Inside the shrine, Yae Sakura was busy preparing the meal. Evan, meanwhile, teased Higokumaru with the practiced hand of someone petting a cat, all while glancing at Kallen beside him.
"Don't you intend to go help Yae Sakura? If you lend a hand, I'm sure she'd be very happy."
Hearing Evan's words, Kallen's gaze drifted slightly.
"Ahem. I'm not good at cooking. If I went to help, I'd only make a mess for Sakura."
"It seems your memories are becoming clearer."
Evan's meaningful remark made Kallen pause. She then looked around somewhat dazed—the shrine, the cherry blossoms, and herself waiting for Yae Sakura to make delicious food.
"Perhaps the scenery evoked the emotions. Everything here feels very familiar."
"You will be staying here for quite some time, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to recall the past. As for reality... later, I will bring some documents for you to understand everything that has happened from five hundred years ago up to the present."
Evan did not intend to hide too much from Kallen. He planned to ask Bronya to compile the relevant information and then personally deliver it.
With Evan using [Jizo Mitama] to seal Higokumaru's power, this space now existed in reliance on [Jizo Mitama]. Although he hadn't yet mastered the sword's power of Corruption to a high degree, freely entering and exiting this space was no longer an issue.
"Uh... is there something specific?"
Noticing the strange tone in Evan's voice, Kallen revealed a curious expression.
Seeing this, Evan didn't hide it and spoke directly.
"Otto lived for five hundred years. He also served as the Overseer of Schicksal for five hundred years and did many things."
By now, Kallen had gradually gotten used to Evan equating her completely with the strongest Valkyrie from five centuries ago.
She closed her eyes, recalling what she knew of Otto. Thinking of his personality, a complex expression appeared on her face.
"By 'many things,' you probably mean bad things, right? Five hundred years ago, Otto approved of Schicksal's Honkai experiments on Valkyries and children. And five hundred years later, under Otto's rule, how many such experiments have been conducted..."
"Quite a lot, I imagine. However, Schicksal did achieve results. Artificial Stigmata allow ordinary people to possess the aptitude to become Valkyries, though the price is a reduced lifespan. Although many years have passed, this world has never lacked idiots like you who worry about the world, Kallen."
If anyone else had called her an idiot for wanting to fight the Honkai and protect the people, it would have been a clash of ideals, and Kallen would have argued with them. But since it was Evan, Kallen knew clearly that the remark was merely a joke and teasing.
The girl did not refute him. Instead, she hugged her knees, looking somewhat powerless.
"Artificial Stigmata... what a familiar sense of tragedy. I can already imagine just how many sins Otto has committed."
"He has sins, but he also has merits. In just five hundred years, humanity has mastered many means to counter the Honkai, overcoming trial after trial. When merits and faults are balanced against each other, no one knows whether Otto is a sinner or a savior. After all, we cannot see the other possibilities."
"Merits balancing faults? Based on my memory of him, Otto wouldn't go out of his way to do good deeds. All his kindness was merely to achieve his own goals."
Time flies, and the past is gone.
Kallen was no longer that strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal. She considered herself a marionette on a stage, viewing the Otto of the real world with the attitude of a stranger she had never met. Her words revealed indignation.
However, Otto's kindness toward Kallen should have been pure.
But Evan did not say this.
If they delved deeper into the discussion, Kallen would learn that the various sins and crimes Otto committed were fundamentally for the sake of resurrecting her.
And once she knew that, Kallen would naturally take a portion of those sins upon herself. To atone, what would Kallen do? It certainly wouldn't be anything good for herself.
Evan knew that before the inevitable conflict between himself and Otto reached a conclusion, and before he could mold the world into something truly beautiful, he perhaps couldn't let Kallen move freely in reality, nor let her know the whole truth.
Kallen was a saint with almost no desires, willing to give up everything for the people and justice. Unfortunately, Evan was not. Evan was actually more like Otto. But unlike Otto, Evan was greedier and also more human.
He wouldn't do the math problem of sacrificing a part of the population to save another part, or even one person. He wouldn't let anyone die—at least, not before he had made a real effort, exhausted all his strength, and was unable to resist anymore.
If Otto knew, he would probably mock Evan for being reckless and indecisive. But in Evan's eyes, Otto was equally heartless.
Everyone had flaws; they were six of one, half a dozen of the other.
"Big Bro, Big Sis, what are you guys talking about?"
Higokumaru, sitting beside them, was completely lost. Her voice, lacking any schemes and extremely pure, gave both Kallen and Evan a sense of relaxation.
"The food is ready."
Yae Sakura also appeared at the perfect moment. However, in Evan's view, as a Pseudo-Herrscher who had lived for five hundred years, she must have clearly heard his conversation with Kallen and waited until it was over before coming over.
"Time to eat. Let me see what delicious food the Lady Shrine Maiden has made."
Evan smiled and stood up, walking toward the dining table. After a brief pause, Kallen also smiled and followed.
She didn't know what Schicksal was like after being ruled by Otto for five hundred years. She didn't know to what tragic extent the fate of Valkyries had fallen, even with things like Artificial Stigmata appearing. She also didn't know if the human population had increased or decreased compared to five centuries ago, or how many times the battle against the Honkai had been won or lost.
However, Kallen was willing to trust Evan.
This was a purely authentic emotion generated five hundred years later by the existence named Kallen Kaslana—the marionette who had once involuntarily performed the same play countless times.
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