Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

The scenery on both sides receded into the distance, and Shihen skillfully turned into a small path. Before long, he found a shrunken white ball on a rock on a hillside.

rustle~

Making no attempt to hide himself, Shihen let his boots make a soft thud as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

Hearing the sound behind her, the white ball of fluff trembled slightly, but ultimately did not run away again.

Walking slowly across this distance, Shihen sat down next to the girl, looked up at the crescent moon in the dark night sky, and said, "If the time is wrong, you won't be able to see much of the moon even here."

This was once one of the best places he discovered in St. Freya to watch the moon.

"Hmph! It's none of your business!"

Kiana, still burying her head in her knees, huffed and puffed.

After Theresa revealed the fact that Siegfried was dead, her mind, which had temporarily switched on, instantly cleared everything up.

Like Theresa and the others, the boy knew the truth, but he kept it from her.

"However, one can now see a moon goddess here."

Shihen glanced at the girl with loose hair beside him and smiled.

Named after the moon goddess, Kiana certainly possesses a goddess-like appearance.

Moreover, in a sense, the other party's wisdom is also at a goddess level.

"Hmph! What moon goddess is there?"

He's clearly a complete idiot!

She still didn't look up, the girl said angrily.

She was kept in the dark by so many people and foolishly thought that as long as she became an A-rank Valkyrie, she could find her stinky father.

Isn't she a complete idiot?!

"It seems that Miss Kiana is quite self-aware."

Shihen chuckled and echoed.

"mark!"

Kiana raised her head in an instant, waving her little fist as if she was about to hit the boy, but when she actually reached him, her fist had lost all its strength.

The fist stopped at the boy's chest, and Kiana, as if all her strength had been drained, rested her head on the boy's shoulder, saying, "Why...?"

Why didn't you tell me sooner...

She called out softly, her voice thick with sobs, and Shihen immediately felt his shoulder get wet.

Gently putting his arm around the girl's somewhat thin shoulders, Shihen let the girl cry for a while before slowly saying, "Do you still remember that mission in Singapore two years ago?"

That day, when I said I was going to see a support worker, I actually meant I was going to see Mr. Siegfried.

"Well?"

Kiana raised her tear-filled eyes, her gaze filled with surprise.

"Mr. Siegfried was a great father."

Although the reason is unclear, he has actually been by your side all these years, he just hasn't been able to come out and see you.

Do you remember all the luck and coincidences you encountered on your journey? Actually, Mr. Siegfried was secretly helping you all along.

Gently stroking the girl's hair, Shihen spoke softly.

“That stinky old man…” Upon hearing this, Kiana’s cold expression softened immediately. “He’s clearly a bastard who abandoned his daughter and ran away. What kind of good person is he pretending to be now?”

"When I see him again..."

As she spoke, the girl was stunned once again, and tiny tears, the size of beans, slid down the corners of her eyes.

It was only then that she suddenly realized that the things she had thought about countless times in her mind—the things she wanted to say and the things she wanted to do—were now gone forever.

“I didn’t have a long meeting with Mr. Siegfried, but he spent most of the time talking about you.”

Reaching out to wipe away the tears from the corner of the girl's eyes, Shihen smiled and said.

"What...what did you all talk about?"

Kiana lowered her head involuntarily, a hint of shyness appearing on her face.

Although she was heartbroken by Siegfried's departure, she was also afraid that he might tell the boy some nonsense.

"We just talked about your time in St. Freya." Shihen looked at the girl with some confusion and explained softly, "We talked about whether you ate well, whether you put on extra clothes when it was cold, and how many friends you made in St. Freya..."

Even though he and Siegfried didn't actually talk that much, that didn't stop the boy from telling a little lie at this moment.

Since Siegfried has already been locked up, he can't possibly come out and refute him.

"..." Listening to the boy's ramblings, Kiana felt a warm feeling seep into her entire body, and the emptiness in her heart caused by Siegfried's departure also lessened a bit. "Honestly, I'm not a child anymore, that old rascal of a dad just loves to worry!"

"In this respect, every father is like that."

He ruffled the white fluffy ball's head, a wistful smile appearing on his face.

Although most of the time, this should be the job of the mother.

But Siegfried is, after all, a single father, so it's understandable that he'd worry more.

"Did he say anything else to you?"

Kiana glanced at the boy and asked softly.

Her intuition told her that Siegfried didn't seem like that kind of person.

But since it had been many years since they last met, and it was the boy who told her, she could only assume that Siegfried had changed over the years.

"others……"

Meeting the girl's cautious gaze, Shihen couldn't help but recall Siegfried's questioning of him.

With a slight smile, Shihen placed his hand on the girl's shoulder and looked directly into her eyes, saying, "Kiana, the headmistress has always been worried about you, afraid that you would do something foolish after knowing the truth, which is why she chose to keep it from you."

"I, I understand..."

Kiana avoided the boy's gaze slightly and whispered.

She knew these things, of course, but she still found them hard to accept.

"From now on, St. Freya will be your new home. The headmistress, Mei, and I will always be with you."

Looking intently into the girl's eyes, Shi Hen spoke slowly and deliberately.

In an instant, as if struck directly by some force, Kiana's pupils trembled slightly.

Gazing into the boy's deep, dark eyes, Kiana couldn't help but lean closer and bite his thin lips.

Hmm, the barbecue flavor seems pretty good...

At close range, watching the girl's long, curled eyelashes tremble slightly, and feeling the slight tickle on his face from her hot, soft breath, Shihen couldn't help but have a thought flash through his mind.

Chapter 18 The Oath by the Flame and Mei's Advance

Late at night, behind St. Freya Mountain.

"Aren't you going back?"

While adding firewood to the burning campfire, Shihen glanced at the white-haired girl beside him and asked.

"I... want to stay here a little longer."

Kiana pursed her lips, her eyes reflecting the orange-red flames.

She had just said those things to everyone and then ran off on her own. She hadn't figured out how to face Theresa and the others yet.

Moreover... thinking of her stinky old man's voice and smile, the girl also wished to be alone and quiet at this moment.

Of course, it's nice to have someone by your side.

Glancing at the boy's face, which appeared reddened by the firelight, Kiana felt a sense of emptiness fill in her heart.

"That's fine. I'll send a message to the headmistress and the others to tell them not to worry too much."

Nodding, Shihen skillfully opened the communication software and replied to Theresa and the others one by one.

Having been out for so long, his message count is already over 99.

"Um……"

Kiana responded softly, curling up with her knees bent, whether from the cold or trying to grasp something, it was unclear.

Looking at the flickering flames in front of her and feeling the warm yet intense heat, the girl felt as if she had returned to the past.

When they were still living on the snowfield, she and Siegfried would always burn firewood to keep warm in the winter.

Siberian winters are too cold, and natural gas and electricity are too luxuries in that land ravaged by collapse, so only the traditional method of burning firewood is cheap enough.

But those times can never be returned to...

Kiana's nose twitched as she smelled the firewood smoke in the air, so different from what she had smelled before, and a hint of melancholy appeared on her face.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sitting closer to the girl, Shihen asked softly.

"Hen, do you think people really turn into stars after they die?"

Looking up at the black night sky, which seemed to be sprinkled with countless shattered diamonds among the treetops, Kiana asked softly, her voice hoarse and devoid of its former vigor.

"I don't know," Shihen said softly, shaking his head slowly before adding, "But... I hope so."

"why?"

Kiana turned to look at the boy, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Wouldn’t it be too cruel if we didn’t?” Shihen said softly, a gentle smile curving his lips. “A man as great as Mr. Siegfried must have become the brightest star by now.”

"That stinky old man isn't great at all!" Kiana's cheeks puffed up a bit upon hearing the boy's words. "He's always drunk, and he can't resist any pretty older woman he sees..."

I hate that kind of stinky dad the most!

"But he was never absent when his daughter needed him, was he?"

Shihen smiled as he looked at the white fluffy ball.

"Well……"

Meeting the boy's gentle, smiling gaze, Kiana couldn't help but lower her head slightly.

But soon, Kiana raised her head again, her gaze towards the boy filled with determination: "Hen, I want to become the strongest Valkyrie!"

Moreover, it's even stronger than Durandal!

I think... no, I absolutely must get back my damned old man's Heavenly Judgment!

As she spoke earnestly, a fiery light shone in the girl's blue eyes, and her expression was more resolute than ever before.

Since Durandal couldn't defeat Welt White, she decided to become even stronger than him!

Her father's Heavenly Judgment was a weapon meant to protect humanity, and she didn't want Walter White to use that flame to harm others.

"Yes, I believe you can do it." Shihen nodded gently, his eyes narrowed with a warm smile. "However, if you feel tired, you can always stop and rest for a while."

The headmistress and I will help you too.

"Um……"

Kiana responded softly, gently resting her head on the boy's shoulder.

Since the other party has said so, it's okay for her to be a little willful, right?

Sensing the girl's dependence on him, Shihen hesitated for a moment, but still chose to reach out and put his arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Hen, don't leave me..."

No matter what happens, you are not allowed to disappear…

Amidst the crackling of the flames, the girl cried out in a weak voice.

"Don't worry, I will always be by your side."

Shihen patted the little white fluffy ball's hand that was tightly gripping his clothes and said with a light laugh.

Even if he dies, he can still accompany the girl in spirit.