The young mistress stood with her arms crossed over her flat chest, one foot raised and her head tilted back, wearing an expression of utter arrogance, awaiting the prostration and licking devotion of her servants.() This single posture fully displayed the majesty and decorum of her status as the King of Night, undermined only by her perpetually childlike stature of one meter and forty-two centimeters... or, to put it plainly, a truly appalling personality.

Lin Luo was utterly speechless.

The young mistress's demand was not exactly unreasonable, but rather sheer perversity—a fit of her capricious temper, a display of tsundere posturing. Lin Luo decisively ignored her and walked straight past her.

"..." Remilia froze instantly, her foot suspended in mid-air unable to be withdrawn or lowered. The corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Lin Luo's complete disregard for her was an unbearable affront to her dignity.

"D-Night, take care of this one!" After a long moment, a low, breathy sound escaped the young mistress's lips.

"Young Mistress..." D-Night sighed helplessly. At this moment, she had no recourse but to offer a wry smile. Caught between Lin Luo and Remilia's "war," taking either side meant she was damned; stuck in the middle, she felt there was no one more miserable than herself.

"D-Night!" Noticing that her most cherished and usually obedient head maid looked conflicted, Remilia grew slightly irritated. She then glanced towards Patchouli and Flandre, intending to call on them to gang up on Lin Luo and teach him a lesson. But as her gaze swept over them, she found herself entirely unable to speak.

Because Patchouli was engrossed in a book, head bowed as if nothing concerned her, while Flandre was already huddled close to Lin Luo, chatting and laughing with him. Meanwhile, Hong Meiling was supporting the little devil, pinching her philtrum in an attempt to wake her up.

"You lot!" The young mistress was furious. These people were completely heartless! Their mistress, the very pillar of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, was being bullied, yet they remained utterly unmoved. Had her authority truly deteriorated to this extent?

Remilia was filled with sorrow; she suddenly felt like a complete failure as a person.

"Young Mistress." Thankfully, D-Night had not abandoned her. She walked up to Remilia, bowed slightly, and then bent down to whisper a few words in her ear. Remilia's face, previously clouded with indignation and grief, instantly lit up. The sadness vanished as quickly as it had arrived. She nodded sharply, a wicked smile spreading across her lips. "Good! Let's do it that way!"

Putting aside the secret discussion between the young mistress and her head maid, Lin Luo, on the other side, had finished placating the second young mistress's nagging and gifting her a few toys. He then turned to Patchouli with a gentle smile. "Patchy, I have a gift for you. Are you ready?"

"Hm?" Patchouli lifted her head, a look of confusion on her face. "What gift?"

"It's what I mentioned last time, as repayment for lifting the curse."

Hearing Lin Luo say this, Patchouli immediately recalled it, though she hadn't paid much mind to it before, nor did she care much now. She replied indifferently, "Forget the reward; I didn't help much anyway. Besides, I think you should worry more about Remi; she isn't one to give up easily."

Patchouli's understanding of Remilia was no less than D-Night's. Having suffered such a major slight just now, Remilia certainly wouldn't let it go. Thus, she offered Lin Luo some friendly advice. Of course, she wasn't entirely looking out for Lin Luo; she mostly hoped Remilia would suffer a bit more humiliation as a lesson, hoping it might curb her terrible temper and prevent future troubles for Patchouli herself... although the probability of that seemed low.

"No, no, you must accept this reward. And I believe you will absolutely love it." Although lifting the curse wasn't entirely Patchouli’s doing, it was because of her that Lin Luo had ventured into the netherworld, where he not only fed Yuyuko but also became a 'relative' of Yakumo Yukari. Furthermore, Patchouli had played a role in his breakthrough to the Earth Rank. Of course, even if she hadn't helped, he would have treated her asthma anyway.

Although he hadn't overheard the whispered conversation between the young mistress and the head maid, with his current strength, no matter how meticulously that pair plotted, their efforts would ultimately be in vain... In fact, he was more certain that D-Night was merely offering platitudes to soothe the young mistress, who would likely forget the whole thing once her tantrum subsided.

"...Tell me about it, then." Patchouli hadn't taken it seriously, but Lin Luo's confidence piqued her interest. She closed her book and said, "Tell me."

Lin Luo immediately extended his hand, but it was empty. This left Patchouli baffled. As she watched his expectant gaze, Lin Luo said, "Please give me your hand."

"..." Lin Luo's request stunned not only Patchouli but also several others nearby. The young mistress approached with a sneer. "What are you doing? Trying to take advantage of Patchy?"

"Ah, could it be that..." However, D-Night knew what Lin Luo intended and gasped softly. She was aware of the existence of healing magic. But before she could finish her sentence, she clapped a hand over her mouth. Faced with the confused glances of the others, she offered an awkward smile. "Nothing, perhaps I was overthinking things."

D-Night had yet to tell Remilia or the others about what had happened to her. She remained undecided about where her true allegiance lay. Based on her own will and thoughts, she naturally wished to remain in Gensokyo; she had absolutely no interest in achieving godhood. But destiny was unavoidable, causing her internal conflict. Since Lin Luo had not demanded she reveal the matter, she would certainly not volunteer the information, adhering to the principle of delaying the inevitable for one more day.

Remilia could discern a degree of intentional concealment from D-Night but didn't dwell on it too much. After hesitating briefly, Patchouli finally extended her hand.

Lin Luo smiled faintly, grasped the girl's hand, and immediately activated the Divine Healing Art. A pale white light traveled from his palm into the girl's body... Although he initially harbored impure thoughts, intending to slowly treat MuQ and perhaps take advantage of the situation, he no longer felt that way. Exchanging favors for affection felt rather beneath him. Therefore, he proceeded to completely eradicate the ailment within Patchouli's body.

Patchouli was an exceptionally talented Mage, particularly skilled in elemental magic. As that surge of white light entered her body, she immediately felt an immense and mysterious vitality flow into her. This sensation was unbelievable, but what shocked her even more was the transformation the vitality brought to her body!

"Th-This is..." When Lin Luo released his hand, signaling the completion of the healing art, Patchouli’s eyes widened, almost refusing to believe what she saw. The asthma that had plagued her for nearly a century had vanished!

"Patchy, are you alright?" Seeing her reaction, Remilia couldn't help but ask. When Patchouli described her current physical state, everyone except D-Night was utterly astonished. Their feelings mirrored Patchouli's—a shock beyond measure.

Patchouli's asthma was not a common illness; it was a hereditary affliction of Mages. Born a witch, she had inherited the predisposition from birth, making it an inherent characteristic of her body, impossible to eradicate with any medicine or magic, even for the genius and formidable genius, Eirin Yagokoro. Yet now, Lin Luo had simply touched her hand, and the sickness was gone. Was this not a fantasy come true?

Let alone Remilia and the others who refused to believe it, Patchouli herself felt as if she were dreaming.

"Patchy, try dancing a little bit and see," the young mistress's eyes lit up, and spurred by her sudden interest, she suggested a mischievous idea.

"You should do that yourself. I know my own body quite well," Patchouli shot her a sideways glance. Although her tone was placid, it couldn't conceal the excitement within her. "My illness is definitely gone, and my constitution seems slightly stronger than an average person's..."

Saying this, she couldn't help but look at Lin Luo with curiosity. "How did you manage that?"

Lin Luo shrugged and lied with his eyes wide open, "It’s simple. Because my nickname is Hua Tuo."

"..." Patchouli froze for a moment, then performed her signature move, placing a hand on her hat, easily exposing Lin Luo’s falsehood. "Hua Tuo was a figure in ancient Chinese history during the Three Kingdoms period; he could cure all diseases, but was later executed by the warlord Cao Cao. Furthermore, although Hua Tuo was known as a divine doctor, he was only a mortal man and could not cure my asthma."

Huh?

Lin Luo was genuinely shocked. MuQ even knew of Hua Tuo? Was she really that knowledgeable? Then again, if Hua Tuo existed, did that mean the world outside Gensokyo was indeed a parallel world?

Of course, Lin Luo didn't dwell too much on this. Seeing the girls looking so intrigued, he had no choice but to tell the truth. However, he didn't elaborate much on the Divine Healing Art, only claiming that he possessed the ability to repair genes, which was a half-truth that managed to gloss over the matter.

"I didn't realize you had such an ability," the young mistress exclaimed in surprise, her innate curiosity flaring up again. She asked, "Can you repair my genes to those of a True Ancestor?"

Young Mistress, you are being far too whimsical.

Lin Luo was utterly speechless and gave her a sharp look. "That's not called repair; that's called qualitative transformation."

"Hmph, so you can't do it. It’s not that impressive, then."

"..." Lin Luo's eye twitched. Indeed, the young mistress truly deserved a good beating.

"By the way, why is it only your Scarlet Devil Mansion group here?" Lin Luo, choosing to ignore the young mistress's willfulness, asked the others. He hadn't just noticed now, but hadn't had a chance to ask. In this vast military installation, there were only seven of them.

Patchouli explained, "Because the others have little interest in military power, but there is someone here who is very interested."

"Who?"

Swish! All eyes instantly turned towards Remilia.

Facing so many gazes, the young mistress looked slightly overwhelmed. Her face flushed, and then she declared loudly, "That's only natural! Only by knowing the enemy and ourselves can we win a hundred battles! If we master the military armaments of the Moon, the next invasion won't end in failure."

"...You really are thinking big," Lin Luo murmured, unsure what to say to that.

l;!--END--g;RH