With the pleasant first meeting paving the way, Lynelle and Wendy's relationship naturally progressed quickly into friendship.
From Wendy's perspective, Lynelle had even unilaterally risen to the status of a best friend.
Of course, aside from Lynelle's unique appeal to Herrschers, there was another important reason why their relationship developed so rapidly.
That was… Lynelle was just too darn useful.
In every sense of the word.
In combat, Wendy's fighting capabilities increased exponentially with Lynelle by her side.
Though Lynelle couldn't enhance the power of her bullets, with her support, Wendy's effective attack range gained an extra zero, and her firing rate improved significantly thanks to the liberation of her computational load.
Ragna often teased that Wendy might as well be wielding a submachine gun.
Moreover, the variety of large-caliber specialty rounds provided by Nagamitsu were designed to match the destructive power of an S-rank Valkyrie.
Aside from being a bit heavy on the budget, they had virtually no drawbacks.
With such extreme range, Wendy's own weakness as a glass cannon was almost entirely mitigated.
With interception and detection spanning hundreds of kilometers, even Anti-Entropy's "Silver Bullet" would struggle to breach Wendy's surveillance net.
Unless it was someone like Rita, specialized in stealth, or Durandal, who could brute-force her way through hundreds of kilometers of attacks, Wendy's defenses were nearly flawless.
Outside of combat… Wendy had also discovered Lynelle's adorable side.
Namely, this girl was a natural-born uke with an innocent charm!
Though she often talked big while taking care of Wendy's daily needs—even going so far as to suggest things like, "Should I help you bathe?"—after a few days of growing closer, when Wendy jokingly asked if she'd like to join her in the shower, Lynelle blushed and refused.
From then on, Wendy grew fond of teasing Lynelle.
Though she was all talk herself, Lynelle's defenses were noticeably weaker.
So, whenever the two bantered, it always ended with Lynelle's defeat.
"Who knows, if one of these kids ever takes that teasing a step further, they might just naturally end up rolling around in bed together… Seriously, and here I am without a partner yet."
Over the comms, Ragna grumbled to Lixue.
"Mmm…"
Though Lixue had more life experience than Ragna, she'd never been in a relationship herself—only secretly yearning for her master. She fell into deep thought.
She seriously considered whether she should ask Lynelle for tips on building closer relationships and explore how to get closer to her master.
After all, from what she'd heard, Lynelle had won over the Second Herrscher, Sirin, in just a month back at Babylon Labs.
At St. Freya, countless students still held a torch for her. And now, after just a few weeks in Oceania, she'd already become more than friends with Wendy.
Though at Schicksal Headquarters, due to Valkyries' limited lifespans and the constant risk of sacrifice, it was common for Valkyrie teams to start as squads and end up as tangled messes of "seize-the-day" sapphic relationships, Lynelle's ability to quickly bond with others wherever she went was still relatively rare.
"Maybe it's just a gift…"
After a moment's thought, Lixue decisively changed the subject.
"Oh, right, Ragna. The main reason I contacted you was to share some news."
"What is it?"
"Just take a look at this document."
"…"
Ragna's expression instantly turned serious. "This intel is…?"
"Stolen from Bishop Otto."
"Is this some kind of April Fools' joke?"
"Ahem."
Lixue looked slightly embarrassed. "Actually, Rita overheard it from the Bishop's casual chatter and secretly told me."
"Anyway, I've already packed and sent over your old armor and the Xuanyuan Sword 'Water's Edge' from your Assault Squad days. Just in case."
"Also…"
Lixue hesitated.
"If things truly become critical, Ragna, you could try asking Lynelle for help."
"Oh?"
Ragna's gaze sharpened. "Professor Lixue, what you're saying…"
"If nothing happens, just forget I said it."
"Understood."
Ragna sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Don't worry. For now, her identity here is just that little rascal Wendy's good friend. That's enough."
--+--
So, while undercurrents stirred across Oceania, what was our Lynelle up to?
The answer was… digging a tunnel (literally).
"Phew… a nice evening shower feels so good…"
Wrapped in a loosely tied towel that left little to the imagination, Wendy casually stepped out of the bathroom and reached out to Lynelle. "Lynelle, Lynelle, carry me to bed! It's so cold out here."
"You… you could just use your wheelchair, you know?"
Lynelle's face flushed pink, but her body honestly scooped up Wendy's soft form. "And could you please wear your towel properly?"
"Hehe…"
Wendy nuzzled Lynelle's chest playfully. "Then why don't you help me fix it?"
"Who'd do that for you?! I just wear a maid outfit—I'm not your actual personal maid!"
"Hmph~ I give you a chance, and you don't take it…"
Wendy tilted her head up with a cute, teasing snort.
"Ugh… you! One of these days, I'll pin you down and spank you till you behave."
"Oh really? We'll see who ends up spanking who~"
Wendy was thoroughly enjoying this daily banter that flirted with something beyond friendship.
Having undergone intense training since childhood, she'd rarely experienced camaraderie with peers her age.
Hmm, this should count as friendship, right? According to other sisters at the branch, it's pretty normal for girls to kiss, hug, or even sleep together.
Lynelle's skin is so fair, and she smells really nice… Maybe I should try kissing her someday?
A faint blush spread across Wendy's cheeks as her imagination began to wander.
Meanwhile, Lynelle remained completely unaware of the impending "crisis," still fiddling with her terminal in the living room.
Because the game was just that engaging.
Ahem—well, actually, she wasn't playing games. She was using her spare time while caring for Wendy to tidy up a loose end: the invasion of the Elysian Realm.
Earlier, with the help of delegated divine power, the system had successfully located the Elysian Realm's server.
But because Lynelle's Herrscher of Corruption authority was incomplete, and she didn't want to attract World Serpent's or the Elysian Realm's attention, her infiltration had to be exceptionally cautious.
After all, while others might not know, Lynelle, familiar with the story, was well aware that the Elysian Realm housed plenty of corruption viruses developed by Mobius.
With her current level of authority—struggling even against Void Archive's mimicked "Jizo Mitama"—facing Mobius's corruption viruses would be like Gilgamesh meeting Assassin: a one-sided beatdown waiting to happen.
So, Lynelle's hacking of the Elysian Realm was like a mouse sneaking into a rice barn: she'd been quietly digging an inconspicuous backdoor passage along the edges.
And today…
That backdoor was finally complete.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.