Chapter 332: Interlude – Raising the Price
"What the hell? Did he wake up? And then….broke through all this just to run off and ditch the massive medical bill Sig's gonna charge him?"
Inside the inner sector of Anti-Entropy HQ, at the treatment chamber of Siegfried Kaslana, once the strongest knight of Schicksal, Kiana stood near the gaping hole in the wall. Her eyes were wide with confusion as she stared down the massive path that had been punched clean through layer after layer of reinforced barriers—all the way to the sky outside.
Behind her, several Cecilia maids were working with cleanup drones, sweeping up debris and organizing wall repairs.
One of them walked up and gave a respectful bow to Kiana, Bronya, and Sin Mal.
"Good afternoon, young mistresses. I apologize for the disturbance—Cecilia 1415 sincerely offers her regrets, and hopes this incident won't result in a pay cut or additional debt."
"1415-onee-chan, do you know what happened? Did you see my stinky old man? Is he okay?"
Kiana turned around, her big watery eyes filled with concern.
Cecilia 1415 gave a small nod.
"Mr. Siegfried did indeed regain consciousness. His last recorded vital signs were perfectly stable—1415 has assessed that there are no physical abnormalities. However, he left the premises without meeting anyone. He destroyed part of the structure and escaped while no one was watching."
"As for the reason," she continued seriously, "1415 believes there are two possibilities: one, Mr. Siegfried may have suffered an unknown cerebral malfunction during his long sleep. Two… it may be due to this."
She presented a suspicious-looking device she'd found on-site.
Kiana took the small black disc—about the size of her palm—and, after hesitating a moment, pressed the curved button on top.
In front of them, a projection flickered to life above the device, revealing a miniature figure of a nun with a golden cross on her back.
[Siegfried, you've been asleep for years. You're in Anti-Entropy HQ now—Sigurd and Kiana's place. You might meet some of the Cecilia clones; Sigurd saved them, so don't freak out.]
[I'll explain the details later. For now, you have three days. Listen—this is your last chance. If you still love Cecilia and Kiana—if you still remember what it means to be a husband and a father—come to St. Freya and find me. I won't wait forever.]
[Siegfried—Kiana might still be waiting for you.]
[If you still care about her at all, then even if you have to crawl, get yourself to St. Freya.]
[Lastly, I wish both Kianas—yes, both of them—health and happiness.]
A heartfelt blessing, warm and full of genuine hope, ended with a long sigh. The projection faded out.
Kiana stared at the projection device, lips pressed together, a swirl of complex emotion in her eyes.
"Miss Kiana, if you've finished watching, please return the evidence," Cecilia 1415 said, a little anxious. "It's a critical item for requesting future compensation—we'd rather not risk it being damaged due to emotional instability."
Delivered in her usual emotionless tone, the line snapped Kiana out of her daze.
She smiled faintly and handed the device back to 1415.
The maid bowed and stepped away.
Kiana turned her gaze toward the long tunnel Siegfried had blasted open, staring out at the distant sky. She let out a quiet sigh.
"Sigh… Auntie is still Auntie. And that stinky old man… still just as reckless."
She shook her head.
As for that "Auntie" nickname, she'd long since gotten used to it. All the awkwardness and messy feelings from before were gone now.
Bronya, standing nearby, kicked at the wall and said:
"We don't know about Uncle Siegfried, but Principal Theresa definitely isn't being reckless."
"Oh? How do you figure it out?"
"You know exactly what kind of changes the world is going through right now. Sigurd's return marked the beginning of a new era—an era where humanity goes all-out against the Honkai. In that kind of world, even if Principal Theresa wants to do something, the situation might not allow her to. Right now is probably her last chance to strike against Schicksal and take back the other Kiana from Otto."
"But picking a fight with Otto won't really change anything, aside from letting off some steam. The situation with the original kiana isn't something Otto has control over anymore anyway,"
Kiana muttered, half to herself.
Bronya looked up at her, a bit puzzled.
Otto no longer had control over the original Kiana? That was news to her.
Kiana glanced back at Bronya but didn't elaborate.
Though she had learned from Sigurd that the original Kiana was powerful enough to have gained her freedom, she was still pondering why that girl had never once come to visit Theresa or Siegfried.
In any case, there was no time to get bogged down in that mess of complications.
If Theresa and Siegfried really were planning to confront Otto—maybe even spark a full-blown conflict—Kiana couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"I'll go check on them. Hopefully, they're not doing anything reckless."
"Do you need help? You know better than anyone how unpredictable Otto can be."
"No need. Auntie is still technically his granddaughter, and as for my old man... Sig's presence alone is enough to make Otto think twice. Either way, this is family business—I'd rather not get too many people involved. It could make things spiral out of control."
"Kiana, don't get careless. That's still—"
Bronya hadn't finished expressing her concern when a red notification window suddenly popped up beside them, cutting her off.
[Urgent support request from Malanda Branch: Detected abnormal A-Rank Honkai activity. Branch lacks sufficient combat reserves. Requesting immediate HQ assistance—]
Bronya's brows furrowed.
Kiana and Sin Mal leaned in to read.
Kiana tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Looks like it's going to be a busy day again. Bronya, Sin Mal—I'll leave today's tasks to you two. Don't worry about me. No matter how dangerous Otto is, he wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. So I'll go deal with Auntie and Dad. You guys handle this mission."
"…Fine. Just be careful."
Bronya hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod.
Dangerous or not, Kiana was right—Otto wouldn't hurt her.
Kiana waved to them and dashed off toward the exit of the base.
BOOM!!
Crash!
She took off through the very tunnel Siegfried had blasted open—except she didn't bother holding back at all.
As a result, she widened the already massive breach, shattering even more walls and structures along the way.
Bronya stood silently for a moment before turning to Cecilia 1415, who had been quietly waiting nearby.
"List all damages under Uncle Siegfried's tab. Price it high—he's not coming back to argue over it anyway."
"Understood," Cecilia 1415 replied smoothly.
Then Bronya turned and gave Sin Mal's hair a quick pat, her expression still stern.
"We've got a mission. Ready?"
"Absolutely! If it's for Bronya, Sin Mal can do anything!"
"Bronya appreciates your confidence. Just don't push yourself too hard. Getting seriously hurt is a real pain."
"Yes~~!"
Sin Mal beamed sweetly and wrapped herself tightly around Bronya's arm as the two headed off together, leaving the wreckage behind.
<+>
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