Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

Siegfried offered little resistance; after all, the guy beside him was an even bigger slave to women than himself. Siegfried patted Raiden ryoma's arm, signaling him to let go.

After releasing Siegfried, Raiden ryoma looked him in the eye and said sternly:

"Raiden ryoma, you should know that I don't trust Entropy. They tricked me, causing me to lose the person I loved most. Now, the only one I can trust is you. Phone calls get listened to by Entropy, so it's better to talk face-to-face."

"You trust me that much? Too bad you're a sleazy guy. Feeling up all the Valkyries' bottoms, huh?" Raiden ryoma took a step back, increasing the distance from Siegfried as he spoke.

"That was Shigure Kira's revenge for me marrying Cecilia. She spread those rumors. How can you believe that too?"

"Even though I'm not Schicksal, I know the chosen ones didn't deny those rumors. Some were even eager to say you felt up her. Plus, with that sleazy look on your face, it made it seem true."

"Even my mother thought it was true. She almost brought people from our clan to attack Schicksal and 'cleanse' Kaslana's family. Back then, I never thought all the Valkyries loved Cecilia so much. To ruin my reputation, they didn't care about their own purity."

"I thought Cecilia would leave me when my reputation went to hell. But she didn't care about the rumors and even gave me a cute daughter. You should've seen their faces when they learned Cecilia was pregnant—it was like the whole room thought Otto was dead. But then you know... the second Honkai soon broke out..."

As Siegfried spoke, he grew more morose. Raiden ryoma patted him on the shoulder. That damn guy's words made him remember his own wife—they were both just unlucky souls. But at least he still had his daughter. Siegfried had nothing but the bottle to cling to.

"Enough chitchat. Why did you call me over? I need to get back soon."

When it came to business, Siegfried's tone turned serious. He felt the heavenly fire on his body, preparing to draw his weapon.

"Is the girl with Kiana sent over by your Entropy or Schicksal?"

"Kiana? Are you crazy? Did Tesla and the others tell you to name that clone after your own daughter?!"Raiden ryoma's face was full of shock. "What's going on in your head? Did you miss your daughter so much that you've gone mad? And even then, it's a bit too late to lose your mind!"

"Watch your words. Even if she wasn't born to us, she was still a true member of the Kaslana family. Besides, I already treated her as my own daughter."

Siegfried smiled faintly, his eyes burning like fire.

"If it's you Entropy, then I predict your days are numbered. Shortly after the Herrscher of the Void awakened, the Schicksal Forces were already on the scene. Yet it took you this long to send anyone. Still, if you really are from Entropy, then I'd need to have a serious talk with Walter about the power of Heavenly Fire. You've already deceived me once, making me lose my beloved daughter again. If you're planning to target Kiana this time, then we're all going down together!"

Raiden ryoma helplessly raised his hands, looking Siegfried in the eye. "Don't forget, our leader is also a Herrscher. He must have sensed when the Herrscher of the void awakened, but he didn't give any orders, so naturally, we didn't make any big moves. But the radical faction might have done something. Tell me more about this girl."

(Walter: Hey, Ryoma, you're giving me too much credit. I was still lying low, nursing my wounds.)

"Purple hair, red eyes, looks about fifteen or sixteen... She's highly adaptive to Honkai, and her physical abilities rival Kiana's." Before he could finish, the overly emotional Raiden ryoma grabbed him by the throat and interrupted.

As Raiden ryoma described her appearance, Siegfried tried to identify her, but his emotions spiraled out of control when he heard the rest.

"She's highly adaptive to Honkai and has physical abilities that can match the Kaslana family? Siegfried, I'll be damned! Do you realize I sacrificed a whole week with my daughter? Nowadays, every move Entropy makes requires foot soldiers to execute it hands-on. You think we have a Valkyrie recruit that good? And you weren't even brave enough to say this over the phone! You made me fly from the far east to Siberia just to hear your mocking insults about us Entropists face-to-face!"

After flipping Siegfried off twice, Raiden ryoma calmed down and started analyzing the situation.

"First off, it couldn't be anyone from Entropy. We conservatives wouldn't send a young girl to approach you. The radicals even less so. All they can do is yell at meetings; they don't have the resources or the people to handle anything. I control the finances."

Raiden ryoma seemed to suddenly recall something and looked at Siegfried with another thoughtful expression.

"It seems Bishop Otto of Schicksal followed the same pattern as before. Just like how he personally led young Cecilia in her Valkyrie ceremony, he did the same with a blonde girl. I bet the girl with Kiana is also one of Otto's pawns. After all, only someone as wealthy as Otto would raise girls for fun. Aren't all of Schicksal's Valkyries basically his personal projects?"

Siegfried pondered this for a moment, then lowered his gun. He took out two bottles of wine from beside him, handed one to Raiden ryoma, and started drinking from his own without hesitation.

"If it really was Otto, I'd probably feel a bit safer. After all, he wouldn't act against Kiana now.

You know, your betrayal back then brought me face-to-face with Otto. Even though I wanted to kill him so badly, this world just wouldn't do without him. And now, if he's here it must mean something serious is happening.

Otto hated traitors more than anything. I'd betrayed him twice, and he really wanted to kill me. But in the end, he let me and Kiana leave. He told his subordinates it was because my mother had been kneeling outside Schicksal's office this whole time.

But secretly, he told me, "Love can change even a Herrscher. And you're my trump card."

"Otto is a real piece of work. He could've kept quiet and let me follow his plan in the dark. He knows me too well—he knew I couldn't kill Kiana, let alone him.

"So Otto told me his whole plan. Because of the existence of the Entropy Entente's champion, he became even more convinced that human love can overcome any obstacle. Even Honkai can be influenced by human emotions. Otto believed that humanity's nature can defeat Honkai.

"That's why he let me be with Kiana, giving her a happy childhood. Then, after the Herrscher of Void awakens, he'd have it kill me and everyone else important to Kiana.

"This would wake up her human side, which had been suppressed by the Herrscher persona. Then Kiana could control the power of the Herrscher of Void, becoming a hero who fights for humanity."