"Theresa, you did a very good job on this mission."
In a cabin on the Hyperion, Theresa stood alone before the most powerful man in the world.
Her grandfather, Otto Apocalypse.
"Grandpa, I didn't really contribute much this time."
The golden-haired, blue-eyed man smiled, finding his granddaughter's reply rather cute.
"Theresa, no matter who stopped it all, he or they are ultimately your subordinates."
"If you hadn't arranged their action plan properly, then today you might be fighting the Herrscher of Death in the ruins of Manila, instead of reporting the situation to me."
That... seemed to make sense.
If not for the brilliant leadership of Magical Girl Teriri, then Brian wouldn't have appeared in Manila.
If he hadn't appeared in Manila, then this conspiracy might not have been stopped.
And if Kiana had encountered the Gem of Serenity, that child would certainly have used her own body to protect the city, pushing the Herrscher of the Void closer to losing control.
At this thought, the small, snow-haired nun lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her bearing.
She was the wise and mighty Theresa Apocalypse!
She had a part in saving Manila too!
She was just short of putting her hands on her hips in triumph.
Seeing this, the man far away at Schicksal HQ smiled knowingly, feeling a long-lost warmth from Theresa.
"Alright, Theresa, while you are indeed very cute, we are on work time right now."
One should use titles during work, but Theresa, his beloved granddaughter, was clearly an exception.
Coming back to her senses, Theresa's big, watery eyes darted around, and she said to Otto with some hesitation, "Grandpa, what if... what if the Gem of Serenity was taken away by someone else? Would you punish me?"
"..."
The Gem of Serenity was taken away?
In the Overseer's office at Schicksal HQ, Otto looked down at the report in front of him and felt that his granddaughter was still a bit immature.
She couldn't even come up with a good excuse. It was still too unreliable to hand Schicksal over to her.
Otto's expression turned serious. "Theresa, you should know the importance of the Gem of Serenity, and you should also know the consequences if someone else were to obtain it, right?"
Theresa lowered her head. "Grandpa, I know..."
She knew that Otto knew, and Otto also knew that she knew that he knew.
They were both playing dumb. Theresa was testing her grandfather's thoughts.
Otto found this side of his granddaughter very cute, but that wasn't a reason to let her off the hook. "Theresa, you're an adult now. You should also know the consequences of failing a mission, right?"
"Grandpa, I know."
Theresa lowered her head, looking very wronged.
But to protect that child who had become a Herrscher only to save more people, she had no choice but to resort to this.
They both knew what was going on. Theresa was betting on Otto's affection for her, and Otto was happy to play along.
"Since you know your mistake, then from now on, you will temporarily relinquish your authority as Branch Head. The affairs of the Far East Branch will be handled by Rita for the time being."
Theresa looked up abruptly. "Grandpa!"
"Theresa, everyone must pay the price for their mistakes!"
A slightly pleased expression appeared on Otto's face.
He had given Theresa what she wanted, but the manner in which he gave it to her depended on his mood.
The Gem of Serenity was not important to him; Theresa's reaction was more amusing.
However, an unexpected variable had occurred around K-423. The Herrscher Core that was planned for her had created a third Herrscher. He needed to understand this variable a little.
The development was still within the controllable range of his plan, but he still couldn't let his guard down.
Ending the communication, Otto then connected to the Immortal Blades' communication channel, and the image of a Valkyrie dressed as a maid appeared in his vision.
"Rita, I have a mission for you."
"Overseer, please give your orders."
The beautiful Valkyrie bowed slightly, showing humble obedience to the man.
"Theresa was inept in the operation to retrieve the Gem of Serenity. I have punished her by temporarily removing her from her post as Branch Head."
Rita Rossweisse's heart skipped a beat. She felt a kind of silent, great terror wash over her entire body.
This is bad, something unpleasant is going to happen again!
But she couldn't refuse.
"I need you to go to the Far East Branch and confirm the situation with K-423 and that new Herrscher."
Rita: "..."
She really wanted to refuse this mission, but in all of Schicksal, only she had the strength and the status to complete this task.
Even if she wanted to entrust this mission to someone else, it was simply not possible.
"Rita obeys."
Her expression was worse than if she were crying.
...
After ending the communication with the Schicksal Overseer, the maid of the Immortal Blades had a face full of endless sorrow.
One lie full of holes requires more lies to cover it up; the more lies, the more holes, and the more lies needed to cover them up.
On an impulse at the time, to prevent her dark history from becoming blackmail material for that guy, Rita had to resort to fabricating a past relationship as ex-boyfriend and girlfriend.
Unexpectedly, from that point on, she had been shooting herself in the foot. Not only did Durandal keep trying to help her find so-called happiness, but even the Schicksal Overseer had assigned her all tasks related to that guy.
The first problem needed no further explanation. A Kaslana's brain was always so frustratingly simple, and she had no way to explain it herself.
As for Otto, the Schicksal Overseer, it was purely his own wicked sense of humor at play. He just liked to see his subordinate's awkward reactions from time to time.
There might have been some element of serious business in it, but Rita believed it was by no means the dominant factor.
But things had come to this, and Rita could not disobey the Schicksal Overseer's orders.
"I should go prepare lunch for Lady Durandal."
Her dear big white goose was 100 jin, with 99 jin of rebellious spirit, but Rita Rossweisse had always remained by Durandal's side.
After preparing a sumptuous lunch, Rita took her creation to the gym Durandal was using.
Every Valkyrie who passed by the door couldn't help but stare at the Valkyrie inside the gym, which made Rita very happy about her big white goose's popularity.
Her many years of careful feeding had not been in vain. Today's Durandal had finally grown up.
It was just a pity...
"Lady Durandal, Rita has received a mission from the Overseer and needs to be stationed at the Far East Branch for a period of time. During this time, you will need to take care of your own daily life."
Smiling, Rita announced a harsh fact to Durandal.
Durandal, who was enjoying her meal, froze. A grain of rice at the corner of her mouth gave the Valkyrie a touch of adorableness, making one want to hug her and dote on her.
Such an expression lasted only for a moment.
"Rita, what mission are you going on this time?"
Although she didn't see that Rita was trying to tease her, Durandal managed to avoid all the verbal traps with her intuition.
The world-shaking wisdom of a Kaslana, unparalleled!
Rita explained, "Lady Theresa reported to the Overseer that the Gem of Serenity has gone missing. The Far East Branch only found Dr. Magi in Singapore."
"And then?"
Durandal was fully focused on eating.
"Intelligence personnel have confirmed that the Gem of Serenity has been absorbed by him, and he has become the new Herrscher of Death."
Succinct and to the point, Rita omitted all unnecessary information, giving Durandal a general understanding of the situation.
"So that's how it is. I never expected your ex-boyfriend to have such aptitude."
Durandal exclaimed in admiration.
Not just anyone was qualified to become a Herrscher.
Raiden Mei was an awakened natural Stigma bearer, so it wasn't surprising that she had the aptitude, but she was the only one.
The Valkyries who participated in the Gem of Serenity experiment all ended up with not even their bones remaining. The Gem of Desire was housed within the body of A-rank Valkyrie Wendy.
If not for the crucial importance of Brian's relationship with K-423, Durandal believed that the Schicksal Overseer wouldn't have minded Schicksal gaining another test subject.
After all, the former Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce, had also spent some unpleasant time in a Schicksal experiment.
Researching Herrschers was no big deal for Schicksal.
Rita: "..."
Can we please not mention 'ex-boyfriend'?
She got angry just hearing that term!
Durandal, while eating, asked Rita about the mission, "Rita, how long do you need to go for this time?"
She knew her own situation well.
Back at the sanatorium, the nurses had described her as a wild child with a one-track mind.
She couldn't dress or style herself, and the food she made was inedible to anyone but herself.
If she hadn't met the maid-like Rita after becoming a Valkyrie, Durandal had no idea what her life would be like now.
At the very least, she would have to eat at the Schicksal HQ cafeteria every day, and her clothes wouldn't be as fashionable as they were now.
Rita blinked. "Perhaps for ten months?"
A teasing smile appeared on her face, perhaps wanting to see what Durandal's reaction would be.
Hearing this answer, Durandal's expression became strange, with some thoughts that she couldn't hold back.
"Ten months, that's quite a subtle number."
Rita: "..."
The ever-victorious Valkyrie had a bad feeling.
The golden-haired, blue-eyed Valkyrie put down her bowl and chopsticks, her gaze holding an unprecedented seriousness. "Rita, the Overseer's real purpose in giving you this mission... isn't to have you go and get pregnant with your ex-boyfriend, is it?"
I... I!
Rita had a thousand things she wanted to say but couldn't!
Why, just because she casually mentioned a date, would Durandal's mind jump to that!?
Although there was an element of her own deliberation in it, just looking at the fact that she hadn't had any contact with that guy for months, and even wished to stay as far away as possible, how could anyone possibly think of that?
Rita almost made a sweating emoji expression. "Lady Durandal, why... why would you think of that?"
Durandal's face was a picture of perfect sense. "You said ten months, so what else could it be?"
She spread her hands wide, leaving Rita speechless.
The maid imagined a large white goose 'quack-quack-quacking' in laughter at her.
She had brought this upon herself.
"Durandal, if that were true, what would you do then?"
"Once Rita becomes a great mother, Rita will no longer have the energy and time to take care of you."
Her expression was one of sighing, as if Rita were worried about Durandal's miserable life to come.
Once she was gone, Durandal would probably revert to that wild child who couldn't eat or dress properly.
Naturally, while Durandal's mind might be a bit one-track, it didn't mean she was an uneducated dropout like Kiana.
The valiant Valkyrie pondered for a moment. "How about... I go with you to the Far East Branch?"
After Rita left, although Otto would definitely arrange for someone else to take care of her.
But Durandal considered herself a nostalgic person. She was used to Rita's care, and having someone else take care of her would be very inconvenient.
And if that Old Fogey disagreed...
"Should I beat him up?"
Durandal was just short of shouting it out loud.
Rita: "..."
This time she really wanted to make a sweating emoji expression.
If Overseer Otto found out that all of this started because of her own casual joke, that petty man would definitely prepare plenty of little shoes for her to wear.
Thinking of this, Rita quickly explained, "Lady Durandal, everything I just said was a joke."
"Which parts?"
"The ten months."
"Sigh~~"
The golden-haired Valkyrie was caught between gains and losses.
If it wasn't ten months, her subordinate's life happiness wasn't guaranteed; if it was ten months, her own life happiness wasn't guaranteed.
Durandal had to choose between two difficult options, and ultimately chose the former with tears in her eyes.
"Then remember to come back soon."
"Thank you for your concern."
Immediately, Rita Rossweisse made some brief preparations and boarded a flight to the Far East Branch.
On the aircraft, Rita searched for the intelligence department's files and saw all the information needed for this trip.
The two original Herrschers were like ordinary reserve Valkyries, receiving their education at St. Freya High School; information on the mascot Theresa was also in Rita's hands, as usual, a mascot whose combat effectiveness was in continuous decline.
And the final target of this trip...
'Whipping Raiden Mei... whipping Raiden Mei... whipping Raiden Mei while Kiana is away... teasing Kiana while Bronya is around... becoming the Herrscher of Death... whipping Ana Schariac...'
It's hard to describe in words how Rita felt when she received this report.
Let's not even talk about how the subject of this report was previously just a human; it felt like he was a walking humanoid Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon!
Everywhere he went was filled with the smoke of battle!
Rather than the Herrscher of Death...
"The Herrscher of Birth sounds more fitting."
The Herrscher of Birth, possessing the powerful ability to make the opposite sex give birth, a true champion of the kidneys!
He possessed a powerful life energy, able to easily make the opposite sex give birth, as if tying bag after bag of dead knots in them!
The Herrscher of Making People Give Birth.
In short, the Herrscher of Birth!
So terrifying!
If she didn't know that, aside from Raiden Mei and the others, no one else at St. Freya High School had fallen victim to this guy, Rita would have almost thought that the Far East Branch had turned into the legendary goblin nest.
Unspeakable!
Fortunately, this was all just her imagination.
But after she arrived at the Far East Branch, how could she complete the Overseer's orders?
The endless blue outside the cabin window was filled with a desolate boredom, but at this moment, it made Rita Rossweisse particularly lost in thought.
If one didn't count the Previous Era's Herrscher of Corruption, who had already become a Divine Key, the current Far East Branch possessed three Herrschers capable of triggering a Great Honkai.
The first two were cute girls, the type that were quite easy to deceive. With just a few small tricks, she could achieve her goal.
And Brian, who had just become a Herrscher, was an inherently aggressive male, with a lawless personality to boot.
The key was that this guy also liked to use those lewd tricks on her, making her...
"..."
Her long, slender legs tightened, the flesh-colored stockings rubbing against each other with the girl's movements. The Valkyrie's eyes gradually filled with shimmering, glistening light.
Although those experiences were quite shameful, even making her feel utterly mortified.
But even she had to admit that when Durandal wasn't around, she too had had many impure thoughts.
That man was like a drug, with a magic that made one feel addicted at the first touch, unable to extricate oneself.
Rita believed that if she wasn't more cautious on this trip, it was very likely that she would fail her mission and lose herself instead!
If she really became that lewd, utterly debauched version of herself, she would truly have nowhere to hide her face!
Forget it, take it as it comes.
Regardless of whether she could complete the mission the Overseer had given her, at the very least, she couldn't let herself stay at the Far East Branch for more than ten months!
...
On the Hyperion, which was returning to the Far East Branch...
"Alright, you can try it now."
A pristine white popsicle twisted in the man's palm, and a happy smile appeared on Bronya Zaychik's face.
At this moment, she had once again become the invincible assassin on Charon's List, the Silver Wolf of the Urals, and with the existence of Project Bunny, she had become even stronger.
The Silver Wolf of the Urals... perfectly revived!
Of course, it would be even better if there wasn't a lewd and lustful man who was always after her duck butt.
"The treatment is complete. Can you let go of my foot now?"
Although her emotions had returned, Bronya was still used to speaking with a cold face, because it made her look cool!
Young Brian: "What? I healed your leg, and you're not even going to give me any reward?"
"..."
A tingling sensation traveled through the repaired nerves to her brain.
Her little fleshy legs, free from the exoskeleton braces, trembled with the man's movements, bringing a sense of shame to those deliberately fierce silver-gray eyes.
Even though the injuries caused by the X-10 experiment had been healed by this guy using his Herrscher powers, and the biochip in her head had been disintegrated by him.
Yet, Bronya not only didn't feel the freedom of being uncontrolled, she felt even more unable to resist this man.
Before, she could deceive herself with the excuse that the biochip wasn't her own. Now, she could only deceive herself with the fact that Seele still needed him for her rescue.
Her reasons were being dismantled step by step, the icy armor from Siberia was cracking layer by layer.
Bronya didn't dare to burn her bridges. "No, I just wanted to remind you that there are many people on this ship, it's not a place where you can do whatever you want."
Young Brian's eyes lit up. "So if we go somewhere with fewer people, you'll let me do whatever I want?"
Bronya: "..."
You selfish, lewd, and lustful man, your mind is full of that kind of thing!
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