Illegitimate Son

"Hey, by the way, Principal, I just talked to a Research Department supervisor at headquarters, and he agreed to equip us with a Demi-God Machine unit!"

After boarding the Hyperion, Sheng Jiu excitedly reported his "achievement" to Theresa.

Theresa stared at Sheng Jiu in confusion. "Huh? What supervisor? The Research Department only has one, and he was just in a meeting with me!"

"Huh? That can't be right. He was just with me!"

"What does the person you're talking about look like?"

"Blond, young, blue-eyed, and he looked pretty approachable. Oh, right, he said his name was Otto."

"Otto?" Theresa's expression turned strange. "I've been in charge of the Far East Branch for a long time, but I've never heard of anyone named Otto!"

"Huh? That's weird. Oh, right, he also gave me a set of armor!" Sheng Jiu took out the black-and-gold USB drive Otto had given him.

The instant Theresa saw the USB drive in Sheng Jiu's palm, her pupils shrank. "Th-this... This can't be! This is Grandpa's USB drive!"

"What? Grandpa? Otto looked really young!" Sheng Jiu was just as confused, but then he remembered that Kiana had told him earlier that Schicksal's Overseer, Otto, was Theresa's grandfather—a strange old man who had lived forever.

"What?????" Sheng Jiu's voice rose an octave. "Does that mean I was just buddying up with Schicksal's Overseer?"

"It's fine, just relax. If Grandpa gave you the USB drive, he must have had his reasons. Don't feel burdened. He's a man of passion, too," Theresa reassured Sheng Jiu.

"I hope so..."

The Hyperion soon returned to St. Freya, and Sheng Jiu spotted the figures waiting at the spaceport from a distance.

"You're back!" Kiana rushed over and hugged Theresa, rubbing against her.

"Okay, okay~ That tickles~" Theresa affectionately patted Kiana's head. "You're impossible~"

"Hey, lazybones~ I want my snack!" Kiana looked at Sheng Jiu with her big, watery eyes.

"...All right... Here... Here you go!" Unable to resist Kiana's pleading, Sheng Jiu blushed and handed her the snack she wanted.

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't forget! Thanks~ Let's hurry back. Yae Sakura and the others made us some treats!"

"So, lazybones, you ran into Schicksal's Overseer?" Kiana asked Sheng Jiu, taking a bite of shrimp pizza.

Sheng Jiu took a sip of black tea, then brought out the black-and-gold USB drive. "I'm not sure if it was really him, but the principal said only the Overseer has this kind of USB drive. I guess it probably was?"

Himeko took the USB drive with a frown and examined it closely. "I've heard that Overseer Otto's personal belongings are crafted with great care. Even a USB drive like this has engraved details, so it must belong to that distinguished gentleman."

"How about we open it and see what's inside?" Yae Sakura suggested.

Sheng Jiu nodded in agreement and handed the USB drive to Bronya. Bronya plugged it into a tablet nearby and opened the file.

When Bronya saw what was in the file, a hint of surprise appeared on her usually expressionless face. "Huh? Bronya... thinks she recognizes this."

Everyone leaned over to look. Kiana took one glance and immediately cried out, "Hey, isn't that the armor you wore in the virtual space, lazybones?"

At Kiana's reminder, Sheng Jiu took a closer look at the armor on the screen. It was black, and the model was tightly wrapped in a black trench coat covered with heavy armor plating. A small wrist blade was attached to the guard on its left arm.

The armor looked completely different from the one Sheng Jiu had worn before. Its originally bare helmet now had two pointed antennae, and its previous four-eyed monitor had been replaced with a single-eyed one. Seen from afar in the pitch-black night, it looked like a crouching black panther, radiating an oppressive presence.

"My God, what is this thing?" Sheng Jiu's mouth hung open wide enough to fit two eggs.

"...The file also includes a description. It says this is the fourth-generation God-Slayer Armor, Black Knight—Mustafa. It's a super armor developed specifically for male combat personnel." Bronya read the text on the tablet. "The armor is currently in the testing phase. It is hereby presented to Mr. Sheng Jiu of the Far East Branch. —Otto Apocalypse."

Everyone stared at Sheng Jiu suspiciously. Their strange looks made his skin crawl. "Why are you... looking at me like that? I don't know why he gave this to me either..."

"Lazybones, are you the Overseer's illegitimate son?" Kiana blurted out.

Theresa angrily smacked Kiana on the head. "You idiot! Grandpa's already over five hundred years old. How could Sheng Jiu possibly be his son?"

"Ow, ow, I was just saying..."