Chapter 98

No matter how much you say before, it's far less effective in shaking K422 than letting her witness the dark side of the Schicksal firsthand.

This small example showed her what an organization without constraints would become.

Let her know what the world would be like without Schicksal.

It must be said... the K422 is special.

If any member of the Kaslana Family had seen the database that only the Grand Bishop could access, they would have either expelled the scientists who had conducted human experiments or imprisoned them all.

In order to rid the Valkyrie of its status as a cheap consumable, other options will definitely be made, and the relevant technology may even be released.

But whether it's developing drone armor units like Anti-Entropy, or creating even more powerful Valkyrie, it will cause a new wave of impact on this world.

The Kaslana Family will only make the world worse.

K422, on the other hand, would not make impulsive decisions.

After comforting Theresa, Otto explained that he just wanted to unload his burdens and clear his head.

Theresa didn't know how to respond to Otto's statement.

Otto quickly changed the subject. "My lovely Theresa, what are your thoughts after meeting the real Kiana?"

"..."

Theresa fell silent.

Otto would have been better off not mentioning it, because once he did, she naturally became very frustrated.

Kiana, who adored her as a child, is now quite indifferent to her.

Theresa even sensed a hint of resentment from the other person.

"I don't know how to say it, but... Grandpa, can't you just set Kiana free?"

"My lovely Theresa wants to send K422, who stole the position of Acting Grand Bishop, into the abyss, is that jealousy? How adorable," Otto said with a smile.

"Strip away all the glamorous appearances I gave her, and my lovely K422 is just a clone created to fight against the Honkai. All those who admire the Schicksal Saintess will immediately despise her as an imposter, and all the previous praise and respect will turn into irony and contempt."

Cloned humans have no human rights.

Even in the world's most human rights-conscious countries, there is absolutely no defense of human cloning.

Human nature is ugly. The reason why K422's previous glory did not arouse jealousy was because her mother was Cecilia, an older sister admired by many Valkyrie.

Cecilia was also a hero who perished alongside the Second Herrscher, ending the Second Eruption War —at least that's what the Schicksal claimed six months ago.

Once this lie is torn away, how can a clone, a person who is merely a tool, bear their hopes and aspirations?

It's just a clone.

It's just that they're powerful...

Once that identity is gone, even the greatest strength cannot earn respect.

"I... I didn't."

Theresa immediately panicked.

She clearly realized that everything K422 had now was thanks to Otto.

Once the real Kiana appears in public, everything in K422 will be taken away by the real Kiana, and all her current cheers will turn into boos.

With equally formidable strength, Cecilia's daughter possesses a direction that even the Valkyrie aspire to.

However, a clone with the power of Herrscher would be hated and even feared by all the Valkyrie.

"Grandpa, please don't do that. It will make Kiana lose everything."

Theresa was the one who suggested that the real Kiana appear before the world; Theresa only wanted the real Kiana to get what she deserved. However, she found that once she did so, it would be a fatal blow to the other Kiana.

Whether it's the real Kiana or a fake Kiana, she's still Kiana to Theresa.

The former is the one she wants to protect, and the latter is also the one she wants to protect.

"Of course I wouldn't do that. I can appoint her as Acting Grand Bishop because she is also my lovely granddaughter." Otto naturally wouldn't tell Theresa that if the real Kiana could be freed, his beloved K422 would gladly endure all the boos.

"..."

Theresa was about to breathe a sigh of relief.

But when he heard Otto say that, he felt terrible.

Yes, Kiana is my younger sister.

I immediately felt a pang of sadness.

There was absolutely no jealousy in Theresa's heart; when she heard that K422 had become the Acting Grand Bishop, there was not a shred of emotion in her heart.

But the thought of the other person becoming her sister kept Theresa from stopping her inner turmoil.

It's like your niece's little girl suddenly becoming your sister, and judging from her temperament, she'll eventually want to be your older sister again.

"The reason I don't release the real Kiana is, of course, to protect my lovely K422."

Otto said this to Theresa with a smile.

But Theresa knew that this was a lie.

That's not the real reason, but that statement is also true, because if the real Kiana is released, K422's stance will completely change.

Otto might even have been among those who took advantage of someone's misfortune back then.

"Grandpa... isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

Theresa didn't want K422 to lose everything, nor did she want the real Kiana to be imprisoned.

Otto laughed, "My lovely Theresa, forever so innocent and so greedy."

It was precisely this naiveté, shared with Kallen Kaslana, that made Otto have a slight preference for Theresa.

He shook his head. "There is a way to have the best of both worlds..."

"Real?"

"Yes, kill me, and then destroy Schicksal."

Once these two things are accomplished, the real Kiana will regain her freedom. Without Schicksal, there will be no one Schicksal to mock K422, who is a clone.

Theresa's face instantly turned very ugly.

"My dear Theresa, I always tell you that if you want to achieve your wish, you must pay a price equal to your wish."

Otto's gentle voice echoed in Theresa's ears as Otto stroked the head of the girl who looked remarkably like Kallen.

The girl bore the shadow of the woman he loved, leading Otto to believe that her soul resided within her.

"As I said before, K422 did better than you. She had something she wanted to protect, so she made choices... She had the Kaslana's stubbornness, but she wasn't as inflexible as the Kaslana Family. She knew what was truly worth protecting."

"What is it that you truly want to protect, my beloved Theresa? Is it this Schicksal? Is it all the Valkyrie? Is it everyone in this world? Or is it the people Cecilia cherishes?"

Faced with Otto's question, which was uttered word by word, Theresa fell into a long silence.

"If it were the lovely K422, she would choose to protect those Cecilia values, and then, if she has the ability, extend that protection to her valued partners and friends. Do you know what she would consider when she is acting as the Acting Grand Bishop?"

Otto smiled and opened the monitoring data on the screen next to him, "I gave her the highest level of access. At this moment, she has the power to easily destroy everything. Whether it is the survival of the Schicksal or the survival of other countries, it is all in her hands. And I happen to be the person she hates the most."

"Grandfather?!"

"Yes, after learning about the dark side of the Schicksal in the database, the first thing she did was lock her communicator."

K422's decision greatly pleased Otto, as his offering of the position of Acting Grand Bishop completely shook the other party's beliefs.

"Originally, she had absolutely no interest in the position of Grand Bishop, but now... she will absolutely not feel comfortable handing over the position of Grand Bishop of Schicksal to someone else. In order to protect the real Kiana and K423 who is in Anti-Entropy, she will stop at nothing—"

Theresa was stunned.

At this point, she knew perfectly well that the so-called Acting Grand Bishop was a trap set by Otto for K422.

105. I genuinely feel my heart can't take it.

Theresa never imagined that her grandfather could have such a profound understanding of people's hearts.

I can't help but worry about another Kiana.

"My dear Theresa, your worries are useless to K422. She understands better than you that this world still follows the law of the jungle."

Otto raised his glass and said, "That child will definitely hold true power in her hands. She is not greedy for power, but she will definitely hold on tightly to the power I have given her for her own safety, for the safety of K423 and the real Kiana."

He has laid the groundwork thoroughly all along.

Without prior groundwork and repeated conversations, even if Otto had given K422 the position of Acting Grand Bishop, the latter would not have understood its value.

Just like people in the poorest parts of the world, they can't imagine what life is like for the rich.

Some people even think that rich people are just like themselves, perhaps being rich doesn't necessarily bring happiness.

However, the joy of being rich is beyond what others can imagine.

This applies to wealth, and even more so to status.

An ordinary village chief can decide the fate of dozens of people in the village.

The mayor of a town can decide the fate of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people in that town.

And how many people's fates are determined by the words and actions of a country's leader?

"For me, Schicksal is just a tool, and for my lovely K422, Schicksal is also just a tool."

But Theresa could not use Schicksal as a tool.

Because she wanted Schicksal to become a representative of justice, and wanted to use the power of the Schicksal to save more people threatened by the Honkai.

The same goes for Kallen Kaslana.

"Alright, my lovely Theresa, I only hope that you, as the Grand Bishop's Aide and not make things difficult for the lovely Acting Grand Bishop. You can't understand her feelings."

After being born as a clone, they quickly come to understand their situation.

They yearn for a connection between Kiana and K423.

Perhaps this is why they are able to connect on a spiritual level.

However, K422's desire to protect the feelings of these two is Otto's easiest weakness to exploit.

For a long time.

Theresa left the Grand Bishop's office.

She wiped the white foam from the corner of her mouth.

Sure enough, his grandfather kept several boxes of bitter melon milk in his office.

Unfortunately, there was no bitter melon juice drink.

Theresa sighed slightly; she had failed to achieve her goal.

Clearly, she lacked awareness.

"... No wonder Kiana hates me."

I remember Kiana when she was little, how clingy she was to me.

Theresa closed her eyes. Now, as the Grand Bishop's Aide, she possessed extremely high authority and could protect Kiana in any other way.

Perhaps it could give her some freedom in terms of space; a spacious courtyard would be better than a locked room.

However.

"Wait, why is my access level still so low?"

Theresa took out her communicator, preparing to access Schicksal's database to investigate a suitable environment so she could secretly bring Kiana there.

Then we'll give the address to Siegfried. As long as the real Kiana doesn't reveal her identity, she won't harm the other Kiana.

Despite thinking this, Theresa discovered that her authority was still inferior to that of A-rank Valkyrie.

Although she already has the authority of Grand Bishop's Aide, she still has limited resources at her disposal.

It's like it's just a mascot.

Theresa, naturally furious, confronted Otto.

This is outrageous! My permissions have been inexplicably restricted again.

Otto naturally remembered this incident at this time, after all, he was somewhat annoyed by K422's refusal at the time, but he had already refused.