Through her conversation with Prometheus, Alicia had basically gained a clear understanding of what Gwen had gone through at the base back then.
From Alicia's perspective, the basis for Gwen's choice back then was nothing more than the fact that people who had fused with those genes existed, which was why he had said that.
As she spoke, Alicia adopted a more solemn tone:
"Let me say it again—
Alicia's thoughtful reminder! You can rely on Alicia as much as you want, and she will respond to you with all her heart and soul!"
"Of course, I'll always love Alicia."
Gwen said with a smile:
"But... if possible, I'd still rather be the one others rely on."
"Cheating will cost you points, you know~?"
Alicia's voice seemed unchanged, but Gwen, who spent every day with her, keenly noticed the fluctuation in the girl's emotions.
However, before Gwen could say anything, Alicia continued:
"As punishment, tonight's Alicia chat session ends here, okay?"
With that, Alicia vanished without a trace and went off to rest.
Gwen did not say anything further either. A faint curve rose on his lips as he drifted into sleep to that melody, now so familiar to him.
The days that followed remained uneventful—
Thanks to Yolandale's cleanup operations across the world, there were far fewer Honkai incidents that required support from Schicksal Headquarters.
Even though Otto had deliberately been training the Herrscher vessels under Gwen's command, causing Gwen's team to be deployed far more frequently than the Immortal Blade during this period, nothing particularly noteworthy happened with Gwen there to cover for them.
Yolandale's Concern
As everyone knew, in the vast majority of worlds, the growth of the soul was far more difficult than the growth of physical strength.
Because they lacked systematic training methods, the souls