"You should keep using Dad to threaten me."
Kiana looked utterly lifeless, as if Russell had kneaded the soul right out of her.
Russell continued kneading Kiana's cheeks.
Only then did he realize that kneading Kiana's face felt surprisingly good.
"Siegfried should be somewhere nearby. I'll treat him shortly. Please keep this matter confidential."
Russell smiled and spoke to Rita beside him.
Rita nodded vigorously.
By duty, the moment she heard Russell say that, she should have carried the plane straight back to Schicksal, reported to the Bishop, and then brought people back to beat up a certain Schicksal traitor.
But now, Siegfried's identity as Durandal's father had basically been confirmed.
So the Bishop would just have to suffer for a while and play blind.
"Ah, the old man's nearby?"
Kiana froze.
"Yes. His doctor is Raikou Ryoma. Ryoma doesn't like you not just because you beat him up. A considerable part of it is because Walter likes your father quite a lot, which makes Ryoma deeply jealous. Your white hair and blue eyes are, to Ryoma, practically a provocation."
The homo vibes in Russell's words made even Rita shudder.
No.
Liking, jealousy, provocation...
Why did that sound a little off?
And then there was the relationship between Lord Durandal's godfather, biological father, and biological mother...
Even Rita's beautiful face showed a trace of fear.
The previous generation's relationships were really a mess!!
Kiana's scalp went numb as well. Wasn't it said that the older people got, the more traditional they became?
Why were her elders so...
Progressive.
"Ahem. All right, let's not discuss this topic."
Russell coughed, interrupting the wild thoughts of the two people whose minds seemed to have gone somewhere strange.
"In short, I'll cure Siegfried. In exchange, you need to help me obtain the right to use Oath of Judah for at least ten days."
That was what Russell said.
Kiana let out a breath and pulled her thoughts away from the possibility that her father might be homo. Then anger appeared on her beautiful face.
She had finally caught that old bastard Siegfried.
A father-daughter bond was a father-daughter bond.
But abandonment would not be forgiven just because they were father and daughter.
It was time to settle the score for all those years he had left her lying in the snow!!
"I can stay nearby during the treatment too, right?"
Kiana cracked her knuckles.
Her tone sounded like, "I'm going to pull that old bastard's tubes out."
"Unfortunately, you can't go see Siegfried."
"In fact, if Siegfried finds out you're there too, he might refuse treatment."
The man about to debut as a doctor said so.
"There's a time bomb in your body. It'll explode if it encounters Siegfried."
Huh?
Kiana froze again.
Someone had planted a time bomb inside her body?
Compared to the girl who knew almost nothing about her own condition, Rita's expression instantly turned grave.
A long time ago, if she had encountered Kiana, she might only have given her a few sympathetic looks.
But after Durandal acknowledged her, Rita's position had changed completely.
She hoped Kiana could live a happy life.
Rather than becoming a time bomb or a sacrifice for some experiment.
"Does Kiana-sama's problem... have a solution?"
She asked the youth who called himself Kiana's brother.
It was an extremely difficult problem to solve.
Because what lurked within Kiana's body was the Herrscher of the Void.
The monster that had nearly destroyed Siberia.
Sounds like you're farming achievements for the Tiger Talisman... Damn, are you some kind of multiple-personality character magnet?
The Prompt Device offered its snarky commentary.
Naruto had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, Skadi had the Firstborn lurking in her body, Talulah had the Black Snake hidden inside her, and now there was Kiana...
Why was everyone around Russell this type of person?
Need me to find you a monster and seal it inside your body too? Otherwise, you'll look out of place.
"Mm, remember to pick a pretty one for me."
Russell gave the Prompt Device his request inwardly, then spoke in a relaxed tone.
"A moron like Sirin? I could trick her into digging coal in a black mine for ten years, and she'd still come back and thank me afterward."
Rita: "..."
Though it was common sense to despise the enemy strategically, was it really all right to look down on her this much?
But perhaps Russell really had some way of handling it, if he could wear such an expression?
After all—
He was the heir of the man who had played a game against the Bishop.
The closer one got to Otto, the more one could understand what kind of mad, obsessive, yet genius soul hid within him.
And the man who could play a game against him...
Thinking of that man, whom seemingly only the Bishop had the authority to know about, Rita's expression grew solemn.
Kiana, on the other hand, frowned.
She felt as if Russell had just looked down on her, but he had not mentioned her by name.
She could only nod sullenly, then fly into a rage when Russell went from kneading her face to pinching it.
"Russell, I'm not done with you!"
But just as she managed to get angry, a group of Shadowkhan soldiers appeared out of nowhere, making her raised arm freeze in midair.
Damn it.
So what if you have the Shadow Clone Army!
On How to Make a Fake Real
Curing Siegfried and using that opportunity to borrow Oath of Judah was a decent plan, but it would affect your previous story too, wouldn't it?
If you run into Siegfried, you'll definitely be exposed, right?
While Russell kneaded his "little sister's" cheeks, the Prompt Device spoke up.
Unlike Kiana, Rita, and Durandal of the New Generation.
Siegfried was one of the people involved in those rumors.
He only needed three seconds to reach the conclusion—You're full of shit. Since when did my wife have a younger brother?
That was indeed a problem.
Because Russell had used that setup to fool Kiana, Durandal, and Rita all over again.
Kiana and Rita were easy enough to deal with, since they really were weak.
But The Penguin was different.
Once she caught on, she could genuinely pin Russell to the ground and beat him senseless.
But if you use Kiana's need for "Tiger" to threaten her, perhaps you can keep acting?
The Prompt Device offered another solution.
Use Siegfried's needs to threaten Kiana.
The effect would not be bad in reverse either.
Siegfried had fallen out with Schicksal, broken with his family, watched his wife die in Siberia's freezing currents, and even seen his only daughter fall from the sky...
Kiana was already his last comfort.
Siegfried, you wouldn't want your daughter to become the Herrscher of the Void someday, would you...
"That does sound good, really good. But why not try something more interesting?"
Russell smiled as he contacted Raikou Ryoma and told him to call Siegfried in for a follow-up examination. Then, after thinking for a moment, he looked at Rita.
"Rita, could you prepare some high-proof alcohol, some yellow paper, and a statue of Guan Yu for me?"
The youth's gaze shifted slightly as he gave Durandal's maid her instructions.
Rita paused.
If she remembered correctly, weren't those things used by people from Shenzhou to swear brotherhood?
Russell was...
"Who are you planning to swear brotherhood with?"
A trace of confusion appeared on her face.
"Some things need to remain confidential."
Russell smiled in reply.
Then, rolling his eyes at the Prompt Device, he said, "No need to threaten anyone. We can just get Siegfried drunk when there's a chance, then make up for the sworn brotherhood ceremony. By then, even if a truck hits him and sends him off to become a Bilibili boss, he'll still be my uncle whether he likes it or not."
Holy shit, you can make up for sworn brotherhood afterward?
Even the Prompt Device was shocked.
Siegfried was a descendant of Fusion Warriors and had an excellent physique, but without using Honkai energy to cheat, he clearly was not capable of drinking endlessly without getting drunk...
Russell nodded and looked at Kiana again, his eyes full of affection for a junior.
Kiana frowned. She felt that something was wrong, and after confirming that nothing around her was amiss, she decisively moved away from Russell.
For Kiana, every unfortunate event could be explained with, "Damn it, it must have been Russell."
"...I'm going shopping with Rita."
After saying that, she fled as if escaping, like a frightened little white cat.
She looked even more kneadable now.
Perhaps keeping a cat like this at home would not be bad?
Russell shook his head, forcing himself to wake up.
Before you continue