As Otto stumbled out of the church, lost and dejected, he was met by the utter silence of the darkness-shrouded world. The crescent moon hung high and solitary directly overhead, yet it couldn't seem to cast much light upon this gloomy mortal realm.
"Lord Otto... Hmph, what did that old fool say?"
The sudden voice startled Otto. His shoulders jerked reflexively before he noticed someone standing before him.
Eleanor's address was somewhat disrespectful. As Captain of the Valkyrie Squad, she should address Nikolas as "Lord Bishop." As the eldest daughter of the Schariac family, she should call him "Uncle"—no... not uncle. Her adoptive mother, Sabres, was also Nikolas's wife; perhaps she should also call him Father.
But now, this man she should have addressed with deference was merely an "old fool" in her mouth.
In the past, Otto would have immediately corrected her address, lest others overhear... Hmm, even if no one else was present, he probably should have done so. After all, Nikolas was his father, and no one liked a third party slandering their father in front of them... But he had no mood to correct her now. Slander away, slander away. Oh, it couldn't even be called slander.
But what exactly should he say?
How should he answer Eleanor?
Recount everything that happened in the church earlier? That would be far too lengthy. But if he were to put it briefly, how could he explain everything clearly?
"He... I..."
Otto's mouth opened and closed, ultimately just shaking his head helplessly.
"Just as I thought..."
Eleanor sighed deeply along with him.
"It shouldn't be surprising, I suppose. I saw that old fool Luka stumble out earlier, completely distraught. He wouldn't say anything no matter what I asked... But, Otto, just how serious is the situation? Does Kallen really... have to die?"
Otto shook his head vacantly.
"Oh? Is there a chance things could turn around?"
Otto shook his head vacantly.
"No... Then what does that mean?"
Eleanor huffed impatiently. She took two steps forward until she was face-to-face with Otto, less than a fist's distance between them.
Only then did Otto notice something else he had been selectively ignoring—previously, Eleanor would always respectfully address him as "Lord Otto." This time, however, she hadn't.
Perhaps, as a third party, she too was deeply disappointed in his powerlessness...
But the more this happened, the more powerless Otto felt.
Was it really as he thought? The link connecting the lonely him to the entire world wasn't anything else, but Kallen.
When he lost Kallen, it was equivalent to losing the entire world.
Just like now, it felt as if everything had returned to that warm morning, the moment before she appeared in his life. His father ignored him, his peers disliked him.
But all this was merely things returning to their proper course. Ultimately, everything he possessed over the past ten years was an unexpected reward. Even if it was all lost now, it didn't matter.
So he said nothing more, simply nudged the blocking Eleanor aside gently with his shoulder, and then, step by step, under the dim and flickering moonlight, walked towards the dungeon where Kallen was imprisoned.
After taking just two steps, he belatedly thought of something, turned his steps, and headed in another direction.
He wasn't resigned. Not resigned to losing all this. He just felt...
Never mind. No need to say it aloud.
"Hmph!"
Eleanor snorted lightly, watching Otto's back disappear from sight.
She sighed heavily, looking up at the moon, once again veiled by dark clouds.
Schariac... Schariac. Ultimately, the Schariac family could completely stay out of this affair, watching the Kaslanas, Apocalypses, and the Castle Council fight to the death. After all, due to genetic defects, the Schariac presence in Schicksal wasn't exactly low... but could only be described as slightly better than nothing. Maybe after they finished their squabble, they wouldn't even notice the Schariacs.
But... she wasn't resigned either.
Yes, from a certain perspective, she truly disliked Kallen, but she didn't understand, didn't understand what Kallen had done wrong. No, she didn't think Kallen had done anything wrong at all.
Forget it, no need to dwell on these things. Just assume she was purely bored stiff, couldn't help but want to see just how far Kallen could go for this world.
"One after another, they're all so unreliable. Let me think... Hey! Maybe that guy has a way!"
She clapped her hands together, feeling rather clever about her earlier actions:
"Luckily, I was smart enough to deliberately follow that guy when he left earlier... Sigh... If it's that old coot, surely he wouldn't be helpless, right? And the Kaslanas are descendants of him and his comrades; surely they wouldn't just stand by and watch?"
Eleanor scratched her head. Thinking carefully, she was being quite despicable herself—wasn't she just trying to incite that old coot to stage a jailbreak or rescue at the execution ground? Ultimately, she could do such things herself, but the family... the fate of an entire family rested on her shoulders. Kallen was a cautionary tale; she couldn't be as reckless as Kallen... No, perhaps it was just that she wasn't as brave as Kallen.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Eleanor clutched her head with both hands, messing up her hair into a tangled knot.
"Forget it! Only an idiot thinks so much. Let's just do what I thought of first."
---||---
Tap—Tap—Tap—Tap!
Clang—
"Lord Otto, this is the place where... uh, where Captain Kallen is being held. Rest assured, even if Captain Kallen is in distress, she is still nobility. We wouldn't dare touch a hair on her head... However, per Lord Bishop's request, we administered a type of herbal soup from Shenzhou. But rest assured, that soup only temporarily prevents her from using Honkai energy, it has no other effects!"
"You'd better hope that's all it does."
Otto held a bottle of red wine and coldly interrupted the jailer.
"How could it be otherwise... Hahaha..."
The jailer chuckled dryly twice, then quickly covered his mouth. After all, under these circumstances, even the driest smile was probably inappropriate for the atmosphere.
He quickly adopted a serious expression again, deliberately raising his voice:
"Actually, even if Captain Kallen wasn't nobility, even without considering your influence, we would treat her well—We too have to purchase indulgences! And unlike ordinary people, they can hide, they can refuse payment. If they have no ties, they can just run off into the wilderness, though they might get captured as slaves someday. Worse comes to worst, getting a fake indulgence is also an option, right? But we folks with stable jobs can't do that! The officer holds the indulgences in one hand and the roster in the other, buy on the spot. If you don't buy, they deduct it directly from your salary. No escaping! So Captain Kallen opposing the indulgences, we absolutely support her!"
"Oh?"
Otto took a step forward, then turned his head back in surprise:
"I heard that those knights who go out onto the streets forcibly selling indulgences don't actually have to purchase them, just like the soldiers who participated in the Eastern Expedition initially."
"Oh my!"
The jailer slapped his hands together exaggeratedly, the key ring hanging from his wrist jingling along.
Otto glanced at the key ring, an impulse surging within him, then quickly subsided.
He heard the jailer lower his voice and say:
"That's different! To get them to do things, there has to be some special treatment, right? Although most of these knights never even went to the Eastern Expedition battlefield, Schicksal just used the excuse that they enlisted before the war ended and retroactively issued them indulgences. Isn't that just to make them do the work! Otherwise, where would their motivation come from? Oh right, they can also get kickbacks from the indulgence money, so they work even harder!"
"Mm."
Otto held a breath in his chest. Honestly, he didn't particularly care about these things, but Kallen cared, so he cared too—at least, that's what he told himself.
"Alright, enough talk..."
"Understood! Understood! Then Lord Otto, you go find Captain Kallen. I still have to guard the door here!"
Otto nodded and turned, stepping into the tunnel behind the door.
Clang!
The heavy iron gate closed behind him. Even though the jailer deliberately softened the force, the sound of the closing gate still sent a tremor through the entire tunnel, even causing the torch flames set into the walls beside the path to sway forward twice.
Walking a few steps further, an almost suffocating chill washed over him. Otto couldn't help but lean closer to the torches, but the warmth they emitted was merely a drop in the ocean against the dungeon's cold.
Otto continued forward silently. The tunnel twisted and turned, like intestines. Otto sometimes even felt like he was walking in circles.
The torchlight cast his silhouette onto the walls. He continuously stepped over his own shadow, but on second thought, it felt more like countless shadows were continuously stepping over him.
"Wait!"
He suddenly stopped, staring at the torch beside him. The flame flickered constantly, wisps of thin blue smoke curling delicately upwards. Otto's gaze followed the smoke upwards, finally resting on the ceiling above his head.
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing for a long time, finally spotting the outline of a ventilation shaft on the near-pitch-black tunnel ceiling.
"I see."
This was a dungeon, and torches were lit. Without a proper ventilation system, people would suffocate. But the light here was dim, and the ventilation shafts were cleverly designed; even Otto hadn't noticed them at first.
But he didn't say anything, merely pursed his lips and continued forward. How long did he walk? He couldn't remember, nor was there any marker, but it was probably at least ten minutes. He finally reached the end of the tunnel.
Further ahead, there were no more torches along the tunnel walls, only deep, utter darkness.
Rustle—
The sound of clothes rustling came from the utter darkness, followed immediately by a voice incredibly familiar to him, familiar yet tinged with an irrepressible hint of pleasant surprise:
"Otto? Is that you?"
The voice was close at hand. Otto subconsciously raised his hand. He knew that just by extending his hand a little further, he could touch the cold iron bars, and just a little further beyond that was Kallen, clearly within reach, yet untouchable.
"Mm..."
His chest heaved. It was less an answer and more a heavy nasal sound accompanying a deep breath. So he quickly added:
"I'm here, Kallen."
The darkness on the other side fell into a long silence. How long this silence lasted, Otto completely lost count.
He only knew that when Kallen spoke again, her tone had reverted to that lifeless monotone, as if deliberately reminding him—that hint of surprise when calling his name earlier, that irrepressible agitation, that profound helplessness and despair, and that unconscious plea for help, were all just his, Otto Apocalypse's, fantasy.
"So... what do you want to say."
Otto ultimately couldn't hold back. He first knelt on one knee, then his right hand reached forward slightly, accurately gripping the somewhat damp iron bars, but stopping there.
"Kallen, fulfill the marriage contract with me. I... I... I won't let you die. This is my..."
This is the only chance I could secure.
He didn't finish the sentence. Not because of the bone-chilling cold in the dungeon, nor because Kallen interrupted him, but because...
He believed Kallen would understand the meaning behind the words. He also already knew Kallen's answer. So, there was really no need to say more.
"Your father doesn't care whether I live or die, much less about my relationship with you. Of course, he doesn't care about you either. Fulfilling the marriage contract... this engagement was a sham from beginning to end. Heheh, he just wants me to become a hostage to control the Kaslana family."
In an instant, Otto channeled all his strength into the hand gripping the iron bars, causing the ridiculous barrier separating him and Kallen to tremble violently.
He knew it. He knew Kallen would answer like this.
"But... But! What does that matter! Kallen! This marriage contract is just a sham, it can be a sham later too! My father, his health isn't good anymore, Kallen... Of course, none of that matters. What matters is that you live, that you can live... Just, live, that's enough."
Rustle...
The sound of fabric rubbing came from the darkness again. Kallen was moving. Otto could imagine her changing position, sitting down on the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Living... perhaps it truly is wonderful. But... I don't accept."
Kallen's voice was faint, carrying a hint of determination and helplessness, like dead ashes that couldn't be blown away.
It turned out that even something long anticipated, an answer long expected, a rejection long foreseen, could still tear one's heart apart.
Otto placed the red wine on the ground, reaching forward with his freed hand as well. He gripped the iron bars tightly with both hands. The bars trembled continuously with the twitching of his muscles, the "clack-clack" echoes drawn out and fragile by the tunnel.
Kallen refused.
This wasn't surprising at all.
But did Otto care?
No, he didn't care. He didn't accept it either, absolutely not!
To fulfill her wish, over these ten-odd years, he had done so many things she wouldn't approve of, wouldn't agree to. What was doing it one more time?
Wasn't this time... wasn't this time more noble than any before? Because this time, he just wanted to save the noble soul before him!
He had already planned it. With just one glance earlier, he had memorized the shapes of the dozen or so keys in the jailer's hand. Using the Void Archives, he could replicate all the keys and then open the iron bars before him.
Of course, even if the keys were useless, it didn't matter. It was just a matter of constructing something else; opening the cage before him wasn't difficult.
The jailer's herbal soup had inadvertently become an aid. She couldn't channel Honkai energy, meaning she was currently as weak as a normal person. He could take her away directly.
And then? The ventilation shaft! Yes! The ventilation shaft!
Kallen could escape through the ventilation shaft, while he returned to the tunnel and left openly. No one would know the dungeon was empty. Even if discovered, it would be hours later, during mealtime. They would have enough time to leave Kolosten. Then head south, all the way to Venice, set sail from there, reach Quanzhou in Shenzhou via the newly opened sea route, and then head north to Mount Taixuan, seeking Immortal Phoenix's protection... He had planned it all...
But just as he was about to act, he heard a click. Something like glass shattered into countless pieces inside his heart.
He suddenly thought of a possibility—
If losing Kallen meant losing the entire world for him, then what did Kallen possess now?
The Kaslanas betrayed her, Schicksal imprisoned her, her subordinates abandoned her. What did she still have?
She only had Otto left.
But unfortunately, she was destined never to have Otto again.
Why?
Precisely because he had let her down.
Although Otto hadn't let her see the horrific state of his laboratory, the incident on the Kipchak Steppe had already revealed much, hadn't it? And his constant facade, wasn't it too hypocritical, too obvious?
And if that was the case, the person who made Kallen's heart turn to dead ashes, seeking only death, wasn't it... At the very least, he was one of them.
"Yes, Otto, you are also a culprit. You are also someone she fights against. You are the darkness she swore to eliminate."