Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 4: The Night of Red
Just as Sigurd had said, once night fell, his eyesight deteriorated sharply. However, the house was brightly lit, and the light spilling out through its windows made the interior clearly visible.
Under these conditions, Sigurd could still make out the heads of the people inside.
"Two by the first-floor windows, one by the second-floor window. They're on lookout duty…"
The noise inside had died down. Sigurd knew that, aside from the lookouts, most of the others had probably had quite enough to drink.
Which meant the time was right.
If they attacked after dawn, Sigurd's eyesight would recover, but most of the people inside would also be sober. Besides, waiting through the night would wear down Sigurd's stamina and condition. Their side might not be any stronger than it was now.
So this was the best opportunity.
Sigurd gestured to Kiana and raised his crossbow.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three arrows in succession. Loading and firing flowed together seamlessly, taking less than five seconds in total. Their accuracy had already been adjusted to its optimal level through the results of his brain's analysis. He didn't even need to aim with his eyes. Blind shooting was enough to hit their heads.
Crash!
The sound of glass breaking rang out repeatedly. But because the crossbow fired silently, it wouldn't reveal their exact location.
Sigurd knew he had killed someone.
But he felt calm.
He had already prepared himself mentally while eavesdropping. Now that he had actually killed someone, aside from a little nervousness, Sigurd felt no particular discomfort.
Beside him, Kiana lay prone, digging her fingers into the snow and dirt with some reluctance. But in the end, she didn't look away.
"Now, you're my eyes."
Sigurd's reminder was etched into her mind. Kiana knew that her observations now concerned not only her own life, but Sigurd's as well.
A brief commotion broke out inside the house.
Some unlucky bastard stuck half his head out of a first-floor window, believing he was cautiously checking for enemies outside.
Then Sigurd took him out with an arrow.
After that, the lights inside the house went out.
The noise fell into complete silence.
"Seven left."
Sigurd said it both to himself and to Kiana, who was acting as his eyes.
Worried that Kiana might be too tense to recover from the shock, Sigurd reached out and patted her back.
"I'm fine," Kiana gritted out, staring fixedly at the windows and door. She didn't even dare blink.
"Good. Keep watching. Phase two."
As he spoke, Sigurd blindly pulled two tightly stoppered beer bottles from his waist.
His eyes truly couldn't see. Night blindness wasn't something that could be cured with a little adjustment over a day or two.
But their position and the house's location were fixed. A three-dimensional spatial model had already been imprinted in Sigurd's mind.
He weighed the bottles in his hands. Their weight, the strength of his arms, wind speed, distance, direction—a series of factors transformed into a complete mathematical calculation in his mind. Then he threw the two bottles one after the other.
"Both were accurate. They went right inside," Kiana confirmed.
Sigurd gave a quiet "Mm."
Inside the house, the irritating gas began spreading rapidly.
This was a chemical weapon Sigurd had made himself. With the materials he'd managed to find in such a short time, he hadn't been able to produce something lethal. Otherwise, things would have been much simpler. Even so, the gas released from the bottles was highly effective at severely burning the skin, especially vulnerable tissues such as the eyes and nasal passages.
"Ah!"
"What is this? What the hell is that?"
"My eyes hurt!"
"Move! Get out!"
Amid the sounds of collisions and tables and chairs toppling over, Sigurd heard the door open.
"Kiana." Sigurd called.
Following his earlier instructions, Kiana immediately replied, "Left-center and right! Two people in total!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Sigurd fired two arrows almost with his eyes closed, sending the two men who were staggering toward the exit back inside.
The doorway was only wide enough for about three adult men to squeeze through at once. So the five terms—left, left-center, center, right-center, and right—were enough for Sigurd to pinpoint the positions of anyone coming through.
But the information was being relayed by Kiana, after all. Sigurd could only guarantee that he would hit a person somewhere on the upper body. He couldn't be certain exactly where the arrows would land.
Kiana promptly reported the results:
"Both hit! They got hit in the chest. They… they aren't moving anymore. Left-center, behind the door, about… about two meters away. There's another one crouching down."
Sigurd frowned.
This information was even more vague and uncertain. He calculated for one second, then fired three arrows.
A moment later, Kiana reported:
"Two hit! One in the leg, and one… one right in the head. That one's dead too."
"Four."
Sigurd said coldly.
That was how many remained.
Then he took out two more chemical weapon bottles with the same ingredients.
Smash! Smash!
The sound of the bottles breaking inside the house rang out.
The corrosive gas, which had partially dissipated when the door opened, once again filled the room, continuing to torment the occupants' eyes and respiratory passages.
A burn caused by fire becomes more severe when exposed to further burning. Similarly, bodily tissues damaged by the gas didn't become immune to further injury. Especially as the gas concentration continued to rise, the victims could only experience increasingly intense pain.
Sure enough, agonized screams soon erupted from inside.
Then came the panic-induced gunfire.
The commotion naturally alerted the neighbors. But the townspeople already knew that the people living in that house were no good. And now there was gunfire—however they looked at it, this was clearly trouble.
So no one dared come out to watch. Everyone was afraid of getting caught up in the danger.
Thanks to this, Sigurd could hear the screams inside the house relatively clearly and roughly determine their locations once the gunfire stopped.
A shotgun, generously supplied by the hardware store owner, appeared in Sigurd's hands. It was a shotgun that could only hold one shell at a time.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
After four shots and four reloads, Sigurd ran his hand over the shotgun loaded with shells, tilted his head, and listened to the sounds inside the house.
A full ten minutes passed before he finally let out a long breath.
"It should be over. Kiana, wait here. I'll go check first."
"I'll confirm the situation. You stay here!"
Kiana ignored Sigurd's orders. She got up on her own and cautiously made her way toward the house, tiptoeing through the snow.
"Kiana, are you insane?! Get back here!"
Sigurd shouted in a low voice.
But the only response he received was the sound of Kiana's footsteps fading into the distance as she walked across the snow.
Bang!
Sigurd slammed his fist into the ground, veins bulging on his forehead.
He was already ninety percent certain that nobody inside the house was still alive. But even if there was the slightest uncertainty…
"Wait! At least take the gun with you!" Sigurd growled toward her, then added, "Don't treat your own life like a joke!"
Perhaps Sigurd's low growl had intimidated her, or perhaps she had finally understood the danger. In the end, Kiana turned back, intending to pick up the shotgun in front of him.
However, when she approached to within two or three steps of Sigurd and was about to crouch down to grab the gun, Sigurd—who had been listening to her footsteps—suddenly reached out with both hands, grabbed the cuffs of her pants, and yanked.
"Ahhh!!"
Kiana was pulled back by Sigurd and pinned beneath him.
"So you've grown a backbone! You've even learned to make decisions on your own, huh?"
"Mm! Mm!"
Kiana's mouth was covered, leaving her unable to say anything.
To be fair, even in his fury, Sigurd's strength was still within the range of an ordinary child's. Kiana could easily have overpowered him.
But when she saw Sigurd's dark, terrifying expression, she suddenly didn't dare fight back.
She was afraid, of course.
But alongside that fear, she also felt something strange in her heart. If she had to describe it, it was almost… a little happiness.
Sigurd stared at her. In the darkness, he couldn't make out her expression. After a long while, he finally released her mouth and said:
"Neither of us is going anywhere. We can wait a little longer. If someone were still awake in an environment filled with that poisonous gas, they couldn't possibly stay silent."
If they waited a little longer and everything remained quiet, they should be able to confirm that everyone inside was dead.
Kiana hurriedly nodded, then immediately remembered that Sigurd might not be able to see her. She weakly replied:
"I… I understand."
…
Sigurd had correctly estimated the number of people and executed his plan flawlessly. The one thing he hadn't anticipated was Kiana deciding to act on her own.
Of course, he understood that Kiana had been trying to protect him. But this was not something he could compromise on. It was simply unacceptable.
The consequence of his refusal to compromise was that the two of them continued lying prone on the icy ground for another half hour or so.
For Kiana, this was no burden at all. If anything, the longer they waited, the more energetic she became.
For Sigurd, who had only just managed to enjoy a single day of being well-fed, it was practically torture.
This was also something he had anticipated.
So when he judged that enough time had passed, Sigurd didn't try to tough it out. He simply had Kiana support him as they entered the house.
To prevent a surprise attack, Sigurd didn't turn on any lights. Instead, he held the shotgun in one hand and carefully searched both floors with Kiana accompanying him.
He heard no breathing or heartbeat.
It was really over.
Only then did Sigurd finally relax. He had Kiana close the door and turn on the lights inside.
The wiring on the second floor seemed to have been severed during his attack. In the end, only the light in the first-floor living room still worked.
After confirming that the house was safe, Sigurd considered his physical condition. Using the ingredients available inside, he cooked some soup and prepared a bit of hot food, then set it on the table.
"Eat. You need to replenish your nutrients."
Sigurd said this with an expression as calm as still water, seemingly oblivious to the chaos and bloodshed around him.
But Kiana, who obediently sat beside him, didn't pounce on the food and devour it as she had before.
She glanced at the several corpses nearby, the blood pooling across the floor, and the splashes of blood on the table. Even the plate in front of her had red stains around its edge, making her wonder whether the soup and food might contain human blood as well.
Kiana (ㅎ.ㅎ): "..."
"I made sure to wash everything. There's no blood in it. And even if there were, it wouldn't be poisonous."
Sigurd glanced at the corpses within arm's reach and calmly took a sip of soup.
Just as he said, everything had been washed. And even if a tiny bit of human blood had accidentally gotten mixed in, it generally wouldn't be poisonous. Besides, it had been heated and sterilized.
Yet a moment later, his expression still twisted. He couldn't help reaching up to cover his mouth.
Kiana stared blankly at Sigurd and said in exasperation, "That's not the point! And you look like you can't stomach it either!"
Sigurd glared at her. Then, helplessly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finally swallowing the soup in his mouth.
"Suit yourself. If you don't eat now, you'll be chewing on dry rations later," Sigurd opened his eyes and said flatly.
There was no other choice. Kiana's constitution was extraordinary; she could do whatever she wanted without suffering any consequences. Sigurd, on the other hand, was so physically fragile that even a slight drop in the temperature outside could accidentally freeze him to death.
At this point, he had already spent nearly half a day lying in the snow outside without replenishing any food or water. If he didn't replenish his calories and nutrients soon, something would definitely go wrong.
Would you say he had psychological issues?
Of course he did. But the same principle still applied: when survival was at stake, every obstacle had to be overcome.
Overcome it. For the sake of my body. Think of it as training my willpower.
Feeling the cold in his limbs and the faint irritation in his respiratory tract, Sigurd told himself this. Then he suppressed his various discomforts and forced himself to chew and swallow.
Even so, the meal was utterly tasteless.
After finishing dinner, Sigurd finally felt some warmth returning to his body. He then signaled to Kiana and brought out the two briefcases they had found while searching the house.
They were the square, black briefcases commonly seen in movies—the kind that immediately made you think they contained either cash or classified documents.
Sigurd hadn't obtained the combination while eavesdropping. But now he had plenty of tools at his disposal, and after carefully checking for safety issues, he opened the cases with ease.
On the left was a neat stack of banknotes. On the right were bags filled with crystalline granules.
"US dollars, and drugs…"
Sigurd muttered as he looked at the contents of the two cases.
Then he tossed the case containing the crystalline granules aside.
He poured the stacks of US dollars from the other case into the cloth bag he had brought with him, then tossed that case aside as well.
After signaling Kiana to carry the money, Sigurd thought for a moment and took a mobile phone from the body of a man who was dressed rather elegantly.
Fortunately, yesterday, while handling things, he had paid special attention to the local language and analyzed it. He couldn't claim to have mastered it completely, but he could at least read basic text.
Good thing it's an old-fashioned keypad phone, without fingerprint locks or anything like that… Oh, found it. The Boss's number.
Cough! Cough, cough!
Sigurd pinched his throat and adjusted his voice before dialing.
"Hello! Gatt here. Everything going smoothly?"
"Ural's… Silver Wolf…"
Sigurd imitated the voice of the leader of one of the two groups, making it sound weak, pained, and broken.
Then—
Bang!
He tossed the phone beneath the table beside the corpse. At the same time, Sigurd repeatedly pulled the trigger, unleashing a barrage of metal projectiles that struck the area ahead and hit several corpses, creating the appearance of a fierce gunfight.
Then Sigurd gave Kiana, who was covering her mouth to keep from making a sound, a meaningful look.
The two quietly left the house. As they closed the door behind them, flames began spreading inside.
After walking a few steps, Sigurd tossed a homemade Molotov cocktail into a car parked by the roadside.
Soon, the car and the house were engulfed in scorching flames. A series of explosions followed, and every trace of what had happened would disappear in the inferno.
That way, the only information the two groups could obtain would be the codename "Silver Wolf of the Urals."
"What's a 'Wolf of Ural'?"
Kiana asked curiously as they walked away with their backs to the burning house.
"It's the Silver Wolf of the Urals. Never mind. It doesn't matter. Just pretend you've never heard of it."
That's a future friend of yours, Sigurd thought to himself.
He didn't know whether Bronya had already acquired this title and begun operating in the underworld. But the timing should be about right. Even if she wasn't the "Silver Wolf of the Urals" yet, she would be soon.
If these people were investigated based on that codename, the forces behind them might end up drawing the attention of official agencies. They could even be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Even if things didn't go that far, it didn't matter. It was merely a little trick to misdirect the investigation. Sigurd simply didn't want the two criminal gangs coming after them so soon.
…
Sigurd left all the weapons that bore traces of use, including the shotgun and crossbow, in the inferno.
He had Kiana stuff a small stack of US dollars into the hardware store as compensation. Meanwhile, using the light from a flashlight, he smashed or buried the traces of their life beneath the bridge, clearing them away.
Looking at it again, the messy space beneath the bridge, littered with garbage, now looked like nothing more than a dump. It wouldn't attract anyone's attention.
Then Sigurd stole a donkey cart. Under the cover of night, the two drove the cart away from the town.
"What a shame. We buried the charcoal this morning, but we haven't dug it up yet."
Kiana hugged her knees and leaned against Sigurd, sounding rather disappointed.
"If we get the chance, we can come back and dig it up later. We could use it for a barbecue or something. That is, assuming nobody digs it up first."
"Impossible! The traces are so obvious. Someone's definitely going to dig it up!"
Kiana muttered sadly. For once, she wasn't thinking about food. She still hadn't recovered from the bloody scene they had just witnessed.
Sigurd flicked the whip and asked:
"Does it really matter that much to you?"
"Of course! That was charcoal I buried myself! One of a kind!"
Kiana pouted, speaking with a mixture of resentment and melancholy.
Sigurd was speechless.
They had already obtained a whole bag of US dollars. Did she really still care about the money from selling a little charcoal?
But Kiana wasn't actually concerned about the money. She just wanted to find a lighter topic to distract herself, covering up the complicated feelings she had after helping Sigurd kill eleven people.
"If you're sleepy, go to sleep."
Having sensed Kiana's low spirits to some extent, Sigurd said this.
Unexpectedly, Kiana shook her head. "No. Your body is too weak. If I fall asleep, what if you collapse while I'm not paying attention?"
"…"
As a man, Sigurd didn't want to admit it. But he had to acknowledge that she was right.
Unfortunately, his short little legs weren't capable of driving a car. And a vehicle as enclosed as a car couldn't be modified into something a child could operate without sufficient tools and time.
So, the only vehicle they could use was the donkey cart. And driving it required keeping a close eye on the road for long periods.
"Haa~"
Sigurd suddenly couldn't help yawning. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Then he looked at Kiana, who clearly wasn't sleepy at all. In that case, why not…
"Kiana, sit properly. I'll teach you how to drive the donkey cart."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
It wasn't difficult.
Even for someone with Kiana's abilities, about an hour was enough to get the hang of it.
Afterward, Sigurd, whose consciousness was gradually failing him, went to rest in the back. Kiana took control of the direction herself and slowly ventured deeper into the snowy mountains.
…
And so, the night passed. The sky on the horizon gradually began to brighten.
Remembering Sigurd's instructions, Kiana called out as soon as she saw the light:
"Sig, wake up. It's morning already."
Kiana tried to wake Sigurd as instructed, but even after quite some time, she still didn't hear a response.
Confused, Kiana stopped the cart and looked behind her. Sigurd's small body was curled up on the cart bed, tightly wrapped in blankets. Yet his face was pale, and his brows were furrowed.
"Sigurd!"
Kiana jolted in alarm and hurriedly climbed into the back, placing her hand against his forehead.
"He's so hot!"
He had a fever.
Kiana frantically searched the cart. It was loaded with food, clothes, and fuel. There were even pistols and ammunition.
The one thing it didn't have was medicine, which was scarce in the town.
And even if they had some, Kiana—who had never caught a cold in her life and had been raised by Siegfried, who had never caught one either—had absolutely no idea how to use it!
"What do I do? Right, a doctor! I have to find a doctor, quickly!"
"Sig said… said to keep going in the direction of that mountain over there! It'll be fine! Hang in there, Sig!"
Kiana piled every blanket and anything similar she could find over Sigurd, then climbed into the front and urged the donkey cart onward, trying to make it go faster.
But the donkey cart didn't have that kind of capability.
The more anxious Kiana became, the more she felt that the donkey was moving as slowly as if it weren't moving at all. The snow-covered scenery before her remained endlessly white, and she could barely feel that they were making any progress.
To make matters worse, snowflakes began falling from the sky.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Kiana was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't make the donkey cart move any faster.
She looked back again. She could clearly feel Sigurd's presence growing weaker, as though… as though he might die at any moment.
"Yesterday… yesterday you were still so amazing! Sig, you have to hang in there!"
Kiana turned back toward the front and stared at the donkey, which continued plodding along at its leisurely pace, completely oblivious to her desperation.
"Damn it! I'll do it myself!"
Kiana gritted her teeth, pulled a large flatbread from her clothes, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then she drew the pistol from behind the cart bed and aimed it at the harness connecting the donkey to the cart.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out, and the donkey was freed from the cart. Suddenly relieved of its load and startled by the gunfire, it actually picked up its pace a little, darting off to the side.
Kiana paid no attention to the donkey. She jumped straight down from the driver's seat, the flatbread still clenched between her teeth, and braced both hands against the cart's shafts.
"Move…!"
In her desperation, an inexplicable surge of tremendous power welled up inside her. Her small body forcibly dragged the heavy donkey cart, gradually accelerating until it was soon racing across the snow.
That mountain over there… I just need to head toward that mountain…
So much snow… Sigurd… Sigurd must be freezing… Damn it, snowflakes are getting in my eyes!
Kiana took a sharp breath, kept the flatbread clenched between her teeth, and accelerated again. White steam began rising from her body.
She had only one thought in her mind:
Faster. Faster!
Even Siegfried's disappearance had never made Kiana this terrified.
That was because Siegfried was strong. Kiana knew he wouldn't get into trouble, and she was certain they would meet again someday. All she had to do was keep searching.
But Sigurd was different. Sigurd was right before her eyes, so weak, so close to death, as though he might stop breathing at any moment.
Kiana didn't know many people. Even fewer cared about her. One was Siegfried, who had gotten lost. The only other was Sigurd, whom she had known for barely two days.
Now, the person who cared about her was about to die right before her eyes.
Kiana felt as though a hole had been torn open in her heart, yet she had no way to do anything about it.
"Ahhh!!!"
With a long, anguished cry, the flatbread, now missing a corner, fell into the snow. At the same time, as Kiana ran, a hint of gold quietly appeared in her beautiful blue eyes, despite the snowstorm.
At that very moment, more than ten kilometers away, Siegfried, who had never strayed too far from Kiana, seemed to sense something. He abruptly raised his head, looked in the direction where Kiana was, and rushed toward her through the swirling snow.
…
Half a day later, at night, Kiana lifted the blanket and sat up.
Kiana felt very strange.
Her memories had cut off at the moment she was pulling the donkey cart at full speed, when the blizzard had made it almost impossible to distinguish directions.
When she regained consciousness, she was covered by a blanket. Beneath her was a neatly arranged straw mat and mattress. Looking up, she seemed to be inside a fairly spacious cave.
Kiana turned her head. A warm campfire burned not far away. Near the entrance stood the donkey cart, fully stocked with supplies—except for the donkey.
Beside the fire, Sigurd sat wrapped in a thick quilt, holding a cup of hot water in both hands. He looked at her with a calm expression.
"Eh? Sig, you're okay now?!"
"More or less."
"Uh… where are we? How did we get here?"
"...Wasn't this your doing?"
Sigurd asked in a puzzled tone, "So, it wasn't you?"
Kiana responded by tilting her little head, a string of question marks popping up above it.
"Then I guess it wasn't. Makes sense. With your intelligence, how could you possibly have handled things so smoothly?"
"Hey!"
Kiana immediately jumped up, her cheeks puffing out in anger like an enraged pufferfish.
Then, Sigurd calmed Kiana's fury with a single word.
"Thanks."
"Huh? HUH?!"
Kiana was utterly shocked. Her expression was no less astonished than that of a little kid watching Ultraman and a monster, who were supposed to be fighting to the death, suddenly embrace and French kiss.
Good heavens! Even a brat as obnoxiously smug as Sigurd knew how to say thank you?
Sigurd turned toward the campfire, making sure Kiana didn't notice the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Although I was delirious from the fever, I could actually tell what was happening while you were pulling the cart."
"?"
"When you were running, I actually wanted to tell you that you were going in the wrong direction. I just didn't have the strength to say it out loud. So, thank you for trying so hard to save me."
"Oh, I see… Hahaha! Of course, of course! This lady is so loyal, naturally I wouldn't just stand by and watch you die in front of me!"
Kiana scratched her head, seemingly ignoring the fact that she had run in the wrong direction, and wore a smug, tsundere expression.
Sigurd patted the spot beside him.
"Come over and eat something. Then, I need you to go outside and check the weather and surroundings so we can figure out which way to go."
"Hey! You're making me work the moment I wake up?! Are you even human?!"
"When we reach the nearest town, I'll take you out for something delicious. As much as you want."
"Deal! It's not because I want food! I'm just thinking about you. You're so weak that you might faint again while scouting for directions!"
As she spoke, Kiana reached out and touched Sigurd's forehead.
Hmm. His temperature was normal now.
Only then did she truly relax.
"Sure, sure. Lady Kiana is truly generous and magnanimous."
As Sigurd spoke, he gently pushed away the hand resting on his forehead and handed her the soup and food he had prepared.
"What is this? You're treating me like a little kid!"
Kiana huffed. Since her stomach was already empty, she stopped wasting her energy protesting and began wolfing down the food.
After eating and drinking her fill, the girl burped and patted her stomach with a satisfied expression. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked:
"Eh? So how exactly did we end up here?"
"You ran in the wrong direction, going deeper and deeper into the snowy mountains until you exhausted yourself and passed out. Fortunately, a kind passerby rescued us and brought us here. He had other things to take care of, though, so he left once he saw that I was awake. Don't worry, I thanked him properly."
"Eh? But didn't you say you didn't know?"
"I lied to you," Sigurd casually replied, taking a sip of hot water.
Kiana's eyes immediately widened.
Good heavens! How could such a terrible person exist in this world? She had just worked so hard to save him, nearly crying from worry, and now he was turning around and lying to her?
"Sigurd!"
Kiana lightly punched Sigurd's shoulder, then got up and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Bleh! I don't want to talk to you anymore! I'm going to check the situation outside. You can stay here and reflect on your behavior!"
"Look around carefully. But don't go too far. If you get lost, stay where you are and shout, I'll come looking for you."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"You… aren't you?"
Sigurd put on a puzzled expression.
Kiana immediately sucked in a sharp breath, feeling her blood rush straight to her head.
Good heavens! I really shouldn't have saved him!
Just as Kiana was about to explode with anger, Sigurd suddenly smiled.
It was the first time Kiana had ever seen such a gentle and normal smile from him.
"Sorry. Actually, you're quite cute when you get angry. Sometimes, I just can't help wanting to see it. Be careful. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
C… Cute…
Cu-cute?
Cute!
This guy Sigurd actually called me cute?!
"Oh… Mm."
Kiana turned around and walked out of the cave with her arms and legs moving in perfect, awkward unison.
From the front, where Sigurd couldn't see her, her fair, soft little face had broken into an uncontrollable grin, and her cheeks were already bright red.
…
After Kiana had been gone for quite some time, Sigurd put down his cup and let out a long breath. Then, he suddenly called toward the cave entrance:
"Come out. Kiana's already left."
"Heave-ho!"
A deep male voice rang out, and a figure dropped down from above, appearing at the cave entrance.
Sigurd took a closer look.
The man was tall, with silver-white hair, blue eyes, and a thin white trench coat. A pair of exquisite white pistols hung at his waist.
The most striking feature, however, was that he was missing an arm.
So it really is you, Siegfried Kaslana.
Sigurd swirled the hot water in his cup, feeling somewhat surprised, yet also as though this had been entirely expected.
"So your name is Sigurd, huh? How did you know I was outside?"
Siegfried brushed the snow off his body with one hand. His rugged, stubbly face was still handsome, and he wore a carefree, laid-back smile.
Sigurd swirled his cup.
"I was just guessing. I wasn't certain, so I decided to test it."
Siegfried's lazy smile immediately froze.
"Tsk! The way you look reminds me of someone I really can't stand."
That would probably be Otto, Sigurd thought.
Then, without changing his expression, he replied, "That's unfortunate. Regardless, thank you for saving me, Siegfried Kaslana."
"Kiana even told you about me?"
"Yeah. I casually asked her about you, and she just told me everything without the slightest bit of caution."
"Ugh!"
Siegfried covered his face, looking utterly speechless and troubled.
However, Sigurd glanced at him and remarked, "I think this is a problem with your parenting."
"How could that be? I raised her according to the excellent traditions of the Kaslana family. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"Then the problem must lie with you personally."
"Hey!"
"Unless you're trying to say that Kiana is naturally stupid?"
"Of course not! My Kiana is absolutely perfect!"
"Then the problem is yours."
"..."
Siegfried scratched his head, feeling completely at a loss for words. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the argument, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that this little brat had some kind of grudge against him.
"Yes, I do have a problem with you."
Can you read minds?!
Siegfried stared at him in astonishment.
"I'm not reading your mind. You and Kiana are quite alike. I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at your faces."
Siegfried: "..."
"Anyway, judging by the circumstances, you shouldn't be too far away from Kiana. So why didn't you meet up with her yourself and instead let her go looking for you?"
Sigurd asked this while looking directly at Siegfried with his calm, expressionless eyes. There wasn't the slightest trace of a smile on his face.
Of course, he knew the storyline. But even knowing what was supposed to happen, he still couldn't understand such an irresponsible course of action.
Siegfried clearly knew that Kiana's actual age was even younger than her appearance suggested. Her memories only began from the moment he rescued her from the laboratory.
To leave a girl like that behind and let her wander alone through an unfamiliar world—
At the very least, Sigurd found the whole thing deeply unpleasant.
"I…"
Siegfried opened his mouth, but seemed unable to find the words to continue.
Looking at Siegfried's troubled expression, Sigurd supplied the possible explanations for him.
"Being around her would put her in danger? Or perhaps your missing arm has something to do with her, and you don't know how to explain it to her?"
Sigurd's two suggestions seemed to strike close to the truth, or at least part of it. Siegfried's expression changed, and he looked at Sigurd in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"The first reason is a general deduction. As for the second, Kiana has never mentioned that you're missing an arm. In her eyes, you're perfectly healthy, with all four limbs intact. And besides… I just told Kiana that I hadn't completely lost consciousness back then. I also saw how strangely she suddenly started behaving."
When Sigurd's fever had become so severe that he couldn't even make a sound, he had witnessed the power of a Herrscher firsthand for the very first time.
The howling wind reversed direction, and the falling snowflakes froze in midair. It was as though the entire world had been consumed by the tiny figure running desperately through the snow.
Simply looking at Kiana's back had been enough to trigger a primal fear deep within Sigurd's instincts. His mind had gone completely blank, and he had quickly lost consciousness.
As for what happened afterward, Siegfried had probably arrived just in time to knock Kiana unconscious. At worst, the two might even have fought an intense battle, leveling the surrounding snowy mountains in the process.
"Is that so? So you saw her Herrscher form too. Regardless, I hope you'll believe me when I say that Kiana is a good girl. She doesn't want to be like that. It's not something she chooses for herself. It's a… curse that has been bound to her."
Siegfried came over to the campfire and crouched beside it, warming his hands. He struggled to maintain the smile on his face, looking at Sigurd with an almost pleading expression.
This was the first friend Kiana had ever made in her life.
No matter what, Siegfried didn't want Kiana to lose this friendship because of something that wasn't her fault.
Sigurd lowered his eyes and continued slowly turning his cup.
"I only caught a glimpse of it. I lost consciousness completely shortly afterward. I already understand what kind of person Kiana is. So, what exactly is a Herrscher?"
"A Herrscher, huh? That's a rather long story. Basically, you can think of them as enemies of humanity."
Siegfried lit a cigarette using the campfire. As he exhaled clouds of smoke, he let out a melancholy sigh.
Where was he hiding that? His clothes are soaked with melted snow, so how is his cigarette still dry?
Sigurd already knew about the concepts of Honkai and Herrschers, so his thoughts briefly wandered off in that direction. However, he quickly brought his attention back to the conversation.
Knowing the fictional setting was one thing, but the true nature of Honkai was another. Even the original writers might not have fully understood it. Therefore, the information Siegfried possessed was still quite valuable, especially anything concerning Kiana.
Following the topic, Sigurd said:
"Tell me about it. The Herrschers, and Kiana's situation."
"Then I'll explain. Since you've already gotten involved, you'll have to learn about these things sooner or later. First, you need to understand a concept called Honkai…"
Honkai: The enemy of civilization. It manifested in various forms, ranging from natural disasters and plagues to powerful Honkai Beasts. Although its manifestations differed, its purpose was always the same: the destruction of civilization. Without a doubt, it was humanity's enemy.
Herrschers: Human-shaped emissaries of Honkai born during large-scale Honkai disasters. They possessed world-destroying powers and the potential to wipe out entire civilizations. They could be considered the most dangerous threats posed by Honkai.
Within Kiana's body slept the soul of the Second Herrscher, who had been killed more than ten years ago…
As for the rest of Kiana's background, including why the Second Herrscher was inside her body, Siegfried chose not to reveal anything.
Sigurd listened quietly until Siegfried finished speaking. He compared and integrated the information with what he already knew, only to find that he hadn't gained much new insight.
While Sigurd pretended to be processing everything, Siegfried faced the campfire, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and continued.
"The reason I left Kiana is more or less what you suggested. If that's why you have a problem with me, then I have nothing to say. I really am a failure as a father, whether when it comes to the Kiana here or…"
His unfinished words caused the man, who had seemed rather carefree when they first met, to sink into complete dejection.
At that moment, Sigurd raised his head and spoke in a stiff, almost commanding tone.
"Go see her. Just make up some excuse about your arm. She'll believe whatever you tell her. Even if you still have to leave afterward, at least give her a hug and tell her that you love her, but that you have something important to take care of and have no choice but to go."
"I… I can't. That would only make her worry even more."
"I'd rather have her worry than suddenly start crying in the middle of the night, wondering whether you've abandoned her," Sigurd coldly rebuked him.
Siegfried, oh Siegfried. Do you really not understand?
When Kiana discovers that she's merely a clone, when she learns that she's not actually your daughter, when she realizes that her entire life has been nothing more than an absurd farce, just how much damage will your decision to abandon her now inflict upon her?
By then, her previous self-doubt will become undeniable proof. Her longing will turn into despair, and the tiny shadows that have accumulated in her heart over the years will instantly expand into an endless darkness that consumes her entire inner world.
For someone as deeply attached to the people she loves as Kiana, that would be nothing short of hell.
Under Sigurd's stern gaze, Siegfried opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice filled with guilt and helplessness.
"I can't do it."
"..."
Sigurd turned his gaze away and said nothing more.
He knew he couldn't force Siegfried to do anything. The reason he had been able to question Siegfried so forcefully was partly due to Siegfried's down-to-earth personality, and partly because the matter concerned Kiana.
But Sigurd couldn't force him. He was barely strong enough to stand up right now. What could he possibly do to make Siegfried comply?
Besides, knowing the storyline was one thing, but Sigurd didn't fully understand what Siegfried had been through or what burdens he was carrying. Even if he wanted to persuade him, he didn't know where to begin.
"Anyway, please look after Kiana from now on."
Siegfried scratched his head dejectedly, wearing an apologetic expression.
Looking at the campfire, Sigurd replied expressionlessly:
"Just look at my age and physical condition. Do you honestly think I'm capable of protecting her? Besides, if even you, her own father, can be so heartless toward her, why should I throw myself into the whirlpool of Honkai and Herrschers for a Kiana I've known for barely two days?"
"Kid, I may not be particularly smart, but I do know how to judge people. I've been keeping an eye on you two over the past couple of days, including last night when you killed those people and escaped from the town. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to intervene in time to stop Kiana. Anyway, my instincts tell me that you're reliable, and that you're not the kind of person who backs down out of fear. I believe you can help Kiana. And besides, it's actually already too late for you to stay out of this…" Siegfried spoke in a faint, meaningful tone.
For the first time, Sigurd's otherwise calm and composed body stiffened.