Schicksal Headquarters
After ending the call with Rita, silence once again enveloped the Archbishop's office at Schicksal.
"A deal he's guaranteed to accept?"
The words left Otto's lips like a faint murmur.
Under the dim lighting, his fingers intertwined on the desk as his golden hair—shimmering like strands of sunlight—fell loosely behind him.
The bangs over his eyes concealed any readable emotion.
Even his long-time secretary, Amber, couldn't guess what he was thinking.
The white-haired girl, masked and ever silent, stood respectfully behind Otto.
She didn't dare disturb the moment.
A long silence followed. Otto closed his eyes, his slender fingers gently tapping the tabletop with a rhythmic beat.
Then, in a low voice tinged with a subtle madness, he spoke.
"Amber, prepare both of those gems."
He extended a hand, his tone firm but calm.
"Also, as per my earlier arrangements, get ready to leave for St. Freya. No need to inform Theresa for now."
"Understood."
Amber nodded, turned to leave, but hesitated at the door.
After a moment's pause, she asked cautiously,
"Shouldn't we bring the escort guards, Your Grace?"
"No need."
Otto suddenly rose to his feet, removing his fitted, medieval-style robes and changing into an elegant white suit.
He headed toward a place he rarely visited—the training hall.
Inside the facility, a lone girl was finishing her daily session, catching her breath while clutching a water bottle.
Her long, golden hair was tied in a high ponytail, and a fine sheen of sweat glistened on her fair forehead.
The sleeveless, form-fitting training top accentuated her flawless figure with precision.
The entire training facility had been custom-built—for her alone.
She was none other than the undisputed strongest Valkyrie in modern Schicksal: Durandal.
Without any mission assignments, she made time every day for physical training and combat simulations, honing every aspect of her body and technique.
She sought perfection in every movement.
Even though her fellow Valkyries constantly showered her with praise, Durandal remained humble and driven, never letting her guard down.
In her eyes, she still had a long way to go to match the greatness of her predecessor—the former strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia.
"Your Grace? Is something the matter?"
Turning her head, Durandal spotted Otto entering the room.
Her S-rank Valkyrie instincts had already identified him—though she couldn't guess his purpose here.
Otto smiled gently.
"Durandal, are you interested in Rita's latest mission target?"
"The one trying to stop the Third Eruption?"
She set down her custom-made dumbbells and used the towel around her neck to wipe off sweat. Her azure eyes sharpened with interest.
"This boy—'Nagami'—he recently became the Herrscher of Reason, right?"
"That's correct," Otto nodded. "He's not under the control of the Will of the Honkai. According to Rita's report, he's a very different case from the previous Herrscher of Reason, Welt."
"Well, if he's a Herrscher, then we can't ignore him. When are we leaving?"
It was only natural for her to be intrigued. A Herrscher with full self-awareness was extremely rare.
But that wasn't the only reason.
There was also the maid.
According to the records, Rita had taken up her role as Durandal's adjutant and personal maid when Durandal was only 12.
From that day on, the two had been inseparable.
No words were needed to explain their bond.
Rita, now assigned to monitor Nagami, would send Otto detailed and verified reports daily.
But those weren't all—she also privately shared with Durandal her more speculative thoughts and… the occasional quirky anecdote about the boy.
Over time, Durandal noticed something odd.
Through Rita's tone and video calls, she sensed… a change.
Something unsettling.
A strange feeling, like a wife on a business trip slowly getting charmed by some random blonde guy.
It made Durandal… uncomfortable.
She had wanted to meet Nagami for some time, but couldn't find a good opportunity.
If she went uninvited, she feared Rita might misunderstand her intentions.
But now—the perfect excuse had presented itself.
Whether or not Nagami was a Herrscher, that was just a convenient cover.
Durandal trusted Rita's judgment absolutely.
If she said Nagami retained his humanity after becoming a Herrscher, that was enough for her.
Besides, the previous Herrscher of Reason had fought on humanity's side too—nothing to worry about.
And honestly?
Her usual routine was just training and fighting.
This could be a break.
A little getaway.
Call it a "vacation" of sorts.
After all, one must balance rest and work to grow stronger!
And considering Otto had come to invite her personally, it likely meant she'd get to fight Nagami directly.
Otto smiled in his usual laid-back manner.
"I'm quite curious myself. So… can we depart immediately?"
"No problem!"
Durandal responded with energy in her voice and fire in her eyes.
...
The St. Freya Academy sports field was, frankly, a bit too stimulating for any mentally stable teenage boy.
C.C. stood leaning casually against the wall, arms folded, her long waterfall-like green hair cascading freely down her back like a stream of liquid jade.
Her bangs hung low over her forehead, partly obscuring her expression, though a flicker of golden light glinted in her eyes—subtle, but filled with meaning.
Across the field, a group of beautiful girls dressed in white gym uniforms were practicing their dance routines.
Every high kick traced an elegant curve in the air, each movement graceful and mesmerizing.
Because there were typically no boys around during class time, the girls were particularly uninhibited, their mannerisms unusually carefree.
C.C. clicked her tongue as her eyes drifted to a cluster of blooming lilies glowing under the sunlight—not the flowers, but the metaphorical kind.
She glanced to either side, eyeing three exquisite white-haired girls nearby, each with a distinct expression.
A sigh escaped her lips.
To be honest, any one of these three could probably pull off what that couple in the corner was doing right now—two girls locked in a passionate kiss.
But alas, she was facing all three at once.
Together, their presence was overwhelming—about as stressful as being surrounded by that mob of monkeys back in the Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? world when she was still under-leveled.
"Hmm? Who's that?"
From the crowd of girls emerged a familiar figure, breaking away with a black terminal in hand and heading toward the edge of the field.
In this class, there were only two people popular enough to draw such attention:
one was the dashing green-haired girl with the mysterious aura of a witch.
And the other...
Everyone's beloved big sister Fu Hua~
Skill Activated
Replicated ability from the Spider World: "Clairvoyance."
Despite the flashy name, C.C.'s version of the skill wasn't particularly overpowered—likely because it was copied at a lower level.
Still, even at this level, it was more than enough to see anything happening inside St. Freya Academy.
Ahem... That said, C.C. had never used it to spy on the girls' bathhouse like a certain infamous Hokage.
She preferred to walk in openly and proudly.
Well… not that she actually did that often.
The place could be dangerously stimulating, even for her.
If she got used to that kind of thing, what would happen if she stopped reacting to the sight of a beautiful girl's body someday? That would be a tragedy.
When she saw who Fu Hua was talking to, a faint smile tugged at C.C.'s lips.
"It's been a while, my friend."
"Is something wrong, Archbishop Otto?"
Holding her personal terminal, Fu Hua made an effort to step away from the cluster of girls as much as possible.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the holographic projection of the golden-haired man.
Otto didn't usually call at times like this—he must have had a good reason.
"Oh, I wouldn't say it's anything too urgent."
As if reading his old friend's mind, Otto leaned back into a plush chair, swirling a glass of red wine as he smiled casually.
"I just missed you, that's all. So I thought... why not come visit you tomorrow?"
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