Someone in Honkai, This Narration Isn't Right / Honkai Scum Path Chapter 46

"Dad, Rita and I were out celebrating her little brother's birthday today, so we didn't come home for dinner."

"Oh, have fun, Kiana..."

At that moment, Siegfried froze again.

Then, he blurted out.

"Bianca."

"Got it."

After watching the girl named Bianca walk away, Siegfried felt like he was a bit too tired.

Ever since just now, I've been feeling a bit out of it...

Ha, I must be exhausted from working overtime on the game yesterday.

Seeing the tired look on Siegfried's face, Cecilia said very gently.

"We're having the second test meeting for the new project today, but you don't have to push yourself this hard."

"Can't be helped."

Picking up the bread on the table, Siegfried looked at Cecilia and said helplessly.

"If possible, I'd still like us to get a bigger place."

"So, I still have to work overtime when it's time."

"Really... your health is the most important thing."

Watching Cecilia sit there pouting, Siegfried suddenly smiled.

My wife is so cute.

So, I...

I...

Me?

Huh? What was I trying to say?

Siegfried glanced at the calendar, confirmed that today was September 23rd, and then buried his head in his food.

Don't think too much about it. For my wife and daughter, I must work hard.

That morning, Siegfried arrived at Schicksal headquarters right on time. After enduring the displeased gaze of his colleague Shigure Kira for a long time, he finally waited for President Otto to arrive at the conference room.

And after his cousin Amber Kaslana presented the data from the second test, Siegfried saw a satisfied smile on Otto's face.

But looking at that smiling face, Siegfried didn't know why...

He felt like he wanted to punch this elder of his wife twice.

Then he found it strange again.

Strange, Uncle Otto has always taken good care of us and even promoted me to producer of this new game...

I should be grateful to him...

I should be grateful, right?

In the time that followed, Siegfried had a happy period.

Although work was busy, his wife supported him, his subordinates trusted him, and his daughter, despite being in her rebellious phase, hadn't caused any major problems.

With a happy family and smooth work, Siegfried finally completed the game.

"Honkai Impact 3rd: Restart Beginning, referred to as Honkai Impact 3rd RB."

On the PPT showcasing the game, Siegfried said to his colleagues and superiors.

"Restart Beginning. 'Restart' implies that this new work has a connection to the previous one, Honkai Impact 2, and 'Beginning' implies that while it has a connection to the previous work, it is essentially a new beginning."

"I've already introduced the gameplay, and the game has entered the testing phase. I believe that this work, which has absorbed the experience of Guns Girl Z and Honkai Impact 2, should be able to bring joy to players and help us gain sufficient... profit."

"Well said."

At this moment, Otto tapped his terminal, and some data was displayed on the light screen in front of everyone.

"This is the game-related data after the third test. So far, the feedback has been good."

"At this point, we just need to launch it on time on October 14th."

"Siegfried, you've worked hard during this time."

"Ah, it's nothing."

Strange, why do I feel the desire to punch Uncle Otto with my left hand... even stronger?

Am I too tired lately?

After a day of discussions, Siegfried, exhausted physically and mentally, walked out of the Schicksal headquarters.

Just then, he saw a young man.

A young man he recognized, but who for some reason wore a face full of guilt.

"You are... ah, Lin Yu, right?"

After recognizing the young man's identity, Siegfried suddenly said with a hint of worry.

"Did Bianca send you to find me? Wait, something happened to her, didn't it!"

"Please rest assured, Bianca is fine."

After saying this, Siegfried suddenly felt the space around him fluctuate.

And with a sound like shattering glass, Siegfried suddenly saw that everything before his eyes had changed.

At the same time, a torrent of memories reconnected with Siegfried's mind.

"Ha... haha... hahaha..."

Cecilia, Kiana, and Kira, Patrick, Salome, Lixue, Shub...

So that's how it is...

So that's how it is.

Otto... Apocalypse!

Looking at Siegfried, whose expression had become terrifying, Lin Yu's guilt intensified.

Originally, he just wanted to test this ability.

The reason he chose Siegfried was simply because he wanted to familiarize himself with the ability as quickly as possible, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

Given Siegfried's strength, after experiencing the illusion created by Sirin fourteen years ago, he should have had some resistance to such illusions.

But soon, Lin Yu realized he had made a mistake.

Siegfried indeed had a way to defend against this kind of attack, but...

He actively chose not to resist this power.

Siegfried, who had been aware something was wrong, still chose to give up resisting this power.

While it was true that he subconsciously didn't sense any hostility in this attack, the deeper reason was actually very simple.

This hero, who failed to protect his wife and child, did not want to leave this illusion.

Even if it was a false illusion, Siegfried, trapped within it, still wished to see his deceased wife again.

Those who truly love their wives may not always speak of their love, nor may they post tributes online every year to commemorate them.

For many men who love their deceased wives, many things do not need to be said.

Lin Yu, who had caused all of this, felt an endless love for family and a despairing sorrow from the man before him.

Once the strongest person in history, who had even defeated powerful enemies, this great hero had ultimately exhausted his strength to protect others, was betrayed by the Archbishop he served, had his wife killed, and his daughter lost.

And now, he couldn't even get revenge, only watching as his other daughter stepped into a trap laid by the enemy.

It was precisely because he had been trapped in this self-recrimination brought on by his sorrow that Siegfried, who had the ability to escape the illusion, chose to remain in his slumber.

He desperately needed a place for his mind to rest.

However, falsehoods are falsehoods after all.

In the end, looking at the man before him, Lin Yu chose to deactivate the cognitive rewriting ability of the Phantasm Lantern Barrier.

"...Haha, it really was fake."

After fully regaining consciousness, Siegfried's face was now etched with a bitter smile.

Then, he looked at the young man before him, who was full of guilt, and asked.

"Little brother Lin Yu, you were holding back before, weren't you?"

"If you had used this ability earlier, I would have been captured by Schicksal's enemies or killed on the spot by now."

Looking at the middle-aged man before him, Lin Yu remained silent for a long time before finally responding.

"...Why don't you curse me out a bit?"

"No, how about you just beat me up."

"...Are you a masochist?"

Looking at the young man before him, Siegfried couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"It's not that serious, not that serious. I can feel that you didn't have any hostility towards me when you used this ability."

"And, I should thank you, little brother Lin Yu."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to see Cecilia again."

"...But this isn't real."

"Yes, but... she is still Cecilia."

Recalling everything he had seen in the environment, a hint of nostalgia appeared on Siegfried's face.

"I will never forget her every glance and smile. Everything about her is forever etched upon my soul."

"But in the end, I'm just an ordinary person. Even if I wouldn't forget my wife, I'd still want to see her again..."

As he said this, Siegfried scratched his head a little sheepishly.

"Haha, sorry, I've made a fool of myself. But this is the real Siegfried Kaslana."

"A middle-aged man who couldn't protect his wife and daughter... Heh, this is the real me."

After saying this, Siegfried's expression became incredibly solemn.

"Regardless, thank you, Lin Yu."

Looking at the man before him, Lin Yu felt he had finally discovered the flaw in the Phantasm Lantern Barrier.

Altering others' perceptions seemed like an incredibly powerful ability... no, it was an incredibly powerful ability.

In combat, after altering an opponent's perception to see you as a good friend, their guard would be significantly lowered when you attacked.

However, this ability had a flaw.

Or rather, for Lin Yu, using this ability came at a certain price.

This price had nothing to do with Mana.

Altering someone's perception, making them wallow in happiness, and then using actions to show them that this happiness was false...

This was enough to deal a huge blow to an ordinary person with an unstable state of mind.

It was like Kiana in the main story, who was lost in Cecilia's motherly love. Even though she knew Cecilia was dead, she would still gradually fall into despair from indulging too much in false happiness.

Not only that.

Even Sirin back then, due to a miscalculation, had turned herself into Cecilia's daughter.

In that incident in the year 2000, Sirin eventually discovered that Cecilia had not been hypnotized at all.