Half an hour ago...
"This is bad, this is bad! That woman, Rita, is coming!"
The small, silver-haired, blue-eyed girl paced back and forth in her office, her delicate little face filled with unprecedented anxiety.
If it were just that this woman often stared at her in a way that made her skin crawl, it wouldn't be a big deal.
After all, she was the granddaughter of Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse, his designated first-in-line successor. She wouldn't dare do anything improper to her.
But for Theresa, the very idea of letting Rita temporarily take control of the Far East Branch was a disaster in itself!
The last time Anti-Entropy invaded the Far East Branch, she had just reached some cooperation and consensus with Anti-Entropy's conservative faction.
If Rita discovered these secrets, it would be the same as her grandfather knowing them too. And the Herrschers living in the Far East Branch might also be harmed by this wicked woman.
She absolutely could not let that happen!
Stopping in her tracks, Theresa, knowing her own capabilities were limited, began to ask for others' opinions: "Do you guys have any ideas?"
Several people looked at each other. Raiden Mei was the first to speak: "How about... we find a reason to get Rita injured a little?"
The others: "..."
Her smile was as gentle as ever, but in the eyes of the others, it carried an indescribable dark aura.
Mei, you've gone to the dark side.
This wasn't about helping her superior solve a problem; it was clearly an attempt to use this opportunity to strike back at her love rival.
Theresa thought Rita was a wicked woman, and Raiden Mei felt the same.
Rita, a closet Lolicon, only made Theresa's skin crawl with her stares, but in Raiden Mei's eyes, this woman's greatest sin was being the 'ex-girlfriend.'
The most invincible 'white moonlight' is a dead 'white moonlight'. To defend her love, Raiden Mei had crammed a lot of relationship knowledge.
Rita Rossweisse was his ex-girlfriend, and she was as cunning and difficult to deal with as a fox.
Although she didn't know what unspeakable past she and Brian had, the experienced Raiden Mei could confirm that Rita was a 0-point woman.
A perfect 0, not 0 out of 100.
Not killing her outright was the bottom line of their struggle.
But getting her a little injured... as a Valkyrie, getting hurt during a spar, wasn't that perfectly normal?
Theresa waved her hand, her expression a bit awkward: "Let's... let's forget about that. She's an S-rank Valkyrie, after all, and an emissary sent by the Overseer. We can't use such a crude method."
If they really beat this imperial envoy into critical condition, things would be even harder to clean up. She, the Principal, would have to change into her Magical Girl Teriri costume and hug her grandfather's leg to beg for forgiveness.
But then again...
'Could Mei's hostility towards Rita be because Rita is his ex-girlfriend?'
That was a problem.
Though Theresa had never been in a relationship, she knew that matters of the heart were unreasonable.
Especially since girls are creatures whose emotions often override their reason; when they act impulsively, they don't consider the consequences at all.
Faced with a love rival, the fact that Raiden Mei didn't just lose her mind and trigger a major Honkai Eruption was a testament to her self-control. It was also fortunate that Rita wasn't the type to get jealous, otherwise, whether the Far East Branch would still exist today would be a very big question.
Crossing her arms, Theresa saw that the three subordinates in front of her seemed to have nothing to say. She began to squeeze her brain for that world-shocking Kaslana wisdom, striving to come up with a solution.
They couldn't let this confrontation lead to bloodshed, nor could they let Rita discover the secrets of the Far East Branch.
It seemed that apart from catering to her tastes and overwhelming her with things she liked, there was only...
"..."
Her ex-boyfriend?
Theresa's gaze rested on Brian for a few breaths before intersecting with Kiana's.
'Great Aunt, what do you want me to do?'
'Kiana, I have a difficult mission for you!'
'You want me to be your mouthpiece and suggest he go handle Rita?'
'That's right, Kiana. Great Aunt needs to give you a difficult mission!'
'Alright! Leave it to me!'
Immediately.
"Great Aunt, I have a half-baked idea, wanna hear it?"
An intuition from who-knows-where made Raiden Mei speak up on the spot: "Since it's a half-baked suggestion, why don't you wait until it's fully baked before you say it."
She had a feeling that if Kiana voiced the suggestion in her head, her own body count would increase again.
Accepting Ana Schariac was her own choice; it would be a waste not to take in a concubine-scapegoat who came knocking on her door.
But this Rita... even if Ana's threat level was multiplied by ten, it couldn't compare.
Once she entered this big family, the probability of chaos would skyrocket.
However, Kiana, as if not understanding Raiden Mei's intentions at all, gave a silly smile and said, "Great Aunt, isn't that guy Rita Rossweisse's ex-boyfriend?"
Raiden Mei's eyes grew dangerous.
Theresa's expression stiffened. She had no idea what Kiana was talking about. She hadn't given any instructions yet, so why was Kiana acting on her own?
The silver-haired girl, as if sensing nothing, continued on her own: "Let Brian go and have a fight with Rita. Let them settle their old scores. That way, that woman won't have time to bother us, right?"
Theresa's mouth opened and closed. She didn't know how to comment on her grand-niece's fantastic idea.
Raiden Mei's expression was gloomy, like a volcano before an eruption.
Brian, the center of the topic, remained as steady as a mountain throughout.
Kiana the idiot was being foolish. Why should he get involved?
"Have him go see Rita, and then what?"
Someone's voice made Kiana shudder.
But at this moment, the white-haired fluffball was lost in the thrill of pushing Brian into a romantic battlefield, unable to extricate herself.
"Of course, let him have a good chat with Rita, get that S-rank Valkyrie to give us a backdoor pass with the Schicksal Overseer."
The Principal opened her mouth again, finally realizing that her and Kiana's thought processes were on completely different tracks.
She, the supreme commander of the Far East Branch, knew what was here, and what her grandfather must not find out. But Kiana only saw the little plot of land around her, only thought about the people around her.
In her simple mind, S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse's visit was probably no big deal.
The girl said helplessly, "Kiana, it's not that simple of a problem."
If it were that simple, she, the Principal, wouldn't be tearing her hair out over it.
Three Herrschers... a full three of them!
"You young people are still too young. You have no idea what adult troubles are like."
Waving her hand, Theresa gestured for her three subordinates to leave.
Raiden Mei looked at the man beside her, then at Kiana, who had only just realized she'd made a mistake, and sighed helplessly.
It seemed this was the only way to get a free pass from Rita Rossweisse without bloodshed.
Even if she wanted to disagree, she had to consider the bigger picture for the Far East Branch.
Although she didn't know what Theresa's 'adult troubles' were, she knew that Rita couldn't be allowed to run wild in the Far East Branch.
But to just take this loss would make her, Raiden Mei, seem too weak.
"Brian, you stay and discuss countermeasures with the Principal."
As for Kiana...
Raiden Mei's gaze was dark, making Kiana's skin crawl. "Um... Mei, I just remembered I haven't finished my homework."
A hand grabbed her from the air, seizing the white-haired fluffball's ear, making the girl yelp in pain.
"Mei, Mei, I was wrong! It hurts!"
"Kiana, I think perhaps I should give you a good tutoring session."
"Th-that's not necessary, is it?"
Sparks of lightning flashed in the corner of Raiden Mei's eye. "I think it's very necessary."
Dragging Kiana by her reddened ear, Raiden Mei walked out the door. The pitiful-looking white-haired fluffball followed behind her, step for step, filled with an unspeakable sorrow.
Theresa stared blankly as the office door closed, only then turning in the silence to look at the boy who remained. "So... are you confident you can complete this mission?"
Raiden Mei's departure didn't just mean 'out of sight, out of mind'; it also signified her consent.
Both of them were well aware of this.
"Principal, leave this mission to me."
"I'll be counting on you, then."
The biggest problem was solved, albeit in a roundabout way.
Theresa scratched her head. It seemed that aside from feeling a little sorry for Kiana, there weren't... any major issues.
Besides, what's done is done. Even if she rescued Kiana from Raiden Mei's eagerly waiting spatula now, it wouldn't change anything.
It would be better to...
*Hontou ni sumimasen!* (I'm truly sorry!)
She would have to apologize properly to her dear grand-niece, Far East style.
...
"Great Aunt, she got her!"
Got her, physically!
Hearing the news from her loyal subordinate, Theresa's little mouth curled into a smug ω shape.
"Kiana, you did great!"
"It was all due to Great Aunt's excellent leadership!"
The two Kaslanas were straightforward people, finishing their exchange in just a couple of sentences.
Without a doubt, the fact that S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse from Schicksal HQ ran into her old flame Brian right off the plane was inextricably linked to Theresa, the supreme commander of the Far East Branch.
As the saying goes... when a general is in the field, he can disobey his sovereign's orders.
The Far East Branch and Schicksal HQ were a whole planet apart. It was only natural for Theresa to bend the rules a little.
Otto, the Schicksal Overseer, wanted Rita to temporarily manage the Far East Branch, but Theresa was worried about certain things she couldn't let HQ know about.
But killing the imperial envoy was undoubtedly one of the stupidest choices in the world.
She could choose to resist, but there absolutely could be no bloodshed. Everything had to be controlled within the rules of the game.
And so...
Theresa first got Raiden Mei's forgiveness, then had Brian take Rita out for a welcome dinner, and finally had her loyal grand-niece act as a lookout.
Everything was for the sake of protecting the secrets of the Far East Branch!
As far as Theresa could see, this was the only way to make Rita back off without any bloodshed.
After all, during the celebration party last time, Rita had shrunk like a quail in front of her ex-boyfriend.
Theresa didn't care about what past the two had; she only saw one thing...
"Our Herrscher of Death is the bane of S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse!"
Oh, my incredibly loyal Herrscher of Death, for the peace and stability of the Far East Branch, go and beat that Valkyrie from Schicksal HQ to her knees, and make her take a ten-month-long vacation!
If ten months isn't possible, that's fine too. Theresa could settle for less. She just needed to make Rita too exhausted to work.
All the props and scenes were set. They were just waiting for their leading man to give his all!
...
"Sir, could you please let go of me? We are not very familiar with each other!"
Rita tugged, but found she couldn't break free from the man's embrace at all.
The embrace was so powerful that it gave Rita a slight illusion, as if this man were a ruthless machine.
Cold, strong, repetitive, high-volume!
"Rita, listen to yourself."
Brian smiled, making Rita's expression even more awkward. "We've already done the things we were supposed to do, and even the things we weren't supposed to do, several times over."
"We're clearly so intimate, so why are you still so cold to me?"
Rita: "..."
If you weren't so close to K-423, I would cut off your head and use it as a urinal on the spot!
Heaven have mercy, Rita had never suffered such humiliation before meeting this guy.
Not only was she repeatedly framed with compromising histories, but because of a lie, she was misunderstood by others time and again, to the point where Durandal once wanted to marry her off.
She clearly knew it was all fake, but because of the compromising history, she didn't dare to speak out and could only tacitly accept the relationship.
Through rumor and gossip, a story had even started circulating in Schicksal HQ that S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse had been seduced and abandoned by her ex-boyfriend.
If something else were to happen in the Far East Branch this time, the next rumor would probably be that her ex-boyfriend still had feelings for her and that she had a newborn baby somewhere.
Although she loved babies, it didn't mean she wanted to be the woman who gave birth to them!
The charming Valkyrie forced a smile, no longer as carefree as when she first arrived at the Far East Branch. "If you want to know the reason, then please stop groping me!"
The hand that had already reached her waistline stopped, and a look of unfulfillment appeared on Brian's face. "Why are you still such a stranger?"
"Heh, we have no 'inner' relationship to speak of. Don't be so full of yourself!"
"You want to be my 'inner' wife?"
A flash of inspiration hit Brian.
"I'm afraid Mei wouldn't agree. She's great in every way, but on this matter, she won't budge an inch."
Rita: "..."
If there was a four-dimensional space under her skirt, she would absolutely smash a club over this man's head to see what kind of white mush was inside his brain!
Helpless, the girl could only change the subject. "If you keep harassing me like this, I won't be able to complete the mission the Overseer assigned me. I'm sure you don't want Lady Theresa to be held accountable by the Overseer, do you?"
The Overseer's mission?
The keyword had appeared. Naturally, it was time to get to the point.
"So, what did Overseer Otto send you to the Far East Branch for? It can't be to help Theresa clean up her messes, can it?"
Theresa thought she could keep her secrets, but in Otto's eyes, it was as laughable as children playing house.
The information system of the Far East Branch was still using an old version from decades ago, which was easily cracked by its developer, Einstein. If Anti-Entropy could do it, it was certainly no difficult task for Otto.
Theresa thought Otto was up to something, but what she thought he wanted was not at all what he actually wanted.
In Brian's view, Otto had only one purpose for sending Rita here...
"Me?"
"Overseer Otto wants to know something from me?"
Perhaps because they were alone, Rita dropped her polite facade. "The Overseer wants to know the date of your death, you Herrscher of Death. Do you have one?"
If she could kill this guy on the spot, Rita wouldn't hesitate for a second.
This 'wet' person had hated the one who started it all for far too long!
Brian stroked his chin. "My date of death... I don't know either."
"Theoretically speaking, I could even survive in outer space."
Rita: "..."
This man was so full of it that she didn't want to talk to him anymore.
"Well, let's just say you can survive in space. The Overseer has ordered me to get a deeper understanding of you. I imagine..."
In an instant, Rita Rossweisse's face took on a seductive allure, like a particularly tempting beautiful snake.
Beautiful, enchanting, exquisite, and full of danger!
But all of this, for Brian, who could conquer even Herrschers and had decided to ride both Mei and Kiana, was just a piece of cake.
"I think we can conduct some rather in-depth examinations of each other over a candlelight dinner."
"Wouldn't you agree? Miss Maid."
Rita: "..."
This is bad. She had misjudged how bold this guy was!
The Valkyrie opened her mouth, about to refuse the man's request.
Suddenly...
"Rita, a candlelight dinner is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better. Won't you do me this honor?"
"Of course."
Rita smiled, about to say the latter half of her refusal.
However...
The man suddenly wrapped his arm around the girl's slender waist, letting a fiery heat burn beside her. "You don't want to fail the Overseer's mission, do you?"
S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse versus the Herrscher of Death?
Guaranteed to conceive!
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