I Am the Saintess of Destiny Chapter 23

Watching the other return to the Medical Research Group to help the researchers organize their equipment, she simply finished her warm-up and began her daily jog.

Today, the Assault Team members followed behind her as usual.

Because she had collapsed from exhaustion several times while running, the Assault Team was thoroughly terrified, not daring to look away for fear she might suddenly hit the ground again.

To be honest, she also felt quite sorry for these beautiful sisters of the Assault Team.

But according to the standards set by Captain Ragnar, even if she could become the strongest Valkyrie, the process would take a very long time... By then, who knew what would become of her, True Kiana, and K423.

Thinking this, she lowered her head and continued running forward.

Every step she took at this moment was a form of tempering.

People are like iron—only through repeated hammering can they reach the pinnacle.

The Medical Research Group, originally frustrated at being called in by Aunt Theresa as a personal favor, now fully understood her concerns.

After the little girl had been jogging for two hours, they could no longer keep their composure.

"No way... Is this something a little girl of this age can do?"

"I probably couldn't even finish one lap. This little girl is incredible."

"I heard she's the daughter of that Cecilia Schariac."

"Even so, this is too much. Her willpower is no less than an adult's."

Even Joyce, mixed in with the Medical Research Group, was amazed by the little girl's performance.

Though he had already realized during the observation that she wasn't the target he was looking for, he still couldn't help wanting to talk to this little girl.

Even if she wasn't his target, the little girl had qualities that earned his respect.

The Medical Research Group kept letting out exclamations.

This made K422 feel somewhat irritated.

If this Medical Research Group hadn't been called in by Aunt Theresa, she wouldn't have wanted them in this training ground at all.

After finishing her two-hour jog, she stopped, accepting towels and water from the Assault Team members behind her.

"Thank you, sisters~"

She naturally thanked these beautiful sisters of the Assault Team.

She had to admit, the persona Bishop Otto had crafted for her was excellent, making her popularity skyrocket among the Valkyries and candidates.

When the Medical Research Group members saw her stop jogging, they gathered around her with their medical equipment.

Seeing the Medical Research Group approach, she couldn't help but frown.

Because of Bishop Otto, she personally didn't like researchers of this kind.

Theresa said softly, "Kiana, let's do a check-up first. Don't leave any injuries."

She had originally thought the rumors were only seventy percent true.

But the result was a full hundred percent.

Even more than that.

An eight-year-old girl jogging nonstop for two hours—even if she wasn't running fast—made Theresa's heart ache more and more as she watched.

Several times, when she wobbled and nearly fell, Theresa's heart nearly jumped into her throat. If Ragnar hadn't held her back, she would have rushed to the girl's side long ago.

This only strengthened Theresa's resolve to help Siegfried take Kiana out of Schicksal.

Kiana couldn't stay in Schicksal.

"Aunt Theresa, my training isn't over yet. Can you make them stop?"

But being scanned from head to toe by a bunch of uncles, aunties, and old men with various devices, K422 showed a blatantly disgusted expression.

Even with a handsome man like Joyce mixed into the Medical Research Group, she didn't feel happy. Instead, she thought this Medical Research Group was only interested in her body.

"Kiana... after the Medical Research Group examines you, they'll create a more suitable training plan."

Theresa had used personal favors to assemble this Medical Research Group because she didn't trust Schicksal's medical teams and researchers.

"I won't make you stop training. I just hope you'll care more about your own body..." Theresa said with a bitter smile.

Last night, while wiping her back, Theresa had already tried to persuade her to give up on becoming the strongest Valkyrie, but the girl's attitude was far more stubborn than she had imagined.

Theresa knew Cecilia didn't want her daughter to become a warrior of Schicksal.

Yet her daughter was now pushing herself on this path to a heartbreaking degree.

Theresa kept thinking of Cecilia.

Thinking of her wish for her daughter to live a normal life.

It was precisely because she kept thinking of Cecilia that she saw her in her dreams.

Hearing Aunt Theresa say this, she decided to take a breather.

But things weren't as simple as she thought.

She had been under the Medical Research Group's examination for less than thirty seconds when the Valkyries watching from outside Training Ground 11 received orders and stormed directly into the training ground.

"What's going on?"

Captain Ragnar of the Assault Team frowned as he questioned the B-rank Valkyrie who had barged in.

"Apologies, Captain Ragnar. This is Lord Amber's order. We need to take several members of the Medical Research Group into custody."

"Lord Amber's order?"

Ragnar was puzzled.

The B-rank Valkyrie directly produced a communicator.

The communicator projected the upper half of Amber's figure.

"Captain Ragnar, please arrest these members of the Medical Research Group brought by Lady Theresa..."

As she spoke, Amber displayed a list to Ragnar.

"They are attempting to steal Kiana's DNA profile."

"Understood!"

"These members need to undergo a new review."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Captain Ragnar naturally understood the severity of the issue and immediately walked toward the Medical Research Group.

Murata Himeko was a bit stunned.

After all, Joyce was one of the personnel Amber had ordered to be re-reviewed.

Theresa was utterly bewildered.

The friends she had called in as a personal favor had actually done something like this.

"Kiana, I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to happen..."

She had brought in her own people precisely because she didn't trust the medical staff and research institutions of the Schicksal organization, yet they had turned out to be the problem.

Normally, if personnel were truly problematic, they wouldn't have passed the initial review.

The review at Schicksal headquarters was not so easily bypassed.

If there was any issue, it would have to have occurred after entering Schicksal headquarters.

But Schicksal headquarters had its own signal-blocking field. Aside from communicators developed by Schicksal, no other communication devices could contact the outside world.

"Aunt Theresa, it's not your fault..."

She rubbed her nose, a little surprised by her own jinxing ability.

She had only silently joked to herself that this Medical Research Group was after her body, and she hadn't expected it to actually come true.

Though she wasn't exactly happy with the result.

Most importantly, she hadn't expected that man named Joyce would also be on the re-review list.

She felt there had to be something fishy about this.

Wondering if the two men would get along.jpg

26. Hah, is that all you have to say? (Revised)

Due to the misconduct of several medical research personnel, over half of the team members were taken away by Valkyries for review.

Joyce was also led by a Valkyrie into a separate review room.

In this review room, furnished with only a table, two chairs, and a desk lamp, a golden-haired man quietly awaited his arrival.

"Summoning me with such methods, Your Holiness... isn't that a bit excessive?"

Joyce smiled, a hint of mockery in his tone, as he sat down in the empty chair across from the golden-haired man.

"...Aren't you worried that this approach might hurt Miss Theresa Apocalypse?"

Upon entering this review room, Joyce had already understood the sudden situation that had occurred in the training ground earlier.

After all, these were friends Theresa had called in as a personal favor. Passing the initial review proved they had no problems to begin with.

Given the tight security at Schicksal headquarters, they couldn't contact the outside world.

Even for him, bypassing the signal-blocking devices at Schicksal headquarters would require considerable effort.

So after the Medical Research Group passed the review and entered headquarters, they had no way to communicate with the outside.

With no way to contact the outside, how could they have changed their minds after entering headquarters?

There was no one to bribe them either.

If the Medical Research Group had been problematic from the start, how had they passed the strict review?

For several medical research personnel to disregard Theresa's goodwill and attempt to steal Kiana's DNA, there was only one person within the Schicksal organization capable of orchestrating this.

Yes.

Those medical research personnel who had violated regulations had been bought off by the golden-haired man before him—Otto Apocalypse.

Their purpose in bringing him here was to deliver him to this interrogation room.

"I'll comfort Theresa properly afterward. As for you... it's been a long time."

Otto paid no heed to the sarcasm hidden in Joyce's words.

Even if this approach would indeed deal a blow to Theresa, he wasn't worried she couldn't bear it.

Just as he said, comforting Theresa afterward would be enough.

A few medical researchers who could be bought off wouldn't affect his relationship with her.

"It has been a long time," Joyce replied.

Otto gazed at the familiar figure before him.

He recalled the scene long ago when he and the real Joyce had debated heroes in the bathhouse.

Back then, Otto surveyed the world, and in that entire era, only that man was worthy of his regard.

In his eyes... that man was more than just the First Herrscher.

Even if he hadn't been the First Herrscher, he still possessed the talent to become a great figure. With proper cultivation, he could surely have become a qualified Bishop.

It even made Otto consider grooming him as his own successor.

Otto had indeed thought of foisting the Schicksal organization onto that man, so he could better focus on his true purpose.

The man named Welt Joyce possessed no extraordinary intellect, nor any vision beyond his era. Aside from his identity as the First Herrscher, he was just an ordinary man.

Yet this ordinary man had managed to befriend Einstein—the most intelligent person on record; Tesla—the most destructive inventor in history; Planck—the most unconventional physicist of the age; Leanna—the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal at the time; and even Fu Hua, the immortal hermit.

Otto had always believed that true greatness lay not in the outstanding figures of every field, but in those who could converse and laugh with such elites, drawing out their maximum potential.

Right up until the Second Eruption broke out, Otto had believed Welt Joyce was still alive.

But now, facing this man disguised as Welt Joyce, Otto truly felt a pang of regret.