Hearing Cecilia's request, Kiana was momentarily stunned.
She had wanted to call Cecilia "Mom" from the start, but her identity had prevented her.
Now that Cecilia was asking her to, Kiana couldn't miss this opportunity.
She immediately hugged Cecilia and called out, "Mom Cecilia."
"...Yes, if Kiana had grown up, she might have looked a lot like you, with that white hair."
Patting Kiana's head, Cecilia spoke in a gentle tone.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Cecilia had also entered the same data sea as Kiana through virtual immersion.
The Cecilia who was patting Kiana's head was actually her disguised self.
In reality, she was already dead and couldn't interact with Kiana in any form.
But in this virtual world, everything was fabricated, even her identity. So, it wouldn't cause any issues.
"Alright, let's go. If you encounter any danger, hide behind me. I'll protect you."
"Mm, I'll also protect Mom Cecilia with my life."
As the two climbed the tower, they encountered numerous complex machines, intricate staircases, and many prison cells.
"Let's split up and look for a way up. If you encounter any danger, shout loudly. I'll come quickly."
"Understood, Cecilia-sama."
The two then split up, and Kiana soon found a prison cell. Inside, she discovered a diary.
"Today was another experiment. It hurt so much. Why are they doing this to us? We didn't do anything wrong."
"Mom said that if I recite this spell, all the pain will disappear, and all my wishes will come true. Ich☆liebe☆dich. Strange, I don't know this language, so why can I recite it so naturally?"
Seeing that she had somehow recited the spell, Kiana was puzzled.
It was as if the spell was etched deep in her memory, something she could recite without thinking.
"Wait, this isn't the time for this. I need to find the Second Herrscher."
After searching floor by floor, Kiana and Cecilia reunited, but neither had found the Second Herrscher.
So, they continued upward, chatting along the way.
"You know, Kiana, I actually don't have any generation gap with you young Valkyries. I like playing games too."
"Eh? Cecilia-sama, how's your gaming skill?"
"My skill? Not bad. I always get first place, but for some reason, my account keeps getting banned. I think I know who's behind it.
After all, if I'm not first, then second place becomes first. And the second place is Overseer Otto's account."
"Eh, isn't that Overseer being too petty?"
Hearing that her mother's gaming account had been banned, Kiana was the first to complain.
She secretly vowed to ask Bronya to hack into the Overseer's computer and ban his account.
Cecilia had brought this up because she knew Overseer Otto was monitoring the situation to ensure the plot didn't deviate.
By mentioning this, she hoped Otto would stop cheating in games and play fair.
Otto, who was indeed watching, spat out the red wine he had just sipped.
"Cough, cough. These youngsters, don't they know how to respect their elders?"
Elegantly wiping the wine from his mouth with a handkerchief, Otto's lips twitched.
Meanwhile, Kallen, who was beside him, rolled her eyes.
If Otto had even a shred of responsibility as a senior, Cecilia wouldn't have had to do this.
What kind of senior bans a junior's gaming account just because they can't win?
With that, Kallen continued playing her game.
After all, this plot didn't require her involvement. She could just quietly enjoy her game.
"Otto, I'm hungry."
"Understood, Kallen. I'll go make something."
When it came to Kallen, Otto was absolutely obedient.
If Kallen said east, Otto wouldn't go west.
Of course, in matters of great importance, Otto would first explain the pros and cons to Kallen. If she still chose the option with more cons, Otto would respect her decision and carry it out.
Putting on a white apron, Otto headed to the hidden kitchen in his office.
Yes, it wasn't surprising that the Overseer of Schicksal had a hidden compartment in his office.
What was surprising was that the hidden compartment wasn't for storing secrets—it was a kitchen.
When Rita found out, she almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
But then she remembered that her Overseer was a henpecked husband, and it all made sense.
As the two chatted, the Second Herrscher appeared.
A purple figure materialized in front of Cecilia and Kiana.
"You've finally arrived. Now, prepare to die!"
The battle erupted instantly. With six Herrscher Cores, Sirin completely overwhelmed the two.
They were pushed back, on the verge of defeat, when reinforcements arrived.
But at the same time, something happened in the real world.
Fu Hua barged into Bronya's room.
"Class Monitor, what are you doing?"
Seeing Fu Hua in a different battlesuit, Bronya looked at her in confusion.
But Fu Hua didn't answer. Instead, she threw a canister of sleeping gas.
Bronya, who wanted to resist, had no chance to react. As the gas leaked, she passed out. Kiana, who was still in virtual immersion, also fell unconscious.
"Sigh, I hope you can handle this pressure, Kiana."
Hoisting Kiana over her shoulder, Fu Hua leaped out the way she came.
By then, everyone who had heard the commotion had arrived.
"Bronya, what happened here?"
Mei pushed open the door and asked, but upon seeing the unconscious Bronya, she immediately checked her breathing.
Relieved to find that Bronya was merely unconscious, Mei then realized something.
"Wait, where's Kiana? Wasn't she supposed to be studying with Bronya tonight?"
"Maybe she didn't come. I'll go check."
A sense of foreboding washed over Mei.
She rushed to Kiana's room at top speed, only to find it empty.