Some People Are Alive, Yet Already Dead (Continued)

(My father gave me life and raised me. Although he was indifferent to me, it didn't amount to abuse... So how could I have killed him?)

Because he's blocking your path to becoming a "simp"!

The hatred of being blocked in one's way... is far more vengeful than any form of indifference or abuse.

Imaginary Archive grumbled to himself, but outwardly maintained a calm tone.

(So what are you planning to do?)

(I haven't figured it out yet... well, there's always a way.)

Otto put down the reagents and lay comfortably in the chair.

(A brainless older brother and an ambitious older sister... Ha, how could I, the youngest, possibly lose to them?)

Otto looked up at the ceiling.

(Although my father has aged considerably since my elder brother's death, if we're being honest... with the blessings of Schicksal, he might be able to live for another ten or twenty years.)

In this era that values martial arts over literature, although my father is old and frail, if you were to lift that white robe... you might not be able to see his muscles.

It's true that the Apocalypse are the weakest of the three families, but the intermarriages between the three families every few generations have been improving the genes of the Apocalypse Family. As for being weak, that's only relative to the other two families.

Didn't you see that people look down on someone as weak as her wherever she goes? If she really had Kallen's fighting skills, it wouldn't be a bad thing for her to fight fair and square.

(In other words, it's a race to see who can't hold back first?)

Having said that, the Imaginary Archive understood.

If he waits another twenty years, Otto will only be thirty-eight years old.

Her brother and second sister are probably both close to fifty.

(My older brother left behind a little nephew... Do you know the story of the founding emperor and crown prince of the Ming Dynasty in Shenzhou?)

Otto closed his eyes as if to rest.

(The crown prince, on whom the Ming emperor placed great hopes, died suddenly, and the emperor's successor was not the crown prince's brothers, but the crown prince's son, his grandson... Even the wise and powerful emperor can be swayed by emotions. My father... Ha...)

(...)

(My father, or my adorable nephew Marcel, who is only three or four years old and has lost both parents, will either die in the future political struggles of the family. However, it doesn't matter to me which one dies.)

The reason you don't care is probably because you'll send the other one away anyway!

Imaginary Archive now understood why Otto was so confident.

Although the Imaginary Archive is inherently devoid of humanity, it is deeply versed in human nature, and under such circumstances, it is indeed impossible for anyone not to resist.

Moreover, even if Otto's older brother and sister were all willing to humble themselves and act subservient... wouldn't Otto, who probably already knew how to wail at his father's funeral, have a backup plan?

(When did you start thinking about this?)

(Just now, when the Lord God told me that Schicksal was destined to fail... Schicksal lost, and only then will the authority of the "Lion King" be shaken, and only then will hyenas like me and my brothers and sisters dare to bare their fangs... Wanzang, you don't seem to be good at this kind of scheming.)

The Imaginary Archive silent.

The head of the family's authority is shaken, his own situation is awkward, and the heir is young and ignorant.

With these three factors combined, it would be truly strange if the Apocalypse Family didn't run into trouble in the future!

But that alone is not enough to make Imaginary Archive tremble. Given time, she could figure out this contradiction herself. What trembled her was that from the time Liu Bai finished speaking until now... it's only been a little over ten minutes, right?

Otto had somehow figured out the whole story and was now sitting on the fishing platform like a fisherman.

This guy...

No, it should be said that the old man personally nurtured a demon...

Is that old man so sure he can restrain this demon?

Or is it that... he can no longer be restrained?

In contrast, Imaginary Archive had the illusion that it was indeed a good person.

Well, after all, she was created to fight against the Honkai.

Although fighting against the Honkai doesn't mean standing on the side of humanity, thinking about it this way, I can actually be considered a good person, right?

"Otto! Otto! I'm here!"

Otto hadn't closed his eyes to rest for long when a familiar voice woke Otto up.

"Kallen... can't you be less impulsive?"

As one of his few friends, Otto was quite tolerant of Kallen.

"And we agreed beforehand that I didn't want to go out."

"Wow... Otto, you haven't been getting enough exercise lately! Staying here all the time without getting any sunshine isn't good."

Kallen, with her words stuck in her throat, complained half-heartedly.

"You'll gain weight if you do that."

"Fat? From a certain angle, it's just what I wanted..."

Otto said with a hint of self-abandonment.

Her skinny figure hasn't changed in five or six years, okay?

It's as if all the nutrients were used to grow taller... Now look at Kallen.

Kallen, who is the same age as her, has blossomed into a stunning beauty.

"... Let Otto sit down."

After thinking for a moment, Nagatsugu tugged at Kallen's clothes.

Although Nagatsugu a craftsman obsessed with his craft, he is still in the service industry. He doesn't have much emotional intelligence, but he does have some.

He naturally knew why Otto looked so uninterested.

"Why are you saying that too, Sister Nagatsugu...?"

Kallen looked displeased.

Because it would be very dangerous to keep this topic going!

Nagatsugu tried his best to put on a smiling expression.

Otto had been lying in the chair calmly planning his future, now looked utterly dejected.

"... Fine, even if I take you out, you'll just cry and make a scene to come back, right?" Kallen muttered as she found a chair and sat down.

... Who would cry and make a scene?

Otto opened his eyes, ready to retort, but the first thing he saw was Kallen's voluptuous figure.

... Never mind, out of sight, out of mind.

Anyway, even if some things are said, they just go in one ear and out the other for Kallen.

... Isn't the so-called "scholar meets soldier" referring to the current situation?

Headache.

"By the way, who is that girl outside practicing shooting with the Lord God?"

"My newly adopted stepsister is also a patient I saved yesterday."

"Hmm... she's a cute girl—so you're not the youngest in the family anymore, right?" Kallen's focus was a bit strange. "... Well, if we go out, she might be mistaken for the older sister."

"..."

The last sentence is superfluous!

—Both Otto and Nagatsugu were roaring in their hearts at this moment.

Nagatsugu has already quietly distanced himself from Kallen —do you really enjoy stepping on other people's landmines?

Otto remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his eyes. Looking at Kallen, who was as innocent as she was when she was fourteen, he felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, not knowing where to vent it.

"I'll go with you, okay? I'll go out with you!"

Stop provoking me!

You know I've been frail and sickly since I was a child!

Nagatsugu: "..."

To be honest, Nagatsugu genuinely felt that it was truly remarkable that these two could become friends.

Or rather... God always seems to come up with strange combinations?

"Oh, and let's bring Elinor along too—she's my new adopted sister from outside."

"You're Otto's sister, so from today onwards you're my sister too!"

Kallen patted Elinor on the shoulder affectionately, which made Elinor feel quite flattered.

After all, before this, she was just an ordinary commoner, while the other party was the head of the Kaslana family.

This unexpected warmth startled Elinor for a moment.

Wait a minute! Could it be that the other party is trying to win me over?

So, what's known as... political struggle?

Elinor, who had been hesitating about what expression to wear in response to his friendliness, suddenly became serious and racked her brains to come up with two lines: "... Thank you for your consideration."

"Um... you don't have to keep a straight face."

Elinor's stern expression left Kallen somewhat at a loss.

In some ways, I'm your senior!

"Senior Sister?" Elinor's face showed surprise.

"... I didn't take you as my apprentice."

Liu Bai couldn't help but correct him from the side.

His students are already a handful enough, you should probably stay away from them.

Moreover... in terms of lineage, Kallen is actually Su's student, okay?

The family hierarchy is a mess...

"I am just teaching you skills; at most, I am a teacher, not a master."

"... I don't feel any difference." Kallen thought for a moment and didn't feel any difference between the two at all.

"Is it a difference like 'a teacher for a day is a father for life'? But the former can also be considered a similar saying."

Otto explained, his face slightly flushed.

My relationship with the Lord God... I think it deserves that statement, right?

(Ha... rebellious daughter.)

"It's nothing unusual, "Imaginary Archive retorted.

There must have been something wrong with me back then when I wanted this person to be my stepmother.

Even AI can have moments when it doesn't think straight.

... Well, after all these years, I should try to get used to it.

But then again, if I were to become sisters with Otto... ugh, that would be disgusting.

Thinking Imaginary Archive this situation makes me feel like I'm being a bit morally fastidious.

—Although she has no morals, she just wants to despise Otto.

—At least she didn't have any thoughts of attacking her father.

—He has plenty of ideas about patricide, but unfortunately he can't win.

—If we lose, I'll probably be ruthlessly attacked by Liu Bai, it's not worth it.

Hmm, it seems she's quite a well-behaved daughter.

However, if I had a choice, I'd rather have Otto as my stepmother.

Judging from the current situation, it seems unlikely that Otto's older siblings will meet a good end...