Tesla, still in the midst of her drunken antics, swayed over when she saw the scene. Though she had no idea what had happened, she would never miss a chance to complain. "A grown man—hic—crying like that? Look, little Joachim is calmer than you. So who's the father here, you or him?"
"Dr. Tesla, your current appearance as a drunkard hardly makes you convincing," Einstein said helplessly as she supported Tesla, who was making a scene in front of the child.
Hearing Dr. Tesla's "comfort," Elias finally loosened the arm wrapped tightly around his son and wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
"Thank you, Miss Vill-V. You not only saved all of the Americas, you also saved Joachim. Thank you."
"I have no way to repay your kindness."
Magician Vill-V gave a slight bow in return and gestured for Elias to relax. "It's nothing at all. Being able to see you moved to tears by the magic show I so carefully prepared—that's the greatest reward a grand magician could ask for—"
"I told you, didn't I? Vill-V's magic never disappoints!"
That only made the scholar of ancient texts feel even more ashamed. He, a traitor who had committed such a grave mistake, was still receiving their help.
It strengthened his resolve to reveal the truth.
Yet when he once again tried to expose Otto's conspiracy, Vill-V had no intention of speaking with him. Instead, she crouched down and examined Joachim—the future Welt Yang.
Hmm, so this is Dr. Tesla's future husband? He feels a bit... ordinary.
Of course, that was only because the eccentric children Vill-V had encountered in the Previous Era had all been far too extraordinary—each more outrageous than the last. Pardo, Bronya, Newton, and Seele—none of them had been "normal" children. Every single one of them had been absurd in their own way.
Vill-V glanced at the drunken Dr. Tesla beside her, and a mischievous impulse stirred within her.
So she smiled at little Yang and asked, "You're such a cute little brother. How old are you this year?"
Vill-V realized that Joachim was actually rather tall. After crouching down, she even had to tilt her head slightly upward to look at him.
He would probably grow as tall as Tesla before long.
"My name is Joachim. I'm eight years old."
Toward this big sister who seemed to have helped both him and his father, Joachim felt quite fond. And among the scientists and Valkyrie big sisters he knew, everyone had been quite kind.
As long as they were pretty big sisters, they were good people. The young Joachim had clearly been implanted with a strange impression.
"Hehe, as a meeting gift, is there anything you'd like?"
Joachim shook his head. "No. As long as I can see my dad, I'm already satisfied."
After being led around by a Valkyrie big sister through a series of events earlier, Joachim treasured his father even more. Even though his father rarely spent time with him because of work, Joachim knew Elias was a good father.
"What a sensible child. Here, this is a gift from big sister Magician." Vill-V flipped her hand and produced a smartphone far ahead of its time.
"Wow, thank you, big sister! I love it!" Joachim exclaimed, cradling it happily.
The Empire 42 Laboratory had plenty of interesting gadgets, but not a game console.
Joachim assumed it was some sort of handheld game device and immediately cheered as he hugged it.
Well, a smartphone was not all that different from a game console anyway. It was indeed loaded with many games from the Previous Era. Perhaps in the future, Joachim might even start a game company and remake them to earn some money.
"I wonder what fun things are inside?"
His eyes shining, Joachim eagerly turned it on, then ran off to sit by himself and began playing.
"Children really do have simple hearts," Elias said softly. "As long as there's a game, everything that just happened can be forgotten."
He did not stop Joachim from playing. Some matters were not meant to be borne by children.
Whether intentionally or not, his son had left on his own, creating space for him to speak with Vill-V.
Now Elias could finally have a proper conversation with her. Surely Vill-V had nothing else to interrupt him with this time.
This time, he did not intend to begin with, "This is all Otto's conspiracy!" It felt as though he would be cut off the moment he opened his mouth.
Then perhaps he would start by asking Miss Vill-V how Joachim had been brought here...
But very soon, Elias realized he did not even need to ask that question.
A plainly dressed young girl stepped into the banquet hall, drawing everyone's attention.
The reason her simple attire still attracted so many gazes was not merely her delicate features and snow-white hair, but the massive golden cross nearly as tall as she was strapped to her back.
"Damn it... the Oath of Judah has arrived," Vill-V muttered, the corner of her mouth twitching at the sight of the enormous, heavy golden cross.
The Oath of Judah—that's Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie. So Otto sent it here with Joachim as a show of force?
I located Joachim's arrival through the positioning of the Cosmic Juggernaut at the entrance, but I failed to detect the arrival of the Oath of Judah. As expected of the Key of Binding.
Wait, shouldn't the Judah of this era either be in Otto's hands for his own amusement or sealed away? Pulling Judah out just for me—what's he trying to do?
The wielder of the Oath of Judah—the Valkyrie—walked straight toward Vill-V. Under the scrutiny of everyone present, she entered the heart of enemy territory with calm confidence.
"Greetings, Miss Vill-V. My name is Katerina Kaslana. I am an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal headquarters."
A look of understanding flashed through Vill-V's eyes.
Kaslana... Of course. Only someone from the Kaslana family could carry a half-ton Judah on their back.
Edison, upon hearing this, also turned grim.
Another S-rank Valkyrie.
That meant there were now two S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal present here.
And Schicksal only had two S-rank Valkyries in total. Yet both of them had come here.
Even so, Edison showed not the slightest hint of retreat. In two or three strides, she stepped in front of Vill-V and faced the uninvited Valkyrie with a cold expression.
"Is the Council planning to reclaim the North American branch's autonomy? Two S-rank Valkyries and two Divine Keys. You really think highly of us."
Edison was well aware of Katerina Kaslana's record. After all, Schicksal's two S-rank Valkyries were highly active.
Despite Schicksal's efforts to tightly seal all information regarding Valkyries and Honkai, Edison had learned through certain channels that this Valkyrie named Katerina had once single-handedly eliminated an Emperor-class Honkai Beast born in Santorini.
Her strength would not be inferior to Reanna's in the slightest.