Chapter 42 : First Blood in a New World

"This is the picture of him, Lord Otto," the maid handed the picture of Urien to the Overseer Otto.

"Rita?" Otto started.

"Yes, Lord Otto?" Rita bowed down a little.

"Why are you giving me the hand-drawn painting of him?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Because all the photos of him get destroyed by unknown means whenever we use a normal camera," Rita replied.

"Interesting," Otto mused. "How about a Polaroid camera?" he added.

"The same thing happened, Lord Otto," Rita sighed. She tried to take the picture of Urien with a Polaroid camera but the photo refused to come out. She tried the same with multiple cameras but the end result did not change.

"Is that so?" Otto looks at the picture with a smile. He had to admit. The boy looks nearly the same as him. And moreover, he has the same hair color as his beloved Kallen. He might think this is the artificial human he created by combining his and Kallen's genes if he doesn't know any better. He tried to make samples but all of them ended in failures, so he ended that project.

"But Rita, there is something I want to ask," Otto started. "Why is he wearing a butler outfit in this painting?" he asked.

"Because he is working as a butler in the maid cafe, Lord Otto," the maid replied.

"You didn't mention it in your report because?"

"I have no excuse, Lord Otto," she apologized.

"So, why is he in a butler outfit?" Otto was annoyed. It is weird to see someone identical to him wearing a butler outfit. And he can't shake off the feeling that the boy is related to him somehow.

"I heard he was working for bills and food," Rita replied.

"Rita… give him some money," he sighed and facepalmed. "And make sure nobody sees this painting. Especially Theresa. She will nag me to wear the outfit if she sees the painting," he added.

"I will send him money right away, Lord Otto," Rita replied.

"Did you get some of his DNA?" the Overseer asked when the maid was about to leave the room.

"No, sir. He didn't give us any chance to do that," she replied.

"You can leave now," Otto nodded and let the maid leave the room. With the new addition on the board, he might need to readjust some of his plans. He can't find anything related to the boy. No history, no birth certificate, and no information. He got blank whenever he tried to find something about the boy.

"But where have I heard that name?" he thought. He might have read something about "Urien Gregorios" somewhere. He remembered the name as if he had read it multiple times. "Wait… I think it is the same name as that person!" Otto immediately dived into the Void Archives and started searching for the book.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Otto laughed madly after reading many books about the Previous Era. The man, Urien Gregorios, played an important role back then. "I see! That's how it is!" he yelled, spreading out his arms.

Now, Otto is sure that he is a step closer to bringing back his Kallen. The boy has the same name as that person from the Previous Era. It is not a mere coincidence. White hair and purple eyes are the characteristics of that man.

"He must know how the power of the Herrscher of Death works! Surely, surely, I will bring you back, Kallen!" Otto chuckled.

"Should I tell my old friend about this?" he thought but dismissed that idea. He will surely bring the boy to Schicksal. He will wait until then to give a surprise to his old friend.

"Wait for me, Kallen," the Overseer muttered.

Back to Urien

Urien is looking at his phone with an unbelievable expression. He puts down his phone, rubs his eyes, and looks at the phone again.

"There are many zeroes! With this much money, I can live without working until I finish high school!" he exclaimed.

He checked his bank account after getting a call from his friend, Rita. She said she sent the money because she won the lottery. Which is actually bullshit and Urien knew it. He doesn't know the real reason but it has to do with her wanting his DNA for something.

He closes his phone and sighs. With this much money, he can finally stop working at the maid cafe. For that, he is extremely grateful to Rita.

"What are you looking at, Urien?" Mei's head popped up from behind and put her chin on his shoulder. Her arms are gently wrapped around him.

"Hmm? Nothing. I was looking at the gifts I got from my friend," Urien smiles gently as he puts his free hand on hers.

Even though they are not dating yet, both of them are not shy about some skinship. So, hugging and holding hands are normal for them.

"Those girls who came to the school?" Mei pouted, looking away in jealousy.

"Yes, one of them, actually. She sent some money for me to use on things I want," he replied, poking her cheeks. "Do you have anything you want?" he asked, making her smile a little.

"I have everything I need at home," she replied.

"Then, let's grab some food on our way back," Urien smiles a little. They are on their usual date during the weekend.

Mei beamed immediately. "Do you have anything in mind?" she asked.

"How about that cafe near the station? I heard they make good parfaits," he replied.

"Then, let's go there," Mei smiles and walks beside him. She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Sure," Urien smiles back and walks around the East City Square of Nagazora, joking with each other and doing some window shopping.

Both of them didn't know that they were being stalked by a jealous stalker.

November 25th, 2013

Today, like usual, school is boring for Urien. But something new happened before the first lesson.

"Umm… Urien-kun, right?" a timid girl asked him when he was putting his shoes in the locker. The girl has long black reaching her waist. She has a beautiful face and is a shy girl. She has a letter for him, hiding it behind her back.

"Er… yes, I am. Do you need anything from me, Miss?" Urien asked back politely.

"Umm… My name is Asakura Mizuki. Urien-san, please accept this!" She gave him the letter in front of many students.

"Oh, thanks?" Urien took the letter and thanked unsure what to say. But when he was about to say something, she was already gone.

When he got into the classroom, he was surrounded by his classmates, males and females alike.

"Urien-kun, I heard you got a letter from that girl, is that true?" one of the male students asked.

"That is true, is something wrong?" he asked. The students looked at each other and it was the class president that answered his question.

"We heard some distressing rumors surrounding her," she started.

"Rumors?" Urien raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, rumors. Rumors said that she is related to the reason why the students went missing," she added.

"Hmm… interesting. Thank you for telling me, class prez," Urien thanked and went back to his seat.

"I heard someone gave you a letter today," Mei smirks and asks him when they are eating lunch on the roof.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I am going to reject her, of course," Urien replied and put an eggroll into his mouth. "I don't even know who she is," he added.

"Please don't talk while eating," Mei sighed.

Evening,

Urien is waiting at the place described in the letter. After waiting for a while, he noticed that the sun was starting to set.

"Hey!" He heard the sound of a girl coming from afar. "You came here really early! I didn't think you were coming," she smiles sweetly.

She steady her breathing first and prepared herself. "Urien-san, you are the first male I have fallen in love with since that day. Please go out with me," she bowed and confessed her feelings.

"Er… Although I am glad that you fell in love with me, I don't know anything about you. So, I am very sorry," he rejected her confession.

Since he noticed she was not saying anything, he turned around and prepared to leave. But his instinct kicked in and dodged to the left.

When he looked back, he noticed that the girl had a bat in her hand, trying to smash his head.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she muttered with crazed eyes. "Why do you have to reject me?" she looked at him with eyes filled with fury, lust, and craziness.

"So, the missing students are also your fault," Urien stated calmly.

"Yes," the girl admitted without missing a beat. "They rejected me. They were punished by forcing them to accept my love," she replied, her eyes now turning red.

"Let me get this straight. You punished them by… r*ping the girls to death?" he asked, not sure about her murder.

"Correct," she admitted again.

"What about the thugs in the alleyway?" he asked again while dodging the bat.

"I killed them," she answered. "They were the one who r*ped me, the one who made me disgusted with men," she added.

"Then why confess your love to me?"

"Because you are shining brightly! You stayed with the criminal's daughter when the whole class outcasted her! You always helped those in need," she replied. "And I want that shining brightness for myself," she is getting crazier and crazier.

"I get it. It is because of that woman, isn't it? You rejected me because of her, aren't you?" she screamed.

「Partner, this is bad. Very, very bad.」 His other personality's voice appeared in his head.

『What do you mean?』

「She is turning into a pseudo-Herrscher!」 That other personality dropped a bomb.

『What!!! How?! Honkai Energy in this area is not enough to become a Herrscher! And do you know what kind of Herrscher she is turning into?』

「...」

『Hello? Other me?』

「...」 The other side is still silent.

『Hello?』

「Herrscher of the Sexual Desire or Herrscher of Lust」

『...』

Both of them turned silent for a while. The only sound is the sound of Urien dodging the bat swinging at him.

『Are you serious?』 It was Urien who broke the silence.

「Absolutely.」

『There is a Herrscher like that?』

「There are countless types of Herrschers.」

『Noted.』

「Switch with me for a bit. I will create a portal and grab your gun for you.」

『No, get Levina for me. The futuristic-looking katana inside the glass showcase.』

「Aye, I am taking over now.」

『Okay』

The air around Urien suddenly changed. And the girl looks scared now. She felt an oppressing aura surrounding him. A hole appeared near him. The hole is black with a purple light ring surrounding it.

Urien(?) put his hand into the hole and pull out a katana.

「It is all yours.」

『Sure.』

The girl can run away if she wants to. But she didn't. She wanted that light. Even if there is an oppressive aura appearing near him, she will ignore it as the only thing inside her mind is to get what she wants.

She rushed toward Urien, without minding the katana in his hand. She jumped and lunged herself toward Urien.

As for the reincarnator, he is calm. A pseudo-Herrscher is a piece of cake for an old him. He might not be as strong as his previous life right now, he can at least fight back because of the training from his mothers and father.

"Shunmetsu," he muttered the name of the technique.

Just as she arrived in front of him, he slashed his katana diagonally, making the blood sprayed into the surroundings. He dodged the claw by moving back a little and cut the girl horizontally with a thunder-charged slash.

Her innards fall out and look at him with disbelief. But her vitality is strong. She walks slowly toward Urien. He doesn't move now as he knows she is not a threat anymore. The girl gently touches Urien's cheek and caresses it tenderly.

"Urien-san, I love you," the girl gave him a reassuring smile before the light went out from her eyes.

"Sorry but I can't love you back," he replied to no one.