36. Himeko: "Why Does This Person Talk in Riddles?" / 37. The Episode That Maximized the Guilt...

As Himeko slowly opened her eyes, what appeared before her was an unfamiliar ceiling.

Looking around, Himeko realized that she was in a room that didn't seem to have any particular style.

The room was not brightly lit, seemingly to accommodate Himeko's condition; it was rather dim.

It seemed that all the old, hidden injuries on her body had disappeared. Although her body was still very weak, Himeko was sure that once she recovered, her strength would far surpass that of her former self.

But what was the price to pay for such a healthy body...? Himeko's mind flashed back to the last time she saw Xia Ling before she fell unconscious, and a pang of pain surged in her heart.

No, now is not the time to think about these things... Putting aside these complicated thoughts, Himeko looked at her side.

The source of the voice was a woman who looked quite young. She had short hair with some light green mixed in with her silver hair. On her head, she had a pair of cat ears with a hint of green, and the tips of her ears had small tufts of hair. As if noticing Himeko's gaze, the cat ears trembled slightly, and their lively appearance seemed to declare that this was not a cosplay decoration.

Her doctor's attire also matched Himeko's guess. She noticed that the room lighting was adjusted to make people feel safe without being too bright, which must be a meticulous profession.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"Rather than these temporarily unimportant topics, I would prefer that you focus on your physical condition first."

Himeko saw the other person glance at her indifferently, then take out a notebook from his pocket and begin asking about her physical condition.

"Wait, put my physical condition aside for now. Isn't it more important to figure out who we are? At least you should tell me who you are, right?"

Himeko was a little confused. Logically speaking, no matter where the other party found her, even if they kindly took her in, they should at least have inquired about her identity first.

"Since you have accepted my treatment, your highest priority status in my eyes is that of a patient."

Seemingly realizing that he wasn't going to cooperate with the treatment, the other person put the notebook back in his pocket, sounding somewhat helpless.

"However, this is also acceptable. Although I had a general idea of what happened when I saw you, the person involved's account may correct some of my errors."

"As a matter of courtesy, you may ask your questions first. Of course, after I have answered all your questions, I would like you to answer a few questions for me as well, which would be of great significance to me."

"Your speaking style is quite... peculiar." Himeko shook her head weakly, trying to extract more information from the other person's somewhat complicated words.

"First of all, who are you, and where is this place?"

"My name is Kal'tsit. There were many dazzling or precious prefixes that were once attached to this name, but those titles are all gone now. Now I am just a doctor and a parent."

"I have a companion who is not here right now. As for where this place is... my knowledge of this land is insufficient to answer your question. Perhaps my companion will be able to give you the answer when he returns."

Her name is Kal'tsit, she has a companion, and she doesn't know where she is... Himeko quickly extracted the relevant information, and then she swiftly asked the question that concerned her most.

"Where did you find me? Was there anyone else around me?"

"You are unconscious on a floating rock wall in the Imaginary Space. As for the exact coordinates, I think that's not the point of your question."

"As far as we know, there were no signs of life around you when we found you, and the rock face you were on was completely empty."

Nothing at all... Where is Xia Ling's body? A question flashed through Himeko's mind. Although Xia Ling was seriously injured, she was obviously not completely dead. There were usually no creatures visiting the Imaginary Space. She was thinking of going back to collect Xia Ling's body and bring it back to St. Freya. But now, this person said there was no body?

"Are you sure there's nothing around... like a corpse or something?" Himeko frowned slightly, staring into Kal'tsit's eyes, and asked again.

"If you have a specific question next time, you can state it directly. As for the body, I haven't seen it."

Himeko clearly noticed a hint of surprise and understanding flash in Kal'tsit's eyes, which relieved her. Although the other party seemed to be hiding something, it was still better than Xia Ling's body really disappearing inexplicably.

As long as she is still willing to communicate, then I will have a chance to extract some information.

But the other person clearly didn't want to answer too much, otherwise they wouldn't be acting like a riddle teller... In that case, let's see what she wants to know.

Thinking of this, Himeko nodded slightly and looked at Kal'tsit: "I can't think of any questions for the time being. Why don't you tell me what you want to ask?"

"Um..."

Kal'tsit looked at Himeko, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Do you know a girl Xia Ling?

Himeko felt her heart skip a beat.

"Your Lord Bishop, I have completed the follow-up report on the Far East Branch's attack on the Schicksal Headquarters. Please take a look."

In the now-restored Schicksal Headquarters, Otto sat in the bishop's office, receiving a briefing from Amber.

"The Far East Branch used weapons provided by Anti-Entropy to severely injure Sirin. Sirin then fled to the Imaginary Space, where Murata Himeko and Xia Ling from the Far East Branch pursued her. All three are currently missing."

Skipping over the information he had already guessed, Otto went straight to the end of the briefing.

"Sirin disappeared into the Imaginary Space, but it can be confirmed that she is not dead. The Honkai caused by her has not stopped, and no fluctuations from unclaimed Herrscher Core have been detected worldwide."

"Murata Himeko of the Far East Branch has gone missing, but judging from her physical condition, she is most likely dead... Hmm, that's not a problem."

"Xia Ling from the Far East Branch... confirmed dead?"

Otto looked up at Amber with a puzzled expression. "Where did this news come from?"

"The source of the information is our insider in the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy. The news of Xia Ling's death has been confirmed by Yae Sakura, so it is highly credible. At the same time, the insiders of both sides have received the same information, which can corroborate each other."

"In addition, Lord Theresa been in a very bad mood lately and has hardly shown her face. I think this can indirectly confirm this."

"..."

Otto looked thoughtful.

"Does Your Lord Bishop see any problems with this intelligence? Should I contact my inside contact to confirm it again?"

"No need. The evidence you mentioned in your briefing is enough to form a chain of evidence. The intelligence they obtained should be true." Otto pondered for a moment, "At least, that's what the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy both think."

"Your Lord Bishop, you mean...?"

"But who can guarantee that the information received by the Far East Branch is necessarily true?"

"After my resurrection, I thoroughly reviewed Xia Ling's arrangements throughout the entire Schicksal War," Otto said, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Throughout the entire plan, she never revealed her true plans and objectives to anyone else in the Far East Branch, and Theresa, trusting her, never asked for detailed reasons, simply acting as a perfect executor."

"The situation this time might be the same."

"I don't believe that someone who could silently kill my combat-specialized Soul Steel clone would die so quietly at Sirin's hands."

"Amber, retrieve and seal all of Xia Ling's files in St. Freya, and set them to top secret, accessible only to me."

"Also, don't cancel her Valkyrie status. Let's pretend she's not dead and see how the Far East Branch reacts."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Episode Overflowing with Guilt

"Who did you say...?"

Himeko tried her best to suppress the trembling in her voice and pretended to be nonchalant.

"Oh, Xia Ling is her real name. In this world, she might not be called that." Kal'tsit paused for a moment, as if afraid she hadn't understood, and then added.

"He's about 1.5 meters tall, short, with black hair and black eyes. He looks a bit weak, but he's very cute and has a mischievous streak."

Himeko felt like every word Kal'tsit said was a knife to her heart. Kal'tsit's description was incredibly accurate, almost instantly bringing to mind Xia Ling's usual demeanor, but now...

"Can you tell me why... you asked about her?"

Himeko didn't know how she managed to say those words. Although she had vaguely guessed a possibility from Kal'tsit's previous words, she still had a sense of escapism and an unwillingness to face reality.

At this moment, she even hoped that the other party would say that she actually had a grudge against Xia Ling, so that she could fight with a clear conscience or do something else, instead of being here... enduring such questioning.

"I want to know her whereabouts. As I just said, I can be considered a parent, and the child here refers to Xia Ling."

Almost without hesitation, Kal'tsit gave Himeko the answer she least wanted to hear.

"Judging from your appearance, you should know her, right?"

Giving Himeko no time to catch her breath, Kal'tsit bombarded her with information one after another.

"After all, you have traces of the use of End of Time on your body, and although you are almost uninjured, your extremely weak state is the same as when you used End of Time."

"The End of Time...?"

"You should remember it; it's a pendulum-shaped amulet that automatically triggers when the wearer is near death. As for its effects, I think you've already experienced them." Kal'tsit shrugged. "This thing shouldn't be duplicated. Even where we are, there's only one of these."

There was only one... So, she didn't hesitate to leave her life-saving item to me...?

Himeko tried her best to control her facial expressions, even using some disguise techniques she had learned when she was taking the A-rank Valkyrie exam. She didn't want her expressions to reveal anything, even if it would be revealed sooner or later.

"It seems you are unaware of the item's value. Well, that child wouldn't say such things when helping others."

Kal'tsit smiled helplessly, seemingly already used to it.

Himeko keenly noticed that Kal'tsit rarely used riddles when talking about Xia Ling.

"By the way, what exactly is your relationship with her?"

Without realizing it, Himeko had already changed how she addressed herself.

"Xia Ling? Hmm... Strictly speaking, we are not related by blood." Kal'tsit paused for a moment, then continued, "However, for a long time before, I was the one who took care of her, so in a way, I played the role of a parent."

"Xia Ling used to call me Kal'tsit Mom when she was little, but she became much more reserved as she grew up and started calling me Dr. Kal'tsit again."

Kal'tsit casually added some dark history to the main character.

"Later, due to some external reasons, we were separated for a long time. During that time, she experienced a lot and grew a lot. However, I have been looking for her and believe that when I see her again, her growth will bring me some surprises and comfort."

Himeko's mind went blank; the thing she least wanted to face had already happened.

"Alright, I'm sure your answer just now has convinced you that I'm not someone who harbors ill will towards Xia Ling." A flicker of excitement flashed in Kal'tsit's eyes. "Then, can you tell me...?"

"Where is my child, Xia Ling, now?"

Kal'tsit's question landed on Himeko's chest like a hammer blow. Even though her injuries had long since healed, and even though Kal'tsit's tone was as calm as still water, an inexplicable pressure made Himeko almost unable to breathe.

What should she do? What could she say? Should she tell Kal'tsit that Xia Ling gave her her life-saving item and then died in front of her?

Himeko experienced what it meant to feel dizzy for the first time.

"Something's not right about you. Is it a side effect of the End of Time?"

Seeing Himeko struggling to breathe and unable to speak, Kal'tsit quickly asked with concern.

"I..."

"Sigh, I already reminded you to take care of your health." Kal'tsit didn't give Himeko a chance to explain and directly pressed her back onto the bed.

"You should rest for a while. After my companions return, I will prepare some medicine for you to regulate your body."

"As for my problem... well, I've been looking for her for so long, there's no rush. You should get some rest first."

Kal'tsit sighed and walked out of the room.

The silent room was suddenly left with only Himeko.

Himeko lay blankly on the bed, her eyes vacant, staring silently at the ceiling.

She was trying to figure out how to explain all this to Kal'tsit, but as she thought about it, she realized that no matter how tactful the words were, they couldn't hide the deep sorrow behind the truth.

Soon, she found that she seemed to have some difficulty concentrating, and her thoughts would always drift back to the time when she was still in college.

She suddenly longed to go back a few days, back to the time before all of this happened. Sometimes Xia Ling would feel sorry for her health and take on some work so she could go home early and enjoy a nice bottle of ice-cold beer while no one was in the villa.

Then, Xia Ling would discover this after the work was finished. The other party would snatch the wine bottle from her hand in a reproachful tone and warn her to drink less. Himeko would always cheerfully bring up Theresa's story to tease Xia Ling a few times, glossing over the drinking incident.

Himeko's eyes welled up with tears as she thought about these everyday things that she would never normally pay attention to.

Why couldn't she be more decisive? She was just a worthless life anyway. If she had launched an attack before Xia Ling arrived, wouldn't Xia Ling have been the one to die?

She always thought that the worst that could happen was death, but when her companions died, she realized that those who were saved often suffered more than those who went to their deaths.

"Xia Ling, what should I do...?"

In the silent room, Himeko's murmured self-questioning echoed.

Outside the door, Theresia wore a strange expression.

"Kal'tsit, is it really okay for us to bully Miss Himeko like this?"

"Don't worry, I care about her more than you do." Kal'tsit paused for a moment, "But it's necessary."

"People like her, who like to burn themselves out to pave the way for others, deserve to experience the weight of life even more."

"We need to let her know what kind of pain and regret the survivor would have to endure if she were the one who died this time."

Chapter Thirty-Eight Himeko: I've already gotten this emotional, and you're telling me I'm not dead?