[ Despite all hardships and bitterness, the experiments of you and Otto still continued on, and achieved ultimate success.
]
[ Why?
]
[ Could it be that Otto had never thought about participating in human experimentation?
]
[ No, he had thought about it, thought about it more than once.
]
[ But he could not.
]
[ But he could not…
]
[ This was a truly path of no return, one where once stepped upon, one could never turn back or stop.
]
[ After injecting the first dose of medicine into your body, as long as Otto became tainted with human experimentation, it would be equivalent to announcing to the world that both you and he were fools, you were a big fool, and he was a small fool.
]
[ All of your contributions, efforts, and the pain you bore for each other would have been in vain.
]
[ Much like Sisyphus pushing the rolling boulder, even if no one knew, even if no one mocked, it would ultimately still just be a joke.
]
[ Everything that you and Otto endured was an umbrella, shielding Otto from the turbid raindrops of the mundane world; it was also a shackle, restricting the possibility of Otto acting recklessly in the future.
]
[ Just like never regretting having met you.
]
[ Otto Apocalypse had never regretted following your wishes to conduct this absurd and naive experiment.
]
[ He only hated his own incompetence, letting you suffer far too much hardship in this experiment.
]
[ While you were different, you still felt to this day that the frequency of testing medicines six times a day back then was still not enough.
]
[ If it had been doubled once more, the two of you certainly could have freed yourselves from this suffering of testing medicine much earlier.
]
[ Remaining time for the maintenance of your existence: Four years.
]
The bustling thoughts came to an abrupt halt; Lucien looked down toward Kallen, seeing that her emotions were gradually tending toward calm, he loosened his embrace and said softly:
“Promise me, don’t doubt Otto anymore, okay?”
“As for what the two of us should do right now, I already have a plan, but I’d rather hear your opinion.
Kallen, make the choice you think is right; no matter what, I will support you.”
Hearing this, Kallen slowly raised her head.
Their eyes met, azure pupils reflecting pitch-black eyes.
“…I think the root of the matter lies in this purple box.
As long as we can take it away from Schicksal and seal it away permanently, things will get better.” Kallen’s words carried a thick sense of resolve.
Clearly, in order to realize her own ideals and uphold the heavy responsibility of the Kaslana Family as the shield of the people, she already possessed the determination and awareness to completely cut ties with her hometown and everything within it.
[ However, the answer Kallen gave really didn’t match her current determination and awareness.
]
[ What was Schicksal’s excuse for using the purple box to conduct human experiments?
]
[ They said this was all to defeat Honkai, for the sake of everyone.
]
[ But that was just talk.
]
[ Aside from the entire Kaslana Family, you dare assert that the people in the entire world who would fight to the death against Honkai could be counted on two hands.
]
[ As for for the sake of everyone.
]
[ Heh, the behavior of launching aggressive wars and issuing indulgences when the wars failed didn’t look like it was for the sake of everyone.
]
[ Or rather, in this context, everyone wasn’t a general reference, but a specific designation.
]
[ Righteousness was merely a “fig leaf” draped over Schicksal by itself, beneath which was full of ugly ambition and filthy greed.
]
[ Without the purple box, would everything really get better?
]
[ No, the experiments would only become even more intense and unsparing than before.
]
[ The fundamental contradiction has not been resolved.
]
[ However, you were still very satisfied with Kallen’s answer.
]
[ Regarding Schicksal, you already had a complete set of plans, just that you couldn’t bear to use it yet.
]
[ When you asked about Kallen’s choice, it wasn’t because you hoped she could hand in how ever perfect of an answer sheet.
]
[ What you wanted was the process of her answering the sheet.
]
[ After all, you couldn’t accompany her forever, arranging everything and making decisions for her.
]
[ Kallen had to have her own choice.
]
[ Mhm.
[ She had to have her own choice.
]
“Although it’s not quite mature yet, it’s already a very good choice.
Move forward; no matter how rugged the road ahead is, I will accompany you.” Lucien said to Kallen thus.
This pure, unadulterated support seemed to inexplicably poke at the soft spot in the young girl’s heart, actually causing her to lose control of her emotions and throw herself into his arms once more.
Lucien gently patted Kallen’s back with one hand, while simultaneously drawing out his other hand to arrange everything.
Those guards and Priest Victor were already useless, so let them drown in nightmares.
Those few little girls who clearly had little time left even without looking, Lucien could not save, but he could at least let them peacefully pass away forever in sweet dreams.
In the end, there was only that side of the purple box representing erosion that needed to be taken away.
Lucien pondered over and over, and finally decided to wrap the purple box tightly with the chains of the mimetic Judah, to completely prevent any possibility of leakage.
After finishing all this, he gently smoothed the snow-white hair of the big girl in his arms, and chuckled:
“Alright, alright, how old of a lass are you, and you still don’t know how to blush?
Won’t you be getting married in the future?”
“Before we leave, I still need to go instruct Otto on a few things, you come along too.”
[ Kallen often acted spoiled towards you in the past.
]
[ Regarding this, you never took a definite stance.
]
[ But now, you inexplicably began to look forward to her acting spoiled towards you.
]
[ After A while…
]
[At the same time, you also desperately wanted to pat Otto on the head again.]
[Ever since you realized that Otto was already a grown young man, you had been restraining yourself and rarely patted his head anymore.]
[If you didn’t pat it again, though, it seemed like you wouldn’t have the chance soon.]
“…
I am not getting married at all, unless…” Kallen blushed deeply as she broke away from Lucien’s embrace, muttering softly.
Her voice was very small, yet not so soft that it couldn’t be heard clearly.
But Lucien didn’t hear it clearly and let out a soft sound of confusion.
Kallen sighed almost imperceptibly, then turned solemn once again.
“It’s nothing, I said let’s go find Otto quickly.”
“Oh.” Lucien acknowledged, turning around to leave.
Kallen glanced back deeply at the basement that people only wanted to forget, engraving it deeply in her mind, and then left without turning her head back.
Otto lay prone before the desk, staring at that pot of green lilies for I don’t know how long, before suddenly hearing familiar footsteps behind him.
“Kallen should know what Schicksal has done by now.” He said without turning his head.
Lucien affirmed Otto’s certain guess, then walked behind him, gently smoothing down that impossibly silky blond hair.
Feeling the gentleness and warmth coming from his hair, Otto stood up, facing Lucien directly, “So, she plans to leave with that ‘black box’, and you will go with her?”
“Mn,” Lucien replied, his hands not stopping their movement, as if he was afraid his palms would never be able to grasp anything again, “Want to come together?”