Phew… So this is Oceania? But where's Ragna?
Lynelle hopped off the Schicksal aircraft and scanned her surroundings.
Before she left, Welt had told her that Ragna would personally come to pick her up, and that she'd be quite easy to spot—couldn't miss her, really…
Oh, alright. Found her.
Lynelle immediately understood what Welt meant. Ragna had one distinctive quirk: unless she was in combat, she almost always wore a maid outfit.
And in a massive airport like this, someone wearing a maid outfit to greet a newcomer… Well, let's just say she stood out like a crane among chickens.
But clearly, Ragna had spotted Lynelle just as quickly.
"Hello, might you be Miss Lynelle?"
The elegant maid gracefully parted the crowd, then very naturally took Lynelle's luggage and began leading the way.
"Mmhmm."
Lynelle nodded obediently. "And you're… Chief Ragna?"
"Just Ragna is fine, no need to be so formal."
Ragna gave a soft smile. "Besides, since you were referred by Teacher Lixue, we aren't exactly strangers, are we? If you'd also studied under Teacher Lixue, I suppose I could even be considered your senior?"
"Senior… Ahem, let's not go that far. I never actually studied under Senior Lixue, so I'll just call you Big Sister Ragna."
Lynelle hurriedly switched to the new form of address.
Mainly, given the plans Otto might be carrying out in Oceania, being called 'senior' felt… somehow unlucky. She really didn't want Ragna to end up as Ra/gna!
"That's fine too, whatever you're comfortable with." Ragna's smile was easy.
"The Oceania branch isn't big on formalities. I've only been in charge here for less than a year, after all. Since you're new, you'll probably need to go register your information later…"
The airport Lynelle had landed at seemed quite a distance from the branch.
By the time Ragna had finished explaining the local benefits and living arrangements, their private car showed no sign of stopping. Seizing the rare quiet moment, a curious Lynelle began asking about Ragna's past.
"Big Sister Ragna, before I came, I heard you used to be the captain of the Valkyrie Assault Squad?"
"That was all a long time ago."
Ragna replied cheerfully. "Back then, Schicksal was short-handed, still recovering from the heavy losses of the Second Honkai Eruption."
"The Assault Squad shouldered a heavy burden, which made us seem more prominent than we were. In truth, we weren't as powerful as the rumors made us out to be—certainly nowhere near the current Immortal Blades."
"Besides, the team's final mission… didn't end very well."
"Final mission?"
"Yes, you've probably heard of it—the aftermath of the S-rank Knight, Siegfried's, defection."
Ragna let out a sigh. "The Overseer ordered us to apprehend Siegfried and eliminate the threat of the Second Herrscher in its cradle. But I not only failed to complete either objective, I also led the entire Assault Squad into a devastating situation."
"Many of my sisters had to take early retirement due to excessive radiation exposure… Though in a way, that might have actually extended their lives. I was willing to bear the consequences for that failure, so I resigned voluntarily."
"Fortunately, the Overseer recognized the Assault Squad's contributions. All members, retired or not, received generous benefits. And while I lost my chance at promotion to S-rank Valkyrie, once the disciplinary period ended, the Overseer assigned me to the education system."
"It's only been this past year that I was promoted and assigned here to Oceania."
"Oh…"
Lynelle couldn't help but mentally mark down another black mark against Otto.
This guy, he just wrings every last bit of use out of anyone capable, doesn't he?
A Valkyrie as decorated as Ragna, and that scumbag Otto just tosses her out to Oceania to be used as lab fodder. Isn't he afraid that Durandal and Rita might just snap and turn on him?
"Ah, we're here."
Noticing the scenery outside had shifted to the familiar architecture of a Schicksal branch, Ragna brought the car to a stop.
"I've already explained the reporting process to you, but since it's the weekend, many offices are probably closed. You can take your time and complete the procedures over the next couple of days."
"Anyway, your main job is to look after Wendy's daily needs. As for that psychological monitoring assignment… consider that a leftover issue from before my time here. Just ignore it. Wendy isn't the way she used to be anymore."
"The way she used to be? Has Wendy's situation changed before?"
Lynelle feigned curiosity as she asked.
"Well…"
Ragna thought for a moment, then smiled. "Never mind, it's fine to tell you. Just don't spread it around."
"Before I arrived, the Oceania branch was practically rotten to the core. And as an important test subject, as well as a former A-rank Valkyrie… you absolutely wouldn't believe what Wendy's circumstances were like before. Let's just say… it's a good thing I brought my own battlesuit when I came."
"Huh?"
The corner of Lynelle's mouth twitched.
"Big Sister Ragna, don't tell me you…"
"Shh—"
Ragna made an adorable 'keep it quiet' gesture. "Special circumstances call for special measures, after all. I'm usually very gentle, you know."
"Anyway, after I… 'cleaned house' from top to bottom, the number of personnel left couldn't even maintain basic operations. So I simply recruited a batch directly from my former students. They're all good girls. With everyone pulling together, the Oceania branch was back to normal in no time."
"Big Sister Ragna, you're really amazing."
Lynelle gave a sincere thumbs-up. "As expected of the senior who taught two S-rank Valkyries."
"Precisely because of that, I dared to… ahem, carry out such a large-scale personnel reduction. After all, the person in charge of that area at Schicksal headquarters is Rita. Being her teacher does come with certain… conveniences."
"Oh dear, I think I might have said a bit too much. And I still have work to attend to today…"
Ragna glanced at her terminal, then looked up. "Any other questions? If not, I'll be on my way."
"Hmm…"
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.