Honkai: Strijder

Chapter 30

“Cocolia... um. . . . mom?”

“Nope! I don’t want to!!”@@@@

The former was Sin Mal’s hesitant voice, while the latter was Kiana’s firm and resolute refusal.

Sin Mal was somewhat unaccustomed, but since it was Sigurd’s order , she would do her best to carry it out.

Kiana, on the other hand, had an inexplicable intuition. She could accurately distinguish between what was important and what was not. When it came to important matters, she could be obedient. But this time was different. Whether it was important or not, she just didn’t want to, and from the depths of her heart, a resolute phrase emerged—I don’t want to.

“I have a mom, even though... Even though I don’t remember her anymore, I know that I have a mom, the best mom in the whole world. Sigurd, I don’t want to call her mom, that’s all there is to it!”

Kiana stammered, looking a little pitiful, grabbing Sigurd’s clothes and looking at him with eyes shimmering with tears.

She herself didn’t understand why she felt so aggrieved and resistant to his word. It was just an inexplicable surge of emotions that made her look at Sigurd, the only one she could rely on, with pleading and dependent eyes.

Sigurd was taken aback for a moment, gently wiping away her tears with his thumb and patting her head with his other hand, saying:

“If you don’t want to, then we won’t call her that, okay? We won’t call her that, alright?”

Sigurd’s tone was very gentle, and his expression matched it.

Kiana was on the verge of tears. This cognition made Sigurd completely at a loss for a moment, as if his heart was being squeezed.

“Okay.”

Kiana sniffed and nodded.

The intense and inexplicable emotions appeared and disappeared quickly. After Sigurd made a non-forced promise, she quickly regained her composure.

And so, with tears in her eyes, Kiana smiled.

“Is it a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

Sigurd patted her little head and handed her the last piece of cake on the table.

Kiana took the cake, and in a few bites, she finished more than half of it, completely wiping away any traces of tears.

Only then did Sigurd let out a sigh of relief.

Just don’t cry, just don’t cry... Sigurd repeated in his mind, but was interrupted by Cocolia slamming the table.

Smack!

“Hey! Explain to me, what does this mean?”

“The letter also said that I want you to adopt two girls. You have an extreme personality, but you’re genuinely caring toward children. Let Sin Mal and Kiana call you ‘Mom,’ establish an emotional bond, and provide some insurance for our cooperation.”

Also, when Otto tries to target Kiana, Cocolia may also become part of the help that can prevent that from happening—Sigurd didn’t mention this reason because it was too complicated, even involving Kiana’s true identity.

Cocolia squinted her eyes.

“...Is it really okay to be so straightforward about it?”

“My intentions are clear, there’s no need to hide them. Based on my understanding of you, I believe you’ll agree.”

Sigurd answered casually, occasionally looking at Kiana to make sure her emotions didn’t fluctuate again, feeling somewhat relieved.

Who knows how much of this is Sirin’s emotions and how much is Kiana’s, but in any case, it’s good that Kiana doesn’t want to cry anymore.

Bang!

Cocolia suddenly smashed the table with her fist, and asked coldly:

“So, you’re making them call me ‘Mom’ just for this?”

Then, Sigurd finally diverted his attention slightly towards her, paused for a moment, and said:

“Not just for that.”

“What else then?”

“They’re both children who lost their mothers very early in their life. If they can have another mother’s love during their growth, their lives might be more complete, don’t you agree? That’s what I think at least.”

“Do you forget who holds the initiative here? Or do you think that if I wanted to harm those children, you would have the power to stop me?”

“You...”

Sigurd’s cold gaze made Cocolia shudder. Yes, because of the change in atmosphere, she almost forgot that he was someone who could instantly deal with her guard forces.

“I don’t deny that you have a maternal side, but at the same time, you’re a despicable human who’s not worth keeping alive. Don’t think that me allowing you to adopt them is for my own benefit. It’s to protect you so that I don’t lose my temper and kill you directly one day.”

The indifferent tone and the genuine sense of danger sent chills down Cocolia’s spine.

Sigurd wasn’t joking, and she realized that.

“If... if you dislike me so much, why did you let me adopt them? Didn’t you say you wanted them to have a mother’s love?”

“Being a bad person and a good mother are not mutually exclusive.”

Even if Cocolia was a bad person, as long as Sigurd managed her well, the future that happened in the game wouldn’t happen. And furthermore, despite everything, Cocolia’s maternal love was genuine.

“Give me a solid answer, either agree or die. You are not my only choice; I just thought this place was suitable.”

“Will... will you harm my children?”

“They have great potential and are worth nurturing. They can be useful to me, at least better than your reckless actions.”

“Fine...”

Cocolia finally gave her response. Sigurd had clearly shown his intentions regarding the children, and as long as they were alive, she could keep an eye on them and intervene when necessary. Dying here and risking him killing her children held no value.

Cocolia gritted her teeth but didn’t reveal any resentment because, besides increasing the risks, it would be meaningless.

Sigurd looked at her, understanding her mindset, but simply nodded silently.

Then, he withdrew his overly cold demeanor, turned his head, and gently ruffled Kiana’s head.

“?”

Kiana looked up with a spoon in her mouth, her eyes filled with question marks.

“I’ll make something delicious for you tonight.”

“You’ll cook it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Yay! Wait, is there some kind of conspiracy?”

Kiana’s excitement quickly turned into suspicion. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with Sigurd before, so she didn’t realize that Sigurd was making it up to her.

Sigurd rolled his eyes.

“Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll eat it! Simbala, let me tell you, Sigurd’s cooking is so delicious. He’s just lazy and hasn’t cooked in a long time, that’s all. You’re in for a treat tonight. Thank Miss Kiana!”

Kiana jumped up and patted Sin Mal’s shoulder, feeling proud. She found a way to tease Sin Mal because she had eaten Sigurd’s cooking many times while Sin Mal hadn’t.

Victory!

Kiana cheered in her mind.

“It’s Sin Mal! You foolish grasshopper!”

Sing Mal frowned and said, “If Sigurd wasn’t watching nearby, she would have used her pretty little boots to kick Kiana’s ass hard and teach her a lesson!”

Then the two girls started exchanging words, but they stopped at verbal arguments and didn’t resort to physical violence.

Sigurd watched the scene and felt slightly relieved.

The conversation with Cocolia didn’t end well; it was too rushed and rough. But from the moment Kiana almost shed tears, Sigurd had lost all patience for the negotiation.

And it was the truth.

So, let it be.

Sigurd gazed into the distance, where a vast expanse of white snow symbolized the budding of spring. And finally, he took a big step forward.