Welt returned to the real world.
By his estimation, he had spent one to two hours away. The illusionary scenes he encountered were lengthy, and his cautious nature led him to spend a lot of time observing and analyzing them.
When he opened his eyes in the real world, the once-dark and lavish estate was now brightly lit. Sigurd's swarm of drones hovered in the air, Einstein's Eins fighter squadron roared overhead, and layers of Titan units surrounded the area. Yet, there were no humans present—only machines.
The disappearance of the Anti-Entropy leader was no trivial matter. Clearly, both Sigurd and Einstein had taken precautions to ensure secrecy.
Welt suddenly looked up and saw a blazing light, as brilliant as the sun, streaking across the night sky and descending upon him. The heat radiating from it made him feel as though he were standing inside a furnace.
Shielding his eyes, Welt gazed at what resembled a fiery sun rising in the night.
As the flames dissipated, a silver-haired young man holding a girl descended slowly from the sky.
"Did you encounter any danger? Were you hurt?" Sigurd asked, landing and immediately inspecting Welt's condition.
Welt shook his head.
"No, I'm fine."
"That's good. Dr. Einstein, stand down the emergency response teams. We'll head back right away," Sigurd said into his communicator. Soon, the estate was returned to its previous darkness and tranquility.
"So, what did you encounter?"
"The Herrscher of Thousands. They can pull people into an Imaginary Space and create illusions—targeting psychological weaknesses. Their intelligence capabilities might be advanced, or they could have the ability to directly discern a person's vulnerabilities. There are many of them, all resembling golden-haired doll-like girls. Each seems to have an independent personality and name, but their collective power is weak. Still, it's possible they were holding back in my presence. They've likely been hiding in the human world for some time and may have established some level of influence. As for their specific intentions, I didn't have time to uncover them."
"Understood. We'll discuss the details back at headquarters… By the way, I heard Dr. Tesla was so worried she cried."
"Tesla? She…" Welt scratched his face, a warm feeling spreading in his heart.
He instinctively glanced at his scarf, and then his expression froze.
The simple, deep-green scarf had a small cut, as if made by a knife.
It was likely caused by the Herrscher of Thousands' hurried attempts to eject him, which led to spatial turbulence. Although it didn't harm him as a Herrscher, it damaged the scarf he wore. Alternatively, it could've been the simulated black hole that caused the tear.
Welt touched the scarf's tear and fell silent.
"Is it ruined? The Herrscher of Thousands… quite the opponent," he muttered.
The issue with the scarf was merely a trigger.
The doubts stemming from inheriting Joachim's core, the regrets of being unable to save countless lives—these were Welt's long-standing burdens.
Though he had come to terms with them, using these unresolved feelings against him was another matter.
Welt had remained steadfast because he had moved past these doubts. But leveraging those thoughts to insult the people he held dear—along with damaging his scarf—was enough to ignite his simmering anger.
Sigurd released Kiana's slender waist and approached Welt, clapping him on the shoulder.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've changed scarves before. This one… wasn't it a birthday gift from Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein?"
"…"
"Don't worry about it. Just let them mend it for you."
"One thing at a time. But I'll remember this," Welt said calmly—though the red glow in his eyes suggested anything but calm.
Kiana watched the two men, silently stroking her chin.
"Incredible! Even Uncle Welt is angry. That Herrscher of Thousands must be something else!"
…
A few hours later, the three of them crossed half the globe and returned to the Anti-Entropy headquarters.
There, Einstein and Tesla, who had been waiting for their return, came out to greet them.
Tesla circled Welt, inspecting his condition. Only after confirming he was unharmed did she visibly exhale in relief. With her hands on her hips, her fiery red hair matched her fiery temper.
"You gave me such a scare! I thought something happened to you, you idiot! Do you have any idea who you are now? Can't you act more cautiously? Fool! Moron!"
Her slender finger poked Welt's solid chest, her questioning tone aggressive.
But Welt understood this as her awkward way of showing concern. He also didn't miss the faint traces of tears lingering in her bright eyes.
"My apologies. I was careless," Welt said, letting Tesla vent as he scratched his head and smiled good-naturedly.
Einstein, who had also stepped forward, softened her usually stoic expression upon seeing Welt respond so calmly to Tesla. Casually, she said to Tesla:
"Dr. Tesla, if you wiped your tears beforehand, you'd probably look a bit more intimidating."
"Tears? What tears? It's late at night—I'm just sleepy, okay!?"
"…Whatever you say, Dr. Tesla," Einstein replied with a resigned sigh.
Though they had been friends for over sixty years and Tesla was undoubtedly a genius in science and invention, Einstein often found herself at a loss when dealing with her.
The same could be said for the man opposite Tesla.
If not for their extended lifespans, Einstein wasn't sure she would hold out much hope for the future of her two friends' love life.
Watching Welt's sheepish grin, Einstein sighed heavily.
"Have you considered aiding with medication?"
Sigurd, standing nearby, interjected unexpectedly.
Einstein immediately caught his meaning, stroking her chin as she pondered.
"Hmm… That's not a bad idea. But what made you think of it?"
She didn't doubt Sigurd's perceptiveness—especially since, with Tesla and Welt's obvious lack of subtlety, almost anyone could see there's something going on between them. What surprised her was Sigurd, who usually showed no interest in such matters, suddenly suggesting something so bold.
"Personal experience."
"(๑•.•๑) Oh, I see—wait, WHAT?!"
Einstein froze, a series of question marks practically visible above her head.
"Enough flirting. We have a new Herrscher to study. It's time to get to work," Sigurd clapped his hands and said, addressing the "bickering couple."
His words, naturally, provoked Tesla's indignant shout:
"Who's flirting?! You're the one sneaking off on vacations with Kiana—don't tell me you're secretly dating!"
"Yes."
"Hmph! I knew it—wait, WHAT?!"
Tesla froze mid-sentence, mirroring Welt's shocked expression. Both tilted their heads simultaneously, question marks practically popping out above them.
Meanwhile, Kiana stood shyly beside Sigurd, her face flushed as she squirmed in place.
"Oh my, Sig, you're so bold! You're making me blush~~"
"It's the truth. There's nothing to hide," Sigurd said matter-of-factly, taking Kiana's hand and displaying it openly to the three elders.
Tesla's face turned bright red. Her trembling finger pointed back and forth between Sigurd and Kiana before finally settling on their clasped hands.
"You're both only nineteen! Have you no shame?!"
"Nineteen is just right. Kiana likes me, and I… well, I probably like her too. That's all there is to it," Sigurd replied calmly.
"But… but… what about Siegfried? You haven't told him, have you?"
"It's fine. He'll agree," Sigurd said confidently.
Siegfried had entrusted Kiana to him back when they were children. Even if Siegfried suddenly regretted it now…
Sigurd briefly touched the Herrscher core pendant at his waist, glanced at the handgun and a ring on his finger, and smiled faintly. With his arsenal—including the Herrscher of Rock's core, Judgment of Shamash, and several other trump cards—he was confident Siegfried would "happily" approve.
"Yes, he'll give us his blessing."
Squeezing Kiana's soft hand, Sigurd smiled—a kind, sunny expression.
Yet the three Anti-Entropy elders shuddered.
They remembered all too well the last time Sigurd wore that smile. Overnight, several high-ranking officials and executives of multinational conglomerates mysteriously "passed away," and the organization experienced an unexplained surge in income.
Tesla: "Wait! Calm down! He's still Kiana's dad!"
Welt: "I'll talk to him. I'll make sure he agrees!"
Einstein: "Please, consider Kiana's feelings. Restrain your methods, whatever you do."
The three spoke to Sigurd in unison, glancing at each other and noticing the cold sweat on their faces.
Kiana, meanwhile, tilted her head in confusion, her innocent trust in Sigurd leaving her oblivious to the fact that her long-absent father had narrowly escaped a grim fate.
<+>
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