Chapter 64: Kallen: Otto, You and Sakura Are Getting Along So Well!
Amber felt her brain going numb. She watched helplessly as the clock moved from five minutes to fifty minutes. Her expression shifted from initial confidence to gradual helplessness, shock, skepticism, and finally, tragic indignation.
Kallen showed absolutely no intention of stopping. Otto looked at Amber with a smirk, the meaning in his eyes clear: Want to fight the boss? Little one, you're too naive!
Amber truly felt the urge to spit blood. She had brought Kallen in as a savior, but instead, she had become the ultimate excuse for Otto to continue slacking off. Well... if the boss was determined to let things slide, what could she do as a secretary? She just had to accept it.
"Theresa is just too cute!" "Right? As expected of my, Otto's, granddaughter!" "That Celestial Hymn gown is quite nice too. Otto, let's have one made exactly like it for Theresa!" "Mhm, mhm!"
Watching the two of them chatting away in front of the computer, Amber felt like a complete third wheel.
"Sigh..."
She let out a heavy sigh, gathered up the pile of documents, and silently left Otto's office. Meanwhile, Kallen was completely immersed in the game. Seeing her having the time of her life, Otto wiped away a bead of cold sweat. He made a mental note to credit Kiana; the little girl had truly made a game that surpassed his expectations. If the game weren't interesting and the quality weren't exceptional, it wouldn't have hooked Kallen within minutes, let alone made her addicted.
"Hmm? Theresa is a clone created by fusing my genes with those of a Honkai Beast?" During the Everlasting Memory playthrough, Kallen looked at Otto with a complicated expression. "Otto, in this game, you aren't the villain, are you?"
Otto chuckled. "Being a villain isn't bad, Kallen. In many modern games and TV shows, the villains leave a much stronger impression on the audience than the heroes!"
Kallen nodded, seemingly understanding. "Is that so?"
As she continued playing, she finally understood why the Otto in the game had committed so many atrocious acts.
"So, in the game... I... died?" Kallen's eyes widened. "And Otto did all those things just to resurrect me?"
Otto nodded solemnly. "If it were me, I would do the same. Even if it meant making the whole world my enemy, I would bring you back."
Kallen's face turned serious. She composed herself and said firmly, "Absolutely not! Such a thing is far too absurd! To resurrect a dead person by sacrificing others—I cannot accept that!"
Otto soothed her, "Calm down, Kallen. It's just a game, only a game."
Kallen didn't seem entirely reassured. She said huffily, "But you just said that if I really died, you would fight the world..."
Otto smiled. "It was just a hypothesis, a 'what if.' After all, aren't you standing right here, perfectly fine?"
Though he called it a hypothesis, Otto was deeply moved. He knew that the actions of the Otto in the game were exactly what he would be capable of—for Kallen's sake, he would do anything. It was incredible; it felt like watching a parallel world version of the life of Otto Apocalypse.
Kallen continued playing, soon reaching the part where Theresa, as a B-rank Valkyrie, defeats Parvati.
"Truly worthy of my granddaughter! Defeating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast in her first battle—simply marvelous!" Otto didn't hide his praise.
"Yes! Theresa is indeed cool!" Kallen agreed. Theresa's resolve to "protect others" had genuinely touched her heart.
Otto nodded. "After all, Theresa inherited your genes, Kallen. She must have inherited your courage and kindness as well."
However, Otto didn't expect that in the next moment, his situation would become high-risk.
[During the collapse war in Siberia on February 7, 2000, Theresa lost her best friend forever—Cecilia Shariac. While Cecilia was fighting the Second Herrscher, Otto ordered... the use of tactical nuclear missiles to kill both the Second Herrscher and Cecilia.]
As the scene changed, a grief-stricken and helpless Theresa was shown slumped against a giant monitor. On the screen was a smiling, battered Cecilia...
"This is too much! Otto! He killed Cecilia! Are Valkyries nothing more than disposable consumables to him!" Kallen suddenly slammed the table, clearly furious.
"Wait, wait, Kallen! Calm down, it's just a game!" Otto was startled by Kallen's sudden rage. As the head of the Schicksal Consortium, he was known for being mature and stable, but whenever it involved Theresa or Kallen, he became a different person. Facing Kallen's sudden anger, he was at a loss.
"Ah, sorry, Otto. I wasn't snapping at you..." Kallen realized she had misspoken and scratched her head sheepishly. "The immersion in this game is too strong; I just couldn't help myself..."
"It's fine..." Otto naturally didn't take it to heart, but he saw from Kallen's reaction just how immense the charm of this game was. And... "Fortunately, it is only a game."
Otto looked at the crying Theresa on the screen and felt a pang of heart-wrenching pain. He imagined himself in the place of the Otto in the game and found it difficult to even breathe. He shook his head and looked at Kallen, who was back to gaming, and hugged her from behind.
"?" Kallen asked while playing.
"Nothing, I just feel... it's so good that you can be here in front of me like this."
Kallen thought for a moment. "Sakura said something similar to me before. Did you two plan this together?"
Otto's mouth twitched. "That... that pink-haired fox... ahem, Lady Yae said the same thing? Then we truly must be in sync, haha..."
"I'm relieved to see you two getting along so well," Kallen said with some emotion. "I remember at the beginning, you and Sakura were like fire and water. I didn't expect you to become such good friends who consult each other on things."
"Yes... we are indeed good friends..." Otto emphasized the word "good" heavily, clearly harboring quite a bit of resentment.
END OF CHAPTER
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium