"What exactly does the Ji family's bloodline signify?"
For the Ji family to defy the prevailing trend, retain such a short name, and survive throughout the long course of history, it had to conceal some extraordinary power.
Only the shamanic clans of the ancient pre-Qin era would have used merely two characters to name an entire family.
Naturally, MOTH's upper leadership would never tell Himeko the answer. They had only said, "It's useful."
After hearing about Himeko's origins, Odin spoke from where he had been hiding behind the door. "It is a curse."
"Oh my, where did you come from?!" Vill-V put on a startled expression. "Secretly tailing young ladies while staying outside their field of vision is hardly gentlemanly behavior."
"My apologies, Your Highness, Daughter of Humanity. I shall leave at once."
Odin gave a refined bow like a perfect butler and, astonishingly enough, obediently left exactly as Vill-V had told him to.
"How obedient."
Watching Odin's retreating back, Vill-V pursed her lips.
Odin had been following her everywhere like a shadow. What exactly was he trying to accomplish?
Could it really be that the overwhelming aura of a natural-born ruler radiating from her had driven a villain to his knees in submission?
Was reality really that satisfying?
Come on, this was real life. Novel clichés like that did not happen here.
At most, he had been conquered by her beautiful-girl charm and intelligence.
A smart and adorable beautiful girl truly could win over anything.
Although Odin obediently left, Vill-V noticed that this man, who cared about absolutely nothing except her, had actually looked at Himeko twice in the crowd.
Vill-V pondered silently, What does that tell us? It tells us Himeko is also a beautiful girl with an exceptional aura...
All right, jokes aside, Himeko is hiding a secret every bit as enormous as mine.
So the Previous Era's Himeko wasn't an ordinary human either?
Only something that transcends humanity could attract the attention of someone on Odin's level.
Himeko fell silent for a long time after hearing Odin's words.
"A curse..."
"He's right. 'Curse' really is the most appropriate way to describe it."
Hua remembered how solemn Su had been when speaking about the Key. Nearly every organization in this city was searching for Himeko, the Key, which showed just how extraordinary she was.
Curious, Hua asked, "Captain Himeko, have you ever noticed anything about yourself that's different from ordinary people?"
"Different from ordinary people... Does being stronger than most people count?"
"When I was little, I once wanted to become a scientist. It was only because my natural talent for physical strength far surpassed normal people's that I changed course midway and became a warrior instead."
Captain Himeko was famous within MOTH for her monstrous strength. Some people had even assumed she had undergone fetal genetic modification, though that rumor was dispelled after Dr. Mobius examined her body.
"'What? She's completely ordinary.' That was Dr. Mobius' conclusion."
However, Himeko's teammates still frequently teased her about the incident. After all, there were not many people who could attract Department Head Mobius' attention and receive an invitation into Mobius' laboratory.
At that thought, a trace of loneliness flashed through Himeko's eyes.
The organization she had once fought so hard for had betrayed her. Inevitably, that left her feeling helpless and miserable.
She wanted to eradicate Honkai not merely to honor the friends who had passed away, but so that children in the future would never have to endure the torment of barely surviving in an apocalyptic wasteland.
"I fought my way forward one step at a time until I could finally confront Honkai directly, only to end up like this. What was any of it for?"
Now all her ideals and goals had turned to nothing, and Himeko had become an ordinary person again.
An ordinary person who was merely a little stronger than most could accomplish nothing.
Anger flashed through Himeko's eyes.
It was not because of the psychological gulf created by her fall from grace, but because of the pride and unwillingness to yield deep within her heart.
She had not lost because she had exhausted every strategy or because some Honkai monster had defeated her. Instead, she had inexplicably lost to her own people.
No one could swallow such humiliation, least of all Himeko, who had staked her very life on fighting Honkai.
Himeko clenched her fist and slammed it against the edge of the bed to vent her frustration.
She should have been like Siegfried and charged headfirst into a swarm of Honkai Beasts to die on the battlefield. That would still have been far better than dying at the hands of MOTH's upper leadership.
But after venting her emotions came the helplessness and confusion of being forced to accept reality.
"Sorry. I lost my composure. I'm no longer a captain in MOTH... If you need any other help from me, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do..."
Vill-V disagreed. "Who said you're not a captain anymore?"
"What do you mean? Department Head Vill-V, are you planning to promote me?"
Himeko's expression became complicated.
After all, the other department heads all possessed genuine accomplishments, while Vill-V had been parachuted straight into her position, and had essentially conned her way into it at that.
This powerless department head was already fortunate if she could preserve her own position. What authority could she possibly have to appoint the captain of an aerial battleship?
Especially while openly defying the upper leadership.
"You know these were all orders issued by MOTH's upper leadership. Even a MOTH department head can't stop them."
There was a trace of doubt and concern in Himeko's voice. Whatever Vill-V's character might be, she genuinely feared Vill-V would attempt something like that for her sake. She did not want to drag Vill-V down with her.
Vill-V gently shook her head, then adopted a serious expression. "Who said I wanted you to become a MOTH captain? Wouldn't that just mean sending you straight back into the demon's den? I only just rescued you. How could I possibly send you back?"
Hua nodded in agreement. There was certainly no longer any place for Captain Himeko within MOTH.
A baffled Himeko asked, "Then what are you planning?"
Vill-V solemnly extended a hand and offered her a business card.
The front of the card bore a chibi walnut, while the back displayed the classic Mad Hatter imagery.
"I hereby formally invite you to join Mad Hatter and become the new captain of the Hyperion! Come be my captain!"
"Cough... Huh?! Mad Hatter?! Wait—cough, cough, cough..."
Himeko was so startled that she nearly stopped breathing.
She had never imagined she would hear such words from the mouth of a MOTH department head. Even someone with nerves of steel could have been scared half to death.
A spy from the world's number-one terrorist organization was actually a serving department head in MOTH, an organization under the World Government. That was more absurd than any espionage movie.
Moreover, as a captain of a MOTH combat unit, Himeko had personally fought members of Mad Hatter before. Naturally, she knew this organization was anything but simple. Its combat power exceeded that of an entire nation's military.
If this had happened in the past, Himeko, as a MOTH warrior, would already have twisted Vill-V's head off on the spot and eliminated an enormous threat to MOTH.
Only specially recruited newcomers like Kevin and his group would show mercy toward enemies. True Previous Era MOTH veterans had all undergone psychological conditioning. They had no need for pointless compassion and, when necessary, were even expected to sacrifice the individual for the greater whole.
That was precisely why Siegfried's behavior had seemed so extraordinarily unconventional.