I Am Honkai

"Selene's favor..."

Deactivating the manifestation of her Herrscher of Flamescion, Kiana stood at the edge of the ranch, remaining silent as her gaze shifted toward the "masterpiece" left behind by Esdeath.

The dense forest that once stood there had completely vanished. The small hill where the Goblin King had been was now leveled to the ground—in its place was a vast, semi-circular crater over 500 meters in diameter, with a central depression over 30 meters deep.

Even the vegetation at the periphery had been toppled and frozen over.

The soil within the pit had been completely crystallized into ice, gleaming in a mesmerizing icy blue hue.

Why did Selene favor her?

Truthfully, even Kiana herself wasn't sure.

Was it because of her unique bloodline, a fusion of the Kaslana and Schariac families?

Or was it because of her true identity—the Second Herrscher, Herrscher of the Void, Sirin...?

After a long pause, Kiana shook her head.

"I don't know either."

"Kiana."

"Hm?"

"Your full name is Kiana Kaslana… isn't it?"

Esdeath stood with her arms crossed, speaking in an indifferent tone. However, she wasn't entirely certain, so she added a slight questioning inflection at the end.

"From that well-known family in your world—the one that upholds the so-called chivalric spirit."

"Yes… and no."

"Hah?"

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, eyeing Kiana curiously.

This cryptic answer...

There's a story here.

She felt a slight urge to dig into the gossip.

But—

"I am K—"

"Stop."

Before Kiana could finish, Esdeath cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"That's where this conversation ends. I have no interest in prying into your little secrets. As of now, you have only one identity—an Imperial recruit who has yet to be formally enlisted."

Even the slightest rumor linked to Selene was something Esdeath refused to touch.

She was favored, yes.

She was one of Selene's absolute confidants, yes.

She could even joke and banter with Selene in private.

But she was not foolish enough to overstep her bounds.

According to the Military Affairs Department's officially documented records, Kiana's father was Siegfried Kaslana, and her mother was Cecilia Schariac.

From a genealogical perspective, she had no connection to Her Majesty.

After all, the full name of the Empress was Selene von Habsburg.

However, through declassified records from the Schicksal Organization, Esdeath had discovered quite a few interesting details.

As one of the "old guard" who had followed Selene since her youth, serving as her adjutant—

Esdeath had personally witnessed Selene's entire journey—

From centurion… to Empress.

It could be said that—

When it came to understanding Selene, there was only one person in the entire Empire who might surpass her—

Sebas.

Selene's "juvenile development phase" abilities were, frankly, far too similar to the descriptions of the Kaslana family and the Schariac family abilities found in the decrypted historical archives of the Schicksal Organization.

It was a complete, all-around weakened version.

One similarity could be coincidence.

But when everything was similar—calling it coincidence was hardly convincing.

Especially when combined with the description of Herrschers emerging from the Honkai Eruptions, and Selene's inexplicably strong focus on that world…

Esdeath had every reason to believe that Kiana, her world, and Selene's… ancestors were connected.

Was it a main family vs. branch family relationship?

That was her hypothesis.

It was said that the world Kiana came from had a distinction between "previous era civilization" and "current era civilization."

It was highly likely that, in ancient times, Selene's family had been involved in that world's affairs, and after generations of bloodline degradation, they eventually formed the Kaslana and Schariac families.

The Lord Brauchitsch and Lady Katie, whom Sebas frequently mentioned, were likely Her Majesty Selene's parents—the rulers of this extraordinary bloodline.

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Of course, this was merely her own speculation, something she would never voice aloud—nor did she have the energy to dwell on it further.

Her only concern was completing her tasks properly.

After all, as long as the Empire continued to expand, the wars and bloodshed she reveled in would never cease!

Still—

If Selene knew about this?

I would call this self-induced overthinking.

"One more thing to remind you."

As an instructor, she had to fulfill her duty.

With that in mind, Esdeath turned her gaze toward Kiana, who still wore a confused expression.

"I have no issue with knightly ideals, but you need to consider your target."

"Target?"

"Simply put, you must distinguish between allies and enemies, between Imperial citizens and non-Imperial citizens."

"Distinguish?"

Kiana was stunned for a moment.

A few seconds later, realization dawned on her.

"You mean… non-Imperial citizens don't need to be treated as people?"

"And if that were the case? Would you mourn an ant colony that gets washed away by a spilled drink? Non-Imperial citizens don't need to be treated as people."

Esdeath nodded slightly.

"Rein in that excessive sense of mercy. Keep your knightly ideals within the Empire. If you apply them universally…"

She let out a chuckle.

"The pressure will break you."

"But in my understanding, that is wrong."

Shaking her head, Esdeath patiently explained.

"Right and wrong only apply within your own species."

At this moment, she felt a certain satisfaction in teaching.

It reminded her of her childhood—when Selene took her under her wing and trained her.

A nostalgic feeling, almost as if she had returned to that time.

Teaching Her Majesty's little sister…

Interesting.

"And unfortunately, at present, they..."

As she spoke, Esdeath turned around, her fingers tracing over each individual—Goblin Slayer, the Priestess, the High Elf Archer, the adventurers, and the rescued women...

Finally, she pointed to the ground beneath her feet.

"Including this kingdom."

"Although this world has already come under the direct jurisdiction of the Imperial Military Affairs Department, at present, they—the lives here—are not Imperial citizens bathed in Her Majesty's radiance."

Esdeath's explanation essentially defined Imperial citizens and non-Imperial citizens as two separate races.

This distinction was not based on bloodline, appearance, or cultural customs but rather on loyalty to the Empress—on whether one willingly submitted to the Empire and paid tribute.

Thus, she was guiding Kiana's thinking.

This was also one of the Empire's primary ideological methods for assimilating auxiliary forces.

After all, anyone with a conscience who stepped onto a battlefield and witnessed the slaughter of countless innocent lives would inevitably feel some form of guilt.

The Imperial military's solution was to minimize the soldiers' sense of guilt after killing, ensuring they did not develop post-war psychological traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

When combined with the Imperial merit-based nobility system, medal privileges, hereditary peerage, and marriage reward policies, the results were outstanding.

PTSD and similar disorders had been completely eradicated from the Imperial military.

In the eyes of Imperial soldiers, the severed heads of their enemies were nothing more than stepping stones to social advancement.

To put it bluntly—they were currency for promotion and wealth.

The idea of having too many enemies simply did not exist.

"Then what method would allow them to become Imperial citizens?"

As expected.

Esdeath smirked inwardly.

I could just submit an application, and that would be it.

But outwardly, she said:

"Subjugate them. Make them willingly and wholeheartedly offer their loyalty to Her Majesty."

"Or..."

She paused briefly, then condensed the ice particles in her hand into a frost-blue, twin-headed eagle Iron Cross medal, which she casually tossed to Kiana.

"Accumulate enough military merit to become a titled noble. Then apply to the Empire to claim this land as your fief."

"I assume you'll choose the second option. But can you truly attain the rank of a landed noble?"

"I will."

Without hesitation, Kiana crushed the counterfeit medal in her hand.

"I will obtain the real one."

Her firm response met Esdeath's gaze.

"Mm, now that's more like it."

"Your previous approach was completely misguided."

At last, Kiana had been given a clear source of motivation.

Tch. This kind of soft-spoken, carefully guided instruction is such a pain. If it were Wave, he wouldn't bother with so much useless talk—he'd just teach with physical force.

"Now, what should you call me?"

Esdeath revealed her true intent.

"Instructor Esdeath."

Satisfying.

Sigh... Finding a sense of accomplishment from training Selene's little sister isn't too bad either.

Esdeath—Mission accomplished.jpg

Compared to Her Majesty, I'm incredibly gentle.

Looking back—Selene was never this soft.

Esdeath had been beaten up by her since childhood.

Forget about winning—she couldn't even touch the hem of her coat.

"Instructor, I'll take my leave now."

Regaining her composure, Kiana stood up straight and addressed Esdeath neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Wait a moment."

Whoosh!

Reaching out, Kiana caught the silver-gray cube thrown at her.

After examining it briefly, she looked up at Esdeath.

"This is...?"

"Something you'll need."

With those words, a flash of violet light signaled Esdeath's disappearance, leaving only her voice lingering in the air—

"Remember, you have three months. I'm giving you only three months. Don't disappoint me. And don't waste Her Majesty's expectations."

Holding the small cube, barely the size of a walnut, Kiana stood motionless for a long time.

"Kiana, are you alright? That attack from Esdeath..."

After waiting and seeing no movement, Raiden Mei stepped forward, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine... It's just that I've been placed under someone's care again."

Kiana smiled at Mei, reassuring her.

"Let's go, Mei. It's time to rest for the night."

"In two days—our destination is the royal capital."

...

Honkai Dimension – Imperial Capital – Selene's Grand Palace – Imperial Internal Affairs Headquarters

For the past few days, Sebas had relocated his office to the palace, handling state affairs more efficiently from there.

Creak—

"Come in."

"Lord Sebas, this is an urgent document forwarded from the Military Affairs Department."

The official, dressed in an iron-gray uniform, immediately stepped forward and carefully placed a stack of documents on Sebas's desk.

"Understood. Good work. You may leave."

Seated at his desk, Sebas spoke in his deep, magnetic voice without even lifting his head.

"Yes, sir!"

"An urgent document..."

Adjusting his fountain pen, Sebas naturally prioritized checking the document marked 'urgent.'

"Hmm?"

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

Sebas murmured to himself—

"Your Majesty... it seems your vacation should come to an end."

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