Chapter 176
The children at Cocolia Orphanage are mainly survivors of the Second Eruption War, but also survivors of Honkai events, etc.
This is why older children are able to understand the injustices the world has done to them.
Not all countries treat orphans with kindness; in some regions, these survivors of the Honkai are even regarded as children of demons.
However, they were just 'lucky'.
The passengers who cast strange glances at Bronya weren't bad people. It's just that, given their privileged upbringing, they couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority when faced with orphans, a vulnerable group. Their sympathy was more like a handout from the strong to the weak.
Such a gaze can sometimes be even more hurtful.
Many children in orphanages have faced such scrutiny, though the slightly older ones know how to restrain themselves. Bronya, however, was stopped at the security gate for a second check, attracting even more attention...
Because there were many children in the orphanage, they were all stuck in front of the security checkpoint, which caused many passengers to be stuck outside as well, adding to their frustration.
As the mastermind, Bronya naturally received looks that were mostly of charity, pity, and contempt.
Seeing Bronya's frightened expression, Xing immediately bristled.
Even though she has a foul mouth, it doesn't mean she hates the brothers and sisters in the orphanage.
Especially older children, like the older brothers and sisters who are already in middle school, really like Xing's proud and aloof personality.
After all, when her younger siblings encounter difficulties, she is always the first to rush to the front and protect them in her own way.
Once, a stray dog ran into the orphanage and frightened the A-Lynn Sisters. Xing bared her teeth and rushed in front of the A-Lynn Sisters, barking wildly at the stray dog, almost getting into a fight with it.
Although it was Cocolia who ultimately drove the stray dogs away, Anne, who stood in front of the A-Lynn Sisters, was indeed liked by many of her younger siblings.
However, the older brother and sister did not know that Xing could see through people's hearts.
Like Seele, whose innate Stigmata might be unknown, An awakened a similar ability at a very young age, but this ability was not under An's control.
Even at a young age, Anzu was able to see the evil within things beyond their outward appearance.
In Xing's eyes, people no longer have human appearances, but instead become the embodiment of the evil in their hearts. The greedy become twisted banknotes, and the gluttonous become a greedy mouth, full of disgusting ugliness, just like the demons that extend from the seven deadly sins.
Those passengers, high above, had arrogant eyes, yet at the same time huddled up like lowly imps.
Xing's family was considered Russian nobles, but by her parents' generation, they had completely transformed into businessmen.
Xing and her parents used to live a fairytale life in a luxurious villa.
One day, a robber broke into Anzu's home and killed her parents. Under the robber's violence, Anzu's right eye ability, which she had possessed since childhood, was awakened.
She saw the evil deep within people's hearts—
Then, inexplicably, the crazed Annie killed the robbers and survived.
After the incident, when everyone found Anzu, there was no trace of the robbers. There was only Anzu holding the murder weapon and her parents lying in a pool of blood. The police found no trace of the robbers' intrusion, nor did they find the murderer's body. The robbers that Anzu mentioned seemed to have become a non-existent illusion.
Although it is hard for people to believe that such a young girl would kill her parents, such rumors have already spread.
Apricots were seen as an ominous sign and were tabooed by others.
Ultimately, two of her relatives from collateral branches accepted her and enthusiastically took on the responsibility of raising Xing.
However, although everything returned to normal, the original fairy tale was no more.
When Anzu's eye abilities were unleashed, the world she saw underwent a tremendous change.
The world that Xing saw was ugly and unbearable.
Over time, she came to see this as normal, and all evils became commonplace in her eyes.
I've grown accustomed to everything my eyes see, even accepting all the evil, because my reflection in the mirror is also a completely black image.
In a world filled with sin, Anzu spent a long time in a daze, her vision blurred.
She always lived alone, even forgetting about feelings.
Then, a girl named Bronya entered her world, a beautiful figure she had once forgotten, a human soul without sin.
Yes, this wasn't the first time Xing had met Bronya.
Bronya was on a mission at that time, but she failed and was discovered, and was then pursued by the police.
Anzu was drawn to Bronya's pure demeanor. Gazing at the beautiful Bronya, Anzu rediscovered a sliver of emotion and smiled knowingly at the hostile girl.
After that, many things happened. Xing ended up at Cocolia Orphanage and was adopted by Cocolia, but she never expected to see Bronya again.
In this world filled with despair in her eyes, Cocolia Orphanage became her second home, and her reunion with Bronya made her realize that there was beauty in this world worth protecting.
Compared to Bronya ... how ugly the humans around her were.
What right do they have to look down on their older siblings who survived? What right do they have to cast condescending glances at Bronya?
"Apricot..."
The woman beside her couldn't help but smile wryly as she reached out and stroked Xing's head.
As a mother, Cocolia naturally knew what Anne truly meant. Even though Old Master Xing seemed to have a very arrogant attitude on the surface, she often stomped her feet in frustration because she didn't know how to play with her brothers and sisters.
Simply put, she's a little girl with a somewhat irritable personality.
"Protecting your sister is the right thing to do, you did nothing wrong."
Cocolia naturally had no intention of blaming Apricot for trying to protect Bronya.
Moreover, her older brothers and sisters also protected her.
"Snort."
Xing turned her head away haughtily.
In her eyes, Cocolia's soul was not noble, but she was indeed a good mother.
"Don't cause any trouble when you get to the Joint Front headquarters. Listen to Seele as much as possible."
The children from Cocolia Orphanage and Cocolia are currently being held in the VIP waiting room by security personnel due to an assault incident.
At this point, the airport manager had already made contact with Schicksal.
Cocolia rubbed her aching temples, having chosen economy class to save money.
However, those passengers who looked down on her and her children were not allowed to board the plane; they had to go to the hospital first to have their broken arm and leg bones set.
If she hadn't used force, how could the A-Lynn Sisters' kicks have caused the passengers to scream in pain?
However, the tough female officer's style still caused her some trouble.
Fortunately, she now has the backing of Schicksal. Previously, Anti-Entropy's background was not easy to disclose, but now Cocolia has the Schicksal backing her up.
How could she be afraid of the airport manager?
In fact, after Schicksal began to support her, the number of assassinations from the Russian army decreased.
After the mercenary organization associated with World Serpent was destroyed by Schicksal, Cocolia has not been assassinated for a long time.
This is the advantage of having a background with the Schicksal.
"Huh? How long-winded. Ahhh, I understand."
Anzu looked impatient, but she didn't swat away Cocolia's little hand that was stroking her head.
"You are my little angel too..."
"Little angel? I'm still Little Peanut!"
Xing remained aloof, but noticing Bronya's gaze from the side, her cheeks flushed and she turned her head away again.
"... Mom, are we really going to the St. Freya Academy Elementary School? Can't we go with Sophia, Isabella, and Nia?"
Xing clearly didn't want to go to the Far East, nor did she want to attend St. Freya Elementary School.
"Sophia, Isabella, and Nia are suited to ordinary lives, but you, Bronya, and Seele are different. You deserve a brighter future. Only by staying with the current Schicksal can you survive the next wave of the Great Honkai."
Even Cocolia herself wasn't confident that she could help her children survive one Great Honkai after another.
But Schicksal has given Cocolia hope.
Cocolia's collaboration with the World Serpent was solely for the purpose of ensuring the survival of her children.
She attempted to create a super antibody that could completely immunize against Honkai Energy, but in the experimental projects provided by World Serpent, X-10's experiments could only give her children a higher level of Honkai Energy antibodies, and failure could even lead to the death of her children.
"Furthermore, I believe in Xing's abilities. She was able to pass through layers of selection to become a high-ranking member of the Schicksal. The current Acting Grand Bishop of Schicksal is more inclined to promote the Valkyrie..."
"Would becoming a high-ranking official make life better for my younger siblings?"
Xing hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Yes, just like how we will have a private jet to pick us up later, it's because we now have the support of a big shot. But we can't expect that the big shot will support us forever. If we want to gain her support, we must become a high-level person."
"Tsk, then leave it to me. Anyway, Bronya and Seele are so weak, I'll protect them too."
Xing, with her tomboyish spirit, pouted.
This made Cocolia smile. In fact, before adopting Anzu, she had seen Anzu during a mission, and the Anzu of that time was completely different from the Anzu of now.
She had heard the rumors, but when Annie came to the orphanage alone, Cocolia adopted her without the slightest hesitation.
Although she was somewhat twisted, she was indeed a gentle child.
199. Rosalia ————!
Seeing Anzu baring her teeth at the security personnel, Cocolia n't help but shake her head.
She still remembers the feeling she had when she first met Anne Marl: the pink-haired little girl holding a doll had the appearance of a cute Little Princess from a fairy tale.
Innocent, well-behaved, and sensible.
Her long, smooth pink hair almost made one want to touch it.
Cocolia never expected that when she saw Anzu again, Anzu was covered in burns, and even her hair was burned into a messy short style.
At that time, Bronya was even more resistant to everything around her than Bronya.
If Bronya's fear stemmed from witnessing too much filth and from not yet becoming numb, then Annie's fear stemmed from having too good eyesight and from feeling despair.
It took Cocolia several years to cheer Anzu up.
Of course, she felt it wasn't that Anzu had become more cheerful, but rather... that Anzu had always been this tomboyish since that time.
Cocolia sighed softly.
In this Honkai world, prejudice and discrimination against orphans vary from region to region.
After most cities experience Honkai, the survivors are often young girls.
Although this is because girls are more adaptable to Honkai Energy than boys and adults of the same age, it has also led to the perception in some areas that Honkai is attracted to girls.
In fact, this rumor is not wrong.
According to records found in the Pre-Civilization Ruins, the Herrscher known as Honkai Messengers were mostly young women.
Or perhaps it's because young women possess a strong adaptability to Honkai Energy, making it highly likely they can withstand the Deadman into Herrscher.
Archaeology can be considered a major means for the world to fight against Honkai.
The ruins and shelters of the Previous Civilization not only contain relics and weapons used to fight the Honkai, but also record the process of the Previous Civilization's fight against Honkai.
The Previous Civilization, defeated by the Herrscher of Finality, hopes that the next civilization can defeat the Honkai.
However, this record, when interpreted in a distorted way, was translated as a young girl becoming a witch who brings calamity.
If Valkyrie didn't have the background of Schicksal, they would be like the cursed children or half-demon swordsmen in some works, suffering from people's fear, apprehension, and disgust while protecting people under such pressure.
Hundreds of years ago, Schicksal had not yet developed artificial Stigmata, so most of the Valkyrie belonging to Schicksal were Valkyrie had awakened Stigmata, and were also survivors of Honkai events who could more or less control Honkai Energy to fight.
Just like the children in Cocolia Orphanage, most of them are survivors of the Second Eruption War. Through the influence of the Honkai Energy from the Second Eruption War, they can influence or even control the Honkai Energy to some extent.
At that time, in order to monopolize the girl who had awakened her Stigmata and the survivors of the Honkai Incident, Schicksal spread rumors about a witch.
This has also led to the persecution of women.
In contrast, in Shenzhou and the Far East, people with such power are called Onmyoji or Miko in the former and shamans or onmyoji in the latter, and these people are protected with great care.
After all, in the legends of Shenzhou, it is said that an immortal brought them knowledge, and that immortal also protected the land of Shenzhou from the invasion of demons from outside the realm, that is, from the invasion of Honkai Beast.
Even hundreds of years ago, the immortals blocked the Schicksal Army's eastward expedition.
The rumors that the immortals were female, and that the place was relatively close, led the Shenzhou and the Far East, which was closer to the Shenzhou, to give special favor to young girls, hoping that they could obtain the power to use special abilities.
In fact, due to the frequent Honkai events in the Far East, there are many survivors of Honkai events, and there are indeed many rumors of young girls awakening mysterious powers.
However, most of these survivors were adopted by the Far East Branch, while some with exceptional talent were sent to the Schicksal Headquarters for training.