"Mm..."
Cecilia whimpered, as though she wanted to scatter all her pent-up anguish into the air.
She wanted to cry too, but for some reason, no tears came.
At that moment, the arms around her waist tightened. The man supporting her moved her head onto his shoulder and said softly:
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll always be here from now on."
He gently patted the girl's back, allowing her tense body to slowly relax.
Cecilia's breathing gradually slowed. Listening to the man's voice, her restless heart gradually calmed.
"This is..." She finally found her voice, though it was slightly hoarse.
"This is Schicksal, the place where you once lived. Welcome back, Cecilia Schariac."
What was Schicksal?
My name... was Cecilia Schariac?
"Perhaps you can't remember these things right now," the man said gently, "but it's all right. I'll help you adapt to this new world."
"You are...?"
Gratitude and confusion filled Cecilia's beautiful eyes as she asked softly.
She truly wanted to remember the name of the man before her herself, but clearly, she couldn't.
Yet her subconscious compelled her to treat him with respect, even making her use an honorific.
"My name is Otto Apocalypse. I'm your friend." The man smiled. "Well, given your current condition, there's no need to search your memories for traces of me just yet."
Cecilia nodded slightly. She had indeed just been trying to recall scenes of being with the man before her.
"Just call me Brother—this is what you used to call me. Don't rush to recover your memories. I'll help you slowly."
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Void Archives Thinks You're Young
"Do you remember this? Mm, this is the bath. Hot water is on the left, cold water is on the right..."
After Amber brought Cecilia some clothes, Otto took Cecilia to one of his homes closest to this place.
Naturally, the first thing was to let her wash herself—although the nutrient solution was changed regularly, bathing could always relax both body and mind, making one feel happier within.
And it also made it easier to open one's heart in their private world of two.
"This is laundry detergent... Mm... I'll prepare new clothes for you..."
Seeing Cecilia nod in confusion, Otto knowingly stepped back and prepared to leave. However, Cecilia hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, her expression at a loss.
"Brother..." Are you leaving?
"I..."
Seeing Cecilia's beautiful eyes filled with longing, every movement brimming with dependence on him, Otto's act of so long nearly fell apart.
How could he not understand what she meant? But...
This contrast between a mature woman's figure and a little daughter's demeanor... was completely unfair, wasn't it?!
Who could refuse an invitation to bathe together from a beautiful woman whose eyes were full of you?
Apparently, he could.
Otto's gaze swiftly returned to calm indifference.
Once Cecilia regained her memories, this sort of thing would be difficult to explain.
She might understand. She might still comply. But she might also shy away in embarrassment—Otto now understood a little about manipulating people's hearts, but he did not want to guess at someone's thought process in this regard.
"Women can't bathe with men." He stroked Cecilia's silvery-white hair. "Unless they're close enough."
Cecilia lowered her head. Little by little, she released Otto's sleeve, looking somewhat dejected.
"I've already taught you the general steps for bathing. Don't worry, I'll be in the living room. I won't leave."
Like he was coaxing a child, Otto led Cecilia back into the bath, then turned and left under her reluctant gaze, closing the door behind him.
Cecilia pursed her lips, picked up the towel beside the bath, and recalled Otto's words.
"Close enough?"
"I knew you'd be here."
Otto returned to the living room and, just as expected, saw Void Archives in Cecilia's form.
She leaned against the sofa with a smug expression.
"Before this, you were in your late teens or early twenties, right?"
Without waiting for Otto to reply, she began analyzing on her own.
"Boys at that age feel melancholy about leaving their families, helplessness about starting their own, the stirrings of first love, and nostalgia for their original families. Naturally, they develop a special interest in girls who can give them a sense of belonging."
"And Cecilia Schariac possesses the gentleness and maternal nature that boys that age find most irresistible, along with a holy aura that inspires a man's desire to conquer. So she would be the first person summoned to your side, even if she was only a clone, right?"
Ah, yes, yes, yes.
Otto remained expressionless, inwardly feeling more at ease.
It seemed the Book of Origin truly was impressive.
If it said only he and Amber knew, then it had truly fooled even Void Archives.
"But that was also my mistake—who told me to use Cecilia in the end? Hahaha, boy, you're so cute."
Thank you. The way you filled in the backstory for me is cute too.
Feeling that he should respond by now, Otto raised his head and put on an expression as if he were trying to conceal his irritation with coldness. "Leave after you're done talking. I still need her."
"Need her? Need a Cecilia version of Amber to replace Amber as your secretary?"
Void Archives laughed.
"If you ask me, why not let me kill that Amber, disguise myself as her, and deceive everyone with you—"
"I refuse." Otto cut her off without hesitation. "I like telling self-righteous people like you no the most."
If he could control Void Archives, perhaps he would find a way to put Amber into hibernation, let Void Archives play Amber, and deceive the world with him.
But he couldn't.
So for now, he did not want to place all his bets on her.
Besides, thinking of the absurd stunt she pulled in A Post-Honkai Odyssey—bringing in alien creatures to drive out the Honkai sealed on the moon—Otto felt it was better to rely on himself.
"Hmph." Void Archives gave a cold laugh. "You really still don't trust me."
Why did that sound so sour...
"You're overthinking it," Otto denied immediately. How could he say something like that openly? "Our interests are the same, so how could I possibly not trust you? Our alliance will last forever."
"Then you'd rather have a clone protect you than accept my suggestion?"
"Your suggestion is too crude, and... too cruel."
"Hearing the word cruel from Otto's mouth is truly a novel experience for me." Void Archives bared her teeth.
"He is him. I am me." Otto wore a resolute expression.
"Wow. So not only are you lustful, you're also an idiot who thinks he's valuable."
Void Archives said that very softly, deliberately letting Otto hear it without hearing it clearly.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. I said you're innocent and cute." Void Archives curled her lips, contempt audible in her voice. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Why should I tell you?!" Otto's voice was somewhat sharp, as though he were angry at her concealment.
Void Archives looked at him with even greater disdain. She turned to glance at the bath, narrowed her eyes, and soon began to laugh.
"I understand... I understand..."
She stood and approached Otto.
"The clone Cecilia Schariac, Siegfried Kaslana, Theresa Apocalypse, right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Otto took a step back and answered calmly.
"It's a good plan." Void Archives no longer approached him and began pacing through the living room. "What do they call it in Shenzhou?—Right, holding the emperor hostage to command the lords. Even if they sense something wrong, they'll protect you for Cecilia's sake."
"And with those two S-rank warriors, plus the extremely destructive Fehu Rune, in a Schicksal that currently has only one S-rank warrior, you truly will be free to come and go as you please."
She stopped walking and praised him. "To devise such a method of self-protection in so short a time, buddy, you have quite a bit of Otto's bearing."
"I never thought of that."
Otto's "face turned pale," yet he continued to "argue."
"Say whatever you want, think whatever you want, buddy." Void Archives shook her head. "Unfortunately, you overlooked one thing—that we're allies."
"My dear boy in his late teens or early twenties, aren't you being a little exclusionary?"
She gave Otto a mysterious smile and vanished from where she stood.
"Tch."
Otto's expression changed at once. He rolled his eyes and sat beside the sofa, not panicking because of Void Archives' deliberate mystery.
Wasn't she just trying to spoil his mood?
Enjoy showing off while I'm still developing, Void Archives.
So far, the story had progressed smoothly, and events had unfolded as he wished.
And your every move... hahaha.
Otto picked up the pocket watch on the table and slowly clasped it in his palm.
PS1: Yay! I signed a contract!
PS2: QQ Group 252825911
A Beauty Emerges from the Bath, the Bishop Combs Her Hair
The bath door opened. Amid the white steam spilling out, the woman stood with a bath towel half-covering her, her graceful body faintly visible. Her long, slender legs were lightly pressed together, the outline of her breasts vaguely discernible, her snow-white, tender flesh rising and falling with shallow breaths. Compared to before, she possessed a hazy beauty that seemed to speak yet held back.
Otto could not help lowering his gaze.
—Then he saw a pair of delicate little feet. Beneath the fair, tender skin, faint bluish veins could be seen rising slightly. Her small, lovely toes curled tightly, then swayed back and forth from nervousness. Her translucent nails had flushed into an enticing apricot shade, reflecting the bright sunlight.
Just thinking about this makes me want another bowl of rice... Ah, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey. I'm really not Yu Dafu...
Still, she really was quite beautiful. The half-hidden allure, coupled with the pure clarity of having emerged from the bath, could stir endless desire in any normal man.
He was no exception.
But compared to desire between a man and a woman, Otto's eyes held more greed and calculation.
Naturally beautiful, powerful in her own right, with important blood and ties to countless key figures—no matter how he looked at it, he could not let her be taken by someone else this time.
A large part of his plans for the future... rested upon her.
Of course, he could choose someone else, but who could be more loyal to him than a Schariac, while also being so capable in both conduct and work?
The man licked his lips, closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again. When he looked at Cecilia, his expression had already returned to normal, with no abnormality visible in his eyes.
With a blade hanging over his head, he needed sufficient rationality while still playing his role.
Before you continue