On-screen, Otto looked at Theresa, who was still sulking, and smiled indulgently.
"Mm, I'm not worried about that. After all, those girls are always capable of producing excellent research results—they'll certainly help you solve even the most difficult intellectual problems."
"You don't need to be so angry with me either, Theresa. The ceremony for the transfer of power will proceed as scheduled. I promise that you will become the fully empowered Supreme Overseer of Schicksal."
"I'm about to embark on the final leg of my journey—to cross to the far shore of the world in search of that singular existence…"
"…a hero whose name every one of you knows by heart."
As he spoke, Otto turned around and walked toward the outside of the church.
His figure receded, growing ever more distant.
The others were left staring at one another in silence.
Even now, they still couldn't understand… what Otto was truly planning to do.
But the "hero" Otto mentioned—
they were anything but unfamiliar with that name.
Especially Theresa, Durandal, and the others.
After decades within Schicksal, they had heard it so many times their ears were almost numb.
From afar, Otto's soft murmur drifted back.
"Kallen Kaslana…"
"The only person worthy of my complete devotion…"
"Wait!"
Theresa, finally reacting, shouted after him.
What her grandfather had just said… left too many unanswered questions.
But in the blink of an eye, Otto's figure had already vanished beyond the church doors.
Theresa hurriedly turned to Amber.
The latter bowed slightly.
"Lady Theresa?"
"Amber—where did your Overseer go?"
"I'm very sorry, Lady Theresa… The Overseer has instructed me to protect his privacy."
Amber's tone carried a trace of apology.
"However, now that you have obtained the Herrscher of Domination's core, why not send it back to the Hyperion for research first?"
"That was already my plan. I don't need you to remind me."
Seeing Amber refuse to leak even a word, Theresa crossed her arms in frustration and turned to Durandal.
By all logic, Durandal had always stood firmly on Otto's side.
But after everything they had experienced together, Theresa believed Durandal might be wavering, and so she extended an invitation.
"D—Durandal, would you like to come with me?"
"…I'm not certain, right now…"
Durandal hesitated slightly.
But before she could finish, Rita smoothly cut in.
"Of course we'll return to the Hyperion with you, Lady Theresa."
"…Even you too, Rita?"
"Certainly. You may consider it this way—our service to Lord Otto has come to an end."
Rita's refined face bore a gentle smile.
"For the foreseeable future, we will instead serve you, Lady Theresa."
"This has also been approved by Lord Otto."
As Rita bowed, Theresa's expression grew even more confused.
Otto… really had handed over all authority to her?
Grandfather… was he truly abandoning everything to pursue Kallen?
But how could such a thing possibly be accomplished?!
At that moment—
Schicksal's Overseer, through his conspicuously high-profile actions, inadvertently caused Valkyries from different factions to begin exchanging information more openly.
Yet none of them realized that everything they understood up to this point—
—had been deliberately staged by the Overseer himself, as part of an elaborate performance.
It wasn't just Theresa and her group who were confused.
Outside the screen, the chat was buzzing with unease.
Otto's tone felt… profoundly strange.
It was as if—
he were saying farewell to Theresa.
[Ningguang: I… Otto's behavior feels even stranger now?!]
[Tesla: Something's wrong! Very wrong!!]
[Kiana: Did Otto really go through all this just to lure everyone to Kolosten…]
[Honkai·Himeko: There's no way it's that simple… He finally gets the Herrscher core and just hands it to Theresa?!]
[Theresa: …Even if I believe my grandfather's feelings for me, this isn't like him.]
[March 7th: It feels like Otto is hiding something!]
[Kamisato Ayaka: But still! You can really feel how genuine Otto's feelings are toward Theresa and Durandal…]
[Durandal: I… have never denied that.]
[Furina: He says he'll truly hand Schicksal to Theresa and go find Kallen… Is he planning some kind of martyrdom?!]
[Keqing: T–That can't be possible?!]
[Hu Tao: This is Otto we're talking about—how could he possibly do something like that for someone else…]
[Hu Tao: …Wait. If it's Kallen…]
[Herta: I don't think this is that simple.]
[Herta: For an extreme egoist like Otto, an action with no benefit makes no sense. He must still be planning something.]
[Herta: Most likely, something related to Kallen.]
Soon enough, Herta's suspicion found partial confirmation.
On the way back to the Hyperion, Rita calmly revealed more about Otto's situation.
"Lady Theresa, Lady Durandal… what just happened must have been quite a shock."
"…You were only following orders. That's understandable."
Durandal seemed to recall something.
"Rita, you only departed yesterday for routine communication with World Serpent's headquarters… Did the Overseer forcibly recall you midway?"
"That is correct. The Overseer said that task could be handled by the accompanying administrative personnel."
"Strange. If it was merely to destroy his own soul-steel body, there would be no need for such a large-scale operation."
Durandal said gravely.
Theresa frowned deeply, her small nose scrunching up.
"What exactly is Grandpa plotting?"
As she thought, she unconsciously mirrored Otto's habitual gesture—right hand supporting her chin.
The sight made many viewers outside the screen sigh.
Though Theresa believed she now stood opposed to Otto,
leading the Hyperion crew against certain actions of Schicksal—
she still couldn't escape the influence of decades spent under Otto's guidance.
Her way of thinking… her combat instincts… her command style…
Everything she needed to rule Schicksal had been personally demonstrated by Otto.
Even small habits in daily life—minor gestures, posture—
Theresa had unconsciously learned them all from him.
Perhaps she herself hadn't realized it yet.
Without Otto's indulgent protection, how lost she would feel.
Even now, beneath her vigilance and suspicion toward Otto, there was undeniably concern.
On screen, as Theresa and Durandal pondered in silence, Rita suddenly recalled something.
"Lady Theresa, Lady Durandal—do you remember the journey the Overseer mentioned?"
"Yes. He said he was going to find Kallen Kaslana."
"When he recalled me, he told me about this privately as well. He said that based on long-term research into the Herrscher of the Void and the Second Divine Key, combined with the recent World Bubble experiments—"
"—he has already grasped the only method capable of reviving the dead."
Instantly, shock rippled through the viewers outside the screen.
[Keqing: He even told Rita?!]
[Kiana: Don't tell me Otto really… really found a way???]
[Tesla: That's… impossible!]
[Tesla: Even with Herrscher powers! The energy required to reverse time is far beyond what Otto—or Schicksal—could sustain!]
[Herta: Even if Otto found a method, something still doesn't add up.]
[Ningguang: Indeed… Otto's behavior seems logically flawed…!]
On screen, Rita continued, frowning.
"Lady Theresa, you mentioned that Longguang once spoke of this as well."
"Yes. She said Grandpa resigned because he wanted to return to the past and reunite with Saint Kallen."
"Lady Longguang has executed many of the Overseer's experimental plans, so it's not strange for her to infer such information. However…"
Rita hesitated, her expression thoughtful.
As if Otto's approach contained contradictions she couldn't reconcile.
Finally, she voiced the doubt that had been troubling her.
"If the Overseer truly possesses the ability to independently accomplish the great feat of reversing time—then his current actions are excessively ostentatious."
"Whether it's publicly announcing his resignation, choosing the old headquarters to retrieve the Herrscher core, or ordering me to assassinate the soul-steel replica—"
"Compared to the Overseer's usual plans, everything he's doing now feels… unusually flamboyant."
"This is not his typical modus operandi."
"If the recovery of the Herrscher core and his so-called 'journey' are indeed two separate matters—"
"—then he has invested far too much effort and theatricality into something that should be relatively unimportant."
In an instant—
as Rita voiced her doubts, the realization struck the chat like a thunderclap.
Exactly!
If Otto truly possessed a miracle capable of reversing time to resurrect Kallen—
why would he even bother with the Herrscher core?!
And why do it with such fanfare?!
For Otto, even the destruction of the world would matter less than reviving Kallen!
Theresa nodded immediately, agreeing with Rita.
"Exactly. Grandpa may be flamboyant, but when it comes to truly critical matters, he's always been extremely cost- and efficiency-conscious."
"So Rita, you're suggesting that the recovery of the Herrscher core and the Overseer's upcoming journey—"
"—are actually secretly and closely linked?"
Rita nodded, closing her eyes with a quiet sigh.
"I believe maintaining this kind of rational suspicion is the safest approach."
"After all, no one currently knows… what kind of price the Overseer's 'journey' requires."
"If 'finding Kallen Kaslana' is truly the core motivation of his life, then we must factor in everything he has planned before."
"For instance—the Herrscher of the Void. The Second Divine Key…"
"…and even the expedition Lady Durandal and I undertook in 2012."
As Rita listed more and more examples, the viewers outside the screen grew increasingly uneasy.
If Rita's deductions were correct—
then Otto's chessboard had been laid out long, long ago.
Including this high-profile resignation and the recovery of the Herrscher core.
He had no need to act this way—
yet he did.
It was impossible not to suspect him.
Reality.
Inside Schicksal Headquarters.
Otto watched Rita's deductions on the screen with open admiration.
"Heh… as expected of Rita. Your understanding of me is truly astonishing."
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