"Touching as it is, the story must progress as planned. Though it feels strange to suddenly become an ancestor figure to Durandal."
Touching his eternally 18-year-old face, Chang Yuan couldn't help but click his tongue.
If he went out and claimed to be thousands of years old, no one would believe him.
"Sigh, thinking about Kiana's Truman Show in the future makes me sad for her. By the way, will Mei really have horns?"
"...Yes, she will. Want me to take you to touch them later?"
Hearing this, Chang Yuan's mouth twitched.
As expected of him, perfectly impersonating Elysia.
A few hours later...
Bang!
"Ugh! Cough, cough—Theresa, what are you doing?!"
Seeing Theresa burst through the door, Otto, who had been elegantly sipping wine while gaming, choked and spat out his drink.
"Dad, I heard Cecilia is marrying that Siegfried guy. How could you allow this? I won't stand for it!"
"...?"
Otto looked at his daughter in confusion.
Wait, what does Cecilia's marriage have to do with you?
Hold on, is my daughter... into women?
Remembering what his teacher had said—that future Kaslanas tended to prefer women—Otto immediately grew wary.
After all, Theresa was his and Kallen's daughter, with Kaslana blood running through her veins.
So, it wasn't impossible for her to be into women.
"Theresa, be honest with me. Are you... in love with Cecilia?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, Dad? Cecilia and I are just good friends. I heard Siegfried groped every Valkyrie in Schicksal.
I can't let Cecilia marry that jerk. Who knows if he'll turn abusive after marriage? What if he hurts her?"
"..."
Hearing Theresa's explanation, Otto breathed a sigh of relief, though his mouth still twitched.
He knew where this rumor had come from—the Valkyrie squad members Siegfried had ignored during the rescue.
They had spread the story to get back at him for not saving them, leaving them to freeze in the snow.
Otto hadn't bothered to stop the gossip, as it was just harmless chatter among the Valkyries.
But he hadn't expected it to affect his daughter.
"Theresa, first of all, they're both consenting adults. We can't force them apart. Secondly, do you really think Siegfried could beat Cecilia in a fight?"
Without awakening his Stigma, Siegfried wouldn't dare use the 0th Power of the Judgement of Shamash unless he had a death wish.
Meanwhile, Cecilia, with the Black Abyss White Flower, could heal endlessly. There was no way Siegfried could ever abuse her.
If anything, Cecilia would be the one doing the abusing.
"Uh, that makes sense. Fine, I won't interfere. Also, Dad, give me more money. I want to provide the best for the Valkyries at my academy."
"...Theresa, have you been reading a lot of Shenzhou stories lately?"
Otto suspected Theresa was pulling a "Yan Kingdom Map" move—her real goal wasn't to stop the marriage but to squeeze more funds out of him.
"So, are you giving me the money or not? If not, I'll go tell Mom."
"...It'll be transferred to your account. Now get out."
Otto was at his wit's end with his rebellious daughter.
She had been so cute and obedient as a child.
But now, just a few hundred years later, she was already rebelling.
Sigh~
All his frustrations condensed into a single, helpless sigh.
A year later...
"What? The Snow Wolf Squad is disbanded?!"
Shigure Kira stared at the notice in disbelief.
What? Everything was fine just a few days ago. How could they disband out of nowhere?
"That's right, Shigure Kira. Due to Captain Cecilia's pregnancy, she has been granted maternity leave until the child is born and weaned."
"**** Siegfried! We should've done everything to stop Cecilia from marrying him. Argh!"
Instantly, the Snow Wolf Squad was in an uproar.
Especially Shigure Kira, who idolized Cecilia.
Seeing her idol pregnant was more painful than if she herself were pregnant.
"Siegfried, I'll kill you ten thousand times!"
Meanwhile, near Babylon Tower...
"Thank you, sisters. Thank you for saving my mom."
Seeing her mother healed and resting in bed, the straight-haired little girl, Sirin, thanked the Valkyries excitedly.
The Valkyries, who adored Sirin, tousled her hair.
"This place isn't safe anymore. Come with us to Babylon Tower. You can stay there for a few years while we arrange things with Schicksal. Is that okay?"
"This..."
Sirin's mother hesitated, not because she didn't want to go, but because she was reluctant to leave the place they had called home for so long.
"Don't worry. You can bring anything you want. You'll receive the best treatment there. It's Schicksal's fault for not noticing the Honkai here sooner. We'll compensate you for everything."
Of course, this special treatment was only for Sirin and her mother.
Others would be treated normally, without such high-level care.
But Sirin and her mother didn't know that.
"Alright, then we'll trouble you."
Sirin's mother nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Valkyries took Sirin and her mother to Babylon Tower.
This Babylon Tower wasn't a place for human experiments but a sanctuary for orphans.
As for Bronya and Seele, they were left to Cocolia.
After all, if they joined Schicksal, Welt might not give Bronya the Core of Reason.
Of course, Otto could always take it by force, but that wouldn't be ideal.
Inside Babylon Tower, the howling snowstorm outside couldn't reach them.
Sirin and her mother immediately felt the warmth.
The Valkyries led them to a room that was fully equipped, far better than their old home.
"By the way, we've taken in other orphans here. Sirin, you can play with them if you'd like. There are also teachers here to educate the children."
"Won't that be too much trouble for you?"
Sirin's mother knew of Schicksal's good reputation, but she hadn't expected such generosity.