This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [123]
But in the next instant, just as the spike was about to strike, a rocky ridge abruptly appeared in front of Luo Qing, shattering the ice.
Luo Qing glanced at the shards of ice on the ground and casually remarked, "Oh my, Lady Rosalyne, getting impatient already?"
"Hmph! I've been wanting to beat you up for a long time!"
Rosalyne shouted angrily. She raised her hands, summoning more ice spikes from the sky that hurtled towards Luo Qing.
But, without exception, every spike was crushed by the stone ridges Luo Qing summoned.
"You've certainly been hiding your strength," Rosalyne muttered, frowning. During the previous officer selection, Luo Qing barely won using that emotion-manipulating ability. Yet now, he was wielding Geo powers with ease.
Adding in his time-stopping ability, she couldn't even fathom how many secrets he was still hiding.
"Indeed I have. What's the matter? Is Lady Rosalyne getting scared?"
"Afraid of you?!"
With that, Rosalyne's aura flared even stronger. She floated in mid-air, the ice element condensing around her to form an icy robe.
The freezing element covered the entire island, as if intending to freeze everything in its grasp.
A bone-chilling ice storm swirled around Luo Qing, yet it failed to faze him in the slightest.
With his own Cryo Vision, coupled with his natural resistance, the cold barely bothered him.
In the next moment, countless ice spears formed around Luo Qing, then, with a mere thought from Rosalyne, accelerated towards him.
"Tch, tell me, Lady Rosalyne, why must you do this?"
Luo Qing looked up at Rosalyne floating in the sky and let out a light chuckle.
The entire island's time abruptly froze, and the ice spears halted mid-air, suspended as if paused by an unseen force.
Luo Qing gazed at Rosalyne, shaking his head slightly, and walked out from the encirclement of ice.
He then retrieved a rope he had prepared earlier from his inventory and approached Rosalyne, who remained helpless in mid-air. Grabbing her by the ankle, he pulled her gently back to the ground.
With Rosalyne's eyes widening in shock, Luo Qing methodically tied the rope around her body, loop by loop.
Too bad her outfit made it a bit inconvenient; otherwise, Luo Qing would have tried something like a tortoise-shell bind...
Meanwhile, Rosalyne could vaguely sense Luo Qing's actions. Yet, within the frozen world of his time-stop, she could do nothing but feel the rope's pressure as it wrapped around her, leaving her utterly defenseless.
Once Rosalyne was securely bound, much like he had with Yelan before, Luo Qing slipped a pair of cuffs onto her fingers that suppressed elemental energy. Then he removed her high heels, applying another pair of cuffs to her toes.
He paused, as if something was still missing.
After a brief thought, he pulled a rag from his inventory, pried open Rosalyne's mouth, and stuffed the cloth inside.
"Perfect!" Luo Qing nodded with satisfaction, then released the time-stop domain.
"MMMMMM!! MMM!! MMMM!!!"
Rosalyne, now tied up like a bundle, writhed furiously on the ground, her eyes burning with fury as she glared at Luo Qing. Realizing that even her shoes had been removed, her glare only grew more intense.
Though Luo Qing couldn't decipher what exactly Rosalyne was trying to say through her muffled sounds, judging by her expression, it was probably... not very polite.
"Come now, Lady Rosalyne, why make things so difficult for yourself? If you had cooperated, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?" Luo Qing feigned a sigh.
"MMMMM! MMM!" Rosalyne continued to struggle.
[Frustration Value from Rosalyne +10]
"I had no choice, Lady Rosalyne. You can't curse my entire family now—the deed is done. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for this~" Luo Qing grinned mischievously.
"MMMM!"
[Frustration Value from Rosalyne +10]
"So, for now, you'll just have to bear with it. Don't worry, I'll provide plenty of light novels to keep you entertained."
With that, Luo Qing wrapped an arm around Rosalyne's slender waist, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and was about to leave. But then he remembered something, turned back, and grabbed her discarded high heels before heading toward Inazuma City.
In the early morning sunlight, Luo Qing's silhouette resembled that of a bandit chief who had just abducted a bride.
...
Hanamizaka
After some time, Teresa and her companions finally awoke.
Noticing Luo Qing's absence, they didn't think much of it and began tidying his home.
After a night of heavy drinking, the room was in utter disarray.
They had just finished cleaning up when heavy footsteps echoed from downstairs, accompanied by a faint, muffled female groan.
Curious, they moved to check, only to see Luo Qing entering with Rosalyne slung over his shoulder.
What shocked them even more was that the esteemed Lady Rosalyne was bound from head to toe, with her hands and feet in cuffs, barefoot, and a gag firmly in her mouth.
Considering how much they'd all drunk last night, they had to wonder—did their master, Luo Qing, get carried away while drunk and do something... inappropriate to the lady next door?
Her clothing was in such disarray...
They must have had a fierce fight, right?
"Master, this is..."
Natalia hesitated, speaking softly.
After all, Rosalyne held the highest position among the Fatui forces in Inazuma, and their master had tied her up like a bundle. If this got back to Snezhnaya, it could lead to significant trouble.
"It's fine."
Luo Qing set Rosalyne down on the tatami mat and continued,
"Lady Rosalyne specifically requested this treatment. Right, Lady Rosalyne?"
"MMMM!!!"
[Frustration Value from Rosalyne +10]
If looks could kill, Luo Qing would have been torn to pieces by Rosalyne's furious gaze.
"Luo Qing, Lady Rosalyne seems... to want to say something," Natalia timidly suggested.
"Oh, does she now?"
Feigning ignorance, Luo Qing turned to Rosalyne with a look of feigned surprise.
"You're all mistaken. Lady Rosalyne herself asked for this—she said she wanted to play some sort of... game. Isn't that right, Lady Rosalyne?"
"MMMM!!!"
[Frustration Value from Rosalyne +10]
"You see? She's nodding. Alright, you all can leave now," Luo Qing waved dismissively. "You four did well last night. When this is over, I'll reward you accordingly. But for now, Natalia, you and the others keep an eye on those samurai. Understood?"
"Yes... Master Luo Qing,"
Knowing better than to disobey, Natalia and the others nodded, even if they clearly saw their master had forcibly restrained Lady Rosalyne. But since Luo Qing said nothing, they kept their silence.
Natalia cast a worried glance at the bound Rosalyne and hesitated before asking again,
"What about Lady Rosalyne...?"
Luo Qing smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Lady Rosalyne myself~"
For some reason, Natalia found those words rather unsettling...
...
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