In the end, Sheele, who had lost control, was still stopped.
Although she hadn't been able to suppress her Herrscher urge to kill and had injured someone in the women's restroom, no one had died or been seriously hurt. The situation had ended quietly.
That said, the moment Sheele hurt someone, her freedom was stripped away once more. It was clear she would again be confined to the Deep End for a while, forbidden from going out.
...
Inside the Deep End.
"Although there was an accident, from her later [self-restraint] it's obvious to anyone what Sheele's true nature is. If blame must be placed, it lies with the Honkai. Sheele herself is actually harmless…"
Elias pointed at the post-incident investigation report. When Mei and the others saw the recorded [self-restraint], clear surprise flickered in their eyes.
"Alright, Elias. We know what you mean. But for now, let us go and speak with her first."
"Mei, but…"
"This is something only I can do. With my personality, I'm suited to playing the villain. Hehe, if you feel guilty about it, you can make it up to me later."
Dr. Mei patted the boy's shoulder as she spoke.
She glanced at Sheele's figure on the monitor, her eyes full of complex emotions. She hadn't expected the original "Herrscher Taming" plan to be this effective.
Heart for heart.
Elias had truly managed to win it.
(Damn it. When will you exchange some of that with me too!)
Thinking of her own progress bar, which had yet to move, Mei felt a flare of irritation. But being rational, she immediately suppressed the emotion.
Then Mei, together with Mobius and Sakura, headed with full momentum toward Sheele's cell. Some things Elias and Elysia weren't suited to do, but they could!
Inside Sheele's cell.
The girl curled up on her bed in self-imposed isolation, hugging the huge plush toy she had bought today. Her eyes were empty, filled only with disappointment in herself.
"Maybe I should just break these hands…"
Recalling the scene of injuring someone today, she even felt the urge to snap her own hands.
Sheele covered her face. She had thought she could hold on. But the result was this—once she took her eyes off Elias and looked at someone else, she couldn't suppress the killing urge.
Bang!
The tightly closed cell door suddenly opened.
"Eli…"
Sheele immediately looked up. But the white-haired boy she expected wasn't there. Instead, three humans appeared—the very sight of them making her Herrscher instincts stir restlessly.
"What are you doing here? Where's Elias? How is he now? Has he… decided not to see me anymore?"
"Herrscher of Death, you still failed to control yourself. Now Fire Moth is here to announce your sentence."
"…Herrscher… of Death?"
Mei's cold, merciless voice made Sheele shudder.
Only then did she remember—aside from Elias, Elysia, and Misteln, everyone else still called her Herrscher of Death.
Only those three, who didn't trigger her killing instinct, were willing to call her Sheele. Thinking of this, the girl couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
With a voice of authority, Mei continued.
"Out of the thirty members of the Fire Moth council, twenty-nine voted in favor of executing you."
"…Am I going to die?"
Sheele stared blankly at the tablet Mei displayed. Seeing it was a vote on whether to execute her, the girl trembled with fear.
But the next second, when she saw the one white-haired boy's name under the single opposing vote, uncontrollable emotion surged into her heart.
Even though she had disappointed him, even though she had failed to restrain her impulses, Elias still chose to stand by her. Tears welled in Sheele's eyes.
(Forget it. If I die, I die. In the next life, I just need to meet Elias earlier, and then none of these terrible things would happen.)
But just as Sheele thought this—
"Given the results of this vote, Fire Moth's ruling for you is—three months of confinement."
"W-what?"
Sheele's eyes widened in shock. She had already prepared herself for execution, but this sudden reversal was too abrupt, leaving her unable to react.
"Who do you think stood by your side?"
Mei expressionlessly pushed her glasses up.
"Even if every other person in the world votes yes, as long as Elias votes no, no one can kill you. Congratulations, Herrscher of Death. You've obtained the most powerful get-out-of-death card in the world."
"..."
Sheele stared blankly at the three, at a loss for words.
"But I must tell you this: while it looks like Elias only cast one opposing vote, that vote came at a cost. Some within Fire Moth have already begun to doubt him. Because of you, his reputation has been tarnished."
"What did you say?!"
Sheele reflexively gripped hard—the plush toy in her hands was torn in half, white stuffing scattering to the floor.
She stared in horror at her own hands, blaming herself once again for failing to control her strength.
"And that's not all. He also cleaned up the mess you made. The person you injured—Elias paid her a generous compensation and offered an apology."
As Mei said this, her teeth nearly ground to pieces.
Mobius and Sakura, standing beside her, darkened in expression. One's serpent eyes gleamed with killing intent, the other's hand had already gripped her blade. Both looked ready to kill.
Compensation and apology were trivial.
But the victim had demanded more. Recognizing Elias' identity, she had asked for a kiss. That was what truly infuriated the three women.
Especially Mei. She herself hadn't been kissed yet—and now, an unnamed NPC had stolen a march on her!
(Victim: Ah~ this wave is pure profit! I struck gold!)
"How can this be? Why?! It was my fault! Why must Elias be the one to apologize?!"
Sheele cried out, fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms and drew blood.
"Yes, why indeed should he bear responsibility for you? Herrscher of Death, you've killed countless people. I still can't understand what right you have to be treated gently by him. Frankly speaking—you don't deserve it in the slightest."
"I… I…"
Such merciless judgment left Sheele speechless. Then Mobius spoke coldly.
"Herrscher of Death, your proper end should have been as a corpse on my table, cut into hundreds, thousands of pieces for research. Don't feel indignant. You're a Herrscher, so it's only natural. Yet here you are, alive and well. You should know very well the reason why."
Mobius jabbed a finger at Sheele's heart.
Cruel as the words were, they were the truth of what should have been.
Sheele was no innocent Herrscher. Even if her birth was dictated by the Honkai, even if it was a predetermined tragedy of fate, the fact remained: countless lives were lost because of her.
Her nature might not be evil, but she was born with sin. To humanity, the birth of the Herrscher of Death—Sheele—was undeniably a calamity.
Compared to her, Himiko had been fortunate.
Though also chosen by the Honkai, her awakening had been precisely noted by Mei. Elias had been able to prepare early and save everyone.
Not a single life had been placed on Himiko's shoulders.
Sheele's fate should have been no different from the Herrschers before her: slain by Elias, dissected on Mobius' table, reduced to research material for humanity's war against the Honkai.
But that fate had been changed by the boy.
Though she had no right, she survived.
And not only survived—she lived comfortably, even happily.
"I can already imagine it. No matter how many mistakes you make in the future, Elias will help you. Even if it means his reputation is damaged, his prestige plummets, he will never abandon you. That's just the kind of person he is."
Once you entered that white-haired boy's heart and took a seat there, you would receive his full protection—even if you were a Herrscher standing against the world.
Mei had once joked that if their world were a game, then maxing out Elias' affection would be like obtaining an invincible cheat code, clinging to the ultimate power-up.
"But Herrscher of Death, how can you betray his trust!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't want this. Elias, I'm sorry, it's all because of me…"
Sheele clutched her head, wracked with guilt. She suddenly felt that perhaps being executed at the start might have been better.
Just thinking that she had become a stain on Elias made her want to kill herself.
"There must not be a next time, Herrscher of Death. Otherwise, even if Elias hates me for it, even if he takes back this blade, I will not let you live any longer."
Sakura's ice blade rested against Sheele's neck. It wasn't an empty threat, but a serious warning.
Though not to the same extent as Sheele, Sakura too came from darkness. She too had been saved by the white-haired boy.
Ever since that day when Elias had rescued Sakura and her sister Rin from the control of Fire Moth's upper echelon, she had sworn in her heart to fight for this boy.
Even for things Elias didn't care about, Sakura had resolved to protect them. Thus, if Sheele truly tarnished Elias' reputation, this fox-eared woman would draw her sword for real.
"…That's actually reassuring."
Sheele felt no fear at the cold steel against her neck. Instead, she felt at peace.
At this moment, she had already made up her mind.
Whether Herrscher or human, it no longer mattered. Even if it was a curse carved by God, she would never again do anything to disappoint Elias.
This moment, Sheele decided to completely abandon her identity as a Herrscher of the Honkai side. But because the killing impulse was still etched into her soul, she could not become a Herrscher of humanity either.
"In that case, I'll just become Elias' Herrscher! The Honkai, humanity—I don't care anymore. From now on, I'll only use my power for him."
Sheele's gaze was firm as she spoke.
She was an unfortunate girl who had suffered all her life until meeting Elias. She hated the world that had caused her pain, but she had realized something.
Revenge against the world would bring nothing.
But for the sake of the one boy who had treated her kindly—
Sheele was willing to reconcile with the world.
"Well said. But I think you know your killing impulse must be resolved."
"…Aponia. I remember Elias telling me once that woman's words could restrict people's actions."
"It's useless. Aponia's [Discipline] can alter people's will and actions, but it cannot erase the Honkai's command—the mission, the curse to annihilate humanity."
Mei shook her head in denial. Aponia's [Discipline] was, in the end, human speech, while the Honkai's killing command was a [Discipline] handed down by God.
It was a curse no human could overturn.
If one compared the two forces, the Honkai's curse was like an unbreakable chain, while Aponia's [Discipline] was no more than a fragile strand of hair.
But…
"If one command isn't enough, then give me many. As long as they don't directly contradict the Honkai's killing order, but instead restrain me in another form…"
By twisting the concept of [Discipline]—
Even if it couldn't change the killing urge,
Perhaps it could still stop her body's actions!
Sheele had already decided. Even if it meant receiving dozens, hundreds of [Disciplines], she didn't care!
After all, as a Herrscher who wanted to be with a human like Elias, how could she not pay at least a little price?
"…Alright. I'll have Aponia plant [Disciplines] in you later. But perhaps you'll need this more." Mei said, tossing a strangely designed outfit to Sheele.
"This is… an outfit with locks and chains?" Sheele frowned.
"A restraint suit designed by Vill-V. When you attempt to harm a human, the chains on the outfit will bind you tightly. For someone without a Core, it's more than enough."
"It's… actually quite nice-looking."
Without hesitation, Sheele put the outfit on.
Her expression turned a little odd.
In movies, restraint suits were always ugly—straps binding the limbs without any sense of beauty.
But this one looked good. It was actually a black, gothic-style princess dress with a few gray chains wrapped over it. A chain encircled Sheele's neck and extended down to connect with her waist.
"Tch! Vill-V and Eden sticking their noses in again…"
"Exactly. Why make such a beautiful restraint suit for a Herrscher? What a waste."
"Mei, Mobius, stop it. You both know full well Elias must have asked those two to design it like this." Sakura looked helplessly at the two jealous mad scientists.
"Hmph!" x2
Mobius and Dr. Mei both huffed in annoyance. How could they be happy when Sheele's restraint suit was prettier than any clothes in their wardrobes?
"Elias had someone design clothes for me…"
Hearing this, Sheele was instantly moved. The girl posed in front of the mirror, looking herself over.
The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt—especially with the chain around her neck. In truth, the design was based on the in-game battlesuit called [Stygian Nymph].
"How nice. As long as I wear this outfit, Sheele can stay by his side, right?"
"That's right. But remember—don't disappoint him again."
Mei said this as she left with Mobius and Sakura. They were now convinced Sheele could still be saved.
Today's incident had not been caused by malice, but by the Honkai's curse.
The investigation report even noted that after injuring someone today, Sheele had tried to stop herself by ramming into the wall, knocking herself out.
That action alone was evidence—proof that Sheele was also a victim. Just as Elias had said, the real blame lay only with the damn Honkai.
"Elias, the rest is up to you. Just this once, make sure to completely conquer this Herrscher of Death."
"Mei, you're all so despicable. You know Sheele's a good girl, yet you push her to such extremes?"
"Hmph~ I'll take despicable into the grave, and because of you light will reach the future. Now hurry up and go. Damn it, I haven't even taken my own place yet, and here I am helping you woo another woman!"
Mei gritted her teeth, angrily kicked the wall, then froze. She crouched down, clutching her foot and screaming like a boiling kettle.