The Aftereffects. / Himeko: Who Do You Think You're Fooling?

Having just finished handing over duties with the East Asia branch, Himeko Murata, stepping onto the grounds of the St. Freya Academy, blinked, her expression quickly turning serious—

Although it was only a fleeting moment, Himeko's intuition told her that the golden meteor that had just come from the west was not her imagination, and that it had crashed into St. Freya.

"Hey Theresa!"

While instructing her team members to retrieve her armor, Himeko Murata dialed Theresa's number, summoning the most capable fighter in the Far East Branch—

Even if what she just saw might have been an illusion, Himeko dared not be careless in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Kiana, who was arguing with someone, suddenly felt a blur before her eyes. When her vision returned, it was filled with a sword blade that seemed to be tinged with sunlight.

"This is..."

Stunned, Kiana instinctively looked up and met a pair of eyes that seemed to radiate sunlight.

"Kiana, Mei, it's me."

Upon landing, Gwen used his sword to separate Kiana and Mei from the unfamiliar presence. After confirming the two girls were out of danger, he finally relaxed, tilting his head slightly to look at the other side of the Corona Sword, only to be momentarily stunned—

Although he had only met one of them, Gwen knew both of them— Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma.

"This is..."

Siegfried, who had just been forced to retreat by a magnificent and overwhelming force, and was eventually blasted against the wall along with the Raiden Ryoma, held the Heavenly Fire Judgment in his last remaining hand. He looked up at the figure that radiated magnificent golden light, as if a god had descended, and was stunned by the soul-level shock.

"It seems to be the mech that was defeated by Cocolia a few days ago, according to the information."

Unlike Siegfried, who was thick-skinned and gasped in pain, Raiden Ryoma was the first to regain his senses, frowning as he spoke in a low voice.

"...

It doesn't seem like the worst-case scenario...

Gwen looked at the scan results transmitted back by what appeared to be radar or some other device, and his furrowed brow relaxed—

The scan results showed that the Far East Branch did not have any high-energy units that Gwen was unfamiliar with, which meant that the incident just now was probably caused by those two old... old fathers.

Having confirmed this, Gwen did not maintain his current state and quickly dispelled the fusion.

The next moment, under the gaze of the two pairs of fathers and daughters, the golden figure that fell like a shooting star dimmed and finally turned into a stream of light and landed between them.

"What's going on?"

Mei, Kiana, are you alright?

I just called back and no one answered, so I came over.

Although he estimated that Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma were unlikely to harm his daughter, Gwen still inquired about their situation first.

Wow, Gwen really is you!

Hearing Gwen's familiar voice, Kiana, whose mouth was slightly open, finally came to her senses. Her bright eyes looked Gwen up and down, as if Gwen were looking at some rare animal.

Beside Kiana, Raiden Mei looked at Gwen, a complex mix of emotions suddenly stirring within her, before she smiled.

"We're alright..."

"It's good that you're alright..."

After receiving a response from the two girls, Gwen smiled and nodded before turning to look in the other direction.

Noticing Gwen's movements, the two girls, who had just been stunned by Gwen sudden arrival, reacted and quickly looked ahead, their faces filled with tension.

"Father!"

"You stinky old man!"

As they spoke, Mei and Kiana rushed forward, wanting to find their father.

"Don't worry, they're fine, at most some minor injuries."

Gwen could only be thankful that he had acted with restraint as he stepped forward with the two men.

286

Chapter 286 Aftermath.

"Father, are you alright?"

Passing through the dust kicked up by Gwen's sudden fall from the sky, Raiden Mei saw Raiden Ryoma standing with Siegfried. Her worries dissipated considerably, and she approached him, asking with concern.

"Dad, how are you?"

Although she had just had a minor disagreement with Siegfried, Kiana's gaze towards Siegfried was still filled with deep concern.

When her gaze swept over Siegfried's empty sleeve, Kiana unconsciously bit her red lips.

"Haha, don't worry, we two old guys aren't that fragile. We won't be instantly killed even if our subordinates show us mercy..."

After Raiden Ryoma broke free from his support, Siegfried waved his one-armed hand and smiled back at Kiana.

"Serves you right for breaking my phone..."

Seeing Siegfried's familiar smile, Kiana complained and threw a small punch at Siegfried, but the force only made Siegfried smile affectionately.

"Don't worry, Mei, I'm fine."

Before his daughter arrived, Raiden Ryoma broke free from Siegfried's support and stood alone. He did not resist his daughter's help, and coughed lightly, feeling much better after his somewhat stagnant blood flowed through his body.

Although his physique is not as strong as Siegfried's, Raiden Ryoma is, after all, the current leader of the Hokushin Itto-ryu and the "Hohom Sword Saint," in addition to being the president of ME Company. He is not so weak that he can't even withstand a fall.

However, while responding to his daughter's question, Raiden Ryoma's gaze was fixed ahead on Gwen, who had quietly slowed his pace as he approached.

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Raiden Ryoma."

Faced with Raiden Ryoma's scrutinizing gaze, Gwen thought for a moment and greeted him as a junior, then slightly shifted his gaze to Siegfried beside him.

"And Siegfried... sir, although we've met a few times, this should be considered our first formal meeting, right?"

"..."

Raiden Ryoma sized up Gwen a few steps away, noticing the latter's white hair and blue eyes. He quickly matched these features with the information in the files, glanced at Siegfried beside him, and said nothing more than a polite reply—

"Nice to meet you, Gwen."

Since Gwen chose to greet him as a junior, and having learned about the relationship between Gwen Raiden Mei over the past few days, Raiden Ryoma did not use any other identity and nodded in response.

Beside Raiden Ryoma, Siegfried, unlike Raiden Ryoma, didn't wear a stern face. Instead, he sported a hearty smile, seemingly unconcerned about Gwen's previous deception and beating.

"This is indeed our first formal meeting, Caslana's new head of the family."

"Just call me Gwen."

Upon hearing Gwen sighed slightly and shook his head gently.

He can talk about things in general, even if it's just about his personal life.

But if Siegfried were to discuss these identities, then he would be in trouble...

"No, Otto's problem has already been resolved for now, so there's no need to worry about these things anymore..."

Tsk... Is it because having these things on your mind for so long is affecting your way of thinking?

Gwen muttered to himself, and his expression relaxed somewhat.

"..."

Looking at Siegfried Gwen an eyebrow. He found the brat in front of him, who had fooled him and then beaten him up in that bizarre illusion, to be somewhat more pleasing to the eye.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Siegfried nodded, his tone Siegfried slightly without him noticing, but his expression became more serious.

"Gwen, Ryoma and I have come here today to take our daughter away."

Although I don't know how you convinced Welt, since you gained his approval, you must already know some things—

You should understand that Otto is by no means a trustworthy person.

To them, he was arguably the most dangerous person in the world.

"I see."

Upon hearing Siegfried's words, Gwen raised an eyebrow and nodded knowingly.

Although he hadn't asked yet, Gwen could already guess what had happened before—

Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma infiltrated the Far East Branch, intending to take Kiana and Mei away. Kiana tried to contact him but was stopped, and then she and Mei were forcibly taken away.

However, before she could even leave St. Freya Academy, he intercepted her.

"Now that you two are here today, let's take this opportunity to say a few things."

Under the somewhat wary gazes of Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma, Gwen turned to look east, then pointed to the bushes beside him—

"There was quite a commotion just now, and someone will be coming to check it out soon. You all should hide to the side for a bit, and we can talk after I've dealt with the people coming to check it out."

Mei, Kiana, you two take your two uncles and hide over there for a while.

"..."

Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma glanced at Gwen, who seemed completely at ease, with slight surprise upon hearing this. Hesitantly, they were pushed by their daughter into the bushes on the side.

It seemed Gwen harbored no hostility, and considering he had made some agreements with Welt Yang, Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma ultimately chose to comply without objection.

The sheer force of Gwen's descent from the sky was still fresh in their minds. Since he showed no hostility and was willing to talk, they naturally couldn't refuse, especially considering their past relationship with Welt Yang.

Moreover, looking at Gwen's clothes and slippers, Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma couldn't help but think of something.

Less than half a minute after the father and his three daughters hid in the bushes, a fiery red figure arrived first. Like a sword blade flashing with flickering embers, it slashed through the night sky, pointing directly at Gwen at the scene of the incident. Its sharp aura instantly locked onto Gwen, the culprit.

However, after seeing Gwen clearly through the moonlight and the armor's observation system, the newcomer's imposing aura faltered—

"Gwen?"

"Yes, it's me."

Gwen looked at the newcomer's bright red hair, which still appeared incredibly vibrant under the moonlight, and immediately recognized the person's identity, nodding with a smile.

"Himeko, you're back?"

I remember you were still at the East Asia branch when I left this morning.

"Yes, I just got back and then an emergency happened."

Although she recognized Gwen's identity, Himeko was still cautious because a special attack had just occurred here, and she remained vigilant towards Gwen.

"This..."

Gwen feigned embarrassment, touched his nose, and began to make things up—

287

Chapter 287 Himeko: Are you kidding me?

"Not long ago, I received a temporary assignment from Bishop Otto to test the performance of a new piece of equipment. I was called out of my bedroom."

After only a couple of tests, the equipment malfunctioned and dragged me away from headquarters, leaving me here in a daze.

Although influenced by the events of his previous life, Gwen had a very high initial liking for Himeko, the two were still not familiar with each other, and Gwen did not intend to drag her into more complicated events, so he made up a reason on the spot.

"..."

Upon hearing this ridiculous excuse, Himeko raised her eyebrows, wanting to rebuke the thugs below and force them to reveal their true colors.

However, because of her relationship with Theresa, which gave her more knowledge of Bishop Otto than others, Himeko hesitated.

After all, Otto does occasionally act quite out of line in front of Theresa.

Then, before Himeko could make a decision on how to deal with Gwen below, a communication suddenly broke into her Valkyrie armor's built-in channel.

"..."

Himeko paused for a moment, then quickly answered the call.

"This should prove my identity, right?"

Gwen's voice came from below and through the communication channel at the same time, instantly dispelling most of Himeko's doubts.

After confirming several times that it was indeed a voice call from Gwen's contact number, Himeko reluctantly chose to believe Gwen's lies.

"I'm sorry, I was overthinking it."

Himeko sheathed the greatsword, its light now dimmed, and wore a slightly embarrassed expression.