InsomniaWL
patreon
Chapter 283 — What Does It Mean to Be the Perfect Son-in-Law!?
🕑 Added 2025-08-28 15:27:09 +0000 UTCOtto held a golden feather in his hand, faint halos rippling out across the void like circles spreading across water.
“The consciousness… it’s identical to sixteen years ago. This really is… Cecilia!”
His pupils shrank to needles, his heartbeat stopping for a moment, as though lightning had split the sky.
Even if he hadn’t harbored much suspicion toward Nagami.
But actually witnessing the return of someone long dead left him unable to suppress the overwhelming surge of emotion rising in his chest.
His eyes were fixed on the resurrected figure.
A warm, gentle atmosphere radiated from the space where mother and daughter stood, so much so that even Otto couldn’t help but let the corners of his lips curl into the faintest, empathetic smile.
‘Kallen! Kallen! Wait for me! Soon… soon you’ll be revived too!’
That was his obsession, his refusal to yield.
She was the girl who had lived in his heart, the one he had longed for through five centuries.
His one and only wish.
The sight reflected in his pupils was ordinary, yet unbearably beautiful.
Otto’s expression softened, as if he were lost in memories long faded, drowning in the smoke and haze of the distant past.
But if Otto was shaken, Siegfried was completely broken.
He stared blankly at the white-haired woman before him, frozen in place as though time itself had stopped.
It felt unreal—like standing inside a dream so fragile it might shatter if he reached out his hand.
His body was stiff, motionless like a statue.
He didn’t even dare step forward to confirm the truth, terrified the scene before him might vanish the moment he touched it.
The heiress Kiana and C.C. stood side by side, both watching the joyous reunion with gentle smiles.
For the heiress, there was no need to get too caught up.
In her world, her mother was still alive and well—she had even shared lunch with her mother just before coming to Nagami world.
What she didn’t know, however, was that her father had died when she was only eight.
Ever since then, Siegfried had been played by Welt of Anti-Entropy.
C.C.’s golden eyes studied those bright, spirited blue eyes in silence, her expression tinged with thought.
“What is it? Do I have something on my face?”
That direct, unwavering gaze was impossible to miss.
The heiress Kiana tilted her head slightly.
“No… nothing,” C.C. replied with a small shake of her head.
If it had been before, she would have spent a long time testing, carefully stabilizing the heiress’s emotions before slowly revealing the truth—just to prevent a breakdown that could lead to the coming of the End.
But now? Now things were different.
With Kurumi here, even the harshest realities could be rewritten.
And compared to this world’s Siegfried, the one from the Honkai Gakuen timeline was far worse.
Nagami had no problem respectfully calling this one “Father-in-law.”
C.C. glanced at Siegfried who had hesitated for so long but was finally mustering the courage to move forward—and the corners of her mouth curved upward in unconcealed amusement.
“Cecilia… is it really you?”
Gazing at that familiar face, a single tear slid down Siegfried’s cheek.
His voice came out rough, trembling.
For Cecilia, those sixteen years felt like only yesterday.
Her fair, delicate face hadn’t changed a bit.
Back then, Siegfried had been a dashing young man.
But the man before her now…
The same old blue trench coat, but only one arm remained.
Stubble roughened his jawline, making him look unkempt.
The handsome features had aged noticeably, his long pale hair tied into a careless ponytail.
Everything about him told the same story—these years had not been kind to him.
Gentle and kind by nature, Cecilia’s heart ached at the sight.
But then…
The moment she looked down at the girl curled tightly into her embrace, trembling like a kitten seeking shelter from the cold wind, Cecilia’s gaze hardened.
Siegfried had suffered, yes—but had her daughter had it any easier?
“Of course it’s me.”
Cecilia quietly clenched her fist.
But when she noticed the hospital gown on Siegfried’s battered body, she hesitated… then slowly released her grip.
[Mother-in-law, don’t hold back. As long as Siegfried is still breathing, I can bring him back!]
That confident voice rang clearly in her mind.
Cecilia turned in surprise toward the green-haired girl standing “obediently” nearby, then let out a relieved smile.
‘Now this… this is what it means to be the perfect daughter-in-law!’
Solving every problem her mother-in-law could possibly have—on the spot!
“My dear… do you have anything you want to say?”
Cecilia gently held both Kiana’s hand and slowly stepped toward Siegfried, her tone and expression carrying subtle, undeniable warmth.
“Mom…” True Kiana’s voice trembled as if she were caught in hesitation.
“It’s all right. Leave everything to me.”
Cecilia reached out and softly ruffled her daughter’s snow-white hair.
Looking at the scene Siegfried opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words caught in his throat, refusing to come out.
After a long silence, his pale lips finally parted and he whispered softly:
“…I’m sorry.”
The air froze for a moment.
“That’s it?” Cecilia’s voice turned icy. “After everything—just one apology is enough?”
“If that’s all… then it’s my turn!”
She raised her slender hand and brought it down without restraint.
Among the reasons recorded in the Chronicles of Shenzhou’s Broken Sword for why the seven disciples turned on their master, there was, admittedly, a trace of Fu Hua’s own fault.
With the Book of Fuxi still in slumber and fewer and fewer people she could confide in, Fu Hua at that time was the very definition of an immortal sage—aloof, detached, guided by no emotion.
Every action she took was for the sake of resisting Honkai.
That included taking in disciples and teaching them martial arts.
But even for women with a high resistance to Honkai energy, the process of attuning their bodies to it was unbearably painful.
Their “Master,” however, wore the same cold expression, never offering so much as a single word of comfort.
And if any disciple’s training ever spiraled into a qi deviation, Fu Hua would strike them down without hesitation.
To be fair, this wasn’t wrong.
Qi deviation was nothing more than Honkai erosion—there was no saving someone once that happened.
Better to end them while they were still human than to wait until they became a dead soldier.
The problem was… back then, Fu Hua never explained anything.
She simply did what needed to be done.
Of course, that alone couldn’t justify her disciples’ eventual betrayal.
But Cheng Lixue was different.
She had been taken in during one of those rare moments when Fu Hua’s heart wasn’t completely cold.
In the eyes of those in the martial world, Lixue could almost be considered half a daughter.
So when Lixue’s figure appeared once more, even Fu Hua’s usually placid, porcelain-like expression betrayed a flicker of genuine emotion.
And in that instant of excitement—her consciousness slipped.
The ever-restless “Senti=chan,” waiting for the opportunity, seized control of her body.
“Master!” Lixue greeted respectfully, bowing slightly before glancing around in wonder. “So this… this is the future?”
Having never lived through the passage of those years herself, Lixue felt no deep sense of longing. To her, it was as if she’d only taken a short nap.
“Did you just call me? You called me, didn’t you? You must be Lixue!”
“Fu Hua’s” elegant face lit up with uncontainable excitement, eyes sparkling. “Mmm~! As expected of my disciple—so obedient and adorable!”
Lixue blinked, her expression one of mild shock.
She stared at her “master” with growing unease.
“…You seem… different. Did something happen during these years? Was there some… accident?”
Sixteen years was a long time.
Could her master have suffered some sort of trauma? Because this was way too cheerful…
“Don’t mind the details~! Come on, call me with that name again, call me again!”
The tone was so eager, so childishly delighted, it was as if she’d discovered an entirely new world.
“Fu Hua” gripped Lixue’s shoulders, eyes wide with anticipation.
“Uh…?”
Lixue’s eyes turned into little dots of confusion.
She had absolutely no idea what her master was talking about.
“You know what I mean!”
The little Herrscher stared at her expectantly, eyes sparkling, not even blinking.
“Master~ call me again!”
“…Mas…ter?”
Lixue blinked in utter bewilderment, a giant question mark practically floating above her head.
But instinctively, she still obeyed.
“Again! Again!”
Her elegant face was glowing with joy, “Fu Hua’s” eyes shining as she shook Lixue’s arm with excitement.
“…Master.”
Though still baffled, the ever-dutiful Lixue obediently repeated it.
“Yes, yes!” “Fu Hua” practically bounced on the spot. “As expected of my disciple—you’re an angel!”
Lixue’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.
