I Want to Tell You About Our God and Our Bishop

The man pointed at the scene before them. "You know? In the past, you only got to go on an outing like this once a year."

Cecilia imagined such a life and could not help shivering. "Then from now on..."

"Of course, you can go wherever you want from now on," Otto replied with a smile. "I promised you that before."

"Mm..."

The woman pondered for a moment, then asked:

"But from what I heard yesterday, Valkyries are supposed to travel all over the world to eliminate Honkai—if that's the case, why did you say I was always kept in one place?"

Otto patiently explained:

"The profession of Valkyrie is Schicksal's collective term for girls who possess resistance to Honkai Energy and can fight Honkai. Not every Valkyrie has to confront enemies head-on at the front lines."

"Guard duty, escorts, logistical supplies, intelligence gathering, and so on. Valkyries each have their own duties and uses."

"Your Schariac Holy Blood can eliminate all Honkai Energy in an instant. During the early stages of research, keeping you protected at Schicksal Headquarters was more valuable than sending you out to fight."

"Is that so... then why am I now...?"

"Why is no one drawing your blood now?" Otto picked up her question. "There's no need to worry. With your consent, Schicksal conducted research on your blood and has already made great breakthroughs."

"Is that so..."

Cecilia lowered her head. "So... am I useless now?"

Otto held Cecilia a little tighter. "No, my little sister—your value goes beyond Schariac Holy Blood. Long ago, you were the strongest Valkyrie by my side."

"But now, all you need to do is live happily. Don't think about anything, and don't do anything. I won't abandon you, so don't worry."

Cecilia was still somewhat downcast, but she said nothing.

Naturally, Otto did not interrupt her thoughts. He gently stroked the woman's hair, enjoying the warmth and softness in his arms.

After a long while, Cecilia's gentle yet firm voice broke the silence.

"I want to go home."

"To find your memories?" Otto seemed prepared for this.

"Yes."

"I neither approve nor oppose it. But if you insist on doing this... I hope it will be three days from now." There was an overbearing edge to his words, as if he had no intention of giving Cecilia the chance to refuse.

"Why three days from now?" Cecilia's voice softened slightly. She did not want to be stubborn at a time like this.

"Consider it... the last time I have as your elder brother. At least let us finish visiting England's famous sights before discussing anything else."

The man paused, and his tone returned to its usual gentleness:

"About recovering your memories... can you tell me some of the reasons?"

"Mm..."

"If you're hesitating, then you don't need to answer, Cecilia."

"Thank you, Brother."

The woman let out a breath of relief. Her long, white swanlike neck tilted back as she leaned against Otto's shoulder, gazing at the moon partly veiled by dark clouds and murmuring in a voice no one could hear:

"Because..."

Bishop, zombies, Honkai... from everything I've seen over these past two days, Brother... the burden on your shoulders is truly heavy.

I want to climb the cliffs with you, face one hardship after another, and have the right to smooth away the faint furrow in your brow.

Just as before.

Otto sat beside the bed, calmly watching Cecilia's sleeping face as the tenderness in his eyes slowly faded.

He gently laid the woman down, rose to his feet, and slowly walked to the window.

The spring-breeze warmth he had worn earlier gradually disappeared with every step. By the time he stopped, he radiated absolute rationality, as though he were standing in the testing grounds at Schicksal Headquarters, coolly summarizing and reflecting on an experiment.

The rhetoric had been barely adequate. Today's performance had been normal enough.

As for the content of his words... nothing he had said so far had reached the point of requiring lies.

Of course, he had used a few techniques when it came to stirring emotions.

Most of Cecilia's emotional fluctuations were also entirely within his grasp.

"...After the curtain rose, the performance was still somewhat bland,"

Otto thought to himself.

"There were no specific scenes worth preserving as profound memories—when controlling such ethereal emotions, something like that cannot be absent."

Like a detached reader, he looked down coldly and expressionlessly upon today's Otto. He read carefully, judged and analyzed, constructing within his mind an instrument that connected the past to the future. He treated himself, Cecilia, and every factor as data, repeatedly reviewing the cycle and calculating the appropriate answer.

At this moment, there was neither sorrow nor joy in his eyes, only the indifference of a god.

"No, there does seem to have been a barely profound scene—and it was an improvised lesson not anticipated in the plan... But could there be any hidden danger?"

Otto pondered as he tossed the words he had spoken to Cecilia on the way back to the hotel into the "instrument," deducing the effects they might cause.

In a sense, someone named Otto had no right to say such things to Cecilia.

After all, he was the greatest manipulator behind the Schariac family.

But as he had said before—what did the sins committed by his former self have to do with him now?

He was not that self-aware, nor did he possess such lofty morals.

Besides, even the Schariac family themselves would not blame Otto.

And saying those words to Cecilia...

Did not seem as though it would have any effect.

Otto truly had no intention of turning Cecilia into his puppet.

He did intend to make some arrangements for her, but not to that extent.

Puppets had never been the ones to perform beautiful stories. A truly magnificent play required vivid, passionate actors. In the story he wove for her, the ending was never for her to become a component dependent on him, but for her to stand on her own in the future and serve as the co-host of Schicksal's strongest line of defense.

Cecilia should be alive and vibrant. She could possess her own charm, her own relationships, her own future, rather than wear a blank, numb expression while he pulled invisible strings to manipulate her.

For the time being, puppets were only fit to serve as mascots or maintain mechanical, numb operations.

On the surface, "people" were difficult to control, but Otto believed that compared with the benefits people could bring, the hidden risks caused by such uncertainty were not worth mentioning.

As for her experiencing too much beauty and becoming disgusted with his actions?

In truth, when he made someone feel disgusted with him...

That would also be when he intended to use that "disgust" to achieve his goals.

Otto did not mind the girl having selfish desires. He was even willing to cultivate in her the idea of "living for herself," so that she would not sacrifice herself over some trivial matter.

After all, every belief in "selflessness" could collapse in an instant. Every obsession with "saving the world" could be worn away bit by bit by the harshness of reality. But the wish to "survive" was an instinct engraved within human genes.

No matter what happened, as long as she was alive, Otto had countless ways to restore her body and mind to their best states.

Of course, even if she truly died, the current Otto could still bring her back to life.

It was merely that such a forbidden ability should naturally be used as appropriately as possible.

"The negative considerations regarding the speech have been ruled out. Everything remains as I wish."

"The story's evolution continues."

Otto lightly tapped the window, producing a sound only he could hear.

"The seeds were planted in the morning, and now they have already taken root and sprouted. I hope the coming feedback will satisfy me enough."

"I look forward to it... You had better be worthy of surprising me."

In an unguarded instant, the man glanced down at the street and revealed a casual smile.

Heh, there really was more than just that little rat.

I Want to Tell You About Our God and Our Leader

Three days passed quickly. Under Otto's deliberate guidance, Cecilia had a wonderful time, and her personality became somewhat more playful than before.

Naturally, she had also become increasingly dependent on him.

Their journey had taken them from Staffordshire to London, where they wandered the streets at will.

Christmas decorations still covered all of London, and the sound of bells rang everywhere.

Christmas... come to think of it, what was Christmas in the Honkai world meant to commemorate?

Was it still that person?

According to a certain book's description... could he have been a Stigmata bearer skilled at healing?

Perhaps it had originally been a holiday for ordinary people, and when their descendants became Valkyries, they brought the custom to Schicksal and the rest of the world.

Otto thought to himself.

It really was strange. Why had the original owner not gotten involved with this and set Kallen's birthday as the day the Saintess was born? Why not designate that year as Kallen Year?

Someone had already set an example. Why didn't you imitate it?

It had left him still unaware of Kallen's birthday. The game had not mentioned it either.

Three days still were not enough to memorize every detail...

As he walked, Otto sorted through the information he lacked but needed to know.

This was also one of the reasons he had left Schicksal Headquarters on the second day after arriving in this world.

He needed to organize what he should remember, then "acquire" certain pieces of information brought by transmigration—information Otto should not have been able to know, at least by creating an "origin" for them.

It seemed like an unnecessary extra step, but it was better than nothing.

"Brother,"

Cecilia's voice sounded from beside him.

"There seems to be some kind of celebration over there."

"Then let's go take a look." Otto immediately understood Cecilia's thoughts.

They headed straight toward it, passing through the bustling crowds.

The man glanced at a woman in a black robe on the street. As though remembering something, he asked casually, "By the way, you brought the Valkyrie armor I gave you this morning, right?"

Cecilia raised her sleeve and revealed a black, ultrathin layer of armor. "I'm wearing most of it underneath—it feels quite warm."

It was Schicksal's armor closest to the fourth generation. According to Amber, it could provide a Valkyrie with the best protection without hindering her movements. It could even offer a degree of assistance in the use of Honkai Energy.

"Is it still comfortable when you move?"

"There's basically no restriction."

"That's good." Otto waved a hand. "Whatever you want to see or play, lead the way. I'll carry things and keep you company."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Today is the last day, right?"

"Yes, yes." The man sighed. "I really don't understand how someone could be so eager to return the moment her vacation ends. Your birthday only just passed."

"I'm already very satisfied." Cecilia blinked. "And even if I recover my memories, Brother will still approve my vacation, won't you?"

"Ah." Otto looked at the woman, his eyes full of helplessness. "Ever since Siberia, you've been good at making decisions on your own."

Cecilia returned a sweet smile.

They entered the celebration. A melodious waltz played around them, and many people danced gracefully to the music. Standing beside Otto, Cecilia wore an expectant expression.

"You want to dance too?"

"Mm." Cecilia admitted it.