The reunion of father and daughter was a touching one.
But as the crying of Mei—now a widow in her heart for Otto—began to subside, she pulled away from her father's embrace.
Raiden Ryoma held Mei's shoulder with his left hand and used his right to wipe away the tear stains from her face.
He carefully studied the daughter he hadn't seen in so long. Her figure and face seemed a bit thinner, the circles under her eyes were a little dark—she clearly hadn't been sleeping well—and a shadow of sorrow still lingered in her features.
This sight broke the father's heart.
It's all my fault.
The joy of their reunion gradually faded. Raiden Ryoma's gaze sharpened as he looked toward the open cell door. He had not been blinded by happiness.
Why was his precious daughter here?
Did Schicksal intend to use his daughter to threaten him?
Damn it.
These bastards of Schicksal!
It seemed he had no choice but to talk.
However, he knew Anti-Entropy must have prepared contingency plans after his capture, so Raiden Ryoma wasn't overly worried on that front.
"Mei, why are you here?" Raiden Ryoma asked once his daughter's emotions had stabilized.
"Father, you can leave this place now," Mei said. She glanced around the room; it was tidy and had no strange odors. There was even a tablet computer on the bed.
Otto had indeed protected her father well.
A feeling of gratitude swelled in Mei's heart.
"Your wrongful conviction has also been cleared."
Raiden Ryoma frowned. He had already prepared himself to confess the moment Schicksal used his daughter to threaten him.
But now they were releasing him?
And even helping to clear his name?
What kind of joke was this? There was a one hundred percent chance this was some kind of conspiracy.
Knowing Schicksal, Anti-Entropy must have paid a hefty price to get him back. How could they possibly just let him go?
His assessment was not entirely wrong. Schicksal never made a losing deal. However, trading a mere Anti-Entropy executive for the loyalty of the Herrscher of Thunder was a deal Schicksal would gladly make a hundred times over.
Of course, Raiden Ryoma didn't yet know that his daughter was now one of Schicksal's own.
Raiden Ryoma's expression shifted as he looked at his daughter's pale face.
He gritted his teeth.
Whatever scheme Schicksal was planning, all that mattered was getting his daughter out.
As long as he could protect Mei, that was all that mattered.
Raiden Ryoma took Mei's hand. He glanced at the cell door—it was open, and the Valkyrie guarding the prison said nothing.
It really did look like they were letting him go.
"Let's go, Mei."
"This is not a good place. Dad will take you away from here right now," Raiden Ryoma said.
He planned to take Mei to Anti-Entropy. Now that she had been discovered, the only way to protect her was to keep her at their headquarters.
The Sovereign was the First Herrscher; surely he would accept Mei, who carried the Gem of Conquest within her.
Raiden Ryoma pulled on Mei's hand, ready to leave, but Mei remained standing in place. She looked down at their joined hands.
Noticing Mei hadn't moved, Raiden Ryoma turned back in confusion.
He looked at his daughter's calm face.
For some reason, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Mei, what's wrong? We have to leave quickly, or those Schicksal bastards might go back on their word."
In Raiden Ryoma's eyes, Schicksal had zero credibility.
"Father," Mei said, her expression serene.
"Please forgive your unfilial daughter for being unable to leave with you."
She bowed to Raiden Ryoma.
"Besides, the people of Schicksal are not bad people."
Mei's impression of the Schicksal organization wasn't bad; in fact, it was quite good.
Otto, who was from Schicksal, had helped her.
And it was because of Otto that she had chosen to stay in Schicksal.
Mei hoped her father could correct his mistaken impression of the organization.
Hearing this, Raiden Ryoma froze.
He stared at Mei.
He suddenly realized something.
Why did the clothes Mei was wearing... look a bit like a Schicksal Valkyrie's uniform?
Raiden Ryoma's heart sank. His mouth opened and closed.
"Mei... don't scare your father."
"Hurry up and leave this place with me."
His voice trembled. Raiden Ryoma seemed to have realized something, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"Father, I am now an official Schicksal Valkyrie," Mei stated slowly.
"Huh?" The thought he had been trying to avoid was spoken aloud by Mei herself. Raiden Ryoma pressed a hand to his face.
His own daughter had become a Schicksal Valkyrie?
Ha... ha... HA?!
"SCHICKSAL!"
He now roughly understood why he was being released. It must be because his precious daughter had made some kind of deal with Schicksal.
He could leave, but Mei could not.
As a father who doted on his daughter, this was something he could never accept.
"OTTO!"
Raiden Ryoma practically spat the name through gritted teeth.
"YOU BASTARD!"
A deal like this had to be the handiwork of that scoundrel Otto.
"Mei, don't be afraid. Come with me. We at Anti-Entropy are not afraid of Schicksal."
Raiden Ryoma tried to pull Mei away with him, but before he could even take her hand, he saw her looking at him with an expression of reproach.
My precious daughter, why are you looking at me like that?
You're hurting your father's feelings.
"Father, please don't speak ill of Otto."
"Otto... he's a very kind person."
Hearing the man she loved being spoken of like that by her father made her heart ache.
"Huh?"
Raiden Ryoma stared at his daughter in disbelief. Why is my daughter scolding me? Precious daughter, why are you siding with an outsider against your own family?!
And what's more, saying Otto was a good person?
"Mei, have you been brainwashed by Schicksal?"
He frantically tried to check if his daughter had been brainwashed or bewitched. What kind of potion had they given her to make her say something as foolish as "Otto is a good person"?
But Mei took a step back, her gaze serious as she looked at her father.
"Father, I have always been obedient. I have never asked for anything."
"But this one time, can you let your daughter be willful?"
"I want to stay in Otto's Schicksal."
Mei gave Raiden Ryoma a slight bow, but he hastily dodged it. He would not accept this!
Just then, his eyes widened. As a father, he was sensitive to his daughter's demeanor.
He was getting the feeling that Mei's attitude towards Otto was... a bit strange.
Suddenly, he vividly remembered the video call he'd had with Mei a few days ago.
Raiden Ryoma pointed a trembling finger at Mei.
"That day... were you lying in Otto's arms when you video-called me?"
Hearing this, a rare blush crept onto Mei's cheeks. How did Father know about that?
Otto hadn't even appeared on screen during the call.
Nevertheless, she lowered her head and nodded shyly.
A flicker of sorrow passed through her eyes.
If Otto were still alive, he could have come to meet Father with me.
"HOW DARE HE!"
Raiden Ryoma's expression finally broke. He had been wondering just what kind of man his daughter had fallen for, a man she was even willing to wear thigh-highs for and lie in his arms.
But he never, ever imagined it would be Otto.
Even setting aside that scoundrel's character, Otto was over five hundred years old!
His daughter had fallen in love with a man old enough to be her great-great-great-grandfather!
Otto, you bastard!
This is a sin!