Yes, Lady Funina!

Even Ying was at a loss for what to do in this situation.

In any case, Richard disappeared abruptly from the Pure Land of One Heart right after General Thunder finished speaking.

If it weren't for the tight bond with General Raiden, Kage would have liked to do what Richard did. In short… this matter absolutely cannot be known to anyone else. Especially not Yae no Miko!

General Thunder noticed that Shadow's emotions were fluctuating significantly, and she couldn't help but ask:

"You don't seem very happy?"

General Thunder couldn't quite understand Shadow's feelings, after all, hadn't she already achieved her initial goal?

He entrusted himself to Richard.

Ying pursed her lips. She wanted to entrust herself to Richard, but she hadn't said she wanted to bring the general along.

“Strictly speaking, I am you.” General Thunder corrected Shadow’s misconception.

Although Raiden General was created by the Shadow, his memories, abilities, and body are essentially derived from the Shadow, making it fair to say that he is a clone of the Shadow.

Even a clone cannot maintain such a close connection with the original.

“No, you’re not anymore.” Shadow shook her head.

She could already sense that General Thunder was slipping out of her control and rapidly becoming a 'person'.

According to the original prediction, the possibility of General Raiden becoming a 'human' is actually not high. Without a special encounter, it is basically impossible.

Because when she created the Thunder General, she had already minimized this possibility.

This doesn't mean that Shadow doesn't want General Raiden to grow, but rather that doing so ensures stability, nothing more.

But Ying never expected that she and Richard would become the subject of a strange encounter with the Thunder General.

This makes it possible for them to become 'human'.

Of course, the main credit here goes to Richard, since he really did 'put in the effort'.

As Ying thought about this, a few black lines inevitably appeared on her smooth, fair forehead. Richard really didn't notice anything wrong at the time.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. At that time, men are at their least vigilant, and who would have thought that someone could be switched midway through something like that?

Even the seasoned Richard had never encountered such a situation.

"It's truly not a fault of our own," he said. "Second Temple Army, have you sensed any changes?" the shadow asked.

"There was a tear near the perineum, but the wound has mostly healed, and there are no other noticeable changes," General Thunder replied.

"I'm not asking about your body!" Ying exclaimed anxiously. "Who's talking to you about that? I'm asking if you've felt any changes in your 'body'."

“‘Oneself’… I think I understand what you mean.” General Thunder paused for a moment, then…

"I feel like I suddenly understand a lot of things, and..."

General Thunder lowered his head and pressed his hand to his heart.

"I felt a heartbeat."

The 'heartbeat' that General Thunder refers to here does not refer to a real heartbeat, but is a metaphor.

It refers to her feeling that she has a life of her own.

These things were incomprehensible to the former Thunder General, but after this experience, she seemed to have an epiphany, not only gaining a sense of self but also being reborn.

After Shadow regained control of her body, she walked out of the castle tower.

"General, you..." Kujo Sara, who had just returned from Tasasa to report on her duties, greeted the Shadow Queen directly.

"Sara, we can talk about it later," Shadow interrupted.

She doesn't have time to listen to Saluo's report right now; she has more important things to deal with.

That means we need to discuss with Richard how to handle the loss of life caused last night.

You said you wanted to turn General Thunder back to his original form... Shadow admitted he couldn't do it.

After all, doing so would be no different from killing a life, but if nothing is done, Shadow worries that some trouble might arise in the future.

Moreover, whether a general who has now become a 'human' can continue to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Way is also questionable.

It's clear that Ying alone cannot make these decisions.

In fact, without Richard's help, it would have been difficult for Shadow to restore Thunder General Online to factory settings.

If the two of them were to fight, without external intervention, they could fight for a lifetime and still not be able to finish.

To put it bluntly, they were all taught by the same master, so they can't counter each other's moves.

"Yes." As a soldier, Kujo Sara naturally obeyed orders without question.

Since the general said we'd talk about it later, then we'll talk about it later. There was no room for bargaining.

"I'm going to the Fontainebleau embassy now. You can wait at the general's mansion, or you can go back to Kujo Jinya first," Kage instructed.

"Going to the embassy... are you going to see Mr. Richard?" Kujo Sara asked.

“This is not a question for you.” Kage frowned. Although she was easy to talk to, Kujo Sara’s behavior was actually very sensitive to her subordinate.

Kujo Sara instinctively lowered her head, preparing to apologize, but quickly changed the subject and said cautiously:

"If you're looking for Mr. Richard, he's at the Wooden Leak Tea Room."

“…I understand.” After a moment of silence, Ying asked again:

How did you know he was in the tea room?

“It’s a message Mr. Richard asked me to bring you,” Kujo Sara replied. She had wanted to say this earlier, but Kage stopped her.

Fortunately, she still managed to say it.

To be honest, if Kujo Sara hadn't known that the Shogun's relationship with Richard was extraordinary, she would never have helped deliver this message.

After all, as a soldier, Kujo Sara knew very well what he could and could not do.

"You've worked hard." Ying's expression softened slightly, and her tone became gentle, without the sternness from before.

“It is my duty,” Kujo Sara said in a deep voice, but judging from the black wings that had unfurled behind him…

This guy is actually quite happy, isn't he?

Kujo Sara was temporarily placed in the general's mansion, while Kage quickly arrived at the wooden louvered tea room.

Although it was still early morning, the Wooden Leak Tea House was already open for business. 'What does that mean? Doesn't it say here that it's open for business?'

“Yes, sir, but you are not our client,” he replied calmly.

"I just had tea here the day before yesterday!" the customer said discontentedly, feeling that the Mulou Tea House was targeting him.

"I know, but I'm sorry, we have a private event today," Shao continued, his attitude unchanged.

"Book the whole place? Who has such a big... big appetite? I apologize for being presumptuous." The guest was about to say who had such a big face to be able to book this wooden-chambered tea room, but then he saw the general and was so frightened that he immediately changed the subject.

Then he didn't pursue the matter any further and simply left.

What an exciting morning! I was just about to have some morning tea when I almost had a brush with death.

"General." Upon seeing the actress, Shao bowed and invited her into the wooden tea room, while he stood guard at the door, turning the 'Open for Business' sign around.

1. Temporarily closed.

However, before Ying had gone inside for long, Shao heard the sound of the wooden door being pulled open behind him.

"The talks are over so quickly?" Shao was somewhat surprised.

She turned her head and found that Taro-maru had been placed peacefully by the door, wagging its tail.

Wow... the level of secrecy is exceptionally high!

Kotoko gasped. Even Taro-maru couldn't listen to her. Thinking of this, Kotoko focused all her attention and used her sharp eyes to observe the passersby.

The pedestrians were getting a bit fed up with being stared at, and some of them recognized the person in charge, wondering if they had ever heard of the signboard lady having to act as a watchdog.

Taro: Are you being polite?

A man and a dog stood guard at the door of the wooden-framed teahouse, like two door gods, while Richard and Shadow met inside.

Before Richard could speak, Shadow unfolded the Pure Land of the Heart, and then the two returned to the 'Battlefield of Yesterday'.

The battlefield was still a mess, with clothes scattered everywhere.

Fortunately, the space inside the Pure Land of One Heart is vast, so the smell isn't too strong, though it's still there.

Ying's face flushed slightly. She waved her hand, and the ground beneath their feet shifted, placing them in a somewhat open space. "The matter of the Second Army..." Ying spoke first. "I will take responsibility," Richard confessed. Although Richard's mistake was unintentional, what's done is done; he could only blame himself for being careless and not dodging. Who would have thought that this substitution wouldn't have any special effects, just a thought?

Even if Richard had extraordinary abilities, he couldn't possibly have discovered that General Thunder and Shadow had switched identities.

"General...is she alright?" Richard asked cautiously, much like a man who had caused a death.

Faced with this situation, Ying's prepared words suddenly stopped.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally replied sullenly:

"It should be alright?"

Chapter 257 General Thunder Thinks Shadow Has Problems with His Thinking

Richard simply made a mistake that all men make.

Moreover, considering the circumstances at the time, the responsibility should actually lie more with Ying.

She hadn't set up a firewall for General Thunder, and as a result, her body was seamlessly taken over, and she even took over her husband along the way.

Oh shit, there’s a cow!

"What do you mean by 'should'?" Richard asked, puzzled. If nothing's wrong, then nothing's wrong. What does it mean that nothing should be wrong?

"Anyway... you'll see for yourself." Shadow didn't say much, but pulled General Thunder into the Pure Land of One Heart as well.

As soon as she finished speaking, a stunningly beautiful woman appeared in the Pure Land of One Heart. Apart from having a slightly colder expression and a more serious demeanor than Ying, she was almost a carbon copy of Ying.

Yes, even the faint hint of spring in their eyes was almost identical. The two of them standing together looked like beautiful young women who had just experienced the first sexual experience.

The older sister is gentler, the younger sister is more serious.

Richard, on the other hand, is more enviable.

"Good morning." General Thunder greeted Richard. Although Richard had left without saying goodbye, it was clear that General Thunder wouldn't be so rude.

In fact, General Thunder's feelings toward Richard were quite subtle; whenever he saw Richard, he would feel an inexplicable sense of closeness.

If anyone else wanted to touch the General, even Yae no Miko would suffer a fatal blow from Musou's blade, but if it were Richard in his current state to try and touch him...

It might not happen, or it might even go further.

Shadow never imagined that the doll he created in his pursuit of eternity to be lazy (crossed out) would one day become his bed partner.

That's absolutely outrageous.

"Good morning." Even Richard felt a little awkward in the face of General Thunder's greeting.

The main reason was that General Thunder had left a deep impression on him; while swaying rhythmically, he also turned his head methodically to ask if he could let her work.

They said it wouldn't disturb him while he was working, and they could each do their own thing.

Even Richard felt that things were going a bit too far, as if General Thunder was introducing Richard to a very new way of playing.

After exchanging greetings, General Thunder looked at Shadow, wanting to know why Shadow had summoned her.

I don’t know if it’s a characteristic of the Pure Land, but consciousness that cannot manifest in the real world can be no different from ordinary people here.

Based on General Thunder's performance so far, everything seems normal.

Wait, is this normal?

Richard's pupils shrank, clearly he had also realized the problem: General Thunder... had gained self-awareness?

In Richard's memory, the previous Thunder General was at best an exquisite doll whose behavior and logic resembled that of a 'human,' which could be considered advanced artificial intelligence.

But now, looking at it, General Thunder can already be considered a living being. 'You've noticed, haven't you?' Shadow said.

"Hmm..." Richard grunted in response, then scrutinized General Thunder for a while before revealing an expression of existential doubt.

He sensed the aura of General Thunder's newly formed soul, which was extremely similar to his own—no, it was his aura all along.

So he created her?

"I did it?" Richard had no idea he had this ability.