"Who are you?" the white-haired man asked.
Grandma Dalia stood up, positioning herself between Luo Lin and Siegfried, and declared loudly, "Zero, don't scare her! She's my relative's child, here to visit me!"
Zero? Was that the alias Siegfried was using here?
Siegfried stumbled a bit, emitting a breath reeking of alcohol. He grumbled, "Hmph, outsiders can't be trusted... They can't be trusted... maybe she's here to plot against your property, pretending to be innocent!"
Dalia's wrinkled face trembled. "Zero! Your foul temper is one of the reasons everything has gone so wrong!"
"Foul temper? If you went through what I did, just swearing would be lucky enough, without going mad!" Siegfried exaggeratedly widened his eyes.
"You're a man, Zero! Is that all you've got?" Dalia sighed. "Stop pitying yourself all the time! Look at your daughter, have you ever cared about her!?"
Luo Lin could clearly see that after hearing these words, Siegfried trembled slightly, the veins in his hand visibly pulsating, clearly struck by something deep.
The white-haired man raised his voice, "Of course, I care about her! Whatever toys she wants, I'll get them for her!"
"Oh, just toys?!" Dalia snorted. "What she needs most is care and love!"
"...Forget it, there's nothing more to say to you."
Siegfried seemed like he wanted to say something, but seeing the elderly Dalia flushed with anger and short of breath, he swallowed his words.
The man cast a fierce glance at Luo Lin. "Don't disturb my life!"
Then, Siegfried turned and left.
Luo Lin covered her chest, somewhat dazed, watching the back of the white-haired man before her. His current appearance was vastly different from her impression of Siegfried—
If this was an act, most people wouldn't associate him with the S-class powerhouse, the gallant Kaslana Knight from Schicksal.
Perhaps... his recent behavior just an act?
"Cough cough cough!" Grandma Dalia coughed.
Luo Lin lowered her hand from her chest, quickly patting the old woman's back to help her catch her breath.
"Um, child, you saw it too, do you still want to rent the house over there?" Grandma Dalia asked.
Luo Lin smiled wryly, "I'm afraid I still have to, Grandma. I'll pay more attention to that man... sigh..."
The girl sincerely sighed for the injustice of fate, her gaze becoming more determined.
"Grandma, I can't cook, so I'll need to rely on you more! Of course, I'll pay and help with chores!" Luo Lin clasped her hands together, tilting her head slightly, forcing a cute expression, "I'm your distant relative's child, right?"
Even if Luo Lin was good at cooking, she was now "Luo Lin," an artist devoted to her craft. She couldn't cook now.
"Luo Lin, you sweet child..."
Dalia smiled and led her towards the inner room.
...
"That girl... um..."
Out of sight of others, Siegfried resumed his serious demeanor. He gestured, and the temperature rose within his coat, evaporating the alcohol on him.
The white-haired man recalled the earlier scene, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Although Luo Lin had done her best to conceal everything, providing perfect details, Siegfried wasn't one to rely on clues to determine facts; he trusted his intuition more.
"She's suspicious."
Siegfried concluded.
But he couldn't rashly investigate; it might alert the enemy.
Rash decisions could cost everything.
The white-haired man touched the handle of his weapon, feeling a slight tingling sensation from the Honkai energy emanating from the Divine Key. This pain reminded him not to act recklessly.
Siegfried began to recall the scene in the shop, where he had intimidated the girl with his aura. It was clear she was frightened. During the argument, the girl had appeared fragile, hiding behind the old woman the whole time.
Although there were suspicions, they weren't significant.
And...
Intuition told Siegfried that she wasn't an enemy.
Let's observe for a few more days, and if necessary, think of another way...
The white-haired man sighed. Despite walking through the snow with each step being an effort, his mind was filled with Dalia's words.
—What she needs is care and love!
Care... love...
At this moment, Siegfried thought not of how the clone girl was, but whether he, Siegfried, truly had the qualifications to care for and love someone?
It seemed he had never understood these things...
Cecilia left too early, and Kiana grew up early.
With a harmonious family atmosphere, Siegfried never had to think.
Now, he frustratingly realized he had never been able to express his emotions.
Wait, besides scouting the newcomer, wasn't there something else I forgot to do...
Dalia managed the only shop in the entire town, with various vegetables, meats, and canned goods. The food at home was almost gone, leaving only bread.
—He forgot to buy groceries.
"..."
The white-haired man opened the door, his expression solemn as he took out his weapon, heading to the kitchen...
Soon, Kiana smelled a familiar scent, and the white furball hurriedly ran downstairs, peeking into the kitchen scene.
Siegfried held the Judgement of Shamash, with two burnt slices of bread on top.
————————————————————
"What? You found who?"
"Siegfried, Siegfried Kaslana, the former S-class powerhouse of Schicksal who later defected! He's with a little girl..."
Ragna had a bewildered expression, "Siegfried? What's he doing in a place like this?"
"Who knows? Although I didn't take any photos, I'm sure it was Siegfried Kaslana."
Luo Lin pinched her phone, whispering, "His perception is sharp, I did not dare to make any moves in front of such a warrior, not even discreetly taking photos."
"...I see, I'll inform Bishop. You keep quiet and be careful, don't arouse his suspicion."
"I can't promise that, S-class powerhouses are quite unpredictable..."
After a few exchanges, Luo Lin hung up the phone.
Ragna straightened up, nodding to the intelligence officer. The man had naturally heard the recent phone call, and she shrugged nonchalantly.
An S-class powerhouse wanted to hide; she couldn't catch him. This matter had little impact on the intelligence department of the Belarus branch of Schicksal.
A few minutes later, Otto at Schicksal headquarters received the message. He raised an eyebrow, smiling.
"Oh? What a lucky little one... Well, let her obey Ragnar's instructions and not act rashly—after all, that's Siegfried; if he truly wants to leave, no one can stop him."
"And, K423 is there too..."
Very well, everything is under control.
Otto Apocalypse loved this feeling the most.
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Poll at Patréon, until End of May.