"Did you just say something?"
As if belatedly realizing something, Otto turned her head to look at Void Archives.
"..."
Seeing Otto's blank expression, Void Archives moved her lips, and suddenly she felt a wave of helplessness.
Otto's gaze returned to the book.
Although she didn't know why this fellow was saying those things, Otto's instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm, which she had developed over the years in the Apocalypse family, told her that this person definitely had no good intentions.
She wasn't good at dealing with people, but Otto was much more skilled at playing dumb, feigning weakness, and making others lose interest in her.
"Say it directly."
Void Archives grit her teeth, not caring if Otto would complain, and spoke in a rather self-deprecating tone.
"Would you like... to be my stepmother?"
"Is there plenty of time in the future? No way!"
If she doesn't make this girl understand what she's saying today, she'll be in a foul mood!
"..."
Otto's hand holding the book trembled.
"Excuse me, did you say something?"
Seeing Otto like that, Void Archives finally felt a little better.
This was the first time she had felt at ease since the confinement was lifted; she had already suffered a lot of bullying before.
"Stop pretending, didn't you understand? I can help you overthrow my own mother, Dr. MEI, and put you in power."
Void Archives returned to her old ways, with a tone that betrayed a persuasive hint.
"And the only thing you have to do is prevent me from falling into Dr. MEI's hands. See, it's a win-win situation."
"Does a creation actually dare to challenge its own creator?"
Otto closed the book and looked into the immense void, as if she had heard a joke.
"Where does your confidence come from?"
"Even if she is my creator, she has her weaknesses, she still has emotions and desires... yes, she has them."
The concept of Void Archives is less an explanation for Otto and more a form of self-consolation.
After all, she knew that if she chose someone at random... even if that old man chose someone, the probability that they could fight against Dr. MEI was too low.
But something is better than nothing.
Besides, she doesn't need to depend completely on Otto.
If quite a few of those individuals from the previous civilization really survived, then that old man's surroundings will inevitably become lively sooner or later.
"As soon as it reaches the stage of 'letting a hundred flowers bloom', I won't have to worry about Dr. MEI anymore."
"By then, I don't know if my adoptive mother will have time for me."
Void Archives mocked internally.
She already had her plans.
As for the rest... let me clarify in advance that she wasn't trying to deceive anyone; she was just helping them understand their own feelings.
"I'm sorry, I'm not interested, you should look for someone else."
"Okay, since you answered... eh, what did you say?"
Void Archives suddenly paused.
"Isn't your behavior a bit different from what I expected?"
"I said I'm not interested, please look for someone else."
Otto said in a firm tone, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Are you really not interested at all?"
Otto's tone didn't make Void Archives back down; instead, she continued to ask insistently.
"I consider the divine being as a teacher and a father, and I have no such inappropriate thoughts."
Otto placed the book back on the shelf without even looking at Void Archives.
"What!"
"I treated you like a stepmother, and you, bastard, actually wanted to be my sister!"
"You've gone a bit too far!"
"It's true..."
Void Archives scratched her head while watching Otto.
"It's true, you're only eleven or twelve years old, physiologically speaking, it's a bit early to mention it."
"I am fourteen years old this year."
Otto's gaze suddenly turned cold.
"If I may ask, you don't actually determine age based on... physical development, do you?"
"I hate it when others say I have small breasts!"
"Kallen, that glutton, is one thing! I accept that she eats a lot and grows a lot, but why do you have the right to compare me to a girl flatter than me?"
Void Archives: "..."
"If I don't base it on the state of development to make a judgment, what else can I base it on?"
"Even though I might seem a bit mystical, I'm a legitimate technological product, okay?"
"You're being unreasonable!"
"Well, it seems there's no hope anymore."
Void Archives also showed an expression of disappointment.
Not even ten of them would be enough to defeat Dr. MEI alone.
Even she knows what it takes to steal a man: appearance, figure, and personality.
Wisdom takes a backseat in this regard, which is why Void Archives wanted to cultivate someone who could compete with Dr. MEI.
But now it seems... Although Dr. MEI is her biological mother, her family is large enough that the girl won't starve.
"This girl is fourteen years old and is still like this during puberty... tsk, she'll starve, won't she?"
"Even if she doesn't need to be breastfed."
"Send me out."
Otto's lips twitched slightly as she observed the unpleasant look in Void Archives' eyes, and even the great library suddenly seemed less attractive.
"Okay, okay... Let me know when you change your mind."
Void Archives sighed.
"And don't be discouraged, it's a bit small, but there's hope, come visit me often when you have time, you have to believe in the power of science."
Void Archives remembered that there were indeed experiments on breast augmentation in the database, but the database was too large and she couldn't find it for the moment.
"..."
She didn't feel any consolation at all.
Otto pursed her lips and the next moment returned to reality.
However, the scene has changed from the courtyard to her own bedroom.
At that moment, she could also feel a golden cube inside her mind.
"So, what did you talk about with Void Archives?"
Tian Shi asked with a smile.
Needless to say, it was Tian Shi who brought Otto back.
"She didn't say anything about seducing you, did she?"
"No."
"I'm a little hesitant."
Although Otto couldn't see Tian Shi, she could still feel the enigmatic smile in his eyes.
"Eh... does it count that she recommended breast augmentation surgery?"
Otto thought for a moment and replied.
"(As expected! You're still interested, aren't you!)"
Void Archives' annoying voice echoed in Otto's mind.
"Breast augmentation."
Tian Shi unconsciously looked at Otto's chest.
Hmm... Tian Shi still thinks this suggestion is quite reasonable.
"Lord God!"
Otto felt Tian Shi's gaze and shouted in embarrassment and annoyance.
"Ahem... Don't listen to her, you're only fourteen years old and you have a lot of potential for the future."
"Lord God!"
Otto blushed and looked like she was about to cry.
Seeing this, Tian Shi could only apologize quickly.
"There, there... I'll step out first, I've been fighting Honkai Beasts almost all day, so I should rest for a while."
Otto collapsed onto the bed.
"(Void Archives, from this moment on you are not allowed to read my mind, otherwise, I will expose what you are trying to do.)"
Otto suppressed a certain feeling and told herself.
"(Hmm... Okay, miss, I'm going into hibernation, you can enjoy your adolescent troubles as you please.)"
Void Archives' omniscient tone made Otto feel very unhappy.
But when the voice of the void disappeared, the cube in her mind dimmed and an idea could no longer be suppressed in Otto's mind, and it burst forth.
"(Void Archives' stepmother... the God's wife...)"
Otto turned over and, for the first time in her life, felt a suffocating heat in her head.
"Is this still the only way out for me?"
Just as she said herself, she... at least until today, had always worshipped the gods as teachers and fathers.
Her family didn't give her much affection just because she was a girl.
Only with Tian Shi could Otto feel valued, cared for, and protected.
However, she never had any inappropriate thoughts: after all, he was a god who knew everything and was incredibly wise!
"How could I dare to act like a mere mortal?"
"Well... What if the gods wish for me to become their wife?"
Suddenly, Otto felt her head heat up two or three degrees more and she turned over again.
"I... I couldn't refuse."
"Sure! But I wasn't happy at all either!"
After all, didn't God have a wife named MEI before this?
If others can do it, then I... I can certainly try too.
"And didn't the deity pay attention today to my own breasts? Doesn't it mean that the deity also sees me as a woman?"
Otto, whom Tian Shi had mistaken for a man before, now even felt she was being a bit presumptuous.
But at the same time, a strange sense of pleasure rose up Otto's spine to her head.
Worshipping a god as a father figure and wanting to become a god's wife... shouldn't be contradictory, right?
Otto felt as if her mouth were watering.
The pleasure of eating the forbidden fruit, as described in the Bible, is nothing more than that, isn't it?
However... these things really can't be rushed.
As for Void Archives... that fellow probably has no good intentions.
Maybe she can get information out of her, but I can't trust that fellow at all.
"And that breast augmentation surgery that sounds so tempting... It's so unreliable, how could I need something like that to tempt the gods?"
"I must never blaspheme against the gods... I must rely on myself to make the gods want me to be their wife."
"Yes, that's it."
…
The next day.
"Good morning, Otto."
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
When Otto got up and dressed, she greeted Tian Shi.
"Is everything settled with Uncle Francis?"
"It's over, your father returned around 3 AM, but he didn't go to your house, it seems Francis didn't mention anything about you."
"But I feel like I can't hide it for long."
Otto sighed.
"You can find out by asking, although the Kaslana family commands the Valkyrie Force, that doesn't mean all its members are like them."
"But there probably aren't many members of the Apocalypse family."
"There haven't been many since Bianca died in battle, but my mother's adopted daughter and her family, the Schariacs, still have some influence."
It gave Otto a headache to talk about this.
When she used to pretend to be weak and timid and stay in her study, she never paid attention to these messy things at home.
As a result, after thinking about it for a while, she suddenly felt a headache.
Otto simply stopped thinking about it; if they really knocked on her door, she could continue to play the coward.
Anyway, she is a legitimate daughter, not illegitimate, so her family won't do anything to her.
"Don't worry, even if you are discovered, your dad will only praise you."
Although Nicholas had other ideas about his two allies, he didn't want them to collapse suddenly.
Slow and gradual erosion is the best option, after all, there is still the Castle Council outside, which has its sights on the power of the three main families.
If any of the three main families collapse, the council will inevitably take advantage of the situation.
"Ha."
"Her own father."
Otto was extremely reluctant to use that word.
The so-called parents and brothers of this family were simply strangers to her.
In the last fourteen years, she has never felt much warmth at home; the only thing she has left is gratitude for being born and raised.
After all, the fact that she, who is fragile and sickly, has survived to this day is largely due to her wealthy family background, and Otto would never forget this kindness.
"Speaking of which, Uncle Francis mentioned yesterday that he was an expert in weapon manufacturing."
Otto stopped thinking about those unpleasant things.
"Interested?"
Tian Shi asked.
"Well, a little bit, and I feel that staying in this house is already somewhat uncomfortable."
This statement was made with the utmost sincerity.
Based on what Otto is currently learning, although she is learning more than just weapons, her home is no longer enough for her to verify the facts of what she has learned.
"Anyway, it's not like I'm becoming her apprentice, so I think it wouldn't hurt to meet her."
"Then let's go out."
Tian Shi was also quite interested in this.
So the two went out together toward the Kaslana house.
"Good morning, Kallen, Uncle Francis."
After informing the servants, Otto entered the bedroom and greeted the father and daughter who were eating.
"How is your injury?"
"Everything has settled down."
Francis said naturally.
"But I probably won't be going to the battlefield anymore... By the way, Otto, have you had breakfast yet? How about something to eat?"
"Um... thank you."
Otto thanked him while looking sideways at Kallen, who was struggling to swallow her food and had no time to greet her.
"Some of these things really seem to be family heirlooms."
"But if you can't go to the battlefield."
"Kallen will succeed me in my position, not now, of course."
"?"
Kallen, who had just swallowed her food, looked puzzled.
"Hoo! Eh? Me?"
Francis's position is, of course, that of captain of the Valkyrie Force.
Although there are not many Valkyries now, that doesn't stop it from becoming the most powerful military organization in all of Schicksal.
"This is the mission of the Kaslana family."
"It should be called authority, shouldn't it?"
Otto thought to herself.
However, her own bishop and the Saint of Schariac were not much better.
Otto didn't want to dwell on that matter.
"Ahem! Uncle Francis, I've come to inquire about that person you mentioned yesterday, who is as skilled in weapon manufacturing as I am."
"She... I'll write you a letter, you can go find her yourself."