While Cocolia and her forces were being unilaterally toyed with by Bella and Huginn, Kiana's group was rapidly advancing toward their designated rendezvous point. However, Wendy's wheelchair slowed their progress considerably.
Huginn's side has started to act... Soon, Cocolia will be backed into a corner, forcing her to take control of Bronya. Then she'll deploy the Titan Mecha to be smashed to pieces by all of us.
When that happens, she'll at least try to take Bronya back. Use that as a pretext to bring up the Gem of Desire. Let her snatch it from you. Got it, Wendy?
Muninn communicated telepathically with Wendy, openly plotting.
Got it, got it! Just watch my performance. But... is it really okay to keep this from the others?
Wendy glanced at Muninn, then motioned with her mouth toward Kiana and her two companions nearby.
Kiana's known all along what Bronya will do. Raiden Mei is just here to cook now—it doesn't matter. And Bronya... well, she's about to be forced to reveal herself as the wolf anyway.
Muninn rolled her eyes at Wendy.
I feel like Miss Bronya is a bit pitiful.
It's still too early to say. Cocolia's fleet is currently stationed southeast of here. When you get there, strip their ships down to the handbrake and make them sail back like that.
Anyway, they're going to rescue Bronya eventually. You can just join them then.
Couldn't we just knock Miss Bronya unconscious and figure things out later? She looks like she's really struggling inside right now.
Wendy gazed at Bronya, noticing the hidden resistance beneath her calm expression, and felt a pang of sympathy.
What good would knocking her out do? It'll just happen again—and again. We need her to make a genuine decision for herself. St. Freya's Cathedral has plenty of Schicksal's underground brain science techniques for saving people. Even if she fries the biological chip in her head, we can bring her back. Besides, I'm here with Huginn. What's the panic?
Fine... time for my performance. How come it feels like our entire group is full of actors?
Wendy shrugged and began plotting how to start off by taking out the Gem of Desire hidden on her person.
Isn't that the truth? That white-haired Kaslana girl with the single ponytail acted so cluelessly, I almost believed her myself.
Alright, everyone's an Oscar-worthy actor. Watch my performance.
...Wendy and Muninn's conspicuous planning ended there.
-
"Hmm, Miss Kiana, if you've come to rescue me, there must be another mission or quest you're undertaking, right? A disabled person like me hardly warrants a Valkyrie Squad's dedicated rescue effort."
Wendy gazed softly at Kiana, who was leading the way, a hint of confusion on her face.
"Uh... well, it's just that..." Kiana stammered, her expression growing awkward as she struggled to find the right words.
"It's alright, Miss Kiana," Wendy reassured her. "Just say it. I... I don't mind."
Wendy, observing Kiana's conflicted expression, seemed to grasp the situation and sighed deeply.
"Ah... we're searching for the Gem of Desire. Several weeks ago, the Far East Branch recovered an Anti-Entropy-style aerial battleship called the Moonlight Throne from Canghai City. It mentioned four key artifacts."
"One of those artifacts, according to the Intelligence and Research Departments' deductions, is the Gem of Desire... the very thing you're holding, Miss Wendy... Holding!?!?"
Kiana's eyes widened as she stared at the emerald-green gem. Wendy was currently retrieving it from a crevice in her white gown, and it now lay quietly in the girl's palm.
"Hmm... So Miss Kiana was looking for this...?" Wendy's voice carried a mix of curiosity and urgency.
"Wait a minute! Wasn't the Gem of Desire implanted in your thigh during Schicksal's experiments, Wendy?" Kiana stared in disbelief at the object in the green-haired girl's hand—something that shouldn't even exist here. Before Wendy could explain, an emergency communication came through on Kiana's private channel.
"Kiana, have you found Wendy? I'm detecting a massive storm forming..." Kyuusyou's voice crackled urgently through the channel.
"Uh, Kyuusyou? We've already found Miss Wendy. She's stable for now, but..."
The white-haired girl's words were cut off by Kyuusyou's frantic tone—
"Found her? What does she look like? Give me a quick description... Then I'll advise you whether to ditch her and run or have the whole team grab onto a pillar! That storm's heading straight for your location!"
"Uh, green hair with some golden ornaments, wearing a white evening gown-like dress with golden accessories... a golden thigh ring on her right leg... and two ankle bracelets. Also... Emmm... Compared to Wendy in Himeko's photos, the Wendy we're seeing now... seems a bit too developed for her age..."
Kiana stepped aside and whispered her report to Kyuusyou, glancing sideways at Wendy seated in her wheelchair.
"... ... ... ..." Silence hung on the other end of the line.
"Speak up, Kyuusyou... what's wrong?" After the prolonged silence, Kiana feared the signal had failed.
"I have bad news..." Kyuusyou finally spoke after an agonizing pause.
"Ah? I actually have some good news here... Never mind, you go first, Kyuusyou."
"The Wendy you're with... she could stand up at any moment and fling you all into the ozone layer—she's a Herrscher, and an incredibly powerful one. Like, so powerful even if your sister activated and stacked every buff, she wouldn't stand a chance..."
"Uh, why?" Kiana visibly froze, startled.
"Are you sure you want to fight a Herrscher whose regular movement speed is measured in Mach? She could just ram through you and send both you sisters flying!"
"Uh... well, I have some good news. Want to hear it?"
"What good news?"
This time, it was Kyuusyou on the other end of the communication line who spoke.
"The Gem of Desire is in Wendy's hands... not embedded in her legs."
"Huh?!"
Kyuusyou was utterly stunned.