"Who said I'm an old lady?"
Senti threw a fierce look and swept her gaze around before finally fixing her eyes on Li Sushang.
"Mmm..."
Her fierce gaze quickly transformed into confusion and reflection.
"Who are you again... eh... Sushang?"
"What do you mean by 'who are you'?"
Li Sushang was very unhappy with her own grandmaster.
"Are you suffering from Alzheimer's again?"
Li Sushang looked at Senti with affection.
When Li Sushang was a child, she didn't have a good relationship with Hua.
After all, back then, in her eyes, she was the one to blame for the unhappiness of her aunt and stepmother.
Later, when she grew up, her aunt told her some stories from the past, and she realized that the things her elders had done were a mess, and that it was truly difficult to distinguish between right and wrong.
So, although Li Sushang does not speak with much politeness, she recognizes Hua as her master.
"What do you mean by 'having Alzheimer's again'?"
Senti rubbed her temples.
"For a moment I didn't remember... Eh, you..."
Senti looked at "Sabrese" at her side.
"Kallen, right? Your transformation is too great not to recognize you."
"Well, after all, I didn't go with Otto to pick up Su Mei and the others back then."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Rita, who was standing by her side, was no longer calm.
"Ehm... Miss Hua, the Kallen you are talking about is..."
"Your strongest Valkyrie from 500 years ago, Kallen Kaslana."
Senti pointed to Kallen as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then pointed to Amber.
"Don't these two look alike?"
"Yes, they do look quite similar."
Rita examined them both and nodded with great difficulty.
"But that's not right! Wasn't she supposed to be Saint Kallen...?"
"History is nothing more than a girl who can be dressed however one likes."
Rita heard Miss Vera, who had remained silent until then, speak.
"Even the process of the Anti-Entropy rebellion from fifty or sixty years ago can be altered, let alone history from five hundred years ago."
"Dress it however you like..."
Rita repeated the phrase while looking with some rigidity at the blonde girl named "Vera" who was next to her.
Lisa is Amber.
Sabrese is Kallen Kaslana.
And this Miss Vera...
Rita suddenly remembered something.
Yesterday, or rather, early this morning, Tian Shi asked her an unexpected question.
"Rita, what if one day someone told you that Bishop Otto was a woman...?"
What was my answer back then?
Ah, right, "a private room in the psychiatric hospital."
But now it seems that...
Rita stared at Lady Vera, who was in front of her, with some rigidity.
Ragna, who was standing by her side, seemed to notice something and began to approach Rita.
"Lord Bishop?"
"Good afternoon, Rita."
Hearing Rita's tentative question, Otto nodded with a smile.
Hearing this answer, Ragna immediately turned her head and covered her face, while Rita closed her eyes and gently pinched the bridge of her nose, with an expression of total bewilderment.
Should we kill her to silence her?
A very dangerous idea suddenly occurred to Rita.
This body is definitely not a Soulium body; it is a real physical body, and one that is completely powerless, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to deceive her.
If we just lowered the scythe right now and ended it all... Doesn't it seem impossible?
"Rita, I have a feeling you are having dangerous thoughts."
"How is that possible, Your Excellency?"
When she realized her thoughts had been exposed, Rita flashed her characteristic smile.
Mmm... it's the kind of fake smile that Ciora described as "the more you look at it, the more disgusting it gets."
"So you were planning to make a move right now, weren't you?"
"How is that possible?"
"..."
Otto's lips twitched as she looked at her S-rank Valkyrie, who was giving her a feigned smile.
Love truly blinds people; has it reached the point where they are willing to self-destruct?
Otto was furious, and Rita felt the same.
Our Bishop is a woman?
And she also looks like a delicate blonde beauty?
Is she crazy or is the world crazy?
And think about it, what exactly did I say to her Bishop a moment ago?
Without a doubt, we should hurry up and notify Anti-Entropy.
Whether it's a male or female Bishop, a dead Bishop is the most reassuring kind.
"Don't worry, although I don't think it's appropriate for you to resign at this critical moment, I actually support your decision."
Otto perceived the growing murderous aura around her and quickly spoke.
If she hadn't spoken, they might have killed her.
At this distance, even with Kallen and Li Sushang behind, it is enough time for an S-class Valkyrie to instantly kill an ordinary person.
Furthermore, she and Rita were facing each other, while the other two were behind her.
The difference in their physical capabilities was too obvious.
With her average physical strength, she would have died if Rita had hit her.
"Eh?"
Rita's somewhat bewildered voice immediately dissipated the atmosphere around her.
"Ahem, after all, I was once your age too."
"What you say has absolutely no credibility."
Rita looked warily at the Bishop, who adopted an elderly posture.
"Please, do not use the male Bishop you know—that is, the AI I created—to judge my credibility."
Otto said with righteousness and severity.
The disaster the AI left behind...
In my rebellious days, I achieved fame and fortune while maintaining my purity and innocence.
But the AI's actions have caused this disaster.
Perhaps it is a difference in thinking between men and women?
"I don't think the person who could design that kind of AI is a good person..."
Rita let out a comment without thinking.
"However... I never expected you to be a woman."
Rita spoke while looking at Senti.
What is going through your head?
Why didn't you mention such important news?
Senti seemed completely taken aback by Rita's piercing gaze.
"Guys... did no one ask me? And everyone knows I wasn't thinking clearly before, isn't this... recovering from a serious illness?"
No one believes that reason!
"I guess this is what a surprise means."
Otto looked at Senti with surprise and then smiled at Rita.
Mmm... Rita always felt a bit uncomfortable when she saw her Bishop's smile.
She really is the Bishop.
"Rita, you should learn from Bianca; although you are better than Bianca in terms of mental agility, you are far inferior to her in other aspects."
"I think Lady Bianca hasn't realized what's going on yet..."
"No, I'm not surprised."
Bianca said, observing Otto.
"I already had a vague feeling about it, so now it doesn't surprise me at all."
"Well... that's an incredible intuition."
Otto let out a helpless chuckle at this.
"And you, there, stop covering your face, where can you hide?"
"Good afternoon, Bishop Otto."
Ragna gave Otto a somewhat forced smile.
Although the feeling of oppression diminished considerably upon seeing Otto in a woman's body, the name Otto...
Furthermore, Ragna agrees with what Rita just said: what kind of person could a creature capable of designing that kind of AI be?
"Don't worry, this time we aren't here to cause you trouble."
Otto felt both amused and exasperated by the reactions of the people around her.
"Don't try to fit me into your preconceived ideas of what a Bishop should be."
"And what brings you here this time...?"
Rita asked in a low voice.
"Since you haven't answered me in so long, I sense something is wrong, besides, I think the World Serpent organization is also suspicious to me..."
Otto scratched her head.
"But now, I guess I'm preparing to fight for the happiness of my ungrateful subordinate."
Otto was quite resentful.
I was willing to part ways with you amicably, but was your first reaction after discovering my identity to kill me?
Where is your conscience?
"Aren't you just reaping what you sowed?"
Kallen let out a giggle.
"Fine, fine... I'll take the blame for the AI."
Otto remained silent.
However, Otto then focused her attention on Ragna.
"Speaking of which, what is this Anti-Entropy business...? Never mind, even if I asked you, you wouldn't answer me, would you?"
Otto was aware of Ragna's military discipline; it wasn't something that could be intimidated by mere threats of status.
If the atmosphere were different, Ragna wouldn't just cover her face, she would draw her sword.
"Let me guess, you, Anti-Entropy, haven't allied with World Serpent, have you? Don't worry, I am also preparing to ally with Anti-Entropy; and let me emphasize again that I am not the Otto you are thinking of."
"Let's say that."
…
In the hallway, Theresa crouched and ran toward Tian Shi and Reanna's table.
These two people were sipping their tea, as if they were old men, taking small sips here and there.
Tian Shi uses a mini-cup specially made for the occasion, while Reanna uses a normal cup.
"Isn't this Theresa? Stop slouching, it doesn't matter if you slouch or not... or rather, you are so short that your waist isn't even noticeable."
Theresa's face contracted slightly upon hearing Tian Shi's words, but surprisingly she did not refute them.
"Miss Reanna, please, make room for me, I need to hide."
"What's the point of hiding here with me...?"
Reanna took a look at the hotel lobby.
It was a huge lobby, and there were people sitting at their table in the back.
"Weren't you going to go up? Upstairs is better than here... And what happened to make you so scared?"
"Did you break any of the doctor's instruments?"
"No... I'll pay for it if you break it."
Theresa shook her head as if she had seen a ghost.
"I just saw a woman with a very paternal air at the door, along with Amber."
"'She has a particularly paternal air'? Does that mean someone looks like Otto?"
Reanna arched her eyebrows slightly.
"As for Amber... she's Otto's secretary, right? But there's something that doesn't add up in what you're saying."
"It's true!"
Theresa's face reflected panic.
"I firmly suspect that woman is one of my grandfather's disguised bodies, sent to gather information!"
Actually, she had mixed feelings toward Otto.
After all, although Otto had committed some unethical acts, she was very affectionate with her "granddaughter."
If it were anyone else, the things she had done in the past would have been forgotten.
But that's not what's worrying her right now!
Although she didn't know how to describe it, Theresa's intuition told her that the blonde woman outside, who had such a paternal air, was undoubtedly more terrifying than her own grandfather.
"So now I want to find someone trustworthy to hide with... Hey, Tian Shi, why do you look so strange?"
"Alliance Leader?"
Only after Theresa said that did Reanna realize her leader's expression was a bit strange.
"Theresa, who did you see at the door?"
"Eh... which ones?"
Theresa thought for a moment; she had fled as soon as she saw the blonde woman.
"It was probably Rita and the others, then Amber and that woman who looked like grandfather, I didn't see the others clearly."
"I see..."
Tian Shi sighed.
"Reanna, lend me your body again."
"Yes."
The next instant, the doll became an inanimate object, while Reanna transformed into the appearance of Tian Shi.
"No matter how many times I see this scene, I still feel a bit of horror."
Theresa's lips began to tremble; it was daytime, so there was no spooky atmosphere...
"I'm going to check the door. Are you coming with me or are you going to keep looking for a place to hide?"
Tian Shi asked, looking at Theresa as he stood up.
"I'll follow you."
Theresa grit her teeth and answered.
Her intuition told her it was safest to stay with the other person at that moment.
Tian Shi stood up and walked toward the door.
Theresa didn't hesitate and followed him immediately.
As Tian Shi approached the door, he gradually began to hear what was being said outside.
"Are you saying that all three of you like the same person?"
Otto's face, outside, had darkened considerably.
"Is the other party someone from Anti-Entropy?"
"I suppose so."
Rita, holding Bianca on her left and Ragna on her right, nodded guiltily.
Although sisterhood can sometimes be quite superficial, the opportunity to have the Bishop as a companion in adventures is extremely rare, so it is certainly advisable to bring along one's best friend and most senior colleague.
However, it doesn't sound very good saying it out loud...
"Isn't this clearly a case of Anti-Entropy using a handsome man as a weapon?"
Hearing Rita's words, Otto wished she could slap each of those girls to make them react.
Even if you don't use your head, think about it with those rolls on your chest.
If someone specifically focused on a few of you, there's something fishy here!
Even though you all know he's an Anti-Entropy person, how could you fall into his trap?
What kind of good person is this?
"Ehm... it wasn't exactly a 'handsome man' tactic... although he is handsome."
"..."
Otto's expression darkened even further.
"Did he reveal his identity to you at the beginning, or did you find out after getting to know him better?"
"Ehm... I only found out after we got to know each other better."
Seeing Otto's paternal attitude, Rita felt quite guilty.
"Then I think you should think twice before acting, after all..."
Otto really wanted to tell the other person he was a total scoundrel; wasn't that a common tactic to win over a girl?
But, seeing how in love the three of them seemed, she didn't dare tell them directly.
(Using this method is despicable, as expected of Anti-Entropy...)
"Otto? Kallen? Li Sushang? Is it just you who arrived?"
While Otto reflected on how to subtly unmask that scoundrel, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"This is...?"
Otto went blank.
Her mind went completely blank.
Completely unable to think.
A violent wave of dizziness rushed straight to her head.
"Don't stay outside, come in, it's been a long time."
"Woof woof!"