Five years ago, Inori encountered a small-scale regional Honkai Eruption. Although the scale was not large, she lost her "family."
However, a "family" from the underworld that abused children could hardly be called a family at all.
It was also on that very day that Mr. Mad Hatter pulled her out of the mire.
Inori did not regard Mr. Mad Hatter as a lifesaver. If she had to describe how she saw him with a single word, it would be something like father or godfather.
Perhaps it was because the underworld's mindset had taken deep root, but Inori admired Mr. Mad Hatter to that extent.
At the time, Inori did not yet understand the concept of "god," so she could only use something similar.
And the godfather, Mr. Mad Hatter, brought her to a new home—
Shenzhou Web Novel Orphanage.
To Inori, this was her true home, a warm and comforting one.
Although she did not understand why it was called the Shenzhou Web Novel Orphanage, compared to those underworld-run orphanages created for child abuse, this one was undoubtedly far more legitimate.
Here, Inori met new family members—Idovia, Seele, Isabella, Yamanashi...
Inori integrated into the orphanage quickly, but that did not mean she trusted it the same way she trusted Mr. Mad Hatter.
Inori was someone who clearly understood reality—and reality was cruel. To have a warm place to belong, even if it was false, was something worth cherishing.
At the very least, no one here would force her to shoot her own foot anymore, nor would she have to watch her friends being locked into an iron maiden.
This place was so beautiful that it felt like a dream.
But the cruelty of reality still existed outside the orphanage, and Inori had understood that long ago.
Everyone she knew had stepped onto the battlefield, fighting to protect this last haven of humanity.
Many people in the orphanage were not merely caretakers—they were veterans who had retired from the front lines of the Mad Hatter organization.
After all, Mad Hatter was not a peaceful organization. Members died every day.
Cygnus, Wildo, Carrel, Mrs. Lisel.
Each of them bore injuries of varying degrees. Recuperating in the orphanage was one of the reasons they remained there.
It wasn't that the orphanage had particularly good facilities, but being around innocent children allowed them to feel that everything they had done still held value.
"Are you going to the battlefield too, Inori?" Idovia, hanging upside down from a beam, asked seriously. "Does Mrs. Lisel know?"
It was rare for her to return to the orphanage, only to hear such news.
Inori had, of course, not told Mrs. Lisel. As a former underworld member, her mind was no longer naive—it was calculating. "If I told Mrs. Lisel, she would nag me for quite a while. You know I prefer quiet."
Only with someone as straightforward as Idovia would Inori say such things.
Idovia didn't know whether to call Inori someone who was too clear-headed. Sometimes, being muddled about life brought more happiness.
But since this was Inori's decision, Idovia did not intend to stop her. She warned, "Our organization's rules aren't overly strict, but once you join the combat unit, even if the order is to die, you have to carry it out."
Although the Mad Hatter organization managed itself somewhat like the future Schicksal, to maintain combat effectiveness, its combat divisions upheld iron discipline similar to that of a military.
Once you joined the Mad Hatter combat division, leaving was difficult. Much military intelligence was strictly confidential, and Inori would no longer be able to return to the orphanage as often as she did now.
Idovia, however, was an exception—she never cared about rules, and no one could do anything about her. After all, she belonged to the Mad Hatter Party—the direct core faction under Mr. Mad Hatter.
That didn't mean she didn't understand the rules. As someone on the front lines, she knew exactly how the Mad Hatter organization constrained its soldiers—and that was precisely what her straightforward personality disliked the most.
Chewing on a foxtail grass she had picked from the orphanage hill, Idovia spoke indifferently, "Ido is different from you all. Even if I don't fight, I don't have many years left anyway. But Inori, you still have many things you want to do, don't you?"
"I understand. That's why I have to join. This is the duty I must fulfill."
"Hah, suit yourself... just don't die so easily."
...
An ancient longsword cleanly sliced through the massive body of an Unknown-class Honkai Beast.
The girl landed steadily and sheathed the sword into its case.
"Test qualified. Solo combat performance: excellent. All standard requirements met, with certain aspects exceeding expectations.
"Rating: A. Assessment passed."
Hearing the combat robot's voice, a faint trace of disappointment flashed in Inori's eyes.
She placed her hand against the wall, and the door of the simulated combat room opened. The spectators who had been waiting rushed forward immediately.
After all, this was the Mad Hatter organization's most promising top student. Rumor had it that her potential was second only to Blanche, and she was practically destined to take a position among the Constellations.
An A-grade evaluation required defeating three Honkai Beasts in succession—Chariot-class, Templar-class, and Unknown-class—without using Honkai energy. The difficulty of this was self-evident, far beyond what ordinary soldiers could achieve.
An Unknown-class Honkai Beast, second only to the Emperor-class at the apex of Honkai Beasts, required no further explanation of its strength.
In reality, Unknown-class Honkai Beasts had only appeared twice so far, and each time they caused catastrophic destruction.
Even MOTH required multiple Special Operations Units to eliminate one, yet Inori was able to defeat it alone, demonstrating her strength.
As for an S-grade evaluation, it required killing an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
Generally speaking, such a feat could only be accomplished through teamwork. Even for MOTH, it would require at least three Special Operations Units along with heavy fire support.
Of course, the Mad Hatter organization did have individuals capable of doing this now—but it was certain that they were not academy-trained, with the exception of Blanche.
Yamanashi congratulated Inori, "Inori, congratulations. You passed such a difficult practical exam."
Yamanashi was Inori's close friend. The two were always together.
Compared to Yamanashi's lively personality, Inori was much more reserved. "I could have passed the assessment long ago. If not for Zofia's advanced training requirements, I wouldn't have stayed so long at St. Freya Academy, which was built by Mr. Mad Hatter."
St. Freya Academy was a secret training base established by the Mad Hatter organization in Shenzhou, dedicated to cultivating combat personnel.
Although education was extremely costly, the Mad Hatter organization had too many orphans who could not return to society for schooling. To give them a chance to learn, Vill-V had no choice but to spend heavily.
While most people did not care about such "small matters," there were still some who noticed them—for example, Inori.
As a girl from a Shenzhou underworld background, she understood better than anyone how difficult and thankless such things were, even if they seemed ordinary to others.