"Himeko, you've gone too far! Are you trying to commit insubordination!"
The short girl slammed her hands on the table and stood up, her delicate face puffed up with anger.
This naturally evil ogress was treating her, the head of the Far East Branch, with utter contempt.
Kaslana can endure this, but Apocalypse cannot.
Immediately.
"Murata Himeko, you're pushing your luck!"
Theresa took two quick steps to get in front of Murata Himeko, picked up the wine bottle in front of her, and threatened to smash it.
She couldn't bear to fire this woman; and if she tried to argue with this ogress, it would just be a muddled mess where she herself was at fault to begin with.
There was nothing to be done. Theresa's authority was like a Kaslana's brain—basically non-existent. She could only take out her frustration on Murata Himeko's wine.
As for anything else...
She couldn't do a thing.
Within the Far East Branch, it was likely that Murata Himeko, the captain of the Hyperion, had more say than she did.
After all, Murata Himeko truly possessed authority, while she would even be petted, hugged, and lifted up high by newly enrolled students.
Murata Himeko leisurely savored the red wine in her glass, completely unfazed; Theresa held the wine bottle, not knowing whether to smash it or not.
Today, the Principal of St. Freya High School was once again being insubordinate to by her own subordinate.
She brought it on herself!
Seeing Theresa's little face gradually turn from red to blue, Murata Himeko knew it was time to end today's farce.
"Principal, I know I was wrong. Please spare my red wine."
A moderate joke strengthens a relationship; an excessive one damages a friendship.
Murata Himeko, unlike Theresa who had always lived in an ivory tower, knew when to stop.
"Good that you know your place." Putting down the bottle, Theresa lifted her chin slightly, wearing a satisfied expression.
Indeed.
Although she, the Principal, had nothing to do with the word 'fierce', and would even get her head patted by students who didn't recognize her while walking through St. Freya High School.
But she still had some degree of control over her own subordinates.
She might not be fierce, but she could at least be fiercely cute.
Sitting down on the sofa opposite Murata Himeko, Theresa's short legs, unable to reach the floor, dangled and swung in the air.
The girl skillfully took out a glass of bitter melon juice and took a couple of sips. Only after she was satisfied did she ask about Murata Himeko's reason for visiting.
"Himeko, you didn't come looking for me just to tease me, did you?"
Murata Himeko was a Schicksal Valkyrie who had once been active on the front lines fighting the Honkai; her squad was wiped out in a mission several years ago, and she subsequently transferred to the Far East Branch.
Though still an active Valkyrie, she was already in a semi-retired state.
She was the captain and commander of the specialized battleship Hyperion, as well as a combat instructor at St. Freya High School.
In short, this woman should theoretically be a very busy person and wouldn't normally come to tease her, the Principal.
"What if I said I really did just want to tease you?"
"Then I'll just have to let you experience the authority of the Principal."
Theresa's eyes were sparkling, which, combined with her chubby little face, didn't feel threatening at all. Instead, Murata Himeko found her quite adorable.
It couldn't be helped. This white-haired old crone was not only cute and legally short, but her personality and behavior were also extremely childish.
Even if one didn't want her to become the mascot of the Far East Branch, it was impossible to resist her moe power.
Murata Himeko put down her wine glass. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. I really do have something serious to discuss with you this time."
The friendly banter was over; it was time for business.
Theresa also put down her bitter melon juice, her expression turning serious. "From your expression, it doesn't look like good news, does it?"
"That's right." Murata Himeko took out a document. "This incident is happening within the sphere of influence of our Far East Branch, in an area under the effective control of Anti-Entropy."
The Far East Branch's sphere of influence included East Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia, and the Pacific region, making it a bridgehead for the confrontation between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
Consequently, the areas of effective control for both factions were intertwined in this region, even causing a considerable number of Southeast Asian countries to declare neutrality.
Murata Himeko's introduction basically implied that, if necessary, the Far East Branch would have to complete their mission even at the risk of all-out war.
"See for yourself. Anti-Entropy is planning to hit us with some big news."
Taking the document, Theresa used her speed-reading skills to summarize its main contents in a short time.
And then...
She looked up.
"Himeko, is it April 1st today?"
"If I'm not drunk right now, then I don't think you should be several months ahead of me." The mature woman shrugged, also wishing she was just drunk and having an unrealistic dream.
Theresa took a sip of bitter melon juice to calm her nerves before exploding. "How could anyone dare to plan something like this!"
The small piece of paper held the fate of an entire city.
This information, from an unknown source, described a plan to them—a plan that could only be called insane.
Murata Himeko and Theresa knew about Raiden Ryoma's arrest and were keeping a close eye on the situation.
After all, Schicksal had to keep an eye on its old rival, always prepared to respond to changing circumstances.
But the outcome was unimaginable...
"The Gem of Conquest is in Raiden Ryoma's hands, and it's been implanted into his daughter's body?"
"That Cocolia woman wants to use the Gem of Conquest to create and capture a Herrscher!?"
Theresa's voice suddenly rose several octaves, her azure eyes widening in astonishment at the information she had just reconfirmed.
She never imagined that someone so audacious existed in this world.
To actually want to capture a Herrscher.
The crucial point was that her grand-niece, the container for the Herrscher of the Void, was also in Nagazora City.
And from the known information, Cocolia, who had defeated Raiden Ryoma, her greatest asset was apparently her Titan forces.
Theresa took another sip of bitter melon juice and looked at Murata Himeko again. "Himeko, has Anti-Entropy had some new technological breakthrough recently that allows them to defeat a Herrscher with Titan units?"
Murata Himeko shrugged. "I don't think so."
"Then why is this Cocolia so confident that she can defeat a Herrscher?"
Even the Far East Branch, with the Oath of Judah, wouldn't dare say they could guarantee a victory against a Herrscher. A mere Cocolia... how dare she?
"..."
...
Under the same starry sky...
"Bronya, why does Cocolia think she can defeat a Herrscher?" As Cocolia's daughter, Bronya faced the same question.
"Probably confidence."
----------------------------------