Chapter 54: Snowy Plains Reunion, Father's Mercy, Daughter's Piety
Players returned to the main page of the game, all inevitably with melancholy and sadness.
They still can't believe that the girl who danced under the moon died just like that,
They spent the entire night in contemplation, their minds whirling with unanswered questions and unspoken thoughts. As dawn broke, the mystery remained unsolved, adding to their collective despair.
The situation was even more challenging for the students of St. Freya's Academy. They had not interacted much with Bishop Kallen, but Theresa, the Academy Director, was a familiar and beloved figure. Her presence was a constant in their lives, and her sudden absence left a void that was hard to fill.
"Oooh, so, so, Great Aunt Theresa, must, must she die?" Kiana sobbed, her voice echoing the collective grief of the students. She sought solace in the comforting embrace of her mother, Cecilia. Cecilia, in return, held her close, gently stroking the top of Kiana's head in an attempt to soothe her.
Sirin, too, was grappling with a strange tightness in her chest. Despite her general disdain for most people, Theresa was one of the few individuals she held in high regard. The news of her death was a bitter pill to swallow.
However, when Sirin turned her head, she found that Kiana had already claimed the best spot in Cecilia's arms, her back arched comfortably. This realization only served to fuel Sirin's anger, adding another layer of complexity to the emotionally charged atmosphere.
...
In that particular moment, a wave of annoyance washed over Raven, a feeling so intense it was almost palpable. She was a shadow in the night, a silent infiltrator who had long since found her way into the island of St. Freya, nestled deep within the confines of the Far East Branch.
Her mission, a task assigned by the enigmatic Gray Snake, was to gather as much information as possible. However, despite her numerous attempts to access the core data, she was met with nothing more than the officially released game information. It was as if she was trying to draw water from a stone. Even the insiders, those who were supposed to be in the know, were surprisingly uninformed.
In her quest for knowledge, she had ventured to Luo Mo's former residence. The word "former" was used deliberately, for Luo Mo had inexplicably relocated to the dwelling of the erstwhile S-rank Valkyrie, Theresa. This unexpected move left Raven utterly flabbergasted. What was she to do now? Gray Snake had not provided any further instructions or hints.
"Ugh, what the hell to do?" she muttered under her breath, her voice barely a whisper. "All of the higher-ups of Schicksal are now concentrated in this tiny Far East Branch." Her words echoed in the silence, a testament to her frustration and helplessness.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Raven found herself in the hotel adjacent to St. Freya. She was physically at rest, but her mind was anything but peaceful. It was a tumultuous sea of questions and uncertainties, a stark contrast to the serene facade she maintained.
"New instructions?" Raven's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she sat bolt upright, her gaze locked onto the suddenly glowing comm device. It was as if the thing had its own spotlight in a Broadway show.
"Attempting to kill the owner of the Mihoyo company?" She read the message aloud, her voice laced with disbelief. The owner of the Mihoyo company wasn't just any Joe Schmoe off the street. This was a big fish, probably surrounded by more security than a paranoid celebrity at a fan convention.
"Easy for you to say, we'll just have to find out later." Raven sighed, flopping back onto the bed dramatically. She pulled the covers over herself, as if hoping they could shield her from the reality of her situation. But her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, like a hamster on a caffeine-fueled wheel.
Assassination? The word echoed in her mind, sounding more like a punchline to a bad joke. But going for an assassination now wasn't just an assassination. It was like volunteering to be the main course at a lion's dinner party. It was, as she put it, sending someone to their death. As she lay there under the covers, the absurdity of her task seemed to grow, looming over her like a comedian waiting for the laughter to die down.
...
"Good daughter, are you done yet? It's time for us to delve into the heart of the main Story!" Cecilia's voice was gentle, a soothing balm as she cradled the paramecium in her arms. Her words were a soft murmur, a comforting lullaby that filled the room.
"How grown up, still pouting in mommy's arms!" Sirin's voice was laced with a hint of amusement. Her eyes, flat and unimpressed, were fixed on Kiana, taking in the sight of the grown woman still seeking solace in her mother's embrace.
"My queen!" Bella's voice rang out, filled with joy and reverence. Having just woken from her slumber, she leaped towards Sirin, her heart brimming with happiness at the sight of her beloved Queen-sama. She reached out, her arms wide open, ready to envelop Sirin in a warm, loving hug.
But her affectionate gesture was met with evasion. Sirin sidestepped Bella's embrace with a look of distaste. In her haste, Bella's horns ended up embedding themselves in the wall, creating two more holes in the already marred surface.
Bella pushed against the wall, straining to free her head. But the angle at which her horns had penetrated the wall made it a Herculean task. Unless she was willing to create two larger holes in the wall, extricating herself was going to be a challenge.
"Really, I was afraid you'd zap me." Sirin's voice held a note of justification as she finally managed to help Bella dislodge her horns from the wall. Her words hung in the air, a testament to the chaotic, yet oddly endearing, scene that had just unfolded.
Standing adjacent to her, Durandal, with a stern yet caring expression, turned to Kiana and questioned, "Kiana, aren't you aspiring to be the most formidable Valkyrie? How did a mere video manage to knock the wind out of your sails?"
"Wow, big sister, is this your idea of comfort?" Kiana retorted, lifting her head to reveal eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Durandal paused, deep in thought, before suggesting, "Then, how about we head to the training ground for some practice? That way, there are no hard feelings."
At this, Kiana sprang up from Cecilia's comforting embrace with a swift "Brush-" sound. Practice? To her, practicing felt like repeatedly hitting a wall with a hammer!
Even if she were to train, she had made a mental note to never spar with her big sister. This was one of Kiana's unique survival wisdom nuggets.
"Kiana is also up, let's commence the main storyline. Only having the dubbing and no visuals really dampens the enjoyment," Cecilia chimed in, her eyes twinkling with anticipation.
A knowing smile played on Cecilia's lips as she observed the playful banter among her three daughters. The sight of their joyful bickering warmed her heart.
"Damn it, I haven't even had a chance to snuggle into mommy's arms yet!" Sirin grumbled inwardly, her thoughts echoing with a tinge of frustration and longing.
[Chapter 5: Reunion on the Snowy Plains]
[Recollections from the previous chapter]
In a daring act of bravery, Kiana and her team embarked on a perilous journey to the infamous ME Club. Their mission was fraught with danger, but the stakes were high - they had to rescue Raiden Mei, who had been abducted by the cunning Cocolia.
The climax of their mission was as dramatic as it was unexpected. Bronya, in a desperate bid for freedom, chose to incinerate the bio-chip embedded in her brain. This drastic measure was the only way to break free from Cocolia's manipulative control.
Fast forward to the present day, the narrative takes a turn. In a bid to rescue Bronya, Theresa undertakes a journey of her own. She ventures into the depths of the central church, hidden beneath the hallowed grounds of St. Freya, in search of a solution.
Unbeknownst to Theresa, Kiana decides to tag along, her presence concealed in the shadows. Suddenly, a flash of white light engulfs the scene. The screen flickers, revealing a shift in time. The year is now 2000, and Kiana finds herself transported to an expansive, endless snowy plain.
"Kiana, you mustn't recklessly follow people into perilous locations," Cecilia implored, her voice laced with a helpless concern. "Continuing this way, you're bound to stumble into danger sooner or later."
"That's just my in-game persona now! But mom, does such an enchanting place truly exist within the confines of St. Freya's Academy?" Kiana's words were a mix of denial and curiosity.
No sooner had she voiced her doubts than she sprang to her feet, her face alight with the thrill of potential exploration.
"Hold on, what on earth is this," Kiana exclaimed, her face contorted in horror. "Are you telling me about a snowball fight with dad, where he hurled a snowball with such force that it shattered a two-meter high boulder?"
"Was he attempting to murder me?"
"Siegfried does have a tendency to be a bit rough around the edges, it's a wonder you survived the game!" Cecilia chimed in, her words awkward yet filled with a mother's concern.
"Ugh, let's drop it," Kiana decided, brushing off the unsettling memory. "In the game, I was on a quest to find my dad, journeying from Europe to Asia. In reality, I was embarking on a world tour. But now that I think about it, perhaps it was all destined for Mei?"
As these words left her lips, a smile slowly spread across Kiana's face, effectively dispelling the cloud of sadness that had hung over her just moments ago.
...
"You… There's such a thing?" Theresa's voice was laced with disbelief as she cast a sidelong glance at Himeko. Her eyes held a peculiar look, a mix of surprise and suspicion.
On the screen, Kiana was in the midst of a heated monologue about an incident involving Himeko. The topic? A rather scandalous event where Himeko, under the influence of alcohol, had ended up sleeping naked on Kiana's bed.
"Surely you can't blame me for being drunk!" Himeko retorted, her tone filled with righteous indignation. It was as if she was trying to deflect the blame onto the alcohol rather than her own actions.
"Well, so there's such a thing in reality!" Theresa's voice rose in anger as she chided Himeko, "Is that how you conduct yourself as a teacher?"
Caught off guard by Theresa's rebuke, Himeko inadvertently let slip a piece of information. However, she quickly regained her composure and shot back a question of her own.
"The titular S-rank Valkyrie didn't even realize that Kiana was tailing her?"
"You!" Theresa's retort was cut short, her words hanging in the air.
"Ahem, well, let's move on. Check out the video, Theresa, you made an appearance with a broken arm," Himeko interjected, swiftly changing the subject.
The video shifted to a scene where Kiana encountered Theresa, who was in the process of repairing her body and completing the regeneration of her torso. Kiana, driven by urgency, moved forward, only to be confronted with what Theresa perceived to be an illusion of the Second Herrscher.
After a series of events, Kiana's identity was eventually confirmed through her exceptional gunfighting skills and a subsequent inquiry about her father, Siegfried. Upon learning this, Theresa couldn't help but express her surprise:
"Damn it, I was already aware that this Ziegfeld guy led a complicated private life, but I never anticipated he would have an illegitimate daughter of such age."
Caught off guard by this revelation, Kiana turned to her mother, her eyes wide with curiosity and a hint of concern. "Wait, mom, is dad's private life really that chaotic? Why don't you give him a piece of your mind for his indiscretions?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of confusion and indignation.
Cecilia, caught in the crossfire of this unexpected conversation, responded with a hint of embarrassment. "When we first confirmed our relationship, there were whispers of such behavior circulating around the headquarters. In response, I made him kneel on a scrub board all night," she confessed, her fingers nervously twirling a strand of her hair.
"But it was only when I discovered that these rumors were being spread within my own squad that I realized I had wronged him," she added, a note of regret seeping into her voice.
"Still, the fact that you were mistaken for an illegitimate child, Kiana, is clearly due to Theresa rushing through the quest without considering all the facts," Cecilia concluded, attempting to lighten the mood and shift the focus of the conversation.
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