Congratulations Are in Order (Continued)

"They may back down in the short term, but from now on, this group will definitely develop more rebellious intentions."

"Theresa, you're my friend, of course I'll do everything I can to help you, but..."

"—I am indeed a highly educated person, but since joining Schicksal, I have been fighting in combat units."

"You expect me to help you outmaneuver these old foxes? That's giving me too much credit."

"Himeko, thank you for your hard work, but..."

Hearing Himeko's words, Theresa jumped back into her chair and looked at the documents with a worried expression.

"But if we don't take action now, the problem can't be solved."

"You guys have all checked these documents, and they are indeed documents that you would definitely report without any problems."

"If these things aren't handled properly now..."

"Nothing will happen."

Looking at Theresa's worried face, Himeko said very casually.

"You used to sneak peeks at comics every day when you were in the Far East Branch, why are you suddenly so responsible now?"

"The past is the past, the present is the present."

Looking at the "Oath of Judah" not far away, Theresa suddenly spoke with a dazed expression.

"You used to be able to handle all those paperwork by yourself, so naturally I'll relax a little."

"But now, this is the Schicksal Headquarters, the last bastion of humanity against the Honkai."

"If I work with the same attitude as before at this time, and it results in some work not being completed, which indirectly leads to some Honkai events not being dealt with in time—and then there are unnecessary sacrifices, wouldn't that be all my fault?"

Wow, this silly roe deer's sense of responsibility has suddenly increased so much.

Well, anyway, these are all good things.

Although Theresa is still a little short of the required abilities to become the Archbishop of Schicksal, she has the sense of responsibility, so it's not a big problem.

The leader of an organization is someone who delegates miscellaneous tasks to his subordinates and simply makes decisions at crucial moments.

Although Bishop Otto was not a good person, under his transformation, Schicksal had long since become a semi-automated organization.

In this situation, if Theresa can get through this most difficult period, the pressure should lessen a bit in the future.

"But Himeko."

Then, belatedly remembering Himeko's words, "Don't worry," Theresa suddenly asked Himeko with great curiosity.

Why do you think this problem isn't serious?

"Oh, it's very simple. To put it bluntly, the reason that group of people chose to 'take action' at this time is because Bishop Otto and Lin Yu are not here."

"But in reality, we know that Lin Yu had just returned to us three days ago; he simply went to chase after Kiana."

"In other words, once Lin Yu returns, under the pressure of the strongest knight, they certainly won't dare to continue acting recklessly in this regard."

Listening to Himeko's analysis, Theresa nodded slightly.

Then, she angrily banged on the table, leaving a fist-shaped dent on the alloy desk in front of her.

"Damn it! Why can Lin Yu scare them, but I can't!"

"Are these guys looking down on me?!"

"You..."

Seeing Theresa's anger, Himeko speechlessly pulled up some information that both of them were already aware of.

"Look at your record. Although you are a powerful warrior who can easily defeat Emperor-class and fight against Judgment-class warriors, you still lost to Herrscher fourteen years ago."

"But Lin Yu— "

Seeing Lin Yu's battle record showing that he had defeated the Third Herrscher, Chiyou, the Fourth Herrscher, the Sixth Herrscher, and the World Serpent Venerable Lord Kevin Kaslana, Theresa wisely interrupted Himeko's subsequent words.

"Alright, stop talking."

"I admit I was wrong. Judging from the results— Lin Yu's improvement rate is terrifying!"

The thought that she and the other person had only known each other for 110 days made Theresa realize that the speed at which she, as a nominal junior in the clan, was progressing was truly terrifying.

It's no wonder that Himeko thought the old foxes from the other branches would definitely back down as soon as Lin Yu returned.

A Constraint Herrscher can defeat the strongest warrior of the Previous Era is enough to reassure the other members of Schicksal just by standing there, and at the same time, it can deter any ambitious people who are about to make a rash move.

That's how terrifying it is to be able to single-handedly defeat a humanoid monster Herrscher. Faced with Lin Yu's achievements, who would dare to utter a word...?

Lin Yu might not even need to lift a finger; that idiot would be attacked by everyone.

The disasters caused by Herrscher all start with the deaths of hundreds of millions of people and the destruction of a large number of buildings.

However, in the several Herrscher battles that Lin Yu participated in, the enemy was quickly defeated without any deaths of any Schicksal members or innocent civilians, and without much damage to buildings.

In a sense, after Otto helped Lin Yu create a frenzy of publicity, some members of the organization even became Lin Yu's fanatical followers.

These fanatical followers of Lin Yu firmly believed that the incredibly powerful Lin Yu could absolutely lead humanity to victory.

If it weren't for the lingering influence of Otto's five hundred years in Schicksal, something even more exciting might have happened.

Under these circumstances...

—No wonder Himeko felt that no one else would dare to act recklessly.

However, when Theresa thought about the current treatment of her junior, she was not only happy for Lin Yu, but also heartbroken because her junior had to face a future full of pressure.

Lin Yu is four months away from coming of age, and at this time, a seventeen-year-old boy must bear the pressure of being the 'savior' and act accordingly.

Perhaps for Lin Yu, who is determined to seek revenge, he doesn't care about, or even enjoys, this pressure.

But too much pressure will eventually break a person.

When Theresa had only known Lin Yu for a month, she even thought it would be great if Lin Yu messed around with B&G relationships.

But now, so much time has passed, has Lin Yu taken any action?

No, absolutely not.

Other girls were either flirting with him, or practically throwing their cards in the open, or even using other tactics, but the problem was that Lin Yu didn't fall for any of them, so they were helpless no matter what tricks they used.

Logically speaking, with the Honkai clearly accelerating, Theresa shouldn't be focusing her energy on these trivial matters.

But now, with that great battle just around the corner, will Lin Yu, who has become Herrscher due to despair, really not experience a further deterioration in his mentality?

"Lady Theresa!"

While Theresa was worried about Lin Yu, Amber suddenly spoke to Theresa in the office through the communication screen.

"Lord Lin Yu has just returned to the Schicksal Headquarters with the B-rank Valkyrie Kiana Kaslana."

"Excuse me..."

Recalling Durandal and Rita's incredibly tense reactions at the time, Theresa immediately spoke to Amber.

"Don't make a fuss yet. Let's meet with him privately first, and then see if we should announce Lin Yu's return."

"Hmm, wait a minute, how did he get back to headquarters?"

"This..."

Seeing Theresa's puzzled look, Amber stammered to Theresa.

"It is through the Imaginary Door."

Ugh, this is a real headache.

Although Lin Yu brought Kiana back, it means he has already won Kiana over.

However, this doesn't mean that those of us in the know don't need to deal with Kiana's current complex state of mind.

Siegfried was initially hesitant to explain things clearly to the child... but it wasn't Siegfried's fault.

But now that it's been so long, we're telling her that everything in the past was a lie.

It's unbearable.

But no matter how difficult it is, I still have to go see her.

After all, she was Siegfried's acknowledged daughter.

Now that Siegfried has been captured by the World Serpent, I, as Siegfried's friend...

—We must help him take good care of his daughter.

Schicksal Headquarters - Reception Room

Although Theresa told Amber not to make a fuss, after a little thought, Amber still notified those who had close relationships with Lin Yu and Kiana.

As Otto's secretary, Amber naturally knew most of the details of Otto's plan.

In Otto's plan, after K423 becomes the Herrscher of the Void, she must fight on the stage set up by Otto against others who have deep feelings for her.

After this fierce battle, if Sirin, as the Herrscher of the Void, kills someone important to K423, then K423 may be able to fully 'awaken'.

Of course, one or two important people in K423 might not be enough, so in Otto's plan, he intended to get rid of everyone around K423.

When Lin Yu was not strong enough, he was Otto's first choice to sacrifice. However, now, due to various accidents, even Amber does not think that K423 can defeat Lin Yu.

After K423 Herrscher Transformation, Lin Yu brought her back to headquarters, which means that Lin Yu had successfully helped K423 regain her self-awareness.

As for whether the current K423 meets Bishop Otto's requirements, Amber doesn't know.

But she knew that at this time, it was definitely the right thing to do to let K423 deepen his relationship with the others.

A minute or two later, the door to the room was suddenly opened.

"Kiana's Mom! You're finally back!"

After feeling a strong impact hit her body, Kiana looked at her daughter in her arms and smiled as she stroked Lin Yi's white hair.

"Yes, Xiao Yi, I'm back."

"Hmm..."

At this moment, Lin Yi, who keenly sensed that something seemed off about Kiana, suddenly looked at Lin Yu with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Dad, what did you do to Kiana's Mom?"

Well... how should I put it...?

Faced with Lin Yi's question, Lin Yu, who had originally doted on Lin Yi, suddenly spoke to Lin Yi in a deliberately fierce manner.

"Don't ask, little kids."

"Oh..."

After giving a meaningful "oh," Lin Yi's gaze towards the two of them suddenly changed.

"Oh, I see..."

Hearing his daughter's meaningful words, Lin Yu felt that something was not right.

Elysia, what exactly have you been teaching my daughter?

I have a feeling that she seems to have acquired some knowledge that she shouldn't have.

"Lin Yu! Kiana!"

Mei arrived at the meeting room and saw the family of three reunited inside...

—What remains in my heart is, of course, peace of mind.

[I'm telling you, don't be so complacent. That white-haired idiot is back, and Lin Yu brought him back personally. Don't you think—]

What do you think?

Kiana is an important friend of mine. Am I supposed to start getting jealous and competitive the moment my friend returns?

Oh, you're so aloof, so impressive.

Don't blame me when you're crying and clutching your pillow, picking at beans!

... What nonsense are you spouting?

Mei, feeling both amused and exasperated, looked at Kiana and suddenly sensed something subtly amiss.

"Mei, what's wrong with me?"