It's Goosey's...

"Too noisy."

Just as expected, Otto lazily spat out two words. Then Jackal's voice caught as though someone had seized her by the throat.

Raven saw the Archbishop of Schicksal before her flick a fingernail lightly. The golden feather floated in the air, swaying as it drifted toward Jackal.

She suddenly recalled seeing footage of something similar within World Serpent.

The Eighth Divine Key, Feather of Dust.

"Ugh! Ah! No! Don't! !!!!"

Weak, terrified cries rang in her ears. Raven swallowed and lowered her head, trying her best to make herself seem smaller.

"I did promise to let you return," Otto said slowly, but every word struck Raven's heart. "But I never said... what state you would return in."

Jackal's voice gradually faded. A streak of gold drifted past Raven's eyes as the feather returned to Otto's hand.

"I know. I've known all along that Elysian Realm had Feather of Dust's first decoder."

The man's voice remained languid.

"But—I have no need to control you, little one. Once I know the memories in your mind, I'll have the Staff of the Underworld's method of use, as well as World Serpent's lower ranks. When the time is right, Schicksal won't need to waste resources to swallow the Serpent whole."

???

"Elysian... Realm?!"

Raven nearly jumped out of her chair, only to be held back by the chains.

Amid the clattering of chains, she stared at Otto, terror so profound it would remain etched in her eyes for the rest of her life.

World Serpent was finished.

She thought.

At present, World Serpent had no high-end combat power capable of rivaling Schicksal. Its remaining Divine Keys and other assets would be taken, its lower-level intelligence obtained by the enemy, and even its greatest secret, Elysian Realm, had been discovered by Otto.

And now, with the other side intending to devour them—what could World Serpent possibly use to fight after this?

What kind of team had Otto brought? What kind of team had Gray Serpent brought?

Unless a deus ex machina descended and that "leader who would never fall" returned; however...

"The Eye of the Deep Sea is the entrance to the Sea of Quantum."

Raven suddenly spoke, her words exceptionally clear.

"World Serpent's sovereign is trapped within the Sea of Quantum. If he wishes to return to the real world, he must..."

"Oh?"

Otto raised a brow, cutting off Raven's betrayal.

"Though I know Kevin must remain in the Sea of Quantum and requires a certain external force to return; though I also know Sea Abyss City's geographical coordinates. But—World Serpent executive Raven Natasha Xiora, what exactly are you doing?"

I knew it.

Raven thought bitterly. Even Elysian Realm has been exposed to you. What do a few details about Sea Abyss City even matter?

She had always believed World Serpent endured because of the sovereign's immense power. But now, they would likely not live to see his return.

The world-overturning power World Serpent worshipped would become nothing more than empty talk under Schicksal's schemes.

"I want to surrender. There's no need to use Feather of Dust to search my memories."

Raven answered.

"I'm just a mercenary. I have no grand ambitions or aspirations. I only want to live well."

"And save up enough to buy a villa on an island?"

Otto tilted his head and teased her.

"You even know that."

Raven slumped in the Prison Chair, her expression despondent.

"Then you should know what kind of person I am. So you must also understand how sincere my surrender is—as long as you don't use Feather of Dust to search me."

"Are you sure, little Raven?"

Otto stood and pressed a hand against Raven's forehead, forcing the woman to meet his gaze.

"Giving up everything in World Serpent? Giving up your life as a mercenary? Coming nakedly into Schicksal like this, to serve me?"

"..."

Raven's thoughts raced as she considered Otto's words.

Suddenly, the woman's eyes narrowed.

She understood.

"Then, adorable little Raven."

Otto watched Raven's enlightened expression and smiled knowingly.

"If you want to submit to me, then say 'woof.' If you intend to return to World Serpent, then say 'meow.'"

"A little kitten, or a little dog? Which will you choose, little Raven? I'm looking forward to it."

Raven swallowed hard and cried out without hesitation:

"Meow."

Otto's smile deepened, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

The room fell silent, save for Jackal's weak groans as her memories were extracted.

At last, a second clear sound rang out, carrying a touch of weakness and submission.

"Woof."

"Good girl."

Otto lowered the finger pressed against Raven's forehead, stroking her soft gray hair like she was a pet before letting his hand glide over her smooth, pale cheek.

Then golden light lit up in Raven's terrified eyes.

"It's just that once I use this thing, you no longer have the right to know."

Chapter 55: It's Goosey's...

Midnight was approaching. At this hour, Schicksal Headquarters was usually ablaze with lights, but today it was unusually shrouded in darkness.

On this night without lights, the blonde girl sat by the window, silently watching the rare Stars.

It seemed that the last time she had gazed up at them so peacefully had been a very, very long time ago.

"Lady Durandal, your tea."

Steam curled above the cup, and a rich, tranquil fragrance spread through the night.

"Ah, this is... lavender tea?"

"Yes. Lavender tea has calming, sleep-inducing effects, making it suitable for drinking at night."

Durandal picked up the tea and took a light sip. She seemed to want to say something, yet felt a little embarrassed.

"Lord Bishop... no, the maintenance staff said it will still be a while before power is restored. Until then, please relax with some tea."

Lord Bishop?

The blonde goose narrowed her eyes. The formatting brain she had inherited from the Kaslana family tradition once more switched on and began working with practiced ease—practiced because it had been activated rather frequently lately.

Did the Bishop Otto that Rita had accidentally mentioned have something to do with the power outage on the floating island?

Could it have been an error in his experiment?

Then who was the experiment's subject?

Could it be... her?

Thinking of that spicy woman, little goose's cheeks puffed up involuntarily.

How could she have left so spicy fast yesterday?!

With only a single sentence—"Not bad. You've passed your S-rank Valkyrie exam."—she had tossed aside the defeated her, Durandal!!!

She left her behind! She disappeared!

I still wanted a hug!!!

For some reason, whenever she thought of Senior Cecilia, she felt herself becoming childish, as if she were no longer the mature and powerful prospective S-rank Valkyrie, but an immature, ridiculous, clumsy, awkward ordinary girl.

She could not help thinking of her close friend, Rita Rossweisse. Rita was always so elegant and proper, mysterious and alluring when interacting with everyone else, yet when she spoke with her parents, her tone carried something like a coquettish sweetness.

"Lady Durandal?"

Rita's question brought her back from her thoughts. She touched the slightly cool tea and looked at the Valkyrie who had always remained by her side.

"Oh, right, Rita... is your hand all right?"

"Ah, there is no need to worry, Lady Durandal. That side kick did not injure me."

The answer left the girl somewhat helpless. She knew that blow must have hurt terribly.

...But she also knew that what this perfectionist maid wanted was definitely not an apology.

Even though the matter had arisen from the girl's foolish misunderstanding.

"In the future... don't wait for me in the dark during a power outage, Rita. I don't want to hurt you by mistake."

"I will take note, Lady Durandal." Rita bowed with a soft smile, her eyes gentle.

The clock hands ticked quietly. The tea was finished, leaving a sweet aftertaste in her mouth.

"The lavender tea is nice. It has a hint of sweetness. Did you add honey?"

"It is hand-pressed honey. Its flavor is light and sweet, without becoming cloying."

"Your tea is always so delicious," Durandal said sincerely.

"You flatter me, Lady Durandal."

The girl looked again toward the clear starry sky. That earnest, innocent expression of hers seemed never to have changed.

And the maid at her side merely smiled as she quietly watched the girl immersed in the stars.

"Ah, somehow, tonight's stars seem brighter than I remember."

"Perhaps... this is what they call a blessing in disguise? After the power outage, there is no longer interference from the ground lights, so the starlight has become much clearer."

"Schicksal Headquarters actually had a power outage... that is rather surprising."

"Yes. In all these years, this is the first time."

There seemed to be a hint more emotion in Rita's voice.

Yes. The first time.

The first time... it had been so grand.

"It's nice to have this kind of experience once in a while," Durandal said. "If the power had not suddenly gone out, we would not have had the chance to sit quietly and chat like this."

"It feels like it has been a long time since we last passed the time together like this. The last time we chatted like this... was when we gathered with our friends in the World Bubble, wasn't it?"

The brown-haired girl thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. Before we knew it, so much time had already passed. And as the year draws to a close, there have been more and more missions. Schicksal received a batch of important resources at Christmas, and we still have not fully absorbed them—even the time we have to sit down and talk together has become less than usual."

Rita glanced at the clock. There was still a minute and a half before midnight.

"Lady Durandal has worked very hard this year as well."

"No, it still wasn't enough. There is still so much I can do... but this year has ended just like that."

The blonde girl shook her head, her large blue eyes filled with self-reproach.

Rita merely smiled gently, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Then in the new year, please let Lady Durandal work hard together with everyone, and accomplish more of what could not be accomplished this year."