangerous, as if evaluating an obstacle that needed “handling.”
“Marianne! Hey! Head Maid! Watch your expression! She’s not your enemy!”
Allen quickly intervened, stopping Marianne from further darkening her expression.
And so, the originally planned two-person “date” was forcibly transformed into a “family outing.”
Allen didn’t take his family’s carriage this time.
His task this afternoon was to conduct an on-site investigation of the social and economic conditions throughout Capital Lucien.
If not for his noble status restricting him, he would rather visit other parts of the kingdom to see the real face of this world.
He had a premonition that the kingdom’s false peace wouldn’t last much longer.
Facing the tide of the times alone was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
What he truly needed to do was to mobilize the entire society!
Anna happily walked ahead like a bird set free from its cage, curiously taking in the sights of the upper city.
Wide streets, imposing stone mansions, finely carved doors and windows, elegant carriages passing by, busy servants cleaning…
Everything appeared orderly, quiet, and restrained.
The air was filled with a mix of moist earth and expensive wood.
Allen and Marianne followed Anna.
Marianne remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings, while Allen carried a small notebook and charcoal pencil, recording as he walked—
Architectural styles, noble decoration preferences, people’s clothing details, the types of shops along the street…
What might seem mundane to others gathered into fragments of an era’s portrait in Allen’s eyes.
He wanted to see the world as it truly was.
If someone claimed they wanted to change the world but couldn’t even see its true face clearly, then that so-called change was merely a meaningless historical repetition.
The tragic lesson of history lies here—
Those on the stage proclaim history rewritten, but those in the audience see only history rewritten again.
The true breakthrough to overthrow the old order is often hidden in everyday details.
Allen was precisely a meticulous and detail-oriented villain.
Ending the old world wasn’t just a slogan.
Allen said it, so he would do it.
If he did it, he would do it perfectly.
Some say humanity’s only lesson from history is never to learn any lesson at all.
Not learning lessons, huh?
Then if no lessons are learned, humanity might as well stop playing this broken game called Starshine Serenade!
Before the “Observer” destroys humanity, Allen didn’t mind helping the “Observer” finish part of the work first.
He had no interest in becoming a righteous ally—saving humanity that way was far too inefficient.
As a villain, he would rule humanity in the role of the Sinner King!
Allen believed he was up to the task.
After 999 deaths, Allen’s obsession with completely breaking the cycle was unimaginably deep.
Only someone as mad as Allen had the right to abandon self and desire, turning himself into a purely altruistic tool.
“No sacrifice is too great to accept, and no betrayal is too small to forgive.”
As long as he could make those controlling the cycle pay the price and ensure humanity’s civilization endured, Allen was willing to sacrifice everything—including himself!
If the world refused to let him and humanity live, then he wouldn’t hesitate to personally send this world to its death!
If human civilization were to perish, then it must be the most brilliant demise in the universe—resounding!
Perhaps this hysterical struggle was the only scene the “Observer” coldly watched and truly wished to see.
Thinking of the “Observer,” Allen suddenly had a guess.
He looked toward Anna, who was peering around, and asked gently, “By the way, Anna, did anything happen at the Order of Heretic Inquisition yesterday?”
“Hmm, probably?”
Anna tilted her head innocently.
“I was told the Church was on First-level Alert and told to stay at my post without leaving.”
She immediately smiled happily.
“If I get to eat full meals, why would I leave!”
The Church’s fierce reaction right after the “Observer” talked to him showed the “Observer” had truly deleted the Church’s database.
The Church was probably shaken badly by the “Observer’s” sudden “punishment,” on high alert and paranoid.
Allen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
In this situation, what stance should he take when interacting with the Church?
Claiming to be the “Messenger of God” outright would be too radical; he had to take it step by step.
Suddenly, an idea struck Allen.
He could first pretend to be innocent and gain the Church’s trust.
Then, through continuous contact with the Church, he would gradually reveal his prophetic mystery and raise his status.
Finally, Allen would find the perfect moment for a “divine manifestation” before everyone, making the Church bow before him!
With this entire plan, Allen wasn’t worried about handling the Church at all.