Gwen, still wearing a trench coat bearing the Schicksal insignia, waved his hand and looked at Joachim, whose expression showed not the slightest embarrassment.
"Even if I tried to stop you, would you stop what you were doing?"
"Well, just as expected, Mr. Gwen, you're special..."
Joachim smiled and shook his head.
"However, I'm only one of Walter's clones. While I have enough memories, my personal understanding is still that of the child I was back then."
"Mm..."
Gwen studied Joachim for a moment longer, then sighed.
"As expected, that old bastard's sins run deep."
"Then why are you standing by his side, Mr. Gwen?"
Joachim did not care whether Gwen was putting on an act or truly believed that. He asked directly.
"It's not that I want to stand by his side. It's that I can only stand on his side—"
Gwen spread his hands and said quietly.
"Although that old bastard is truly inhuman when it comes to being inhuman, he does a very good job when it comes to serious matters.
"As long as there's a way to solve that old bastard's inhuman tendencies, Schicksal is clearly the best choice—
"Honkai does threaten our world at every moment, but that doesn't mean we can ignore all other problems.
"Or rather, for ninety-nine percent of the people in this civilization, other problems are what concern them more.
"And for civilization itself, external enemies are certainly terrifying, but if it wants to go farther, strengthening itself is even more important.
"Before resisting external threats, one must first settle internal affairs. Some people may have worn that phrase out, but it still makes some sense."
"...
"I hope you're right."
Joachim, who possessed most of Walter's memories, naturally understood what Gwen meant.
Besides, during the Second Honkai Eruption more than