Chapter 340: Connection
"Holding a cornbread in my hands but not a drop of oil in the dish~"
"Sig, my life is so tragic! QvQ!"
On the screen, behind a set of black bars, Kiana's sapphire-blue eyes shimmered with fake tears as she clutched a round, plump bun in her hands. In truth, it wasn't "cornbread" at all, but rather a juicy meat bun Mei had just brought her—thin skin, packed with filling, and overflowing with fragrant broth at the very first bite.
What made it all the more ridiculous was that the cell door beside her wasn't even locked. Mei hadn't closed it properly when she left, so it hung slightly ajar—anyone could walk in or out freely.
And if that wasn't enough, Sigurd also spotted a bottle of eye drops peeking out from beneath Kiana's butt, as though she had hastily tried to hide it.
"Haah—"
Outside the screen, Sigurd took up his teacup with one hand and let out a long sigh.
He genuinely didn't know whether he should be angry at her for putting on such a cheap act, or mourn for the sheer lack of intelligence on display.
After some thought, he raised his other hand and flicked his fingers toward the projection.
At that very moment, right as Kiana pretended to wipe her "tears," countless black dots materialized before her, condensing into a hand the same size as Sigurd himself. Her big, wide, innocent eyes blinked up at it just before it reached out—and flicked her forehead.
Smack!
"Ouch! That hurt!"
Clutching her forehead, Kiana puffed up her milky-white cheeks in indignation, but under Sigurd's dead-fish stare that seemed to see through everything, her defiance quickly deflated.
A moment later, she bit into the bun and cautiously slurped up the savory broth, her expression melting into bliss.
With Kiana's little comedy act done, the scene shifted beyond the bars of the screen. On a crimson sofa, Bronya sat with her slender legs crossed, a faint smile curving her delicate face.
"That's the sequence of events. Because I judged it to be important, Bronya activated the emergency contact channel. Sigurd, what are your orders?"
"You handled it well. Good work."
Sigurd's reply was simple, and at once the massive hand drifted over to Bronya's head, giving her a gentle pat.
The corners of her lips lifted just a little higher, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction at how smart her plan was.
By taking initiative and following procedure, she'd also found herself a perfectly legitimate excuse to contact Sigurd and see him face-to-face. Which caused her to catch two birds using one stone.
Sigurd's stern features softened slightly as he looked at her. Of course, he could tell what little game she was playing, and he understood her intent. But really, there was no harm in letting her have her way.
Afterward, his gaze shifted back to Kiana, still nibbling at her bun.
"You forged my signature," Sigurd said flatly, "but deliberately avoided copying my handwriting, and didn't attach it to either organization's official system. Add to that the fact that Durandal would likely show you leniency… and suddenly, the so-called forged document can be written off as a childish prank. Should I praise you for at least having a shred of reverence?"
"M-Muu… I just… didn't want to cause you trouble…"
Kiana's small lips were still shiny with oil from the bun. She pressed her fingers together timidly, flashing a sheepish, ingratiating smile. Deep down, she wasn't sure if Sigurd would actually get angry—so she decided to play it safe.
Setting his teacup aside while Fu Hua quietly refilled it, Sigurd gave her a cool look.
"But still… you're an idiot."
"Eh?"
"If you were going to do it," Sigurd continued, "you should have gone all the way. Copy my handwriting, then have Bronya use my clearance to push the paperwork through the proper channels. That way, Theresa's so-called 'Sky City Defense Mechanism Test Operation Plan' would have been formally included in the system and become a legitimate action."
"As for Siegfried—given his history of breaking into HQ—you could barely justify him as a consultant invited by you or Theresa. Then afterward, all three of you could simply walk away. Any punishments could be handled privately."
Kiana blinked. "…Wouldn't that be… kind of too sloppy? It doesn't sound right."
"You already went along with their little stunt, and now you're worried about whether it's sloppy or not? In the end, whether it's considered serious or not depends entirely on Otto and me. I'll make sure to save you some face, and Otto will gladly reduce Theresa's punishment into his own personal matter. If the two of us give our approval, then it's an official plan. Where's the 'sloppiness' in that?"
Sigurd shot her a sidelong glance, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Kiana stared blankly, blinking again and again. After several long moments, she finally smacked her palm with realization.
"—Wait, so you could actually do that?!"
Sigurd leaned back slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"Things won't get any worse than this. At most, you'll have to stay in the Inner City for a while and avoid drawing attention. Theresa… will probably be toyed with for a bit, and as for Siegfried—whether he's thrown into a gilded cage or a dungeon depends entirely on Otto's mood."
"In short, you all need to lie low for now. When I ascend the throne, I'll issue a pardon. That'll close the book on this incident."
"Oh…"
Kiana gave a meek nod.
She knew all too well how reckless it had been to cause trouble at Schicksal headquarters during such a delicate turning point in the world's power balance. Her conscience gnawed at her, and that was why she had willingly asked to be thrown in a cell in the first place—fully prepared for Sigurd to punish her harshly.
But now… it didn't really feel like he was angry.
Her head lowered, sapphire eyes flickering nervously as she stole glances at his expression. The heavy weight pressing on her chest gradually eased.
Then she remembered the real reason for this contact.
At the same time, Sigurd straightened, turning to face the screen head-on. His gaze sharpened as it locked on Kiana.
"So. On this trip… did you encounter that other Kiana?"
"Sigurd! I was just about to tell you! Yes—I met her!"
Kiana immediately sat upright, her expression becoming earnest. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she recounted her strange experience in that bizarre space, describing every detail—especially the girl's overwhelming power, strong enough to suppress even Sirin.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As he listened, Sigurd's index finger began to tap the table, his brows gradually knitting together.
"An unfathomable power… golden chains… messages from the future… and… a mobile game?"
The moment the last words left his lips, Sigurd's pupils constricted sharply.
If she had only said a game, the possibilities were endless. Survival was a game. Victory and defeat were games. Even the evolution of civilizations could be seen as a game. It wouldn't necessarily mean anything out of the ordinary.
But a mobile game?
Sigurd remembered all too well. In his previous life, this world itself had been presented in the form of a mobile game.
Future messages. A mobile game. Put together, those two clues struck too close to the truth to ignore.
For the first time in a long while, Sigurd felt his composure slip.
But this raised an entirely new problem.
His memories of that other world weren't some unshareable, forbidden secret—but neither were they the kind of thing you casually revealed. If he ever spoke of it, it would probably be in some quiet moment: a late night with Kiana or Bronya, when there was nothing else to talk about, and he would mention it as an idle story to pass the time.
Anyone else? No. The circle wouldn't widen. It was too personal, too private, to scatter recklessly into the world.
So then—where had that young girl obtained a keyword capable of shaking his composure?
In the future, would she and him truly forge a bond close enough for her to know such things?
Or… had that girl already grown strong enough to peer into the future itself?
Sigurd mulled it over for a while, but eventually pressed those tangled thoughts down. Those questions could only be answered by that other Kiana Kaslana. Anything he speculated now would be no more than uncertainty.
Still—the fact that she had brought up "mobile game" at all proved the warning carried weight. It was credible enough to be taken seriously.
After a silent pause, Sigurd gave a small nod.
"I understand. I'll tread more cautiously when it comes to exploring the Will of Honkai. As for that keyword—mobile game—we'll discuss it in detail another time. For now, what I want to know is… how is Vira?"
"Vira…"
Kiana repeated the name softly, then wiped the corner of her mouth. With a long sigh, her mischievous yet timid little face seemed to shed all its childishness, leaving behind only a gentle, watery smile.
"She's doing very well. She's grown up, she's healthy and beautiful. Though… I can't say she was all that happy to see me."
Her tone was tender, but tinged with sorrow.
At their first reunion, Kiana had been swept away by joy, too overwhelmed to notice anything amiss. But looking back now, she realized the truth—she could no longer ignore the faint shadow in that child's reaction.
Vira likely already knew. She knew that the tragedy in Jörmungandr City, the death of her father, had its roots in the Herrscher power Kiana had once lost control of.
Kiana fell silent, her fingers twisting tightly into the fabric of her skirt. She might say she had come to terms with it, but before her eyes, the world still blurred uncontrollably.
Just then, a familiar sensation brushed against her hair. Sigurd's manifested hand reached out and gently patted the top of her head.
Kiana blinked, her lashes wet, and then smiled through the tears.
"I'll be fine, Sig. As long as she can live well, that's all that matters to me. I've already made peace with everything else. And don't worry—I won't do anything stupid. I still want to stay with you forever!"
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. And don't fret too much—she's been raised well. Cheerful, bright, gentle, thoughtful… she won't break under it. At worst, she'd just…"
Sigurd's words trailed off into a pause, as if something had given him hesitation.
Kiana tilted her head, instinctively pressing for an answer.
"At worst, she'd just what?"
"…At worst, she'd strap a belt of high-explosive grenades to herself and drag you down with her."
"—Sig!!!"
Kiana's heavy mood, moments ago shrouded in gloom, was completely blown away by his abrupt twist.
"Pfft—!"
She burst out laughing, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes even as she giggled.
"You bastard, Sig! If you wanted to cheer me up, couldn't you have picked a better way?"
"That's the only one that came to mind. I'll think of another next time. For now… it seems something else requires my attention."
Sigurd's gaze shifted away from the screen, turning toward the far edge of the Deep Sea Altar.
There, stepping forth from the radiance of a space transfer, were four elegant, graceful figures: the new Empress of the Emberya Empire—Durandal—alongside the Three Pillars, Rita, Zhuge Kongming, and Kiana.
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