Elsa tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowed in mild curiosity.

"Do you really want to go through with this, Will? And do we really need to take it all that seriously? If your goal is to become inseparable from human society, then why not just do it directly? Show them your power. That would have the same effect—faster, easier."

William raised an eyebrow, giving her a look.

"When did you become so lazy, hmm? You know why I'm doing things this way. And yet you're still questioning it?"

Elsa huffed, folding her arms.

"I'm not being lazy, and you know it—so stop calling me that already, because I clearly am not." she snapped. "And no, I don't fully understand why you're doing this. 'Technological ascension'? That just sounds like something you made up to justify dragging this out."

She stepped closer, voice sharper now.

"William, You know just how much knowledge you have in that head of yours. And I've been full of knowledge from the very beginning already. Between us, there's practically nothing in existence we don't understand. Forget about me.

For countless years, have you ever stopped growing or learning? We've already reached the pinnacle of what's possible—and even surpassed it. What's left to ascend? Can anything ever be more perfect than what we already are? Hmm? Tell me—am I wrong?"

Just as William opened his mouth to respond, Elsa cut him off and continued,

"Because I'm right. Then tell me… why are we even doing this?"

William stood there, mouth still hanging open, then sighed in defeat—part frustration, part embarrassment. She had seen right through him. And just as he was about to speak, to salvage the moment with some kind of damage control, Elsa cut him off again.

"And don't bother giving me some lousy excuse," she said sharply, stepping even closer, her glare unwavering. "I'll know the moment your mouth opens if you're bluffing."

She was now only a few centimeters away, and William instinctively gulped.

"Uhh… I'm not making excuses," he muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I swear."

He had no interest in making this worse, not with 22 days of servitude already hanging over his head.

"You already know why I'm doing this, Elsa," he said, quieter now.

Elsa nodded. "To experience everything again."

"Exactly," William said, eyes more serious now. "As you said—long ago, we already reached perfection. Everything we lacked, we filled in. Knowledge, power, insight... we've mastered it all. And honestly? I'm bored, Elsa. There's nothing left to challenge us."

He looked off into the distance as he spoke, his voice softening.

"All we do now is watch from afar—gods fighting demons, mortals clawing their way to glory, endless stories we've seen a thousand times. Sometimes we help others settle old scores, sometimes we nudge events along... but it's all the same. I just want to feel it again. The struggle. The growth. The uncertainty. That's what this is about."

Elsa's eyes narrowed.

"And that's exactly what you did last time—gave up your powers, tried to relive everything, and ended up getting killed thanks to someone else's plotting."

William winced. "Okay, yes—but that only happened because I rushed it. I didn't prepare properly. I forgot how human nature works."

His voice dipped again at the end, clearly trying to soften the blow of his own mistake.

Elsa crossed her arms. "So what's different this time? Other than your power being locked and slowly coming back, you're still walking down the same path."

"No, that's where you're wrong, Elsa," William said, his tone firm. "That life—and this one—they're not the same."

He took a breath, eyes distant with memory.

"In my last life, I had almost everything handed to me. I was born into one of the most reputable and powerful families in the Terra Empire. Sure, the glory I earned was my own… technically. But let's be honest—it was also because of my background. I started off with better resources, better training, better ships. I was equipped with top-of-the-line fleets from day one."

He glanced at Elsa, serious now.

"Every mission I took on, I had the best tools at my disposal. All I had to do was lead—and lead well. The rest followed because I had the support of a powerful family and access to high-grade ships that protected me. Even when I made mistakes, they didn't turn into disasters because my technology and fleet allowed me to recover and survive. The margins for error were huge."

His voice lowered a bit as he continued,

"But that kind of privilege made me weak in ways I didn't even realize—perhaps because, at the time, my memories were locked. Maybe that was the very reason I died the way I did. I had grown too reliant on the superiority my family gave me. I developed a mindset that no matter what mistake I made, I could survive it… maybe even retaliate.

Sure, I learned and improved over time, but that improvement was built on the assumption that mistakes were forgivable—that I could always recover from them. But in a situation where even a single mistake couldn't be allowed, everything collapsed… and it did.

If I had come from a humble background, things would have been very different. A single misstep could've cost me my life. I wouldn't have had overpowered ships to save me—and that's the difference between someone of noble birth and a commoner.

The noble rely on their safety nets, their resources… that's their advantage. But commoners, because they have none, are forced to become their own advantage. At the same level, a commoner can sometimes outwit even those of the highest birth."

And that very thought flowed through me—yes, my memories were locked back then, and so was the wisdom I once had. And by the time I regained them, I was already surrounded, with no way to escape.

What happened after that… well, you already know, don't you, Elsa?"

"Of course I do " said Elsa softly. "I was with you when you were investigating as who had betrayed you after you regained consciousness here in Ragnarok and I was there too."

He nodded and continued,

"But there's a difference now, Elsa. I'm regaining my powers—and I have you with me, along with Ragnarok, the ship we built with our own hands. Ascendancy is here too.

And most importantly… I have my memories. I won't be making the same mistakes again."

And all the more—this situation here is already chaotic. All we have to do is lend our hand, and everything will start to fall into place just the way we want.

With our knowledge and power, we can shape things slowly, on our own terms… and build an empire again—one that could rule for as long as we desire.

Wouldn't that be far more interesting than just sitting back and watching others from countless worlds?

Just think about it," he said.

And Elsa did think things through again, now from this new perspective.

Just as William had said—yes, it would be a bit more exciting than what they'd been doing in their own dimensional home, merely watching mortals go about their lives… watching cultivators fight, and gods and demons clash.

It had all become rather dull, she thought.

Sure, there were some exceptional events and a few entertaining dramas worth watching—but those were rare. Most of it had simply become uninteresting. Elsa tapped her chin thoughtfully, her fingers drumming lightly as she considered it all more seriously.

Sure, there were some exceptional events and a few entertaining dramas worth watching—but those were rare. Most of it had simply become uninteresting. Elsa tapped her chin thoughtfully, her fingers drumming lightly as she considered it all more seriously.

And the more she thought about it, the more she began to see it as a rather good—and genuinely interesting—thing to do.

After all, even she had grown far too bored of doing the same thing over and over again. Even if this wasn't the most thrilling idea, it was at least a refreshing change of environment.

But then… there was something else.

A thought that made her heart race with sudden excitement.

The empire. He had mentioned creating an empire… and if he intended to become an emperor—then wouldn't that make her the empress?

Wouldn't that be exciting?

The thought alone made her eyes gleam with a subtle, radiant light.

But Elsa controlled herself, refusing to let her excitement show in front of William.

Who knew what he would do—or how he'd react—if he somehow picked up on what she was thinking? Just imagining how he might tease or point it out made her all the more determined to keep her expression neutral.

She raised her chin slightly and looked at William, only to find his face turned toward her… his eyes almost pleading, not so different from those of a puppy.

Elsa, who had just opened her mouth to respond—still a bit reluctant to accept his proposal—was caught off guard by that look.

Her mouth hung open mid-sentence, stunned into silence.

Her mouth twitched slightly as she snapped out of her daze and said,

"Are you a dog or what? Why are you making that puppy face?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.