Chapter 589: Original Sin Hunter, Kallen Kaslana

"All right, that’s it for tonight. Bye~"

"W-Wait, you still can’t..."

"Eh~ I’ve been grinding affection points all day. Can’t you trust me just a little, Himeko? Sure, I’m strong enough to crush heaven, earth, and everything in between, but I’m actually a huge advocate of peace."

Elias’ attempt to leave startled Himeko. After all, she hadn’t forgotten that compared to some vampire, the white-haired young man before her was the truly terrifying existence.

However, after hearing Elias say that, Himeko hesitated.

She realized that she really had come to trust him.

Earlier, while they were together in the interrogation room, the white-haired young man’s terrifying and immeasurable power had made her regard him as a frightening yet beautiful monster.

But during today’s investigation/date, Himeko realized she’d misunderstood him. Elias wasn’t a monster, but a human being.

Although he was absurdly powerful, he still followed the rules. He was absolutely pure inside and out! And he was ridiculously good at flirting!

After all, if Elias really were some evil monster, she should have been trembling in fear whenever she was around him. Yet in reality, all Himeko had felt was reassurance and happiness.

And so, at this moment...

Watching Elias’ departing figure, Himeko chose to trust him.

"Eh~ Fine, fine. One less person to keep under surveillance is probably a good thing anyway. I’ve still got another ancestor to take care of over here."

Himeko sighed and walked off in the opposite direction.

She arrived at a burger restaurant, then respectfully looked toward... a white-haired girl seated at a table with dozens of Homu burgers piled before her, happily devouring them with an utterly satisfied expression.

"Lord Kallen, I’m back."

"Mhm, Himeko. Did you finish dealing with your business?"

The extraordinarily beautiful girl had white hair, blue eyes, and long locks woven into a braid. An innate air of nobility and stern dignity surrounded her. She wore a fitted white combat outfit beneath a black coat.

Two high-powered black-and-red pistols were concealed beneath it.

Even with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s from all the food in her mouth and a smear of creamy white salad dressing accidentally clinging to the corner of her lips, she still radiated the aura of a powerhouse... a powerhouse who had already annihilated one-third of the restaurant’s entire burger supply.

This was Kallen Kaslana, Schicksal’s sole S-rank Valkyrie of this era and this bubble world, as well as a vampire hunter who pursued her own original sin.

"There’s no need to worry about him anymore. I believe Elias won’t do anything that threatens the peace."

"Oh? It’s rare to see you vouch for someone so seriously, Himeko. In that case, I’ll trust your judgment too."

"Thank you, Lord Kallen."

"It’s nothing. Your judgment has always been reliable, and Theresa is still the most important matter right now."

As Kallen spoke, she looked toward the pair of pistols hidden inside her coat, the Blood Saints. Her hand tightened unconsciously around the burger she was holding. This saint had already resolved herself to face death.

"I have to deal with that child as soon as possible. She’s already nearing her limit. If she’s allowed to continue like this, even more people in this city will be endangered because of her."

"But Lord Kallen, how are we supposed to find that vampire? Do we have to wait for another victim to appear?"

"No. Theresa and I share a connection through blood. I can vaguely sense the direction she’s in. It’s just... I need to replenish my strength first. She’s become even more dangerous."

Kallen spoke with a grave expression. Only then did Himeko notice that the S-rank Valkyrie’s hand was trembling slightly, obvious proof that she had experienced an intense battle not long ago.

...

Half an hour earlier, Kallen had found Luna.

After the two fought a fierce battle, Kallen’s excessive exhaustion allowed Luna to escape successfully. However, Luna had likewise consumed a tremendous amount of strength and fallen into a state of severe blood deprivation.

Eventually, the weakened Luna collapsed in an alley, where she encountered Elias, who happened to be passing by while searching for the vampire.

"I understand, Lord Kallen. I’ll assist you as well," Himeko said seriously.

"Thank you, Himeko."

Kallen smiled. However, just as she finished the remaining burgers and prepared to pay before leaving...

Schicksal’s current strongest Valkyrie searched through the pockets of her clothes, only for her expression to suddenly change. Perhaps her pocket had been torn during the battle.

The Schicksal black card that had originally been inside was gone.

"Stare..."

The burger restaurant’s proprietress fixed them with a razor-sharp gaze.

Since Kallen had ordered every burger in the restaurant, the proprietress naturally kept a close eye on such a major customer in case she finished eating and ran off without paying.

Even Schicksal’s strongest S-rank Valkyrie...

Couldn’t eat burgers without paying!

"H-Himeko, could you lend me some money?"

"Uh, of course, Lord Kallen."

"Sorry. I’ll definitely have Otto... have the Overseer reimburse you later."

"There’s really no need."

Himeko broke into a cold sweat. Having the Overseer of Schicksal personally reimburse her meal expenses? She was only a B-rank Valkyrie. There was no way she had that kind of influence. Besides, it was just one burger meal. She could afford to treat her.

"Hello. Your friend just ate thirty Homu beef burgers, thirty chicken drumsticks, twenty chicken wings, seven iced colas, ten orders of fries, and twenty egg tarts... The total comes to 54,700 yen. Thank you for your patronage."

"Cough! H-How much?"

"54,700 yen. Thank you for your patronage."

Himeko’s heart bled. Valkyries certainly weren’t paid poorly, but she’d only joined Schicksal this year, and her own expenses weren’t exactly small, so she didn’t have much in savings.

The red-haired girl tremblingly handed over her card, thinking that she was apparently going to survive on dirt for the rest of the month.

And then...

Beep, beep! "Insufficient balance."

"???"

Himeko’s eyes widened in disbelief. When she saw the words "Insufficient Balance" displayed on the POS terminal, she was stunned. She hurriedly checked her account and discovered that only a two-digit sum remained.

(H-How could this happen? I clearly remember having some savings left in the account. Wait! Could it be...)

She hurriedly checked today’s transaction history. A second later, Himeko sucked in a cold breath and clutched her ample chest, feeling like she was about to cough up blood.

She’d forgotten that she’d agreed to cover all of Elias’ expenses.

Under the doting influence of a certain [Gold] Flame-Chaser, Elias’ concept of money had long since completely collapsed. Otherwise, he never would have done things like pay with precious gemstones or even skip them across water for fun.

If he saw something he wanted, he simply bought it. If everything in this world could be purchased with money, then the wealth Eden had accumulated over fifty thousand years would probably be enough to buy the Earth of the proper world.

After all, in the Previous Era, she’d become wealthy enough to rival the United Nations less than ten years after her debut. Given a full fifty thousand years, Eden could probably fill an entire ocean with her money.

And this richest woman in human history had generously shared all of her wealth with Elias. Under those circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to maintain anything resembling a normal concept of money.

Frankly, the fact that Himeko still had a two-digit balance left was already astonishing. If Eden were here, she would probably sigh that Elias was still far too conservative with his spending.

"Looks like you two don’t have enough money to pay for your meal."

At that moment, the burger restaurant manager unleashed an oppressive presence comparable to a multi-Core Herrscher, making both the B-rank and S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal tremble in fear.

"Sorry! Could you give us a little time?!"

"I’ll contact headquarters and have them send money over!"

Himeko and Kallen huddled together, both embarrassed and nervous.

"Hmph! No need. Young people these days are truly disappointing. You actually dared to dine and dash. In that case, as an adult, I’ll take this opportunity to teach you what society is really like!"

"Eeeeeek—!" x2

And thus, one B-rank Valkyrie and one S-rank Valkyrie were both soloed by the manager of a burger restaurant.

Himeko and Kallen removed their Valkyrie uniforms, changed into restaurant server uniforms, and began working to repay their debt.

All that could be said was that this burger restaurant manager was genuinely kind.

Anyone else probably would have made their families bring the money over. Instead, she chose to use the opportunity to let these young women personally experience the hardships of society and just how difficult it was to earn money.

Kallen: o(- -﹏╥)o

Himeko: o(- -﹏╥)o

Manager: "Get to work! 2,300 yen per person per day. If the two of you work together, you’ll be out of here in twelve days."

...

Meanwhile, over on Elias’ side.

"Huh? I actually maxed it out?"

Elias looked in surprise at the insufficient balance notification. He’d originally intended to use Himeko’s money to book a hotel, only for the account to show that there wasn’t enough left.

"Hiss~ Did I really spend that much today?"

Elias scratched his head, beginning to doubt himself while also feeling a little embarrassed. Using up all the money on a girl’s card really was rather excessive of him.

(Next time I see Himeko, I’ll give her some gemstones. I think I still have... several hundred rubies cut in the shape of roses. They’d definitely look good on her.)

"Captain? Did something happen?"

"Captain, want Ai-chan to hack into something~? I could add a few hundred billion or a few trillion to the account."

Rosemary, who had once lived in a world where material concerns were irrelevant, tilted her head in confusion. Ai-chan, meanwhile, rubbed her hands together eagerly and announced that she could simply hack the network and conjure up hundreds of billions.

"It’s fine. I’ll handle it myself. Miss, please contact your manager. I’m buying this hotel."

As Elias spoke, he tossed over a yellow gemstone. Forget one hotel, it would have been more than enough to buy ten.

In the end, under the hotel owner’s gaze that looked as though he wanted to lick Elias’ shoes, Elias, Ai-chan, and Rosemary moved into the presidential suite. Afterward, Elias told the two women everything about Luna.

"...I didn’t expect that urban legend to be real."

"Whoa, Captain, you really do run into trouble everywhere you go. Also, I somehow feel like the number of rivals is going to increase yet again."

"Uh, so do either of you have any opinions?"

Rosemary and Ai-chan exchanged a glance, then simultaneously shook their heads to indicate that they had none.

"Given your style, Captain, you’ve definitely already made up your mind, haven’t you? Fire Moth Rule Number One: every decision made by Lord Savior is always the most correct and optimal choice!"

"Captain, just act according to your own wishes. If there’s anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to tell us."

"Uh... All right, then. But you two aren’t just refusing to get involved because you think it’ll be troublesome, are you?"

"Of course not!" x2

Rosemary and Ai-chan smiled and shook their heads in perfect synchronization.

The corner of Elias’ eye twitched in speechlessness. Still... since he’d run into this matter himself, he ultimately had to deal with it himself. And for some reason, Luna gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

A vague feeling of déjà vu, as though he’d seen her somewhere before.

Of course, he wasn’t referring to a certain Judah launcher. He meant much, much longer ago, for example... in his previous life.

(Could she have been a character from one of the events in my previous life? I don’t remember that right now. I’ll have to look through Fenghuang Down later.)

Elias simply possessed far too many memories.

The side effects of hyperthymesia allowed Elias to remember everything he had personally experienced or witnessed down to the smallest detail without ever forgetting, and that unquestionably placed an immense burden on his brain.

Yet Elias couldn’t bear to delete any of his memories.

Whether they were joyful, happy, sorrowful, or painful experiences, they were all important parts of his life. Even the countless tragedies from the Previous Era that he’d recorded had never been discarded. Instead, he’d stored them all within Fenghuang Down.

That included the game storylines from his previous life as well.

Elias naturally remembered the main story perfectly clearly, but he’d stored away all the event stories from Honkai Impact 3rd.

(Elias: After all, they were basically useless in the proper world. Almost all of them were stories that took place in bubble worlds. But considering this strange sense of familiarity Luna gives me... could I actually, maybe, possibly have stumbled into one this time?)

Just thinking about it made Elias feel that the whole thing was absurd.

After all, this was the Sea of Quanta!

It was unimaginably vast, practically without boundaries.

The probability of him stumbling across one of the bubble worlds from a miHoYo event storyline really could be described as one in infinity!

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