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

Otto was just a child about the same age as Karen. Although he was precocious and had a level of knowledge that his peers could not match, he was at a loss for what to do when he saw Karen on the verge of tears. He could only clumsily try to comfort her, but the more Karen thought about it, the sadder she became and the more useless she felt. She was actually about to cry.

"Don't cry, I'll teach you, okay? If I teach you, you'll learn very quickly!" In his panic, Otto didn't care whether it would work or not, and all sorts of things came out of his mouth.

"Really?" Karen looked up in surprise.

"Really, really." Otto felt like his head was about to explode.

"Yay!" Karen jumped off the bench and happily pulled Otto's hand, running towards Francis's study. "So, will I be as amazing as my brother Otto soon?"

“Uh… if you study hard…” Otto hesitated.

"I will definitely study hard! Brother Otto will teach me, right?" Kallen turned around, her eyes full of glistening tears that she hadn't had time to wipe away.

"Hmm..." Looking at Karen's expression, Otto couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Mmm!" Karen continued running down the corridor, pulling Otto along with her, satisfied. "When I'm as smart as Otto, I can take care of Daddy!"

Otto stumbled slightly as Kallen pulled him along, and said with some difficulty, "But...would Mr. Kaslana allow you to learn this useless knowledge...? Your family is a renowned clan of knights, and you will surely become a knight of destiny in the future...You should focus more on learning how to fight..."

"Fight? You mean fight with other people?" Kallen's voice was full of confusion. "But why fight? Kallen doesn't like fighting. Kallen wants to be like her brother Otto, to be a smart person!"

"Huh?" Otto stared blankly at Karen, his brain unable to process the information for a moment.

The eldest daughter of the Kaslana family, a clan known for producing exceptionally powerful knights, surprisingly says she doesn't want to be a knight, but rather a knowledgeable...scholar?

This is completely contrary to Otto's common sense.

This actually contradicts the common sense of most people.

However, Karen did not receive the education from the Kaslana family from a young age as everyone thought. Instead, she was educated by a group of displaced people. The highest official they had ever met was a tax collector, the richest person they had ever met was a merchant who owned a shop in the city, and the most influential person they had ever met was a clever scholar they had heard about. Although they did not know what a scholar was, they only knew that those who had a lot of knowledge were highly respected.

This understanding was also passed on to Kallen, which resulted in the conversations between Kallen and Otto being largely nonsensical.

But Otto relied on his imagination to fill in the gaps in Kallen's meaning with his common sense. Although this meaning was somewhat biased, it did not prevent Otto from understanding that Kallen envied him for being knowledgeable and intelligent.

Otto's expression couldn't help but be moved, and he began to wonder in his heart if he had been too harsh on Karen before.

Perhaps Otto didn't realize that he had just received from Karen something he had always wanted but had never been given to him by anyone.

A sense of belonging.

"Father!" Karen gently pushed open Francis's door and found Bishop Apocalypse and Francis talking in the study. She couldn't help but shrink back, thinking that she had interrupted the adults' serious discussion.

“Hey, Karen, you’re here just in time,” Francis said with a smile, waving to Karen. “Come over here to Daddy.”

"Hmm!" Karen first gave Apocalypse a less-than-perfect bow, then obediently ran to Francis's side and sat on his lap with practiced ease, while Otto stood awkwardly in the crack of the door, unsure whether to go in or back out.

“Otto, let’s go.” Bishop Apocalypse gently beckoned to Otto. Otto hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Karen before obediently following Apocalypse toward the door.

"Little Karen, did you have fun playing with your brother Otto?" Francis asked gently, nuzzling Karen with his stubble.

"Mmm!" Karen hugged Francis's neck and giggled. "Brother Otto is so smart! He knows so many things that Karen doesn't know. Karen asked Brother Otto to teach me! Daddy will allow it, right?"

Francis looked surprised for a moment, glanced at the closed study door, and asked Karen with a wry smile, "Then... how about you marry Otto after you come of age?"

"Marriage?" Karen tilted her head, looking at Francis's serious face, vaguely sensing that the word seemed more complex than she understood. "Like Daddy and Mommy?"

“Yes, my darling.” Francis organized his thoughts and said slowly, “Marriage is a sacred thing. You and your partner will be together for the rest of your lives, without betraying or doubting each other, but understanding, helping, and cherishing one another. When you give him many wonderful things, he will repay you with equally wonderful things.”

"You will share joy and bear sorrow together, and on your journey from this world to the great Father, you will travel together and never be alone."

Karen tilted her head and thought for a while, but still couldn't quite understand. So she tried to understand it by relating these words to things she could understand.

Always together? Understanding each other? Helping each other? It seems pretty good, doesn't it?

Moreover, she asked her brother Otto to teach her knowledge, and she also took him to play in the garden. This should be considered giving good things, so it should be similar to marriage, right?

"Okay, okay!" Karen swung happily on Francis's lap.

Chapter Twenty: Mom, Where Are You?

The banquet ended perfectly as Francis had predicted. The well-behaved and lovely Karen won the unanimous favor of the ladies present, and several of them almost quarreled over the position of Karen's godmother.

Francis then opportunely announced that Karen had not actually been lost, but rather secretly raised within the family after being found, without making it public. Of course, this explanation was not accepted by the many cunning nobles, but no one questioned it; instead, they all tacitly agreed.

This is the unspoken rule of aristocratic circles.

After the banquet, Francis took Karen back to his room, along with many gifts from nobles.

Karen happily unwrapped the beautifully packaged gift boxes, occasionally marveling at the exquisite gifts she had never heard of before. She would even take out a gift and hold it up to Francis, as if she wanted to put it on him.

"Dad, what's this?" Karen asked, picking up a brooch.

“This is a brooch, an ornament. You should pin it to the front of your clothes, like this…” Francis deftly pinned Nami’s brooch to Kallen’s chest, his brow relaxing. “Hmm…it’s beautiful.”

"Really?" Karen asked happily, blinking her big, bright eyes.

“Of course,” Francis patted Karen’s head affectionately, “but this brooch is still too mature for her. It would be more suitable for little Karen to wear it when she’s older.”

"Grow up...?" Karen tilted her head, her little face full of thought. "Then let Mom wear it! Mom will look even better than Karen in it!"

Francis's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled calmly and said, "Of course, there are still many more gifts. You can open them slowly by yourself. Dad is going to work in the study now."

"Mmm!" Karen lowered her head, wrestling desperately with the tightly wrapped gift boxes. "Karen will be good!"

Francis smiled and gently patted Karen's head before closing Karen's bedroom door.

Then he returned to his study, where his secret agents were already waiting.

This spy was dispatched by Francis shortly after Karen returned to the Kaslana mansion, with a sliver of hope, to search for any trace of Maria's survival.

Francis fully understood how important Maria was to Karen, so he wanted to find Maria for Karen no matter how small the possibility.

“Speak,” Francis said, closing the door and addressing the blonde Valkyrie with a serious expression.

Bonnie bowed respectfully and began to recount the results of her month-long investigation.

"My subordinates followed the footprints that led out of the village and found that the footprints led straight to the sea and disappeared on the beach."

"I don't think those villagers would choose the sea as their escape destination, but that's the case. I'll assume for now that they escaped by boat, but if that's the case, then we can't explain where the Honkai Beasts went, since there's no trace of them in the village or in the escape trails."

"My subordinates also conducted a detailed investigation over the past month into the possible destinations of the villagers who might have escaped by boat, but found nothing. There were no witnesses or signs of them landing. Considering the possibility that they did not carry fresh water or food, it is impossible for them to have been adrift at sea for more than two days if they had escaped by boat."

"Subsequently, my subordinates investigated the nearby fishermen, and they did not see any boats of unknown origin in the past month, nor did they experience any weather conditions that could capsize a boat, nor did they find any trace of human presence on any uninhabited islands within a two-day voyage, because fishermen often use those uninhabited islands as temporary resting places and places to repair equipment during fishing."

"Therefore, I have another guess: the village was not actually attacked by Honkai Beasts. The damage was caused by the villagers who were corrupted by Honkai energy."

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense."

Francis's expression was somewhat gloomy. He rubbed his temples, and after a long while, he sighed: "You mean that villager named Maria lured away the villagers corrupted by Honkai energy by herself, and led them into the sea, and..."

"To perish together at sea?"

“I can’t find any other explanation,” Bonnie said, her head bowed. “All the intelligence at the scene points to this conclusion.”

"Has she disappeared?" Francis asked softly.

“He’s dead,” Bonnie answered hesitantly.

“But everyone thought Karen was dead, yet I still found her in the end.” Francis said softly, his eyes not fixed on Bonnie, as if he were talking to himself.

“Sir…” Bonnie swallowed hard, feeling that there were some things she had to say, “Miracles can’t happen twice.”

"So? You're going to tell me now that the person I sent you to find... has disappeared?!" Francis's voice suddenly rose, a loud and fierce voice echoing in the study. His hair and beard bristled, and he slammed his hands on the desk, making a sound that almost broke the wood.

His eyes were bloodshot, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, staring intently at Bonnie.

“Sir! I can’t possibly find someone who’s already dead!” Bonnie glared back at Francis without backing down. Daring to openly defy her superior for her own judgment was a tradition among the Valkyries under Kaslana, and an influence tacitly approved by the Kaslana family.

"What did I say?! I said I want to see him alive or dead!" Francis roared like a madman, completely disregarding his dignity as a superior officer.

"Sir! I believe your doting on the young lady has clouded your judgment!" Bonnie retorted without backing down. "You must understand! That villager named Maria is dead! She couldn't possibly be alive after being pursued by dozens of villagers corrupted by the Honkai!"

The atmosphere in the study instantly became tense, the air so cold it felt like it was about to freeze.

However, this tense atmosphere was broken by a soft sound.

Francis's face turned deathly pale. He rushed to the study door, about to reach out his trembling hand to open it, but then pulled his hand back as if he had been electrocuted. Only after gritting his teeth and making up his mind did he slowly reach out his trembling hand and open the study door.

Standing outside the door was Karen, whose face was also deathly pale. She was wearing a new outfit that no one had ever seen before, clearly taken out of a gift box and intended to show it to Francis.

Karen staggered back a few steps, her eyes vacant, her pale face filled with disbelief. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Francis was equally pale; he never expected Karen to appear here at this time.

The father and daughter stared at each other until Karen's stammering voice came through.

"Dad...Mom?"

Francis remained silent; to be precise, at that moment he had no idea how to explain what had happened to his daughter.

Karen's expression slowly turned to disappointment, then to despair. Her eyes filled with tears, and she seemed unable to accept the cruel reality as she backed away.

Even though she was very young, she was still able to understand what death was.

Finally, Karen could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere. She screamed and ran outside.

Francis instinctively tried to stop her, but Karen was so fast that Francis didn't even have time to take a step before Karen disappeared from his sight.

"Karen! Stop!" Francis didn't care about anything else and chased after her in his slippers.

However, Karen ignored him for the first time and ran out of the house on her own.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Karen's tearful voice echoed through the night streets. "Mommy, where are you?!"

Karen's sobbing voice ripped a deep wound into Francis's heart: "Karen's here!"

Francis slowed his pace. For a moment, he dared not catch up with Karen. He was afraid of Karen's tear-filled eyes, afraid of her questions filled with hope and despair, afraid that the past month of living together would be destroyed by his own lies.

"Mom..." Karen cried so hard she could barely breathe, nearly tripping several times, but she kept running, calling out for her mother at the top of her lungs, hoping Maria would suddenly pop out from somewhere, hug her with a smile, and tell her that it was a prank her mother and father played on little Karen.

Just like when everyone used to play hide-and-seek together in the village.

However, reality does not meet Karen's expectations.

She kept shouting until she was hoarse, kept running until she was exhausted, kept panting until her lungs were burning, and kept her eyes open until they were blurred with tears and she could no longer see the road or the people in front of her.

Karen felt that the city was empty at night, and her voice echoed in the streets, like a haunted house in a ghost story, with unseen eyes secretly watching her in the darkness.

Like the eyes of a venomous snake.