The next instant, it was as if a pause button had been pressed.
The world lost its movement.
"So that's how it is. A guy faster than me and capable of spatial movement has such a great suppressive effect on me?"
The master of the dream realm got up from the ground, her expression solemn.
"I need to add some danger perception to my training curriculum."
Because she had been called Du Du (British slang for 'idiot') by her classmates and teachers since childhood, Durandal had always aimed to become truly "the strongest" or even "invincible."
Because besides fighting, she couldn't do anything else.
After reflecting on why she had been sent flying, she once again raised her spear, ready to accept the trial of the at least Judgment-class mantis.
"Clap clap—"
For some reason.
In the distant dream, a round of applause suddenly sounded.
Durandal was stunned.
For a genius monster like her, the dream realm was a domain she could completely control.
Theoretically, unless she completely relaxed, the dream would always only be what she wanted to see.
Did I arrange for someone to applaud here?
The girl was very confused.
While she was bewildered, a figure became increasingly clear, approaching from a distance.
That was a handsome guy.
His face was clean and fair, his facial features sharp and distinct, and his eyes were ice-blue, like a glacier.
Who is this guy?
Durandal's expression instantly turned cold.
Although she didn't know what was happening, the guy in front of her had clearly invaded her dream.
"State your purpose."
A spear appeared in the hands of the girl, who had never been defeated, at some unknown moment.
If this guy were considered an enemy, this spear would directly nail the enemy in front of her alive in mid-air, and then, this strongest goose would awaken and hunt him down everywhere in the real world.
"Abyss Flower, long time no see."
But, unexpectedly, upon seeing the spear, the young man's face showed nostalgia.
"Do you mind letting me see the Abyss Flower? Although it's just a projection in a dream, it can still bring back memories of an old friend."
An old friend?
Durandal was stunned.
Abyss Flower.
The weapon of Cecilia, the previous strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal. Durandal had always admired that woman who purified the Honkai in Siberia with her life.
Does this guy in front of her know that senior?
"Do you have any relation to Senior Cecilia?"
Perhaps out of love for Cecilia, Durandal used honorifics with Luo Su.
"You call Cecilia 'Senior'?"
The young man was clearly stunned, then he meticulously observed Durandal's face, his gaze sharp and precise, like some kind of microscope.
After observing for a few seconds, an expression of displeasure appeared on the man's face.
"Is there a problem with that title?"
Durandal seemed to sense something quite unusual.
"Who is the current head of the Schariac Family?"
The man didn't answer that question; instead, he inquired about a prominent family within Schicksal.
To be honest, facing a question that involved Schicksal's internal structure, Durandal should have remained silent.
After all, the man opposite her had not yet revealed his identity.
Even if he wasn't lying, at most, he was just an old friend of her senior.
But, the man's words always revealed an unusual aura, as if from another layer of history.
"It's Angelia Schariac, the younger sister of the previous Saintess."
Durandal was silent for a moment, then gave the answer.
"When you go back, you can take a drop of blood from her, and a drop of your own blood, and take them to a laboratory you control for genetic comparison."
The man was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Sister..."
A tidal wave.
Without a doubt, an extraordinary tidal wave surged in Durandal's heart.
Durandal was an orphan.
This was something known throughout Schicksal.
But now, the man in front of her, after carefully observing her face, was telling her to get a bloodline identification with the head of the Schariac Family.
Does that mean she is actually a member of the Schariac Family?
She's not an orphan?
Even the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, under the impact of such news, couldn't help but feel as if her heart was about to burst from its rapid beating.
Otto had never mentioned her family to her.
Family, doctor, memory loss... She was astonished to find that her identity might be quite complex.
"I don't know what Bishop Medea told you, but you are indeed a daughter of the Schariac Family."
The young man was silent for a moment, then spoke.
This guy calls the Bishop Medea?
Durandal recalled that on her first day of waking up, the Bishop had told her the story of Jason and Medea, advising her not to sympathize with that princess if she ever witnessed similar events in reality.
He also heard that story?
In other words, the man in front of her knows the Bishop, and might even be very familiar with him?
Wait, if Medea in that story refers to the Bishop, then wouldn't the Bishop's message be to absolutely not pity him?
Why would he advise her like that?
In just a few exchanges, a massive amount of information had flooded into Durandal's mind, and this girl, who was invincible on the battlefield, felt a stinging pain in her brain.
Across from her, the seemingly young man just watched her, his eyes filled with sadness.
What was he sad about?
For her?
Or for the Schariac Family?
Or perhaps—
Cecilia?
"Who are you?"
Durandal could no longer suppress the doubts in her heart and asked loudly.
Chapter 25: What is an International Superstar (Hands on Hips)
The question instantly silenced the man, who began pacing back and forth.
After a long time, he finally spoke.
"The world is too dangerous; a child must have two fathers."
Durandal had read that saying in a book; it was an Italian proverb.
The world is always filled with all sorts of temptations and dangers.
A qualified father might be able to help his children bear some of it, but if one wants to completely protect a child until adulthood, just one father is not enough. Therefore, when a baby is born, its parents invite local authoritative and reputable people or friends to become its second father, to bless its growth into adulthood.
"...You can call me Godfather for now."
The seemingly young man said this.
"This can also be considered a promise between me and your father."
Just a few words.
It had already left endless dramatic room for thought.
Cecilia, the light in the eyes of countless Valkyries of the previous generation.
Her partner was the strongest among the previous generation of Schicksal members, now a traitor—Siegfried Kaslana.
According to Luo Su, her parents should be these two.
But, when this guy mentioned her mother, that melancholic expression, and that phrase 'sister'... it's hard not to suspect that there's a story behind it too.
Durandal's beautiful cheeks twitched continuously.
Across from her, the seemingly young man hummed an Austrian folk song... his ice-blue eyes held a faint tenderness.
You damn well don't seem like you want to be my Godfather; you seem like you want to be my biological father!!
Durandal suddenly regretted why her daily routine was so regular.
If she hadn't been training boxing in her dream today, but instead stayed up all night playing games like some otaku in East Asia, would she not have encountered such a complicated situation?
If possible, Durandal really wanted to wake up now, then find a brick and throw it at her head, until she lost her memory.
Before she even had a chance to get a genetic test, she discovered that her parents' story might be enough for an eight-hundred-episode TV series... For Durandal, who had always relied on violence to curb violence, this was simply maddening.
Should I run?
Durandal, who had always been fearless, uncharacteristically had the thought of fleeing.
Except—
"I don't know what Bishop Medea told you, but you are indeed a daughter of the Schariac Family."
Medea, the princess of Colchis.
Under the will of the gods, this princess fell in love at first sight with Prince Jason, who came to the island to seek the Golden Fleece.
To help Jason obtain the Golden Fleece, Medea used her magic to help Jason complete the impossible tasks set by her father, on the condition that Jason marry her. After obtaining the Golden Fleece, Medea and Jason embarked on their journey back to Greece together.
Medea's father heard the news and sent her brother to retrieve her.
As a result, this princess killed her brother, cut his body into pieces, and scattered them across the mountains, forcing her father and the pursuing officers to busy themselves with collecting the body, thereby delaying them and allowing Jason and his party to escape.
That was undoubtedly a madwoman.
So, what kind of crime had the Bishop, who identified himself as Medea, committed?
So much so that his first teaching to her was not to sympathize with that crazed princess, that everything she suffered was well-deserved.
Durandal's expression became increasingly grim.
"Godfather... do you know what Master did?"