Inside the transport plane Rita took, besides the comic books for Theresa, there were indeed some other things.
They were devices that seemed to be integrated with the plane. According to the Schicksal staff remaining in the transport plane, these machines were medical equipment used to check Valkyries' physical conditions and perform first aid before and after missions.
It sounded perfectly fine, and the Schicksal staff didn't look like they were lying. Evan believed that if he relayed these words to Theresa, she wouldn't have too much suspicion either.
Such medical equipment was standard issue on all types of aerial battleships at St. Freya Academy as well, so it was very normal.
However, Evan knew the true purpose of these devices.
The target was Kiana.
Although it was Otto's conspiracy, for now, Schicksal shouldn't go so far as to forcefully awaken the will of the 2nd Herrscher, Sirin, inside Kiana. Such an action would cause turbulence easily detected by St. Freya Academy. Therefore, the significance of these devices' existence should simply be to determine the status of Sirin's will.
If that was the case, there was no need to specifically stop it.
While pondering, Evan worked with Fu Hua to carry the gifts for Theresa to the Principal's office. Halfway there, Fu Hua, who had been much quieter than usual, suddenly spoke.
"Evan, if one day you discovered that a partner you once trusted actually harbored other motives, would you draw a line with her?"
Such a question was somewhat abrupt.
Most people, upon suddenly hearing such an abrupt question, would probably let out a confused exclamation. Fu Hua, who had spoken almost subconsciously due to her inner emotional fluctuations, would likely change the subject quickly, giving up on getting that perhaps cruel but reasonable answer.
However, Evan, who knew many things about this world, wouldn't be foolish enough to just exclaim in surprise. Instead, before Fu Hua could change the subject, he gave his answer.
"That depends on what her motives are. If it's purely malice, then I can only blame myself for misjudging her character. But if there are hidden circumstances, of course I won't draw a line with her. Instead, I'll try my best to provide help."
Fu Hua, who had realized she unintentionally said something superfluous and indeed wanted to change her words to divert Evan's attention, fell into silence with her mouth half-open.
After a considerable amount of time—
"Then, for the purpose of 'fighting the Honkai,' do you consider that falling under the category of hidden circumstances? After all, in the face of the Honkai, sacrifice is unavoidable. Untimely mercy will only lead to more terrible consequences."
Fu Hua gradually realized that at this moment, she had lost the calmness of her philosophy that "friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water" and began to be swayed by emotions.
Perhaps because she had too much fun playing with Kiana and Evan in the arcade earlier, enjoying an unprecedented joy that made her greedy. Or perhaps due to some other reason. After asking further, Fu Hua hurriedly tried to retract her words.
"I was saying some nonsensical things. Please don't mind them."
The sentence Fu Hua just said is the one that doesn't need minding.
Evan still gave an answer to her pressing question.
"The saying 'in the face of the Honkai, sacrifice is unavoidable' is only because humanity isn't strong enough yet. Because humans are weak, when a strong force like the Honkai descends, choices must be made. But this shouldn't be an unchangeable iron law. Hundreds of years ago, Schicksal couldn't even kill giant Honkai Beasts and could only seal them. In some remote places, people even worshipped giant Honkai Beasts as gods. But now, all that has changed."
Fu Hua hadn't expected Evan to choose to answer her previous question, nor did she expect that what he focused on wasn't the term "hidden circumstances," but her own creed.
Truly a confident statement. It's as if he's saying that one day in the future, someone will become strong enough to surpass the Honkai and defeat it without paying the price of sacrifice.
Coming from Evan, who had performed excellently since enrollment and displayed superb potential, these words indeed felt persuasive and made one look forward to the future.
But why is my mood so complex?
It's as if... I once had such thoughts too, but they were completely shattered by cruel reality.
My head hurts.
Fu Hua, who was walking normally while holding a cardboard box filled with various items, suddenly squatted down due to severe pain, clutching her head. Witnessing this scene, Evan gradually furrowed his brows.
The 8th Divine Key—Fenghuang Down (Feather of Embers).
This was the object held by Fu Hua. Using it in a certain high-intensity manner came with the side effect of burning memories.
Fu Hua's current headache might be because she touched upon fragments of memories that had been burned away.
Evan realized this, and he felt he had a way to alleviate Fu Hua's pain.
Divine Keys were made from Herrscher Cores, and Herrschers were apostles of the Honkai. Essentially, all of this was related to Honkai energy.
How could a person suffer headaches because of their own memories? Even forgotten memories shouldn't cause this, unless the brain was damaged.
Fu Hua's brain had been damaged by Honkai energy. Evan, who possessed the Supply System, even if he couldn't perform high-precision repairs with his own control over Honkai energy yet, should be able to use the system's power and spend gold coins to alleviate Fu Hua's pain.
The subsequent development seemed to prove Evan's guess.
Looking at the "Phase 1 Repair" button displayed on the virtual interface only he could see, and looking at Fu Hua who was still clutching her head in pain, cold sweat dripping from her pale cheeks, Evan knew he had to make a choice.
Clicking that button would cost 10,000 gold coins, wiping out his recent savings. Besides that, it would expose to Fu Hua that he possessed special means.
Not clicking that button would only cost Fu Hua continuing to endure the pain for a while longer. She should be used to it by now; even in the original storyline, Fu Hua wouldn't face a life-threatening situation because of a headache.
The so-called Phase 1 Repair definitely wouldn't restore Fu Hua's past memories. That was no longer treatment in the normal sense, but a miracle bordering on creating something from nothing—completing broken memory fragments.
So, which one to choose was already clear enough.
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