Theresa: Could Grandpa Actually Be a Good Person? / Otto: How Can We Fight the Honkai While Surrounded by These Incompetents?

"..."

At Otto's confirmation, Theresa's little face paled a little, but she still barely maintained her composure and asked with difficulty,

"In other words... barring any surprises, our civilization will also face more than a dozen Herrschers one after another within the foreseeable few decades, perhaps even ten-odd years, and ultimately face Finality?"

Recalling the terrible destruction caused by Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, more than a decade ago, Theresa unconsciously tightened her grip and crumpled the A4 sheet containing a brief account of the final decades before the Previous Civilization's destruction.

"Although I have been trying to slow this process, it can only be an attempt.

"Beyond that, all I can do is do my utmost to cultivate humanity's combat strength in preparation for the final Finality."

Facing Theresa's gaze, Otto let out a slow breath and spoke.

Theresa: Could Grandpa Actually Be a Good Person?

"..."

Listening to Otto's confession, which seemed to come from the heart, Theresa bit her lip tightly and stared at him in silence, while a storm raged within her heart.

Did Theresa hate Otto?

Of course. Theresa had hated Otto enough to cooperate with Siegfried's defection several years ago.

In fact, Theresa hated Otto even more than she hated Siegfried—

Before she saw Otto's true face, he had been the person Theresa trusted and loved most.

One had to know that before Cecilia "saved" her, Otto had been Theresa's only family.

Yet over the years, one incomprehensible and unacceptable thing after another that Otto had done had made Theresa feel an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity and incomparable fury toward the grandfather she had once loved most.

In 2006, after learning that Kiana had also become part of Otto's experiments, Theresa believed she had finally seen Otto's true nature. Her kind and amiable grandfather was clearly nothing more than a cold tyrant who treated human lives as tools.

The deeper the love, the harsher the blame. The closer Theresa had once been to Otto, the more she hated him now.

However, after reading the materials Otto had shown her about the Previous Civilization and hearing his earnest sigh, Theresa's heartbeat quickened, and a thought she could not suppress rose in her mind—

Could it be... that everything Grandpa had done these years... was for humanity's future?

Before Otto, Theresa possessed an unprecedented privilege: she could say whatever she wanted.

This time was no exception. Theresa widened her eyes, stared fixedly at Otto, and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice,

"In other words... Grandpa, everything you did... was also for..."

"..."

Otto raised his brows slightly at her words, warmth rising in his heart—

Though he regretted that little Theresa was still so easily led, he was also comforted that she was still willing to believe in him, her grandfather.

Still, comfort was comfort. Now was not the time for Otto to reveal the truth to Theresa.

So, in response to Theresa's trembling gaze and moist eyes, Otto merely sighed and said quietly,

"The humans of the Previous Civilization proved the horror of the Honkai with their own destruction. It is the most terrifying enemy humanity has ever faced.

"To defeat the Honkai, humanity must make the greatest possible use of the power it possesses, rather than endlessly wearing itself down through mutual suspicion.

"And beyond humanity's own strength, we must also try to seize more of the Honkai's power. The current Valkyrie forces and artificial Stigmata are examples of using the Honkai's power to fight the Honkai.

"However, that alone is not enough. Far from enough. We need to make use of the Honkai on a higher level..."

Otto did not finish his words, but that did not stop the guided Theresa from filling in the rest herself—

"So... that was why you tried to revive her using the core left behind by the Herrscher of the Void?"

The fury she had felt when she learned Otto had used Kiana for experiments seemed to rise again in her mind. Recalling the pain and resentment she had felt through countless days and nights whenever she thought of Otto over the years, Theresa's nose stung. The mist in her eyes turned into tears that slowly slid down her pale little face.

Seeing this, Otto sighed, stood up, walked behind Theresa, picked up her small body, and placed her on the sofa beside them. Sitting next to her, he took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tear tracks on her face, just as he had done decades ago when the ostracized Theresa had come running to him in tears...

Feeling Otto's gentle movements, Theresa, who had still been trying to suppress her sobs, could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face as her little fists pounded Otto, as though she were venting the emotions in her heart—and as though she were blaming him for not telling her he had his reasons, allowing her to resent him for so many years...

After a long while, Theresa finally stopped crying. She rubbed her reddened eyes hard, looked up at Otto's kindly smiling face beside her, and tried to keep a stern expression as she asked,

"Since Grandpa says humanity must avoid internal conflict, why did you force the North American Branch to break away back then, establish Anti-Entropy, and oppose Schicksal to this day?"

The surging emotions had overwhelmed Theresa, and she had cried.

But after venting those emotions, her clever mind once again took the high ground—

Though she wanted badly to believe her grandfather, Theresa, who had already suffered unbearable deception, would not trust Otto so easily anymore.

"Anti-Entropy?"

Otto looked at Theresa with some surprise. He had thought she would ask about people close to her. With a sigh, he said,

"Because of the human heart..."

"..."

Theresa blinked without speaking, merely staring quietly at Otto and waiting for him to continue.

Otto was in no hurry to explain. Smiling, he asked Theresa,

"Little Theresa, over these years at the Far East Branch, you must have heard some bad things about Grandpa, right?"

"...

"Mm..."

At Otto's question, Theresa's expression stiffened. But thinking that this was a discussion concerning humanity's future, she forced down her embarrassment, nodded lightly, and answered in a low voice.

"If even you have heard people speaking ill of Grandpa, then little Theresa, you should be able to imagine how many people in Schicksal are dissatisfied with me in secret, yes?"

Otto rubbed Theresa's little head and asked with a smile.

Feeling that long-lost pat on the head, Theresa seemed to return to the time when Otto had still been the grandfather she respected most. Leaning back against the sofa, she put her especially calm mind after venting her emotions to work, thought for a moment, and answered,

"There should be a lot..."

"Smart..."

Rubbing Theresa's little head, which was often not all that quick-witted, Otto smiled and said,

"Theresa, you need to understand: when you spot one cockroach in the sunlight, it means the darkness is already too crowded to contain them all.

"And that is only because Anti-Entropy exists, and many of those who oppose me have already run over there.

"You can imagine how many schemers with ulterior motives there were decades ago, when the entire world stood beneath Schicksal's banner.

"The Castle Council, which has already been swept into history's garbage heap, was one representative example.

"And people like that are destined never to disappear.

"So rather than painstakingly guard against them, it is better to directly raise a new banner to draw them in and give them another choice.

"Once they have a way out, those people will develop disagreements and may even fight among themselves, making it easier for me to dig out those stinking rats hiding in the sewers."

Otto: How Can We Fight the Honkai While Standing with Those Vermin?

"..."

Otto's silver tongue made Theresa readily accept his explanation.

Though she still retained the innocence that matched her appearance, after serving as the Far East Branch's Branch Chief for so long, Theresa had also come to recognize more of reality and darkness.

Still, although she believed Otto's answer to that question, Theresa had another doubt—

"But... Grandpa, aren't you worried that a war between Anti-Entropy and Schicksal will accelerate humanity's destruction?"

"Of course I am."

A faintly compassionate smile appeared on Otto's face.

"Because Anti-Entropy's Alliance Leader, along with several of his staunchest supporters, are good people in the conventional sense.

"And people like that will not allow something like a world war to happen.

"Like now: even though those ambitious people have already formed a so-called 'radical faction' within Anti-Entropy, they are all bark and no bite. The headquarters' power still rests in the hands of the 'conservative faction.'

"Besides... little Theresa, do not think too highly of those people...

"If war were still like it was centuries ago, when only frontline soldiers and serfs died while those in the rear remained unharmed regardless of victory or defeat, then of course they would start wars without restraint.

"But now... heh...

"Even if they defeated me, as long as I still had one loyal subordinate, they would never sleep or eat in peace while facing the possibility of a lethal assassination at any time.

"That is unacceptable to those people whose minds hold nothing but power and wealth...

"Greedy and cowardly. That is what those disgusting people are."

Otto paused, then seemed to think of something and added,

"Of course, if little Theresa asks why I do not try to accept them...

"Heh... You have studied history well. You should know how those once-glorious empires in history stepped toward destruction one after another.

"Those people would seize power and find every possible way to funnel funds that should have been used properly into their own pockets. They would even ensure that they themselves remained aristocrats forever...

"Then you would see outstanding Valkyries rated only C-rank, wearing crude equipment or fighting bloody battles with fine weapons bestowed by those 'important people,' while the descendants of those people monopolized the best equipment and weapons. They would know nothing, yet sit safely in the rear as lofty A-ranks or even S-ranks, claiming the merits others had bought with their lives...

"In the end, Schicksal would become nothing more than an enlarged Flame-Chasing Moth, endlessly consumed by infighting when the Honkai arrived, ultimately burying human civilization.

"Perhaps a few people would survive, but they would never be Core Flames of revival. They would only become emperors of a new world."

"..."

As Theresa listened to Otto's gentle yet heavy voice slowly describe it all, such scenes naturally flashed through her mind. Her little hands clenched unconsciously, blue veins faintly visible on her small fists.

As her emotions were stirred by those imagined scenes, Theresa swiftly accepted Otto's argument.

Though she had never endured such hardship in the decades since her birth, as one of the rare people who still retained the innocence of youth, Theresa absolutely did not wish to see such a situation arise.

Seeing that Theresa had already been convinced by him, Otto did not press harder, merely comforting her in silence.

After a long while, Theresa finally shook those frightening scenes from her mind. She shook her little head, looked up at Otto beside her, and found that most of the suspicion in her eyes had vanished, leaving only some confusion.

"But even so, Grandpa, why did you insist on using Kiana for experiments?

"Cecilia had only been dead for a few years. Yet you used her daughter for this kind of experiment. Don't you think that was extremely inappropriate?

"Wouldn't something like the recent Oceania project work instead, recruiting people with exceptional Honkai Energy resistance and adaptability to attempt implantation of the Herrscher Gem?

"By doing this, what did you expect other people—and me—to think of you?"

Theresa admitted that a large part of why she was so furious over this matter was because Kiana, Cecilia's only daughter, was involved.

But at the same time, Theresa had been chilled by the fact that Otto had actually laid hands on Cecilia's daughter after Cecilia had sacrificed herself as a martyr. It confirmed the rumors that Otto was a tyrant, leading to Theresa's choice back then.

"Ah..."

Faced with Theresa's questioning, Otto sighed and looked at her helplessly.

"Little Theresa, think carefully. Before Siegfried took K423 away, had I done anything to Kiana herself?

"Before that, her life had not been affected by the experiments in any way.

"The material used in the clone Experimental Subjects was only extracted during her medical examinations, within absolutely safe limits.

"And the Experimental Subjects used in the attempt to control the Second Herrscher's authority were merely Experimental Subjects without even self-awareness. They could not affect Kiana in any way.

"Furthermore, according to the records left behind at the time, Kiana did not feel any disgust toward those children. She had even been quite happy that she would have younger sisters..."

After revealing the crisis facing human civilization, Otto had much more room to maneuver, and he grew increasingly adept at talking Theresa around—

Theresa wanted to argue that even clones should not be treated like that, and that cloning others without consent was itself a violation of human rights.

But when she thought that humanity might perish in a few decades if it did not give everything it had, Theresa could no longer say those words—

Certainly, some things were more precious than life, but before the survival of all humanity, everything seemed so insignificant...