"Is that so? I roughly understand."
Himeko no longer sounded drowsy after listening to the report. "Then, let's look at this one. Hello, Miss Irene, correct?"
"Yes, hello." Irene nodded toward Himeko's image on the tablet. "May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Himeko." Himeko nodded back in a friendly manner. "Thank you very much, Miss Irene, for providing assistance to my lovely Academy Principal at a critical moment."
Although Theresa tried her best to conceal the fact that she had screwed up, how could Himeko not hear it? After all, nearly two days had passed.
According to Theresa's account, it sounded as if the mission was completed in just a few minutes. Unless Theresa had spent two whole days slacking off in Nagazora City before finally looking for the Pseudo-Herrscher, then there was only one explanation: Theresa had failed once, and only resolved the issue after resting and regrouping.
However, some things were better left unsaid once guessed. Her salary for this month hadn't been issued yet, and she didn't want to lose her wages just because of a slip of the tongue.
As for this Irene, who suddenly popped up claiming to be from the Sea of Quanta... the other party was quite open about her identity. Besides, no one would likely use an explanation that offered them so little benefit if it weren't true, right?
Verification was actually quite simple. Just checking this person's identity information would suffice. If she really came from the Sea of Quanta, there would definitely be no records of her identity or life prior to this.
After all, if she wasn't from this world, how could such records exist? And Schicksal's intelligence network was number one in the world; if even they couldn't find an identity, it could basically be confirmed as non-existent.
Of course, there was another possibility: that she was a spy sent by Anti-Entropy. But such a thing couldn't be confirmed directly and would require observation.
However...
Himeko's gaze settled on the cat ears still twitching atop Irene's head. Surely no one would have a spy infiltrate with such obvious distinguishing features.
"Regarding your identity, some verification is still required," Himeko looked at Irene solemnly, before her tone suddenly shifted. "But I should be able to welcome you aboard in advance."
"Perhaps later, we shall be colleagues."
"That would be wonderful." After a moment of silence, a smile appeared on Irene's face. "Teacher... Himeko?"
"I think we will get along very happily." Himeko smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Theresa. "I'll send someone to pick you up immediately."
With that done, the tablet was turned off. Theresa breathed a sigh of relief, then turned her head. For some reason, she glanced toward Irene, who was looking into the distance.
"Done. We just have to wait here now. Oh, right..."
"Welcome to joining St. Freya." Theresa wore a smile on her face. Irene's combat power was sufficient to confront a Pseudo-Herrscher head-on; at the very least, she was judged to be A-rank. This was enough to be considered a pillar of strength.
As long as there were no issues with Irene's identity, this was all benefit and no harm for them.
"Oh." Irene seemed to wake from a dream, turning back to smile and nod. She then reached out and pressed her hand to her chest. Amidst a flash of light, Irene reverted to her original silver-haired appearance.
Since her Honkai Resistance had reached a level sufficient to survive in this vicinity, there was no need for Irene to maintain the possessed state. After all, regardless of the form, there were risks involved.
If the Cat's card was used for too long, her body might undergo quantization, and unlike before, it might not recover after a period of time.
It was the same with Kallen. Mainly, if she used Kallen's abilities, she would be affected by the Power of Binding after releasing the possession, or potentially eroded by Honkai energy—though fortunately, the two forces would fight each other.
So, even though her Honkai Resistance was previously at a 'Poor' level, as long as she didn't use it for a long time, the problem wasn't big. But none of that was the biggest issue with Kallen's card.
The biggest issue was that the card was Kallen.
At this point in time, Irene did not wish to be overly scrutinized by a certain blonde man. She still had many things to do right now, and being watched too closely by that individual would not be a good thing.
As for using Kallen's identity to persuade Otto, that was also unlikely. Otto was lucid—very lucid. He did not need a substitute or an isotope.
What he wanted to save was always, and only, his Kallen.
Of course, if he clearly knew that in a branch of this world, he had actually saved Kallen, he would certainly be happy, and he would indeed grant Irene some preferential treatment. But this preferential treatment and the attention attached to it were exactly what Irene did not want.
The time to fish for attention and perks had not yet arrived; she still needed a bit of hidden time.
"What were you looking at just now, Irene?" Theresa also turned to look in the direction Irene had been staring. Apart from the ruins hidden in the darkness, there seemed to be nothing there.
"Nothing. Perhaps I was just looking at a raven hidden in the dark." Irene smiled, then walked toward the bench set up on the rooftop.
"I imagine you'll need some time. Why not take a rest? Don't just stand there."
"Oh, true enough." Theresa responded while looking back at the dark ruins. "Can you even see a crow in such late weather?"
"Of course you can, as long as one is there." Irene nodded. Although she had only noticed because Pardo and Kallen reminded her that something over there seemed to be watching them.
However, that didn't stop her from using it to act cool. Moreover, she had roughly guessed who would be watching her from over there.
[Is it really okay not to tell Theresa?] Kallen's voice echoed in Irene's mind. [There might be another survivor there.]
[No need.] Irene shook her head within her mind. [There are very few survivors in this city. Most have been rescued. We don't need to worry about that side.]
The survivors who might still be in Nagazora City at this moment were likely Sora and the others. They were all semi-Stigmata Awakened. It wasn't that they couldn't evacuate Nagazora City, but rather that they needed the Honkai energy of Nagazora to maintain their physical state.
Of course, this wasn't absolute. Certain drugs could induce their Stigmata to fully awaken, but Schicksal did not possess such technology. Currently, only World Serpent could provide it.
Rather than letting Schicksal conduct research—and have them stuck in such a Honkai-infested environment until a solution was found—it was better to let them remain under the wings of the World Serpent.
This way, at least later on, they could become complete Stigmata Awakened and break free from their dependency on Honkai energy.
[I understand.] Kallen nodded with some hesitation. If it were the old her, she would likely have disregarded everything and insisted on sending those children to a safe place.
But now, after experiencing certain events, Kallen also understood that not all straightforward acts of salvation could protect everyone.
[But Irene-nee, why are they staring at us?] The Cat's attention seemed to still be focused on the dark ruins. [Did they discover us by chance, or are they enemies?]
[Where would there be enemies?] Irene shook her head. The current global situation looked like Anti-Entropy and Schicksal bombing each other while fighting the Honkai on the side, plus World Serpent accumulating power in the dark, waiting for their Lord to return.
But in reality, the big shots all knew that only the Honkai was their ultimate enemy. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were hereditary enemies, but as long as the conditions were reasonable—or rather, once Otto died—the two sides could merge immediately.
If one really had to say it, it was just a difference in philosophy. Even the World Serpent, which would appear later looking like the big villain, essentially just wanted humanity to survive the Honkai.
Their true enemy was, and always would be, only one. Irene looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
Meanwhile, amidst the dark ruins.
"Did you see it, Gray Serpent?" A voice spoke into a room on the school rooftop.
Dressed in all black, Raven held her sniper rifle in her arms, looking tense as she conversed with another person through her earpiece.
"Yes, I saw it." A somewhat mechanical tone came from the earpiece, but it couldn't mask the tremor in the other party's voice, nor the tone that sounded as if he had seen a ghost.
"Hey, Gray Serpent." Raven hugged the sniper rifle. "The features were so obvious it couldn't be any clearer, right? I couldn't have mistaken it, could I?"
"You did not mistake it. That was indeed the appearance of Lord Reverie." Gray Serpent's tone gradually steadied, but it still carried an unrestrained astonishment.
According to the records, Lord Reverie should have died while executing the plan. Could it just be someone who looked very similar?
But the features of Lord Reverie came from MANTIS technology. Furthermore, there were no records of Lord Reverie leaving behind a Stigmata, legacy, or even a bloodline.
And if a completely identical person simply appeared, perhaps it could be explained by resemblance or coincidence. But there was no way to explain why Lord Reverie would suddenly change into a completely unfamiliar appearance.
Was it a coincidence? A disguise? Or some other reason?
Right now, Gray Serpent felt as if his brain was about to fry. He completely couldn't understand what had happened.
"Hey, Gray Serpent, what exactly should we do?"
Just then, hearing Raven's voice again, Gray Serpent sighed. Regardless of whether it was really her or not...
Since she wore that face and had cat ears atop her head, they could not ignore her. The weight of a Lord was simply too heavy for them.
However, Gray Serpent also understood that if they told Lord Reverie what they were planning to do, Lord Reverie would certainly disagree. But... what if?
Thus, Gray Serpent finally spoke: "maintain observation for the time being. Confirm whether it is truly her. If it is, we will selectively make contact and inform Lord Reverie of our undertaking."
"Alright then." Raven hung up the communication and turned her head to look through the window at the rooftop. "Sigh, looks like the wind is picking up again lately. Another old fossil has popped up."
Raven shook her head. Forget it. For a mercenary like her, the more chaotic things were, the more beneficial it was for her. Besides, the one who really had to have a headache over this was Gray Serpent.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't I ask Gray Serpent for another sum of money? This counts as important intelligence." Raven's figure, clutching the sniper rifle, gradually vanished into the darkness.
The entire city fell into silence once more, until the sound of rotors came from the sky. On the rooftop, the two who were huddled together dozing off heard the rotors and looked up.
Theresa rubbed her eyes adorably, looking sleepily at the Schicksal drone flying toward them. "Ah, it's here."
The drone flew slowly overhead, hovering above the two. The rear hatch opened, seemingly waiting for them to enter.
Irene covered her eyes; the dust kicked up by the rotors made it hard for her to keep them open. Theresa, on the other hand, seemed used to it. She hoisted up Judah, which had been placed by the bench, and leaped up vigorously, landing perfectly inside the cargo hold.
After jumping up, Theresa realized Irene hadn't jumped up with her. She turned back, leaned down, and shouted at the ground, "Jump up! This rooftop isn't suitable for the drone to land!"
The corner of Irene's mouth twitched. Although she couldn't hear clearly what Theresa was shouting due to the rotor noise, looking at Theresa's movements, Irene could roughly guess that Theresa was telling her to jump.
But without transforming, her combat power was maybe enough to fight a goose. How could she possibly jump that high?
Irene sighed, shouting toward the sky and waving her hand. "Come down and pick me up! I can't jump that high!"
"Eh?" With Theresa's S-rank Valkyrie hearing, she heard clearly what Irene shouted, even through the roar of the rotors.
Somewhat confused, Theresa tilted her head, but she honestly jumped back down and picked Irene up into the drone. Once both were aboard, the drone slowly closed the rear hatch, isolating the noisy rotor sound outside.
Theresa placed Judah in a corner and looked at Irene with curiosity. "With your combat power, surely you aren't at a level where you can't jump up here?"
It wasn't as if Theresa hadn't seen the battle against the Pseudo-Herrscher earlier. How could someone with the strength to lift Judah not be able to jump this little height?
"My strength comes entirely from after I transform. Before transforming, I am just an ordinary person." Irene shook her head. She had to explain this matter clearly.
Because she would have to coordinate in combat or participate in training later, she couldn't let others overestimate her combat power. Otherwise, problems might arise.
If someone misjudged her ability during training and punched her untransformed self, given a Valkyrie's combat power, that Valkyrie might end up kneeling on the ground begging her not to die.
"I see." Theresa nodded with a look of realization. "Hmm, then I definitely can't let you be a combat instructor. That won't do at all."
"I know." Irene nodded. "I was surrounded by danger in the Sea of Quanta, so I spent most of my time in a possessed state, constantly wandering. How would I have time to train my main body?"
"Is that so?" Theresa nodded, adding another layer to her impression of Irene in her mind: a wanderer who had been constantly drifting through the perilous Sea of Quanta.
Having clarified this point, Theresa didn't say anything more, fearing that every extra word might make Irene recall the pain of the Sea of Quanta.
The silence lasted until the drone gradually slowed down. The tightly closed hatch slowly opened, revealing the sunlight outside. Theresa hurriedly shouldered Judah, a smile appearing on her face as she pointed outside.
"Well then, welcome to St. Freya."
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