In the intensive care unit, Mei hadn't yet returned from notifying the others. Seizing the opportunity, Kiana and Kyuusyou continued sharing information.
"Speaking of exams, there's probably a practical combat test too..." Kiana mused, attempting to move her weakened body.
"Don't move around so much! You'll fall out of bed. Your limbs are just a bit numb from lying still for too long..."
Kyuusyou stood up and gently pressed Kiana back onto the bed.
"As for the combat test, it's been rescheduled for the day after tomorrow because an S-rank Valkyrie from Headquarters is coming to observe. You have plenty of time to recover."
"An S-rank Valkyrie? Is it Miss Rita?" Kiana asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Exactly, Rita Rossweisse, the vice-captain of the Immortal Blades. It seems Snow has already mentioned her to you."
"Yes, she said Miss Rita would be bringing a... uh, an Armed Puppet?"
"Uh... an Armed Puppet housing Benares's consciousness."
Kiana scratched her head, looking uncertain.
"Do you really think Miss Rita can bring that thing here...?"
"We don't need to worry about Rita, Kiana. Don't underestimate the capabilities of a maid."
Kyuusyou waved her hand dismissively, seemingly confident in the maid's abilities.
"By the way, the Armed Puppet carrying Benares' consciousness... You've finally decided to reconcile with your other self, haven't you?"
Kyuusyou's eyes gleamed with amusement as she studied the white-haired girl lying on the hospital bed.
"Of course..."
Kiana paused, then nodded firmly.
"Forget it. It's your own affair. I have no right to interfere."
Kyuusyou waved her hand indifferently and moved on to the next topic.
"The Fourth Herrscher will be born shortly after this exam concludes. I can sense it—the Honkai energy around New Zealand is already beginning to surge..."
"Then what about Miss Wendy...?"
Kiana's expression turned conflicted, caught between two difficult choices.
"You want to save Wendy, but you can't reveal any special abilities right now. Without borrowing the Herrscher of the Void's power, you can't possibly handle such a chaotic situation. Am I right?"
Kyuusyou noticed Kiana's distress and pointed it out directly.
"Exactly. If the future Snow foresaw and showed us comes to pass... just as Bronya is about to succeed, Cocolia will control her, causing our efforts to fail."
"And by the time Miss Wendy realizes what's happening, it will already be too late."
The thought of that Anti-Entropy vixen made Kiana's fists clench instantly.
"Cocolia... she's a real problem. We can't just dig the bio-control chip out of Bronya right now..."
"Wait... didn't you say Rita would bring Benares' Armed Puppet?"
Kyuusyou struck her right fist against her left palm, an idea forming.
"Kyuusyou, do you have a plan...?" Kiana asked, looking at the purple-haired girl with anticipation.
"Of course. While Rita can bring that Dragon Girl, we can't exactly parade that thing around in public. After all, the Armed Puppet only makes Benares slightly less conspicuous."
"But missions are different. That puppet is likely Snow's modification of an Armed Puppet from the previous era. At full power, its destructive capabilities rival those of an S-rank Valkyrie. And if Bella controls it with her own consciousness, the puppet should be able to absorb Honkai energy on its own."
"We'll toss her onto Cocolia's ship and let them scramble around, buying us time. And don't forget what Theresa will inevitably do..."
"Your dear Auntie truly is a riot! She just straight-up sold your sister out... Pfft—"
Kyuusyou's face remained taut as she desperately suppressed a laugh, but her composure finally cracked.
"Oh, right, Sister... Is it really okay for Auntie to sell out her teammate like that?!"
"What's there to worry about? Your sister can knock out a Titan with just a few punches. Defeat is impossible for her."
Kyuusyou rolled her eyes and continued:
"What we really need to consider is Wendy... or rather, the Fourth Herrscher. Relying entirely on prophecy or this so-called 'script' isn't a good idea. Ever heard of the butterfly effect, Kiana?"
"Hmm... A butterfly fluttering its wings in the Amazon rainforest in South America could, two weeks later, trigger a tornado in Texas, USA."
"Kyuusyou, are you saying we've become this butterfly?" Kiana asked, her brow furrowed in thought as she turned to Houraiji Kyuusyou beside her.
"Exactly. If the original future was a calm, undisturbed surface of water, then we—now aware of the past and future—are the butterfly flapping its wings."
"Though we've tried our best to maintain the original calm, even Snow has retreated into the Sea of Quanta for this purpose, the wings have already stirred... and ripples are inevitable."
"Schicksal's support will still be your sister—that much remains unchanged. She's the strongest Valkyrie of this era, leaving Schicksal Headquarters with no other choice."
"The Anti-Entropy faction trying to intercept and capture the Fourth Herrscher will still be Cocolia's faction. The moderate members, your Auntie, and we are allies—they would never sabotage us."
"That leaves the Fourth Herrscher herself as the only wild card... Our only saving grace is that the Herrscher's Vessel has already been anchored to Wendy by the Gem of Desire, rather than some random selection..."
Kyuusyou explained to the girl lying in bed the potential changes that might occur in the future, reminding her companion of the precautions they should take as members of this secret alliance, which was no longer quite so "small."
"So, you're saying Miss Wendy might not be as easily persuaded as the Prophecy suggests? She might even deviate completely from the future we envisioned?" Kiana pondered, lost in thought.
"Exactly. The Herrscher of Wind, Wendy, might be nothing like the person you remember..." Kyuusyou nodded, muttering under her breath as if recalling something:
"Just please don't let her be that purely chaotic prankster..."
The purple-haired girl thought of a certain joyful wind woman and her lips twitched.
"Kyuusyou, what are you muttering about? Weren't we supposed to continue discussing Wendy?" Kiana asked, puzzled by the sudden distraction, trying to bring her back to the conversation.
"Oh... right, let's continue—"