The next day, Bronya was already waiting on the upper-level helipad, fully prepared for departure.
When Sigurd arrived, Bronya crisply saluted him.
"All preparations are complete. Ready to depart at any time, Sir!"
Seeing the girl in her sharp gray-blue military uniform and the silver shuttle ready for takeoff, Sigurd nodded and patted her head.
"Well done. That's my girl."
Bronya's eyes lit up.
"Sigurd, Bronya wants more rewards!"
Being willfully demanding was out of the question, but a well-timed bit of coquettishness could foster closeness and intimacy.
Sigurd thought for a moment, leaned down, and gently brushed aside the hair on her forehead. He placed a light kiss on her smooth, jade-like brow.
Bronya smiled with delight, her sparkling eyes reflecting a brilliance akin to a starry night.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Temporarily satisfied."
"Then let's go."
"Yes, sir!"
<+>
Unlike the luxurious and spacious sky passenger aircraft, the shuttle was designed purely for speed, optimized for high-altitude and even space travel. Its overwhelming propulsion made it unsuitable for ordinary passengers.
Thus, in just 20 minutes, the shuttle had crossed thousands of miles, crash-landing unceremoniously into a dedicated impact-absorbing structure.
Boom!!
The violent collision raised a cloud of dust.
Immediately, swarms of drones flew in from all directions, absorbing the airborne particles and quickly restoring the air to pristine clarity.
Then, brushing off his sleeves, Sigurd emerged first, followed closely by Bronya in her sleek black battle armor.
"Sig!!"
"Sigurd❤~~"
Bang! Bang!
The same old story, the same old ending.
When the ever-enthusiastic Kiana and Sin Mal leapt toward him, Sigurd, not wanting to be delayed from important tasks, resorted to the simplest solution—knocking them both flat. Left with lumps on their heads, they lay sprawled on the ground to "cool off."
Countless past incidents had proven this to be the most efficient method.
So, a few seconds later, Sigurd was already walking alongside Einstein, heading toward the exit of the landing site as they began to discuss business.
"I sent you the revised design proposal yesterday. I trust you've reviewed it. There's no need to discuss the designs for now; let's go directly to the site. I need to see the situation firsthand."
"Isn't the data collected by the drones sufficient?"
"I find it lacking in comprehensiveness. I have high expectations for Dr. Einstein's plan. If successfully executed, it could become one of civilization's trump cards, deserving the utmost attention."
"Alright… Then let Mei take you to the area where construction has begun. I have other matters to handle and won't be joining you."
Einstein crossed her arms and subtly shifted the conversation to Raiden Mei, who stood not far away.
Sigurd turned his gaze toward her.
Raiden Mei: Tremble—Tremble—Tremble~~
'Teacher, if you want me dead, just say so.'
'This is for your own good. If you keep avoiding him, how will you ever get over your fear of him?'
'The problem is, I don't want to get over them!'
'Stop wasting time, or are you saying you want to personally accompany Sigurd the whole time?'
Sigurd, oblivious to the exchange of glances between the teacher and student, walked toward Raiden Mei. He grabbed a strand of her sleek, jet-black hair and gave it a slight tug.
"Hmm, your hair's grown a bit longer, and you've gotten a little taller too. Developing nicely—well done."
"Th-thank you for your concern!"
Raiden Mei straightened her back, her voice loud yet trembling slightly.
Why was she so scared?
First, she'd met Sigurd during the most vulnerable and fragile period of her life. His cold and ruthless demeanor, combined with his perpetually deadpan and intense stare, left a lasting shadow.
Then there was the way Sigurd treated the girls around him—particularly Kiana, Wendy, and Sin Mal.
Kiana, in particular, stood out as the prime example of his merciless methods: if they weren't knocked out cold, he wouldn't stop.
For a young Raiden Mei, those terrifying scenes gave her nightmares for years. That was the second layer of trauma.
And later, as if aware of her fear, Sigurd found it amusing and began indulging in it. Occasionally, he'd perform horrifying acts in front of her, such as dissecting Honkai beasts barehanded, burning dead soldiers while laughing chillingly, or narrating sinister plots in the shadows—all things that could scare even the bravest child into silence.
Years later, even though Mei had grown into a poised and gentle woman with a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko demeanor in front of anyone else, standing before Sigurd still made her tremble instinctively.
"You seem afraid of me?"
Sigurd tugged at her hair again, leaning in as he asked in a detached tone, knowing full well the answer.
Raiden Mei flinched, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Absolutely not! I just hold you in the highest esteem, Sigurd, sir!"
"Is that so? Good to hear."
Just as Sigurd finished speaking, a hand shot toward him with lightning speed, aiming to strike the one holding Mei's hair.
Sigurd released his grip just in time to dodge the hand chop, lowering his gaze to the sudden intruder—Wendy, her expression full of irritation.
"Half a month since we last met, and you seem lively, Wendy."
"Half a month since we last met, and you're still so rude! Don't you see Sister Mei is uncomfortable? You idiot! Blockhead! Big dumb lug!"
Wendy reprimanded him, jabbing a finger at his chest with rapid, forceful taps. When he remained unmoved, she lifted her foot, attempting to kick his knee.
Only to have her ankle caught mid-air as Sigurd held her upside-down by her leg.
"Waaah!!"
Wendy's startled cry echoed as her skirt flipped over her head, obscuring her vision. Moments later, she heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air from above.
The next second, Sigurd casually tossed her aside.
Scrambling to fix her skirt, Wendy clambered back to her feet, glaring at him with a dark expression.
Sigurd stood there, expressionless, holding a small knife in one hand and a handful of black-green hair in the other.
Wendy's face changed as she reached to the back of her head.
Sure enough, her carefully styled short hair—soft and meticulously groomed—was now uneven, with chunks missing as if gnawed on by a dog.
"Grow it out some more. Your hair's not enough for now."
Sigurd casually deposited the strands into a storage bag held open by Bronya, his tone indifferent as he addressed Wendy.
"Die, you bastard Sigurd!!"
Crash!!
Half a minute later, Sigurd was calmly fixing Wendy's disheveled clothing, while she sported a bruised and swollen face.
"My apologies, Lord Sigurd."
"No problem. It's been half a month—you probably forgot my authority. I'll forgive you this time."
"Thank you for your boundless generosity, Lord Sigurd."
"Good. Remember, even if you become a Herrscher, you must always maintain respect for me. Understood?"
Sigurd's tone was even, and Wendy nodded obediently before he finally released her.
She reminded him of Kiana—always defiant and quick to forget consequences. No matter how many times they got beaten, they'd come back to challenge his authority.
Sigurd sighed internally. This behavior might be incurable, but it wasn't troublesome.
Whenever they acted up, a quick "lesson" ensured peace for a while.
"Seele, come here and apply some medicine for her."
He beckoned to Seele, who had been waiting patiently nearby. Sigurd's expression softened as he gestured for her to come over like calling a puppy.
"Yes, Brother Sigurd!"
Seele's eyes lit up, and she happily ran over, her entire demeanor radiating joy. It seemed simply being noticed by Sigurd was enough to make her day.
Sigurd glanced around.
Not far off, Kiana and Sin Mal—each floored by a single punch—still hadn't gotten up.
Raiden Mei stood trembling at the side, quaking with fear whenever his gaze landed on her.
Wendy, teary-eyed, sniffled pitifully beside him.
Seele, smiling brightly, was diligently tending to Wendy's wounds, practically wagging an imaginary tail.
And Bronya stood stoically behind him, her expression unreadable, though she had long since crossed unspoken boundaries with him using unconventional means.
Ah, this was the core of Anti-Entropy's new generation. So full of hope...
Wait. Something seemed a bit off.
Sigurd stroked his chin as the realization slowly dawned on him:
Why do all my elite protégés seem so... odd?
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 284: The Herrscher… is Me!?[2]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/c/Strijder
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