"Himeko, we have been notified that our vacation is over. Everyone, gather!"
Ragna brought "bad news" when she returned home after work.
"Oh, why so sudden?"
This left Himeko somewhat puzzled.
"Wasn't everything fine this morning?"
"Morning is morning, evening is evening... who knows how many meetings those bigwigs have been in during this time."
Ragna sighed softly.
"Let's pack up, a transport ship will probably come to pick us up tomorrow; I never thought the lie I told this morning would come true this afternoon."
"This morning... Captain, didn't you talk too much to that girl today?"
"Rita? That girl is the type of person who has 'talent'; that's why Schicksal didn't erase her memories."
After all, there are ways to erase memories.
Tesla has developed an invention that can directly erase memories, so it's no surprise that Schicksal is equally capable.
"Talent... Stigmata? That is certainly enviable."
This is one of the few things that causes some resentment in Himeko.
In a way, Stigmata are indeed a gift from God, even though they essentially exist in the genes of every human being.
But, what do they say about card games? If you don't draw it, it's as if you never got it.
However, Himeko would not be jealous of a child for such a thing.
"So, will she be one of our future team members?"
"Who knows? I really don't know if I should accept or refuse if that child asks me to become a Valkyrie."
"You feel guilty, don't you?"
Tian Shi asked at that moment.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Ghost, you hit the nail on the head."
Ragna smiled wryly.
"After all, that child is only in the first year of junior high school... she has just finished primary school."
Turning this child into a Valkyrie at such a young age is too cruel in every sense.
"If one's mind isn't mature enough..."
"I understand."
Tian Shi nodded. "Besides the casualty rate, the suicide rate of Valkyries is actually quite high, although it looks low on paper."
"You know Valkyries better than I thought," Ragna continued with a wry smile.
Himeko shrugged. She was no longer exactly a novice, so she didn't know what Ragna was worried about.
It is simply a matter of whether a twelve-year-old girl can adapt to the training and the battlefield.
"But speaking of which, why is the Valkyrie suicide rate so low in theory?"
Himeko was still somewhat intrigued by Tian Shi's assertion.
After all, this is a topic few people talk about.
"Because most of the Valkyries who commit suicide are survivors after their teams are disbanded, and most of these survivors are retired."
"Abolish... tsk."
It sounds good, but isn't that total annihilation?
"Okay, that's enough, I get it."
Himeko raised her hand to stop him.
Talking about this with these soldiers is like talking to a fisherman.
"May God protect us so that day never comes."
"May the goddess of maids bless you."
Ragna said with a smile.
"I think praying to Mr. Tian might be more reliable than praying to God."
"Feudal superstition is unacceptable, Captain... although it is very strange for me to say this in front of a ghost."
"I'm surprised you knew that," Tian Shi retorted.
"But maybe the unexpected makes sense?"
Himeko thought for a moment, then smiled.
"May the spirit accompanying me protect me."
"Tsk."
...
[Your mission in Manchester has come to an end. Several months later, the Valkyrie Stormtroopers are regrouping.]
[Subsequently, you received reports of Honkai activity in various regions, meaning you may have to travel through a large part of the world in the second half of the year.]
[Alongside her team, Himeko stepped onto a real battlefield for the first time.]
The true battlefield is not a "small-scale skirmish" between a few Honkai Beasts.
Thanks to her solid foundation and your support, the real battlefield posed no problem for Himeko; on the contrary, it made her even more mature.
On the transport ship, Ragna and her crew hastily celebrated Himeko's 17th birthday.
[Over the next six months, you fought in battles all over the world, and Himeko's rank consequently rose from Sergeant First Class to Lieutenant.]
However, the importance of the Stormtrooper rank, or rather, the Schicksal rank, is not that great.
After all, Schicksal doesn't have that many people under its command.
Compared to the Valkyrie rank, it is more of an honor.
[In 2008, you didn't even have time to celebrate the New Year; you fought against a group of Honkai Beasts led by the Honkai Emperor throughout the night.]
Of course, it is important to note that the Honkai Emperor is not an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
[Mid-year, you finally reached your long-awaited vacation, and everyone scattered to enjoy theirs.]
However, at the same time, Ragna also received a letter from Rita.
"That girl wants to become a Valkyrie."
Ragna, dressed in military uniform, sighed as she looked at the open letters on the table.
"Following in my footsteps...? What kind of reason is that? Valkyries are not an idol group."
"Captain, you can understand this way of thinking, right?"
Himeko stood to the side with a half-smile on her face.
"Why did you have to be so talkative...?"
Ragna glared at Himeko, then took out a pen and paper.
Precisely because I understand it, I want to refuse.
But it is precisely because of this understanding that I know I cannot refuse.
Even without her seeking her out, the other person might become a Valkyrie; instead of letting Rita rise step by step from there, it is better for me to write a letter of recommendation myself.
"Looking at it this way, I am still somewhat useful as a combat instructor... Honestly, after working non-stop for a year, I almost forgot that I am still a combat instructor at Schicksal."
Ragna began writing a letter while complaining.
"By the way, everyone is planning a cocktail party tonight. Himeko, are you coming?"
As a comrade-in-arms with whom she shared the good and the bad, Ragna no longer gives Himeko any special treatment.
She even takes her to parties like this, partly because Himeko is already eighteen.
"Of course, I'll go! You'll see how I knock everyone out!"
By the way, over the year, Himeko developed more and more "bad habits," such as alcoholism.
However, in a way, it is understandable, as alcohol is an easy way to let off steam when working non-stop.
"Be careful, don't always let Mr. Tian handle everything; even I, who am oblivious to the situation, can't stand it anymore."
"Hahaha..."
"Speaking of which, the Olympic Games are being held in China this year. How about we take Mr. Tian to watch them?"
"It doesn't matter, I'm not very interested in sports."
Tian Shi refused.
"Compared to you, I don't feel any pressure."
"That's true, after all, you are the goddess of maids."
Ragna gradually began to take the joke seriously.
"Alright, I'm going to deliver the message. Remember to wait for me tonight."
[It turns out that Ragna's warning had no effect on Himeko.]
That night, you and Ragna, who was not drunk, meticulously took care of a pile of 'corpses' on the floor.
That night, Ragna asked you to upgrade the Stormtroopers' weapons.
The next day, Rita, who had become Ragna's recommended student, arrived at Schicksal headquarters; compared to a year ago, Rita's face remained almost unchanged, except for a slight increase in her determination, and she showed no signs of what the future held.
Unfortunately, fate intervened, and Rita could not train with Ragna.
And so, you spent a rather peaceful time at Schicksal.
During this period, an accident occurred on the outskirts of Krostenn, after which Schicksal assigned Ragna to command the Valkyries from her headquarters for action, without deploying the Stormtroopers.
"Everything seems strange, right?"
Himeko checked the news within Schicksal.
"They sent the Captain, but they didn't take us with them..."
"It is possible that you are one of them."
Tian Shi immediately knew what this was all about: Siegfried and Kiana had escaped with K423.
"And?"
"After all, you are quite close to Anti-Entropy," Tian Shi said, looking at Himeko.
"What you said makes me feel very insecure..."
Himeko grimaced.
"What if the military police or something knocks down the door and arrests me the next second?"
"Let's not talk about why they would arrest you... I think the simplest reason is that your riot squad is incomplete."
Those who should go home to visit their families during the holidays should go home to visit their families, and those who should go on vacation should go on vacation; those, like Himeko and Ragna, who are still at headquarters, are actually a minority.
"Besides, if they really want to arrest you, your Captain will certainly be the first to support you... and even if we take a step back, I won't have any problem protecting you and getting you out of headquarters."
After all, Tian Shi's hidden attribute is that of a mechanical assassin.
Under the influence of Level 10, there is practically no mechanical creation he cannot possess and control.
At most, he occasionally cannot cover everything.
"This damned sense of security..."
[Himeko Compatibility +20%]
"By the way, do you know what happened on the outskirts of Krostenn?"
"In short, it's about a father and daughter who wanted to escape with Otto's experimental subjects."
"What nerve they have to touch Bishop Otto's things!"
Himeko at least knew what not to touch.
"Wait a minute, father and daughter... isn't that the lively little girl with white, curly hair?"
"You've seen her?"
"You saw her too, she caused quite a stir yesterday at the A6 training ground."
"Is that true?"
Tian Shi sank into deep thought.
"I don't remember at all; I never paid attention to her."
"You've been very distracted these last few days... Are you entering old age prematurely?"
"Perhaps."
Perhaps the reason Tian Shi glanced at her but got no impression was that he simply couldn't associate the curly hair with Bianca.
Kiana... also known as Bianca, after this makeover, her curly hair became straight, and her white hair turned golden; she really changed a lot.
"That girl is quite famous at headquarters... but I never expected her to do something like that."
After all, daring to kidnap Otto's experimental subjects is, in a way, more serious than outright assassinating him.
"And then... hey, did they finish?"
"They are lost, but not entirely... Honestly, why didn't those guys tell me they were planning something?"
Tian Shi complained.
"Don't give me multiple-choice questions."
Himeko looked at Tian Shi.
Although she had jokingly said she wanted to join Anti-Entropy after learning Tian Shi's identity, it wasn't exactly a joke, as Himeko had a good impression of Anti-Entropy.
But now she has something else she cannot give up at Schicksal: her comrades-in-arms to whom she has entrusted her life and death.
If Tian Shi wanted to cause trouble, Himeko really didn't know which side to choose, with Tian Shi and her benefactor on one side and her comrades-in-arms on the other.
"Okay, so you want them all..."
Tian Shi smiled inexplicably.
"Let's leave this topic for another time. If you want to know the details, you can ask your Captain... when she returns."
"Your laughter makes my heart pound..."
"Would I deceive you?"
Tian Shi looked at Himeko and said nothing more.
However, regarding Siegfried's situation, while it would be great to be able to directly receive Kiana and K423, the difficulty is immense; after all, the plan itself was not meticulous enough, Schicksal reacted quickly enough, and besides, Anti-Entropy is quite far from here.
At the same time, Reanna definitely cannot reach places that the airship cannot reach; after all, even the Soul Steel Valkyrie has to follow basic principles.
Joyce is a possibility, but he is an ace that cannot be easily used.
Furthermore, his old injury has not yet healed, and there is a possibility that he could provoke Otto.
Obviously, it is not a good idea to rush Joyce out.
In summary, Tian Shi did not think they would succeed.
Their plan is too risky!
Although it was also partly because he did not realize the presence of Bianca, who at the time was still called Kiana.
In the end, Kiana will likely turn into Bianca, and K423 will turn into Kiana.
"From a certain point of view, it is not necessarily a bad thing."
"So much is happening these days."
Himeko sighed and then did not mention the subject again; after all, she did not know the current Kiana, who was now Bianca.
The main reason for mentioning this is that Himeko is a little worried about her Captain.
"It doesn't matter, as long as the Captain is fine."
"What could happen to your Captain...?"
"When you are running for your life, if Siegfried dares to look back even once, he will be considered to have lost, you know?"
Besides, nowadays even a battle-hardened A-rank Valkyrie is not lacking in survivability.
...
[It turns out that your prediction was correct.]
Ragna quickly completed her mission and returned to headquarters.
[According to Ragna's revelation, Kiana was rescued by her, but immediately after handed over to Otto; therefore, Ragna is unaware of Kiana's specific situation.]
In other words, is Ragna's impression of Bianca still based on her image of Kiana?
After all, Bianca's change in appearance was due to the side effects of Otto's treatment.
"That child took a direct impact to the head from the plane wreckage; I really don't know how to describe that child's vitality. Luckily, I arrived in time... although I, who was in charge of the search, am not the one to say it."
Ragna's expression was somewhat strange.
"As for Siegfried and the experimental subjects he took, nothing was heard of them... Of course, I personally don't want to chase them, and it seems Lady Theresa is also involved. Honestly, this matter is so chaotic that it is difficult to describe."