St. Freya

"Xina, is there something dirty on my face?"

Noticing Xina's somewhat strange gaze and the blush that had spread all the way to her ears, Fu Hua asked curiously.

"N... no." Xina hurriedly turned her head to the other side and stammered out her answer.

Xina, what were you even thinking just now? You're a Herrscher! No matter how pretty she is, she still wants to kill you! As an Apostle of God, you have to maintain your composure!

That's right! Composure!

After being carried in Fu Hua's arms like a princess for quite a while, Xina looked at Fu Hua, whose face was neither red nor out of breath, then thought of Kiana sprinting along while carrying her, and inexplicably began doubting herself.

Why does it feel like these Valkyries have endless strength? Is that just my imagination?

"What are you thinking about?" Fu Hua could not help asking as she looked at the anxious Xina in her arms, who seemed to be pondering something.

"Nothing. I just thought it must be exhausting for you to carry me while walking..."

"Don't worry about that. Your weight is far below that of a normal girl your age. The weights I carry during training are heavier than you!"

Then, with a blank expression, Fu Hua explained a whole lot of things that Xina found completely baffling. At the end, she even added, "Once we get to St. Freya Academy, you must eat more so it doesn't affect your development."

"Affect... my development?" Xina savored those words, but Theresa's image appeared in her mind instead.

Well, in that regard, she felt Fu Hua's words... made a lot of sense!

More than ten minutes later, the two finally left the deserted path and reached the main road. Fu Hua easily hailed a taxi and set off with Xina toward the airport.

"Class Monitor Fu Hua, why does it feel like you know the facilities around here better than I do, and I'm the local?"

Watching Fu Hua move through the airport with ease, Xina said in surprise.

"I often go on missions and travel all over the world. It's only natural that I'm more familiar with places like this." Fu Hua put away her documents, led Xina through security, and finally arrived at the waiting area.

"Is there anything you want to drink?" Fu Hua glanced at the time and suddenly asked.

"Cola, with ice..."

"Drinking cola late at night is bad for your teeth. I recommend that you avoid carbonated drinks at night..."

"Huh? Ah!" Xina stared blankly at Fu Hua, apparently never expecting such elder-to-junior advice to come from her mouth.

After a while, Xina tilted her head in confusion and tested the waters. "Class Monitor Fu Hua, did you just say that drinking cola late at night is bad for your teeth?"

"Yes. What about it?" Fu Hua failed to get what Xina was confused about and immediately began citing scientific evidence to educate her on the dangers of drinking carbonated beverages at night...

"Okay, okay, Class Monitor, you can stop now."

Unable to endure the lecture any longer, Xina, whose head was throbbing, grabbed Fu Hua's hand and "sincerely" accepted her advice. "Class Monitor, you're right. I shouldn't drink carbonated beverages at night. Just get me a bottle of mineral water..."

A few minutes later, Xina drained the mineral water with tears in her eyes, then sat lifelessly in a chair in the waiting area and began questioning her life as a Herrscher.

Didn't they say becoming an Apostle of God would grant me unmatched power?

Why did I have to run into a Valkyrie like Fu Hua, someone I can neither beat nor argue with?

After boarding the plane, Xina asked the flight attendant for an eye mask and went to sleep early, hoping to keep Fu Hua from noticing some of her habits.

In her dream, she once again heard faint, rustling whispers. Those voices conveyed only one meaning: urging her to quickly begin the grand undertaking of destroying human civilization.

Xina remained calm and acted as though she had heard nothing.

You've got to be kidding me. Fu Hua is sitting right next to me! No matter how important this grand undertaking is, can it be more important than my own life?

This undertaking can... wait until later. That's right, later...

When she woke up, the plane had already begun its descent. Looking at the fluffy clouds on either side of the wings, Xina came up with a second brilliant idea, following melting the polar ice caps and freezing the ocean currents...

After getting off the plane, the two had finally returned to their own "territory."

"I'll take you to meet the Principal!" Fu Hua said with a smile after they entered St. Freya's gates.

"The Principal?"

At the mention of those three words, the only image in Xina's mind was of that white-haired little loli who was nearly as tall as a cross...

After walking for quite some time, Fu Hua led Xina through the winding work area and arrived before a large door.

"Is the Principal in?" Fu Hua politely knocked three times on the door to Theresa's office.

"Darn it, someone's here!"

Hearing the knock, Theresa, who had been secretly slacking off inside and reading manga, frowned. Before Himeko could notice, she casually used a document to cover her limited-edition comic.

Creak! The door opened, but Teacher Himeko was the one who came to answer it.

"It's Fu Hua and Xina. Welcome to your new family!" Himeko warmly gave Fu Hua a hug, then took Xina's hand and led her inside.

A new family?

Xina's body instinctively stiffened for a moment, but she concealed it so deliberately that no one noticed anything unusual.

After completing her task of bringing Xina here, Fu Hua went to another department to report back, leaving Xina standing beside Himeko, at a loss in the huge office.

"You came back so quickly. That was unexpected. I'm sure that, since it's your first time at St. Freya, you have many questions, Xina. But with me here, feel free to ask anything you want."

That voice was definitely Theresa's.

But where was she?

Xina looked around everywhere, trying to find Theresa in the enormous office, but found nothing.

In the end, Fu Hua moved aside the mountain of documents and pointed her in the right direction.

"Miss Xina, do you have any questions for me?" Theresa jumped down from her chair, walked up to Xina, and asked softly.

"Um... since St. Freya is a Valkyrie academy, is it something like a military academy...?"

"A military academy!?" Theresa thought for a moment, then nodded. "More or less. A Valkyrie's work is indeed similar to that of the military, and even more dangerous. If you regret it, you can leave. There's nothing embarrassing about that."

Regret it? I still haven't figured out why the Third Herrscher could slack off so shamelessly. How could I possibly regret this!

Thinking that, Xina raised her head and said, "I don't regret it."

"Good! Excellent! Full of spirit!" Theresa smiled and gave Xina a thumbs-up before turning sideways to look at Himeko. "The new student is yours, Himeko. Take her to her room!"

"Okay, follow me!" Himeko answered gently, took Xina's hand, and led her out of the office area toward the dormitory district.

"Look, that's where we live!" Himeko pointed at a villa in the distance and smiled at Xina. "What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Mm..."

Looking at the villa not far away, Xina felt somewhat restrained. After all... she had never lived in such a nice house before.