"Yes."
Thrud displayed obedience.
"Hmph."
Sigurd, standing not far from her, gave a cold snort.
"A mere puppet, yet you sure can talk."
Ignoring Sigurd's hostility, Thrud raised her head and looked at Scathach-Skadi, the ruler of Scandinavia who regarded herself as their mother.
"Please enter your command. Whatever it may be, we will obey. You are our master."
Scathach-Skadi tilted her head slightly.
"No matter how many years have passed, you still refuse to serve me as daughters."
"Truly... admirable."
"Never mind."
The goddess did not dwell on the matter any further.
"Valkyries who lead my daughters, what are your thoughts on what happened in Village 23?"
"I accept your obedience, but you are not mindless puppets incapable of thought."
"I understand, Thrud."
As she spoke, the goddess glanced at Sigurd, her meaning plain.
Sigurd called the Valkyries puppets, but as their mother, she acknowledged their individuality.
Children's conflicts were difficult to handle. Yet a mother's favoritism was unavoidable as well.
"We only carry out orders. We do not make specific judgments regarding matters."
Thrud still seemed determined to insist on this.
—A conviction one had to possess, even if regarded as a puppet.
"It is of no concern. Speak."
The queen continued.
"Then—"
Thrud pursed her lips before finally speaking.
"If you permit them to live, we will see to it."
"They have no reason to die."
"As for the mass-produced units, though they were defeated, they lack the capacity to adaptively assess circumstances. Based on my superficial judgment after reviewing the memories—"
"[We] have no need to deploy."
By "we," she meant all three true Valkyries.
Thrud, Hildr, and Ortlinde.
"If you believe they must die, the giants can handle it. Or the mass-produced units that have activated their extermination protocols can do so."
"Hmm, is that