At dinner time, Captain Kael had just sat down in the officers' mess and hadn't even had a chance to pick up his fork when Otto, as if having calculated the exact moment, sat down opposite him with her tray.
"Captain Kael, do you mind if I sit here? Dining alone is rather dull."
While she spoke inquiringly, her actions showed no hesitation as she elegantly spread her napkin.
Her tray held exquisite steak and salad, a stark contrast to the simple working meal in front of Captain Kael.
What could Captain Kael say? He could only brace himself and reply, "...Of course not, Your Eminence."
Thus, an ordinary dinner transformed into Captain Kael's "defense session."
Otto seemed interested in everything, chatting from the battleship's energy efficiency to the human geography of the border starfield, then suddenly jumping from ancient philosophical thought to the latest dessert recipes. The rapid shift in topics left Captain Kael scrambling to keep up.
She cut a small piece of steak, her movements so elegant they resembled an artistic performance, then suddenly asked, "Captain Kael, do you believe the meaning of life lies in continuation, or in the momentary brilliance of a blossom?"
Captain Kael was chewing a piece of potato and nearly choked. After a difficult swallow, he cautiously replied, "...I believe the two are not contradictory, Your Eminence. Continuation is the foundation, and brilliance... is the manifestation of value during the process."
"Oh? A very standard answer." Otto seemed somewhat dissatisfied, lightly tapping her plate with her fork. "But I prefer a splendid destruction, like fireworks—*bang*—frozen at their most beautiful moment. What extreme aesthetics!"
As she said this, her eyes sparkled as if she were truly appreciating some form of art, sending a chill down Captain Kael's spine.
He could only offer a dry response: "...Your Eminence's insight... is unique."
This meal left Captain Kael with indigestion; he felt more exhausted than if Theresa had relentlessly battered him with Judah for ten days and nights.
Otto, however, seemed to be in excellent spirits, even commenting on the restaurant's coffee: "Hmm, it's a bit inferior to the headquarters' No. 3 restaurant, but barely drinkable. Captain Kael, what do you think?"
Captain Kael: "...If you say so, then it is." He just wanted to finish eating quickly and leave. ...Late at night, only essential duty personnel remained on the bridge. After Captain Kael finished the last batch of documents, he was about to return to his room to rest when Otto appeared silently again.
She had changed into a more casual long robe, her golden hair loosely draped, and in her hand, she held a... electronic notepad?
For some reason, Captain Kael felt that Her Eminence at this moment greatly resembled someone who was... "sleepless during a long night."
Otto walked to the observation window, gazing at the brilliant star river outside, and suddenly sighed, "Captain Kael, look at this boundless starry sky. Doesn't it resemble scattered diamonds on black velvet? So magnificent, yet so... making one feel insignificant."
Captain Kael stood behind her, silently praying that Her Eminence was only there to admire the view.
However, his prayers went unanswered.
Otto suddenly turned around and handed him the electronic notepad, which was filled with flowery phrases and incomprehensible symbols: "I suddenly had an inspiration and composed a poem for the Asgard. Captain Kael, could you help me appreciate it? I think the last line, 'The roar of the engine is a hymn offered to the void,' is particularly exquisite. What do you think?"
Captain Kael looked at the "poem" filled with abstract metaphors and exaggerated rhetoric, and his scalp tingled.
He was truly not good at this and could only force out a few words: "...It's very... imposing, Your Eminence."
"Only imposing?"
Otto frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with this evaluation, "Don't you feel the longing for the unknown, the praise for power, and the... uh... for example, the subtle admiration for a certain person contained within it?"
As she spoke, she meaningfully glanced at Captain Kael.
Captain Kael: "..."
He felt his CPU was about to overload.
He took a deep breath, trying to make his expression look more sincere: "...It is my shallow knowledge, I have not fully grasped the profound meaning in Your Eminence's poem. But it sounds... very unique."
Otto stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled and waved her hand: "Never mind, never mind. It seems Captain Kael is more adept at commanding battleships than words. No matter, I shall savor this beauty alone."
She retrieved her notepad, her mood seemingly unaffected, and even hummed an off-key tune as she leisurely departed.
Leaving Captain Kael alone in the empty bridge, sighing deeply at the starry sky. What exactly did Her Eminence want?
...The next morning, Captain Kael presided over a simple tactical meeting to analyze the sporadic reconnaissance data received from the front. Otto, as usual, came uninvited and sat at the head of the table, listening in.
Mid-meeting, an analyst was reporting an anomalous energy reading, suggesting a slight adjustment to the course might be needed to avoid it. This was typically routine discussion.
Otto, however, suddenly interrupted the report, twirling a strand of her golden hair with her finger, and said with interest, "Adjust the course? How uninteresting. Why not just go straight through? Perhaps there's some interesting ancient ruins or rare minerals hidden inside? Adventure is the true essence of exploration! Captain Kael, what do you think?"
The officers present exchanged glances, not daring to speak. Traversing an underexplored area? The risk was too great!
Captain Kael felt his temples throb. He tried to keep his tone steady: "Your Eminence, the situation there is complex. Blindly passing through could cause unnecessary damage to the ship and even trigger unknown risks. For mission safety and efficiency, I suggest we still bypass it as originally planned."
"Hmm... safety, efficiency." Otto pouted, seemingly a bit disappointed, "Captain Kael is indeed very cautious. However..."
She changed her tone, suddenly smiling again, her emerald eyes looking at Captain Kael with a strange "approval." "This caution is also one of your strengths, after all, not everyone can manage such a large battleship as meticulously as you do, even the document archiving is so scrupulous.
Hmm, on second thought, this kind of steadiness is also quite charming."
This sudden remark, laden with bizarre praise, stunned Captain Kael and all the officers present. Captain Kael felt a shiver of disgust and quickly lowered his head: "You flatter me, it's just my duty."
"No need to be modest."
Otto's smile became even more "benevolent." She even stood up, walked to Captain Kael's side, and patted his shoulder, "I have high hopes for you, Captain Kael. Keep up the good work, and in the future... perhaps there will be even more important responsibilities to entrust to you."
Having said that, she paid no mind to the fact that the meeting hadn't ended and, humming a tuneless song, walked out in high spirits, leaving a room full of dumbfounded people.
Captain Kael stood rooted to the spot, feeling as if a mountain had been placed on the shoulder Otto had patted.
More important responsibilities? He didn't want to guess what that meant at all! He only hoped the patrol mission would end quickly, so this unpredictable and temperamental Eminence would leave his battleship!
He finally understood that as long as Otto remained on the Asgard, his "good days" were over.
This "personal supervision" was even more exhausting than facing ten times the number of Honkai Beasts.
He now deeply missed the days of being "harassed" by Theresa; at least that kind of trouble was simple and sweet, unlike now, which was filled with an unspeakable pressure and... strangeness.
Meanwhile, far away on the Helheim, Theresa was fuming, grinding her teeth in frustration at Captain Kael's secretly sent messages detailing Otto's various "crimes" via the communicator. Powerless, she could only swear to the stars: once they returned, she would definitely cling to Kael for three days and three nights!
Making up for all the time interrupted by Grandma!
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