Honkai Impact 3rd: My Days as a Captain in Schicksal

Karen took the spoon from Francis, her eyes fixed on his hand, and awkwardly held the spoon in her own hand, mimicking his posture.

Francis smiled knowingly as he saw that Karen had quickly learned the correct way to hold the bowl, and scooped up a spoonful of soup to his lips.

Karen tried to do the same, but she used too much force and didn't hold the spoon level, so the soup spilled all over the table.

Karen was terrified. Having been taught from a young age not to waste food, she suddenly felt she had made a terrible mistake. She looked at Francis helplessly, her big eyes filled with pleading for forgiveness.

“It’s okay. You didn’t hold it level this time, so the soup spilled out of the spoon. Be careful next time.” Francis didn’t understand the meaning in Karen’s eyes, taking it only as her being embarrassed by her clumsiness.

Karen was delighted to see that Francis didn't blame her, but she was still bothered by the spilled soup. Her eyes kept glancing at the stained table. After a moment's thought, she decided to use a spoon to scrape up the thick soup.

Francis was startled by Karen's actions and quickly stopped her: "What are you doing? Those are dirty, you can't eat them."

"But...but..." Little Karen's pale face showed a look of helplessness, "Mom said we can't waste food..."

Francis paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Yes, that's right, so as punishment for Karen spilling this soup, you're not allowed to eat this spoonful."

Karen looked regretfully at the fragrant soup spilled on the table, almost crying with worry: "What should we do with all this soup?"

Fransky glanced at Karen's expression, slowly put the soup from his spoon back into the soup bowl, then picked up the soup bowl and placed it on the edge of the table. He used his spoon to slowly scrape the soup into his own soup bowl: "Of course, it's for Dad to eat. The person who spilled less can eat more rice, while the person who spilled soup will have to eat less."

Karen thought about it and felt that what Fransky said made a lot of sense, so she picked up her spoon again and tried to scoop a spoonful of soup from her soup bowl.

Thomas, the butler, and several maids, who were standing far behind, practically glared at each other.

When had they ever seen a lion like that in Kaslana's household?

Scrape the spilled soup back into the soup bowl? Where is the decorum of an aristocrat?! Not even a nouveau riche from the countryside would do something so rude and impolite, let alone a high-ranking, established nobleman.

Watching the two people teaching and learning at the dining table, the maids couldn't help but start gossiping.

"Isn't Lord Francis spoiling the young lady too much?"

"I think the young lady should first brush up on her aristocratic etiquette. Look at the way she eats, tsk tsk."

"She's just a country girl."

"Shut up." Butler Thomas's cold words interrupted the gossiping maids. His sweeping gaze sent a chill down everyone's spine, making them feel as if they were being watched by a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

“The master’s pent-up fatherly love, accumulated over six years, erupted in just a day or two. Anything he did is understandable.” Butler Thomas turned his gaze back to the dining table, where little Karen was giggling at Francis’s antics. “The master will surely teach her how to be a graceful woman in the future, but right now…”

Thomas then turned his gaze back to a type of servant: "Who dares to gossip in front of the young lady or let her hear it, and hurt her feelings..."

"Don't worry, I won't punish you."

"Because compared to my insignificant punishment, what is truly terrifying is that the person who made the mistake will face the wrath of the master."

"Did you understand? I won't repeat myself."

The father and daughter, having eaten and drunk their fill, strolled in the garden. The garden was well-maintained by the gardener and was quite large, giving one the feeling of walking in a forest.

"By the way, Karen, have you thought about the birthday present I mentioned earlier?" Francis asked, holding little Karen's hand.

"Hmm...no." Karen thought for a moment and then answered.

"No?" Francis was somewhat taken aback. "No matter how rare the item, Daddy can give it to you, okay? Daddy is really amazing!"

“I didn’t mean Daddy isn’t great, it’s just…” Karen held Francis’s hand and skipped happily, “Karen really doesn’t want anything. She has a daddy, a mommy, a big house, and delicious soup. Uncle Thomas is also a very nice person, just like Uncle Marshall.”

“Oh, right, if you see Uncle Marshall next time, Karen can introduce him to Dad,” Karen said, shaking Francis’s big hand happily as if she had remembered something. “Uncle Marshall is so nice to me. He even made me a kite, it’s this big and this big.”

Francis fell into deep thought as he watched Karen struggling to demonstrate the size of the kite.

“In that case, how about Dad prepares a gift for you himself?” Francis said with a smile.

"What is it?" Karen asked curiously.

"Hehehe, I won't tell you!" Francis narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly.

"Ugh... Daddy's bullying me!"

The sounds of a father and daughter playfully fighting filled the entire garden.

Late at night, Thomas, the butler, knocked on the door of Francis's study and entered carrying a tray of teaware.

"Sir, your tea and snacks." Thomas placed the tray lightly on the table with standard butler's movements, placing the teacups and snacks within Francis's reach but not in the way of him reviewing official documents.

"Thomas, it's this stuff again." Francis frowned at the delicate pastries. "Where's the meat? I need meat! How can this stuff keep me full?"

Thomas's forehead veins were practically bulging, but he sighed, after all, he was already used to this kind of development: "Sir, first of all, eating too much greasy food late at night is bad for your health... Secondly, and the main reason, is that you asked the kitchen to make far too many pastries for the young lady. She's already stuffed but still can't finish them all, and she's very unwilling to waste food, so I coaxed her into thinking that you would eat the rest."

"Of course, if you don't want to, I'll go and cook you a steak right now."

Francis coughed awkwardly, "Never mind, we can't waste what we've made. Just leave it here, you can go and rest now."

Thomas slipped out of the study without leaving a trace and stood waiting at the door.

Although Francis told him to go back and rest, he preferred to stand there so that he could respond immediately to any needs Francis might have.

This wasn't the first time this had happened. Thomas had done the same thing before when Francis was busy with official duties. If Francis didn't rest, Thomas would stand there until Francis finished his work before he could rest.

To outsiders, Thomas was the perfect butler, and he was known in aristocratic circles as "the butler everyone else needs."

Only Thomas himself knew that Francis was a great master worthy of following, worthy of respect, and worthy of his utmost devotion.

Thomas was four years younger than Francis. When he was twelve, his village was invaded by Honkai Beasts, and all the villagers died.

except him.

He was herding sheep outside the village at the time and escaped the tragedy. When he returned to the village, he discovered the devastation.

At that moment, he was filled with despair and shock, and he didn't even realize that the Honkai Beast hadn't left yet. But by the time he did, it was too late.

Fortunately, his flock of sheep attracted the attention of the Honkai Beasts, allowing him to hold out until the Fate Knights investigation team, which had detected the Honkai energy reaction, came to investigate.

Thomas will never forget the figure clad in silver-white armor, wielding a giant sword and splitting a Honkai Beast in two.

The figure turned around, took off his helmet, and revealed a face not much older than himself, but with a head of messy white hair.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"My lord knight, I...I am Thomas..." Thomas swallowed hard and answered somewhat timidly. At that time, Thomas was still an ignorant poor country boy. The highest official Thomas had ever seen was a tax collector. Their horses were much worse than the horse this knight was riding. In addition, the knight's armor looked extremely expensive. Thomas subconsciously regarded this knight as a high-ranking official.

The white-haired boy muttered something about how old he looked, then scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Um... everyone in your village is dead."

“Yes…it seems so…Sir…” Thomas was stirred up by these words, but he still answered with some trepidation regarding his fear of the aristocracy.

Although knights are not nobles, in Thomas's eyes they are all pretty much the same.

"Hmm..." The white-haired boy seemed troubled. "It seems like all your sheep are dead... and the ones that aren't dead seem to have all run away..."

"Yes...yes, sir..." Thomas had no idea that the other person was trying to comfort him.

Of course, I think the main reason is that the other person's words of comfort sounded like a slap in the face.

"Um..." The white-haired boy seemed to be at a loss for words, looking at the other person with great embarrassment.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and Thomas would laugh out loud every time he thought about it.

"How about this, you come with me, and I'll find you a job." The white-haired boy seemed to have made up his mind.

"Okay...huh?" Thomas thought he had misheard.

“Let’s go back first,” the white-haired boy seemed quite pleased with his cleverness. “I’ll go back and see if I can talk to my dad about finding you some work or something, get on the horse.”

"Huh?" Thomas thought he had misheard. He stood beside the magnificent horse, at a loss for words.

"Get on the horse," the white-haired man urged. "Oh, by the way, you don't know how to ride a horse, do you? Come on, let me help you up. Step on these, and push off hard..."

"Sir...Master..." Thomas was terrified, waving his hands as he backed away, "I...how could I ride your horse..."

The white-haired boy seemed a little annoyed: "Are you stupid? Look at your shoes, they're all leaky. We have a long way to go, and you're so thin, how can you walk like that?"

"You mount your horse, I'll walk behind you," the white-haired man said in a commanding tone.

"I...I...I..." Thomas was almost crying. Out of fear of the other person's identity, he dared not refuse, but also out of fear of the other person's identity, he dared not mount the other person's horse.

"Hurry up and get on the horse. My home is far from here, and we'll miss dinner if we're late." White Hair urged as he lifted Thomas onto the horse.

Thomas was terrified. The other person was clearly just a boy who was slightly older than him, so how could he lift him onto the horse with one hand? Moreover, the other person was wearing heavy armor and carrying a giant sword that was taller than him on his back.

Is this guy even human?

Watching the white-haired boy leading his horse and walking briskly, Thomas also had to endure the piercing gazes of the two knights accompanying the boy. The journey felt like an eternity to Thomas.

“My name is Francis Kaslana, what’s your name?” The white-haired man seemed unaware of anything and asked with great delight.

“I…I’m Thomas, sir…” Thomas answered hesitantly, “Sir…I think I should get down…”

“No!” Francis answered decisively.

"Master... Master... Can I not go...?" Thomas felt like he was about to cry, and the gazes of the two knights beside him made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

“No!” Francis’s answer was still resolute.

Thomas was about to say something when he suddenly felt someone push him from behind. He turned around in alarm and saw one of the two knights who were with him.

The knight who approached on horseback had already pulled up his mask, revealing a face covered in stubble: "Mr. Kaslana told you to sit, so sit down. Why all the nonsense?"

Thomas was so frightened that he didn't dare to speak or even breathe loudly.

Francis seemed oblivious to the atmosphere, and instead continued to speak to himself with some delight: "This is my first mission. Although I only saved one person, it's not bad, right? I remember my dad saying that the first time he went on a mission, not a single person was left alive..."

"Thomas, what are you good at?" Francis continued to ask to himself.

"Sir...I can...I can herd sheep..." Thomas answered honestly.

Seemingly hearing the knight's sneer behind him, Thomas lowered his head even further, only to meet Francis's bright blue eyes.

“I don’t have any sheep for you to herd. Do you know anything else?” Francis looked somewhat troubled.

“I…I can also cook…clean the house…farm…repair barrels…” Thomas answered in detail.

Francis's expression grew even more troubled: "This..."

"Sir, are you not satisfied?" Thomas asked cautiously.

"Hahaha...no, no, you'll definitely be a great help," Francis laughed.

Thomas, standing by the study door, smiled knowingly. If there were any maids still awake, they would be astonished to go from room to room and inform the wooden-faced Thomas that he was actually smiling.

At the time, I didn't know the status that the surname Kaslana represented. I just thought that I had been chosen by a kind knight to be his squire. Although I was ignorant at the time, I had heard that knights had to have squires.