"So for now, just lie down for me, Leo! Bro! Bro!"
After saying this, Durandal began to channel Honkai Energy, intending to infuse it into Abyss Flower to complete Leo Ash's treatment.
But upon seeing this, Leo Ash immediately jumped up from the bed and said to Durandal.
"There's no need, really, there's no need!"
"Put that Abyss Flower away!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Leo Ash's words, Durandal paused for a moment, then abruptly cut off the supply of Honkai Energy to the Divine Key.
But although Durandal was stunned, she subconsciously grabbed Leo Ash's arm, preventing him from escaping her sight.
Facing the bewildered girl, Leo Ash could only say with great helplessness.
"I think the medical equipment at HQ is more than enough to treat these injuries of mine."
"Using a Divine Key excessively consumes one's own power, and it can even endanger one's lifespan. What you're doing... is really unnecessary."
*Besides, I can heal myself.*
*You people need to stop this. I can't handle owing so many favors.*
"Huh? You have the nerve to say that?!"
Durandal, who was initially confused, became even angrier upon hearing Leo Ash's words.
"If you don't want me to use Abyss Flower, then stop being so reckless! Get back here and lie down!"
"I don't want to."
*This guy—he's three years older than me, why is he suddenly acting like a petulant child throwing a tantrum for no reason!*
Just as the two entered a tug-of-war, the door to the medical bay was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Durandal, who had just used her brute strength to press Leo Ash back onto the bed, turned to look at the doorway...
"Um... am I interrupting something?"
—Kiana, who had just opened the door, was now standing at the entrance, looking at the two of them with an awkward expression.
One minute ago. Hyperion.
For Miss Kiana, who had just completed her first combat mission, this assignment had thoroughly shown her...
—Just how weak she really was.
Before entering St. Freya High School, Kiana had thought that with her four years of experience as a wanderer, having killed a Honkai Beast in her early teens, she would at least be considered elite upon entering the academy.
However, it was only after entering St. Freya High School that she realized there were always bigger fish in the sea.
She wouldn't even mention her immediate companions, but it turned out that even within the academy, there were some seniors who, by relying on superior combat experience, could fight her to a draw in training battles.
At that time, Kiana had already realized what a huge advantage the Kaslana bloodline gave her, and because of this, she understood just how powerful these seniors who could match her through experience really were.
However, that still wasn't enough for Kiana to clearly recognize her current situation.
During this mission in Jiuyou, everyone was shining.
Yuno could hold off the S-rank Valkyrie, Rita.
Mei could assist Leo Ash in breaking through the defenses of Chiyou's core.
Bronya, with her formidable skills in electronic warfare, broke through Anti-Entropy's blockade of the Schicksal forces' communication systems and even analyzed the location of Chiyou's weak point.
Although Fu Hua didn't seem to have any outstanding performances, she had fulfilled her duty as a leader with her proper command.
Of course, the most outrageous person was still Leo Ash.
He single-handedly destroyed dozens of Titan mechs and delivered the finishing blow to Chiyou's core. When Kiana heard about Leo Ash's performance in this mission, she even heard other members of the Far East Branch's evaluation of him.
She didn't hear the specifics, but she vaguely caught keywords like 'monster', 'S-rank', and 'Durandal'.
Everyone was working hard, so what did Kiana do?
She got scared by Rita and almost dragged everyone down.
What did she do when Chiyou appeared?
She was responsible for getting Rita away from the scene.
To put it bluntly, she was useless in the fight, and her biggest contribution to the mission was escorting a senior who had lost her combat ability away from the scene.
Although theoretically, this was the role of a D-rank Valkyrie on the battlefield, but...
—For Kiana, who had sworn to 'become the strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal', this was a huge blow.
Growth takes time; she certainly understood this simple truth.
But when everyone around her was so exceptional, even if Kiana understood this simple principle, a formless pressure still subconsciously built up within her.
Even Himeko's recent words of comfort and praise just seemed like 'coddling a child' to Kiana.
*Sigh, Dad said he trained hard for two years to defeat an A-rank Valkyrie back then to pursue Mom, but two years...*
*—Everyone is improving, won't I just be left further and further behind?*
At this moment, in the empty corridor, Kiana didn't notice a glint of gold flash across her pupils.
*Power...*
*—I need power!*
But this change in her eye color, which she herself couldn't detect, was over in an instant.
After her pupils returned to their azure blue, Kiana quickly walked towards her destination.
After she had evacuated the battlefield ahead of time and handed Rita over to the support troops, Rita was sent back to Schicksal's central command for treatment by transport plane.
And now, in this infirmary, there was only one unlucky soul who was seriously injured in this operation.
"That senior, he's even worse this time than the last."
"It's bad enough that he's covered in blood, but he even borrowed Mei's power... Overusing Honkai Energy will only shorten his lifespan, he must know that!"
"He goes on and on about being afraid of death, but he acts like this every time, treating everyone like a fool."
"No matter what, I have to give him a good talking-to this time!"
With this thought in mind, Kiana arrived at the entrance of the infirmary.
Perhaps because she was in a hurry, or perhaps because the carefree girl hadn't thought it through, Kiana opened the door without knocking.
And then...
—The girl saw a scene she had never expected appear before her eyes.
Durandal, who shouldn't have been here, was angrily pinning Leo Ash down on the bed.
And Leo Ash, who was currently struggling with a look of unwillingness, was clearly not enjoying the treatment he was receiving.
At this moment, although she had no such thoughts herself, Kiana suddenly found many strange scenarios popping up in her mind.
And what she was very reluctant to admit was that she didn't want to see any of these scenarios happen to Leo Ash!
"Um... am I interrupting something?"
"No, you're just in time!"
Seeing Kiana arrive, Durandal said decisively.
"Hold Leo Ash down for me! I need to treat him!"
"Huh? Treat him???"
Glancing at the still-struggling Leo Ash, Kiana found the scene even more bizarre.
"If it's for treatment, then... alright, I understand."
"Although I don't get what Senior is thinking, seeing him like this, he must be up to no good."
After saying this, Kiana walked over to Leo Ash in a few strides and, relying on the hereditary brute strength of the Kaslana family, pinned him down on the spot.
"I'm telling you—your imaginations are getting more and more out of hand."
After being completely subdued by Kiana, Leo Ash spoke to the two in the fastest possible manner.
"CouldyoupleasestopthinkingthatIdon'tcherishmylifeI'mreallyafraidofdyingdon'tthinkeverydaythatIdon'tcareaboutmybodyandmylifeIjustthinkit'sunnecessarytowastemylifeonusingaDivineKeyforsuchatrivialmatterputtheAbyssFlowerdownnow!"
"No."
After saying this curtly, Durandal once again used the power of Abyss Flower to heal Leo Ash's body.
Bathing in this power, Leo Ash felt his wounds healing rapidly while he watched the girl before him and let out a helpless sigh.
Although Durandal herself stood there as if nothing had happened, her face had not turned pale, and her body was not trembling.
But the momentary loss of focus in her eyes was enough for Leo Ash to know that the girl was not in good shape right now.
Durandal herself was indeed very strong. For her personally, using the power of Abyss Flower once or twice was not a big deal.
But after using Abyss Flower repeatedly in a short period of time, even Theresa back then could see that Cecilia's body might not be able to take it.
And no matter how outstanding Durandal's own strength was, she couldn't completely avoid the consumption brought by the Divine Key.
If she were truly powerful enough to use the power of Abyss Flower recklessly without any harm, then Otto wouldn't have needed to create the lance [Helir of Eternal Silence] for her.
No matter how strong a Pantheon-class weapon was, could it be stronger than the Key of Creation?
It was only because Otto was afraid that Durandal, who was always charging on the front lines, would overexert herself that he created a weapon for her everyday use.
Now that Durandal had done this, all of Leo Ash's injuries were gone, so he didn't need to put on an act for Otto.
He could just say that his injuries were healed by Abyss Flower, and Otto wouldn't be so bored as to check if the wounds on his armor matched up.
But the problem was...
*—You people, being so considerate one by one, you're making things really difficult for me.*
[Difficult? The moment you thought of this word, you felt you were overthinking it.]
[To put it bluntly, you can feel that the two girls in front of you are concerned about you, which is why they chose to use such forceful means to pin you down on the bed.]
[To repay them for their kindness, you have decided...]
[—In the future, you will pin them down on the bed together!]
[Only in this way can you fairly repay the affection they have shown you!]
*Oh, just pinning them on the bed?*
*Although that's also improper, it's relatively restrained compared to what you've said in the past.*
[Some things don't need to be said out loud.]
[If you really pinned them down on the bed, would you do nothing?]
[Hee hee hee, if something like that really happens, this System will definitely laugh at you for three whole days and nights.]
*She's burning her life force to heal me, and you want me to lust after her body.*
*I'm telling you...*
[Hah, after saying that, you suddenly stopped reprimanding this dog of a System.]
[Being the clever person you are, you know very well that right now, who can guarantee...]
[...that the girl in front of you, so considerate towards you, doesn't have such latent desires in her heart.]
At the moment the System finished speaking, Leo Ash saw Durandal's character profile template suddenly pop up in front of him.
[Name: Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina (Kiana Kaslana)]
[Identity: The biological daughter of Siegfried and Cecilia, currently Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, wielder of Abyss Flower, your friend.]
[Current Affection: 55]
[Note: You don't even know what she's thinking, so how dare you presume to know her thoughts?]
*Why is this one so high too???*
[That's why this System said—You don't even know what she's thinking, so how dare you presume to know her thoughts?]
"Alright, treatment's over."
Seeing the suddenly dazed Leo Ash, Kiana waved her hand in front of his face and said with a hint of helplessness.
"With that look in your eyes, was the power of the Divine Key so great that it scrambled your brains, Senior?"
"It's nothing..."
Sighing helplessly, Leo Ash looked at Durandal with a peculiar expression.
And Durandal, having come to her senses, endured the feeling of emptiness spreading through her body and glared back at Leo Ash's gaze without showing any weakness.
"Don't tell me I'm being reckless. In all of Schicksal, you're the only one who has no right to say that to me."
"And just because the Abyss Flower's treatment is over doesn't mean your body is fine."
"Anyway, Lord Bishop Otto wants you to return to HQ to report this time, so after you get back—you, get yourself to the HQ's medical department for a full check-up immediately!"
"Exactly, exactly."
Seeing that Leo Ash, for a rare change, didn't retort, Kiana immediately chimed in from the side.
"Senior, if you keep being so reckless, even if we're physically fine in the future, you'll scare us half to death!"
At this moment, Leo Ash looked at Kiana, then at Bianka, and suddenly found the scene before him incredibly bizarre.
*You two haven't even acknowledged each other yet, you've barely even met...*
*—When on earth did the two of you suddenly become so close?*
..