"Your Eminence, I don't understand why you're handing over the East District to your granddaughter and that Valkyrie who claims to be your daughter?"
Nagamitsu, the director of Saint-1504 Research Institute, stood before the blonde man, her appearance somewhat disheveled. Her uniform was crumpled, her hair a mess, as if she had been hastily pulled from her sleep.
"I actually quite liked the labs in the East District... Also, is that Snow really your daughter?—"
Nagamitsu looked at Otto, awaiting his response.
The blonde man didn't answer verbally, but simply nodded slightly at the control panel monitoring a laboratory.
"She's really your daughter?! When did that happen? ...Never mind, even a blind man could guess how it happened. But you actually acknowledge her as your daughter... Did you use your own genes?"
Having finally gained Otto's acknowledgment, Nagamitsu's curiosity surged to its peak. The Lord Overseer, once again ensnared by Schicksal's notorious "Second Great Tyrant," had no choice but to set aside his work and nod wearily.
"Is there anything else you wish to ask, Madam Nagamitsu?"
Determined to settle the matter once and for all, the Lord Overseer temporarily abandoned his duties and turned to face the director of the Saint-1504 Research Institute, intending to answer all her questions in one go.
Nagamitsu didn't hold back, firing off a barrage of inquiries:
"Do you plan to make that child your successor at Schicksal? Who is the other parent of her genes? Is she a hybrid of Human and Honkai Beast, like Theresa? And... why are you moving my entire Saint-1504 Research Institute to the West District? I can't stand a single one of those West District Overlord Ottos! They'd better prepare for a good thrashing!"
The rapid-fire questions didn't faze Otto. He quickly composed his thoughts:
"Yes, Snow is my designated successor. Little Theresa's heart remains too soft... Moreover, while I have publicly acknowledged and mentioned her lineage multiple times, certain Schicksal elders still harbor reservations—"
"Just as one of the elders publicly declared—'Theresa Apocalypse is merely a counterfeit bearing the Apocalypse Family name'... My dear granddaughter has a soft heart; she couldn't possibly withstand their relentless pressure, whether gentle or forceful."
Otto rubbed his temples.
"Ah, I remember that fellow. A month later, his private jet crashed into the sea... The black box has never been recovered. After that, all the voices critical of Lady Theresa suddenly fell silent."
Nagamitsu clapped her hands together, recalling a past incident.
"Hmph, to reach a high-ranking position, one must at least possess a sense of pragmatism. Those who lack such understanding—they simply disappear."
"But, Lord Overseer, you've only suppressed this temporarily. It will inevitably erupt again."
"Precisely. That's why I raised a daughter, a descendant carrying both my blood and Kallen's—Schicksal's most irreplaceable heir."
"If they crave an 'Apocalypse' so desperately, why shouldn't I grant them one?"
Otto chuckled coldly, dismissing the vermin within Schicksal's upper echelons with disdain.
"Ha ha ha! If they only knew that the rumors they spread—all to seize more power and benefits from the Overseer's position—would actually bring about an 'Apocalypse' who would crush them utterly, they'd be green with regret!"
Nagamitsu joined in with a few dry laughs, as if starting to feel sorry for the parasites within Schicksal. The director of the Saint-1504 Research Institute seemed to already envision their future, being purged from their homes.
"It's not just about punishing them... Nagamitsu, you know there are some Schicksal veterans—they and their families have loyally served me for decades. They genuinely hope that if Schicksal were to have an heir, she would be a successor carrying the blood of the Apocalypse Family."
"Those old geezers? To be honest, even if Theresa inherited the position, they probably wouldn't object too much."
"Let's just grant their wish then..."
Otto shook his head.
"But... I don't seem to see the future ruler of Schicksal making an appearance here?"
Nagamitsu glanced at the surveillance monitor displaying the Schicksal East District Third Airport. Theresa, Houraiji Kyuusyou, and Murata Himeko were visible, but the "little daughter" the Overseer had mentioned was nowhere to be seen.
"She's not here... My beloved Princess's Kaslana bloodline seems to exhibit a phenomenon similar to atavism—manifesting the abilities of Kevin Kaslana, the warrior from the previous era and the Kaslana family's ancestor. After discovering certain clues, she used the power of the Second Divine Key to travel to the Sea of Quanta... and hasn't returned yet."
Lord Otto, who knew next to nothing about his own daughter, explained the situation to Schicksal's second-greatest technological authority using the limited information he had.
"Hiss... That MANTIS (Fusion Warrior) from the previous era? It seems this little Princess is quite the martial prodigy... But if she's not here, who proposed the Far East Branch and Former North America Branch's plan to seize half of Anti-Entropy's Headquarters?"
"Ms. Theresa? She doesn't seem the type either."
"Of course, it was my dear... "son-in-law"?" Otto offered the term hesitantly.
"Ah? She has a girlfriend? Where, where?"
Nagamitsu's curiosity was piqued once again, and she eagerly scanned the crowd on the surveillance monitor.
"I suppose 'girlfriend' is the correct term..."
Otto massaged his temples, his expression troubled. He seemed perplexed as to why his well-behaved daughter's romantic preferences leaned toward women—
Oh, I admire Kallen. Kallen is female, and she seems to like girls too—so it's fine.
"...Girls are fine. It's just typical Valkyrie stuff—either ravenous she-wolves who freeze in their tracks at the sight of a handsome man, or they're the '1' and '0' types who love cuddling with the same gender."
"So, her girlfriend—your 'good' son-in-law, the one who proposed the plan to seize Schicksal East District—is Vice Captain Houraiji Kyuusyou of the Divine Authority Squad, right?"
"That's right... my 'good' son-in-law..."
"Birds of a feather flock together... Your 'good' son-in-law probably anticipated your reaction, Overseer, and figured, 'Why not take the whole Schicksal East District while I'm at it?'"
"She's seized more than just the East District of Schicksal Headquarters..."
The blonde girl's expression turned slightly melancholy.
"Overseer, that's a rare expression on your face... What else did their Three-Party Coalition manage to capture?"
"...The West Asia Branch, the Oceania Branch, and those two insane troublemakers, the United Kingdom Branch and the France Branch."
"I can understand the first two... But what's with the latter two? Isn't Europe supposed to be our headquarters' stronghold?"
Nagamitsu looked utterly perplexed.