"An idealist of lofty aspirations was bound to walk a path apart from the masses."
"Mm." Himeko lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
This Was Civilization's Apocalypse
"Grandpa! Grandpa! You're not allowed to bully my subordinate!" Sensing that the atmosphere was off, Theresa steered the conversation back. "Since you won't let me return to Schicksal Headquarters, you can at least tell me over the phone what that was about!"
"What matter?" Otto swiftly adjusted himself, a teasing expression appearing on his face.
"That matter!" Theresa's eyes blazed. "You know exactly what I mean!"
"I've done many things," the man said, spreading his hands. "Many bad things, too. I've taken plenty of blame as well. If you want me to guess them one by one, I don't mind wasting the time."
"Do you really have to make me say it?" Theresa's voice carried a sob. "Fine! St. Freya's basement! That pile of clones! Tell me, what was that about?!"
Otto narrowed his eyes and slowly toyed with the Oath of Judah in his right hand.
"Theresa," he said, "I want to ask you a few questions."
"Don't change the subject, Grandpa!"
"First," Otto ignored her, "her blood can eliminate Honkai Energy, correct?"
"Yes." Theresa seemed slightly calmer, but flames still burned in her eyes.
"So second, do we need her blood?"
"But..."
"But that would disrespect her? It would offend your friend?" Otto smiled faintly. "My dear granddaughter, this girl signed an organ donation agreement long ago. She was willing to offer Schicksal the last of her strength."
"I'm sorry, Theresa. Your friend was greater than you imagined."
"But it was only blood!" Theresa roared. "Not for you to clone several copies of her!"
"If she were cloned, we would have better odds in the war against Honkai."
"This isn't about the odds! This..."
"This is exactly about the odds, Theresa," Otto interrupted. "This is Honkai."
"Perhaps Schicksal has dressed reality up too beautifully, but as a retired S-rank Valkyrie, you should know that ever since the Second Herrscher incident in 2000—even earlier, after the first Honkai outbreak—the blade of extinction had already cut across civilization's throat."
"War, slaughter, death—this was no longer some simulation pod game where pretty girls in miniskirts defeated monsters. To those of us truly living in this world, this was Honkai, a disaster capable of slaughtering all humanity."
Otto spoke to the screen word by word, telling Theresa, and also telling himself.
"This was the apocalypse. Civilization's apocalypse."
"Any action that could help civilization survive the apocalypse could be carried out. You may not understand it, but it was logical, even if its existence violated human ethics."
Whether it was reforming Herrschers or killing them; conducting human experiments or cloning the strong—doing whatever it took to survive was a skill humanity had understood since its savage beginnings.
His voice softened somewhat as he continued.
"Little Theresa, I do not expect you to agree with my values. I am also glad that you can preserve that free and innocent heart of yours—this is absolutely not sarcasm. Our predecessors were trapped in the mud so that later generations could gaze upon the stars."
"I bless you, bless this era, and bless all the children fighting for a beautiful world."
"But I want to tell you this: to prevent the world from truly becoming an apocalypse, someone must inevitably tear away that thin, beautiful sugar coating. For the sins they committed, such people would offer their deepest apologies to the dead, but they would not repent."
"They were willing to let the souls of the dead drag them down to hell. But if the living asked whether they would do it again, they would only reveal the smile of an elder—or a villain."
"Lord Bishop, Lady Cecilia's clothes have arrived."
Amber's voice suddenly sounded. Otto's eyes lit up, and he gave the still-dazed Theresa an inscrutable smile. Then he raised his hand to end the call and said without looking back,
"Good. Help her get dressed, then bring her out."
"Yes, Lord Bishop."
Understanding his meaning, Amber glanced to the side before turning and leaving.
"Rita Rossweisse."
Otto closed his eyes lightly and suddenly called out.
"Lord Bishop, I'm here." The black-stockinged maid's delicate body trembled. She could not help straightening herself again and pressing her legs together.
"You know little Durandal's identity." The man stated it as fact.
"Rita will keep the secret." She did not deny it, though a trace of worry flashed through her eyes.
"Very good. Go continue the task I assigned you." Otto curled his lips. "Also, tell Durandal that there will be a temporary S-rank Valkyrie examination at Schicksal Headquarters in three days."
Rita nodded, the weight in her heart finally easing.
This temporary examination was being held before the Christmas holiday had even ended. Aside from the Valkyries stationed at Schicksal Headquarters, no one elsewhere would have a chance to participate.
If it was not specifically for Lady Durandal, then what else could it be for?
The Lord Bishop was indirectly telling her that he attached great importance to Lady Durandal.
As long as she served Lady Durandal wholeheartedly and kept silent about what she should not say, she would not get into trouble for hearing too much that she should not have heard.
And as it happened... she sincerely wished to do exactly that.
Cecilia stood there in a light yellow-green mid-length down jacket, paired with a white mock-neck sweater underneath and slim black pants below.
The knee-length down jacket concealed the woman's lovely figure, but her perfect face and long, slender legs alone made it easy to imagine the body beneath the coat.
"Very beautiful," Otto praised.
Cecilia answered with a smile.
"Lord Bishop," Amber stepped back, "do you have any further instructions?"
"Mm... stop the experiments on the Gem of Serenity and transfer it to the research institute related to the Divine Keys," Otto said after some thought. "Prepare three Soul Steel bodies that can be awakened at any time. One will remain at Schicksal Headquarters, while I will carry the other two as backups."
"Also—dispose of any documents you can handle. As for the troublesome ones—contact me later. It would be best to delay them until I return to Schicksal. I believe you can do it."
"Yes."
Amber displayed the excellent professionalism of a secretary. She did not ask why, merely acknowledged the order and left.
After Amber departed, Otto stepped forward and gathered Cecilia's snow-white hair. "Do you remember anything?"
"No..." Cecilia sounded dejected.
"I've said it before, there's no need to force yourself to remember," Otto said casually. "No one needs you to become the person you were before."
"Okay." The woman's voice became much brighter. Suddenly, she stepped forward and gave Otto a hug.
"Thank you, Brother."
A fragrant breeze drifted past Otto's nose, and the man raised his brows.
"There's no need to thank me between us."
He led Cecilia out of the house. The sun outside shone brightly, but as always, it brought no warmth.
"Let's go somewhere else today," Otto said as they walked. "We'll leave Schicksal Headquarters and take a look around elsewhere."
"Where are we going?"
"Do you remember the place I mentioned yesterday?"
Otto gazed into the distance, and an eager gleam actually lit up in his eyes.
"We're going to England."
Amusement Park
England, Staffordshire.
This city had always been famous for the Hormu Amusement Park at its center. It was said that if one wanted to know the population of all Britain, one could simply come here and line up at the amusement park.
And now, a private jet from continental Europe slowly landed here.
"Zip up your jacket, Cecilia. There's no heating down there."
"Okay, Brother."
Otto led Cecilia off the plane and into Attra. He used Mimicry: Feather of Dust a few times on the police officers who came to question them, resolving the issue of passage.
Cecilia looked a little nervous. She clutched Otto's arm tightly, as though afraid he might suddenly run away.
"We'll first go to Schicksal's branch here." To ease the woman's emotions, Otto told her about the plans for the next few days. "They'll handle accommodations and the like."
"And then?" Cecilia asked cooperatively. "Will we deal with the problem Durandal mentioned?"
She still found it difficult to say "Durandal," unconsciously knitting her beautiful brows as though some voice in the depths of her mind was telling her that the girl's name was not that.
"Investigate the person Durandal mentioned?" Otto shrugged and led the woman toward a small shop. "We can put that matter aside for now. You are the most important thing."
The man's tone was utterly calm, as though this were nothing more than an ordinary fact. Yet every word landed squarely on the softest part of Cecilia's heart, sending shimmering ripples through it.
"Then where are we going, Brother?" Cecilia's voice grew softer without her realizing it, and she moved a little closer to Otto.
"To the amusement park."
Otto bought a map from the little shop and answered casually.
"To the amusement park?"
Cecilia's large eyes were filled with confusion and doubt.
"Yes, it's part of the plan," the man said in a solemn manner. "You have many memories at amusement parks, so those attractions may help you remember the past."
???
"Okay."
Ever since Hormu had burst into the public eye and become a massive hit, many industries related to that IP had emerged as well.
This amusement park in Staffordshire had originally been famous for Alton Towers Castle, but after a series of business dealings, the theme park had still been given a Hormu makeover.
"It seems different from the attractions in that world..."
Otto sighed and led Cecilia through the ticket gate.
Hormu Amusement Park covered an enormous area, with every kind of modern amusement attraction imaginable. It also had plenty of colorful side products and facilities, including, naturally, a Hormu merchandise center.
"Pick whatever you like." Seeing the longing in Cecilia's expression, Otto took out a black card. "Don't carry too much. We still have a whole day of fun ahead."
"???"
Cecilia could not see the connection between the two, so she looked at him in confusion.
"If there's too much, we'll have it sent directly to the branch hotel," Otto said, patting Cecilia's head. "Carrying too much will make it inconvenient when we're playing."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "You can buy everything if you want. You won't max out this card. But I remember you once said that choosing things was a kind of pleasure."
Cecilia obediently nodded. Her large eyes blinked, and she suddenly handed the black card back. "Let's buy things when we leave. For now, let's carry out the plan first."
"Mm, right, the plan—the plan to have fun." Otto could not help smiling at the woman's change of mind as he accepted it. "So, where do you want to go now? My suggestion is to wander around and try whatever catches your eye."
"Try whatever catches my eye..."
Cecilia looked at the dazzling array of novel things before her, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"You want to try them all? You don't know where to start?" Otto understood what she meant and asked with a smile.
The woman stuck out her tongue, silently admitting it.
"Then let's try them all. We'll have everything," the man said gently. "We have plenty of time. And no clever person will dare disturb us."
Cecilia did not catch the last sentence, but she understood Otto's meaning. So she nodded happily, took Otto's hand, and walked toward the nearest attraction.
Otto followed behind Cecilia at an unhurried pace.
The woman darted through one attraction after another, rising and falling like an angel who had wandered into the mortal world. The distance in her eyes when she had first awakened from her long sleep gradually vanished, and every "Brother" became warmer than the last, its final syllable lingering as though she wanted the word to remain on her lips a little longer.
It was as though there was no Honkai, no enemies. They were simply a normal pair of siblings playing in an amusement park.
"Mmm... this castle is indeed interesting, but Brother, can we play more thrilling attractions like this?"
Before you continue