[Is the Caretaker still stuck on how to write that blackmail letter?] Corpse Doll asked her sister.

[Looks like it, yes,] Porcelain Doll confirmed. [But it also appears he’s going to be contacting Miss Serena for her input on the matter.]

[Hmmm.]

Over the past few days, the kaijin were made aware of their unusual siblings that had transformed from zako into protokaijin via the influence of the Hearth Tender and the [Sacred Flame]. Their reaction to this news was...surprisingly mixed.

To be more precise, the fully established kaijin were curious as to how this new trio, tentatively named the Tarnished Ones, had managed to form from zakos that had very little growth prospect to them. But, the Doll Twins proto-kaijin were...a touch more jealous.

Why?

Because the Tarnished Ones were closer to becoming fully fledged kaijin than they were.

[I don’t get it, sis,] Corpse Doll grumbled. [We’ve been with the Caretaker for way longer,fought way more enemies and...some other stuff my preserved brain can’t remember right now, why are those tinker toys more developed than us?!]

[To be fair, I didn’t technically exist until you got reflected by that mirror back in the City of Mirrors,] Porcelain Doll pointed out. [As to why we haven’t developed as much...maybe it has to do with the fact that we’re twins?]

At this suggestion, Corpse Doll directed a weird gaze at her sister.

[What does that have to do with anything?]

[I read in some of the books at the library that twins are sometimes considered separate people that share the same soul, at least among humans,] Porcelain Doll explained. [It’s possible that we are not developing a Core because we both need to have the same Desire?]

[That...actually kind of makes sense,] Corpse Doll mumbled. [Wait, didn’t Big Brother Springer mention how he purposely stopped his development? Is that not the case with us?]

[I...don’t think that applies to us, since neither of us have heard the voices in our heads.]

[Hmmm.]

The twin doll protokaijin sat in silence as they tried as to collectively figure out exactly how they were going to develop full [Cores].

Ironically, this type of tubinong was exactly what they needed to develop themselves further.

...As the Dolls Talked, so did the knights...

"I believe you told me that kaijin and zako don’t get fat."

[I...I did.]

"Then why are you so round?"

[Be...because that’s how I developed?]

"Hmmm."

In the inner sanctum of the Hearth Tender’s cathedral, a rather unusual sight was playing out.

At this moment in time, Serena the current Hearth Tender was holding in her hands like a fat cat, a small, strangely portly, knight-like figure made of copper.

To the left and right of her, a silver and gold knight-like figure were looking at the copper knight with the same expressions children had when their friends and peers got in trouble for something silly.

[We told you that eating all of those aether minerals would come back to bite you in the butt, ] Silvie said with a snicker. [Now look at you, Copper. You’re as round as a tea kettle!]

[At least I’m not as skinny as you are, Silvie,] Copper protested. [You were almost mistaken as an skewer, twice!]

Watching the two of them with the exasperated expression that only eldest children could muster, Goldie let out a sigh before directing his admonishment toward their ward.

[Miss Serena, I think you need to stop giving Copper all of those late-night alloy ingots. This can’t be good for his overall mass.]

"I’m inclined to agree," Serena commented as she held Copper and examined the little knight closer. "Then again, perhaps his constitution is due to his affinity to Terraqi aether."

[Yes, exactly!]

[Horse shit,] Silvie retorted with a click of her tongue.

Between the present and the time Zhen Liu had last checked on Serena, the Alloyed Protectors, name pending, had become even more exaggerated in their differences.

Copper had become noticeably more rotund and bulkier; whether that was actually due to his increased affinity to Terraqi aether was unclear, but it made sense. Especially since the emerald in their chest developed a deeper green.

Silvie, on the flip side, got leaner and meaner. The ruby embedded in their chest had also gotten much brighter and developed a fiery aura.

As for Goldie, their overall balanced physique had gotten more refined, and the sapphire in their chest had become polished to the point of sparkling.

And this was just in their smaller, travel forms.

If they had fully extended themselves to their normal battle sizes, then these characteristics would be further exaggerated, and they would indeed look like the proper monsters that they actually were.

For now, though, they looked like toy knights.

"Either way, it would probably do you some good to cut back," Serena concluded. "Diamonds, after all, need to be cut and polished to truly shine."

[But-HRK!]

[Oh, shit.]

[Looks like the Lord is calling.]

"Oh dear."

Copper went limp for a hot second as Zhen Liu proceeded to hijack the rotund knight kaijin’s body before straightening back up.

A repeat of the last time this happened, the copper knight kaijin’s eyes went from a green color to a rainbow color again.

[Serena, good news,] Copper said in Zhen Liu’s voice. [I have figured out that Hulna made a dirty deal with the Erupting Dawn Empire. Unfortunately, I still haven’t figured out who was the one who betrayed your sister. Sorry about that.]

"I...huh."

On the one hand, Serena was quite pleased to learn that she now had justifiable reasons to get rid of one of the theocracy’s problems. On the other, she was annoyed that she couldn’t pin the man for the one crime she actually cared about.

"That’s...okay, so what’s your plan exactly? Because I get the feeling that you’re not contacting me just to inform me about Hulna’s betrayal?"

[That’s correct; I have a plan in mind; I just need some secondary input.]

"Okay..."

Using Copper, Zhen Liu explained his entire plan from beginning to end.

(Note: if you want to read up on the plan, please refer to one of the previous Chapters.)

"...And ideally, this ends with them destroying each other or one getting injured enough that an accident can occur. Any questions?"

Serena, Silvie, and Goldie listened silently as Zhen Liu explained the plan, withholding comments and questions until this exact moment.

[Are you sure that they’re dumb enough to fall for this ploy?]

[What about the Erupting Dawn Empire soldier? Wouldn’t they attack the moment their double agent gets exposed?]

However, there was only one question that seemed to be on Serena’s mind...and one that made Zhen Liu realize he may have missed something.

"Are you sure Hulna is the only one who is double dealing?"

[That...is a very good question. Huh...]

Evidently, Zhen Liu didn’t think of that possibility.

...Meanwhile, at the Library of Nowhere...

<Welp, looks like our Lord’s friends and family are more or less ready for war. And our Lord seems to be...hmmm>

=Hmmm? What’s up?=

<Do you think that our lord and his allies have been involved in too many wars lately? Or at the very least, mass combat scenarios? This constant battling can’t be healthy to any mental degree.>

=...=

<What?>

=Under a previous Kaijin Lord, I have it recorded that you suggested that in order to win a war that they were forced to participate in,that he had several kaijin hold every single enemy general’s family hostage with the threat of hyper digestion. =

<Yeah, and?>

=My point is that you have never cared about the mental toll on previous Kaijin Lords, why are you suddenly caring now?=

<Well...real talk? It’s because our current Lord is a little...way more...empathetic than our previous ones.>

=Seriously?=

<I’m dead serious, even though we can’t die,> Pathos answered. <Our current Lord has, consistently, always spared his opponents, his hostages, and has more or less ended up in situations where others have killed his opponents. The man is mercy and second chance incarnate. If his karma was normal, he’d be bless by heaven a couple times over by now.>

=I mean...I guess,= Logos nodded as he processed and understood Pathos’s point. =Wait, didn’t he kill that Dante guy? We saw him get rammed by a giant flying ship.=

<Yeah, okay, but that wasn’t our Lord doing the killing. That was technically a weird composite being made when he fused his essence with the Gallop Brothers. I’m not entirely sure if that counts.>

=Fair enough...huh...=

Logos went silent as he thought over her emotional counterpart’s point...until they realized the main point.

=You’re worried he’s going to end up changing dramatically as a person if he finally takes a life, aren’t you?=

<I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,> Pathos admitted. <I’ve poked through his memories, his world’s history, and from what I’ve seen, taking a life is not just rare but downright unheard of. I’m not sure if he can handle it. >

=Ah...=