Before connecting the communication, Rita had already composed herself, looking calmly at the light screen that appeared before her.
Then, looking at the man on the screen, Rita spoke with great respect.
"Overseer, Rita has handed the Hsn Serum over to Leo Ash."
"Mm, very good."
Looking at Rita's expression, Otto nodded slightly.
"Since you gave him the serum, it seems you've judged that he had nothing to do with the problems that arose during this mission, correct?"
"Rita, I trust your judgment. Let's consider this matter closed for now."
"Yes, sir."
"Additionally, I have read the mission report. I have already notified Durandal about this mission."
"Even Lady Durandal?"
Hearing Otto's words, Rita sounded slightly surprised.
"Does this mission require Lady Durandal's involvement?"
"If it were merely about retrieving the Gem of Conquest, then no, not particularly."
If it were merely about retrieving the Gem of Conquest... huh?
Before participating in this mission, Rita hadn't given it much thought.
Although her combat power was not on par with Durandal's, her meticulous mind and conscientious work ethic led Otto to entrust her with many directives, and she had participated in and completed numerous missions.
For Rita, this mission, despite involving the Gem of Conquest from the 'Four Gems,' was fundamentally no different from her other tasks.
Nagazora City, although Anti-Entropy territory, was a place where Anti-Entropy's leader had been missing for a long time. Their strongest assets, when it came down to it, were their vaunted Titan mechs.
These mechs might be able to bully ordinary A-rank Valkyries, but for Rita, even without a battlesuit, she could easily defeat a large number of Titans just by using the Godsbane armament, Aphrodite.
What's more, Schicksal had now completed the God-Slaying Armor 'Argent Knight: Artemis' and the Soulium Godsbane armament 'Skadi of Thrymheim,' both suited for her. With her combat power reaching a new level, those Titans had lost their last shred of possibility of threatening her safety.
And yet, under these circumstances, Overseer Otto still deemed it necessary for the ever-busy Lady Durandal to come to Nagazora City?
"Could it be..."
Guessing at a certain possibility, Rita's expression barely changed, but her tone had taken on a new gravity.
"Just as you suspect, this mission now involves a Herrscher."
Seeing his reliable subordinate immediately grasp the truth, Otto couldn't be bothered to waste time being coy.
"According to headquarters' monitoring, there have already been multiple small-scale Honkai Eruptions in various parts of the world."
"And our field personnel in Nagazora have sent back reports saying that there have been numerous cases of electrical appliance failures in the city recently. The after-sales departments of various electronics manufacturers must be at their wits' end."
"These phenomena... are they all caused by the Gem of Conquest?"
As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal and a confidante who carried out some of Otto's less savory tasks, Rita certainly knew the true nature of the Four Gems.
Conquest, Haste, Desire, and Serenity—the true forms of these four gems were, in fact, the cores of the Herrscher of Thunder, the Herrscher of Flame, the Herrscher of Wind, and the Herrscher of Death, respectively.
Apart from the Gem of Conquest, which had fallen into Anti-Entropy's hands, the other three gems were still stored at Schicksal Headquarters.
Small-scale Honkai Eruptions breaking out across the world, coupled with the negative electromagnetic effects in Nagazora City—this was enough to prove one thing.
"The Third Honkai War will break out here, and the Herrscher of Thunder will be born here... Is that why you requested Lady Durandal's presence?"
"Indeed. And Theresa and her subordinates will also be coming to support you."
Even Lady Theresa?!
Lady Durandal has the Divine Key 'Abyss Flower,' and Lady Theresa has the Divine Key 'Oath of Judah.'
It is rumored that both of them possess the combat capability to face a Herrscher head-on without being defeated. It seems the Overseer is genuinely concerned about the situation in Nagazora City this time.
Wait, then the HSN Serum I gave to Leo...
This serum was never meant for Leo; I knew that from the beginning.
But at first, I thought it was bait from the Overseer to test Leo's loyalty.
But I was wrong. This is a move the Overseer has planned.
===============
If the HSN Serum truly has the effects described in the report, then it could be a crucial move to weaken the Herrscher—provided Leo can survive an encounter with one.
Although, as a member of Schicksal, facing danger is a part of daily life, but...
"What's wrong? Worried about Leo Ash?"
Seeing the silent Rita, Otto chuckled softly.
"Since you have deemed that young man not to have betrayed Schicksal, our people will protect him as soon as they enter Nagazora City."
"...Thank you, Lord Otto."
"Then, continue with your mission, Rita."
After saying this, Otto terminated the communication.
Having obtained this intelligence, Otto had indeed deduced that the Third Herrscher was about to awaken in Nagazora City.
However, knowing this, Otto had no intention of stopping the Third Honkai War from erupting.
Certainly, the outbreak of the Third Honkai War in Nagazora City would cause the deaths of several million innocent Far East civilians, but...
—what did that have to do with Otto?
For his own reasons, Otto craved the awakening of Herrschers.
After all, for his plan, a mature Herrscher was the perfect nourishment to feed the Queen of the Honkai.
Furthermore, the outbreak of the Third Honkai War was, in essence, inseparable from Anti-Entropy.
One could even say that the Third Honkai War was single-handedly caused by Anti-Entropy.
The deaths of several million civilians in exchange for a mature Herrscher.
And this mature Herrscher would be captured on the spot by the two S-rank Valkyries and one former S-rank Valkyrie he had dispatched, ultimately becoming a spoil of war for Schicksal.
At the same time, Schicksal could use this atrocity committed by Anti-Entropy to launch an attack on the international stage, further diminishing Anti-Entropy's already low international standing.
Sacrificing a few million people for such gains was, to Otto, an absolute bargain.
Unless pressed, Otto wouldn't go out of his way to play the butcher.
But that didn't mean he cared about the lives of ordinary people.
And, allowing this situation to develop might just lure in an even bigger fish.
Heh, my old rival. With your mentality, you would never allow your subordinates to act so recklessly.
If your physical condition allows you to act, you will certainly appear in Nagazora City.
Let's just see if this operation...
—can bait a big fish like you.
...