章 44: Chapter 44: Bronya Won't Fall for This Trick
"Speaking of which, did you uncover anything at Saint Freya Academy? Is Otto's granddaughter involved in some nefarious plot?" Tesla asked with a smirk.
At that moment, Welt was seated in a chair, sharing tea with Einstein. Behind him, Tesla leaned against his back and playfully tugged at his hair, as if searching for lice amidst those brown strands.
Welt indulged Tesla's antics while responding, "No, not really. From what I observed, Theresa is simply a genuine good person. It seems she truly means to provide Valkyries with opportunities to grow and create better lives for themselves. However..."
"What do you mean by 'however'?"
"I mean, even if there's nothing suspicious about Theresa herself, it doesn't guarantee that Otto isn't up to something. I have a feeling that beneath the calm facade of this peaceful campus, there may lurk hidden darkness. We still need to keep a close watch."
As Welt and Tesla exchanged thoughts on their covert operations, suddenly, amidst the howling wind outside, there came a deafening crash.
"BOOM!"
"Where's that little bastard? Take me to him!"
The reinforced steel wall of the base, coated with trace amounts of Honkai Energy for superior defense and stealth capabilities, shattered under immense force as a burly man with red eyes and white hair strode through—Siegfried!
Welt rubbed his forehead, calculating the repair costs for the damaged wall while dreading Theresa's inevitable wage deductions. His stomach began to ache at the thought.
Anti-Entropy was truly strapped for cash, not just due to Cocolia's issues alone.
While Anti-Entropy Entertainment had already established itself as a profitable venture, the production and research of Titan units were like bottomless pits swallowing funds left and right. No matter the earnings, it always felt insufficient.
As a result, even Welt's salary from Theresa required him to send a significant portion back to headquarters—to buy Einstein her tea, purchase cosmetics for Tesla, and support both scientists' lifestyles.
"Siegfried, you've misunderstood; that was likely just a ploy to lure you here... So could we get some funds for the wall repairs?" Welt explained weakly, staring at Siegfried with eyes as lifeless as those of a dead fish.
Siegfried paused, his furious expression transforming into bewilderment. He stammered, "Uh, I don't have any money, actually. I was hoping to borrow from you guys."
A moment passed in silence.
The two men, each possessing extraordinary martial prowess, looked at each other wordlessly and sighed together over their shared hardships.
"All right! Since everyone's here, let's go! The sooner, the better—we can still make it back in time for dinner." Tesla grabbed Welt without another word and headed straight through the hole Siegfried had punched earlier.
Siegfried exchanged glances with Einstein—his gaze filled with guilt, hers marked by resignation—and silently followed behind them.
Meanwhile, at the distant Cocolia's Orphanage:
Zeke faced a horizontally positioned Titan mech, tapping on its virtual screen to scan its structure. As he verified the Anti-Entropy technology notes he had just memorized, he attempted to upgrade and modify the robot.
However, honestly, there was hardly any room for improvement.
From dual-energy coordination to balance and movement systems, down to armor and firepower distribution, the design was exceptionally flawless. If anything, due to budget constraints, some materials could potentially be upgraded with higher-grade alternatives, but the overall enhancement would remain minimal.
"Anti-Entropy truly lives up to its reputation; their tech is impressive."
Zeke leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples, and let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.
Unbeknownst to him, just a month earlier, Einstein expressed similar sentiments while examining the remnants of Zeke's floating warhead. Perhaps this mutual appreciation between geniuses transcended boundaries, although Zeke's genius status was admittedly aided by certain cheats.
This appeared to be a standard mass-production model, yet even so, based on paper specifications alone, its overall performance surpassed the average A-rank Valkyries of Schicksal.
While theoretical data alone doesn't dictate actual combat performance, once deployed en masse as a coordinated Titan tide, they would be nearly unstoppable except by Herrschers and a few exceptional beings.
As Zeke absorbed this information with mixed feelings, something caught his peripheral vision, causing him to grimace instantly.
"Staring—"
In a shadowed corner, he spotted a emotionless little girl with twin gray spiral pigtails, sitting against the wall while clutching a yellow Homu plushie. Her intense yet somber gaze was fixed unwaveringly on Zeke.
"Still staring—"
She reminded Zeke of a small rabbit trying to look fierce but actually being quite adorable—an unexpected association.
After pondering briefly, Zeke retrieved from under the table a beautifully illustrated comic book.
"HOMU Adventure: First Edition Commemorative Copy - Limited worldwide release of 10,000 copies, hand-drawn by the creator, never reprinted, rare collector's item... Want it?"
Zeke waved the comic, noticing the girl's ears perk up, her eyes widening like a cat's, following his every move attentively.
"I... Bronya won't fall for this trick!"
After a tough internal struggle, images of her friends Liliya and Rozaliya flashed through her mind. Cocolia lingered briefly before fading away. In the end, it was Seele's radiant smile that made her resist the allure of the treasure before her.
"There's no trap; I just need your help with something."
"...To prevent you from doing mischief, Bronya won't let you out of sight. You can give up now... Even if...even if it's Homu..." Bronya spoke hesitantly, focusing on the floor beneath Zeke's feet to barely suppress her racing heart.
"Since you put it that way..."
Zeke raised an eyebrow, showing neither surprise nor disappointment. He produced a lighter seemingly out of thin air, ignited a flame, and slowly brought it closer to the comic book right in front of Bronya.
She sharply drew in a breath.
"Wait!"
"Changed your mind?"
"...What are your terms?" Despite her usual emotionless and childlike voice, Bronya's words conveyed barely contained frustration.
Resisting temptation was one thing, but no Homu enthusiast could bear watching their treasured comic book go up in flames right before their eyes... Is this guy the devil incarnate? No wonder Mother Cocolia finds him so troublesome!
Bronya glared at Zeke with an even more menacing expression.
Zeke released his grip on the lighter.
At this moment, if he had asked Bronya to remove her white cotton socks and reveal her delicate feet, she likely would have complied without hesitation.
Unfortunately, Zeke wasn't interested in such things.
Instead, he pointed outside the window towards Kiana and Sin, who were fiercely engaged in combat. "As you can see, they're bursting with excessive energy. You've been a military assassin; I assume you're familiar with intense training regimes? Help me train them—just don't push it to the point of death."
"You sure about that?"
"To be honest, while your combat skills might still hold up, these two could easily take you down with wild swings like turtle punches. So just relax and go ahead."
"But Bronya has to keep an eye on you."
Is it appropriate to openly discuss surveillance like this?
Seeing Bronya's nonchalant demeanor, Zeke rubbed his chin and suggested, "How about this: You train them, and I'll work alongside you. It won't hinder your assistance or your monitoring duties. Deal?"
"Deal! (≧▽≦)"
Bronya swiftly appeared next to Zeke, snatched the comic book from his hands, and her lips curved slightly upward, as if flowers were blooming behind her, reflecting her delightful mood.
Zeke didn't mind losing the item so quickly; after all, he knew she couldn't escape the orphanage indefinitely. As long as she remained there, he was confident she would fulfill her part of the bargain.
He simply pulled up a virtual screen again, typing commands fluidly. Simultaneously, dozens of worker drones materialized within the room, their laser beams and metallic tentacles interacting with the Titan machinery.
An hour later, Zeke and Bronya stepped into the garden, followed by a faithful Titan Enforcer.
Kiana and Sin were building snowmen, each trying to outdo the other with taller creations. Nearby, Liliya and Rozaliya eagerly watched, pointing and exclaiming, intensifying the competitive atmosphere.
"Snap!"
Zeke clicked his fingers.
Several laser beams descended from the sky, instantly melting those structures—more akin to snow pillars than snowmen.
Everyone's attention turned toward them.
"Zeke! What have you done?! I spent hours on my snowman!" Kiana protested indignantly.
"Zeke! B-Bronya~"
The first was Kiana's discontented accusation, sounding like a paramecium.
The second, Sin's bashful yet thrilled call—double happiness, exhilarating!
"Come meet our new instructor. Bronya Zaychik will be training you from now on," Zeke calmly introduced.
Naturally, Sin was ecstatic; not only would she willingly accept Bronya as her instructor, but she'd gladly become a prisoner if it meant having Bronya as warden.
As for the parame... Kiana, she scrutinized Bronya: holding a childish yellow plushie, short stature, delicate figure, and a doll-like adorable face.
"Just this?" Kiana placed her hands on her hips, questioning dismissively.
Ignoring Kiana's skepticism, Zeke nonchalantly continued:
"For the next few weeks, she'll assess your performance during training sessions. If Kiana outperforms you, her reward will be unlimited access to gourmet desserts for a month. Sin, though I know you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of Bronya anyway, just to keep things fair—if you do better, your prize is a day trip to an amusement park with me and Bronya."
"Gourmet desserts!"
"A day at the amusement park—with Bronya!"
The already competitive duo's fighting spirit ignited even further.
Bronya glanced sidelong at Zeke. Although he hadn't consulted her before including her as part of the rewards, she had no objections. Motivation is crucial for rigorous training; back then, hers was simply survival. Now, with less brutal circumstances, enticing incentives could serve as adequate substitutes.
Then, Bronya unzipped the Homu plushie, extracting a hard, black object from amidst the stuffing—a Browning pistol.
"What's that for?"
"Training purposes."
"That seems harsh."
"If you think it's too cruel..."
Seeing Zeke frown, Bronya began considering gentler alternatives when he handed her a light machine gun adorned with purple markings.
"Use this instead. It's a Honkai Energy machine gun, boasting extremely high firing speed—bullets travel twelve times faster and have ten times more penetrating power. Each bullet also causes a small localized explosion, enhancing the overall effect."
"...Sure!"
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