This happened on the day after the Siegfried Incident.

“Using Sin Mal Mal’s unique perspective as an entry point, by fitting errors from repeated experiments, it indirectly confirms the feasibility of the Information-Origin Theory. Simultaneously, multiple overlapping pieces of unknown information are hypothesized as souls, for further…”

Otto was immersed in carefully reading the research report Amber had brought back, thoroughly analyzing the reliability of the data and experimental approaches.

Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted his thoughts.

Boom!

Woo… Woo… Woo…

A tremendous explosion shook the entire Schicksal HQ, followed by urgent alarm sounds.

Otto frowned and looked up, while Amber entered at the same time.

“My Lord Bishop.”

“What’s happening?”

“It’s… that young lady.”

“Her? Is she dissatisfied with what happened to Siegfried?”

Otto frowned, slightly impatient and somewhat helpless.

Amber shook her head and said,

“It’s not clear yet.”

“Fine, I’ll go take a look.”

Otto walked past the Valkyries who were rushing to put out the fires, amid repeated addresses of respect.

With Amber by his side, he entered a concealed electronic door.

Through twisting corridors and past one suppression gate after another for containing Honkai energy, they finally reached a very quiet room, designed with a little girl’s taste.

Sitting on a pure and soft bed was a silver-haired young girl, restrained by glowing cables, her limbs, body, and even neck chained, rendering her immobile.

She was wearing a pristine white nightgown, hugging a pillow.

As Otto entered, her golden eyes shifted away, emanating an icy coldness.

“Young lady, if this is about the Siegfried incident, I apologize to you. However, it was a necessary step to draw out Welt, confirm his condition. I hope you can understand. Besides, in the end, I didn’t harm Siegfried, did I?”

With a helpless tone, Otto explained slowly in a gentle yet apologetic manner.

The girl stared at him indifferently, remaining silent for a while. Then, her faint, ethereal voice echoed in the room:

“Mother’s clone…”

“Understood. I promise you, I won’t use Cecilia’s clones like that again. Moreover, except for necessary research and the extraction of perfect Saint Blood, we’ll minimize production in the future. This includes your clones. Will that help ease your anger?”

The girl gazed steadily at him for a while before slowly closing her eyes.

The glowing cables that bound her started dimming, gradually transforming into ordinary, robust iron chains.

Otto knew that this explanation had satisfied her.

He sighed in relief and attempted to shift the topic, discussing the weather, food, songs, movies, even some details about K423.

However, none of these topics captured the girl’s interest.

Finally, he shook his head, with no expectations, and mentioned casually:

“By the way, I’ve made a new friend recently. It’s the person who’s taking care of K423, as I mentioned before. Sigurd, he’s someone with great potential and quite interesting…”

The girl remained in her closed-eyed state, uninterested in engaging.

However, Otto was attentively observing her demeanor.

He noticed a slight movement beneath her pale pink eyelids, a flutter of her eyelashes.

Otto touched his chin thoughtfully, turned, and left the room.

“Information-Origin Theory is feasible.”

As he was about to leave the room, the girl’s voice seemed to come from all directions.

Otto paused, abruptly turned back, only to find the girl still had her eyes closed.

He observed for a while, but there was no change.

Thus, Otto exited the room.

…

“Amber, do you think she’s interested in Sigurd?”

“I don’t know, Lord Otto.”

“Hmm… Now, there are three cards I’m using to hold her. One is the righteousness against the Honkai, one is the promise to resurrect Cecilia, and the other is Siegfried. She seemed to react to K423 before, but she’s no longer paying attention. I think we need to give her some more ties.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vira Klov, she’s been awake for almost two days now, hasn’t she? Arrange for her to accompany the young lady… Then we can pay attention to see if she reacts differently when Siegfried is mentioned.”

“Yes.”

…

Vira Klov had awakened two days ago.

Having been in a coma for almost half a year and severely affected by Honkai energy, her body was exceedingly weak.

Over the past two days, she had been struggling through rehabilitation and anxiety in this unfamiliar place.

It was a strange place, and the doctors and nurses were all strangers she had never seen before.

Her elder brother Sigurd and her sister Kiana hadn’t come to see her, and as for her father, who she was most worried about… Her last memory was of him shielding her from the collapsing ceiling.

How were they now?

She couldn’t see any of them now, and asking the doctors and nurses yielded no answers.

Could it be that they had…

Vira leaned on a crutch as she walked around the room and then suddenly shook her head.

“No, I can’t think like that. They’ll be fine. When I’m healthy again, I’ll go find them. They’ll surely be alright.”

Vira pursed her lips and, with her small, frail body, persevered through the difficulty of walking around the room, enduring the pain without a sound.

Hiss—

The sealed door to the sickroom suddenly opened.

Based on her experiences of the past two days, it wasn’t time for a checkup or meal delivery.

Vira turned her head to look.

Before her was a slender figure with long legs, wearing a peculiar crystal web-like golden eye mask. The silver-haired woman walked in expressionlessly.

‘Is she… Kiana’s mother? Or perhaps, has Kiana grown up? Could it be that Vira has been sleeping for a very long time?’

Vira thought with a hint of fear. Then, with a slightly dry and weak voice, she hesitated and asked:

“Who are you…”

“Amber, that’s my name, Miss Vira.”

Amber stepped aside, and then Vira noticed that there was another person behind her, a handsome older brother with sun-like golden hair and a warm, friendly smile.

“Um, hi there, I’m Vira Klov.”

“We’re already aware. You suffered heavy injuries earlier, and Sigurd entrusted you to our care. He naturally told us your name. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Otto Apocalypse, the Schicksal Bishop, the master of this entire base, and also… the one who woke you up.”

Otto spoke with a smile.

Then, Otto lifted her and gently placed her back on the bed.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. Recovering your health is a gradual process. Just follow the standard rehabilitation procedures, don’t push yourself too hard, or it might backfire!”

Otto smiled gently, affectionately ruffling Kiana’s hair, looking like a kind and gentle man.

“Thank… thank you, Mr. Otto.”

“You’re welcome. Sigurd is my friend, and besides, you’ve contracted the Honkai Erosion. It’s only natural for me to help you.”

“Big Brother Sigurd… right, how is Big Brother doing?”

“Sigurd and Kiana are both fine. They’ve been through a lot too and are busy with their own matters. I haven’t had a chance to tell them about your awakening yet! However, regarding your father, I hope you’re mentally prepared.”

Otto said in a gentle tone, causing Vira Klov’s heart to tremble.

“Papa… he…”

“Sacrificed himself.”

Vira looked at Otto in a daze, tears silently falling from her eyes.

“Don’t be too sad. He sacrificed himself to protect you. As long as you’re doing well, he’s in another world and he’ll surely be happy.”

“…”

“If you can’t bear it, you can cry. Only for now, even Mr. Robbins wouldn’t mind if you cried. But after today, even if it’s for him, you must gather your strength, alright?”

“Wa… waaah!”

In Otto’s open arms, Vira threw herself into his embrace, sobbing loudly.

The sound of sorrowful despair was enough to move anyone to tears.

But Otto held the girl, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, yet there was no hint of emotion in his eyes.

…

A week later, fully recovered and bouncing around like she used to, Vira Klov entered a deeply hidden room.

“Is this…?”

“Yes, this is the young lady’s room.”

“I… I’ll do my best. Since Brother Sigurd and the others haven’t had time to visit me, I’ll play with her to repay Mr. Otto.”

“Miss Vira, thank you for your help. The young lady’s situation is quite special, so no matter what you see, there’s no need to panic. If you need anything, just call out in the room, and someone will come to assist. When necessary, you can also contact me or Bishop.”

Amber explained this and pushed open the door.

Vira stepped inside.

Before her eyes was a silver-haired girl wearing a white lace nightgown, flipping through an album.

At first glance, she resembled a cold and noble little princess. But she was adorned with numerous iron chains.

Vira was momentarily taken aback by this scene, but what surprised her even more was—

“Big Sister Kiana?”

Vira’s voice was filled with uncertainty.

Based on appearances alone, this girl looked almost identical to the one Kiana Vira knew.

Yet, the young lady before her exuded an icy and solitary demeanor, keeping people at a distance. Her pupils were a cold, brilliant gold, like the eyes of a lofty deity, commanding respect and deterring eye contact.

“Who is she?”

The girl referred to as the young lady remained motionless, her voice cold and emotionless, echoing from all around the room.

“This is Miss Vira, the person entrusted to our care by Lord Sigurd. For the next period of time, Lord Otto hopes that you can be her companion and get along well.”

“A boring test.”

“Yes, I will convey the message to Lord Otto. Well then, I will take my leave.”

“Red tea, pastries.”

As Amber departed, a faint command echoed in her ears.

Amber nodded as instructed and left the room.

Then, Vira was left alone, facing the scrutinizing gaze of those golden eyes.

Gradually, she began to tremble, like a small creature facing a colossal presence.

“Come here.”

It was that mysterious method of sound projection again. Vira instinctively looked around, but she couldn’t spot any speakers or devices.

Moreover, this voice felt like it was directly resonating in her mind, with no discernible source.

Then Vira walked over.

She approached the bed, hesitated for a moment, took off her shoes, climbed up, and sat across from the young lady.

“Y-You… hello, I’m Vira Klov. Nice… nice to meet you!”

She’s clearly scared, why pretend otherwise?

The young lady remained expressionless, slowly lifted her hand, dragging the heavy chains and producing a tinkling sound of links colliding.

Her hand rested on Vira’s head, and then, after a moment of hesitation, she lightly touched it.

“Just call me ‘young lady’.”

“Y-Young lady? Uh, do you know Sister Kiana?”

“… Don’t mention her in front of me, that brainless fool.”

“Yes!!”

Under the young lady’s touch, Vira trembled and replied shakily, her voice even carrying a hint of quiver.

The young lady, however, seemed satisfied with this response, as a faint upward curve formed at the corner of her mouth.

A dragon and a lamb, this scene couldn’t help but evoke such imagery.