Weeks later at St. Freya, Bella, having perfectly graduated from Master Rita's tutelage, used strength utterly disproportionate to her petite doll-like frame to drag a bedridden girl from her sheets. She dressed her in meticulously chosen clothes and gently wiped her face with a warm, damp towel.
Bella's flurry of actions banished Kiana's sleepiness entirely. Now fully awake, Kiana sat at the desk in her room, a breakfast prepared by the Dragon Girl waiting before her.
Spearing a piece of sausage and fried egg, the white-haired girl chewed thoughtfully while muttering softly:
"Bella, it's the weekend... Don't you think it's a bit too early?"
Kiana glared at the sun just peeking over the horizon outside her window, her lips twitching as she turned to glare at Bella, who was floating beside her.
"Early...?" Bella tilted her head in confusion, the little tuft of hair on her head twisting into a vivid question mark.
"It's five in the morning! What kind of Valkyrie gets up at five?!" Kiana's voice dripped with disbelief.
"But Teacher Rita said... Lady Kiana, your sister wakes up at 5 AM every day and starts training by 6 AM...?" Bella's confusion was even greater than Kiana's.
The Dragon Girl's answer left the white-haired Knight frozen in her chair.
"My sister wakes up at 5 AM to train... Is Schicksal Headquarters really that competitive?"
"Hmm... Bella doesn't know. Teacher Rita never mentioned Schicksal Headquarters' daily schedule... She only said she wakes up around 4 AM every day to prepare breakfast for Lady Bianca and accompany her during training."
The Dragon Girl scratched her black horn-shaped head ornament, indicating her complete ignorance of the internal competition within Schicksal Headquarters.
"...Miss Rita wakes up at 4 AM to prepare breakfast?!"
Kiana fell into deep thought, then came to a conclusion...
"Snow, your dad is truly unforgivable—!"
After a barrage of mental speculation, Kiana pinned the blame for the extreme competitiveness at Schicksal Headquarters squarely on the shoulders of a certain Overseer.
-
Achoo!
Deep within the Sea of Quanta and at Schicksal Headquarters above the Schicksal Mediterranean, the golden-haired father and daughter sneezed simultaneously.
"Who's talking about me... It's not Dad, is it? Such a daughter-obsessed weirdo..." The blonde girl pinched her nose and muttered under her breath.
Achoo!
In the Schicksal Overseer's office, the golden-haired man who was being thought of by two people sneezed twice in a row. He glanced at the stack of documents he had just finished processing after working through the night, then at his wine glass, filled to the brim with red wine—meant for relaxation after completing the grueling task. Now, the freshly processed documents were stained crimson with wine. Otto, on the verge of tears, reluctantly set down the glass and shakily picked up his pen, bracing himself to begin writing new paper documents all over again.
Just as the man picked up his pen, ready to sign the newly printed document, Amber, usually composed and steady as amber, burst in with uncharacteristic urgency, causing the pen to scratch a gash across the paper during the final stroke of his signature.
The golden-haired man sighed deeply. After a morning plagued by mishaps, he set aside the document and pen, intending to deal with them later. Turning to his adjutant, Amber, he asked, "Why are you so frantic, Amber? What's happened?" Though his words were framed as a question, the calm authority in his voice instantly soothed the white-haired, half-mechanical woman wearing amber-tinted goggles.
"Lord Otto, the Intelligence Department's monitoring station just detected a major Honkai eruption in New Zealand. The local Branch has suffered severe damage... Lord Overseer, you know the New Zealand Branch was established specifically to counter Anti-Entropy's influence in the region. If it's crippled at this critical moment..."
Amber's explanation carried a note of urgency and a hint of disoriented panic, but Otto once again smoothed her agitation.
"I understand, Amber. Since this is a Great Honkai Eruption... have the reconnaissance satellites detected any reactions similar to those of a Herrscher or High-level Honkai Beast?" Otto's unwavering tone immediately restored the white-haired woman's composure.
"The Intelligence Department hasn't observed any reactions from powerful Honkai energy entities yet. The New Zealand Branch hasn't reported any Herrscher appearances either."
"Very well. Have the Far East Branch provide support. Little Theresa's branch is the closest major branch, and they should have sufficient manpower to handle this incident now."
Otto nodded, issuing the command.
"What about Anti-Entropy's movements?"
"Satellites haven't detected any troop deployments from Anti-Entropy's North American headquarters. However, four of Anti-Entropy's small aerial warships have entered combat readiness at their naval base in the Hawaiian Islands, seemingly preparing to intervene in the New Zealand incident."
"Hmph... those stationed at Anti-Entropy Headquarters are all old friends worthy of respect. They would never deliberately provoke conflicts with Schicksal's subordinate branches or Valkyries. Those few warships must belong to supporters of Anti-Entropy's radical faction."
"Amber, put the Immortal Blades Squad on standby. We may need to utilize Durandal's power. This Great Honkai Eruption is highly abnormal—no High-level Honkai Beasts have emerged, nor has a Herrscher manifested. Yet the scale of destruction and Honkai energy levels match the conditions for a 'Great Honkai Eruption' that would trigger a Herrscher's birth..."
"And Anti-Entropy's radical faction is behaving strangely as well... Craving the Gem of Desire, hmph—so you want it that badly, do you?"
The man waved his hand, instructing Amber to notify the Immortal Blades Squad members and mobilize the Airport's warships for battle readiness.
"Understood, Lord Overseer," Amber replied with a nod, retreating from the Overseer's office and closing the door behind her.
In the room, now occupied only by the blond-haired man, a different tone emerged—one tinged with flippancy and mockery.
"Houraiji Kyuusyou... and Ninti Apocalypse... my nominal daughter-in-law and another granddaughter..."
"To be chosen by my beloved Princess... you two are destined to be far more complex than your files suggest, even after my naive granddaughter submitted them..."
The man gazed at the two Valkyrie identity files projected onto the table, tapping his fingers thoughtfully.
"Ah, right... I promised my little Princess to prepare Valkyrie Battlesuits for you. I'll send them over now."
Seated in his armchair, the man tapped a few commands on the screen. A "Transfer Complete" notification popped up as his actions concluded. As if struck by a sudden thought, he chuckled softly—
"Heh... Lady Cocolia, I hope something happens to you..."