"Old Sieg~ I think you should learn a thing or two from your daughter. Stop drinking and slacking off all day. Get up and go fight some Honkai Beasts, train your body a little. Didn't I already fix your arm for you?"
Elias looked at Siegfried with blatant disdain.
"Who are you calling Old Sieg! Don't get all chummy with me. And it's not like I haven't been working, it's just..."
"Just not working very diligently? Tsk tsk. Look at Durandal. She handles a hundred missions a day, and after coming back she still does the highest-intensity Valkyrie training. As her father, you can't fall behind."
"How can I compare to my daughter? Durandal is... ahem! Don't look at me like that, you bastard! Fine, fine, I'll work, alright?"
Under Elias' "are you some kind of useless waste" stare, Siegfried felt utterly speechless. He suddenly regretted freeloading at last night's celebration banquet.
How could this black-hearted fox in sheep's clothing possibly let an S-rank combatant who delivered himself to the door go? He was already being ordered around early in the morning. He had originally planned to go drinking with Welt today.
"By the way, Elias, you're not planning to make me stay here, are you? Stay at this academy full of girls?"
A hint of anticipation appeared in Siegfried's eyes. If that were the case, it wasn't like he couldn't jump ship from Anti-Entropy.
"Hahaha~ Of course not. St. Freya Academy is a girls' school. No males allowed inside except me... But I rented you a room at the capsule hotel outside the academy. No need to thank me, Father-in-law."
Elias crossed his arms and smiled brightly. This husky was daydreaming. How could he possibly allow any greenery other than himself to grow in this beautiful garden?
Of course, he wasn't going to let Siegfried slip away either. Even if this guy's strength looked weak as hell in Elias' eyes.
At least at a critical moment he could still unleash one badass attack—self-detonating with the Judgment of Shamash and dragging the enemy down with him.
Elias: "If you accidentally kick the bucket one day, Father-in-law, I shall raise your wife and daughter. You may rest easy."
Siegfried: "Who the hell is your father-in-law, you bastard! And I'll never allow something like that to happen!"
Elias: "Oh? Aren't you overthinking it? I was just saying St. Freya Academy's death benefits are very generous. Nothing special meant by it."
Siegfried: "...Damn it!"
Elias: "I'm actually doing this for your own good, Siegfried. St. Freya Academy isn't a place ordinary people can stay. Believe it or not, even if I did nothing, you'd probably flee in panic and move out by the second day."
Siegfried rolled his eyes, about to retort, when five figures suddenly surfaced in his mind—led by Shigure Kira, the former Snowwolf Squad, now five S-rank Valkyries.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.
Back then, after he confessed to Cecilia, Shigure Kira and the others had chased him for a full month. The near-death memories were still vivid. Siegfried couldn't help but shudder.
At the time, even Elias hadn't gotten a chance to make a move.
And afterward, rumors spread that he had groped every Valkyrie's butt, completely ruining his reputation. When Durandal heard about it, she lectured him for a full three hours.
Just thinking about it made Siegfried want to cry. He had been wronged! And getting lectured by his own daughter—where was he supposed to put his dignity as a father?
"Wait! What about you, Elias? Aren't you lounging around the academy all day too? Why don't you go fight the Honkai?"
"I do. I've fought more than Durandal."
"Huh?"
Under Siegfried's dumbfounded expression, Elias spread his hands, indicating that his record was in fact the highest of all.
As the strongest Herrscher of Dominance, each of his clones possessed at least S-rank Valkyrie-level strength. They were currently deployed across the globe, hunting Honkai Beasts everywhere.
From Seraph-class gnats to Judgment-class behemoths—wherever there was Honkai, there was one of his clones. It was just a pity that the Current Era could hardly produce Vipralopa-class Honkai Beasts.
Otherwise, Elias could have captured a few to feed his own planet-class nine-headed chimera Honkai Beast.
"Don't compare efficiency with me. You're overestimating yourself."
Elias looked at Siegfried smugly.
As the savior who had rescued the Previous Era twelve times, the supreme commander of Fire Moth, no one in this world valued efficiency more than he did. He had already cleared the hell-difficulty Previous Era. The Current Era on normal difficulty? He could clear it lying down.
To put it bluntly, even without Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or St. Freya Academy, Elias alone was enough to handle all the Honkai disasters of this entire age.
But unfortunately, the girls at home doted on him too much.
Raiden Mei: "Elias should rest at home!"
Fu Hua: "She's right. You've fought so many battles already. How can you keep overexerting yourself?"
Rita: "Cleaning is a maid's duty. We can't trouble Master to do it personally."
Cecilia: "Why give missions to Elias? Can't we handle them ourselves?"
Aponia: "In any case, [Please] don't worry about anything. Just enjoy your life."
Elias: "Ah~ what a comfortable life. I'm going to be spoiled rotten at this rate."
Siegfried was utterly speechless. Looking at the white-haired boy lying on the sofa, he felt that the gap between people was truly greater than the gap between humans and dogs. This guy was way too outrageous.
And yet, he couldn't find any fault in it. In this world, there really was no one more qualified than Elias to lie back and enjoy life. The Previous Era went without saying. As for the Current Era, aside from the Herrscher of Reason, every other Herrscher had been dealt with by Elias.
Not to mention his thousand clones tirelessly roaming the world exterminating Honkai Beasts without pause. It was absurd.
"After fighting wars for so long, can't I enjoy myself a little? Anyway~ enough chatting. I've got a date with Durandal today. She should be here soon."
"Oh... huh?! Why are you meeting my daughter?"
"A date."
"Elias, I'm going to kill you!"
Siegfried nearly crushed his teeth, eyes blazing as he glared at him. Whether you're a Flame-Chaser, a Herrscher, or a Savior, you are not touching my precious little cotton jacket!
Just as he was about to leap forward and strangle Elias—
"Dad, what are you trying to do? Where's today's work?"
"Th-that voice is..."
Siegfried's entire body stiffened. He turned his head mechanically and saw Durandal behind him, clad in Bright Knight: Excelsis battlesuit. Liquid Honkai energy and the blood of Honkai Beasts still stained her armor.
It was obvious she had just returned from a mission.
"Hi~ Durandal. Your dad was just about to kill me."
"Hm?!"
"N-no, that's not what happened! Sweetheart, listen to me explain slowly—wait, your expression looks strange. I-I'm your father!"
"Even if you're my father, you still can't hurt Elias."
Durandal shook her head helplessly.
Ever since learning about the past—and with the Schariac bloodline's innate closeness toward Elias—her favorability toward him had basically reached the maximum.
Gratitude toward a benefactor. Admiration for the strong. Worship for a savior. And the natural affinity brought by blood.
A mere Siegfried stood no chance as an opponent.
"Alright, forget your dad. I've actually thought of a way to help you recover your memories today. Mm, and while we're at it, it can also make you even stronger. Interested?"
Elias looked at the golden knight princess standing protectively in front of him and found her more pleasing to the eye the longer he stared. He raised a hand and gently wiped the Honkai Beast blood from her cheek as he spoke softly.
"Really? Please tell me what I need to do!"
Durandal's face lit up with surprise. Recover her memories and grow stronger at the same time? Something that good actually existed?
Siegfried was stunned as well. He looked at Elias in astonishment, realizing he might have overthought things. Some people could accomplish more lying down than others could standing up.
When he lay down, he emptied his mind. But even while resting, Elias was always thinking.
Ah... the gap between people.
Siegfried sighed deeply. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
He knew that although Elias appeared active across multiple eras, that was due to his time-travel ability. In truth, this white-haired boy's actual age was less than half of his own—a "boy" in every sense.
And yet, he had endured trials far beyond what Siegfried, an adult, had ever experienced.
The thought left him conflicted. If it had been some ordinary brat eyeing his daughter, Siegfried would have punched him without hesitation.
But if the other party was Elias...
He truly seemed powerless.
"Ah~ forget it. I'm going to hunt Honkai Beasts. You two... do your best. No kissing, no hugging, and absolutely no funny business!"
"Tsk. Father-in-law, I've got intel on a Judgment-class Honkai Beast. Go handle it. Don't worry about lacking firepower—I'll have Kiana lend you the Judgment of Shamash."
"Damn it! You really want me dead, don't you?!"
"Hahaha~ Of course not. No time to waste. Durandal, let's begin."
Elias snapped his fingers. A graceful, holy white-haired beauty appeared out of thin air.
"Headmistress Cecilia? No... the temperament is different."
"Mm-hm~ I'm Misteln. Or you can call me Hare. I took a trip to World Serpent recently and found it interesting, so I gave myself a codename."
Although she possessed an appearance identical to Cecilia's, Misteln's faintly mischievous aura made it obvious at a glance—this was a dangerous woman.
Being connected to Elias at heart, she needed no instructions. She immediately understood what to do.
"Are you ready, Miss Durandal? Our destination next is the Stigma Space."
"Stigma Space?"
"That's right. In a sense, it's the source of your power. There, you can reclaim your past. It's somewhat dangerous—but you'll also gain greater strength."
"I couldn't ask for more. I'm ready!"
Durandal stepped forward decisively. She had never lacked courage.
Misteln nodded. A banner bearing the Schariac family crest appeared in her hand. When the [Idea] waved it, the three of them were instantly transported into a strange space.
...
A barren world of ice and snow stretched endlessly. Massive black stones stood rooted in the ground. Suspended in midair floated a gigantic black crystal. Dense Honkai energy saturated the entire world.
Even ordinary Herrschers could not wield their authority here, because the Stigma Space stood in opposition to the Honkai Herrschers.
Durandal stared blankly at her surroundings. Even for her, being suddenly transported to such an unfamiliar place brought a trace of unease.
But when she saw Elias standing beside her, that faint unease instantly vanished.
"So this is the Kaslana Stigma Space?"
"That's right. I suddenly remembered—ordinary people only store memories in the brain. But for those of us who bear Stigmata, that's not entirely the case."
Elias lightly patted Durandal's back.
Even without conscious intent, a Stigma would automatically record its bearer's entire life.
For example, the Kaslana Stigma recorded the memories of every Kaslana family member up until now.
Although Durandal's brain had completely lost the memories from before she turned seven, the Stigma could serve as a backup.
"I see. But what do I need to do?"
"You don't need to do anything. Leave it to Misteln. She's the professional in this field."
"After all, I am an [Idea]," Misteln said playfully.
As the embodiment of the Schariac Stigma, she possessed cheat-level authority over all Stigmata. She could even strip others of their Stigmata—or grant them.
With ease, she connected to the Kaslana Stigma and retrieved the memories Durandal had lost.
"All done. These are your memories from before you turned seven. My~ you were quite mischievous back then, Miss Durandal."
"D-don't look at them."
"That won't do!" x2
Misteln projected the girl's memories into midair. Elias had no idea when he had produced a bucket of popcorn, but the two of them began watching the memory-movie with great interest.
Durandal felt utterly embarrassed. As a child, she had been nothing like her current serious self—she had been quite the little troublemaker.
For example, in the current memory projection—
A seven-year-old girl with small white braids had draped a bedsheet over herself as a cape, holding an umbrella as if it were the Abyss Flower. Standing on the bed, she shouted, "Join me in saving the world, Abyss Flower!"
"So cute!!" x2
Elias and Misteln gave simultaneous thumbs-ups.
"Th-this is too embarrassing."
Durandal's cheeks flushed red. Yet the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted high. Seeing her younger self, already determined to become the strongest Valkyrie and save the world, filled her with happiness and pride.
But children inevitably did countless embarrassing things. Soon, this silly goose found it hard to keep watching.
However, when the memory reached the moment Elias appeared, Durandal's gaze froze.
She watched the younger Elias lead her out of Schicksal headquarters. In the end, the two of them were blasted from a thousand meters in the air together.
Durandal clenched her fists.
Especially when she saw Elias overdraw his own life force to activate the authority of the Herrscher of Death to heal her. Even at the brink of death, he threatened Otto and forced him to swear never to harm her.
And at the very end—
"ich liebe dich."
"...Finally. I finally remember. This is the treasure—the memory—I've been searching for all along."
Durandal wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. All these years, she had stubbornly searched for this fragment of memory. Even after forgetting it, she had often seen that white figure in her dreams.
"Thank you, Elias. This time, I absolutely won't forget you again."
Her gaze turned incomparably gentle.