"Kiana, you passed history." Professor Yang announced, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Yay!" Kiana shot up from her seat, her cheer echoing through the classroom.
Rovel let out a long, relieved sigh. "Looks like this past week wasn't a complete waste of ti after all. A few minor… incidents along the way, but at least you passed."
"Bronya never wants to tutor this idiot again," Bronya stated flatly, draped over the table like a boneless noodle, completely drained.
"I'll cook a big feast tonight," i said, pressing her hands together with a warm, encouraging smile. "Let's all have a proper celebration."
"Put the feast on hold for a mont," a new voice cut in. "Rovel, I have sothing to tell you."
Hiko stood in the doorway, her usual carefree deanor replaced by a serious expression. It was clear sothing was wrong.
i's smile faltered, her face clouding over with an obvious worry. "Did sothing happen to... Rovel?"
"Sigh..." Hiko pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because of that last incident, Schicksal Headquarters discovered that a Descender has arrived here, so..."
The celebratory mood that had filled the room monts ago evaporated. The three girls' faces fell. Was Rovel going to be expelled?
It wasn't just them; the sa thought crossed Rovel's mind.
After all, he had utterly annihilated the data-construct of Kallen in that simulated space. While Otto Apocalypse would never mistake such an existence for the real Kallen, the fact that he had preserved that data space with such care ant it held a deep significance for him.
That data-Kallen had already awakened a sense of self. Had her consciousness truly been reborn within the digital world? Or, more to Otto, could he replicate that miracle to retrieve the soul of the real Kallen? A cluster of data spontaneously generating consciousness was an event of astronomical rarity.
By killing her, Rovel had effectively slamd the door on that entire avenue of research for Otto. Who knew how many years, or even decades, it would take to nurture another virtual persona to the point of self-awareness?
Under those circumstances, Otto simply not ordering his execution would be considered an act of rcy.
But then, the seriousness on Hiko's face vanished in an instant, lting away into a brilliant, triumphant grin.
"Rovel has officially been made a mber of Schicksal! Your data will be directly synchronized into the main Schicksal database!" she announced. ", due to your excellent performance in the data space, Bishop Otto has made an exception and promoted you to a B-Rank Schicksal Knight!"
The room fell silent. Otto hadn't sought revenge. Instead, he had taken Rovel, an 'unregistered person' hidden away in the Far East Branch, and brought him into the light as an official agent of Schicksal.
Now all four of them were utterly bewildered, struggling to comprehend the inner workings of the Overseer's mind.
"Eh? Why the long faces?" Hiko tilted her head, genuinely confused by their stunned silence. "This is good news!"
"Um... is there really a difference?" Kiana asked, raising her hand as she voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Of course there is! Oh, right, I never told you before," Hiko said, tapping her temple. "Schicksal's official stance toward Descenders is currently one of 'wait-and-see.' That's why we kept your information secret here at the Far East Branch—to keep Headquarters from investigating you."
"I never expected Bronya's little intrusion into the Schicksal database to accidentally expose you. Theresa was furious about it at first, but then the unexpected happened. Bishop Otto relented and granted you a legal identity."
"In other words," Hiko continued, her voice full of excitent, "you don't have to hide anymore, Rovel. You can enjoy the sa treatnt as the girls. And the most important part, of course, is the 'Schicksal Knight Armor'!"
She turned her gaze to Rovel, her eyes sparkling. "Since you've been promoted to a B-Rank Schicksal Knight, all you need to do is complete a few anti-Honkai missions, and you can apply for your own custom set of armor!"
"Whoa~!!" Kiana's eyes were practically shining with envy.
A gentle smile returned to i's face. On the surface, this was indeed a wonderful turn of events.
As for Rovel, the man at the center of it all, his expression was far more thoughtful, a complex mix of emotions playing across his features.
Bronya remained impassive, her gaze shifting to Rovel, her own thoughts impossible to read.
"So today, we're not just celebrating Kiana passing her make-up exam," Hiko declared, raising her voice. "We're also celebrating Rovel becoming a B-Rank Schicksal Knight!"
"Yay!!" Kiana cheered, her earlier enthusiasm returning in full force.
Caught up in the cheerful atmosphere, Rovel decided not to spoil the mood with his own complicated feelings and joined the others in preparing for the party. He made sure to invite Fu Hua as well; after all, she had helped tutor Kiana in geography, which served as the perfect excuse.
Later that evening, glasses were raised. "Cheers!" everyone shouted in unison.
And with that, the banquet began. Theresa sipped on her bitter lon juice, Hiko enjoyed a cold beer, and the others drank soft drinks. Citing concerns that his body might not have fully recovered, Hiko had temporarily forbidden Rovel from consuming alcohol.
"Rovel," Theresa began, looking uncharacteristically impatient. "In a couple of days, I'll have Hiko take you to Nagazora City for a mission. We need to get you your Schicksal Knight Armor as soon as possible. That way, you'll be able to carry out missions on your own."
"Mhm," Hiko humd, taking a long sip of her beer. "And that way, Theresa can skim even more off the top in the future."
Theresa's face flushed, and she aid a kick at Hiko under the table. Could she be any more blunt? Did her reputation as Headmaster an nothing?
"Ahem," Theresa coughed, trying to regain her composure. "Because our Far East Branch's situation is a bit... special, our mission commissions are slightly higher than other branches. About five percent higher. But don't worry, if you need money, you can always ask for an advance."
She scrambled to find a plausible excuse for herself.
"It's fine," Rovel said, patting his chest with a sincere smile. "The Headmaster has already done more than enough for . You took in a stranger like and protected from Headquarters. That's a favor I'll always rember. Never mind five percent, even fifty percent would be no problem."
Hearing this, Theresa froze. Her eyes widened slightly as she asked cautiously, "...Can I really take fifty percent?"
"..." The entire table fell silent.
"Ahahaha, I'm just joking!" Theresa waved her hands frantically, trying to pretend she didn't care. "Just a little joke!"
After the feast wound down, Rovel stepped outside onto the balcony for so fresh air. A mont later, a quiet presence joined him.
"Rovel," Bronya said, her voice low. "Bronya suspects that the modification of the Honkai Beast's data back then was done by that Schicksal Bishop."
She stared out into the night. "The permission level required to access that space was extrely high. That is why it took Bronya so long to decrypt it."
Rovel shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. "No need to guess, Bronya. It was Otto. I've already t him. It was... a rather unfriendly eting."
"Then why would he help you?"
This was the core of Bronya's confusion. Rovel had destroyed sothing precious to the Overseer. She had expected him to be targeted, to beco Otto's enemy. She never imagined Otto would help him instead.
"I don't know either," Rovel admitted, rubbing his chin as he gazed at the moon. He wasn't omniscient; he couldn't possibly guess what was truly going on inside Otto Apocalypse's head. "Maybe he sees so kind of utility value in ?"
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