Self-Reflection

Seeing You Lan Dai Er insist time and again, Gwen stopped pressing the matter. After a brief reminder, he headed toward the door.

You Lan Dai Er, meanwhile, demonstrated the results of her long training. By the time Gwen reached the living room, she had already carried all the tableware into the kitchen.

When Gwen arrived at the door, You Lan Dai Er had already finished washing the dishes and was drying her hands, cautiously watching the door—

"Could Rita be back?

Um... if Rita came back and saw that I ate so many noodles for dinner, she'd definitely lecture me..."

The golden hair behind You Lan Dai Er's head swayed slightly, revealing her unease.

Unaware of what You Lan Dai Er was thinking, Gwen checked the camera outside the door and found a white-haired girl dressed in a Schicksal nun's uniform. Her stocking-clad feet were in high heels, a golden crystalline diamond-shaped cape hung from her back, and she wore golden crystalline goggles. Two locks of hair curled upward at either side of her forehead, while a braid rested over her left breast.

"Amber?

Why was she here?"

Gwen instantly matched the girl outside with someone from his memories, leaving him somewhat puzzled.

Though confused, Gwen confirmed that she was not dangerous and promptly opened the door.

The moment the door opened, Amber, who had been waiting outside, moved before Gwen could speak.

The bishop's secretary, someone of considerable status within Schicksal, slightly bowed to the boy whose height only reached her chest and said,

"Hello, Mr. Gwen. I am Amber, Lord Bishop's secretary. I'm sorry for disturbing you at such a late hour."

"It's fine, Miss Amber. Please come in and talk..."

Realizing his eyes were aimed directly at that pale, deep cleavage, Gwen hurriedly looked away and stepped aside to invite Amber in.

With the bishop's secretary standing outside and bending over to speak to him, Gwen did not want people pointing fingers at him whenever he went out afterward.

"I was presumptuous..."

Realizing that what she had done seemed somewhat inappropriate, Amber straightened up and entered Gwen's home as he had requested.

"Amber?"

Seeing that it was not Rita, whom she had been worried about, You Lan Dai Er let out a huge sigh of relief. Yet confusion also appeared on her little face.

"Why are you here?"

"You Lan Dai Er? Hello..."

Upon seeing You Lan Dai Er, Amber nodded in greeting. Then she turned her gaze back to Gwen and said,

"Mr. Gwen, please forgive my presumptuous intrusion.

I came today on Lord Bishop's behalf to deliver a message. Your information has been entered into Schicksal's database, and your registration has been completed.

Inside are all the identification documents and equipment assigned to you as a knight cadet of Schicksal."

As she spoke, Amber lifted the silver briefcase in her hand to indicate it to Gwen.

Upon hearing Amber's words, the first person to speak was not Gwen, but You Lan Dai Er, who had just entered the living room—

"When did you join the cadets, Gwen?"

You Lan Dai Er knew Amber and did not think she was lying. That meant Gwen had truly chosen to join the cadets, something completely beyond You Lan Dai Er's expectations—

After visiting Gwen every day for the past month, You Lan Dai Er had come to understand his condition. She knew that his body had been weak since birth.

Therefore, even though Gwen had been assigned housing at headquarters, You Lan Dai Er had never thought he intended to become a combatant—

In You Lan Dai Er's view, while Gwen's condition did not make it completely impossible for him to become a warrior against Honkai, such a choice would yield twice the effort for half the result.

By comparison, whether he became a researcher or logistics personnel, both would be good options for Gwen.

"..."

In response to You Lan Dai Er's question, Gwen merely waved his hand lightly, signaling for her to discuss it later. Then he looked at Amber before him.

"Miss Amber, please don't call it presumptuous. I should be thanking you for coming all the way here so late to deliver these things."

As he spoke, Gwen took the briefcase from Amber, but the moment he received it, his body tilted and he nearly failed to hold it steady.

"Careful..."

Seeing that Gwen could not hold the briefcase securely, Amber, who had just let go, reached out to steady him and prevented him from embarrassing himself.

"Thank you, Miss Amber."

Gwen lowered his head in thanks. His brows furrowed slightly, but when he raised his head again, he wore a grateful expression.

Gwen, who had been feeling rather elated after resolving the threat of the Feather of Dust, instantly sobered up. He realized that he was still fundamentally a weakling—

Even Amber, who had been instantly killed by a pseudo-Herrscher during the Second Honkai War, was far stronger than him. Gwen quickly adjusted his mindset.

"You're welcome. I was careless and forgot that your body has not fully developed yet, and that you have not undergone any training."

Amber shook her head slightly and spoke with some apology.

"It's nothing..."

Holding the weighty briefcase with both hands, Gwen set it on the table and opened it. Looking at the various documents and devices inside, he asked Amber,

"Miss Amber, do you have time to introduce these documents and devices to me?"

"Of course. That is also part of my assignment."

Amber nodded and walked gracefully to Gwen's side. A faint scent of body wash drifted into his nose.

As Amber explained everything with clear organization and You Lan Dai Er occasionally added details, the hands of the wall clock slowly turned.

At the same time, in Otto's bishop's office.

After sending Amber to deliver Gwen's documents and provide basic guidance for the newcomer, Otto was now browsing through Schicksal's Valkyrie roster. Photos of one valiant Valkyrie after another flashed through those emerald eyes.

"What, weren't you planning to assign little Gwen to little Kiana?"

Void Archives' teasing voice rang out in Otto's mind.

"I thought you were rather fond of that child who used to pull your hair when she was little."

"You Lan Dai Er is indeed a good child, but her future is destined to shine brilliantly and stir the tides of the world.

If he stays with her, that child may not necessarily be happy."

"Oh?

Are you really planning to find him a virtuous wife and mother?"

Void Archives teased upon hearing that.

"..."

Otto did not respond to Void Archives again.

At that moment, Otto's gaze settled on the photo of a chestnut-haired girl...

Chapter 17: Self-Reflection

Behind the girl's photo was a brief introduction—

"Anna Schariac, born in 1999. Passed the cadet promotion assessment in 2011 and officially became a Valkyrie."

"Oh?

A Schariac?"

Noticing Otto's gaze, Void Archives' voice carried a hint of anticipation, as though it were watching a show—

"Are you planning to arrange another marriage between Caslana and Schariac?

You should know that the result of the last marriage caused such a mess that the Caslana family no longer even has a family head. The two pillar families that used to be fairly close have practically become strangers."

Otto ignored Void Archives' "kind reminder." He simply tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop, the sound softly echoing through the unusually quiet office.

Void Archives did not seem bothered by Otto's disregard and continued chattering away.

"Oh, right. The more things are like this, the better it is for conducting obedience tests...

And Siegfried's defection a few years ago has indeed given these remaining family forces some other thoughts.

The correct time is drawing ever closer. You also need to clear out the tumors Schicksal has grown over the years."

"Or perhaps..."

Apparently irritated by Void Archives' endless chatter, Otto's emerald eyes reflected the screen as it switched to the mission assignment interface. He replied in his mind,

"It is simply because a lovely little Schariac girl is more suitable as a wife?"

After saying something that seemed to refute Void Archives' theory of exploitation, Otto temporarily blocked Void Archives out. His slender fingers moved deftly across the keyboard as he assigned a new mission to the young Valkyrie who had just been promoted to B-rank and had yet to be deployed elsewhere.

After taking one final look at the mission details he had written, Otto clicked to issue it. He interlaced his fingers, propped his chin on them, and stared at the screen before him.

"What purpose did Otto Apocalypse truly have in making such a choice?"

Meeting the eyes on the screen, Otto asked himself this question.

Almost instantly, Otto arrived at the answer—

"Isn't it obvious?

My friend..."

"Heh...

It seems my state of mind has indeed been unstable lately. I actually brought out that excuse for self-consolation from five hundred years ago again..."

Having received his answer, Otto revealed a mocking smile. He stared at himself through the screen, silently expressing his ridicule.

Just a little illusory sweetness had nearly made him lose himself in it. What an outstanding clown you were, Otto Apocalypse!

At the same time, a girl who had just finished washing up and was grooming herself before her vanity picked up the terminal displaying a mission notification, her little face tense.

The girl was off duty today and had gone home to visit her mother, so she was not at headquarters. If this were an urgent mission requiring deployment, what followed would surely be a race against time—

The sooner she reached the scene, the greater the chance she would have to save more people.

"Whew... so it's only mentoring a newcomer..."

A moment later, after seeing the mission clearly, the girl let out a soft breath of relief. She lightly set down the terminal, a smile returning to her little face as she happily resumed what she had been doing before the interruption.

Although serving as a newcomer's mentor was somewhat beneath a gifted B-rank Valkyrie, Anna did not mind. She simply regarded it as training for her interpersonal skills.

After all, although Valkyries were combat units, once they were stationed in different regions to guard an area, they would inevitably have dealings with all kinds of people. Anna felt that developing social skills was still quite necessary.

"Besides, if I've been assigned to mentor a newcomer, doesn't that mean I'm a senior now?"

As the girl softly hummed an unknown tune, Miss Anna, whose achievements ranked among the best of Schicksal's new generation of Valkyries and who was even rumored to be an "S-Class Seed," happily accepted the mission.

By the time the moon stood high overhead, Amber had finally finished her explanation at Gwen's home—

"All right, I've explained everything. Gwen, is there anything else you're unsure about?"

After several hours of explanation, Amber could have remained standing the entire time, but considering Gwen's physical condition, the three of them were now seated on the sofa. Amber and You Lan Dai Er sat on either side of Gwen, explaining things to him together.

Since they needed to perform certain operations, the three sat very close together. Even through their clothes, Gwen could feel the body heat of the two people beside him.

Fortunately, though Amber was not a professional teacher, her explanation had been well organized. Gwen was able to focus on it and avoid letting his attention drift toward anything impolite.

"No, I remember everything clearly, Sister Amber."

Gwen smiled and shook his head, indicating that he had remembered it all.

Thanks to the Spirit Awakening Scripture he had acquired that afternoon, Gwen remembered every detail of the several hours of explanation without missing a thing.

"Mm. If you forget anything later or have new questions, you can contact me through the terminal and ask."

Amber nodded upon hearing that. She pointed at the terminal Gwen had placed on the table and reminded him.

During the earlier explanation of the terminal, Gwen had already added Amber and You Lan Dai Er's private contact information.

"If that time comes, I hope Sister Amber will be willing to teach me."

Gwen nodded with a smile as he sent those words to Amber.

"All right. In that case, I won't disturb you any longer.

It's getting late. You're still at the age where you're growing, so get some rest soon."