The S-Rank Valkyrie, Judah! (Thanks to a certain big shot for the panties) / The Bishop and Rita's Working Relationship! ...

I had to admit it, Miss Rita. Right now, you were stronger than me...

As for what came next!

Turn the tables and pounce on her...

Boom, boom, rumble! Heavy artillery fire roared, climbing to its peak. The world beneath my feet had become completely different because of me. Charge, charge forward! Ask my brothers to live and die together. Banners danced ahead. Charge, charge forward! For the dream forever in my heart, charge forward with all my strength!

Unlocking secret techniques: Dark Harvest, Fleet Footwork, Grasp of the Undying, Phase Rush, Gathering Storm, Lethal Tempo, Approach Velocity, Transcendence!

At Schicksal Headquarters, Lord Otto was reading documents in his office. "Ruins, Shenzhou... I never expected ruins to be discovered in Shenzhou again. It seems Shenzhou truly was of utmost importance in the previous-era civilization!"

Otto then opened the world map and displayed the location where the ruins had been discovered. The target location was within the Yellow River basin of Shenzhou. However, the report only mentioned a suspected ruin; it had not truly been confirmed!

"I need to send someone to investigate. Right, Rita..."

Otto remembered Rita, whom he had sent to Japan a few days ago. Her mission should be nearly complete by now. He would notify her that once she finished, she did not need to rush back. She could first head to Shenzhou to investigate the ruins. Otto immediately sent Rita a communication request!

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S-rank Valkyrie, Judah! (Thanks to a certain big shot for the panties)

Very quickly, the call connected, and the maid's voice came from Lord Otto's communicator. "Hah... Lord Otto, may I ask... what... are your orders?"

"Rita? You... what are you doing?"

Lord Griseo felt that something was off about Rita's voice...

"Ahem, Lord Otto, as a Valkyrie, one cannot neglect her training!" Rita's voice returned to normal, sounding so resolute and decisive...

"Mm..."

Otto checked the time and said, "But based on the time difference, it should only be eleven at night over there. You do not need to train so late. You are already powerful enough!"

Rita answered softly, "Y-yes, Lord Otto. I will rest immediately. D-don't move..."

"Hmm?"

Otto looked completely baffled...

"It is my mechanical dog. I am training with it, and I told it not to move for the moment!"

Rita gave a perfectly reasonable explanation...

"Forget it, I need to discuss something serious with you!"

Sometimes, Otto did not know what that strange maid was thinking. He simply decided not to say much more. "After you complete this mission, there is no need to rush back. Intelligence indicates that a suspected ruin has been found in the Yellow River basin of Shenzhou. I will send you the detailed coordinates later. Find time to investigate whether the ruins are real. Remember, only investigate. Do not go deep inside. There may be dangerous things within the ruins!"

"Yes, Lord Otto. Do you have any other orders?"

The maid accepted the mission with great seriousness, her tone still respectful...

"No. Get some rest early!"

With that, Otto directly ended the call...

Fifteen minutes later, Ling Feng and Rita were soaking in the hot spring, back to back. Sure enough, the spring had an effect that relieved fatigue...

And Rita had finally been willing to take off her black stockings while bathing in the hot spring. That had not been easy...

"Rita..."

Ling Feng was the first to break the silence...

"What are your orders, Captain?" Rita turned her head slightly, though she still could not see him. She only wanted to hear Ling Feng more clearly!

"Uh... Archbishop Otto told you to investigate some ruins earlier, right?" Ling Feng had been present while Rita spoke with Otto, so he had naturally heard the contents of their conversation!

"Yes, Captain. The ruins are located somewhere within the Yellow River basin of Shenzhou!" Rita had no intention of concealing anything from Ling Feng. Of course, aside from that one secret that absolutely could not be revealed!

"Oh..."

Ling Feng nodded and asked, "Will investigating the ruins be dangerous?"

"Hm?"

Rita hesitated briefly, then chuckled wickedly. "Is the Captain concerned about me?"

"Is that strange?"

Ling Feng did not want to keep playing verbal games with Rita. It seemed there was no need for too much concealment between them anymore. "More than that, I want to know what dangerous thing Otto mentioned. For an S-rank Valkyrie like you, there should be very few things that can threaten you!"

"Thank you for your concern, Captain, but S-rank Valkyries are actually quite fragile too!"

Rita leaned back gently and smiled somewhat nostalgically. "Among Schicksal's three S-rank Valkyries, only Lady Durandal truly possesses S-rank strength. As for Lady Theresa and me, I only barely reached the threshold of an S-rank Valkyrie through effort and persistence, while Lady Theresa..."

"Wait, Theresa? The Academy Head? The Academy Head is an S-rank Valkyrie?"

Ling Feng abruptly turned around to stare at Rita, as though he had heard some earth-shattering news. Valkyrie, Theresa, S-rank?

"No... Lady Theresa is indeed an A-rank Valkyrie!"

Rita nodded slightly. "But with Judah, she possesses the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie. I saw it in Schicksal's records. On December 24, 1973, when Lady Theresa was still a B-rank Valkyrie, she brought Judah onto the battlefield for the first time and successfully defeated the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Parvati, proving her strength. After many more battles, she was ultimately rated as an S-rank Valkyrie!"

"No way. A B-rank Valkyrie could defeat an Emperor-class Honkai Beast? This... no, 1973..."

Compared to a B-rank Valkyrie defeating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Ling Feng suddenly realized there was a more important issue. Theresa had already been able to fight in 1973. "Rita, if I remember correctly... it is 2016 this year, right?"

"Mm... that is correct!"

Rita nodded slightly!

"Pfft..."

Ling Feng immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at Rita in dumbfounded disbelief. "Then... what is going on with Theresa? She... she clearly looks like nothing more than a child?"

"That is what makes Lady Theresa adorable!"

With a slightly yearning expression, Rita recalled, "When I was first sent into Schicksal by him, I was always lost. But then I met Lady Theresa. Her perfect appearance and gentle heart healed me, and she accompanied me as I slowly grew up. Later, though, I realized that I could grow up, while Lady Theresa's body could not grow. So..."

"From Lady Theresa holding me when I was little, to me holding Lady Theresa later on—Captain, do you know how wonderful that bond, those experiences, and that reversal of roles were? Lady Theresa, who never grows up, is the perfect Lady Theresa!"

Ling Feng: "..." So Auntie was actually a legal loli. As for just how legal...

Well, she had fought an Emperor-class Honkai Beast in 1973. Even if that was the point from which he counted, 2016 minus 1973 meant she was freaking forty-three years old! No wonder she could serve as the Academy Head of St. Freya Academy. So she was not really a loli, but an old woman in her forties with the appearance of one? At this moment, Judah descended from heaven. The end!)

"Rita, continue with what you were saying earlier..."

Ling Feng decided to temporarily skip the topic of Theresa and let Rita continue the previous topic!

"Certainly, Captain!"

Rita had no objections and continued enthusiastically, "Lady Theresa took very good care of me when I was little. She would buy me foods I liked, and she even lent me her precious HOMU manga..."

"Ahem, not that topic. The topic of S-rank Valkyries..."

Ling Feng coughed dryly and reminded Rita. He truly did not want to hear any more about Auntie right now, because it was just too hard to accept. Such an adorable loli Academy Head was not actually a real loli. His heart hurt. The loli-raising plan had been aborted before it had even begun!

"Oh... yes, Captain!"

Rita blushed slightly. She could not help it; she liked Theresa too much. But since the Captain would not let her talk about her, she should continue with the subject of S-rank Valkyries. "The reason Lady Theresa could be rated as an S-rank Valkyrie was, aside from her own strength, basically all thanks to Judah!"

"Actually, someone at Schicksal once jokingly called Lady Theresa a Judgement Breaker. Though that person was later flattened by Judah, as if they had suffered a dimensionality-reduction strike. It was utterly miserable. There was also someone who brought up Lady Theresa's age, and they were pierced into a hedgehog by rays of light..."

Ling Feng: "..."

He seemed to remember mentioning Theresa's age earlier... Damn it, maybe he should just follow Rita back to Schicksal Headquarters. Going back to the academy felt far too dangerous...

PS: If there are no pictures, simply refresh three minutes after the update! Also, long live Kallen's pumpkin skin! (Though I basically never play Original Sin... low damage is the original sin, right?)

The Archbishop and Rita's Cooperative Relationship!

"So, Lady Theresa became an S-rank Valkyrie mainly because of Judah!"

Rita continued explaining to Ling Feng. "And Lady Theresa has already retired, so she voluntarily relinquished the title of S-rank Valkyrie and returned to being an A-rank Valkyrie. But when it comes to combat ability, Lady Theresa might not be my opponent in simulated battles. In a real battle, however, I would definitely lose!"

"Wow, I never expected the Academy Head to be so powerful too..."

Listening to Rita, Ling Feng nodded thoughtfully. He had to admit, this era was truly fascinating.

He had originally thought Himeko was the strongest person at St. Freya Academy. He had not expected it to be Theresa, who had always kept herself so deeply hidden. No wonder Cocolia did not dare cause trouble at St. Freya Academy even if she had designs on Mei. Was an S-rank Valkyrie someone to be trifled with?

"However, among the three S-rank Valkyries, only Lady Durandal truly possesses S-rank strength. I mean by the standards from before the Second Honkai War!"

Rita gently traced ripples in the water with her hand. "By the old standards, I could only be considered a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie. But during the Second Honkai War, many outstanding Valkyries perished, including S-rank Valkyries. So Schicksal had no choice but to lower the standards and have me take over the position once held by an S-rank Valkyrie!"

"So Schicksal actually has only one genuine S-rank Valkyrie?"

Ling Feng felt speechless again. When he had first learned that Schicksal had three S-rank Valkyries, he had already felt that the Valkyries of this era were somewhat weak. Yet now it turned out there was only one. If a Judgment-class Honkai Beast appeared, could they even beat it?

"No, there is more than one!"

However, Rita once again denied Ling Feng's statement and laughed softly. "Though this is classified information from Schicksal, I am still willing to tell the Captain. Publicly, Schicksal has only three S-rank Valkyries, and only Lady Durandal among them is genuine. But in reality, under Lord Otto's cultivation, headquarters has at least three more S-rank Valkyries. I mean genuine S-ranks!"

"Huh?"

Ling Feng was dumbfounded again, but after thinking about it, this was not surprising. S-rank Valkyries were too precious, so it was perfectly normal to hide them. For example, in his era, fewer than twenty S-rank Valkyries had been officially announced, but the actual number was thirty-seven. Including those with the potential to become S-rank Valkyries, there were at least fifty...

In this era, human civilization was not dominated by Schicksal alone. There was also Anti-Entropy. Though both sought to fight the Honkai, their differing philosophies had kept them hostile toward each other.

Schicksal relied on Valkyries, while Anti-Entropy relied on mechs. Though both utilized Honkai energy, they had taken entirely different paths. Therefore, it was only reasonable for Schicksal to conceal its strength from Anti-Entropy. Who knew whether Anti-Entropy had hidden trump cards as well?

Thinking of this, Ling Feng felt a little reassured. It seemed Schicksal was not as weak as he had imagined. That was a good thing, he supposed...

"Rita, what position do you hold at headquarters?"

Having asked about S-rank Valkyries, Ling Feng also wanted to learn more about Rita. After all, she was already one of his people. How awkward would it be if he knew nothing about her? Though they had already gotten on the carriage before buying the ticket, the ticket still had to be bought...

"In reply to the Captain, Rita is a Valkyrie of the Immortal Blades Valkyrie team, as well as the adjutant of Captain Durandal..."

Rita had already mentioned her identity at the academy, but she was not upset by Ling Feng's question. She patiently explained again, "However, Rita is usually quite free. My main interests are cleaning rooms, making tea for Lord Otto, handling some official duties, and so on. Under normal circumstances, when Lady Durandal goes into battle, she does not call for me, because there are simply not many things that can endanger Lady Durandal."

"Oh, I see. I just did not expect an S-rank Valkyrie like you to only be an adjutant."

Ling Feng repeatedly nodded to show that he understood, though he also wanted to criticize Otto's arrangement. Rita's strength might indeed be somewhat lacking, but she was still an S-rank Valkyrie. He should at least have let her lead her own squad. Instead, he had her serve as an adjutant. What a waste of talent...

"Captain, there is no need to concern yourself with my affairs."

Seeing that Ling Feng seemed to be standing up for her, Rita felt very happy and smiled. "Besides, if the Captain needs me, I can apply to join Team 233 and become your adjutant."

"Uh... no, if you do that, would Archbishop Otto agree?"

Ling Feng was doubtful. Rita was an S-rank Valkyrie from headquarters and directly under Otto's command, whereas Theresa's St. Freya Academy was merely a branch, somewhat like a subsidiary company.

If one of his own direct S-rank Valkyries were to join a subsidiary, he definitely would not agree unless there were special circumstances!

"If the Captain insists, then even if Lord Otto does not agree, I will still come..."

Rita merely smiled at that. "Although I obey the Archbishop, ours is actually a cooperative relationship. Schicksal provides all the resources I need, while I become a Valkyrie of Schicksal and carry out its orders. But from the moment I joined Schicksal, I had already made an agreement with the Archbishop: whenever I wish to leave, I may leave at any time."

"So as long as the Captain orders me to, even betraying Schicksal would be possible..."

Rita still wore a smile...

"No, absolutely not..."

Ling Feng was instantly dumbfounded and quickly stopped Rita's terrible idea. "Why would you betray Schicksal for no reason? Join Anti-Entropy? Rita, you do not need to do that. Just keep everything as it is. Besides..."

"I truly do not understand how Archbishop Otto could accept your terms. You can leave whenever you want? If you leave, would Schicksal not have wasted all the resources it spent on you?"

"Because this was not an agreement between the Archbishop and me, but between the Archbishop and the person who sent me to Schicksal..."

Rita was very calm about this matter, because it had never had much to do with her from the beginning. Someone had paved the way for her, and she only needed to follow it step by step.

"The person who sent you to Schicksal? Your father?"

Ling Feng was a little curious. At the same time, he intended to take this opportunity to learn about Rita's family situation. That was perfectly normal, was it not? Was there anything wrong with getting to know another future father-in-law?

Warm Hearts!

Rita: "..."

"No!"

Rita denied it without hesitation, then shook her head slightly. "I have never seen his true face. I only know that he is extraordinarily powerful—powerful enough to defeat Schicksal's three S-rank Valkyries in an instant. I mean genuine S-rank Valkyries. It was precisely because he was so powerful that the Archbishop accepted that agreement!"