Welcome to the Herrscher Advanced Class Family

After sending Xina to an airport that was still operational, Theresa waved her hand and generously allocated funds from the Far East Branch's accounts to buy Xina a return ticket.

Since Bronya was also present at the time, the news that Xina would be enrolling at St. Freya Academy to study soon quickly reached Kiana and the others.

"What? Xina's gonna join St. Freya Academy as a Valkyrie? Bronya, you're not messing with me, are you?" Kiana poked her little head out from Mei's arms, staring at Bronya with an expression of disbelief.

"Stupid Kiana, Bronya has no reason to lie about something like this." Bronya shot Kiana a glare, then sat back down in her chair with a blank face.

"Stupid Bronya, I'm not stupid!" Kiana flushed with embarrassment... and hugged Mei tighter, protesting loudly.

"Oh, looks like you've forgotten that Bronya's record against you in games is 118 wins, while yours, heh, is 0. That means Bronya has a perfect record."

"Pfft—you!"

Kiana clutched her chest, staring at Bronya in disbelief, as if she were about to spit out a mouthful of old blood.

"Mei~, look! Bronya's bullying me, boohoo~"

In the end, Kiana chose to burrow back into Raiden Mei's arms for comfort.

"There, there, Kiana's not stupid. Kiana's the smartest of all." Raiden Mei smiled gently, soothing the Kiana in her arms.

Xina, following Himeko through the door, walked in and immediately saw such a stimulating scene, her Kazi Lan Big Eyes going wide.

The weirdest part was that everyone around her acted like this was completely normal, all busy with their own things.

Seriously, didn't you all see that?! They're about to kiss! Why are you all so calm!

Xina, unsure whether to first complain about the early romance or the cuddling, couldn't get a word out for a long time, so she just obediently found a spot to sit.

"Xina~, I heard from stupid Bronya that you're gonna become a Valkyrie too?"

Seeing Xina walk in from the door, Kiana temporarily popped out of Mei's arms. She walked up to Xina, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That's right, Kiana. Xina will be directly placed into our class in the future, meaning you're already classmates."

With that, Himeko glanced around warily. Seeing no sign of Theresa nearby, she carefully pulled out her Silver Wine Pot and took a hearty swig.

"Ahh—this is living!"

With the good liquor down, a satisfied expression spread across Himeko's face.

"Hey, Xina, don't worry! Since we're gonna be classmates from now on, this Miss will have your back at St. Freya!" Kiana puffed out her chest, brimming with confidence, until...

"Stupid Kiana always fails her exams. It's better not to say such overconfident things..."

"Bronya, you!!"

There was no denying that Bronya's perfect follow-up jabs were Kiana's nemesis. Often, just one little sentence was enough to knock the overconfident Kiana back to square one.

Watching Kiana's flustered yet unable-to-retort expression, the corners of Xina's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

What to do? She seemed to be looking forward to her life from now on!

Since they could bring her joy, she'd 'grudgingly' let them live until the very last moment before the world's destruction!

The Hyperion's speed was nothing short of impressive. At full throttle, it reached Xina's transfer point in no time.

Fu Hua watched Xina's figure disappear through the airport doors. After a moment's hesitation, she finally walked to a secluded corner, pulled out her communicator, and dialed a contact.

Soon, the other end picked up.

Otto's image appeared before Fu Hua as the call connected.

In the projection, Otto stood with his hands behind his back, a cryptic smile on his face.

"Durandal just told me that the Fourth Herrscher's true body has vanished. What she and Theresa took down was just a puppet decoy—they didn't even get a Pseudo-Core. Tsk, this Fourth Herrscher really is different from the previous ones!"

Otto glanced at Fu Hua in the projection and added, "My old friend, from the look on your face, it seems you've found something special. Is it related to the Fourth Herrscher?"

"It should just be a coincidence."

Thinking back to the test report in Bronya's hands, Fu Hua shook her head. After all, a Herrscher's body couldn't possibly be that frail.

"A coincidence? Old friend, you know I never believe in so-called coincidences. Do you need me to send someone to help you?"

Fu Hua was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then spoke calmly, "No need. I'll confirm this small matter myself."

Hearing Fu Hua's reply, Otto on the communicator let out a long sigh and said leisurely:

"Alright, in that case, I'll await your good news."

Putting down the communicator, Fu Hua glanced at the bustling airport below and murmured, "I hope I'm just overthinking it."

A few days later, Xina, as usual, retrieved the key from the doorframe and opened a rust-ridden iron door.

"I'm home!"

Her clear voice echoed through the empty little house, met with no response, making it feel especially desolate.

But Xina had long grown accustomed to this silence. She walked through the cramped, unadorned rooms with a familiarity born of countless repetitions. Even without turning on the lights, she could still deftly pull a folded, old-fashioned women's casual outfit from the wardrobe in the room.

Laying the outfit on the sofa, Xina gently rested her head on the fabric, breathing in the long-vanished scent, and slowly closed her eyes.

A dozen or so minutes later...

The lock of the door began to turn slowly. Fu Hua, clad in a strange black Valkyrie Armor, was approaching Xina step by step.

"Mom... I miss you so much..."

In her sleep, Xina still had her brows tightly furrowed, as if she wasn't resting soundly.

Fu Hua's advancing steps faltered for a moment because of this, but after a few breaths, she adjusted herself and moved again. She crouched down in front of Xina with a very special detector, scanning her entire body.

"So it really was just a coincidence..."

Seeing the stable readings on the detector, Fu Hua let out a sigh of relief.

She rose slowly and left as silently as she had come.

As the lock of the door let out that barely audible click, Xina, who should have been deep in sleep, suddenly snapped her eyes open.

She stared in the direction of the door where Fu Hua had disappeared, a hint of slyness flashing in her golden pupils.

So you still can't trust me, can you? Squad Leader Fu Hua... following me for so long before showing yourself—you must have worked hard!