5 A Proposal

Early Morning. The sun rose from the edges of the sky with a hue of orange from the clouds. Birds from the trees chirped, and the commoners walked through the streets of Shicksal. It was an ordinary day for Otto, who was reading at the study table while the opened windows gave off a fresh breeze with the scent of spring to his skin and nose, giving him a sense of tranquility. The books piled up on the table with a lantern next to the parchment papers he wrote. He tightly shut the book and glanced at the sun. 'Half Past 6.' Meaning it was 6:30 in the morning. At 9 AM. It was the time for prayer, so he still had 2 hours and 30 minutes to exercise and do other things. He changed into a light-clothed uniform and went out of the Church. He also brought a bag with breakfast and two water jugs. Running off out of town, Otto went outside to the edges of the moat in between the castle walls, where he did his exercises. The moat was from a natural source of water leading from a river. It circulated from left to right of the city in a circle before flowing out from the waterline that spanned to the forest and mountainous areas, making it impossible to poison the moat or river since it led to the sea where the sun rises. Otto glanced and observed the flowing sound of water from the moat. It felt peaceful, with even salmon fishes visible in many spots of the moat-like river. 'A lake from the left, and a river connecting to a sea to the right.' It was a perfect place to dig out a moat. On the back of the castle wall with a peaceful scenery. Only a forest and a river linked to the moat coexisted peacefully like a natural flow. It was where he found a secretive place to hide and do his business. "28... 29... 30..! Ugh... haa... haa..." 'Great. I was able to complete the exercises without vomiting for once.' He sighed with relief. [ "What's with you? Why are you so weak? Hahahaha." ] "Shut up!" He summoned the Void Archives and threw it in the river. Otto already explained the singularities and the negative traits of his body. The Void Archives couldn't help but tease him and was curious about his situation. He sat at the riverside and relaxed for a while. He had to take a kilometer walk around the outside city walls to reach the main entrance to the town. It was tedious but necessary. 'It would be nice to fish here. It's a good place to relax.' In comparison, Otto didn't dislike the Medieval Period except for the unhygienic routine with Shicksal's bathroom system. The foods were healthy and fresh from the farmland. It was a time when you weren't worried about the quality of the resources but instead the quantity of them. Plus, the streets were somewhat clean, and the city was well-guarded. Otto thought the Dark Ages were supposed to be extremely bad, but it wasn't as bad as he thought. 'I guess it wasn't a dark age in this alternate universe.' He brought out his sandwiches and milk jug from the lunch box. Perhaps due to Shicksal's influence, freeing them from the target of conquest, it was still at the beginning of peace before the storm, with the Black Plague nowhere to be seen. 'Black Death.' It was one of the Honkai Catastrophe caused by the black box. He was holding onto the bio-weapon that could potentially cause a catastrophe. He wanted to research more about it, especially a way to absorb the Black Box, which contains the power of the Herrscher of Corruption. But for now, he didn't want to risk it. It was best to become stronger first. Otto glanced at the sealed Black Box in his hand with an observant yet curious look while eating his sandwich with a satisfied face. Mild to the taste with mayonnaise and vegetables, pork slices, and egg with cheese appenzeller on top. 'Black Box.' It brought him back from his joyful expression as he glanced at the reflective glint of darkness from it. It was data stored in the Void Archives. In the meantime, it was best to put it away in case someone stumbles into it. He didn't want to cause the Bubonic Plague even if he managed to find the cure and get a good reputation. "Fuuu..." 'It's tough being an antagonist with a lot of power.' He was in between the line of good and evil despite knowing the future. He desired to become more powerful since it was his main goal, but he had to keep his morals straight because of his previous sins and guilt. Otto didn't want to lose his sanity again. He drank the small milk jug with a refreshed look while enjoying the taste melting into his mouth. After breakfast, he got up from his spot and went to town to buy some ink bottles since the ink materials ran out due to him scribbling so much. . . . In the Church, Otto wantonly glanced at the prayerful people seated on the church benches while listening to liturgies from the priest and singing praises of God. -"Glory to God in the highest~" At the end of the Mass Procession, the priest ended the mass, and Otto went inside the repentance rooms to help the people deliver their repentance to their supposed imaginary God. To him, who was an expert psychologist? It wasn't hard to dissect information from the believers. Otto used that information to give them the answers that they wanted. Like the priests, Otto's reputation grew due to his amiable yet solemn words that comforted the believers. When his duties ended, an elder in white robes greeted him with a warm smile. "Holiness, you've done a great service despite this being your first mass. I am deeply amazed." "Father Theodore. It was my pleasure to help the people to be absolved of their worries." Otto smiled back. "Hmm... indeed. You have learned. The Holy Father has the eyes to discern a good successor." "Thank you for your kind words, Father Theodore. I have other business to do if you don't mind." "Oh. Don't let this old man take your time, young one." 'I feel something out of place...' Otto vigilantly glanced at the smiling priest and shook his head. 'I have to be careful around him.' He turned his head to the hallway and went back to his room. It was an instinct that he had grown throughout his past life of living with the possibilities of death at every corner. When Otto arrived at the private study room, bookshelves and furnished brown-dark colored wooded tables with chairs spread throughout the cozy place with lanterns exuding an ambient scholarly sensation. Nikolas sat on the edge of the Library Room with a smile. "Father," Otto said in a solemn tone. "Are you ready for your lesson?" Otto nodded and sat at the table facing him. "How was your first mass?" "It was great. I was able to understand the feelings of the believers. Their suffering, sins, and regrets. It was a good lesson for me," Otto answered in a solemn tone as if he was in deep thought. "I see." Nikolas was surprised. He hadn't expected a thirteen-year-old child to change so much. 'He matured so fast. That's an unexpected outcome.' Due to his busy and strict schedule, Nikolas barely had time with his family. "Father. I want to propose something." Nikolas' deep thoughts were interrupted as he glanced at Otto magically materializing Void Archives from his hands. "T-this is?!" Nikolas couldn't help but admire the luminescent cube that floated above Otto's hands. "This is one of the God Keys or in other words, an artifact from the previous Era." Otto lied about the fact of Void Archives' sentience. It would garner the suspicions of Nikolas if Otto had been possessed or not. "This is the sarira that one of our sires brought, is it?" Nikolas returned to his composure as he observed the now-activated VA. "Yes, let me reiterate to His Holiness. What I have discovered." "This God Key allows me to mimic artifacts like the Judgment of Shamash." Otto materialized the Judgment of Shamash from his hand. He didn't fire the gun since it would burn the Library into cinders. Nikolas understood that fact since he saw what the Kaslana Family was capable of. He couldn't help but be amazed while asking. "Is there a limit to it?" "No." 'Of course, it can't mimic the zeroth form. But, no one in this era could use the zeroth form except for the Flamechasers.' Otto wasn't sure of his knowledge since it had been a while since he last played Honkai Impact 3rd. Otto started to explain the Void Archives with its all-encompassing knowledge created by a powerful ancient civilization that fought the Honkai on equal footing. 'Of course not.' It was a lie again since the PE Civilization was obliterated at the end without a chance of winning. Otto stopped there before finally proposing his idea. "I want to create my Order." 'Knight's Order.' It was a sub-organization connected to Shicksal. Its responsibility was to eliminate any Honkai Beasts detected by Shicksal's HQ. Nikolas caressed his beard as he thought of the unprecedented power he would gain. "Hm... Alright. But.-" Nikolas nodded but stopped momentarily and added a condition. "You have to be formally trained by Lord Siegfried." It was an expected outcome since the condition to become a knight required him first to become a squire. Plus, Nikolas didn't want a valuable successor to die prematurely, with an experienced knight like Siegfried. Otto would gain valuable lessons and teachings on how to fight the Honkai. "Once you have graduated from a squire. You will have to form a squad of knights." "Regarding your authority on the Shicksal forces. I will formally anoint you as a squadron knight once you have graduated. It should make it easier for you to find capable knights." "Thank you, Father. I won't disappoint you." Otto bowed and hid his grin. 'Mission accomplished.' "Let's get started on the lesson." Nikolas wore his glasses and brought parchment papers regarding real-world problems, especially in the economy of Shicksal, territory disputes, alliances with the Holy Roman Empire, and reputations that Shicksal overcame through the previous archbishops of the Noble Family of Apocalypse. When Nikolas finished discussing his lesson, Nikolas was amazed at the knowledge that Otto shared. It felt like he was talking to an experienced scholar with astounding wisdom and knowledge. 'Is this why the sarira chose you?' He felt rest assured that Otto was the best choice for being the successor to Shicksal's Archbishop position. Nikolas knew that even eldest siblings were outshined by the potential that the youngest showered today and the contributions he could bring. *** In the Residence of Priest Theodore, an underground basement, a bloodied woman lay on the bed expressionlessly, and a fat elderly priest kneeled on the ground to a dark shadowy figure. "My liege." "Speak. What have you uncovered in Shicksal's Headquarters?" A red-haired woman stood condescendingly towards the kneeling naked Priest. "I have found a young saint. He changed so much within a month. No, maybe he has been hiding that potential for so long." "Oh? And who is this person? I have never heard or seen any impressive one in the Apocalypse Family." "It's Otto Apocalypse! My liege. He is the rising star. He is the youngest child in the Apocalypse Family and the rightful heir to the Archbishop position. I heard in the meeting last time that the Holy Father decided to make him the sole successor." "Interesting. Keep an eye on him. And oh, regarding the Black Market?" "It is underway. I have hidden the truth, and the nun has agreed to our cooperation." "Don't mess up. Otherwise, you should know the consequences." "I will never disappoint the two Lords." "Good." The intimidating figure disappeared, with the fat old priest sighing in relief. 'Otto Apocalypse. Lady Frederica and Lord Luciela have taken an interest in you. You will be my tool to rise in the ranks of the Demon Army. Hahaha…!'

To be continued

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