Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Otto

Lucian stared at the employment agreement in his hand, then glanced at Theresa, whose small face was contorted in a valiant effort to stifle a laugh. A sense of calm suddenly washed over him.

“Fine,” he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Security guard it is.”

He took the pen from Theresa’s outstretched hand and signed his name with a smooth, decisive stroke.

Now it was Theresa’s turn to be taken aback; a flicker of genuine surprise flashed in her eyes. She had fully expected Lucian to haggle, to protest the seemingly menial position. She never imagined he would agree so readily.

Kiana was just as stunned. Her eyes darted from Lucian to Theresa, finally settling on the signed agreement resting on the table.

“Lucian, are you really going to be a security guard…?” she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

“Yeah. Being a security guard sounds pretty good.” Lucian handed the signed document back to Theresa and turned to Kiana, a teasing glint in his eyes. “This way, I can wander around the school openly all day.”

He shrugged. The job Theresa had arranged for him was bound to be a leisurely one. After all, St. Freya wasn’t some anime high school that got invaded at the drop of a hat. In the main storyline, he could barely recall a single instance of the academy itself being breached.

“The security guards at St. Freya are quite busy, you know. It’s not as easy as you think,” Theresa said with a light laugh, standing on her tiptoes to pat Lucian’s shoulder in a comically mature gesture.

Lucian cooperatively bent down, making it easier for her to reach. The simple act of courtesy brought a faint blush to her cheeks.

“Hey!”

——————

Several hours later, the colossal form of the Hyperion finally appeared in the skies above St. Freya. By then, the time had ticked past seven in the evening.

The sky outside the cabin had deepened to an inky black, and across the sprawling campus of St. Freya Academy, only the dormitory area remained aglow with warm light. The academy’s unique terrain, nestled against mountains and facing the sea, infused the night air with a hint of moist coolness.

The Hyperion descended slowly, its engines humming a low thrum. As the main hatch hissed open, a sea breeze carrying the clean, salty scent of the ocean washed over them. In the quiet of the night, St. Freya Academy appeared exceptionally tranquil, with only a few clusters of dormitory buildings casting a gentle radiance against the darkness.

Looking at the residential area, which was composed entirely of villas, Lucian couldn’t help but marvel at the school’s wealth. What kind of academy used uniform, European-style villas as dormitories, each complete with its own private courtyard?

Under the soft glow of the moonlight, the exquisite architecture seemed to shimmer, each building exuding an air of quiet affluence. He couldn’t help but recall the cramped, dilapidated eight-person dorm he had been crammed into during his agent training in a past life.

Well, some things simply couldn’t be compared.

“Lucian? Stop daydreaming, we should go.”

Theresa’s voice pulled Lucian from his thoughts. She stood at the edge of the open hatch, the formidable cross, Oath of Judah, strapped to her back. Kiana and the others had already been led to their dorms by Himeko, but Theresa had asked him to stay behind, wanting to arrange his accommodations personally.

“What, overwhelmed by such a magnificent academy?” Theresa laughed, a note of pride in her voice.

“You could say that,” Lucian admitted, stepping off the Hyperion’s ramp. His gaze remained fixed on the luxurious villas dotting the landscape. “This isn’t quite what I imagined a Valkyrie school would be like.”

“And what did you imagine? A place like a military barracks?” Theresa raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. “It was Cecilia’s idea to create a place where children could live with smiles on their faces.”

She began to walk, and Lucian fell into step beside her as they left the shadow of the Hyperion.

“Even if they fight to protect the world,” Theresa continued, her voice softening, “they should first have the happiness and beauty that ordinary girls deserve.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a moment before she spoke again. “I’ve arranged your dorm near Kiana and the others, but that’s not the only reason I asked you to stay.”

Theresa stopped, turning to look up at him. The playful light in her eyes was gone, replaced by a deep-seated worry.

“Grandfather wants to see you.”

“…Otto wants to see me?” Lucian repeated, the name tasting like ash on his tongue.

Theresa nodded, her small face etched with concern. “Just before the Hyperion landed, I received a direct communication from the Lord Bishop. He has already arrived at St. Freya. He specifically asked to see you.”

The corner of Lucian’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, but he quickly smoothed his expression back into one of calm neutrality.

“He’s already at St. Freya?”

“Yes. His private jet arrived a step ahead of us,” Theresa confirmed, her gaze searching his, still filled with concern.

“I understand.” Lucian nodded slowly. His eyes swept across their surroundings, but aside from the distant, glowing dormitory area, the campus was shrouded in darkness. “Where is he?”

Before the words had fully faded from his lips, a gentle, amused voice—a voice that carried an infuriatingly placid tone—drifted from the nearby shadows.

“I’m right here.”

Both of them turned toward the sound. From a short distance away, Otto Apocalypse was walking toward them, clad in his signature white and gold bishop’s robes.

“It seems my timing is still acceptable, is it not?”

Theresa’s expression stiffened. She instinctively took half a step forward, positioning herself slightly in front of Lucian as if to shield him.

“Grandfather, what are you doing here? Didn’t we agree to meet in the office…?”

“Oh, a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Otto interrupted with an effortless smile, his gaze shifting past her to land squarely on Lucian. “I thought that on such a peaceful night, an open-air conversation might be more conducive to getting to know one another than being cooped up in a stuffy office.”

His eyes, a serene shade of green, held Lucian’s. “Am I right, Mr. Lucian?”

Lucian met his gaze, his own face a mask of calm indifference. He gave a slight, respectful nod.

“Wherever Lord Bishop deems suitable, we can talk there.”

“Excellent.” Otto smiled with satisfaction. He then turned his attention back to his granddaughter. “Theresa, you go and attend to your other duties first. I’ll have a private chat with Mr. Lucian.”

Theresa was clearly reluctant to leave, but one look at Otto’s infuriatingly serene demeanor told her any protest was futile. She eventually nodded, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

“…I understand.”

——————

Only when Theresa’s small figure had gradually faded into the distant darkness did Otto turn his full attention back to Lucian.

Under the pale moonlight, the smile on his face seemed to recede slightly, and his green eyes appeared even more deep in the dim light. He slowly approached, stopping just a few steps away from Lucian, creating a space of charged intimacy between them.

“So, Mr. Lucian…” he began, his voice a low murmur. “Let’s dispense with the unnecessary pleasantries. I am very curious about you. Especially the you of now.”

Lucian met Otto’s probing gaze and gave a slight shrug. “The me of now?”

A faint, self-deprecating smile touched his lips. “Seems no different from the one who abruptly appeared in the Lord Bishop’s hot spring a few years ago.”

Otto let out a soft, breathy laugh and shook his head gently. “My dear Mr. Lucian, it seems you still don’t quite understand.”

He leaned forward slightly, his posture closing the distance between them. Those eyes, which always carried a hint of detached amusement, now held a sharp, serious focus.

“The you of a few years ago was like a clean sheet of paper, one that appeared before me out of thin air. At that time, you merely struck me as… interesting. Perhaps a sufficiently useful pawn.”

His gaze intensified. “But the you of now… you suddenly have so many moves of your own. You’ve suddenly transformed from a pawn on the board into a player.”

“A player?” Lucian repeated the word, a dry note in his voice. He shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid I can’t claim that title yet.”

His expression remained flat, unreadable. “At best, I’m just a pawn who doesn’t want to move entirely according to someone else’s game plan.”

Otto’s eyebrow arched, a flicker of genuine amusement flashing in his eyes before he quickly concealed it.

“Don’t sell yourself short. At the very least, I find you quite intriguing.”

Otto turned and made an inviting gesture toward a tree-lined path that led deeper into the academy grounds. Moonlight filtered through the canopy of branches, casting a dappled, shifting pattern of shadows on the stone-paved path below.

“Accompany me for a walk, Mr. Lucian. The nights at St. Freya have a unique charm.”