"Bronya, we've arrived." Himeko entered the sickroom and called out to Bronya. Kiana and Mei were still unconscious, having been carried off the Hyperion and sent to another sickroom within St. Freya Academy.
"Okay, Himeko Au... Sister," Bronya stood up, subconsciously wanting to call her Aunt, but upon seeing Himeko's suddenly darkened expression and clenched fist, Bronya wisely changed her address.
Following Himeko off the Hyperion, Bronya also saw the entrance to St. Freya Academy.
If someone asked Bronya for her first impression of St. Freya Academy, Bronya would answer without hesitation: "Luxurious."
Walls like white jade, round arches, teaching buildings resembling a castle... Flowerbeds were planted along both sides of the road, carrying a faint floral fragrance. Bronya even spotted a fountain.
There were Valkyrie reservists coming and going all around. Upon seeing Himeko, they would greet her affectionately, "Teacher Himeko."
It was clear that Himeko held high favor and respect among the students.
Of course, Bronya ignored the curious gazes of the surrounding students, merely clutching the Homu doll tighter in her arms. As for the pity that flashed in their eyes upon seeing the Auxiliary Exoskeleton Armor on her legs... Bronya didn't care.
"Heh, finally back?" In the Headmaster's office, Himeko pushed open the door and brought Bronya inside, whereupon a delicate, childish voice rang out.
Bronya looked left and right, finding no one, feeling slightly confused. Was this a remote communication? Just as she was thinking this, the short nun walked out from behind the desk.
Bronya looked at the little nun who was about her height and fell silent, then turned to Himeko, her voice devoid of inflection sounding out: "Can Bronya report you for employing child labor?"
"I am an adult!" Theresa glared at Bronya indignantly; she knew this would happen! Theresa slapped her Identification Document onto the desk. Bronya picked it up and glanced at it—yes, she was an adult, and quite an old one at that.
"My apologies, Ms. Theresa." Bronya looked at Theresa expressionlessly. Seeing Bronya apologize, Theresa waved her hand, magnanimously letting the matter drop. She walked back behind the desk, bounced onto the chair, revealing only half her head as she looked at Himeko and Bronya, starting the conversation...
...
Inside Kiana's consciousness space, Verna was driving a jeep, chasing after the fleeing Kiana and shouting angrily.
"Don't run, Kiana! You are forbidden to run! Charge toward the jeep!"
"This is too dangerous! I don't understand, Sister! This is too dangerous!" Kiana looked back at the jeep with a terrified expression. Was this training or murder?!
"Less nonsense! This is to overcome fear! Ram into it! Don't run!" Verna drove the jeep, her mouth nearly splitting ear to ear. Tormenting others was this satisfying!
"I don't want, Sister!" Kiana dodged frantically. Even in consciousness space, one could feel pain!
Meanwhile in the outside world, Mei had awakened and saw a child sitting in a chair, with a giant cross resting beside her?
"Um, excuse me..." Mei spoke hesitantly, but Theresa jumped down from the chair first.
"I am Theresa. Hello, Mei. Due to the nature of your identity, I cannot offer you favorable treatment. Could you please wait in the Confinement Room for a while? Once Kiana wakes up, I will take her to see you." Theresa's request was perfectly reasonable. Raiden Mei recalled the terror of a Herrscher, shuddered slightly, and nodded.
She had already harmed too many people; the fact that she wasn't killed immediately and had time to say goodbye to Kiana was already something she felt extremely fortunate and grateful for.
After Raiden Mei was taken away, Theresa continued to look at Kiana, her gaze complex—containing nostalgia, hesitation, tenderness... as well as anger and hatred.
"Kiana... It really has been a long time..." Theresa gently stroked Kiana's face. Her twin braids had been undone, and she was now wearing a patient's gown.
Kiana resembled Cecilia so much that it caused Theresa a moment of trance.
"Siegfried... that irresponsible bastard, actually abandoning you alone..." Theresa gently held Kiana's hand, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction toward Siegfried.
Time jumped to the next day. Kiana finally escaped from hell. She opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling... Wait, an unfamiliar ceiling?!
Kiana sat up with a swift flip, her body already recovered, so she didn't need to worry about vigorous movements causing her injuries to relapse.
"Where is this place? Who are you?" Kiana stared at the only short person in the infirmary without letting down her guard.
Although she had no weapon in hand, Kiana estimated the gap between them—in terms of physique alone, she had a slight advantage. However, looking at the golden cross the short person was sitting on, she became a little uncertain.
"Heh, you're finally awake? Sleeping Beauty," Theresa supported her cheek with one hand, looking at Kiana teasingly. Kiana could sense that the other party didn't seem malicious.
"Where is this, brat?" Kiana slightly relaxed her body and asked Theresa, but unexpectedly, calling her a brat made Theresa's face turn red with anger.
"Brat!" Theresa looked at Kiana, not expecting that the first thing her niece would say upon reuniting was to show her such disrespect. In that case, she would teach Kiana what respecting the old and cherishing the young... respecting one's elders meant!
Theresa snapped her fingers. Oath of Judah, which she was sitting on, opened, and the golden spear tip dragged a rope that shot out, coiling toward Kiana.
Kiana's expression changed. She hadn't expected a sudden attack. She flipped off the bed and stood on the ground barefoot, constantly dodging the ropes.
'No good, there are too many, and the room is too small. I'll be caught eventually...' Kiana was thinking of a way to break the deadlock, unaware that Theresa was not expecting Kiana to dodge her Judah.
'A little interesting.' Theresa looked at Kiana, feeling the urge to test her. The spear tips emerging from Oath of Judah dragged chains, and their speed increased again.
'No choice then, I have to get serious!' Kiana's expression shifted. She held her left fist diagonally across her chest and shouted, "Hens..."
"She is your Aunt!" In the mental space, Verna interrupted Kiana's transformation attempt. Kiana was slightly stunned and was perfectly bound by the chains.
"You little brat, who are you calling a brat?" Seeing Kiana bound, Theresa leaped like a frog in front of her, cleared her throat, and introduced herself: "I am Theresa Apocalypse, the person in charge of the Far East Branch of Schicksal."
Theresa's lips curved upward, then she spread out both hands, her voice carrying a hint of pride: "And, I am also St. Freya Principal"
After speaking, Theresa lowered her hands, placed one on her hip, and lightly tapped Kiana's forehead with the other, saying with disappointment, "Not even using a polite address, and recklessly barging into a Honkai area, are you hoping to get noticed by your father?"
"Then, do you know where my stinky dad is?" Although Verna said this little brat was her Aunt... looking at the height, it didn't seem like it. Unless she was a dwarf?
"He is in a very dangerous place. If you go now with your current strength, it would be suicide," Theresa stated bluntly. Of course, how much of that was true was up to the interpretation.
Kiana was somewhat unconvinced. Although she wasn't strong enough, she had the Herrscher form.
"Are you relying on the gems inside you?" Theresa's voice suddenly turned cold when she mentioned this. She looked at Kiana and said, "Placing all your hope on someone else, is that your mindset?"
"It's not!" Kiana became agitated. She was not that kind of person!
"Then, I have a good proposal~" Theresa smiled again and approached Kiana, saying, "Join St. Freya Academy, how about it?"