Cecilia: I Belong to Otto

"Our academy doesn't have an organization as massive as Schicksal. Keeping this Herrscher here is practically a ticking time bomb that could threaten our lives at any moment!"

"Exactly. Lord Bishop kept saying he killed him for the headmistress's safety, but if you ask me, he also eliminated a hidden danger for us!"

The blond man narrowed his eyes slightly, no emotion visible in his emerald gaze.

Very good.

Those as selfish as him would believe that he was protecting Theresa; those filled with passion would be pleased by his protection of them.

Everyone had a bright future.

"I am very glad that you all understand me."

Otto bowed in thanks.

"You are Valkyries, warriors who fight for all that is beautiful in this world. Resolving hardships other than Honkai and safeguarding your safety are duties that St. Freya Academy—the Far East Branch of Schicksal—must rightfully fulfill."

—So if St. Freya cannot protect you and your families, feel free to cause trouble at this academy and help me keep Theresa occupied.

He took a deep breath and continued.

"Of course, if there are still those who feel this was cruel and believe there was a gentler way to handle things—I believe St. Freya does indeed have such kind-hearted children."

—After all, Theresa taught you. As the saying goes, one takes on the color of one's company. I would not be surprised by how adorable you might become in the end.

"Then please, children like you, keep working hard. Grow stronger, gain the power to be kinder, forge ahead, and turn this imperfect Schicksal into the place you want it to be!"

—Young ladies, look at this pie. It is big and round.

The blond man's voice became passionate and stirring, his hands seeming to lift something high into the air.

"If you think Schicksal is not good enough, then build it! If you think the technology here is cruel, then become a leader! If you think I and many in Schicksal are ignorant and foolish, then start with yourselves and become outstanding Schicksal Valkyries! Start with yourselves and change those around you, instead of blindly condemning, complaining, attacking, and colluding with hostile forces! Become strong, then save everything ugly in this world!"

—Come on! That way, I can exploit you even more boldly!

"The ground beneath your feet is my great Schicksal! What you are is what Schicksal is! If you are bright, then Schicksal shall not be dark!"

—Because I will only let you see what you wish to see.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"Bishop Otto is right!"

"If Schicksal isn't good enough, then we should keep working hard!"

Amid thunderous applause and ordinary words of praise, Otto let out a long breath. His exaggerated smile seemed to become much more sincere.

He raised his head, his emerald eyes glancing at the white-haired little girl behind the crowd.

Theresa Apocalypse.

The headmistress was a little dizzy right now. Her grandfather had appeared again, killed St. Freya's history teacher, and Welt was the leader of Anti-Entropy. A stream of information far too complicated for her crashed into her mind, making the already scatterbrained little girl even more muddled.

What should she do... Was she about to grow a brain...

And... for some reason, the inspirational speech her grandfather had fed them felt strange.

She felt as though a surge of hot blood should have been boiling fiercely in her chest. But when she thought about it carefully, good heavens, what was boiling was Coca-Cola.

Hmm, it even felt... a little familiar?

What was any of that supposed to mean?

Just then, she saw Otto looking at her, his eyes filled with calm indifference.

—It was the look Otto Apocalypse had given her in front of Siegfried just now; it was the look Cecilia Schariac had given her when she picked up Fehu Rune.

The exact same coldness.

As though... they were looking at a stranger.

"..."

"All right," she heard him say, addressing all the students of St. Freya. "Excellent children of St. Freya, my personal task is complete. Now, it is time for us to return and continue fighting Honkai."

"Goodbye. I hope you all excel in your studies, and that I may see your proud smiles in Schicksal."

"Goodbye, Bishop Otto!"

"Take care, Lord Bishop!"

"But, Lord Bishop, aren't you waiting for the headmistress..."

"There is no need."

Theresa heard Otto deliberately answer that final question.

The blond man's voice was soft. It did not dampen the enthusiasm of the St. Freya students in the slightest, yet it reached the white-haired little girl's ears with perfect clarity.

"...!"

A flicker of confusion crossed the white-haired little girl's eyes, but she soon clenched her fists, her gaze filled with determination.

Anti-Entropy, Ark Chamber.

"I'll fucking kill Otto!!! Why doesn't he go fuck himself!!!"

The red-haired woman slammed her hand down on the control panel, spewing an endless stream of advanced vocabulary that would make the entire Taixu sect willingly bow in defeat.

"Calm down, Tesla." The blue-haired woman's voice was cool, though her eyes were equally filled with anger. "Anger cannot solve any problems."

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down, Liesel Albert Einstein?!"

Tesla roared.

"I fucking told that overconfident idiot not to walk into a trap, not to trust that man—every glance he gives is dripping with fake affection!"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

"Damn it! You thought your life was tough enough, huh?! You thought not returning to Anti-Entropy was protecting us, huh?! Look at things now! I-I-I really... Hmph! Bastard! Idiot! Self-righteous! Deluding yourself!"

"Anger cannot solve any problems, Frederica Nikola Tesla," Einstein said calmly. "And—why are you scolding Welt Yang?"

"Cursing Otto would dirty my fucking mouth!" Tesla shouted. "I fucking knew that murderous, arsonist, gold-belt-wearing widower would fucking—"

Einstein: ...

After the red-haired woman spent more than ten minutes spewing a varied torrent of abuse—first at Welt Yang, then at Otto, and finally even dragging Joyce and Einstein into it—Einstein finally seized the chance to interject while the other woman drank water to soothe her dry throat.

"Regardless, what we should discuss now is a plan to rescue Welt Yang. Tesla, every minute you waste is another minute Otto may use to perform even more inhumane experiments on him."

"Oh, really?"

A voice different from those of the two present sounded out.

"Letting it out like this is pretty good, isn't it? Though I suppose the two conservative commissioners can do nothing but rage helplessly."

"Cocolia, what the fuck are you doing here?!"

Tesla roared as she turned to the blond woman behind her.

Cocolia ignored her and instead began listing Anti-Entropy's assets.

"Silver Bullet? But Schicksal created the Honkai Energy Fission Bomb, which has the same effect, nearly a century before us."

"Anti-Entropy Mecha? Can we really produce mechanical creations capable of subduing an S-rank Valkyrie?"

"The Moonlight Throne is still under construction, and Arahathoin has yet to be fully repaired after the Second Honkai Outbreak."

"So, my respected Anti-Entropy seniors, after losing Leader Welt, what exactly will Anti-Entropy use to oppose Schicksal?"

"Or are you fantasizing about Otto's mercy and hoping to resolve this peacefully through words?"

Tesla and Einstein fell silent.

Yes, though they usually firmly believed in the ideal of "declaring war on false beauty," only at this moment did they sorrowfully realize... they could not resist their mistaken fate.

Right. What did Anti-Entropy have to save Welt?

"Wait, how did you know something happened to the leader..."

"Huh? What? You don't think I was spying on you, do you?"

Cocolia froze this time, her expression becoming utterly bewildered. She swallowed and earnestly asked Einstein, "Is it difficult to place informants in St. Freya Academy?"

Einstein, Tesla: ...

All right, it seemed they had learned of it the same way.

"Do not change the subject, Doctors—if you still want to welcome the leader back."

"So you came here to work with us? What are you planning to use to rescue Welt Yang?"

Tesla could not help asking. Her voice was still excited, but it had softened considerably.

"I naturally have my own methods. Since I came here after receiving the information, I naturally have complete confidence that I can join you in overturning this rotten, decaying Schicksal."

Cocolia confidently swept her hand backward. At once, the doors of Anti-Entropy's ark opened, and men who looked exactly like Welt stood behind them, their crimson eyes lighting up.

PS: [Those as selfish as him would believe that he was protecting Theresa; those filled with passion would be pleased by his protection of them.]

That was why Otto used two different lines of reasoning.

Cecilia: I Belong to Otto

Cecilia felt as though she were dreaming.

She had only just returned to Schicksal Headquarters with Fehu Rune when Amber appeared by her side as though she knew everything, telling Cecilia to go to the place where Otto had been living with her these past few days.

And then...

The woman saw Otto's tall, straight figure standing in the kitchen, an apron tied around his waist as he focused intently on... making soup?

"You're back?"

The man looked up. The eyes and brows Cecilia could never forget—the ones that had looked at her before he accepted Fehu Rune—were now gazing gently at her, patiently awaiting her answer without urgency.

Yes. I'm home.

Cecilia was a little dazed, but her expression soon softened. She spread her arms, her sea-blue eyes fixed on him. She had the adorable air of a younger sister acting spoiled with her older brother, as well as the charm fitting the age when she most longed to be plucked.

Hug me.

She silently said it in her heart.

Otto immediately understood what she meant. He opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He extinguished the flame, hung the apron to one side, and then gently embraced the emotionally stirred woman.

But Cecilia was not satisfied with such a fleeting taste. She stepped half a pace forward and pressed her flawless, fair face against Otto's neck.

The man could not help holding his breath.

Usually, because she felt psychologically inferior before him, Cecilia's every movement carried the playful air of a little sister. But in this deeper embrace, even her sacred temperament and somewhat youthful state of mind could not conceal her breathtaking charm, alluring yet pure.

Cecilia's graceful body pressed tightly against the man. Her snow-white softness formed pliant, rounded impressions against his chest as she leaned in deeply. Her warm breaths against his shoulder made him itch from the bottom of his heart, and her cherry lips brushed across his neck as though secretly kissing him.

So soft.

The woman's body was supple yet resilient. Otto inhaled her refreshing lily-like fragrance, one hand around her slender waist while the other slowly lifted her silver-white hair and swept it behind her head. He gently patted Cecilia's beautiful back from time to time, hiding every word within silence.

Within this simple, warm embrace, Cecilia suddenly felt an impulse. Feelings born of youth seemed like an evening breeze lifting her snow-white hair, caressing open the scar called first love.

Light and darkness intermingled in her eyes, like a white flower falling into a black abyss.

She wanted to part her cherry lips, lightly bite the man's shoulder with her pearly teeth, then lick it with the tip of her tongue; she wanted to stop thinking of any future and remain forever in this warm embrace.

—For that, perhaps she could pay any price.

That was right.

Any. Price.

He was the only person she could rely on now...

If he abandoned her too, a voice whispered in her ear, then she would have nothing left...

The two embraced for a long time before Cecilia reluctantly stepped back. Her fair cheeks were flushed as she looked at Otto with eyes full of dependence.

Her pupils were clear and bright, carrying a faint sense of fragility that made one instinctively wish to protect her.

Her warmth still lingered on his neck, and even his heart, which had always remained unruffled, beat a little more fiercely. Otto smiled faintly, nodded to Cecilia, pointed at the white porcelain pot in the kitchen, and turned to walk over.