Collapse, I'll Transform and Punch You Directly

Everything was as if a water channel had been formed, purple lightning surged from Mei's bamboo sword, perilously slashing the Herrscher's cheek and splitting the large tree behind her in two!

"Not bad."

Seeing that Mei could control a portion of the lightning, the Herrscher stopped her actions, her usually cool face breaking into a satisfied smile.

"Impressive. You can use your power without triggering the Herrscher reaction."

Mei, with a face covered in dust, was surprised by the attack she had just unleashed, recalling the feeling of using lightning.

"Tell me, can I trust you?"

The Herrscher asked Mei again, her expression serious.

"I will do my best to protect Kiana."

Mei, adapting to the power, swung her sword forcefully, dispelling the lightning as she answered with conviction.

The Herrscher merely shook her head. Kiana didn't need to worry about her acting recklessly now. The one to worry about was someone even more reckless than Kiana. In that independent memory...

"No, tell me, you must protect her well..."

Mid-sentence, the Herrscher suddenly felt a violent buzzing in her mind, interrupting what she was about to say.

"Ugh! What's going on?"

What was this sudden attack? No, it wasn't an attack; Bai Chen's body itself was having a problem!

It's a shame Bai Chen doesn't have his final form. Otherwise, he definitely could have...

"Mei!"

Sensing the Herrscher's poor condition, Kiana immediately rushed forward and hugged her. The Herrscher then reverted, becoming a pale Bai Chen.

This is bad. Didn't I get beaten up by Mei when I wasn't transformed?

Will Mei not cook that meal tomorrow? I'm a bit weak now. Will Mei take this opportunity to get revenge?

The more he thought about it, the more scared he became.

I will never transform into a Herrscher again! From now on, I can't judge strength solely by game ratings. That means I can't become the Celestial Ranger either, at least not until I break through and become significantly stronger.

Meanwhile, Mei was pondering the Herrscher's last words. Besides Kiana, who else might be in danger?

Bronya? Himeko? Theresa? Bai Chen? No, it's impossible for Bai Chen.

As the strongest trump card among them, Mei couldn't imagine anything being able to kill Bai Chen, not even a full Herrscher.

"Bai Chen!! You've caused trouble for me again!!"

Himeko, enraged, arrived at the scene, looking at the forest that seemed to have been bulldozed. Her heart ached!

Himeko snatched Bai Chen from Kiana's embrace, pinching him under his armpits and lifting him high.

"What the hell are you doing! You've made your complexion as bad as Herrscher IV again!"

"Physical exhaustion..."

Bai Chen replied weakly.

"You're too reckless with your body just because you're young! I must teach you a lesson today!"

"Heavens! Teacher Himeko! Don't! I was wrong! Next time, I'll definitely think twice before acting!!!"

Himeko ignored Bai Chen's protests and her palm became a blur as she struck Bai Chen repeatedly, her cries echoing through the small forest.

"Crack."

Bronya, who was watching from the side, also took a few precious photos with her phone.

Kiana and Mei, standing nearby, were also trying to persuade Himeko to stop, as it was just a small accident.

After a while, when it was all over, Himeko looked at the damaged trees with a pained expression.

"It looks like my drinking money for next month is completely gone."

"Huh? Why do I have to pay for Teacher Himeko?"

Bai Chen, grimacing and leaning against a tree, asked curiously.

"Because Teacher Himeko is your legal guardian."

Bronya replied from the side.

"?? Himeko is my legal guardian?!"

Bai Chen was stunned. Himeko, his legal guardian? What happened when he was little?

"You don't know?"

Bronya was surprised. After all, Bai Chen's dorm room was next to Himeko's. Hadn't Himeko told Bai Chen such an important matter?

"I don't know? Himeko doesn't even have a boyfriend. She's my legal guardian?"

"No, you brat, are you looking for death?"

Himeko appeared in front of Bai Chen as if teleporting and punched him on the forehead.

Then, ignoring Bai Chen, who was covering his head and crouching defensively, she started explaining:

"You were an orphan from the start, so of course you needed a legal guardian. Otherwise, even the enrollment procedures would be difficult!"

There weren't many reliable people at St. Freya. They couldn't possibly let Theresa be his guardian, could they? Himeko found the thought amusing.

Chapter 29: Bai Chen's Daily Life

Distractedly, Bai Chen fiddled with the pen in his hand, wondering if he should change how he addressed Himeko.

He couldn't keep calling her "Teacher Himeko," could he? Calling her "Auntie Himeko" would definitely earn him a beating, and "Sister" felt a bit too familiar.

"Sigh..."

Bai Chen slumped onto the desk, unsure of what to do.

"Xiao Bai! I heard from headquarters that a big shot is coming to inspect the teaching environment here."

Kiana excitedly dashed in front of Bai Chen, having heard the news from somewhere.

"Is it just a leader inspecting?"

Drawing on his past life's experience, Bai Chen said dismissively, "Aren't there always a few middle-aged men with big bellies wandering around the school, pointing and criticizing? What's so exciting about that?"

"You don't understand! The person coming is an S-rank Valkyrie. There are very few of them in our entire Schicksal organization."

Kiana put her hands on her hips, a little annoyed. Her dream was to become the strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal, and she looked up to S-rank Valkyries.

Only then did Bai Chen suddenly realize that this was a Valkyrie academy, not like his previous life's school.

"Whoosh!"

Bai Chen nervously stood up from his seat. An S-rank Valkyrie was coming to inspect? There were only a few S-rank Valkyries officially recognized by headquarters. Otto wouldn't be causing trouble, would he?

No, Bai Chen decided he had to go talk to Fu Hua and get some information.

"I don't know."

Fu Hua gave her standard, unhelpful answer.

"No way..."

Bai Chen lamented that he couldn't get any useful information. Otto was definitely up to something, and he couldn't afford to clash with him right now.

"I only report to Otto periodically. You know Otto, he rarely talks to me unless it's about something concerning me."

Fu Hua placed her hand on Bai Chen's chest, synchronizing with the memories within his feathers. A hint of surprise appeared on her face. She hadn't expected Bai Chen to have gone through so much recently.

"Yes, diligence is the key to success, and idleness leads to failure; action is born from thought, and destruction from carelessness. Bai Chen, you've been slacking off these past few days."

After observing Bai Chen's training for a few days, Fu Hua sternly reprimanded him.

"Ah, sorry."

He had indeed been neglecting his practical combat training these past few days due to Himeko and his loss of control during his transformation.

"Nonsense! It's just after school now, so you'll make up for the lost days!"

Having made up her mind, Fu Hua dragged Bai Chen towards the training grounds. Bai Chen's strength was tied to their promise, and she wouldn't allow him to be lazy!

"No!!"

Bai Chen despairingly reached out towards the distance. His daily training load was already at its limit. Could he really finish the catch-up training before dinner?

"Wow, does Lord Fu Hua like younger types?"

"Indeed, little Bai Chen is quite likable. If it were me, hehe..."

"Ew, get away from me."

The other students watching from the sidelines were discussing Bai Chen and Fu Hua animatedly, their imaginations running wild and conjuring fanfiction scenarios.

After the sun set, Bai Chen returned to the dormitory in a sorry state. He thought he'd only be able to eat leftovers today.

However, as he entered the kitchen, Bai Chen caught a faint scent of cherry blossoms. Yae Sakura was busy in the kitchen.

"Bai Chen, you're finally back."

Yae Sakura, who had just finished, smiled and served the dishes, beckoning Bai Chen to try them.

"I saw you training with Miss Fu Hua earlier today. I knew you'd be back late, so I took the initiative to help Miss Mei with her chores and prepared this for you."

Bai Chen eagerly took a bite of the food. The delicious flavors instantly overwhelmed his starved taste buds, a different kind of deliciousness from Mei's cooking.

"It's so delicious, Sakura! I've never tasted anything like this before."

Bai Chen praised as he stuffed his mouth with food.

Yae Sakura simply smiled and said, "Then I'll cook for you often from now on."

Looking at the child who was significantly shorter than her, Yae Sakura's expression was a mix of concern and nostalgia.

In truth, Yae Sakura had always wanted to repay Bai Chen's kindness, but she was helpless when Bai Chen got into trouble, so she focused on taking care of him in his daily life.

The more she took care of Bai Chen, the more Yae Sakura understood him, realizing that he could be quite reckless at times and truly a handful.

"I heard that Yuno, the one you rescued, is enrolling tomorrow. She's supposed to be moving into the dormitory tonight."

Yae Sakura now spent most of her days by Theresa's side, only being called by Bai Chen when needed. She naturally received news like this earlier than others.

"Huh? Has she overcome her psychological trauma?"

Bai Chen said in surprise, "Since you came back, Yuno has barely been in touch. I've been worried she might have fallen into depression."

"She hasn't completely recovered, but she's doing relatively well."

Yae Sakura looked at Bai Chen, a flicker of unease crossing her face. It was so brief that Bai Chen didn't notice.

"That's good. Professional matters should be handled by professionals."

As he sighed, Bai Chen's mind drifted back to his confrontation with Yuno. Their verbal sparring had been so intense it was almost absurd.

It was convenient to have such an ability; he could just beat her up.

In the future, when facing similar situations, he wouldn't waste words. He'd just beat them up and leave the therapy to others.

"After dinner, do you want me to scrub your back?"

"No!"

Bai Chen felt like those guys treated him like a child! They had no sense of personal space! Even though his body was that of a child, his soul wasn't!

Afterward, exhausted, Bai Chen lay back down on the bed. His stamina completely drained, he was on the verge of sleep...

Then he had a nightmare!

In his dream, stripped of his transformation ability, he once again faced Herrscher Yuno.

A frenzied Yuno wrapped Bai Chen's body in vines, leaving him completely defenseless. Without his special abilities, Bai Chen was like a lamb to the slaughter before her.

"Aren't you strong? Now you're at my mercy!"

Yuno moved the trapped Bai Chen in front of her, cupping his cheeks, and laughed with a flushed face. Her predatory gaze unexpectedly filled Bai Chen with dread!

Bai Chen then woke up with a pained expression, glancing out the window at the brightening sky.

Despite the exhausting dream, he had managed to get a decent night's sleep...

Then Bai Chen realized he couldn't move. Someone was in the covers with him!