Chapter 2: "Oath Kaslana"

Night fell, and the log cabin amidst the white snow merged into the darkness of the night.

Inside her own room, the white-haired girl sat around a stuffed toy, and she hugged the yellow Homu doll tightly.

This doll is the only friend for her in a lonely place like this.

"Hmmm... Hm?"

The girl opened her sleepy eyes.

"Father is home!"

Run to the door, and open a small crack to let him peek. The white-haired girl saw her father, Siegfried, changing the bloody bandages in front of the fireplace, and he replaced them with fresh ones.

"Dad's injured again..."

The girl could only stare through the crack in the door in silence.

She... Suddenly remembered the conversation she had with her other self earlier this afternoon.

"(Don't mind it too much, if you don't know how would I know? Maybe he was fighting a monster or something. Stay here and wait for him to come home.)"

The girl gripped the Homu doll in her arms even tighter.

"Fighting monsters... Why?"

She decided to go to her father to ask.

Wrapping a bandage over her right eye, the girl came out of the room, and she slowly approached Siegfried.

When Siegfried noticed her slight movement, and saw her. The white-haired girl's body shook with fear.

Eyes that were on the verge of death, bereft of hope, had always frightened her.

"Dad... Why do you always come back badly injured?"

Siegfried stared at her silently.

"Because I have to."

"Why?"

Siegfried stared at this girl who looked exactly like his daughter in silence once again. Somehow, he felt this was very familiar.

It's like... Seeing him old self.

Full of confusion.

Why do we need to fight the honkai by risking our lives?

Siegfried...

Smile suddenly.

"Because that's what we should do. Kaslana's blood that flows in my blood urges me to protect people and their smiles, that is my duty!"

The white-haired girl opened her eyes wide.

This was the first time she saw her father smiling proudly front at her. The blood in her body somehow felt like it was burning too.

"Dad, can I be you?!"

"Eh?"

"I also want to be Kaslana, a real Kaslana just like you! Protect them, and their smiles!"

Siegfried's eyes suddenly trembled.

His dark world grew a little dim, and he could finally make out the figure of this white-haired girl before him.

His throat was sore, but a gentle smile appeared on his worn face.

"Of course you can! The blood of the Kaslana family also flows in your body! Daddy will teach you how the Kaslana family fights!"

When the girl looked up, her head was rubbed by a rough hand, and she saw something she would never forget.

Her father smiled brightly at her.

The girl decided to protect this smile in the depths of her heart.

____

Several days passed very quickly.

K-423 awakens from his long slumber once again.

The memory information flow, entered his consciousness once again, just like a computer synchronizing.

"[Ugh... What's with this memory... Wait, Siegfried, why are you teaching a child techniques Gun Kata kaslana?! Kiana what are you doing!]"

With a flood of vivid memories, K-423, who was still dizzy, was stunned on the spot, before his head became even more dizzy.

It felt like his head was going to explode.

The plot of the story has changed.

Kiana should have learned the Gun Kata Kaslana technique when she was 11 years old. But at this time, she had already learned the technique when she was 9 years old.

Even though Siegfried had only lightly taught her under the pretense of self-defense, this still proved that his attitude towards this white-haired girl was starting to change.

From a state of indifference, to being of little concern.

"[I don't know if this is good or bad... Anyway, looks like I'll have to watch my mouth in the future. Just a few words changes the plot too much. The butterfly effect is really terrible.]"

Organizing the memories in his mind once again. K-423 suddenly felt something very unpleasant enter his mouth.

"[Hey, what did you eat?]"

"Hm? Ah, the other me, you finally woke up! I thought you were just an illusion!"

"[...Put my problem of illusion or not aside. What are you eating? Why doesn't it taste good!]"

"You mean this? This is the cake dad give for me! As long as you eat it you will be full for the whole day!"

What this little girl was referring to was the dry food ration.

A grown man would be full after eating one piece. But for someone Kaslana who possessed the physique of a monster in their bloodline, eating five pieces could be considered quite filling.

"[Don't keep eating! Drink some water too! My throat is so dry!]"

"Oh, okay!"

After drinking bottled water. Both the white-haired girl, and the consciousness clinging to Kiana's body, heaved a sigh of relief.

To be honest, K-423 has no idea what sins he committed in his previous life.

He became a spirit attached to another person's body, his head was also endlessly dizzy, and he also couldn't control his host's limbs at all.

It felt like he was just a bystander who could only be made to suffer.

Not getting angry, and cursing at this moment is a miracle.

"The other me... Are you still there?"

"[I'm still here, what's wrong?]"

The girl's eyes were shining brightly.

"Listen to this, a few days ago my father and I learned Gun...Gun..."

"[Gun Kata.]"

"Yeah! What kind of gun is that, anyway it's really cool! The gun daddy gave me is cool too! With biu! biu! biu! All targets are immediately destroyed!"

"[It's Judgment of Shamash, burn caution.]"

"That thing can also emit fire! Dad just baked bread with fire! That's great!"

"Also, that gun can turn into a sword! dad used it to roast beacon meat yesterday!"

"[Somehow I feel the Divine Key feels really humiliated… Forget it, keep telling stories.]"

"Hmm!"

The girl nodded her head excitedly.

Even though the white-haired girl's memories were in sync with his thoughts. Hearing this girl talk somehow made K-423 feel a little better.

His dizzy consciousness cleared up a bit.

This girl probably couldn't stand with loneliness, and she wanted to talk to other people. For that, K-423 is willing to accompany her.

"Then after that, my arm was dislocated due to the wrong position... I also learned to wrap bandages yesterday!"

"[Are you oke?]"

"I'm fine!"

"...."

Without knowing...

Siegfried stared at her silently through the small crack in the door.