Dragged through the portal, Siegfried looked around in confusion.
Of course, the person who caught his attention the most was Cecilia.
"No, Cecilia's dead. You can't fool me. This must be Otto's doing—that bastard's illusion!"
Seeing this seemingly perfect scene, Siegfried didn't want to ruin it, but he knew it was just an illusion.
He stood up, ready to summon the Judgement of Shamash and fight everyone.
But the next moment, Cecilia's fist landed on his face.
One punch, two punches, three punches.
Finally, Siegfried was truly awakened.
After all, how could he not recognize his wife's punches?
Like a wronged child, he hugged Cecilia and burst into tears.
"Cecilia! Cecilia! I... I couldn't protect Kiana. I'm not a good father. I... sob—!"
As a grown man, Siegfried cried his heart out, soaking Cecilia's clothes with his tears.
"Dad, didn't you tell me that a real man doesn't cry easily? Why are you crying now?"
"It's Kiana! I'm crying because I couldn't protect you... Kiana!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Siegfried, overwhelmed by grief, didn't react at first.
But when he did, he looked at the small figure with tear-filled eyes.
His sorrow turned to joy.
He let go of Cecilia and hugged Kiana tightly.
"Kiana, you're okay! You're okay!"
Siegfried was as happy as a 300-pound man.
Until Cecilia kicked him hard in the butt.
"You idiot! If this weren't all an act, Kiana would've really been hurt. Couldn't you have held on tighter?"
Cecilia grabbed Siegfried's ear and scolded him word by word.
But Siegfried wasn't upset; he just smiled foolishly. "I didn't mean to. The Anti-Entropy ship shook suddenly, and I lost my grip."
"Stupid Dad, you scared me to death! If you do that again, I'll never talk to you!"
Remembering how her dad had accidentally let go and dropped her from such a height, Kiana went from happy to angry, grabbing her father's face and pulling at it.
"Okay, okay, I promise it won't happen again. But can someone explain what's going on? Why is the Second Herrscher here?"
"Hmph, you're the newcomers. I was here before you~☆."
Floating in the air, Sirin crossed her arms and snorted.
"Actually, it's like this. Back then..."
Cecilia briefly explained everything to Siegfried.
After hearing it, Siegfried understood everything.
He then glared at Otto, who was elegantly sipping wine in the corner.
"Lord Bishop, your little stunt really gave me a heart attack. I don't think I'll ever smile again."
"Oh? What are you going to do about it? Hit me?"
"...Never mind."
Siegfried averted his gaze.
It definitely wasn't because he was scared of the ancestor, Kallen, standing behind Otto.
Kallen could beat him like a child—no, even easier than that.
"Alright, Siegfried, here's your script. Follow it closely. A few minor mistakes are fine, but don't deviate too much. This is our best chance to defeat the Honkai."
"Fine, fine. Let me take a look... Huh? You want me to name her Kiana? Isn't that inappropriate?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Besides, Kiana agreed. But our Kiana will take my surname, and that Kiana will take yours. They're both our daughters."
"Wait, Kiana agreed?"
"I did, Dad. Besides, I want a little sister. Hehe."
In Siegfried's arms, Kiana nodded.
She had no hesitation about this. Whether she was called Kiana Kaslana or Kiana Schariac, she was still their daughter. Besides, she heard she might change her name later to something like Bianka Ataegina.
Whatever, two names were fine.
"Alright then. Sigh, suddenly becoming a father of two feels a bit overwhelming."
Though he said this, Siegfried was secretly overjoyed.
Nothing could be better than finding out that the despair he felt was just part of a script.
Now, Siegfried had completely shaken off his earlier despair and regained the confidence of his days as an S-rank knight of Schicksal.
"Ugh, stupid Dad, don't mess this up. And don't bully my sister! Remember, it's just an act. If you really hurt her, Mom and I will beat you up."
"Okay, okay. Now send me back. Heh, if Kiana wakes up, it'll be bad."
"Alright, Siegfried. Treat the other Kiana well. Her future is hard. Even though it's all a script, she won't know until the end.
So, before the finale, give her as many good memories as possible."
"Got it, Cecilia. You can count on me."
Giving a thumbs-up, Siegfried looked at Sirin.
Understanding what needed to be done, Sirin waved her hand, and another portal appeared.
Siegfried stepped through, returning to the small cabin.
As the portal closed, Siegfried still felt a sense of unreality.
But the warmth in his arms and the vivid memories reassured him.
"It's so nice that everything is just a script~♪."
Witnessing everything, Elysia couldn't help but sigh.
Chang Yuan didn't notice her comment.
Meanwhile, Siegfried adjusted his mindset. The script required him to accept Kiana later, but honestly, he already wanted to accept her now.
After all, Kiana's future actions would bring honor to the Kaslana name.
But he didn't act on it. He knew the script couldn't be altered, and he understood the butterfly effect.
So, sticking to the plan and avoiding mistakes was the top priority.
Thus, Siegfried spent the entire night too excited to sleep.
After all, his wife and child were alive. Once this part of the script was over, he could go back to his warm family life.
His part in the story wasn't over yet.