Returning to St. Freya Academy (Part 1)

Bright sunlight streamed through the window onto Xing. The young man sat on the bed, leisurely flipping through Kaslana Gun-Kata: From Beginner to Going Out, while the chubby Crimson Kite's Wings lay lazily on the floor basking in the sun. Xing felt it was necessary to increase its exercise regimen, or it might very well die from the three highs.

Wendy lay beside him, sleeping soundly. Xing closed his book and poked her elastic cheek, but the girl showed no reaction. His gaze fell upon her two fair, tender little feet.

I want to lick them.

Xing slowly moved to the foot of the bed, reached out, and caught one jade-like foot. It felt like white jade in his hand. "Nice texture." He gently scratched Wendy's sensitive sole.

"Mm?" The girl's body trembled.

More force.

"Wah!" The sleeping girl tried to pull back her tender foot, only for it to be firmly held in his grip. Like a demon, the merciless young man toyed with it. Just as he was about to wake Wendy up, Xing stopped his torment. He had put her through enough last night, so he should let her sleep properly for a while.

It had been nearly three months since the OOO incident. After defeating King OOO, he had been dragged into an unknown space by that girl who called herself his senior, then sent back. Only then did he discover that time in this world had returned to when he had first met Wendy. That was when he understood what You Hui had meant: once the world was repaired, it would reset to the state before the anomaly began, so there was no need to care about any destruction that had happened before then.

However, those who had had intimate contact with him seemed to retain some memories. Based on what Kiana and the others had described when they came to visit him, it was like having an overly realistic dream.

He had no idea how much Otto and the others remembered. In any case, he hoped Otto would not remember him. Meeting that man would very likely trigger Kallen's memories, and Xing did not want to suffer through another bout of personality disorder.

Wendy had previously awakened the power of the Gem of Desire. After the reset, Xing helped her reactivate it little by little. After a month of attempts, her legs had finally regained the ability to walk. And last night, the power Wendy wielded had reached the level of Wendy Gale Wind.

It had not been for nothing that he had pressed and lifted with Judah.

Stroking the docile Qingtuan beside him, Xing felt utterly content. It would be even better if he could return to St. Freya Academy. He dearly missed the days of playing games with Bronya.

He had already devised a plan. He just needed some sucker to take the initiative and invade the Oceania Branch to seize his Core. Then, with the power of the Key of Erosion, he could make them believe they had truly taken the Core. He could also fabricate some evidence at the scene to fool Schicksal into having Theresa bring them back to St. Freya Academy.

Why had Cocolia not sent her Welt clone yet? Didn't she think I killed Bronya? And Jackal—I took such a huge advantage of you, and you never thought to get some of it back? Do you know just how bored I've been these past three months!?

Xing was immensely depressed. Just then, Wendy woke from her dream, glanced at Xing beside her, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Xing dragged her off the bed. "Get up and train! You can walk now, yet you've still been lying in bed for two months. Are you trying to get fatter than Crimson Kite's Wings?" This was not him being overly strict. Wendy's legs had been paralyzed for years, and her muscles had atrophied. Without more exercise, they would never recover to normal.

Wendy clutched her pillow tightly, utterly unwilling. "Brother Xing, you big meanie!"

Himeko frowned as she looked at the equally frowning Kiana before her. "Are you sure?"

Kiana's attitude was resolute. "The fourth spot in Fire Moth is reserved for Xing. I won't let anyone replace the void he left behind!"

Himeko sighed. "Then do as you like. There's less than a month until the end of the term, and the requirements you have yet to complete are defeating the Herrscher Emperor and clearing the combat simulation room. Theresa and I support your forming your own squad, but if you cannot meet the targets, then all I can do is feel sorry for you. You should think carefully about Fu Hua's application to join. An A-rank Valkyrie would be an enormous help to you right now."

Mei also tried to persuade her. "Kiana, Xing wouldn't mind something like this. When he comes back someday, he'll still be one of us. If Fire Moth can't be formed because of this, then..."

Kiana interrupted her, her eyes brimming with confidence. "Don't worry, Mei. My intuition tells me that he's about to come back."

Himeko chuckled. "Fine, let's make a bet. If Xing really comes back before this term ends, I'll give you the captain's position on the Hyperion. But if he doesn't come back, your training load will double from now on!"

"Deal." Either way, she had nothing to lose. Kiana was taking the bet.

At the Oceania Branch, the Valkyrie on guard duty was drenched in sweat. It was the latter half of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, and summer had arrived.

The young woman wiped away her sweat. "New Year's is almost here. I wonder if I can take leave to go home and see my parents. I miss home so much."

Just then, an androgynous voice rang out. "No problem. I'll make your wish come true."

The young woman immediately became alert. "Who's there?"

A blurry figure flashed past her eyes, and then she lost consciousness.

Boom! Explosions erupted one after another throughout the Oceania Branch.

One hour later, at St. Freya Academy—

At Theresa's instruction, the Fire Moth trio came to her office. The usually approachable principal wore a grim expression, reminding them of the Changkong City incident last time.

Theresa looked at them, a trace of guilt and delight flashing through her eyes. "One piece of bad news and one piece of good news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Kiana thought for a moment. "The bad news first."

"The bad news is that, one hour ago, an unidentified individual attacked Schicksal's Oceania Branch and took the Herrscher Cores from inside Xing and Wendy. Fortunately, their lives were not endangered."

The three were startled, and Kiana ground her teeth in fury. "What? Who did it? This lady won't let them get away with it!"

Bronya noticed the joy in Theresa's eyes and asked, "Then what is the good news?"

Theresa cast off her cold facade and said happily, "The good news is that without those lousy gems, this principal can bring them back to St. Freya Academy! Hurry up and get ready. Xing and Wendy will undergo a week of observation and treatment at Schicksal Headquarters. I'll go there first to keep them company, then return to St. Freya Academy with them in a week. When that time comes, I want to see a grand welcome ceremony!"

"Yay! ×3" Kiana happily pulled Theresa into her embrace. "Long live Auntie!"

Theresa's smile instantly vanished as she was crushed beneath two lumps of fat and unable to breathe.

At Schicksal Headquarters, in Otto's office—

The Lord Bishop flipped through the investigation report from the Oceania Branch and handed it to his secretary. "Amber, what do you think?"

The artificial human Amber briefly gave her opinion. "The intruder was extremely powerful and acted with a clear purpose. Every Valkyrie and mecha at the Oceania Branch was defeated, and all database records were erased, making it impossible to obtain footage of the intrusion. It is evident that he deliberately concealed his identity."

Otto praised her. "Mm, very good. Your analysis is quite thorough. However—" His tone shifted. "You failed to see where the problem lies."

"First, all the Valkyries were merely knocked unconscious. Virtually none suffered serious injuries. Second, he only erased the data in the database, yet did not destroy any important equipment. Third, the mecha wreckage left at the scene was blown apart far too thoroughly; there is a high possibility that someone hacked into their controls and made them self-destruct. Fourth, I happened to discover something very interesting."

Otto pulled up Xing's file, found the section on Stigmata, and pointed at the Kallen's Song Stigmata. "Look. Doesn't it seem familiar?"

Amber found it strangely familiar, but she simply could not remember where she had seen it.

Otto pulled up the footage taken in Changkong City last time and pointed at the white-haired nun within it. "Look, doesn't she have a Stigma on her back that looks very similar to his?" Even though half of the gleaming Stigma was obscured by her clothes, its general outline was still recognizable.

Amber was somewhat surprised. "W-What is this?"

Otto chuckled softly, propping his chin up with both hands as he leaned over the desk. "As it happens, Theresa is coming to Schicksal Headquarters to accompany her student this time. As her grandfather, shouldn't I have a nice chat with her and see how much she has improved lately? And perhaps get to know that child named Xing while I'm at it."

Xing held the injured Wendy aboard the ship bound for Schicksal.

"Why do we have to be sent to Schicksal Headquarters for observation before we can go back?" Xing was freaking out right now.

Since no sucker had come to snatch his core, he had gotten bored. After finishing most of that pile of books, he began studying Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross and actually learned how to use the Key of Consciousness. Though he could not yet burn memories like Feather Crossing Dust to unleash Tai Xu Sword God, or use Zeroth Power to link consciousness, creating an illusion was no problem.

Thus, with Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross and Jizo-Mitama—one hacking biological lifeforms, the other hacking machinery—and with Wendy's consent, the two of them had directed and acted out the entire performance themselves.

Wendy asked uneasily, "Brother Xing, we'll be okay, right?"

We should be. After all, I really did remove the Gem of Stillness and the Gem of Desire. Xing comforted her, "Don't worry. I heard the Headmistress will be coming to see us personally. Nothing will happen."

The moment they disembarked, they saw that short white-haired girl who had arrived ahead of them by speedboat already waiting there. "Long time no see! Your Headmistress missed you two to death!" An excited Theresa pounced over and pulled them both tightly into her arms.

Wendy could barely breathe from the hug. "The Headmistress is as energetic as ever."

Xing tried to push her away. "Wendy and I are still injured..."

Theresa sheepishly released them. "Sorry, I got too excited! Just thinking that I can finally take you home made me lose control, hehe~"

An attendant beside her reminded her, "Lady Theresa, they still need to undergo a full examination and treatment. Please restrain yourself for the moment."

"Oh, right. Bear with it for now. In a week, you can return to St. Freya Academy. I'll stay with you during that time."

After they had gone far away, the smile on Theresa's face slowly vanished. Once she confirmed that no one was nearby, she looked at her right hand. Miniature Judas lay quietly in her palm; Xing had slipped it to her while she was hugging them just now.

Author's Note—

Guess where Xing put the two gems?

Xing's current affection ratings for everyone (Bonded Weaponry can only be performed once both parties' affection reaches 70 or above; reaching the maximum of 100 brings a surprise):

Raven: 80 (ill-fated connection)

Mei: 80 (his first, the Rice Cooker)

Kiana: 80 (who wouldn't like an ultimate, invincible, fucking adorable little bug?) Kiana's current affection for Xing: 80

Bronya: 85 (Lolis are the best, gaming buddy)

Himeko: 80 (no further explanation needed)

Theresa: 80 (his real mom, little gift-giving fairy)

Yae Sakura: 88 (the main wife is within reach)

Kallen (personality fragment): 90 (successor)

Hiyokomaru: 80 (wouldn't you love a silly, adorable Loli who calls you big brother all day?)

Wendy: 85 (the two of them had pretty much built up each other's affection in the previous volume) Wendy's current affection for Xing: 85

Rita: 70 (wary)

Durandal: 70 (Clumsy Goose is a very good person)

Otto: 50–100 (a fluctuating state of love and hate, influenced by Kallen's personality fragment)

You Hui: 70 (a reliable? senior)

Younger sister who has yet to appear: 100 (deep familial affection)

Seele, who also has yet to appear: 90 (I'm a Seele fan!)