As soon as he entered, the man found a seat and sat down.
"Ah, so, do we have to wait a bit before continuing? If so, I'll take a cocktail."
"...Here's your cocktail, sir. Also, you're currently wanted by Schicksal, so please go easy on the destruction later. Oh, and Bishop Otto said the damages will be deducted from your salary."
The bartender, codenamed "Wraith," mixed a cocktail and handed it to Siegfried.
Hearing this, Siegfried's hand froze mid-air as he reached for the glass.
"Hey, hey, this is all part of the script! Why should it come out of my salary? I refuse! I'll appeal to—uh, never mind."
Realizing that Schicksal was the dominant force and that the person deducting his salary was the head of Schicksal, Siegfried immediately lost the courage to argue.
There was nothing he could do.
So, Siegfried began thinking about how to cause the most damage to Schicksal while minimizing losses.
Ever since getting married, he hadn't seen a single paycheck. All his expenses had to be reported to his wife.
The only time he could sneak a drink was during scripted missions.
"It's about time. I should get going."
"Then, Senior Fu Hua, I wish you a smooth journey."
Hearing Wraith's encouragement, Fu Hua paused for a moment before turning to look at her.
"Send me that secret technique you mentioned in private."
"Looks like Senior Fu Hua's body says no, but her mouth says yes. Don't worry, I'll send it to you."
Being stared at like this, Fu Hua couldn't help but avert her eyes.
Then, as if trying to cover up, she added, "I'm just approaching this from a scientific perspective to verify its validity. There's no other meaning."
"Sure, sure. I believe you, Senior Fu Hua."
Although Wraith was smiling, Fu Hua could tell it wasn't a smile of trust but one of teasing.
But Fu Hua didn't bother to argue. She simply continued with her mission.
"So, is it my turn to act now?"
"Yes, Mr. Siegfried. Oh, and by the way, these bottles of wine are from my personal collection. They're quite expensive."
"...Are you doing this on purpose?"
After a moment of silence, Siegfried glared at Wraith.
"Can't help it. Gotta make a living, right? Even though Valkyries have good salaries, who doesn't want more money? This can be reimbursed through the company account."
"...Fine. I'll remember this."
Siegfried gave Wraith a deep look, then reluctantly merged the two halves of the Judgement of Shamash into a greatsword.
As Fu Hua walked away, the bar suddenly exploded.
Wallet – R.I.P.
It might have been Wraith's imagination, but Siegfried's retreating figure seemed particularly desolate.
But it didn't matter. At least she was happy.
So, she immediately started filing the reimbursement claim.
"Senior Rita, the damages here include..."
After listing the damages for two minutes, Wraith eagerly awaited Rita's response.
"Lord Otto knows you did this on purpose, so we'll only reimburse the original price of the wines, not their collector's value."
"...No—!"
In an instant, another wounded soul was added to the world.
And Otto gained another enemy.
Meanwhile, Siegfried, who had left, felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
It was as if someone shared his misery, lifting his spirits.
"Siegfried, you just destroyed Schicksal's intelligence outpost here. Aren't you afraid more Valkyries will come after you?"
Dr. Tesla raised an eyebrow as she looked at Siegfried.
"Debts don't scare me. Consider this interest I'm collecting from Schicksal."
That's what he said, but Siegfried was suffering inside.
He was essentially working for Schicksal while sabotaging them, and every bit of destruction came out of his own pocket.
"You're something else. Alright, let's get going."
With that, Tesla turned off the projection, and Siegfried moved on to the next step.
Meanwhile, Kiana suddenly woke up on a large bed.
"Ahhh—!"
As if startled by something, Kiana screamed as soon as she woke up.
But realizing she was on a bed, Kiana looked around and saw the old man who had knocked her out.
"Old man, why did you attack me earlier?"
Angry, Kiana got out of bed and tried to approach the old man, but after a few steps, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
"What's wrong with me? What did you inject me with?"
"...I injected you with a special serum I developed. It neutralizes Honkai energy. With continuous injections, the Honkai energy in your body will be completely purged, turning you back into an ordinary person."
"Turn me back into an ordinary person? Does that mean I can't fight the Honkai anymore? I can't be a Valkyrie?"
"All of you are just children. You should be living carefree lives, not sacrificing yourselves to fight the Honkai. You have so much ahead of you."
Hearing Kiana's words, Dr. Magi delivered his lines perfectly.
Every word left Kiana stunned.
But in the end, Kiana shook her head calmly. "No, my dream is to defeat the Honkai, to fight for all that's beautiful in the world.
Someone has to do it. Even if I don't, someone else will. Until the Honkai is eradicated, nowhere is safe, and no one has the right to live carefree.
Besides, I'm a Kaslana. The Kaslanas are the shield of the people. I will stand before countless others, dedicated to eradicating the Honkai."
"You... sigh."
Seeing Kiana's determination, even Dr. Magi, who knew the script, was moved.
He hadn't expected such resolve from a girl who should be enjoying her youth.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door was kicked open.
Dr. Magi knew the plot was advancing. Thinking about the injuries he'd sustain soon, he winced.
"Dr. Magi, I didn't know you had such tastes, bringing a young Valkyrie to your room. Mind if I join?"
"I remember our deal. You're not allowed to harm her, or else—"
Whoosh—!
Before Dr. Magi could finish, the clone of Joachim flicked his fingers.
In an instant, several black orbs shot through Dr. Magi's legs.
"You're no longer useful."