(Tn: Spoiler in advance, this story is made before Durandal is confirmed to be the real Kiana, in this world, Durandal, K-423, and the OG Kiana are three separate people.)

In the blink of an eye, everything was settled.

Tesla clicked her tongue in annoyance, not because of the decentralization of power that was just happening right in front of her, but because she didn’t truly trust Sigurd.

However, she couldn’t refute Welt’s decision either.

Welt patted her slender shoulder, trying to appease her with a smile.

Tesla snorted and turned her head away, refusing to speak to him.

In their silent exchange, it seemed that the conversation had reached its conclusion, and the gathering should come to an end.

Siegfried stood up from his seat, intending to leave directly..

Meanwhile, while holding a teacup, Sigurd snapped his fingers and a tranquilizer dart appeared out of nowhere and unexpectedly launched itself into the sole woman with a well endowed chest in there, when the poisoned end pierced Cocoila flesh, she’s knocked unconscious.

Then, without even looking up from the teacup that he is sipping, the transmigrated young man said:

“Siegfried, If you dare to leave, I will reveal the whole truth to Kiana, including the fact that she is a clone of your real daughter.”

“Wh-Are you insane!?”

Siegfried’s body jolted in shock, and with a fast turn of his head, he shouted at the younger boy.

Unfazed by the older man outburst, Sigurd just glanced at Siegfried with a sideways glance and calmly said:

“I’m not, Kiana mental fortitude is much stronger than you think, furthermore, I’ll be there. If you don’t want to take care of her, I’ll take full responsibility of her.”

“I’m not…”

Siegfried drooped his head sorrowfully, clenched his fist, but couldn’t find any words to argue.

Sigurd put down his teacup, which made a crisp sound as the ceramic met the metal table. Then he leaned back, placing his hands on his knees, exuding the air of a steady and powerful figure, and said:

“I don’t care whether due to feeling hatred for the Second Herrscher or guilt towards the real Kiana, regardless, Kiana is just a child. During the Jörmungandr incident, I saw her risk her life to save many people, nearly losing her own life in the process. She took a whole month to recover from her injury.”

“Is she okay now?”

Siegfried’s expression changed slightly, obviously unaware of the situation.

Sigurd didn’t reply to the older man question but continued:

“After that incident, she slept for three days and three nights straight. In her dreams, the most frequent words she spoke were ‘stinky old man’ and ‘I didn’t embarrass Kaslana.’ She considered the name and beliefs you easily bestowed upon her as the most precious things in her life, and was even willing to defend them with her life. And yet, you abandoned her!”

Until the last sentence, Sigurd didn’t raise his voice, but on his face, a strange peach-colored pattern extended, covering almost half of his face—evidence of his  Honkai energy inside of him being triggered by emotional fluctuations.

Then Sigurd closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gradually let the patterns on his face fade and disappear.

Welt intended to interject when he saw the appearing pattern that covered the younger man’s face, but seeing this scene, he fell silent again.

After all, this conversation belonged to Sigurd and Siegfried only; outsiders had no place to interfere with it.

The only one with the right to be involved was Kiana, who wasn’t present at the moment, right?

“I… I’m sorry, I just… wasn’t sure if I could come back afterward. I didn’t want to worry Kiana…”

Siegfried stuttered, but even if he didn’t want to admit it, what Sigurd said about his resentment towards Sirin and guilt towards the real Kiana was indeed one of the factors for his departure.

This made Siegfried even more afraid to see Kiana.

He was afraid that if he accidentally revealed these emotions, how much damage would it cause to the young and innocent Kiana?

Sigurd opened his eyes, and with a cold and uncompromising tone, he said:

“It’s simple. If you don’t want to admit that she’s your daughter, go and tell her the truth, and I’ll take over the responsibility of caring for her. If you still acknowledge her, then go and meet her. Just give her a hug at least, so she doesn’t suspect that she’s been abandoned even in her dreams.”

“If you don’t go to see her, I’ll assume you chose the first option, and I’ll tell her the truth myself and become her new support. I won’t let Kiana spend her life like a clown, clinging to unattainable expectations.”

Siegfried took a step back, gritted his teeth, and asked:

“Why do you have to force me?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? Because you’re a man!”

Sigurd shouted.

If he didn’t force Siegfried to make a choice, should he force the young Kiana to make the decision instead?

If it weren’t for how important the older man is to Kiana, Sigurd wouldn’t care about Siegfried’s confusion and indecisiveness.

But Kiana’s emotional knots would eventually need a resolution. The longer it dragged on, the more longing and emotions would accumulate, and the heavier the resulting pain would be.

Moreover, the future of the  Honkai world was filled with uncertainties. What if something happened to Siegfried? Would they let Kiana live with regret for the rest of her life?

Or when faced with the final outcome of the father-daughter relationship, what if Sigurd wasn’t by her side for some reason? Who would take care of Kiana then?

Furthermore, Sirin and Otto were also dangerous and unstable factors.

In any case, Sigurd felt an urgency in his heart and had long since decided to resolve Kiana’s emotional knots as soon as he could control the situation.

“Of course, I treat her as my real daughter! I acknowledge her soul and accept her personality! That’s why I gave her the precious name of Kiana Kaslana! ”

“Then go and see her.”

With Sigurd’s unwavering gaze and his forceful coercion, after a long time, Siegfried slowly nodded.

“You’re right, I should go and see her. After all, I am… a father.”

…

It was a calm night, with deep snow and a bright moon.

Kiana had just finished having dinner and was holding a small cake box, nibbling on it as she walked forward.

“Sig is so annoying! I’m so tired today, but he still had to drag me out. What does he want to do?”

Kiana complained, chewing on her cake, and with her small legs she trudged through the snow.

Before long, a flickering fire came into her view.

“Huh? There’s a fire? Could it be that he called me out for a barbecue? Hehe, I guess this guy knows how to please me. I’ll be nicer to him from now on!” Kiana fantasized, drooling and quickening her pace.

After crossing a few trees, her vision gradually became clear.

In the snowy clearing not far away, a spot cleared of snow was burning with a campfire.

Next to the fire sat a white-haired man, who smiled and waved at Kiana.

The small cake box that she was holding on fell into the snow.

Kiana blinked her eyes, then rubbed them to make sure she wasn’t mistaken or dreaming, and then dashed towards him like a cannonball.

“Dad!”

Bang!

The little girl crashed straight into Siegfried’s embrace, and the force was so strong that even the man couldn’t help but wince in pain.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

Kiana kept calling out while her voice choked with sobs.

Siegfried’s expression softened as he listened to his daughter cry, and he extended his hand to embrace his daughter, letting her cry in his arms.

“Long time no see, Kiana.”

Siegfried spoke softly, using his intact arm to embrace Kiana while gently patting her back.

“Sob… Dad… Where did you go? I was so worried about you! Hic!”

Kiana hiccuped and raised her head, looking at Siegfried with teary, reddened eyes.

Siegfried grinned, scratching his head with his prosthetic arm, and said:

“Well, it’s hard to explain. Anyway, Dad had a hard time, too. There were many things to take care of.”

“Probably… you went somewhere to drink, right?”

Kiana complained, sniffing her runny nose, and also noticed the abnormality of Sigurd’s arm.

She pointed at the black prosthetic arm and widened her eyes, asking:

“Dad, what happened to your hand?”

“Well, I lost it in an accident. But it’s fine, it’s been a long time, and the new arm is very convenient for me to use! No different than a real one! Hahaha!”

Siegfried wiggled his prosthetic arm, showing off his bright white teeth.

Kiana poked the black prosthetic arm, feeling it’s cold and hard texture.

“No, I’ll take you to see Sig! Sig is very smart; he must have a way to treat you!”

Kiana tugged at Siegfried’s arm, trying to pull him up from the ground.

Siegfried didn’t move, but instead, he patted the small stool next to him and brought out a slightly charred plate of toast from the side, saying:

“Forget it, I’ve already seen him. This is fine. Dad is okay. Come, sit down, and I made toast for you! Ta-da! I also made special jam for Dad!”

“…Dad, I’ve already had dinner.”

Kiana complained as she sat down but also realized the oddity of Siegfried’s arm.

Her eyes turned red, and she sniffed her nose.

Siegfried’s expression noticeably dimmed.

“Then you won’t eat it?”

“I will!”

Kiana took the plate, opened the jar of jam, and spread it on the toast. She took a bite.

Chomp! Chomp!

“Mmm… it still tastes the same. Dad, you haven’t made any progress.”

“No way~ You must be lying.”

“Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.”

“Fine, I’ll try it… Mmm! It’s delicious, as expected of me!”

Siegfried gave himself a thumbs-up and revealed a set of shiny white teeth.

Kiana burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Dad, you’re still the same as before, you are shameless!”

“And so are you, just like before, not giving me any face!”

Siegfried rubbed Kiana’s head, laughing, and suddenly couldn’t understand why he had been so awkward before.

After all, this was his daughter!

Father and daughter chatted and laughed, as if the period of separation was just an illusion, and everything was exactly the same as before.

…

Not far away, behind a tree, Sigurd stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the trunk, not saying a word.

“Aren’t you going over there?”

Welt, who was standing near him, asked.

“No, that’s their time together. I’ll watch from here.”

Sigurd replied indifferently.

“So, you know that she carries the dormant Herrscher within her?”

“Yes, I’ve known for a long time.”

“And it doesn’t stop you from caring about her?”

“It has nothing to do with her. Kiana is… just Kiana.”

Sigurd replied with absolute certainty, evoking a nostalgic expression on Welt’s face.

“You remind me of the past.”

In the past, there were also a group of good people who didn’t mind the identity of the Herrscher and believed in human nature and kindness.

That’s how the first-generation Welt came about, along with the Anti-Entropy and the current Welt Yang, who carries on the spirit of Welt Joyce.

Thinking of this, Welt felt even more convinced that inviting Sigurd was the right decision.

“Oh, by the way, the  Honkai energy in your body seems to be overly active. I suggest you pay attention to it; it’s not a good thing. Einstein is good at this kind of thing. Do you need her to check it for you?”

“I have it under control. For now, there are no issues.”

Welt didn’t insist further.

He believed that Sigurd knew what he was doing, after all, he was a true genius.

And Sigurd, silently listening to Kiana’s joyful laughter, closed his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips.