There really wasn't much time to rest.
Although Honkai incidents occurred frequently in the Far East, the number of cases in recent years was clearly abnormal.
Though the newcomer wanted to fight alongside them, she had yet to undergo the modification surgery. Forget fighting Honkai Beasts—even the Honkai Energy they emitted was enough to kill her.
Of course, if she possessed sufficiently high resistance to Honkai Energy, she could naturally ignore the Honkai Energy emitted by Honkai Beasts.
But just over a month ago, she had merely been an ordinary person who had just received her doctorate from the California Institute of Technology. Naturally, she had never undergone a test for Honkai Energy resistance.
She herself had no confidence in whether she could become a Valkyrie.
"Schicksal..."
Her motives for joining the Assault Team were naturally far from pure.
And even knowing her motives, Captain Ragnar had still recruited her into the Assault Team. She was naturally immensely grateful to the captain, but for the sake of her own goal, she did not care what methods she had to use.
A few days later, after completing their handover work, the Assault Team returned to Schicksal Headquarters.
For the trainees at headquarters, the arrival of the highly accomplished Assault Team naturally caused a stir. Many cadets wanted to join the Assault Team.
Whether it was Captain Ragnar or the other team members, they were all extremely popular among the cadets.
But when a new letter of appointment arrived, every member of the Assault Team looked at one another. Clearly, none of them had expected their vacation to come with such a catch.
"B-Be teachers?" Ragnar was a little dumbfounded. "...And for Lady Cecilia's daughter?"
What a Complete Disaster
Where was the vacation they had been promised?
Ragnar blinked at the letter of appointment, hoping the woman before her would give her an explanation.
If she were merely serving as an instructor for trainees, Ragnar would not have been so resistant.
Teaching a bunch of rookies felt like a vacation to her anyway. At least, for the time being, Ragnar did not want to stay in that godforsaken place in the Far East.
But being an instructor for rookies and being Kiana Kaslana's instructor were two completely different things.
"Lord Amber, I think you should find someone more suitable. Really... I believe my abilities are limited. I'm afraid I can't teach Kiana."
Although Ragnar rarely returned to Schicksal Headquarters, she had still heard of Kiana Kaslana's name.
After all, Kiana had inherited the bloodlines of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie and its former strongest warrior.
From the moment Kiana Kaslana was born, everyone had placed great expectations upon her.
Back when news spread that Cecilia Schariac had married Siegfried Kaslana, the playboy of the Kaslana Family, nearly every Valkyrie squad and cadet had wanted to kill Siegfried.
As the strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia Schariac was undoubtedly someone every Valkyrie and cadet admired.
In other words, she was the big sister in their hearts.
When they learned that the big sister they admired had married a disreputable playboy like Siegfried, it had caused quite a commotion.
According to a former member of Cecilia Schariac's Snow Wolf Squad, the playboy Siegfried had groped the butts of quite a few Valkyries at Schicksal Headquarters and frequently harassed cadets as well...
Someone had even said the famous line, "Herrschers are nothing. This guy is the Valkyries' greatest enemy."
By the way, Bishop Otto had laughed for several days after hearing that.
Although Siegfried Kaslana's name had now become forbidden within Schicksal, he truly had been Schicksal's strongest warrior.
In everyone's eyes, Cecilia and Siegfried's union had been a political marriage.
It had been meant to combine the Bloodline Power of the Schariac Family and the Kaslana Family to create the strongest warrior.
Of course, that was the flattering version.
Two great families joining forces, Cecilia and Siegfried having secretly pledged themselves to one another long ago, the divine descendant of the strongest Valkyrie and strongest warrior, and so on...
Put simply, it was breeding.
But the plan for the strongest warrior was quickly cut short.
In the second year after Kiana Kaslana's birth, the Second Honkai erupted across the Siberian Snowfield.
Afterward, Cecilia perished together with the Second Herrscher, Siegfried defected from Schicksal, and his name consequently became forbidden within the organization. Then Kiana suddenly fell seriously ill and was taken back to Schicksal Headquarters by Bishop Otto for treatment.
Only recently had they heard that Kiana, whose illness had been cured, had undergone experiments to become the strongest Valkyrie like her mother—only for an accident during the experiment to erase her memories of the past few years.
What a complete disaster.
After hearing all this, Ragnar could barely suppress the maternal instincts welling up inside her.
At the time, she had especially wanted to hug Kiana and say, "Kiki, mom loves you."
But after this appointment letter arrived, Ragnar realized things were truly not as simple as she had imagined.
Though she did not know the details behind this matter, it was definitely a massive pit that would bring bad luck to anyone who touched it.
"Captain Ragnar, this is Bishop Otto's order."
Amber's expression did not change beneath her golden crystalline goggles. Clearly, she was not surprised by Ragnar's refusal.
In truth, it did not matter when Kiana became the strongest Valkyrie.
But the timing was extremely delicate.
If Kiana grew stronger, Black Abyss White Flower would naturally remain at Schicksal Headquarters, and the Schariac Family would naturally be very unhappy.
But if they failed to make Kiana stronger and Black Abyss White Flower was taken away by the Schariac Family, Bishop Otto would naturally be very unhappy.
In other words, they had to offend one side or the other.
Naturally, Ragnar did not want to anger either side. Still, she looked at the appointment letter in her hand and sighed.
She knew Bishop Otto had set her up.
"I understand. Leave the task of teaching Kiana to our Assault Team."
"Captain Ragnar, Kiana is in your hands. After lunch ends, I will bring Kiana over."
With that, Amber turned and left.
Watching Amber's retreating figure, Ragnar would have raised her middle finger at it without hesitation if she had been drunk right then.
"Captain, is this matter troublesome?"
"Yes, definitely troublesome. It's not as though Schicksal Headquarters lacks stationed Valkyrie units. It wouldn't be difficult to pull out an A-rank Valkyrie to teach Kiana, yet they specifically chose us while we were applying for vacation."
Though there was too little information for Ragnar to deduce the truth behind this matter, the Assault Team could not carry this burden.
"I'm going to contact a friend."
Unable to think of a solution, Ragnar could only ask a friend for help.
"Oh, it has to be Lady Theresa."
"At a time like this, Lady Theresa is the only one we can rely on."
"Right, the reliable legal loli!"
"Theresa?"
Hearing the name from the other members, the Assault Team's newcomer was extremely confused.
It was not the first time she had heard that name. She had not expected the Assault Team's captain and members to trust that person so much.
"Newbie, Lady Theresa's full name is Theresa Apocalypse."
"Theresa Apocalypse? What's so special about that name... Ah, the three great families."
The newcomer's mouth suddenly fell open. She had not expected such an important figure.
Since her reasons for joining Schicksal were impure, she had naturally done the necessary research. After all, she had originally been a shut-in researcher.
If a sudden Honkai incident had not caused her father's death, she might have taken her doctorate and become a scientist alongside him.
Of course, she believed there was something suspicious about her father's death. She had wanted to join Schicksal only to investigate the truth behind it.
Naturally, she had memorized all the information on Schicksal's three great families.
"The captain actually knows someone from the Apocalis Family? Who exactly is Theresa Apocalypse?"
"Himeko, don't underestimate the captain. No matter what, she's an A-rank Valkyrie. There aren't many A-rank Valkyries in Schicksal these days, and that title alone can bring enormous connections."
One of the Assault Team members spoke.
There were plenty of wealthy people in this world, and most wealthy people cherished their lives. But the only ones who could protect them from the frequent Honkai incidents every year were Schicksal's Valkyries.
Even if Ragnar did nothing, many politicians and tycoons were still willing to curry favor with her.
After all, it concerned their lives.
"Where else do you think the lavish meals we eat every day come from? Schicksal's salary isn't even enough for one meal."
"Don't misunderstand. We don't take money. We just let them send us some ingredients and alcohol."
"As for Lady Theresa, she's the Grand Bishop's granddaughter."
"Gasp!!"
The newcomer sharply inhaled.
The senior members spoke one after another. Clearly, they did not want her to misunderstand Ragnar, since this was an effect brought about by the system, not something Ragnar could completely refuse just because she wanted to.
But the final bombshell completely stunned her.
"Captain Ragnar actually knows someone like that?"
"Of course. They've even fought together before."
"Lady Theresa also owes Captain Ragnar a favor."
At a time like this, they naturally had to praise Captain Ragnar. Of course, in their eyes, it was not praise—it was simply stating the facts. Captain Ragnar was cute and powerful.
"Leave this matter to Sister Ragnar."
"Himeko, this is your first time at Schicksal Headquarters. I'll show you around and introduce the place to you. The port where our Assault is docked is an air harbor exclusively for Valkyrie units."
A drunkard who could mix vodka and whiskey together, then babble that it was Oolong Tea, became a considerate big sister whenever she was sober.
She was also one of the people who knew why Himeko wanted to join Schicksal.
"...Then I'll be in your care."
Naturally, the Assault Team's newcomer did not refuse the suggestion.
"But everyone else..."
The other members rested on the sofas and beds in the lounge. Some had even brought out a game console. Apparently, a game called Kallen Fantasy had been ported to consoles, and as loyal fans of the game, how could they possibly miss this opportunity?
Others suggested going to the public baths. Several members who had not soaked in a bath for days became so excited that they started undressing as they walked, and fortunately, the two people beside them desperately stopped them.
"Let's just have the two of us take a walk. They definitely don't want to leave the lounge right now. Well, except for the bath-loving group."
"What? Is it wrong to like baths?"
"Exactly, exactly. This is the best culture in the Far East."
"It's a shame headquarters doesn't have hot springs. Come to think of it, I think the captain once punched out a hot spring."
The bath-loving group happily chatted about hot springs as they headed toward headquarters' public baths.
The member preparing to act as the newcomer's guide sighed helplessly, looking exactly like an older sister at a loss over her mischievous younger sisters.
"Let's go, Himeko."
Under her guide's lead, the newcomer naturally began learning about Schicksal Headquarters.
Schicksal Headquarters was located among a cluster of massive Floating Islands above the Mediterranean Sea. It was Schicksal's administrative center and also its most vital research facility. Schicksal Headquarters had nine main islands, named after the nine realms of the World Tree in Norse mythology.
The area where they currently were was Valhalla—simply put, the Hall of Heroes—and it was the primary activity area for Valkyries and cadets.
Valhalla belonged to Asgard, one of the nine main islands.
"I knew Schicksal was impressive, but I never expected it to be this impressive."
The Assault Team's newcomer repeatedly exclaimed in amazement.
She truly had not expected Schicksal's headquarters to be built on a cluster of Floating Islands.
A thousand words condensed into one sentence: holy shit.
Before you continue