Illegitimate Child

"Oh, right, Headmaster, I was just chatting with a supervisor from the research department at Headquarters. He agreed to equip us with a demi-god machine unit!"

Sheng Jiu excitedly reported his "results" to Theresa as he boarded the Hyperion.

Theresa looked at Sheng Jiu, completely bewildered. "Huh? What supervisor? There's only one supervisor in the research department, and he was just in a meeting with me?"

"Huh? That's impossible, he was just with me!"

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

"Blond hair, very young, blue eyes, looked kind. 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 quite some time, and 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 that Otto had gifted him.

Seeing the USB drive in Sheng Jiu's palm, Theresa's pupils instantly contracted. "Th-th-this... this is impossible! This is Grandpa's USB drive!"

"What? Grandpa? Otto looked very young?" Sheng Jiu was equally confused, but he immediately remembered what Kiana had told him earlier: that the Bishop of Schicksal, Otto, was Theresa's grandfather, an immortal old monster.

"What?????" Sheng Jiu's voice also rose an octave. "You mean... I was just treating the Bishop of Schicksal like a brother?"

"It's okay, relax. Since Grandpa gave you the USB drive, he must have his reasons. Don't feel burdened; he's also a man of strong emotions," Theresa comforted Sheng Jiu.

"I hope so..."

The Hyperion soon returned to St. Freya, and Sheng Jiu saw the figure waiting at the spaceport from afar.

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

"Alright, alright~ It tickles~" Theresa affectionately stroked Kiana's head. "I really don't know what to do with you~"

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

"...Okay, ...here... for you!" Unable to resist Kiana's pouting, Sheng Jiu, blushing, handed her the snack Kiana wanted.

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't forget! Thanks~ Let's hurry back, Yae Sakura and the others have prepared snacks for us!"

"So, lazybones, did you meet the Grand Bishop of Schicksal earlier?" Kiana asked Sheng Jiu, taking a bite of her shrimp pizza.

Sheng Jiu took a sip of his black tea and took out the black and gold USB drive. "I'm not sure if it's real, but the Headmaster said only Bishops have this USB drive, so I guess it probably is?"

Himeko frowned as she took the USB drive and examined it closely. "I've long heard that Bishop Otto's belongings are made with extreme precision. Such intricate carvings on a USB drive like this must belong to that person."

"Why don't we open it and see what's inside?" Yae Sakura suggested.

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

Upon seeing what was in the file, a hint of surprise visibly appeared on Bronya's expressionless face. "Eh? Bronya... seems to recognize this."

Everyone leaned in to look. After a glance, Kiana immediately exclaimed, "Hey, isn't this the armor that lazybones wore in the virtual space!"

Reminded by Kiana, Sheng Jiu also began to examine the armor on the screen. It was a black armor. The model on the screen was tightly wrapped in a black trench coat, with heavy armor plates covering the outside of the coat. A small wrist blade was attached to the guard on his left arm.

The current appearance of this armor was vastly different from how it looked when Sheng Jiu wore it. The previously bare helmet was now equipped with two sharp antennas, and the four-eyed monitor had been replaced with a single-eyed monitor. Seen from afar in the pitch-black night, it resembled a lurking black panther, exuding an imposing aura.

"My goodness, what is this thing?" Sheng Jiu's mouth could have fit two large eggs.

"...The file also includes an introduction. It states that this armor is the fourth-generation God-Slayer Armor, Black Knight Mustafa, a super armor developed specifically for male combat personnel," Bronya read from the tablet. "This armor is currently in the testing phase. It is now being gifted to Mr. Sheng Jiu of the Far East Branch—Otto Apocalypse."

Everyone looked at Sheng Jiu with suspicious eyes. The strange gazes made Sheng Jiu's skin crawl. "What... what are you looking at? ...I don't know why it was given to me..."

"Lazybones, you're not the Bishop's illegitimate child, are you?" Kiana blurted out first.

Theresa, angered, smacked Kiana on the head. "You're so stupid! Grandpa has lived for over five hundred years, how could Sheng Jiu possibly be his son?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, I was just saying..."