“I’m not ‘that little Puppet.’ I’m Herta Puppet 4423. Big Sis Asta, you can call me Little Herta.”
Little Herta first corrected Asta before answering her question.
“As for my hair, the old witch said she didn’t have enough materials, so she gave me short hair.”
The old witch…
“Little Herta, aren’t you afraid Madam Herta will punish you if she finds out you call her that?”
Asta remembered how, just three days ago, Little Herta had been chased and beaten by Madam Herta while calling her an old witch.
“Ha! You think I’m afraid of her?”
Little Herta planted her hands on her hips and declared smugly,
“She’s just the second-newest member of the Genius Society! A hopeless cook thinks she can teach me a lesson? Impossible!”
Herta and Ruan Mei were currently studying the records of Nous’s calculations in the Simulated Universe.
How could she possibly have time to bother with Little Herta?
‘With Herta away, I can insult her however I want!’
“I think you’d better take that back…”
Little Herta looked adorable when she was acting so smug, but Asta had noticed an idle Herta Puppet not far behind her approaching with a hostile expression.
“Take it back? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“That old witch is a total mor—ow!”
The approaching Herta Puppet delivered a solid chop to Little Herta’s head.
“What was that for, you Puppet?!”
Clutching her head, Little Herta crouched on the floor and turned to stare in confusion at the Herta Puppet that had struck her.
“What do you think?”
Herta rotated the wrist of the Puppet she was controlling and asked with a smile.
“Ah! You’re the old—”
“Hm?”
Little Herta sprang up and pointed at the “Herta Puppet,” about to call her an old witch.
But when Herta raised her right hand, Little Herta forcibly changed her words.
“—oh-so-beautiful Mother. I was wrong.”
Little Herta instantly caved.
It wasn’t that she was scared.
She simply couldn’t activate her Unreasonable module right now, so she had no choice but to endure this humiliation for the time being.
‘That’s right!
I’m enduring humiliation for the greater good!’
“Hmph.”
Herta snorted softly before turning to Asta.
“Keep an eye on this brat for me. Just don’t let her leave the space station.”
“Also, she wants a phone. Get one ready for her.”
Asta immediately answered.
Herta then relinquished control of the Puppet, which turned around and left as soon as she was no longer controlling it.
“Damn it! Installing something as inhumane as a pain module in me… Just you wait! Sooner or later, I’m going to spank you!”
The moment Herta left, Little Herta bared her teeth and waved her claws at the Herta Puppet’s retreating back, showing no restraint despite Asta standing beside her.
She really did forget the pain as soon as the wound healed.
Asta smiled helplessly as Little Herta puffed up like a pufferfish the instant Madam Herta departed.
Judging from how Madam Herta interacted with Little Herta, she was actually quite tolerant of her.
At the very least, Madam Herta had accepted being called “Mother.” That meant she might truly regard Little Herta as her daughter.
At the same time, a question arose in Asta’s mind.
“Little Herta, I’ve already asked someone to bring your phone.”
“Until it arrives, would you satisfy your big sister’s curiosity?”
After obeying Herta’s order and having a subordinate deliver a phone, Asta took a packet of Trick Snack bars from her desk and handed it to Little Herta.
“Ask whatever you want. As long as it’s something I can tell you.”
Little Herta accepted the Trick Snack bars, found a chair, sat down, tore open the wrapper, and began eating.
“Little Herta, why did you try to steal Madam Herta’s spaceship and escape?”
Asta was very curious.
As a Puppet created by Madam Herta, why would Little Herta want to flee from her?
Surely it wasn’t for freedom.
Did intelligent machines really go through rebellious phases?
“To stay alive!”
Little Herta answered without hesitation.
“To stay alive?”
Asta didn’t understand.
What danger could there be in staying beside Madam Herta?
“Because I was created to help her make pastries and become her kitchen assistant!”
Those two things didn’t necessarily seem connected.
Asta looked even more confused.
“That’s because you don’t know that Herta’s talent for cooking is inversely proportional to her scientific research ability!”
As though she knew exactly what Asta was wondering, Little Herta launched into a vivid explanation.
“She can accidentally toss a Curio in while melting cheese and cause an explosion; she can lock a tiny Herta Puppet in the oven while baking bread and cause an explosion; and because she thinks beating eggs is too tiring, she’ll attach a Super Overlord Spinning Top to the egg beater and cause an explosion!”
“If I became her kitchen assistant, wouldn’t I be toast?”
“So that’s why. It certainly does sound dangerous.”
So when Little Herta had called Madam Herta a hopeless cook, she hadn’t been slandering her?
After listening to Little Herta, Asta still found it difficult to imagine that the genius Madam Herta could be so hopeless at cooking. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Nevertheless, she could understand why Little Herta had tried to escape.
If all of that was true, Asta would have fled too.
And then there was…
“Then… Little Herta, do you know why Madam Herta was severely injured three days ago?”
As an Emanator, Herta had been severely injured and fallen unconscious aboard the space station.
There was no way Asta wasn’t curious.
However, Herta had said the problem was already resolved, so as her student, Asta hadn’t felt it appropriate to press her.
But Little Herta, who might know the truth, was different.
‘So only three days have passed?’
Little Herta was initially surprised by Asta’s question.
She had assumed a long time had passed between her breaking down and being repaired.
She hadn’t expected it to have been only three days.
After her surprise faded, guilt appeared on her face.
She hesitated briefly before speaking.
“About that… It was actually my fault. Back then—”
Unaware that everything had been part of Polka Kakamond’s conspiracy and believing herself responsible, Little Herta recounted the entire incident from her perspective.
“…”
Asta fell silent after hearing Little Herta’s account.
She had never imagined that Madam Ruan Mei had cultivated a Starcrusher Swarm King aboard the space station!
She also understood why Madam Herta had been so tolerant of Little Herta.
Although Little Herta had caused a major disaster, she had never actually intended to get anyone killed.
In the end, she had even given Herta the sole chance of survival.
“Miss, I brought the phone you asked for. Who’s this?”
Just then, Arlan arrived with the phone.
He also noticed Little Herta sitting beside Asta and eating Trick Snack bars.
He recognized her as the Puppet who had kidnapped Asta that day.
“Herta Puppet 4423. Just call me Little Herta. Give me the phone!”
The moment she saw the phone, Little Herta tossed aside all her dejection and guilt.
Ignoring Arlan’s wariness, she skipped over and snatched the phone from his hand.
‘Games of Honkai: Star Rail, Little Herta is here!’
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me!