I Am the Saintess of Heavenly Mandate Chapter 5

There was none of the delicious food she had been longing for.

Staring at the anglerfish head that looked like it had died with its eyes wide open, she inexplicably wanted to shout: Fre—ya—!!

MMP, what was wrong with her.

5. Arranged Properly (Revised)

While K422 was being taken by Amber to eat at the Schicksal headquarters' canteen, Otto returned to his laboratory to re-examine all the data from K1 to K423.

Among the 423 clones created using Kiana Kaslana's DNA and the Second Herrscher's DNA, only K422 and K423 had awakened.

"K423's awakening is related to the transplantation of the Second Herrscher's Core Fragment; but K422, who should have been frozen for disposal, awakened after K423 did."

Otto opened the data collected during the experiments on subjects K422 and K423, as well as the data monitored during the eight hours after their awakening.

"The most interesting part is that after K422 entered a sleep state, K423, who was also asleep, and Kiana Kaslana's brainwaves gradually synchronized and converged toward K422's..."

"If my speculation is correct, the three of them can achieve mental linkage while asleep."

Otto decided to find time later to test his hypothesis.

If he hadn't happened to monitor all three brainwaves simultaneously, he might have overlooked the connection between them.

This wasn't Otto's first time cloning life, but such a connection was a phenomenon he had never encountered in all his experiments.

He didn't believe any of the other clones could achieve this.

Therefore, there must be some unknown link between Kiana Kaslana, K422, and K423.

"...Could it be a hidden power of the Kaslana Family?"

Otto murmured to himself.

For now, it was a pity that K422 had only just awakened, and he was still crafting a persona for her, making it impossible to have K422 cooperate with experiments immediately.

Otto's gaze fell on the experimental data on the screen, and the more he looked, the more delighted he became.

"Lord Otto..."

Amber entered the laboratory and immediately bowed to him in respect.

"Amber, how is K422 doing?"

"..."

Faced with Otto's inquiry, Amber hesitated.

"She might like eating fish heads?"

"???"

Hearing the answer, Otto wore a puzzled expression.

Was this the answer he wanted?

Of course it was!!

By understanding K422's preferences, he could grasp her personality, and naturally use that personality to influence her actions, eventually even controlling her.

Whether it was K422 or K423, both fit his goal of replacing the real Kiana Kaslana.

Siegfried Kaslana wanted to take his daughter away, so Otto naturally wanted to ask: Are you dropping this Kiana who has amnesia and likes eating fish heads, or this Kiana who's basically like a baby?

"Heh, likes eating fish heads. What exactly happened?"

Seeing Otto's curious expression, Amber lowered her head again and said respectfully, "I brought Kiana to the Second Canteen for a meal. The Second Canteen is the main dining hall for Valkyrie candidates, and many there are admirers of Lady Cecilia."

"I remember the head chef there is one too."

Amber continued, "Yes, the head chef is also a fan of Lady Cecilia. Upon learning that Lady Cecilia's daughter was dining at the Second Canteen, he specially prepared a signature dish for K422."

"Oh?"

Otto raised an eyebrow, realizing he had underestimated Cecilia's personal charisma.

"What kind of signature dish?"

"Grilled anglerfish head with octopus legs..."

"???"

Hearing the dish name Amber reported, Otto was completely baffled.

Not to brag, but as the Grand Bishop of Schicksal, there wasn't any delicacy he hadn't tasted or any amusement he hadn't tried.

"Wait, Amber, tell me what K422's expression was like at that moment."

"Yes, Lord Otto. The head chef personally met K422 and said that Lady Cecilia had once praised this dish, so he made it specially for her. After taking one bite, K422 was so moved she shed tears and said it tasted like Mom's cooking."

"..."

What the hell, "tasted like Mom's cooking."

And "so moved she shed tears"—Otto guaranteed K422 was crying because it was disgusting.

"Cecilia Schariac was a complete taste idiot! Even the burnt fish her husband grilled with Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment, she ate with relish! Amber, remember to bring K422 some stomach medicine later."

Otto didn't want his important experiment subject to die on the spot from a dish like grilled anglerfish head with octopus legs.

"And tell the head chef to cut back on his signature dishes."

"Yes, Lord Otto."

"Alright, enough of that. Amber, I ask you—between K422 and K423, who do you think is more likely to be the Second Herrscher?" Otto squinted as he asked.

Though he didn't care about Amber's answer, he was curious about others' perspectives.

"K422 and K423?"

Amber fell into serious thought.

One presented as amnesiac, the other as a newborn infant.

Choosing between them as the Second Herrscher was no easy task.

Bishop Otto's clones weren't limited to the K-Series.

There was also the A-Series.

Bishop Otto had conducted three batches of A-Series cloning experiments.

Among them, the A1 and A2 Model clones dissolved and died within five minutes of leaving their culture tanks.

As for the A3 Model clones, many survived—she herself was an A3 Model clone.

Many A3 Model clones, after birth, behaved just like ordinary infants, but they learned extremely quickly, soon grasping language and commands, and they feared Bishop Otto, their creator.

But not all clones were like that at birth.

Among the A3 Model clones, the individual numbered A-310 displayed many unique traits. For example, she could engage in semantically coherent conversation right after birth, showed no fear toward her creator Otto, and possessed a gentle yet strong personality. This made her a favorite of Bishop Otto.

After passing a series of trials set by Bishop Otto, A-310 was adopted by him and given the name 'Theresa' by him.

K423, who used the Herrscher Core, was undoubtedly the most likely candidate for the Second Herrscher.

Yet K422, with her strikingly unusual behavior, couldn't be ruled out either.

"Your subordinate cannot judge, but... if I truly had to choose between the two, I still believe K423 is more likely."

"Oh? Why?"

"Only K423, who possesses the Herrscher Fragment, can become the Second Herrscher. Even if K422 has the Second Herrscher's personality, the Second Herrscher's power ultimately resides in K423."

Otto nodded. He wasn't surprised that Amber's deduction matched his own.

Amber had been with him for years. As his assistant, she naturally knew more truths than others.

A Herrscher possesses a Herrscher Core, the source of their power.

So whoever holds the Herrscher Core is indeed the Herrscher.

And his deduction was the same—K422 likely held the Second Herrscher's consciousness, but K423 would hold the Second Herrscher's power.

"In that case, the original plan remains unchanged."

Regardless of whether K422 had the Herrscher's consciousness, his goal was ultimately to revive the Second Herrscher.

Or rather, to create a human wielding Herrscher power.

"...Amber, you may go. Remember to stay by K422's side. And mark my words—she is now Kiana Kaslana."

Otto didn't forget to reiterate the identity he had crafted for K422.

"By the way, I recall Theresa wants to see Kiana. Arrange it—let them meet in a few days."

His granddaughter 'Theresa' had repeatedly requested to see Kiana.

This would conveniently fulfill her wish.

A Kiana presenting as amnesiac was naturally more acceptable to his granddaughter than one behaving like an infant.

"As you command, Lord Otto."

Otto waved his hand, and Amber immediately left the laboratory.

Meanwhile, she stood before the bathroom door in her room, clutching her stomach in distress.

Maybe octopus-leg-braised-anglerfish-head could be made delicious with the right recipe, but the version she'd eaten was far from it.

She didn't even know how to critique that awful texture and flavor.

Especially since what was served wasn't a whole anglerfish—just the head.

The anglerfish's face, its head severed and braised with octopus legs, was clearly steeped in resentment.

Was plain braising not good enough?

Wouldn't salt-and-pepper have been more flavorful?

Couldn't someone have claimed the sour fish soup instead?

Why braise it with octopus legs? And make it taste so terrible?

If not for that simple-faced head chef claiming this dish had been praised by Mom, she would have slammed it right onto his face.

"...Sigh. I should've just slammed it on his face anyway."

She hadn't expected to get a stomachache.

Of course, she hadn't eaten much just now. The stomachache was purely from digesting food for the first time, the gastric acid irritating her insides and causing cramps—it wasn't something that required a trip to the restroom. But when the pain hit, she instinctively walked toward the bathroom door—and then stood there completely dumbfounded.

"Hiss... come to think of it, I'm already a cute little girl now."

She didn't feel happy about calling herself that.

Because this was the massive crisis she was about to face.

—I was a guy in my past life, and now I've reincarnated as an eight-year-old girl. My stomach hurts and I need to use the bathroom, but I still can't accept the reality that I don't have my little buddy anymore... Waiting online, super urgent.

She didn't understand how those "great heroes" who reincarnated as girls could so calmly accept their new identities.

The little buddy she'd had her whole life was gone just like that—how could she not be heartbroken? How could she not be crushed?

Most importantly, she needed to figure out how to use the bathroom.

Even if she could endure the stomachache for now, she'd still have to go eventually, and she'd still have to face this same problem.

With another cramp in her abdomen, she felt the dampness between her legs increase.

"!!!"

She nearly cursed out loud.

"This body is way too inconvenient."

To avoid ending up like some crybaby who peed all over the floor, she gritted her teeth and went into the room's attached bathroom, taking care of business...

When she came out, she immediately dropped to her knees in defeat, and as part of her body's fluids left her, she felt like she had lost something very precious.

But before she could finish lamenting, the little maids who had just left returned one by one, carrying beautiful new dresses in their hands—clearly to replace the one she was wearing, which had accidentally gotten a bit of sauce on it.

"Kiana, time for your bath~"