Chapter 292: One Comes, One Goes
Sigurd didn't know exactly what kind of conversation Kiana had with Sirin. All he knew was that Kiana's control over spatial powers had undergone a dramatic transformation overnight.
At the same time, a Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Thousands was implanted into Kiana's body—partly as a condition of the exchange, serving as the medium to grant Sirin her freedom; and partly because with that gem inside her, things like life extension and resurrection would be much easier to manage.
In any case, upon noticing Kiana's improved spatial abilities, Sigurd provided her with a detailed quantum boundary computation model, along with precise target coordinates. With that as a foundation, Kiana independently opened a portal to the real world.
"So this is… the portal between two worlds? That means I can come visit Sig whenever I want now!?"
Gazing at the golden ripples in front of her, Kiana turned her head and gave Sigurd a big thumbs-up. Her soft, rosy cheeks were lit up with delight and pride.
Sigurd stroked his chin, raised a hand, and made a gesture of refusal.
"Let's not. Don't come too often—you'll just distract me from my work."
"Hmph! What's more important, work or me?"
Kiana put her hands on her hips, clearly displeased by his answer.
Sigurd responded frankly:
"Both are important. If I don't defeat the Honkai, I can't protect you. So they're both equally important."
"Hmm… fine, I'll barely accept that answer."
Kiana made a show of being unsatisfied, then suddenly leapt onto Sigurd, her strong, slender legs naturally wrapping around his sturdy waist.
"Pssst! Pssssst!"
While Sigurd stood frozen, Kiana peeked her head over his shoulder, made strange sounds at Su behind them, and mischievously winked.
Su tilted his head, confused for a moment—then suddenly, realization dawned.
"Oh— got it!"
Su smiled, raised a hand to cover his own eyes, and used the other to cover Kevin's.
With no prying eyes left, Kiana boldly pressed her lips to Sigurd's.
"Mmh!"
It all happened so fast that Sigurd didn't have time to recover from his shock.
But some things don't need logic. Instinct is enough.
Sigurd wrapped one arm around Kiana's soft waist, the other supporting the back of her head, and returned her kiss as he should.
Three minutes later, when Kiana's eyes were already misty and unfocused, Sigurd finally stopped.
Kiana, her face flushed red, clung to Sigurd with arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. Her cheek rested against his chest, and the blush extended all the way to her adorably full ears.
Thump! Thump!
Sigurd's heartbeat, steady and powerful as ever, filled her with peace.
After a while, Kiana reluctantly spoke:
"I'm heading out now. You have to think of me every day."
"Okay."
"You can think of Bronya and Seele too, but the frequency and intensity of thoughts about me must be the highest!"
"Alright."
"Finish what you need to do soon. I'll be waiting at home."
"Mm."
"Sig, I love you so much."
"…"
"Heehee! Can't even talk now? Okay then, that's it!"
Kiana hopped off Sigurd, turned, and walked into the rippling portal of golden light.
She didn't say goodbye.
Kiana didn't like farewells, it's almost as if, by not saying goodbye, she could go home and still fall asleep in Sigurd's arms that night.
"I love you too…"
A long sigh slipped into the gentle wind.
. . . . . . .
Kiana stepped out of the golden ripple, and the strange sensation of the portal vanished. She was back in the familiar base.
The moment her feet touched solid ground, she turned around, gazing at the golden ripple she'd just walked through. A smile curved on her lips—she had heard it. A little delayed, but of course—it was Sigurd. No matter what, she still loved him.
"Kiana!"
"Sister Kiana!" ×2
One call after another brought Kiana's attention forward once more.
The first voice came from Raiden Mei, whose eyes shimmered with joyful tears.
The next two came from the sweet and caring Seele and the gentle, breeze-like Wendy.
They quickly gathered around Kiana, bombarding her with all sorts of concerned questions and affectionate chatter.
Kiana scratched her head, gradually revealing a goofy, adorable smile as she responded to each of their voices one by one.
Then, a figure carrying a massive travel backpack, easily two meters tall, pushed through the girls and stepped in front of Kiana.
"Yo! Kiana!"
"Teacher… Fu Hua, it's been a while."
Kiana finally smiled, her gaze clear as she looked at the red-eyed 'Fu Hua' before her.
'Fu Hua' patted Kiana on the shoulder in an easygoing way, nodding with satisfaction as she said:
"Not bad, not bad! Your aura's steady, divine essence full, and your core foundation's stronger than before. You look very healthy! That's a relief, Sigurd really is reliable."
"Thank you, Teacher Fu Hua. Are you heading to see Sigurd?"
"Yep. It's not every day you get to catch up with friends from fifty thousand years ago. No reason to say no. Besides, I hear Sigurd could use my help with something too. Sigh, what can I say—being strong means working harder, right?"
"I see… Teacher Fu Hua, let's not talk about Sigurd, but Uncle Kevin and Mr. Su aren't exactly easygoing people either. Please try to be… polite."
Kiana spoke carefully, trying to offer a friendly reminder based on her good impression of "Fu Hua."
But 'Fu Hua' tilted her head and blinked, confused:
"That's a weird thing to say. I'm just going to catch up and help out, not cause trouble… Besides, I'm the strongest of them all—Fu Hua. Don't worry so much! Alright, I'm off, we'll talk when I'm back!"
She walked past Kiana and headed toward the golden ripple that hadn't yet vanished.
With her back turned to the others, she gave a casual wave of her right hand as a goodbye gesture.
It was only then that Kiana noticed something atop the massive backpack—a tiny white figure, Book of Fuxi, sitting comfortably and swinging her little legs.
When Book of Fuxi noticed Kiana had spotted her, she raised a tiny hand from the long sleeves of her robe and gave Kiana a sweet wave.
Kiana smiled and nodded in return.
With the Little Ancestor going along, things were bound to go a lot more smoothly. She silently hoped everything would go well.
Kiana wore a blessing-filled smile as she watched 'Fu Hua' and her enormous backpack disappear into the spatial ripple. Only then did she close the portal and let out a soft sigh.
"Don't worry. Trust in Teacher Fu Hua and Mr. Sigurd. Everything will be fine."
Raiden Mei offered comforting words with a gentle smile—and she meant every word. With Fu Hua and Sigurd involved, she truly couldn't imagine anything going wrong.
Kiana nodded.
"You're right. Everything will definitely be fine. Mei, Seele—I missed you both so much. I want a feast!"
She threw her arms around Raiden Mei, and while looking at the beaming Seele, shamelessly made her request.
Mei chuckled knowingly and gently stroked Kiana's hair.
"Of course, no problem. I'll make you the biggest, best feast ever."
"Yes! Leave it to Big Sister Mei and me! Without you around, cooking always felt like something was missing… Kiana, please don't do anything so dangerous again. You have to stay safe from now on, okay?"
Seele took Kiana's hand in hers, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her.
Kiana grinned, squeezed Seele's hand, and replied:
"Okay, I won't make Seele and everyone worry again. Oh—this might be a bit late, but… I, Kiana Kaslana, am back, everyone!"
She looked around at the girls surrounding her—not just Raiden Mei, Seele, and Wendy, who had rushed over first, but also Bronya leaning against a wall with hands in her pockets, blowing a bubble with her gum; the impatient-looking Sin Mal with her arms crossed; and even the maid Cecilia, representing all the various Cecilia personalities...
Unknowingly, the number of people who cared for her, who waited for her return, had grown so large that there was no longer any space in her heart for pointless negativity.