"I heard you killed someone. Did you clean up the body? I just appointed you to join the Iron Pilot Column, so if you left any clues, I'll be forced to cry and execute you myself!"
"No, no, no! It's a misunderstanding! I just panicked and said something! And besides, how can you just clean it up and pretend nothing happened, Lord Cocolia?!"
"What else can I do? Those who achieve great things don't get bogged down in trivial matters. Is justice more important than my reputation?"
The unscrupulous Cocolia made a heartless declaration, leaving the simple and upright Ana completely bewildered.
Meanwhile, Sin, who had entered the room with her, rolled her eyes. Her expression suggesting she was well accustomed to Cocolia's antics.
Ana desperately wanted to argue, but was stifled by Cocolia's growing authority and struggled to find the right words. Cocolia, however, had already turned her attention to the other protagonist of the Incident and continued her monologue.
"And Yssring, you're here. You've worked hard. Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, I just arrived not long ago. Luckily, Ana led the way; otherwise, I wouldn't have known where to go. And if the coffee is free..."
"Don't say so much. Anyway, go prepare the coffee, Sin!"
Cocolia turned and patted Sin's shoulder, her tone serious.
Sin scoffed disdainfully. "You just want to drink it, don't you? You've already had a cup today. I told you to control your coffee intake!"
"I'm entertaining my most important scientist! This is an irreplaceable and precious talent. Give your mother some face, okay?"
Cocolia pulled her daughter aside, negotiating with exaggerated flattery.
Sin looked at her mother, who always gave her cause for concern. After a moment, she sighed with a blank expression.
"Fine. Wait here.'
"Great! Mommy loves you so much!"
Cocolia joyfully flashed a peace sign, blew Sin a kiss despite her look of disgust, and then watched her walk to the kitchen.
Recently, Sin and the other kids at home had become especially obedient.
For instance, Cocolia had been limited to one cup of coffee per day, but these days, if she begged enough, Sin would reluctantly allow her another cup.
What's going on? They seem to be deliberately taking care of her. Is there a reason behind this?
If I could figure it out, maybe I could negotiate for three cups a day.
Cocolia touched her chin, pondering, then slowly turned her eyes to Yssring, who looked as though she might collapse from exhaustion at any moment.
"The defenses at the East Shenzou Sea base have stabilized, and with the geographic advantage of being isolated offshore, this will be the perfect place for you to bring your wildest ideas to life. Welcome to the East Shenzou Sea, my chief scientist."
"Thank you."
"Don't look so glum! I've prepared a gift for you! It's a fantastic surprise that will make any scientist's heart race. I'll show it to you after we've had our coffee."
"I just hope it's not another situation where you put a gun to my head and force me down a path I didn't choose."
Yssring's face was filled with fear and helplessness, as if their relationship held many untold secrets.
Ana watched silently for a while, then mimed zipping her lips shut.
Her intuition told her the next conversation would be extremely confidential.
Lord Cocolia, please be careful. I was just promoted from an ordinary staff member to a pilot.
Aren't you afraid I might be a spy and leak all this top-secret information?
"Ah!"
This trust from the top leader was both flattering and terrifying.
...
Ana couldn't understand why Cocolia was taking Yssring to see the "gift" in the base's top-secret research facility, and why she was being included.
"Lord Cocolia, would you like to reconsider?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? There may be some hard work involved later. You're strong, so just follow along."
The leader rolled her eyes, clearly not considering Ana an outsider.
Ana was on the verge of tears.
Can we not do this? When I was with the Schicksal, even Archbishop Otto and the head of the Schariac family didn't trust me this much!
As the beloved of the Schariac family, Ana had been raised with a mixture of Kaslana and Schariac values, including sacrifice, dedication, fearlessness, and loyalty, qualities that most modern people might dismiss as outdated.
Leader, my loyal heart can hardly keep from pounding wildly when you treat me this way!
In a state of anxiety and confusion, Ana followed the two into a large door with a complex locking mechanism. The scene inside made her pupils contract sharply.
"This...this is..."
Inside were rows of transparent liquid chambers, each holding a white-haired beauty identical in appearance and physique. They floated peacefully, their beauty contrasting sharply with the cold blue glow of the liquid, which sent a chill down Ana's spine.
She looked at Cocolia in disbelief, but no one paid her any attention.
Yssring frowned, clearly uncomfortable with this kind of human experimentation and whispered.
"Are these the Cecilia clones we retrieved from the underground facility in Saint Freya? The source of Schariac's holy blood?"
"Yes, they're all here. Unfortunately, the brain scans show that none of them have self-awareness. They're just empty shells... Tsk! Otto really played it close to the chest, hiding his secret lab beneath his granddaughter's toys. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, no one would've ever found it."
Cocolia tapped on one of the chambers, the crisp sound of her crystal nails striking the glass echoing through the silent, wide space.
Ana shuddered.
"Did the Overseer really made these?"
"Who else? They're all clones of Ms. Cecilia. Who besides him would have the skill and audacity to do this?"
"But how could he...how could he..."
"Why not? Do you think fighting against the Honkai is like an anime or a TV series where love and justice solve everything? By the way, hasn't the Schariac family taught you to cooperate fully with Otto from a young age? Logically, these clones probably existed before Ms. Cecilia died. She might even have known about them... However, the reason Anti-Entropy exists is that some people couldn't accept this kind of madness."
Cocolia sighed, her eyes clouded as if she were recalling bad memories.
The rest of her mother-in-law's clones were here.
With the power level advanced enough to replicate Judgment-class beings, Schariac's holy blood could be replicated at any time. No need to keep a bunch of nutrient capsules in storage.
It just so happens that these clones can be used to support some of the inventions Yssring might come up with next.
At the same time, Otto would bear the blame.
After this, Ana would essentially be unable to defect and would remain under Cocolia's control forever.
Ana looked utterly shaken, her tear-filled eyes reflecting her inner turmoil.
"I thought the darkness was just a necessity to combat the collapse in its early years, that it had to exist... But I didn't expect even Aunt Cecilia to be involved in something like this. And... and why haven't I ever encountered anything like this myself?"
Fool.
You're not qualified, that's why!
The perfect Schariac Holy Blood has already been created. With exceptional examples like Durandal and Kiana, who needs a mere talented Schariac? Otto wouldn't even bother!
Cocolia and Yssring exchanged a pitying glance at Ana, then continued their one-sided conversation.
"Doctor, I'll leave these bodies in your hands. How they're dealt with in the future is up to you."
"You're putting me in a tough spot. It doesn't feel right to destroy them, but keeping them is just as troubling. It's so pitiful."
"I told you, they have no self-awareness."
"They're still lives!"
"Alright, I know Dr. Yssring is kind-hearted, but I'm full of wickedness. I'm destined to die a bad death, okay?"
"You don't have to be so hard on yourself. Although you forced me into Siberian research, at least you're doing something practical. I don't care about things like fame. Most of the time, you're actually a good person."
Yssring, clearly unhappy, muttered about her background as if she were delivering an unwanted confession.
Cocolia spread her hands with a shameless smile, showing no remorse. Then Yssring turned to Ana, who was still grappling with the shocking revelations, and cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem! Ana, you're one of the few living Schariacs. Please cooperate with my experiments occasionally. It's all for the future of human civilization. Don't worry, I'll be reasonable. Also, since these are all clones of your aunt, if you ever think of a proper way to handle them, you can discuss it with me. I'll try my best to accommodate you."
"I... I'm a bit overwhelmed right now."
"I understand. If this got out, most Valkyries would probably be shaken, let alone you. So we should..."
Thud!
With her heavy dark circles, Yssring suddenly collapsed mid-sentence, only her index finger twitching slightly as though she were still trying to give some final instructions.
"Oh my god! Dr. Yssring has finally died!!!"