The Shadow of the Saintess and a Place to Belong

Kiana Kaslana held Xing, who had been severely corroded by Honkai Energy. There was no worry in her eyes, only curiosity.

"Kiana, is Xing going to be okay?" Mei asked anxiously.

"Mm, don't worry. I can sense the active Kaslana blood in his body. This little bit of Honkai Energy can't do anything to him. Look, it's already fading." Kiana pointed at the boy's neck, where the corrosion patterns had retreated from his face.

Raven, who had left early: "..."

By all rights, Xing really should not have been able to endure it. But his stigmata were unusual. If Raven's dose of Honkai Energy Inhibitor had not partially deactivated them earlier, he would have been completely fine. At most, a few patterns would have appeared on his body before disappearing.

After Herrscher Mei had forcefully stuffed Honkai Energy into his body, the stigmata woke up. In an instinctive act of self-defense, they sealed away the consciousness of Herrscher Mei, who had overdone the transfer.

But there was a problem. During Bonded Weaponry, Xing and Mei's bodies had been in a partially fused state. So when they separated, Herrscher Mei had conveniently transferred the Gem of Conquest along with everything else.

Herrscher Mei's consciousness was now trapped inside the Gem of Conquest, bound by golden chains that prevented her from causing trouble inside Xing's body.

Then another problem arose. Most of the stigmata's power was being used to seal the Gem of Conquest, leaving them unable to suppress the remaining Honkai Energy. So after the patterns retreated to his neck, they stopped there.

Awkward...

The Hyperion hovered above the four of them. What, you were asking why there were four people when there were obviously only three?

Come on, had you forgotten Bronya lying on the ground nearby?

Half an hour later, aboard the Hyperion—

"This is the situation. If that girl named Raiden Mei was telling the truth, then the Herrscher fluctuations detected earlier came from her. She should be the Herrscher born this time." Murata Himeko reported to Theresa.

"And she got flattened by a little brat around ten years old? Himeko, do you really think I'd believe that? How could there be such a pathetic Herrscher?" Theresa stood on her chair, looking up at Himeko.

"I don't believe it either, but we detected a massive amount of Honkai Energy in their bodies. More importantly, the surrounding area suffered severe damage, proving that an intense battle really did take place there."

"That child is called Xing Kaslana. Are all Kaslana Family members this fierce? First there was Sigfried groping the butts of every Valkyrie, and now there's a ten-year-old fighting a Herrscher?"

"The first one was a rumor Shigure Kira made up. But I couldn't find any child named Xing on the Kaslana Family roster." Theresa looked at the screen. "Could there be a mistake?"

"We drew his blood for testing. He is indeed a pure-blooded Kaslana, and he is also a natural stigmata bearer. More coincidentally, we have records on him." Himeko secretly glanced at Theresa, her expression extremely subtle.

"He was discovered on Taixu Mountain yesterday morning and was originally supposed to be transferred to Destiny Orphanage, but he vanished midway. Someone likely recognized his value and abducted him. As for why he later appeared in Changkong City, we currently have no clues."

"I see. Himeko, how severe was the damage at the scene?"

"Since it was on the outskirts, there were basically no casualties. Only a single park was destroyed, and there were merely some accompanying Honkai Beasts in the vicinity. We have already dispatched troops to clear them out."

"Is that so? That's wonderful. There wasn't a large-scale Honkai outbreak."

"Mm, let's go see that child."

"No, I'll go see my niece first."

"No, take Judah and go see him first. He's about to die."

"?"

"The Honkai Energy in his body is absurdly high. We tried everything and still couldn't suppress it. We can only rely on your Judah. If you don't go now, he may be corroded into a zombie."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?!" The white-haired little woman grabbed Judah and ran.

"Theresa, you're running the wrong way!"

The golden cross sank into the floor, and several chains extended from it, gently brushing against the boy's skin. The red patterns faded along with them.

"Strange, I haven't even given an order yet." The principal scratched her head and did not think much of it. Judah was usually quite smart anyway. It even tucked her in at night sometimes.

"Say, Theresa, don't you think he looks familiar?" Himeko looked at Theresa with a complicated expression.

"Uh, now that you mention it, there is a bit of Sigfried in his features. Could he be that bastard's illegitimate son?" The white-haired little woman cracked her knuckles. "Not only did he abandon Kiana, he even dared to cheat on her mother? Let me catch him!"

Sigfried, who was currently wrestling with the recently rescued Raiden Ryoma at Anti-Entropy, suddenly sneezed. Raiden Ryoma seized the opportunity and pinned him beneath him. Things began taking a philosophical turn...

"What are you even talking about? Theresa, can't you really tell, or are you pretending not to?" Himeko was utterly speechless.

"Huh? Himeko, just say what you mean. Stop speaking in riddles."

"Haven't you noticed? This little guy looks almost exactly like you. Maybe he's your illegitimate son."

Theresa's feelings were extremely complicated. She had found her niece and unexpectedly discovered a Kaslana Family child as well. Clearly, it should have been the joy of two happy events combined. So why was she not happy at all?

Theresa stared at the glittering Judah, her expression complicated.

"Could he be an experimental subject created by Grandfather?" she guessed.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Himeko asked.

"He is a rare natural stigmata bearer. Sending him to an orphanage would be the same as sending him into a laboratory. Let him attend St. Freya Academy with Kiana. I believe he will become an excellent warrior."

"Oh? Wouldn't that make him the first male student since St. Freya Academy was founded?"

"Heh. Ah, we'll have to register him first. What a hassle."

A wooden airplane fell from the sky. Xing bent down to pick it up and looked toward the tall wall. The airplane had flown out from there. He nimbly climbed up, his body feeling even lighter than he had expected.

"My airplane..." On the other side of the wall, a blond boy stared blankly at the sky. "All you do all day is make useless things like that." His older brother looked at him disdainfully before turning away.

The blond boy lowered his head, his eyes filled with loneliness.

"Excuse me, is this yours?" A crisp voice sounded beside him. He looked up and met a pair of sapphire-blue eyes. "It flew really high just now."

"Ah, thank you. I-I'm Otto Apollyon. And you are?"

"I am... huh?"

The scene before him shattered with a crash, and memories flooded in like a tide. It seemed Herrscher Mei had set me up, and then I passed out. Where is this? Xing looked around. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a few ruined buildings. The sky was gray and hazy, and he had no idea where the light illuminating the place came from.

"This is a realm you should not yet set foot in." A crisp voice sounded beside him. The boy turned around, and a white-haired Nun entered his sight.

"You, you are?!"

"You cannot even control your own stigmata yet, so do not reach beyond your grasp. If you want to obtain the power here, wait until your strength reaches that of an S-Rank Valkyrie." The Nun raised her hand, and several golden chains burst from the ground beneath Xing's feet, binding him tightly.

"Your body has already returned to normal. Go back."

"Wait, I have something to ask you!" Before the words could leave his mouth, he lost consciousness again.

"I look forward to your growth, Xing Kaslana." After sending Xing away, the Nun murmured to herself, "I hope you will not become like that Sigfried."

Xing opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

"You're awake? There are clothes prepared for you on the bedside table. Go take a shower in the bathroom over there, then change into them. I'll wait outside." A red-haired woman stared at him with great interest from beside the bed.

"Big Sis Himeko?" Xing stared blankly at her, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why are you crying? A real man shouldn't shed tears so easily, you know~"

"No, I'm just... happy in a way I can't explain."

"All right, hurry up and shower and change. Big Sis will wait outside for you~"

"Okay, Auntie."

"Who are you calling Auntie?"

He seemed to be in a single dorm room. After showering and taking care of his biological needs after waking up, he put on the uniform-like clothes. They fit him quite well.

"I'm out."

"You really are adorable. Come on, let Big Sis pinch those little cheeks of yours~" Looking at that face, Himeko could not help thinking of Theresa, who kept withholding her salary. That's for not paying me, that's for confiscating my alcohol, and that's for always ruining my dates... The force in her hand gradually increased.

"That hurts! Let go already!"

Rubbing his reddened cheek, Xing glared at her resentfully.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away. Ahem. Let me introduce myself. I'm Murata Himeko, and barring any surprises, I'll be your teacher for the next few years."

So it really was Himeko. Wait, teacher?

"Um, where is this?"

"St. Freya Academy, a place that cultivates the forces that fight Honkai. As a Kaslana, you should know the basics, so I won't explain too much."

"When did I enroll?"

"What, you don't want to attend?"

"No, it's just... the tuition and stuff..."

"You don't need to worry about that. As a natural stigmata bearer, your tuition is completely waived." At this point, a trace of envy appeared in Himeko's eyes.

Was it really that good?

"However, you will have to cover your own expenses at the academy. St. Freya Academy uses a credit system. Every expense here costs credits, and credits can be earned through daily and weekly tasks, challenging the Memory Battlefield, and other methods. If your credits remain too low for too long, you will be forcibly expelled."

Himeko took out something resembling a phone and handed it to Xing. "This is the terminal every student has. You'll need it for many things, so take good care of it. Replacing it if you lose it costs a lot of credits. Also, your starting credits have already been transferred to you."

"Why does this development feel so familiar?" For some reason, the boy's liver ached faintly.

"Oh, right. School doesn't start for another three days, but it's better to ask in advance. What kind of weapon do you plan to specialize in? Since you're a Kaslana, you'll probably choose dual pistols, right?"

"What options are there?"

"Dual pistols, katanas, Heavy Cannons, greatswords, crosses, gauntlets, scythes, lances, bows, and chakrams. Don't rush to decide. There are still three days before school starts, so try them out first and see which weapon suits you. Familiarize yourself with the academy while you're at it. Big Sis has things to do, so I'll be going now~"

"Take care, Auntie Hi... Big Sis." Seeing Himeko's dangerously kind gaze, Xing immediately corrected himself.

"I almost forgot this." Himeko tossed him a key. "Your dorm key. It's the place you were sleeping in just now. It's a little small, but it has everything you need. Take good care of it."

The boy gripped the key and smiled. This counted as having a "home," didn't it?

"Thank you." Watching Himeko leave, Xing quietly offered his thanks. Though he should have been thanking Raven instead.

He turned on the terminal and, as expected, found a map function.

"This place is way too big..."

Author's Note—

I added some of my own settings to St. Freya Academy and planted a few plot hooks while I was at it. What weapon do you think suits Xing best?

Preview: A major crisis—the entrance test!