Her question silenced the man instantly.
He paced back and forth, taking a long time before finally speaking.
“The world is too dangerous.
A child must have two fathers to survive.”
Durandal had read that phrase in a book before.
It was an Italian proverb.
The world is always filled with all sorts of temptations and various crises.
A competent father might be able to bear some of the burden for his child, but if he wishes to protect the child completely until adulthood, a single father is not enough.
That is why when a baby is born there, its parents will invite a local figure of authority and prestige, or a friend, to become its second father, to shelter and guide it into adulthood.
“…For now, just call me Godfather.”
The young-looking man said this.
“Consider it a promise I made to your father.”
A few short sentences.
They had already left endless room for melodramatic speculation.
Cecilia, the guiding light for countless Valkyries of the previous generation.
Her spouse was the strongest member of Schicksal in his time, now a traitor—Siegfried Kaslana.
According to Russell’s words, her parents should be these two.
But when this man mentioned her mother, that wistful expression, and that one word—”sister”…
it was hard not to suspect that there was another story hidden within.
Durandal’s beautiful cheeks twitched continuously.
Opposite her, the young-looking man hummed an Austrian folk song…
a faint warmth appearing in his ice-blue eyes.
This bastard doesn’t look like he wants to be my godfather, he looks like he wants to be my real dad!
Durandal suddenly regretted why her daily routine was so disciplined.
If she hadn’t been practicing her combat skills in her dream today, but had been pulling an all-nighter playing games like some otaku from East Asia, would she have avoided this complicated situation?
If she could, Durandal desperately wanted to wake up right now, find a brick, and smash it against her own head until she lost her memory.
She hadn’t even had the chance to get a DNA test, and she’d already discovered that her parents’ story was probably enough to film an eight-hundred-episode drama series…
For Durandal, who had always relied solely on violence to punish violence, this was absolutely killing her.
Should she run?
The ever-advancing Durandal rarely had the thought to flee.
But—
“I don’t know what Bishop Medea told you, but you are indeed a daughter of the Schariac house.”
Medea, the princess of Colchis.
By the will of the gods, this princess fell in love at first sight with Prince Jason, who came to her island in search of the Golden Fleece.
To help Jason obtain the fleece, Medea used her magic to help him complete the impossible tasks set by her father, on the condition that Jason marry her.
When Medea’s father heard the news, he sent her brother to pursue and retrieve her.
In response, the princess killed her own brother, dismembered his body, and scattered the pieces across the mountains, forcing her father and his men to busy themselves with collecting the remains, thus buying time for Jason and his group to escape.
She was, without a doubt, a madwoman.
So then, what kind of sins had the Overseer, who referred to himself as Medea, committed?
So much so that his very first lesson to her was to never sympathize with that crazed princess, for everything that happened to her was her just deserts.
Durandal’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“Godfather…
do you know what Teacher has done?”
After a long silence, she did not flee as she had considered.
She was someone who had sworn to carry the fate of the masses on her shoulders.
A hero.
And a hero can absolutely not turn tail and run!
“Otto…
there’s not much to say about that man.
I’m not in the habit of speaking ill of people behind their backs.” The young man smiled, not elaborating.
“Besides, that hollow man has already chosen his own guillotine.
Even if left alone, he will walk the path of self-destruction.”
He simply gave his adoptive daughter a gentle hug.
Durandal initially wanted to struggle, but seeing the man’s melancholic expression, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She eventually stopped and returned the embrace, hugging the man who claimed to be her godfather.
It was a touching scene of fatherly love and daughterly piety.
[Holy crap, why don’t you quit being a mine owner and become an actor?]
[Best Actor in three years, Lifetime Achievement Award in five.]
Even the Tip System was stunned.
It had told him to find the Dull Goose and tattle, but he had ended up bamboozling the Dull Goose into becoming his adoptive daughter.
[Aren’t you afraid that one day the Dull Goose will catch on, grab her halberd, and send you to meet Chancellor Dong?!]
At this, Russell just rolled his eyes.
Seriously, he wasn’t even from the Honkai world.
No matter how strong the Dull Goose was, could she chase him across worlds to kill him?
The embraced Dull Goose was clearly unaware that her godfather, who seemed like the tragic second male lead in a melodrama, had a mind racing as hyperactively as a gremlin on a sugar rush.
The embraced girl looked up at her godfather, and a slight thought couldn’t help but surface in her mind.
Speaking of which, my godfather has taken such good care of himself.
He looks so young.
You’d think he was my age if you didn’t know better.
“…Then, Godfather, is there a reason you came to find me?”
So, why was he here?
“While passing through Chiba City, I encountered a few people who have a rather significant connection to you.
I was originally going to pick them up and raise them myself, but thinking about your connection to her, I felt it would be better to leave it for you to handle.”
The young man smiled faintly.
“A significant connection?” Durandal was a little surprised.
How significant could it be?
Could they possibly be closer than the aunt on the Schariac side of her family?
“Indeed.
After all, she is a girl who shares the same name as you,” the young man said with a smile.
“Furthermore—there are two very boring fellows there as well.
One is the Anti-Entropy executive Cocolia, who is attempting to create a Great Honkai Eruption there.
The other is her technical provider, the World Serpent executive Grey Serpent.”
“I’ve told you too much today.
You probably won’t sleep very well tonight.
If you really can’t sleep, you should go take care of it.
Beating up villains is a rather good way to relieve stress.”
As he spoke, the young man’s figure began to dissipate.
Durandal was left alone, standing dazedly in her dream.
The next moment, she opened her eyes.
“Godfather, blood relatives, the Overseer’s darkness, an artificial Great Honkai Eruption…”
The young woman murmured these words.
Just as Russell had said, all sleepiness had now vanished.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she wouldn’t sleep.
The number one Goose in the world made a grasping motion in the air, and in the next instant, a lance appeared in her hand.
Without even changing, she strode out of her room still in her pajamas.
“Lady Durandal, what are you…?”
The Valkyries in the hallway froze, utterly unable to comprehend why the strongest warrior at headquarters was in such a rush.
“Prepare a warship for me heading to Chiba City…
No, notify our nearby organizations in Chiba City to receive me.”
The young woman’s beautiful face was now set with a diamond-hard expression.
No matter what—
“Criminals against humanity…
must be eliminated!!”