"Grandfather… I'm no longer a Valkyrie of Schicksal. I'm the principal of St. Freya Academy now."
Theresa Apocalypse—
A petite girl with long white hair and a delicate face.
She shared Otto's surname.
And even addressed him as "Grandfather."
But her tone—
Was far from warm.
"I know."
Otto maintained his gentle smile, as if indulging a rebellious child.
"But if you—or your beloved St. Freya Academy—ever run into trouble, you must tell me, alright?"
"Even if you're no longer part of Schicksal… you're still my dear granddaughter."
"As your grandfather, helping you is only natural."
Theresa said nothing.
She simply looked at him.
Seeing this, Otto continued calmly.
"This time, I contacted you to inform you of something."
"About K423."
"…What happened to her?"
"You promised me—you wouldn't harm her. If you go back on your word, I'll take the Hyperion and—"
"Now, now. No need to get worked up."
Otto raised a hand lightly.
"She's currently in the Far East, outside Schicksal's control."
"Very close to your location."
"But her situation… isn't very good."
"Siegfried Kaslana has gone missing."
"And the girl is now wandering the streets alone."
"Don't you want to help her?"
"How could Siegfried go missing?!"
"And you've been monitoring her—?!"
Theresa's emotions surged.
She spoke a name—
Very different from "K423."
Yet both referred to the same person.
Kiana Kaslana.
Otto showed no reaction.
To him—
A tool gaining a human name—
Especially one given by her "father"—
Was… interesting.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
A trace of mockery toward "humanity."
But he suppressed it.
"Siegfried's disappearance has nothing to do with me."
"That was his own doing."
"As for K423… well, Kiana."
"Do you really think a minor girl traveling alone across continents—buying a flight from Europe to the Far East—would go unnoticed?"
"If not for my assistance, she wouldn't have been able to move so freely."
"And now, she's in Nagazora City."
"As you once requested, I have not stationed Schicksal personnel in the Far East."
"So her current condition—"
"I don't know."
"But she probably hasn't starved yet."
"After all… it's only been a day and a half."
"A day and a half already?!"
Theresa's face showed clear concern.
Otto watched her reaction—
And smiled.
Meaningfully.
"It seems you have urgent matters to attend to."
"Let's end our conversation here."
"My dear granddaughter…"
"When you grow tired of playing, remember—"
"Schicksal's doors are always open to you."
The call ended.
Inside the principal's office at St. Freya Academy—
Theresa jumped down from her chair.
Literally.
The chair—
Was too tall for her.
If she sat properly, her feet wouldn't touch the ground.
But if she used a smaller chair—
Her head wouldn't clear the desk.
The only real solution—
Was to replace everything with child-sized furniture.
But that would completely destroy her authority as principal.
So—
Absolutely not.
St. Freya Academy—
Once known as Schicksal's Far East Branch.
After Theresa broke away due to her dissatisfaction with Otto—
It became an independent school.
A special school.
For training Valkyries.
And despite its independence—
It still had access to a vast amount of Schicksal's data.
Very quickly—
Theresa confirmed through airport records—
Otto wasn't lying.
Kiana had indeed arrived in Nagazora City.
Her first instinct—
Was to bring Kiana back.
To protect her.
But—
She soon rejected that idea.
St. Freya Academy—
Was still, at its core—
A place that trained Valkyries.
And Valkyries—
Rarely met a good end.
Most people lacked talent.
But becoming a Valkyrie required talent.
And Schicksal needed powerful Valkyries.
So—
A solution was created.
Artificial Stigmata.
Based on ancient bloodlines—
Researched, replicated, modified.
They granted:
Combat aptitudeStrengthHonkai adaptability
But at a cost.
A heavy one.
A drastically shortened lifespan.
Dying in one's twenties—
Was common.
And even that—
Was considered lucky.
Because most Valkyries—
Died in battle before that.
Honkai—
Was a disaster for all humanity.
A force driving civilization toward destruction.
Fighting it—
With individual strength—
Was nearly impossible.
Even elite A-rank—
Or S-rank Valkyries—
Could not guarantee survival.
Theresa—
Would never allow Kiana to walk that path.
She made her decision.
She would go to Nagazora City.
Observe Kiana—
In secret.
And then—
Find a way to place her in an ordinary school.
To let her live—
A normal life.
Carefree.
Safe.
Like a regular girl.