I, The Aeon of Trailblaze, Trailblazing the Multiverse

At this moment, startled cries echoed through the cabin of the Astral Express.

"Huh? Saeko-senpai, what's wrong?"

"Saeko-senpai is foaming at the mouth! Marikawa-sensei, come take a look!"

"Whoa! What's going on? Did she get food poisoning?"

"Huh? This was just regular coffee; it shouldn't cause poisoning, right?"

Himeko looked at the unconscious Saeko Busujima lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, in a panic. She quickly grabbed some potent medicine from the first-aid kit.

"Himeko, you'd better not give coffee to any of the companions weaker than Dan Heng in the future," Elias said, shaking his head as he looked at Saeko, who had been "taken out" by the coffee, and mildly scolded Himeko.

"Although your coffee isn't poison, Himeko, it's just too stimulating for first-time drinkers."

Himeko felt extremely awkward, with a hint of guilt mixed with disappointment.

Is my coffee really that bad?

Noticing Himeko's dejection, Elias comforted her, "It's not that your coffee is bad, Himeko. It's just that ordinary people can't handle the intense flavor. Personally, I quite enjoy it."

Himeko's coffee had multiple effects on the nervous system. Unless someone was extraordinarily strong, just one sip could knock them out.

Currently, Himeko had advanced far along the Path of Trailblaze, though she hadn't yet reached the level of a high-ranking Trailblazer.

For someone like her, ordinary coffee couldn't provide enough stimulation. As she grew stronger, the potency of her coffee increased to match, resulting in an intensely potent brew.

This made her coffee's energizing effects almost terrifying—something most people couldn't endure. It was practically on par with a psychoactive drug.

Himeko's expression grew complicated as she nodded. "Understood, Lord Elias."

"Gulp…" Saya Takagi and Rei Miyamoto, looking at the spilled coffee on the ground, involuntarily swallowed hard. For a moment, they seemed to see a skull superimposed over the image of the coffee.

When their gazes turned to Himeko, who looked as warm and gentle as a mother, their foreheads were drenched in cold sweat.

Such a kind and gentle Himeko-senpai… How could her coffee be so terrifying?

So the lethal cooking often depicted in anime really exists? Even Saeko-senpai, who's so strong, couldn't withstand it.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how horrifying Himeko's cooking might be.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Pom-Pom's displeased voice suddenly broke through their thoughts, startling Saya, Rei, and Shizuka Marikawa. They turned to look at the source.

What they saw was a creature dressed like a train conductor, with long ears resembling rabbit ears. Though it stood upright like a human, it resembled a stuffed doll, and it was walking toward them with an annoyed expression.

"Wow! So cute! Such a fantastical creature!" The three of them immediately had stars in their eyes.

Most women couldn't resist their instinctive fondness for cute things.

"Pom-Pom just came from the conductor's room and saw that you've dirtied the floor! Pom-Pom just cleaned it!" Pom-Pom said angrily, hands on her hips. Then, turning to Elias, she added, "And you, Akivili! Why didn't you stop the new passengers from drinking Himeko's coffee? If they hadn't drunk it, they wouldn't have fainted! And if they hadn't fainted, they wouldn't have made a mess on the floor!"

Elias shrugged. "Pom-Pom, you're such a caretaker. This was Himeko's heartfelt gesture. Don't worry, with me here, Saeko will be fine."

"Oh, by the way, Pom-Pom, I brought you some local treats—your favorite snacks."

As he spoke, Elias conjured a large bag of dried fruit cakes and placed it in front of Pom-Pom.

Pom-Pom's favorite food was dried fruit cakes.

Pom-Pom's expression immediately changed as her eyes widened. "You… You actually brought cakes for Pom-Pom? Don't—don't think this makes Pom-Pom happy!"

Pom-Pom's smile grew wider as she hugged the bag of cakes tightly.

"Anyway, welcome back safely. And Himeko, you need to clean up the floor," Pom-Pom said before dashing off toward the kitchen with her cakes in tow.

Elias shrugged. "Still claiming you're not happy, but look at you practically skipping. Such a tsundere, Pom-Pom." He smirked mischievously. "I bet you're going to stash those cakes in the cupboard, too reluctant to eat them. Heh, then you'll sneak them out during your breaks and try to play it off with a diversionary smile."

Himeko was speechless, and Saya Takagi and the others couldn't help but sweatdrop at Elias's behavior.

The great Trailblaze Aeon! So this is what kind of god you are?

For Saya and the others, the lofty divine image they had of Elias blurred just a little. However, as newly minted Nameless, their understanding of Elias—the Aeon of Trailblaze—was still largely rooted in their own imaginations.

Only Shizuka Marikawa, with her characteristic airheadedness, seemed entirely unbothered and blissfully unaware of the implications.

At that moment, Saeko regained consciousness, blinking up at the crowd of faces hovering over her with a slightly dazed expression.

"Huh… Did I pass out? What happened?"

Elias, looking perfectly serious, patted her shoulder. "Saeko, you just drank Himeko's coffee. It was so delicious it knocked you out with happiness."

Saeko's mind immediately recalled the events before she fainted. Her memory stopped at the moment she swallowed the coffee, when the world began to spin. Her tongue still seemed to carry the haunting echo of that utterly terrifying flavor.

"Gulp…" Saeko instinctively swallowed as she looked at Himeko, who was staring at her apologetically. A shiver ran down her spine.

Too terrifying. Himeko's coffee is just too terrifying!

Himeko, full of regret, apologized. "I'm sorry, Saeko. I shouldn't have given you that coffee."

Saeko quickly replied, "No, no, it's not your fault, Himeko-senpai. It's because I'm too weak."

I can't believe I was scared of a mere cup of coffee. It's not poison. It's just that I'm too weak to handle it.

Determined, her expression grew serious, her gaze sharp as steel. "Himeko-senpai, I promise to become strong enough to earn your acknowledgment. One day, I'll be able to finish a whole cup."

After all, Himeko had downed an entire cup with an expression of pure enjoyment. Surely that wasn't even her limit.

Saya Takagi and Rei Miyamoto stared at Saeko, utterly stunned by her resolute demeanor.

"Saeko-senpai, you…"

Elias, watching Saeko stand tall and proud with the poise of a valkyrie, couldn't help but clap his hands.

Clap, clap, clap…

"Well said! What a fantastic idea. My thinking was too small!"

"From now on, the standard for measuring strength on the Astral Express will be this!"

Himeko blinked at the suddenly enthusiastic Elias, confused. "A standard for measuring strength?"

Elias, smiling mischievously, declared his terrifying decision. "That's right! Himeko's coffee will be the benchmark for evaluating the strength of all Nameless!"

"Only those who can drink an entire cup of Himeko's coffee in one go will be considered strong."

"The more cups they can drink, the stronger they are!"

Boom…

Welt and Dan Heng, who had just returned to see if they had forgotten anything, stopped dead in their tracks. Hearing Elias's words was like a thunderclap splitting their minds. They stood frozen, their thoughts spinning in chaos.