"So, did you try to save me after seeing me burning with a fever and losing my consciousness, or did you just watch from a distance without coming to help?"

"Cough! I wasn't paying close attention to you at that time, so I couldn't notice all the details! Anyway, give me your hand."

Hearing Sigurd's reproachful tone, Siegfried scratched his head awkwardly.

Without hesitation, Sigurd extended his hand.

Their hands, one big and one small, clasped together.

Then, a circuit-like pattern on Sigurd's hand back lit up, emitting a strange peach-colored glow that extended from the back of his hand to his arm.

Sigurd lifted his collar and saw that the glowing pattern extended past his heart, covering more than half of his body.

"What is this?"

Sigurd's face darkened as a sense of unease surged within him.

"It's the pattern caused by the honkai erosion."

Siegfried replied.

The expected answer caused a complex expression to appear on Sigurd's face. He retracted his hand, looking at the disappeared pattern, and thoughtfully said:

"Is it because of Kiana?"

"That wasn't her intention. She was so worried about your health that she lost control of her mind, and the power of the Herrscher took advantage of that. Essentially, it was an extremely concentrated torrent of Honkai Energy, and you were practically at the center of the outbreak... If you want to be angry, you can hit my face a couple of times, but please don't blame Kiana. She absolutely, absolutely didn't mean to harm you."

Siegfried said apologetically. In fact, this was the real reason he appeared—to explain the situation to Sigurd and guide the outcome in a direction that wouldn't cause too much harm to Kiana before things took a turn for the worst.

Sigurd put down his hand and lowered his gaze, saying:

"I won't blame Kiana for this, you can rest assured. But you have to tell me, what is my current condition?"

"Of course. Actually, although this was an unintentional mistake on Kiana's part, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. For over 99% of ordinary people, being corrupted by Honkai is a deadly poison. Even a slight contact with this energy can take their lives. And the remaining less than 1% of people who can survive honkai erosion are mostly women. In other words, men with resistance to Honkai Energy are truly one in a million."

At this point, Siegfried paused for a moment and pointed to himself, saying:

"The Kaslana family is an exception, don't count me in. Even as someone who has dealt with Honkai Energy since birth, I have only encountered two men who can adapt to it in my lifetime: one is a person who has lived for 500 years, I don't even know if he's human; the other is a Herrscher with human characteristics, who is actually not human. Speaking in this way, you are the only man I have ever met with resistance to Honkai Energy."

"Do you understand how rare that is?"

Sigurd nodded. Indeed, Otto and Welt Yang couldn't be reasoned with using common sense. Throughout the entire story of Honkai Impact 3rd, men with compatibility to the Honkai Energy like Adam, the protagonist of the future world, were indeed a rare breed.

Siegfried sighed and continued:

"For ordinary people, Honkai Energy is a deadly poison, but for those with resistance, within their tolerance limits, Honkai Energy is a miraculous power. It can strengthen the fragile human body and bring unimaginable strength. In other words, those who can wield Honkai Energy are considered superhumans in the eyes of ordinary people."

"At that time, you were seriously ill, unable to find medicine or treatment, and were also affected by the collision between me and the power of the Herrscher. By all accounts, you were practically destined to die. However, Kiana's eruption of Honkai Energy entered your body, and because you have resistance to Honkai Energy, that energy happened to strengthen your body, curing your illness and allowing you to survive unscathed in that impact."

"This is your fortune, and also Kiana's fortune. Otherwise, I don't know how Kiana would face the fact that her actions took away a friend's life... Ah, sorry, it seems like I've been speaking on behalf of Kiana all this time."

As he said this, Siegfried suddenly realized that, although he was discussing Sigurd's situation, it was actually Sigurd who was endangered and affected by the situation, yet he had been focused on speaking favorably for Kiana the whole time.

Sigurd shook his head and said:

"I understand. It's only natural for a father to prioritize his daughter. Continue, what will happen to me afterward? You've been emphasizing the danger of Honkai Energy, so I assume this gift doesn't come without a price?"

Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"There is, of course, a price. After all, Honkai Energy is fundamentally incompatible with life. Even the Kaslana family, known for having absolute resistance to Honkai Energy, has had many family heads who died prematurely due to excessive use of Honkai Energy. Like my own arm, it's one such example."

"In short, when it comes to Honkai Energy, it's best to avoid using it if possible. If you must use it, the shorter the duration and the smaller the amount, the better. But even if you can achieve that, I can't guarantee that you will live to a ripe old age. For the majority of people who use Honkai Energy, especially those who use it in combat, the concept of dying to old age doesn't exist. There are too many admirable people whose lives, like flowers, withered before they could truly flourish, all for the sake of protecting this world."

"Retirement life? Ha, even I never had any fantasies about that kind of thing!"

Once again, with a cigarette in hand, the bonfire lit up, and Siegfried sighed deeply, a mix of melancholy and nostalgia. Was he reminiscing about the Valkyries who used to smile like flowers but never returned after a mission?

Amongst these memories, the heaviest and most life-altering for Siegfried was undoubtedly his lifelong love, Cecilia, who died right before his eyes.

"Anyway, my advice is to control yourself and never use the power of Honkai. The awakened power within you will take away your life."

Siegfried's warning made Sigurd dismiss the fire and look up, saying:

"You just told me to take care of Kiana a moment ago. Now it sounds like you're urging me to leave her as soon as possible. After all, it seems like being with her is the same as living in the most dangerous place on the planet."

"..."

Siegfried remained silent, flicked the cigarette butt into the fire, stood up, and said:

"Who knows? I believe what I've seen with my own eyes, and I believe in Kiana's choices. So I hope you can take care of her, but considering your own life... Ha, of course, you have to make your own choices in life! That's my advice as an adult. Alright, Kiana is coming back, I'm leaving. Please don't tell her I was here, I'm counting on you."

Siegfried walked out of the cave gracefully and quickly disappeared into the night.

Just as he said, not long after, Kiana, who was snacking on a snowball, returned to the cave, her short legs carrying her.

"Sig! This lady is back!"

Kiana cheerfully called out, her youthful and tender voice full of carefreeness.

"Oh, welcome."

Sigurd, still wrapped in a blanket, replied without looking up.

Kiana dropped the snowball, which had been bitten halfway, and came to the bonfire, warming her hands, and said:

"Don't be so down, smile more!"

"I don't feel like smiling. What's the environment outside? Can you see any buildings or smoke?"

"There's nothing..."

As soon as she said a few words, Kiana suddenly wrinkled her nose.

"Sniff! Sniff!"

"Wait a minute! This smell... is it Dad's scent? Did smelly Dad live in this cave before?"

Kiana's eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke.

Sigurd opened his mouth, hesitating between telling her the truth that "your dad was just here but didn't want to see you" and concealing the facts. Finally, he said:

"Does your dad smoke?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"The kind-hearted uncle who saved us just came to check on us. He left just now, so what you're smelling is probably the scent he left behind."

"But it really smells the same!"

"There are only a few popular cigarette brands in this vast land of Europe. It's normal for two old smokers to smoke the same brand of cigarettes."

"I see..."

Kiana sat down in disappointment, pouting and lowering her head. Tears shimmered in her eyes, unable to be controlled.

"I thought I found a clue. Smelly Dad, where did you go?"

Sigurd also lowered his head, not letting Kiana notice his complex expression.

"Sorry, Kiana," Sigurd silently said in his heart.

Sigurd couldn't explain why her father deliberately avoided her, even though he was so close. It was a hurtful situation no matter how he tried to justify it. He was afraid that Kiana would interpret it as being her father abandoning her.

Moreover, if Sigurd were to mention his own situation, Kiana would undoubtedly dig deeper into this matter and question him. It would be difficult to deceive her.

Lastly, there was Siegfried own will to consider.

What a troublesome situation! It was difficult to talk about many things in front of a tearful little girl.

Perhaps it would be better to explain everything to her when she grew a little older and stronger... Wait a minute! Did I already assume that I would accompany her as she grew up?

Sigurd stroked his chin, deep in thought.

It was destined to be dangerous by Kiana's side, not to mention the uncertainty of the Herrscher. If their bond continued to deepen, they would definitely fall into Otto's "awakening the Herrscher's humanity with love" ridiculous plan, and it would be too late to leave by then.

For safety reasons, it would be best to part ways with Kiana when they reached the next town. After all, Sigurd was keeping an eye on her from behind, and Otto would surely secretly monitor Kiana's safety. Moreover, Kiana herself had the ultimate safeguard of the Herrscher of the Void, so she shouldn't be in any danger, right?

"Sigurd, I'm hungry."

"But you just ate."

"This young lady went out to investigate in the dark and cold. It consumes a lot of energy! Hurry up and make me food!"

"... Am I your servant?"

"Aren't you?"

Kiana blinked her innocent and naive eyes and naturally retorted.

Then she had her cheeks pinched by Sigurd.

With her soft and chubby baby face, it felt great and was perfect for pinching and twisting.

"Waaahhhh!"