Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Halfway into his flight from North Africa, Noldrei sensed that something was wrong.

He detected a powerful Honkai Energy signature up ahead. Changing course, he flew toward the source of the reaction.

And then…

He saw a figure hovering motionlessly in the sky.

This sight left the Emperor somewhat bewildered. He scratched his head, looking at the familiar silhouette.

"What the hell? Shouldn't Welt be asleep? What's he doing catching the breeze over the Indian Ocean? Does he think he can't catch a cold now that he's a Herrscher? Wait, that's not it…"

"Hmm? A Herrscher? Where?" Elysia's head popped out from Noldrei's back. The Pink Elf™ immediately spotted the bewildered Herrscher of Reason in the sky.

"Hey? That man looks so lost. What's he thinking about?"

"Lost, my ass. I bet it's because he's not wearing his glasses; he probably just can't see clearly. Still, it's weird. Can Herrschers be nearsighted? The Herrscher of Reason could fix his own eyes with a tiny bit of his power. It's probably just one of his strange aesthetic preferences. People who like wearing non-prescription glasses are all like that."

Noldrei had never really thought about why Welt wore glasses before. He'd always just assumed they were a fashion accessory.

"He's looking over here! And he's blushing! He's actually blushing! My, my, a grown man Herrscher blushing at the sight of another man?! Do you two have some kind of special relationship?"

Elysia, never one to miss an opportunity for drama, showed a mischievous enthusiasm worthy of a fujoshi.

Noldrei wasn't bothered by the implications. The upper echelons of the Far East were a colorful bunch; even femboys weren't unheard of. But he had certainly never made a move on Welt.

He decided not to overthink it. "I have no idea. Maybe he used to be obsessed with turning into a female primitive. Come on, let's go ask him."

Just as Kevin had predicted, the wind had quickly sobered Welt up after he took off.

He hovered awkwardly over the Indian Ocean, unsure how he was supposed to face 'Noldrei' again. The memories of his drunken antics were like sharp blades, stabbing at his conscience.

Why did I drink so much? Why didn't I use my Herrscher powers to sober up? Why did I have to run into him there of all places?

Just as Welt was considering finding a small island in the Indian Ocean to hide on, he was shocked to see Noldrei catching up to him.

Wasn't it bad enough that he'd made a fool of himself in front of everyone? Did Noldrei have to chase him down to interrogate him further? What kind of twisted person was he?

Welt's expression shifted several times. He reasoned that he couldn't just pretend not to see him and hide. They would have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future. If he ran away now, would he ever be able to show his face again?

Sovereign Yang hadn't quite prepared himself mentally, but Noldrei, with the Pink Elf girl in tow, had already flown over.

Oh no, is he going to humiliate me?!

Just as Welt's face contorted through several extreme emotions, and as he contemplated gathering his last ounce of strength to take the man from the future down with him, Noldrei spoke first.

"Welt, what are you doing in the Indian Ocean? Do you have official business here? If you had something to do, you could have just taken a plane. No need to fly out here yourself, right? Besides, what could be so important? I thought you had plenty of subordinates you could send."

Huh? He... doesn't seem to be bringing up my embarrassing moment? Is he pretending to have forgotten?

For a moment, Welt was actually touched. He felt that Noldrei's way of handling this was incredibly respectful. It would be even better if he would just stop handing out Honkai fission bombs to people.

Wait, this is not the time for me to get emotional by myself.

Welt instinctively tried to push up his glasses, but he'd thrown them away in his drunken fit. His hand met empty air, making him look like he was trying to strike a JoJo pose.

"What's the occasion? Still striking poses out here? Here, let me introduce you to a new friend. A warrior against the Honkai from the Previous Era, and also my future subordinate."

"Hi there, Mr. Herrscher of the Current Era!" Elysia greeted Welt with a vibrant wave.

But Welt was still reeling from the psychological blow. After a moment of silence, he asked with confusion, "Why? Why are all the people you recruit beautiful girls? Is there something wrong with you? If you want to build a harem, I don't think you need to use 'fighting the Honkai' as an excuse."

Oho, this old boy's gotten sharp with his tongue after just a few days, has he?!

Those words stung a little. Noldrei had been working himself to the bone for the advancement of human civilization. Fighting the Honkai had only become a priority on his agenda because Honkai Energy couldn't escape the solar system.

What did he mean, he was just recruiting beautiful girls for a harem? Was it a harem? Does a pony harem even count as a real harem?

"Welt, I think you should be asking if there's something wrong with the Honkai. Why does it have such a preference for female primitives? Why can't it give the transgender community a chance?"

Noldrei really didn't want to get into it. It was a fact that the Honkai favored women over men, which meant most of the capable personnel were female. What did that have to do with him, a man from the future?

Sovereign Yang couldn't really argue with that. It was true that women currently had higher resistance to Honkai Energy. He couldn't blame Noldrei for recruiting so many of them.

"Welt, why do you reek of alcohol? Did you get dumped? Seriously, Welt, you're a high-ranking leader in Academy City. Could you have a little more self-respect? I'm already being considerate enough by not demanding you evolve into an advanced future-human form like me. And you're still drinking that non-nutritious beverage every day?!"

Noldrei flew over and patted Welt's shoulder, offering some earnest advice. "You're a grown man. You're not like me. In local terms, you haven't even found yourself a wife yet. I don't expect you to share my fondness for ponies, but shouldn't you have your own 'Loli Island' by now, following the normal progression?"

"Hey, hey?! Don't talk nonsense! I would never do something like that!" Sovereign Yang could not accept such slander. He was an American, yes, but that didn't mean he was one of those American scoundrels.

"I saw you were working hard and diligently a while back, so I skimmed a bonus for you from Otto over at Schicksal. Did you receive it?"

So that's where that mysterious deposit in my account came from! It was you all along?!

The hush money was so generous that Sovereign Yang was at a loss for words.

He hesitated, wanting to say something, but in the end, just nodded to confirm he'd received it. He had already spent part of that bonus treating everyone at the bar to drinks and food.

"That's more like it. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. We're all part of humanity's ruling class. What problem can't we solve internally? Come on, let's head back together. And next time, don't drink that cheap beer. Can't you just create it yourself? Why bother buying it?"

With that, Noldrei flew off, leaving a bewildered Welt hovering in mid-air.

Wait, so I'm part of the ruling class now? How come I didn't know?

Sovereign Yang fell into deep thought.

Could it be... that all those bad things were my doing, as a member of the ruling class?