Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

"..." The blonde girl stared blankly at everything that was happening before her eyes.

The red-haired Valkyrie, who had just ripped the door off her hands, awkwardly met the gaze sweeping over her from the hospital bed, unsure where to put the door she was holding.

Fortunately, the eye contact didn't last long. The girl's gaze quickly shifted to the other person who had broken in through the window. Taking advantage of the blonde girl's distraction, Himeko Murata threw the door out of the room, nearly hitting the panting head of the medical department who had followed her all the way.

"...A very unique way of visiting," Snow carefully considered his words before finally giving the two the evaluation of "unique."

"Uh..." The two older women exchanged an awkward glance.

In the end, Theresa, who brought Judas through the window, chose to speak first.

"Ahem, Miss Snow, you are currently at the hospital of St. Freya Academy, the Far East Branch of Fate. I am Theresa, the headmistress of the academy."

"Can you talk to us?" Sitting atop the floating Judas, Theresa looked seriously at the blonde girl on the hospital bed.

"You curiously peer into my past, only to find it shrouded in mystery..." The blonde girl merely tilted her head as Theresa looked at her.

"You have countless questions in your heart, so you come before me hoping I can unravel the mysteries for you." She lowered her head and quietly turned the pages of the book in her hands.

"However, I am neither your prophet nor your guide; what you do not know... is nothing but a blank to me."

"My Father—he is shrouded in a thick fog, not a mystery that is deliberately concealed or disguised, but a puzzle accumulated over countless years."

"He told me that we would meet again at the end of the journey, and at that time, I would find my lost family crest, find my forgotten surname—to unravel or take over the mystery he carried..."

"And I gladly agreed, for He is my Father, my Prophet, my Enlightener, my Guide," the blonde girl murmured, sitting on the bed in a melodious tune, a faint smile playing on her lips. Golden sunlight streamed through the window, bathing her long hair in an invisible crown.

“You…” Theresa’s serious expression vanished, replaced by embarrassment. His blond hair and the equally incoherent, melodious voice reminded her of a man sitting on a floating island, as if she were standing right in front of him.

However, she couldn't bring herself to pull out her Judas and slam it down on either the man or the young girl before her. As the head of the Far East branch of Fate, she couldn't do that; as the dean of St. Freya Academy, she couldn't—a sense of stifled powerlessness crept into her body.

"Let me ask, Theresa... Miss Snow, what exactly is that strange power...? You suppressed the Third Herrscher in an instant, something that doesn't exist in any of Schicksal's records. If this power can..." Seeing Theresa's predicament, Himeko Murata took over the conversation, posing their most pressing question to the blonde girl.

"You always pick questions that you yourselves can't even understand... and try to find answers to them..." The blonde girl sighed.

“...I will ascend to the heavens and raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mountain of assembly, on the highest of the north.”

“I shall ascend to the highest heaven, and shall be like the Most High—”

Snow turned the pages of the Book of Isaiah in his hand and read aloud verses as answers to their questions.

"This is the answer you've been searching for, whether you understand it or not—this...is the answer."

"Everything in this world comes at a price. Some powers are too much for you to bear... you cannot afford to pay them, just like what is engraved on your back—it takes life as fuel." His pupils turned a deep blue again, and his jet-black right hand, imbued with imaginary energy, rose from the book, golden, shimmering patterns flowing across his arm...

"You..." Himeko looked at the girl in front of her nervously, regretting her impulsive decision not to wear the Valkyrie armor.

"No need to be nervous, warrior. I mean you no harm; this is just a well-intentioned warning... Please understand—this is my true nature in this state..."

Her deep blue eyes shifted their gaze from her right hand to Himeko Murata at the doorway, and Theresa, who had quietly joined her. The Divine Key, which had been sitting beneath her, now stood erect on the ground, ready to be unleashed.

"Ha... I think our conversation should end here, warrior. This is my final advice to you—" The deep blue in his eyes slowly faded, gradually returning to a clear azure.

"Your days are numbered—lay down your sword, remove your armor, and pass them on to your successor. Then fade into the background, to spend the final glorious moments of your life. This is your best choice." The girl's voice grew softer and softer, until it disappeared completely.

"...Thank you for your concern. Before I was a warrior, I was also a teacher carrying the trust of countless students—I, Himeko Murata, could never desert my post." Himeko Murata said earnestly, looking at the girl who had fallen asleep again.

“Himeko…” Theresa looked at her friend beside her, her eyes filled with worry.

"Theresa, don't worry, I've already told you I know my own body." The red-haired Valkyrie slowly retreated towards the main entrance.

"No, Himeko, you have to come with me for a full checkup today!" The super-strong nun grabbed the Valkyrie who was trying to escape and dragged her towards the medical examination area.

The blonde girl, who had fallen asleep leaning against the bed, fluttered her eyelids slightly as the duo's voices faded into the distance, a helpless smile appearing on her face.

"What a stubborn person you are! Well... your story won't end here—"

--

"Have we forgotten something?" The older single woman, who had been dragged along the way, looked at her companion, who was a head shorter than her.

"Uh...we were supposed to take this dangerous individual into the academy...oops, I mean, invite him to enroll."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with the term 'containment'..."

"They'll be placed in your dorm, just like Kiana and the others. Your place is big enough anyway."

"Huh? One Herrscher is troublesome enough, and now you're going to throw me a freak who can beat a Herrscher to a pulp?"

"It's alright, Snow seems to care about you quite a bit. It's a minor issue. Besides, a Herrscher plus a Herrscher assassin, it's a kind of ecological balance."

"Ecological balance? Then what am I??? More money! Theresa! This kind of thing deserves more money!"

--

Chapter 9 Kaslana Ball.jpg

St. Freya Academy, an anomaly within the Destiny organization, differs from most other branches that treat Valkyries as disposable expendable resources, demonstrating a callous disregard for human life. From its inception, this academy aimed to cultivate Valkyries who cherish their own and others' lives.

Compared to other militarized Valkyrie training institutions, this place is more like a true academy, complete with teaching buildings, a library, dormitories, and a canteen—all the facilities a true academy should have.

Of course... it also has facilities that an academy doesn't have: a training ground for Valkyries, an armory for storing weapons, an intelligence department equipped with numerous satellite antennas, a research institute for developing new weapons, and a naval port where the Hyperion airship is docked.

00

And the occasional heavily armed Valkyrie patrols that appear along the main academy streets constantly remind the blonde girl strolling along the academy avenues of the true nature of this place.

"So...where is the Dean's office?" The overly complicated European-style garden successfully confused Snow, his azure eyes filled with bewilderment.

"Well, you're almost fully recovered. Headmistress Theresa wants to see you anyway. Your discharge papers are all ready. Brave girl, set off now!" The words of the head of the medical department still echoed in my ears.

It's class time at the college now, and there are hardly any people on the roads.

Occasionally, staff members would pass by, hurrying off to somewhere, and no one noticed the young girl who had just lost her way on the road.

"Sigh... Well then, let's go ask where the most people are first." Snow turned his gaze to the noisy training ground not far away.

The sounds of clashing swords and roaring guns were coming from there, indicating that they were currently conducting Valkyrie training or a simulated combat exercise.

The surrounding pure white marble, used for landscaping decorations, and the well-trimmed green shrubs created an unreal illusion of the distant sounds of battle.

"What a strange feeling... the peaceful and beautiful academy is mixed with the sounds of battle and warfare that only a battlefield would have..." Snow walked towards the direction of the sound.

The training ground wasn't far for the girl; at her leisurely, almost strolling pace, it would only take a few minutes to walk there.

On the training field, a white-haired girl was fighting against a blue-gray-haired girl wearing red-rimmed glasses, or rather, she was being trained by her.

"Having an indomitable spirit is a good thing, Kiana, but you should always leave some room for maneuver and improvise." The white-fuzzy ball of fur was once again knocked back by a palm strike from the girl in the blue training uniform.

"Ugh, flat-chested monster, you're so annoying!" The girl, who had only been enrolled a few days ago, seemed unaware of the formidable reputation of the girl in front of her at St. Freya Academy, and once again swung her fists and pounced.

...The venue fell silent.

"They actually mocked Class Monitor Fu Hua as a flat-chested monster..."

Putting everything else aside, I've started to admire the transfer student's courage.

The Valkyries below the stage whispered among themselves

Snow, who had already reached the edge of the arena and was hoping for something to happen to Kiana, looked at her astonishing words and clasped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture.

"Hey, classmate, I've never seen you before. Are you a new transfer student like Kiana?" A Valkyrie looked curiously at the blonde girl beside her.

"A transfer student? Probably..." Snow nodded to the unidentified Valkyrie beside him and continued looking at the stage.

Upon hearing the words "flat-chested," the blue-gray-haired Valkyrie's face darkened instantly. Her outstretched palms solidified into iron fists, poised to strike Kiana as she charged towards her.

"A little idiot is going to be in trouble..." Snow shook his head, looking at Fu Hua's clenched fists and bulging veins on her arms.

"With your chest wide open, you're charging forward with all your might, leaving yourself no room to maneuver... Are you planning to use yourself as a volleyball to be hit by someone?"

"Even a knight from the Kaslana family... his body couldn't withstand such abuse, could it?"

As a former comrade-in-arms in Changkong City, Snow, watching Kiana charge forward aggressively, finally offered a kind reminder from below the stage.

Unfortunately, Kiana, whose nature is impulsive and reckless, didn't seem to heed her companions' advice and continued to charge towards Fu Hua with wild, unrestrained attacks.

"Bang—!" As expected, the white-fuzzy ball of fur was punched in the chest by Fu Hua, and the next moment it flew up, and then... unfortunately, it crashed into the spot where Snow was.

"Excuse me, student!" Fu Hua's expression changed drastically when she saw the flying white fluffy ball hurtling towards the blonde girl still wearing a white hospital gown. She took a step forward, trying to grab Kiana back.

"Thank you for your concern..." Dodging Kiana's straight attack, he grabbed her collar, used his left foot as a pivot, and swung the white fluffy ball back onto the stage in a semi-circle.

Then the unlucky white fluffy ball of fur charged straight at Fu Hua, who was rushing towards her. The class president, seeing Kiana flying straight towards her, paused for a moment, then instinctively raised her hand and slapped her...slapped her.

So the young, white-haired girl continued screaming in mid-air, continuing to hurtle towards Snow.

"Am I some kind of magnet..." The blonde girl sighed as she watched Kiana fly towards her again at high speed, then steadied herself and gently caught the white fluffy ball, placing it on the ground.

"You two! Do you think I'm a volleyball?!" The white fluffy ball, finally touching the ground with both feet, yelled angrily at Fu Hua on the stage and Snow in the audience.

"I should have reminded you, Kiana, having drive is a good thing... but you should always leave some room for maneuver." Fu Hua adjusted her glasses, looking seriously at the white-fuzzy ball of hair.

"I think I've warned you before: you're wide open, or to put it more nicely, you're just charging forward with brute force..."

"—It's just a volleyball... Anyone else would have been sent flying like a ball just now," Snow shook his head, looking at the white fur ball standing beside him shouting.

"You golden-haired monster! You talk so casually, come and spar with me!" Kiana jumped onto the training platform and beckoned to the blonde girl below in a provocative manner.

"If your dear Himeko Murata knew that you beat up a patient who had just been discharged from the hospital and was wearing a hospital gown today..."

"You know what I mean...you white-haired idiot..." Snow stared expressionlessly at Kiana, who was baring her teeth and claws and preparing to pounce, glancing behind her and [kindly] reminding her.

"Kiana—" A demonic voice rang out from behind the white fluffy ball... The red-haired Valkyrie instructor's arm gripped her head like an iron clamp.

"Himeko-sensei...please listen to my excuses, no, explain!!!"

--

"So how did you end up here? Minister Leona from the medical department told me you were supposed to be seeing Theresa. What, you've already been to that little white-haired girl? Isn't she cute?"

Himeko looked at Snow, who was wearing a white hospital gown, and asked him something strange.

"White-haired little dwarf... no, I'm lost, and it's during class time, so I can't find anyone to ask for directions to the headmaster's office." Snow's eyebrows twitched when he heard Himeko's description of a certain headmaster.

"Hahahaha... You're not much better... Uh..." The mocking laugh was barely out of the white fluffy ball's mouth before being silenced by the pitying gazes of Himeko Murata and Snow.

"—As far as I know... a white-haired idiot confidently led her best friend to school yesterday, but they got lost and ended up at the Hyperion's naval port, which was undergoing repairs..."

"Finally, you got into a conflict with the Valkyrie squad patrolling the area, and were tied up and pinned to the ground... until a certain academy head arrived and rescued you."

"Your illustrious reputation can be heard even in the wards of the medical department... Kiana Kaslana," Snow read aloud the white-haired girl's glorious achievements from the previous day, a forced smile on his face.

"Do you know what those Valkyrie squad members who were injured by you described you to the medical staff when they came to treat their wounds...?"

"They call you the white-haired, super-strong gorilla..." Amidst Himeko's expression—as if she were on the subway, an old woman, or staring at her phone—the blonde girl uttered the first nickname the white-haired girl in front of her had acquired in less than half a day since starting school.