The moment that question was asked, the atmosphere around the tea table turned subtly strange.
March 7 blinked, looking at Stelle, then at Welt, and finally at Cecilia. The whole topic felt oddly off to her—why was Stelle suddenly so interested in a Cecilia from another world?
Cecilia herself, however, remained perfectly composed. In fact, she even lifted her teacup with visible interest, looking very much like she was saying, I'd quite like to hear this too.
Welt was silent for a while.
"Cecilia…"
"In my world, Cecilia Schariac was a Valkyrie of Schicksal, the saint of the Schariac family."
"She was very strong—she was known as the 'strongest S-rank Valkyrie.'"
"In that world, a world full of battle and sacrifice, she was deeply respected and loved."
March 7 could not help asking, "And later… did she really die?"
Welt nodded in silence.
"During the Second Eruption. In order to protect the world, Cecilia chose to sacrifice herself, and in the end perished together with the Second Herrscher."
Though that was not perfectly accurate to reality, that was how the history books of Schicksal recorded it.
To protect the world, and die together with the enemy?
Jingliu suddenly took emotional damage.
That description sounded far too familiar.
She thought of a certain old friend.
Eight hundred years ago, Baiheng had done exactly the same—given up her life for the Xianzhou Alliance, for her comrades, and died together with Shuhu.
For a moment, Jingliu felt dazed.
She truly had not expected that this warm-hearted physician she had met by chance…
would overlap with Baiheng in so many ways.
No wonder, when she had first awakened, she had mistaken the other woman for someone else.
If she had not clearly known Bailu's origins—and if she had not asked Cecilia's age—Jingliu might have started suspecting that Cecilia was Baiheng's reincarnation instead.
"Jingliu?"
Cecilia turned to look at Jingliu. Clearly, she had also noticed that something was off with her.
Really? They had only known each other for a few days, and she was already being emotionally triggered by one of Welt's stories?
Too bad she had not awakened some kind of emotion-value system. Otherwise she would definitely have made up a few tragic, depressive backstories on the spot.
"Miss Cecilia, may I ask you a question?"
At that moment, Stelle, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.
For some reason, she had unexpectedly started a conversation with Cecilia.
Cecilia was a little surprised, because this was the first time Stelle had主动 spoken to her.
Ever since they had met the Astral Express crew, this Trailblazer had mostly stayed quiet. That was a little different from the socially awkward protagonist who loved digging through trash cans in Cecilia's memories.
Still, considering that in the game there had been plenty of cool, aloof dialogue options alongside the bizarre ones, Cecilia had always assumed Stelle's personality here was the cold-and-distant type.
"Of course."
Stelle nodded firmly, and then really did ask her question.
"Do you know someone named Kafka?"
The atmosphere around the table instantly turned strange again.
March 7 nearly choked on her tea.
She had never expected Stelle to suddenly bring that woman up.
She had told her not to trust dangerous women so easily!
After all, it had been the Stellaron Hunters who lured them to the Luofu and got them framed in the first place!
Cecilia answered calmly, "You could say I know her, but not very well."
"I made a deal with her back in the Shackling Prison."
But that answer only seemed to disappoint Stelle.
"So… you're not one of the Stellaron Hunters?"
The question genuinely startled Cecilia.
"Miss Stelle, why would you think I'm part of the Stellaron Hunters?"
Stelle fell silent for a moment before answering.
"Because I keep feeling like… maybe I knew you before."
That was such an old-fashioned pickup line that even Cecilia froze for a second.
Still, Stelle did not seem like the sort who would casually use something like that to flirt. At least from how she had behaved these past few days, she did not seem to be the type.
"So… what exactly do I feel like to you?" Cecilia asked.
Stelle tilted her head, as if organizing her thoughts.
"Before… when I was with Kafka, I always had the feeling that she was like a mother to me."
March 7 muttered under her breath, "Stelle, don't tell me Kafka implanted some kind of psychological suggestion in you? She's a Stellaron Hunter!"
Stelle shot March 7 an uncertain glance, but still continued.
"But after meeting Miss Cecilia… I've had this really strange feeling."
"A strange feeling?" Cecilia suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.
And sure enough, Stelle's next words shocked everyone around the table.
"Are you really not my mom?!"
"Cough—"
Cecilia nearly spat out her tea.
She had never expected this seemingly cold and silent Trailblazer to open her mouth and deliver something this explosive.
At that point, even March 7, who had been trying to hold it in, could not take it anymore.
"St-Stelle?! What are you even saying?!"
They were proud, legitimate Nameless—how could she just go around claiming random moms!
Even Jingliu did not react much better.
She had just been reflecting on how Cecilia resembled Baiheng, and now this Trailblazer had gone straight to calling her "Mom"?
As for Stelle, the person at the center of it all, she simply stared at Cecilia with total seriousness.
Silence hung in the air for a long moment before Cecilia finally answered.
"Miss Stelle, I really only met you after coming to the Luofu. Before that, we should not have known each other."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Stelle's eyes, but she still refused to give up.
"Then… could it have been the you from another world?"
That line made Cecilia pause.
Good grief, this girl was learning fast. She had already figured out how to use the theory of "alternate-world counterparts."
March 7 widened her eyes.
"Stelle, wake up! Even if alternate-world counterparts exist, that still doesn't make Miss Cecilia your mother! Why don't you just say Uncle Yang is your dad too?"
Welt, for his part, felt he had something to say.
As an old veteran, he knew very well that the Cecilia of the Honkai world did have daughters—but they were Kiana and Bianka.
No matter how he looked at it, that had nothing to do with Stelle.
Just as Cecilia was considering how to answer Stelle's question, another foxian figure entered the teahouse.
It was Phantylia, disguised as Tingyun.
Cecilia glanced sideways at her.
Then "Tingyun" said:
"Actually, it's not just Miss Stelle. Even I, the very first moment I saw Miss Cecilia, had the feeling that you might be my mother as well."
Cecilia: ???
What is wrong with you?!
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
Uma Musume: I Want All 35
I Can Copy Unique Skills 36
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin