Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 102

“Schariac…?” Upon hearing the surname, Enoxia froze momentarily.

Angelia pushed open the grand door before her, only to be met with the furious gaze of a stunning woman with snow-white hair and azure eyes:

“Angelia, the latest equipment wasn’t meant to be used like this. According to protocol, you should have reported back to headquarters immediately after the mission—not flown the agency’s helicopter to your doorstep.”

Facing the reprimand, Angelia remained unruffled:

“Nilsen will handle the paperwork anyway. I didn’t want to step out of the Special Affairs Bureau only to be mobbed by a crowd. Should I have fought them off?”

“That’s even more unacceptable! Protecting the people of Atlantis is the duty of the Schariac family!”

Angelia shrugged. “So, if I wanted to see my sister without causing a scene, this was the only way.”

“Sister…”

Enoxia stared intently at the white-haired woman, murmuring the word under her breath.

“Hey, Enoxia, even if you’re meeting my sister in person, there’s no need to stare so much. Sure, she’s beautiful, but you’re not exactly lacking either.”

“Ah… my apologies. You must be Lady Cecilia… I’m sorry, I was rude.”

From the information she’d gathered along the way, Enoxia understood that this world’s Cecilia was practically a national icon in Atlantis. It was no surprise that ordinary people would recognize her.

“No, no, Angelia must have startled you earlier. And please, just call me Cecilia. Oh, but let’s eat first.”

Though different from the Cecilia of her original world, it was clear that in any universe, she remained gentle and kind.

Cecilia’s home was a two-story villa, considerably smaller than the one on the Pacific island, but compared to an average residence, it was undeniably luxurious.

Dinner was served promptly: a glass of an unknown orange-yellow drink for each, a medium-well steak, and an eight-inch pineapple pizza.

Enoxia noticed an additional small bowl of pasta set aside.

“Kiana, come out for dinner.”

A white-haired, blue-eyed child with twin braids scurried out of her room, obediently sitting on a smaller stool. Without a word, she quickly finished her pasta and silently returned to her room.

Not being Italian, Enoxia had no objections to pineapple pizza—the stretchy cheese looked irresistibly tempting. Though as a Herrscher, she didn’t need to eat, one slice awakened her appetite, and she soon devoured everything prepared for her.

After dinner, Cecilia exchanged a glance with Angelia before heading into Kiana’s room.

“Um… am I causing trouble by being here…?”

Angelia shook her head.

“I chose to bring you back, so I’ll take full responsibility. I know you’re full of questions—ask away. I’ll answer whatever I can.”

Enoxia hesitated.

“I… I feel like I’ve lost some of my memories, so I might have… a lot to ask.”

“Ah, no worries. Not many know much about Kaplan Village anyway. I was planning to start from the beginning.”

Angelia took a sip of water and gestured for Enoxia to sit on the sofa.

“Three years ago, Atlantis was invaded by enemies from beyond our world. At the time, my sister—our strongest fighter—was nine months pregnant, due to give birth within a month. There was no way she could go to the frontlines.”

“So, without our strongest warrior, we fought with everything we had and defeated the enemy. But many were lost forever on that battlefield—including my other sister, Maria Schariac, Cecilia’s husband, Siegfried Kaslana… Poor Kiana lost her father before she was even born.”

Enoxia glanced toward Kiana’s room, a puzzled expression crossing her face. So, in her childhood, one of her parents had to die?

“After that battle, the devastation was so severe that Atlantis never recovered. And to make things worse, Honkai outbreaks became increasingly frequent after the war… Ah, do you know what Honkai is?”

As a Herrscher, Enoxia was all too familiar with Honkai.

“I remember the basics—it spawns Honkai beasts, turns people into zombies, and such. Beyond that, I don’t know much…”

Angelia nodded approvingly. “That’s enough. After the war, the Honkai seemed to… evolve.”

“Stronger monsters appeared?” Enoxia ventured.

Angelia shook her head. “No, that wasn’t the worst part. After the war, Honkai didn’t just infect people—it corrupted the land. Even if all the zombies and Honkai beasts were wiped out, the following year, the land would yield no harvest…”

Angelia spoke at length, and Enoxia finally understood the situation.

After the war, four critical tasks demanded vast resources: purifying the tainted land, replenishing and repairing equipment, mending the damage to the borders, and providing disaster relief and reconstruction.

But post-war, the Atlantean government’s resources were stretched thin, making it impossible to address all four adequately.

Unsurprisingly, securing the borders came first—otherwise, external enemies would flood in endlessly. Next, the Special Affairs Bureau’s equipment had to be restored, or Honkai beasts would run rampant, expanding the devastation.

But prioritizing these came at a cost: disaster relief and refugee resettlement fell far short of targets, and less than 10% of the corrupted land was restored… The next year, crop yields—especially food—plummeted, leading to a rapid decline in living standards.

It’s easy to adapt to luxury but hard to endure hardship. Economic recession and resource shortages bred social crises. When basic needs went unmet, the psychological gap turned into widespread discontent with the government.

Meanwhile, resource shortages led to hoarding and price-gouging by merchants, many of whom had powerful backers. Unable to afford necessities, many turned to crime, becoming desperate bandits.

Cracking down on profiteers or subduing bandits required significant manpower and funds—bringing the problem full circle: the government had no money.

Faced with this, to ease social tensions, the government was forced to compromise with various factions. Now, society was barely holding together—but a single spark could ignite all of Atlantis.