Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Sirin hurried through the streets of Academy City.

It was another lively, bustling day. Most people were going about their daily lives as usual, seemingly without a care in the world for terrifying things like the Herrschers.

Sirin wanted to kick a pebble on the ground, but she couldn't find one.

You rarely find loose stones to kick on a major road like this.

Her appearance was completely different from Kiana's, so she wasn't the least bit worried about being found.

"Herrscher of the Void, what are you doing here?"

Noldrei grabbed her by the shoulder. Seemingly oblivious to her terrified expression, he complained, "Kiana was whining to me that you'd gone missing. Benares couldn't find you either, so she came to me. Why did you change into a human form? Hmm...? Huh?"

A look of surprise crossed his face. "You've already learned to go out and find these gems for me? I'm so touched!" he asked.

As he spoke, Noldrei pulled the gem right out of Sirin's stomach.

"You?!"

Sirin's face was a mask of disbelief. This had to be the most absurd thing that had ever happened to her.

Damn it! Why?!

Why are you doing this to me?

What did I ever do to you?

"You... put it..."

"What?" Noldrei glanced at her, puzzled.

Sirin's expression changed in a flash, and she forced a smile. "Nothing. I was just saying you should keep it safe."

"Well, of course. Giving it to you would be a complete waste. With your level of skill, you think you can use these gems? Go back to school for a couple more years first!"

Noldrei shot her a disdainful look, then added, "However, I have been neglecting you lately. I really should pay more attention to your education."

He began to ponder which school would be the best fit for Sirin.

To this day, Sirin still couldn't understand why Noldrei, who could literally implant knowledge into people's brains, chose not to do so.

She couldn't wrap her head around such a complex issue.

Cocolia, on the other hand, understood the reason perfectly. She knew Noldrei's main goal wasn't to create copies of himself, but to encourage people to develop different ideas and knowledge, thereby forging their own novel paths.

Sirin knew none of this. She naturally assumed that Noldrei simply hated her and that his sole purpose was to crush her dignity, forcing her to one day abandon her Herrscher identity and kneel at his feet like the emperor he was.

I'll die outside Academy City before I ever listen to a single word you say!

"Here, have something to eat. I was worried you'd get hungry on the road. Constantly absorbing nutrients from my body means you can't enjoy the pleasure of food, which limits a large part of your cognitive range. That's not good for your overall perception of the external world."

As he spoke, he handed Sirin a crêpe. Poor Kiana had followed him for so long and had never received such considerate treatment.

Is he trying to corrupt my mind and erode my will with this kind of treatment? Is he going to treat me just like Cecilia did?! No! I will never...

Sirin viciously bit into the crêpe and gasped, "This is delicious! Wait...!"

She looked at Noldrei warily. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?! What are you planning?! I'm telling you, don't even think about using your evil tentacles on me!"

Did she misunderstand something about me?

Noldrei scratched his head in confusion. He had genuinely come looking for the Herrscher of the Void because Kiana told him she was missing.

What other reason could there be to get that NEET Kiana to come out? It's not like Mei would just disappear on her own.

Feeling the need to defend his own tastes, he said with a serious expression, "I have no interest in a body like yours. When you were just a brain, you didn't have to worry about female biological issues. But now that you've modified your body like this... what will you do when your period comes?"

"You've become the only woman in our house who gets periods! How can such a disgusting thing happen in our home?!"

Noldrei couldn't fathom it. He was already worried that when Tesla came back, she'd smell something... unusual... the moment she walked in the door.

Everyone in the house had such a keen sense of smell now; someone having their period would be a veritable olfactory bomb.

Sirin's face turned beet red. She glanced around at the stunned gazes of the people on the street, who were staring at her as if she were some rare treasure.

She knew Noldrei had no sense of human ethics or shame, but experiencing it firsthand in front of a crowd still left her feeling utterly powerless.

"You... Don't talk about things like that in the middle of the street! How am I supposed to go out in public after this? How am I supposed to do my job of increasing the number of Herrschers?"

Sirin clutched her head, completely thrown by Noldrei's actions.

"Increasing the number of Herrschers?" Noldrei glanced at Sirin, only then remembering that the girl was, in fact, a Herrscher. It was only natural that she'd want a companion or two she could talk to.

"I see. So you were lonely...? Let me make one thing clear: you can't defeat me by creating more Herrschers. But you can increase the number of Herrschers, and then tell me, and I'll help you find a new friend."

After some serious thought, Noldrei continued, "That way, you two can have fun and play together. After all, Tesla spends all her time in the lab. She has nothing in common with a little kid like you. Even if your identities are similar, your different personal cognitions will lead you down separate paths."

Sirin was seeing red. Now that she had a human body again, all her emotions had come flooding back.

She was absolutely tilted, feeling as if her defenses had been completely shattered. Her heart rate jumped to two hundred.

Sirin wanted to curse him out, but she didn't dare open her mouth. She wasn't that tentacle-addicted pervert, Tesla.

"Sirin, you don't seem to have any friends... Any thoughts on that?"

For once, Noldrei was paying attention to her. He used to treat her like a big head hanging off his body, sometimes just tossing her aside to do as she pleased.

He never thought the Second Herrscher would go out and pick up a Herrscher Gem. It seemed she was still loyal to his Nagazora Empire after all.

"I... I..."

Sirin wanted to sell out Cocolia right then and there, but she instinctively felt Noldrei wouldn't care. On matters that seemed critically important, he surveyed everything like a god from on high.

No matter how many people schemed to become powerful, in his eyes, that was a right all humans possessed. He didn't even think there was anything wrong with them for trying. Occasionally, Noldrei would just mock them with the absurd theories of modern society.

"I want to summon more Herrschers and defeat you! So that the world you're so obsessed with will never come to be!"

Sirin gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and shouted, "I hate you so much!"

Noldrei just scratched his head, confused...

Why did this dummy, who was even worse at studying than Kiana, think she could possibly stop him?

He recalled what he'd learned from the books of this era and asked, "Was the crêpe still good?"

Sirin froze, looking down at the half-eaten crêpe in her hand.

To be honest, it was a really tasty snack.

Noldrei said with unnerving calm, "When you're strong enough to defeat me, you can buy them for yourself whenever you want. But before that, you need to find someone suitable for a Herrscher to descend upon. I'll tell you how to bait the Will of the Honkai into noticing her. Then, the Honkai itself will personally descend and grant her the authority of a Herrscher."

"You're not strong enough right now. You don't even have the ability to find a suitable candidate for a Herrscher."

Sirin was stunned. She had no idea what Noldrei actually cared about.

The guy didn't even seem to care about himself...

Crap! This man is completely different from Cecilia! He fully agrees with my stance on getting revenge against humanity! Aren't you human?!

Fearing she was overthinking things, Noldrei comforted her, "Don't worry. In the future, humans will only be crueler when they kill other humans, and yet they've still managed to develop for 130,000 years, haven't they? If you're oppressed, you fight back. That's the consensus of everyone in the future. You're seeking revenge against the collective that was indifferent to your suffering. What's wrong with that?"

"Let the hatred that makes humanity suffer continue. In their pain, they will realize how necessary the arrival of a new world is! And because of that pain, people will work even harder to join the great army of new humans."

Sirin seemed to grasp something.

The young girl's mind matured a little. So, the people who supported her weren't necessarily the ones who were good to her.

Cocolia supported her, and Noldrei supported her, too. Could it be that these people were the ones who wanted to destroy humanity?

Is he trying to make me the scapegoat? I can't beat him. If I cause trouble and get captured and locked up, won't it just be whatever he says, goes?! Is this the legendary art of imperial manipulation? Oh, Mother Cecilia, you truly are the last shining beacon of humanity!

But she was completely mistaken about Noldrei. He supported both Sirin's revenge against humanity and humanity's revenge against the Herrschers. This was his fundamental attitude toward all life.

He truly had no intention of making the little girl a scapegoat. At most, he was just using her as bait to fish for the next Herrscher.