Himeko had a big heart and wasn't worried about it, but seeing the principal looking so haggard, she couldn't help worrying too. She had even quit drinking these past few days.
For now, she was getting by on painkillers.
"Grandfather and the others seem to be heading this way. Could they be doing a surprise inspection of the Far East Branch first?"
Theresa held her tablet and paced back and forth anxiously.
On the screen, the points of light representing Otto and the others' vehicles were slowly moving.
She then set down the tablet, hugged her head, and crouched in the corner, muttering under her breath.
"Don't come over, don't come over..."
Bai Yan silently activated the camera in his bag.
An unauthorized recording.
But with ultra-high resolution.
After chanting for a while, Theresa sprang up from the corner and ran over to check the tablet.
Her eyes immediately lit up, and she patted her chest in lingering fear.
"You scared me to death. They're going to India first, so we still have time."
The unauthorized recording swiftly captured the shot.
Then it charged up and stood by.
Theresa was smiling because she had no idea what was about to happen.
Bai Yan was smiling inside because he had received the news this morning.
The first stop was the Far East Branch.
When the time came, every branch would be watching online.
There was no escaping it.
"Dismissed, dismissed—Xiao Yan, you all should continue training and preparing for battle. If you need anything afterward, just ask your principal." Theresa waved grandly.
Xiao Yan smiled sweetly. "Mission guaranteed, Principal!"
That foolish principal had no idea that point of light was actually a trainer aircraft piloted by Alvit, specifically meant to mislead the various branches.
On the sea roughly twenty kilometers from St. Freya, the Schicksal Headquarters inspection team was already in position.
Most of Immortal Blade's combat strength, led by Durandal, was present.
At that moment, Otto was watching the footage Bai Yan had just recorded, with a cheerful Rita Rossweisse standing behind him.
I'm Your Fan!
Far East Branch, landing pad.
Theresa stood in the center with an ashen face, while Himeko beside her looked like she was struggling not to laugh.
The Schicksal Headquarters team slowly spread out, and Otto alone stepped forward from the crowd.
A faint halo lingered around him, making him extraordinarily conspicuous among the crowd.
A brilliant smile appeared on his face. Bathed in sunlight, he looked as if he were enveloped in holy radiance.
"Theresa, Grandfather came all this way to see you. Are you happy?"
"..."
Quite a few people turned away to snicker, their trembling bodies difficult for the companions in front of them to conceal.
Theresa's face twisted. It took tremendous effort not to curse out loud, and after working on her mindset for a long while, she finally managed to force her lips into a strange curve.
"W-Welcome, colleagues from Headquarters, to the Far East Branch!"
Theresa swept her gaze over the crowd, deliberately skipping Otto. That only stirred the latter's urge to perform.
"Oh my, my adorable granddaughter. Why are you being so formal after not seeing Grandfather for so long?
"Come, come, show Grandfather where you usually work.
"Leave today's event to your subordinates. I believe they are fully capable of handling this task.
"As a leader, you should give them enough trust instead of personally attending to every little matter."
Otto drew closer and closer, while Theresa grew more and more disgusted. In the end, she could only pinch her nose and accompany him.
As grandfather and granddaughter gradually moved away from the center of the crowd, Otto casually waved a hand and continued walking without looking back.
The Valkyrie assault squad, fully armed and led by Ragna, followed the Bishop in unison and continued handling security.
Another group of Valkyries looked somewhat less orderly. They had been drawn from Headquarters and several branches and were responsible for this inspection.
Durandal led these people. Since they had already sparred with her before, even though these Valkyries came from other squads, none of them had any doubts about Durandal.
Rita Rossweisse wore a maid outfit, but its ornaments and extravagant design made it impossible for anyone to regard her as a maid in the true sense.
This time, she was responsible for hosting the event and leading the remaining members of Immortal Blade in helping maintain order.
After Otto left, she came to the center and gave Himeko a slight bow.
"Please take care of me during this visit, Lady Himeko."
"Uh, sure, sure..."
The morning sun grew increasingly scorching. Carried in by the sea breeze, it filled all of St. Freya with a restless air.
Numerous Valkyries gathered here. Some were outstanding competitors participating directly, while others were ordinary Valkyries merely there to watch.
Bai Yan did not need to participate because he had been eliminated during the ranked matches some time ago.
The reason was simple: after Raiden Mei and the others adapted to One Sword Startling Swan's effects, they were no longer afraid of having their eyes blinded by its flash.
And Bai Yan had neither activated Luoshen Transformation nor used One Sword Startling Swan's many variations...
As a result, that move was no longer drawing attention.
You could tell what someone would become from childhood. After spending so much time with Durandal, how could Bai Yan not understand what she was thinking?
She just wanted an excuse to beat him up.
The moment Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie appeared, the eyes of everyone in the Far East Branch—except Bai Yan—enthusiastically gathered on her.
Durandal, on the other hand, paid no attention to them. The moment she entered, she aimlessly scanned the audience.
She looked like an unrivaled prodigy surveying the world with disdain.
Kiana narrowed her eyes and sized her up, then curled her lips in dissatisfaction.
She patted the people beside her. "Xiao Yan, Mei, is that Durandal? She doesn't look like much to me. How is she as scary as everyone says?"
Mei sighed and earnestly advised, "Don't be misled by appearances. Since she is the strongest, there must be a reason. Don't underestimate her."
Bai Yan had been secretly watching Anna just now. Hearing Kiana say that, he casually replied:
"Don't overthink it. If you draw her later, beat her to death. Who cares whether she's the strongest or weakest?"
"That's right!" Kiana swung her fist and nodded in agreement. "She doesn't have three heads and six arms. I'm not losing to her!"
"Idiot Kiana, don't get beaten until you cry your eyes out later."
"Hmph! Says the one I defeated!"
"Bronya was only careless for a moment..."
The two girls immediately started bickering, and Raiden Mei helplessly tried to break them up.
After separating them, she noticed Durandal's gaze had fallen in their direction and immediately felt immense pressure.
"She seems to be looking at us!" Kiana suddenly said.
"Bronya noticed too—she must have discovered that there is an idiot among us."
"Bronya!"
Durandal watched Bai Yan for a while, then looked at the girls beside him. Her gaze turned unfriendly.
Bai Yan met her eyes without backing down. Rather than feeling ashamed, he even smiled proudly.
Then.
He pressed his long hands together and, smiling at Durandal, formed a heart with them.
She was instantly dumbfounded.
What kind of performance art was this?
Kiana had sharp eyes and immediately asked, "Xiao Yan, what are you doing?!"
Bai Yan maintained his smile and gesture, squeezing out the words, "This is called confusing the opponent. Hurry up and do it with me."
"Oh, oh, oh!"
Kiana immediately beamed brightly and copied Bai Yan by making a heart at Durandal as well.
She urged in a low voice, "Mei, Bronya, come confuse that girl too."
Raiden Mei's face was covered in black lines. She had absolutely no desire to pay attention to Kiana.
Bronya looked at Bai Yan, brought her little hands together, and made a heart too.
Raiden Mei: "..."
Durandal's face was full of question marks. She could not understand what Bai Yan was doing at all.
But at that moment, everyone else noticed it too and turned to look at Bai Yan and the others.
Raiden Mei broke out in a cold sweat.
But no one paid attention to her. Instead, they noticed three girls of distinctly different styles making hearts, each smiling sweeter than the last, and seemed to understand something.
The next moment.
One Valkyrie after another joined in making hearts. Among them were quite a few of Durandal's fans, who only hated themselves for not thinking of this method sooner to attract their idol's attention.
At that moment, the behavior spread across the entire venue like a plague. Even Dumb Goose gradually blushed red.
"Bai Yan, what the hell are you doing?!"
Durandal clenched her fists and tried hard to maintain a natural posture, preventing herself from suddenly losing composure.
"Lady Durandal, I'm your fan!"
Some attention-seeking fool shouted it, and the next moment, others followed suit.
"Lady Durandal, I love you!"
"Lady Durandal is the cutest in the world!"
"Lady Durandal..."
The noise rose and fell, subjecting Dumb Goose to an unending barrage of mental attacks.
At a loss, she instinctively turned her gaze to Bai Yan, only to be jolted awake by his grinning face.
Right, this guy was the instigator.
She immediately looked toward Rita for help.
Rita maintained a reserved smile, as though this were nothing unusual.
Durandal could only keep enduring it.
After a while, Rita finally began restoring order once she had enjoyed Durandal's restrained expression enough.
It took quite some time before the venue became quiet again, and the opening ceremony continued.
Bai Yan's smile had yet to fade when Durandal shot him a resentful sidelong glare.
However, Bai Yan mouthed to her, "A gift for you. Do you like it?"
Dumb Goose's gaze immediately cleared. She looked away and stopped looking at him.
Stirring the Pot
Under Rita's supervision, order in the venue gradually returned.
Before you continue