Theresa gives an expert take on Schicksal to teach the dumb bug a lesson / Herrscher of the Void: "Translate that for me-what do you mean, 'dumb bug'?"

"You thought the beginner chapter would be that hard... All right, all right, watch the story."

At that moment, the Live Stream screen showed a private conversation between Theresa and Kiana.

Or rather... an interrogation?

By the way, Kiana-chan, you already knew Bronya had been controlled, didn't you?

Huh? I never knew anything...

Kiana had not expected Theresa to expose her little thoughts at this moment, and she immediately began flusteringly trying to explain herself.

What she did not know, however, was that Theresa was nowhere near as childish as she looked.

Oh? Is~ that~ so~

It was hard to imagine such a teasing tone coming from a little girl who looked only around twelve years old.

Hearing Theresa's tone, Kiana more or less realized she could not keep it hidden anymore.

Sigh, I really can't hide anything from you. Yeah, back on the "Moonlight Throne," Bronya really was controlled too...

"This seems to violate the rules, but during extraordinary times, the mission should come first. Is Theresa planning to punish Kiana at a time like this?"

After seeing Kiana finally admit it, Durandal, who had long wanted to criticize Theresa, spoke up.

Theresa Criticizes Schicksal and Educates the Paramecium

"I think she should understand the consequences internal conflict would cause at such a critical moment."

Durandal's neatly typed comment drifted across the screen...

As Schicksal's strongest and most hardworking Valkyrie, the first thing she thought of was not an aunt looking after her niece. Instead, she saw a combat commander dredging up her subordinate's past mistakes.

That was a normal perspective, but if internal conflict broke out while they were infiltrating enemy territory, it would be detrimental to the operation...

However, when Beichen saw Durandal's comment, his first thought was... was she jealous? After all, anyone could see that Theresa had no intention of punishing Kiana...

"No, she isn't. Keep watching. You'll understand what she wants to say soon enough."

After saying that, Beichen tapped the screen.

Theresa, who had been stunned silent for a long time, finally had the chance to say her next line.

So you didn't report it because you wanted to protect Bronya?

As soon as she said that, a blue comment floated across the screen.

"So... that's what happened?"

It was only after Theresa pointed it out that Seele belatedly realized Kiana had defended Sister Bronya aboard the Moonlight Throne.

What was that about? Those two argued all the time, but they really did care about each other.

"I didn't expect their relationship to be far better than it looked."

"Of course it is~"

Seeing Seele's innocent comment, Beichen was immediately charmed by her.

Yeah, Seele was the cutest in the world! At least for now.

Unfortunately, not long afterward, Seele posted a brief comment to express her feelings...

"A little jealous..." Her sorrow practically overflowed from the screen.

So Seele was not happy because she knew Kiana and Bronya got along well. She was just jealous that someone else was close to Bronya?

"...Uh."

After seeing that "a little jealous," Beichen did not know how to respond for a moment.

But he knew that if he did not know what to say, he could just keep playing the story and find something else to talk about.

As the story continued, Theresa said a whole lot more.

Lying for a friend really is in keeping with the Kaslana family spirit. It reminds me a little of your foolish dad. He always said that whenever he saw someone being hurt, the Kaslana blood in his body would start boiling! Then he'd get impulsive.

Right, right, that really did sound like Dad.

In the end, those Anti-Entropy people were the worst. They actually turned Bronya into this!

Up to this point, the entire conversation had remained fairly harmonious.

Everyone could see that Theresa had no intention of blaming Kiana.

But perhaps only Beichen, the streamer who had seen the entire script, knew that Theresa was saying all this to educate Kiana.

So, was Schicksal justice?

As Theresa voiced that question which struck at the soul, the atmosphere in the Live Stream instantly dropped to freezing point.

Durandal, who was currently riding transport toward Arc City, was stunned on the spot when she saw this.

"What is Academy Principal Theresa saying?"

She had originally thought that Theresa had led the Hyperion to attack Schicksal because she had foreseen the outbreak of Honkai. It had been a helpless necessity, after all. How could the Schicksal Bishop's granddaughter possibly commit such a treasonous act as opposing Schicksal?

But... from the look of it now, Theresa truly had divided loyalties?

Schicksal's important Valkyrie training branch was not aligned with headquarters? Wasn't that contradiction far too sharp?

"Does she really understand what she is saying?"

Naturally, Beichen understood Durandal's concerns as well.

But right now, he was not all that concerned about what this amnesiac Valkyrie thought. He was simply curious about what Otto thought.

After all, even though the fallout from the previous betrayal had been settled, Theresa had still been imprisoned for so long before choosing to yield, leave Schicksal, and establish St. Freya Academy.

This grandfather and granddaughter had never truly opened their hearts to each other... Theresa's words now were no longer as simple as educating Kiana.

They could also be understood as the "justice" she believed in, one completely different from Schicksal's.

Schicksal had altered Valkyries so they could fight Honkai, but the price was that Honkai energy would continuously erode their bodies. Valkyries with weaker constitutions would die while still very young.

Um... I don't know...

Under Theresa's blunt words, Kiana merely guiltily looked away.

The opposite of justice was often another kind of justice.

Those Anti-Entropy people had their own goals too, right? Working toward one's own objective was a kind of justice.

Among them, the most dazzling was the Kaslana family's justice—protecting others without regard for oneself.

Theresa's words were objective, reasonable, and correct.

Yet they were completely wrong...

They were so wrong that Durandal held her forehead and agonized over them for a long time, still unable to figure out how to evaluate them.

It was not that she could not accept those words. She simply did not understand why Theresa was saying them to Kiana at this moment.

Could it be—!

Because your Live Stream content shocked Effort Pays Off, you received 740 Crystals!

???

As the system reward notification sounded beside his ear, Beichen was a little bewildered. What had shocked Durandal?

Otto was easier to understand. After all, Theresa's spectacularly unfilial behavior was not a first for him.

He also knew exactly what he had done, so Theresa's candid confession might not have shocked him all that much.

But Durandal... had she only just realized there was some friction between Theresa and Otto? Haha, if it was her! That was not impossible, huh?

Just as Beichen did not know whether to laugh or cry at Durandal's adorable cluelessness, a green comment finally drifted across the screen.

"Hehe, quite a benevolent way of thinking. That is precisely why she chose not to ask headquarters for support, isn't it?"

Seeing Otto speak, Beichen immediately stared at the screen with full concentration, wanting to see what this protagonist thought about his granddaughter sharply criticizing Schicksal.

Come to think of it, this might count as a heart-to-heart conversation after more than a decade.

"I don't think that way of thinking is correct, but I know very well that it is her way of thinking. No one can force her to change what is in her heart."

Otto did not refute what Theresa had said.

Like an uninvolved observer standing outside the matter, he merely expressed disagreement with Theresa's views without displaying any extreme reaction.

Just as he had let Theresa do as she pleased after that incident.

"It looks like this viewer is very interested in Academy Principal Theresa."

Otto's reaction did not surprise Beichen too much.

After all, if Otto got serious, it was hard to say whether St. Freya Academy could even continue operating.

Still, seeing him react so peacefully was somewhat disappointing.

Since he had finally gotten an opportunity, why not... stir things up a little?

Beichen rubbed his chin, then gossiped:

"You like Theresa very much, don't you?"

"?"

Faced with the streamer's teasing, Otto seriously and cautiously typed a question mark...

Black Seele Says, Translate This for Me: What Is a Paramecium?!

As that question mark drifted by, the atmosphere in the Live Stream became a little awkward...

Since Seele did not understand why the streamer had suddenly asked such a question, she covered her little mouth and did not dare speak.

As for Durandal... she was not the type to involve herself in gossip, especially gossip concerning her superior, so she remained silent as well.

After that silence continued for a moment, Beichen added an explanation:

"Ahem, please don't misunderstand. I just feel that you seem to have a rather special feeling toward Theresa as a character."

His words could be said to perfectly describe Otto's truest and most complicated feelings toward Theresa.

"Yes. I do indeed like Theresa very much. Because when I look at her, I can see... the shadow of someone."

The green comment drifted across the screen. Though it was only an ordinary reply,

Beichen could tell that Otto was talking about Kallen.

And the reason Otto had that impression was ultimately because of the most dazzling kind of justice Theresa had mentioned—the justice of the Kaslana family.

"Is that so? I hope you can meet that person again."

Beichen withdrew his gaze, then stepped into the blue circle that appeared after clearing the stage and entered the next level.

As he entered the new stage, the story began playing again.

The portraits that appeared on the combat communicator belonged to Theresa and Himeko.

Did you find anything?

No, not yet. ME Corp's building is like an iron fortress. Every passage is heavily guarded. It really is Anti-Entropy's headquarters.

"From what Auntie Himeko said, this infiltration sounds very difficult." Seele's comment drifted by. "Will they just go back like this?"

"That's impossible. With Kiana's personality, she definitely will not give up. Even if she is the only one left in the end, she will keep moving forward."

Beichen replied, then continued playing the story.

Meanwhile, after receiving his response, Seele could not help clutching her chest in conflict.

The thought of Kiana and the others coming into conflict with Anti-Entropy left Seele deeply conflicted.

In a sense, she counted as part of Anti-Entropy too, right?

Although this was just a game, it all felt so real...

But Anti-Entropy abducting Miss Wendy and Mei should be wrong, right... Yet she was also part of Anti-Entropy. If she supported Kiana, Theresa, and the others, would that count as...

Wah! This feels so tangled and confusing!

Under the questioning of her conscience and reason, Seele could not help clutching her little head, her face full of distress.