"Valkyrie? How come I've never seen you before?"
Theresa looked puzzled at those words. She had been at Schicksal for so many years; there was no way she wouldn't have even the slightest impression of her.
"Isn't it perfectly normal that you haven't? How much do you really know about Schicksal? You, who have lived in a greenhouse."
"..."
"What's wrong with Schicksal?"
Theresa was even more confused. She had been with Schicksal for so many years... nearly thirty, hadn't it been? Could there really be things she didn't know?
Although some of the things Grandpa did were hard to accept at times, Schicksal as a whole was good. For humanity... to protect the world, Schicksal's Valkyries had stood on the front lines for centuries, never retreating.
If Schicksal had not rushed to the forefront every time Honkai erupted, this world might have been far less peaceful.
"Do you know where a Valkyrie's Stigmata come from? You... forget it. Some things, you can only truly understand after seeing them with your own eyes. Words alone will always be one-sided."
Himeko had been about to tell Theresa something, but the moment she began to speak... she felt there was no need. She was not a victim, and her words alone could prove nothing. It would be better to let Theresa see for herself.
"Stigmata..."
Confusion flickered in Theresa's eyes. Just as she was about to continue, Patrick behind her woke up and immediately grabbed hold of her.
"Theresa, get back..."
"Patrick, you're okay too... thank goodness!"
Seeing that her companion was unharmed, Theresa finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she looked again at Himeko and Higokumaru. Though they had fought earlier, the two had not really done anything to either of them. They probably were not enemies.