Chapter 177

It's true what they say, timing is everything. Just as I arrived, I saw Mei Shen Gonglin. As Shen Gonglin's personal maid, how could I trouble someone else with such a task? So, the maid immediately donned her strongest armor and caught Shen Gonglin before Mei. The maid sat elegantly on the rooftop, watching the rebellious Valkyrie below, while Shen Gonglin was held gently in her arms. It had been so long since Rin-sama had been seen. If Theresa and the others hadn't been there, Rita would have loved to give Shen Gonglin a good rub.

I'm so sorry, Lady Theresa. I used to think you were incredibly cute, but now... Theresa, get lost.

"Good evening, everyone. It's best to leave the master in the care of his personal maid. The same goes for the children. As the maid, I will take good care of her."

Holding Shen Gonglin to soothe his fear of heights, Rita smiled as she looked at the android girl shielded by Bronya. This must be her target; it was all so easy to get her.

"Rita! What are you trying to do? Let go of Shen Gonglin!"

Theresa's expression turned serious, especially after seeing the armor on Rita's body. She felt something was wrong. As S-rank Valkyrie of the headquarters, Theresa knew what the armor represented. She also had a Moon series combat suit. However, she was well aware of Rita's combat abilities. She was afraid that even if she changed into the Blood Knight: Moonlit, she would still be no match for this maid.

"Let go of Shen Gonglin? Lady Theresa, please look carefully. It is my master who is holding me. It is only natural for a master to hold his personal maid. As for what I want to do, I think you, Lady Theresa, know that."

Chapter Forty-Nine: Malice

Rita shrugged. Even though she let go, Shen Gonglin didn't get off her. Shen Gonglin was suffering from acrophobia, was now completely blank. He was like a cat on stress, wondering why he had flown so high. It was terrifying.

"See, Lady Theresa? Right now, my master doesn't want to let go of me, so you don't need to interfere in the relationship between us. Also, could you hand this little girl over to me? Of course, it would be even better if you and your subordinates were willing to come back with me."

Sitting on the roof, Rita looked down at the group below. Their fighting strength was no problem in Rita's eyes; even the strongest Theresa was no match for her. It seemed that she could exceed the mission target this time. Otto should give her a bonus.

"... Rita, don't grab Theresa and the others...and me, don't grab me either."

He spoke tremblingly, but at least Shen Gonglin wasn't scared out of his wits. He reached out and grabbed Rita's clothes. He understood the difference in fighting power between Rita and Mei and the others. If she were to get serious, she could probably end the battle in an instant. However, Shen Gonglin wasn't too worried. After all, this was Rita. With him here, Shen Gonglin wasn't afraid that she might do something to Theresa and the others.

"Yes, yes, yes, I will obey your will. I will do whatever you say, Lady Rin. In that case, Lady Theresa, I will not take you back this time. However, please be careful. If Schicksal sends someone else to carry out the mission next time, you will be in danger... Speaking of which, Lady Rin, don't you want to do anything for such an obedient maid? For example, a reward or something. My personal opinion is that it is better not to save it up, but to give it directly. This will help improve the maid's loyalty."

Rita smiled and nodded. To Theresa's and the others' surprise, she easily agreed to Shen Gonglin's request. This Schicksal was truly riddled with holes. It was so easy for it to blatantly betray the maid. Compared to Schicksal, she was more loyal to Shen Gonglin. Theresa and the others relaxed a little. Since Rita said so, it seemed that a battle was not really necessary.

However, Bronya, Theresa, and Mei's expressions turned serious when they heard what kind of reward this guy was talking about. No matter what he was saying, the three of them felt like they were being cuckolded.

"... How about we save this for later as a reward?"

As his senses slowly returned, Shen Gonglin started to act cheeky. He could sometimes put on a show of ease with other girls, since Kiana and Bronya were both relatively innocent girls. But Rita was different. If he dared to flirt with her, she would probably devour him. This maid was very dangerous, and what's more, Rita was exactly Shen Gonglin's type. She was not only good to him but would never betray him. Shen Gonglin really couldn't find a reason to refuse Rita.

"I don't think that will work. A reasonable reward is necessary, as it represents recognition of me. If you are unwilling to reward me directly, then I will have no choice but to reluctantly take Lady Theresa and the others back. After all, a maid who is not liked by her master is capable of doing anything."

A threat, this was a clear and obvious threat. Theresa and the others standing below were absolutely certain that Rita was threatening Shen Gonglin. How infuriating! This maid was definitely up to no good. She was actually using them to threaten Shen Gonglin. Was this something a human being would do? The most helpless thing was that they were now powerless. Although they didn't want to admit it, they had probably really become Shen Gonglin' heel.

"... So what do you mean?"

Shen Gonglin was speechless for a moment. Of course, he could understand what Rita meant. Although he didn't think Rita would really do anything if he did nothing, there was no doubt that if he did, it would hurt Rita's feelings. She was so good to him, how could Shen Gonglin bear to make her sad? Feelings are mutual. Rita was good to him, and Shen Gonglin wanted to be good to Rita as well. He thought she wouldn't do anything excessive.

"Here's a reward for you."

Understanding Shen Gonglin's meaning, the maid smiled sweetly and pointed to her cheek. The meaning couldn't be clearer: this reward was the most appropriate in this situation. Shen Gonglin was easily embarrassed, and if it were any other reward, the three below probably wouldn't be able to resist. Rita's grasp of the right measure was excellent; she truly deserved to be called a maid who was one in a million.

Oh, that's all. It seems like it's not related.

Shen Gonglin was prepared to accept Rita's outrageous demands, but she didn't expect the girl to only have such a small request. Her mental defenses immediately relaxed. Shen Gonglin tilted her head back and kissed Rita on the cheek. The touch of her lips on the maid's smooth, cool cheek felt very nice. Shen Gonglin smacked her lips, feeling as if she hadn't kissed enough.

"And this side too."

Rita increasingly felt that she had made the right choice back then. She should have stood by Shen Gonglin's side and remained rational like Durandal... It's not that it's bad, but everyone has their own choices. Rita smiled as she looked at Shen Gonglin, her rose-colored eyes filled with warmth. She pointed to her other cheek, where she could already hear Lady Theresa grinding her teeth below, but at this level, it should still be within her tolerance.

"Oh... this is so troublesome."

Muttering to himself, Shen Gonglin's body was quite obedient. He leaned in and kissed Rita's other cheek. Well, this time Rita could hear Mei drawing her sword. Bronya didn't make a sound, but her gray eyes were silently fixed on them. Teasing her to this extent should be enough... Hehe, not enough at all. How could this be enough?

At this crucial moment, the maid's mischievousness came into play again. To her, seeing the expressions on the faces of those three was quite amusing. This time, the maid pointed to her mouth, saying that blindly obeying her master's orders didn't make her a perfect maid. A perfect maid, on the other hand, knew how to seize opportunities at the right time, which was a required course.

Chapter Fifty Face to Face

"And finally, there's this place."

After kissing both cheeks, a rosy blush appeared on Rita's fair face. Despite her shyness, the maid still seemed quite at ease. She pointed to her cherry-pink lips, pressing her slender white fingers against them to make her small mouth slightly concave. It looked incredibly soft, and if you were to kiss it, it would probably feel just as good as jelly.

Shen Gonglin swallowed hard. She had to admit that this maid was incredibly charming. Not only was she beautiful, but her behavior was also exactly to Shen Gonglin's liking. She had already kissed her cheek, so there was nothing wrong with kissing her again.

As Shen Gonglin watched, she wanted to get closer. After all, this guy wasn't some useless, herbivorous male protagonist. Taking advantage of her to this extent was as easy as eating and drinking for him. Kiana, Mei, and Fu Hua had all been taken advantage of by him in this way. He was not afraid of anyone when it came to verbal battles. This maid dared to challenge his authority as her master in this regard. It seemed that he had to teach her a lesson.

"Rita, how dare you!"

However, while Shen Gonglin was about to do it, Theresa and the others below couldn't stand it. Golden chains appeared from the void, instantly binding Shen Gonglin and pulling him out of Rita's arms. Theresa held Shen Gonglin's waist with one hand, looking quite imposing. The headmistress held a golden spear in one hand and Shen Gonglin in the other, striking a pose as if beauty could only belong to the strong. This Rita really didn't treat them like human beings, openly doing such a thing. Where did she put her face?

Bronya and Mei also became alert. The Heavy-duty Rabbit's cannons were ready to fire, and the small katana in Mei's hand reflected a dazzling cold light. Although they were no match for Rita, attitude was the most important thing at this time. It was impossible to swallow their anger as if they hadn't seen anything. A student of St. Freya could not be so spineless.

"Shen Gonglin, don't be afraid. I, the headmaster, am here. Rita won't be able to do anything to you... I'm sorry, you must be feeling terrible. It's all our fault."

Theresa planted the spear in the ground and vigorously wiped Shen Gonglin's mouth with a small handkerchief. If they hadn't been so cowardly just now, Shen Gonglin wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself in front of that maid. It's so pitiful. Theresa felt like a useless husband who could only make his wife work three jobs. He suffered so much.

Shen Gonglin was speechless. He glanced strangely at Rita, who was smiling sweetly on the roof. Why did Theresa look like she had been wronged? No matter how you looked at it, he should have been the one who benefited. Shen Gonglin really didn't feel like he had been wronged at all. He had a good relationship with Rita, who often referred to herself as his personal maid. It seemed normal for him, as the master, to be intimate with his maid. But why did they all look like they had been wronged? He couldn't understand it.

"Bronya, what's the situation? When can we retreat?"

Setting Shen Gonglin down behind her and shielding her, Theresa looked at Rita with wary eyes. They couldn't stay here any longer. Schicksal didn't need to arrange any other backup plans; Rita alone was enough to handle everything. They had to leave as soon as possible while the maid didn't seem to have any other plans.

As for the humiliation she brought to them... this matter is definitely not over!

"Just a little more... Wait, there's one more thing missing to take over the highest privileges: a biometric authentication!"

Bronya was multitasking. While keeping a close watch on Rita, she was also working hard to crack the highest level of access to the humanoid machine. If she didn't have access to the highest level of access, taking her away from Sky City without authorization would definitely cause a situation that no one wanted. However, when she got to the last step, Bronya realized that there was a final biometric authentication. Without this, she couldn't take over the highest level of access.

"Excuse me, are you looking for this? Sorry to bother you, Rita Losweiser, begin clearing the battlefield."

Everything proceeded as planned. Rita wasn't too bothered that Shen Gonglin was taken from her arms. After all, as master and servant, they would have plenty of opportunities to spend time together in the future. Right now, the mission was more important. Shen Gonglin hadn't ordered her to betray Schicksal, so Rita had to carry out Schicksal's orders without harming Shen Gonglin's will. Seeing Bronya's situation, Rita smiled and opened her palm. In her fair palm, a red prosthetic eye was quietly lurking.

My guess was right; this thing is very important.

[Highest privileges granted, authentication complete]

Upon seeing the prosthetic eye, the android girl's highest authority was activated, and Rita, who controlled the prosthetic eye, was naturally regarded by the android girl as the controller of the highest authority. All the things that Bronya had painstakingly deciphered had now become Rita's trophy. Although she preferred to rush in, it was not impossible to implement such a strategy occasionally.

"Rita Losweiser, take over highest privileges. I command you to upload data and then self-destruct!"

The maid naturally took over the highest control of the android girl, and then she immediately issued this order. Theresa and Bronya were instantly horrified. They knew Rita's order all too well: upload the data and self-destruct. This was to end the life of this android girl. They could accept the loss of data, but they could not accept watching such a girl disappear before their eyes.

A red light flashed on the android girl's mask, and she collapsed to the ground as if she had lost all her strength. Theresa and the others panicked at the sight, but when they rushed to the android girl, they found that she had not stopped breathing. What was going on? Hadn't Rita already given the order to self-destruct?

"Hmm, this kind of reward is exactly what I expected. Thank you for your hospitality. As for Lady Theresa... I'll let you off this time, but you won't be so lucky next time. See you next time."

While Theresa and the others were checking on the android girl's condition, Rita jumped down from the roof and cupped Shen Gonglin's face, offering her cherry-pink lips. In front of the girls, the maid elegantly and calmly wiped her mouth. Indeed, it's more satisfying to do this in front of others.

Chapter 51 Formatting

Damn it, my house got robbed!

Witnessing all this, a raging fire rose in the hearts of the three girls. At this moment, without saying a word, the three Valkyrie executed a very skillful teamwork. Not only did they fail to protect the android girl, but they also bullied Shen Gonglin. They were really useless. Three attacks came towards Rita with very clever routes, but Rita did not care at all. The blue and white Azure Knight: Moon of the Soul showed its power at this moment. Just as Rita said, the three of them were not enough.

"Crescent shape".

The maid smiled slightly, God-Slaying Armor unleashed its power. Silver-white New Moon Particles emanated from her armor, and within this silver-white light screen, a giant figure wielding a scythe quietly appeared. Theresa and the other two's attacks were firmly blocked. Before the three of them could react, the maid knew it was time for her to leave. What else could she do but fight Theresa and the others?

Rita has no interest in doing something so thankless and exhausting; Durandal is a prime example of what that might happen.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Please allow me to leave for now."

Without further ado, Rita lightly leaped into the air, and just then, a flying vehicle swept through the sky and picked Rita up. The timing was perfect. Sitting in the flying vehicle, Rita looked at Shen Gonglin on the ground and gently nodded her lips. She liked this reward very much. Let's do it again next time.

"This woman... she's so annoying! Hey, why didn't you move away just now? Come here, let me wipe you clean!"

Theresa was furious and jumped up and down. Watching Rita fly away into the distance, the impotent and furious headmistress could only continue to wipe Shen Gonglin's mouth with a handkerchief. She had just wiped her face, and now she was wiping her mouth. Oh no, Shen Gonglin was no longer clean. She wondered if she could still be used after washing her.

"My legs are weak, I can't dodge it."

Shen Gonglin said matter-of-factly. Anyway, he wasn't exactly lying. The aftereffects of his fear of heights hadn't disappeared yet. Shen Gonglin was leaning against the wall and hadn't regained his mobility, so it was only natural that he couldn't resist what Rita did to him under these circumstances. He was really helpless.

That said, sticking out my tongue just now was definitely the right decision; Rita smells wonderful.

"... Tsk, Bronya, hurry up and check on her. Is there any hope for her?"

Theresa couldn't find fault with Shen Gonglin's explanation. It was all because she was too useless. Theresa stomped her foot angrily. Helpless, she could only go back to check on the android girl's condition. This was a complete failure. She had worked so hard for so long, only to have it all benefit Rita. She hated that woman.

"It's strange, her vital signs are very stable, it seems she didn't follow any self-destruct command... She's awake."

Bronya watched the disappearing aircraft on the horizon, pondering whether to launch a shot, but Theresa's voice made her abandon this tempting idea. The girl put Rita's matter aside and checked on the android girl's condition. However, she discovered a problem as soon as she checked: the girl lying on the ground was still breathing, but that shouldn't be the case. Didn't Rita just give her a self-destruct order? Could it be... that there is another way out?

"Where am I? Who are you?"

The indicator light on the mask lit up, android girl looked at the person in front of her and said these words. Although it was still the same emotionless tone as always, they could hear the confusion in the android girl's words. What was going on? Did she still have some problem?

"Your name is 2B, and I am your master."

Theresa and the others were filled with doubt and uncertainty, and at this moment, Shen Gonglin moved over to join in the fun. When she saw the android girl like this, Shen Gonglin's eyes lit up. This state was obviously a personality reshaping. It had always been Shen Gonglin's dream to cultivate her into the battle girl with the eye patch in her memory. Now this was a good opportunity.

"Is that so? I am 2B, and you are my master..."

Like a machine restarting, Shen Gonglin inputted the following information into the memories of the android girl: she has a name and a master, 2B, which is a very strange name.

"Shen Gonglin, don't talk nonsense! And weren't you supposed to be unable to move? Why do you have energy again now? I suspect you're just putting on an act... Bronya, what's wrong with her?"

Theresa looked helplessly at Shen Gonglin. Why did this guy always like to cause trouble? He just randomly gave someone such a strange name, and even said "master." Did he really like Rita's style? Master and all that... Theresa blushed and pushed Shen Gonglin aside. The headmistress adopted her leader's stance and asked Bronya. The situation didn't seem as bad as she thought. This android girl 2B didn't seem to be in any danger.

"There shouldn't be any problem, it just doesn't recognize us anymore... Selfdestruct, so it's not self-destruction, but formatting?"

After checking on the condition of the android girl, Bronya came to this conclusion: they had previously thought Rita would kill her outright, but the current situation was clearly not like that. It turned out that the maid had held back... However, even so, that maid was still a bad woman, without a doubt.

"Huh? That woman... actually went easy on me... how annoying."

Theresa was equally astonished. Knowing Rita as she did, she was definitely not the type to do such a thing. As one of Schicksal's ace agents, Rita always carried out missions decisively and efficiently. Everything that had just happened was within her calculations, and no matter what decision she made, they couldn't stop her. Theresa knew Otto's style of doing things; he certainly hadn't given such a merciful order but rather eliminated the threat completely. In other words, was this outcome Rita's personal decision?

Theresa couldn't understand why Rita would make such a decision. She pondered for a long time, chin in hand. The headmaster focused his attention on Shen Gonglin. He looked completely calm and showed no surprise whatsoever, as if everything that had happened was exactly what he expected. Could it be that Rita held back because of him?

Theresa knows Rin Shen Gonglin fairly well; she knows Shen Gonglin isn't the kind of person who's completely heartless. Rita's choice to secure her place in Shen Gonglin's heart seems quite reasonable.

Chapter 52 Durandal's Conversation with the Maid

At this moment, the Schicksal's aircraft had already taken Rita away from the battlefield. After doing such a thing, if he didn't retreat quickly, Lady Theresa would definitely be furious and fight him directly. However, he couldn't teach them a lesson in front of Shen Gonglin, so retreating was the best solution. If this happened a few more times, Lady Theresa would probably get used to it. She had to get used to it as soon as possible, since this would be something that happened every day from now on.

But for now, I should submit the task first. It's really hard to feel at ease if the task reward doesn't end up in my own account.

"Rita Losweiser, reporting for duty. Your Excellency, the intelligence has been uploaded and the mission has been successfully completed. Thank you for your rescue airship; the timing was perfect."

After the communication was connected, Rita stood gracefully in front of the communicator, reporting on the progress of her mission. All the data in the humanoid machine's brain had been uploaded. As for capturing Theresa and the others, that wasn't part of the mission requirements, so the mission was perfectly completed without any problems.

[While it's a bit of a shame that the humanoid machine was destroyed, at least you completed the most important mission; well done.]

The communication was established, and the blond man praised Rita without reservation. From the perspective of the mission's standards, this maid was indeed perfect. There were few people in Schicksal who were more useful than her. Durandal needed to stay at headquarters and could not be easily dispatched. Fortunately, Rita was there. For this reason, even though he knew that Rita was not genuinely carrying out Schicksal's mission, Otto turned a blind eye. After all, there was no one else more useful.

Such a grand Schicksal has fallen into a situation where there are no capable people left. It's truly embarrassing. In the past, the Far East Branch would handle these troublesome tasks, but now the entire Far East Branch has defected. Shouldn't we use some Valkyrie from other branches?

"As long as the mission requires it, I will remove any obstacles that Schicksal."

Rita said these words without batting an eye, telling people to speak like humans and ghosts like ghosts. After all, she was working for Otto and knew exactly how to talk to her boss to please him. On the surface, she was still Valkyrie of Schicksal, so carrying out missions was her duty. Therefore, such remarks were quite normal.

Well said.

Otto clapped his hands for Rita, his green eyes scrutinizing Rita through the communicator. However, the maid remained calm as if nothing had happened. As the applause subsided, Rita bowed slightly to end the communication. The mission was now complete, and all she had to do was wait for orders. She guessed that Shen Gonglin and the others had probably already realized that they hadn't destroyed the humanoid machine.

"Hmm? Durandal's encrypted communication... Durandal, what are your instructions?"

Rita leaned against the railing, admiring the night view of Sky City. Because of the nuclear bomb explosion in the distance, the entire city seemed to have been awakened, and there was a sense of noise even in the night. Just then, the communicator that Rita had put down rang. The maid picked it up and her eyebrows twitched slightly. It was Durandal.

The screen lit up, and the virtual image of the blonde Valkyrie appeared before Rita's eyes. For some reason, Lady Durandal seemed a little different today. The usually valiant Valkyrie now seemed to have a bit of a girlish shyness. What was going on? Had Durandal eaten something bad?

Rita, I heard you completed your mission. How was it? Did you get injured during the mission?

It was as if it had just been an illusion. In the blink of an eye, Durandal had returned to her usual aloof and moon-like demeanor. Was she here specifically to care about me? That shouldn't be the case. Durandal isn't that kind of person. Besides, if she was just concerned about me, she wouldn't need such encrypted communication.

"Thank you for your concern, Durandal. As you know, Lady Theresa's current combat strength is not enough to have any impact on me. You are overthinking it."

Regardless, Durandal's concern for her stemmed from good intentions. Rita smiled slightly; having lived with Durandal for so long, Rita's bond with her was quite deep.

[I know Theresa won't affect you, but what about Shen Gonglin? If I'm not mistaken, you should have seen Shen Gonglin, and the humanoid machine... you shouldn't have destroyed it either.]

Speaking directly, Durandal pointed out the crux of the matter. She had her own channels for obtaining information. Because Alvit didn't want to go to Siberia for her duty report, she had been hanging around Durandal recently, trying to prove her worth. So, although she hadn't witnessed the previous battle firsthand, she was aware of it. The figure in the sky above Sky City was definitely Shen Gonglin. If Shen Gonglin was present, Rita probably wouldn't have gone so far as to kill.

"You guessed right, I did see Lady Rin, and the humanoid machine... I did give the self-destruct order, but whether she misunderstood it, I'm not sure."

Rita remained calm and showed no embarrassment at having her truth exposed. She had given the self-destruct order, and even if the humanoid machine wasn't destroyed, it wasn't because of her. Even if Lady Durandal was the strongest Valkyrie, she couldn't just spout nonsense and slander someone's innocence.

"I don't want to dwell on this kind of thing. What I want to ask is... Shen Gonglin, are you alright now?"

After a long silence, Durandal asked the question. What were humanoid machines? Durandal didn't care about such things. She knew best why she had called now. She hadn't heard from Shen Gonglin for several months, and now that he had finally shown his whereabouts, Durandal wanted to know how he had been doing.

"Hmm... Judging from his mental state, apart from the fatigue from the journey, there are no other changes. Although Lord Rin is sometimes fragile, he is also very strong at other times. However, his body seems to be somewhat nutritionally unbalanced, and he is lighter than before. His skin is still as supple as before, and he tastes as good as ever."

Rita thought about it carefully and gave a very specific answer. After all, it was normal for her, as a professional maid, to give such a professional answer. She provided a comprehensive overview of Shen Gonglin's current situation. Overall, Shen Gonglin's condition is quite good right now, and there is nothing to worry about.