I Became a Saintess at Schicksal

K422 could not help but sigh, beginning to worry about Sister Himeko's situation.

The conflict with Maria was not an issue she urgently needed to face right now.

After all, she was not yet a Valkyrie, and Bishop Otto would buy her time. At this stage, her main task was to study.

She learned basic knowledge from the teachers Bishop Otto had arranged for her and combat-related knowledge and techniques from the Assault Team.

But Sister Himeko was now facing a trial of life and death.

If she succeeded, she would naturally become a Valkyrie. But if she failed, she would either become crippled or turn into a Deadman.

If she became a Deadman, Himeko's final fate would be to be put down by Laguna, who was waiting outside.

In fact, Himeko's chances of succeeding in the Valkyrie modification surgery were even lower than those of the other candidates.

The surgery's success rate was low.

Even if it succeeded, her potential would be limited.

Even so, Himeko still wanted to become a Valkyrie.

Even K422 could not help wanting to persuade Himeko not to undergo such a high-risk modification surgery.

But Himeko's determination was something no one could stop.

One hour, two hours...

The passing time became excruciatingly long, and anxiety and unease spread among the team members.

Laguna, who kept pacing back and forth, had lost her usual smile as well.

The woman with long apricot-colored wavy hair had reddened eyes. Biting her nails, she kept staring at the laboratory's alloy doors.

The Assault Team captain and team members' behavior made K422 increasingly irritated. She wanted nothing more than to play several dozen rounds of "Kallen Fighting" and beat up the blond Grand Bishop inside.

Ding!

After the chime, the red indicator above the alloy doors that read Surgery in Progress suddenly turned green, indicating that the surgery had ended.

"It succeeded!!"

The weight in Laguna's heart immediately lifted.

The outcome she feared most had not happened.

If the surgery had failed and Himeko had turned into a Deadman, the light would have turned completely red and an alarm would have sounded.

Since that had not happened, it naturally meant the surgery had succeeded.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. The modification surgery took a little longer, but she's all right."

"That's wonderful! Little Himeko is fine."

"We should celebrate."

"This time, the newcomer has to drink and strip at the same time!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

The woman with long apricot-colored wavy hair and the other team members all began cheering.

But before they could celebrate for long, the green indicator immediately switched back to red.

Everyone's hearts clenched.

"Captain Ragnar, what's going on?"

K422 had not expected an accident to occur either.

"Little Himeko!!"

Seeing the indicator that had originally announced the surgery's end turn back into the Surgery in Progress light, Laguna could not help pounding hard on the laboratory's alloy doors.

Because this was Himeko's modification surgery, Laguna had been required to put on Valkyrie Armor.

Enhanced by the Valkyrie Armor, Laguna struck the heavy alloy doors again and again. In only three blows, she dented the alloy doors.

Soon, the red indicator changed back to green once more.

The alloy doors opened to either side, and a medical worker with an unpleasant expression stepped out.

He glanced at the jammed alloy doors, and his expression turned even worse.

"Captain Ragnar, please do not engage in such reckless behavior again. You are damaging Schicksal facilities, and you will be fined. Furthermore, what you just did nearly caused Team Member Himeko's death..."

The medical worker knew that the woman before him was an A-rank Valkyrie, so naturally he did not dare openly show her a sour face.

"What exactly happened? Why did it suddenly go back to Surgery in Progress when everything was fine? And what do you mean when you say Himeko nearly died?" Laguna strode up to the medical worker and bombarded him with questions.

"After Team Member Himeko completed the modification surgery, her body experienced a secondary rejection response. She is now out of danger, but her body has suffered a second Honkai Energy erosion and will need time to recover. Her lifespan has also been drastically shortened. She will have a shorter life than even ordinary Valkyries. She will probably not live past thirty-five."

Faced with the pressure rolling off Laguna, the medical worker took half a step back. Though somewhat intimidated, he still explained the surgery's outcome.

But the result he described poured cold water over the Assault Team, who had been celebrating just moments ago.

"...Thank you. I apologize for my earlier recklessness. If not for you, Himeko probably would not have survived. Thank you, Doctor."

After a moment of silence, Laguna sincerely thanked him.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Doctor, thank you for saving the newcomer."

The other team members immediately came to their senses and began thanking him as well.

Although he had merely operated the modification surgery, Himeko's survival was indeed thanks to him.

The medical worker nodded, then returned to the laboratory and arranged for the nurses inside to move the still-unconscious Himeko to a quiet room.

The medical worker specifically instructed them not to make loud noises. Everyone quietly watched the pale and exhausted Himeko lying in bed.

Although she had gotten her wish and become a Valkyrie, the price she had paid was far too great.

"Everyone, when Little Himeko wakes up, greet her with smiles," Laguna said softly.

"That's right. No matter what, Little Himeko has become a Valkyrie. From now on, she'll be our good companion. This should be something to celebrate."

The woman with long apricot-colored wavy hair also encouraged the team members who had been infected by the somber mood.

Soon, everyone forced smiles onto their faces. They did not want Himeko to see their dejected expressions when she woke up.

K422 quietly left the room. She knew that the time ahead belonged to the Assault Team.

With the Assault Team by her side, Himeko would surely be all right.

That was what she prayed for in her heart.

Today's training will be changed to observation.

Because her body needed quiet recuperation after the surgery, Himeko naturally did not participate in the following training.

In fact, Himeko had been very lucky.

Of the two candidates who underwent modification surgery the next day, one suffered paralysis over half her body after the surgery failed and could only leave Schicksal Headquarters.

Even though Schicksal would guarantee her future life, that outcome was certainly not what she wanted.

Yet becoming a Valkyrie was just that cruel.

If you were unlucky and became a Deadman, you would be put down by your own friends and companions.

Himeko's near transformation into a Deadman due to the second Honkai Energy erosion had indeed hit K422 hard. She spent an entire night calming herself down before throwing herself back into training.

But the Assault Team members were all somewhat distracted today. Several members jogging with her even had adorably clumsy accidents, tripping on flat ground.

"..."

When one team member tripped over her own feet yet again, she had no soft padding on her chest to cushion the fall, so she landed face-first. Her cry of pain naturally sounded especially agonizing.

Hearing the cry, K422 instinctively stopped and turned back.

Honestly, if these Valkyries were not genuinely worried about Himeko, K422 would have suspected they were deliberately faking falls so she could not train today.

It felt like everyone had it out for her abs.

"All right, I know you want to stay with Little Himeko. Go on. I'll handle Kiana's training today. Kiana, let's change today's training to observation."

The team members' behavior naturally left Laguna feeling helpless, and she had no choice but to end the physical training early.

"Observation?"

"Yes, we'll go watch Valkyries fight."

Laguna could not guarantee that she would not get distracted while training Kiana, so she proposed something where it would not matter even if her mind wandered.

"Captain Ragnar, can't I just jog by myself?"

"If you follow the standards I set... naturally, you can."

Laguna's answer made K422 roll her eyes.

It was precisely because she found those standards too gentle that K422 deliberately chose the daily maximum training load.

"...Then let's observe."

K422 could only agree.

Because Bishop Otto had not given her much authority, her range of movement had always been limited. At the same time, someone was always accompanying her—or rather, monitoring her.

Only when Theresa accompanied her would the surveillance around her lessen.

As an A-rank Valkyrie, Laguna had a wide range of movement within Schicksal Headquarters and could enter areas strictly forbidden to Valkyries below B-rank and non-Valkyries.

"...Let's see. Training Ground No. 20 at the Valkyrie Obstacle Training Ground is currently in use. I'll take you there."

Laguna took out her communicator and checked the training room's usage status.

At this time, the few team members who had received permission all ran off to the room where Himeko was recuperating.

Seeing that training had ended early today, the Medical Research Group simply wrapped up their work and prepared to visit the academic district to exchange ideas with Schicksal Headquarters' researchers.

These medical researchers lived rather comfortably at Schicksal Headquarters.

Aside from the few medical researchers who had tried to steal the DNA map and had been thrown out by Bishop Otto, the rest who passed the review would receive twice the pay.

Most of the remaining medical researchers had only wanted to repay Theresa a favor. They had not expected the job's pay to already be quite generous, let alone doubled now.

The Medical Research Group's workload had always been light. They could leave work early almost every day and exchange ideas with the many top-tier scientific researchers gathered at Schicksal Headquarters.

Welt Yang, who had blended into the Medical Research Group as a rookie, had complicated feelings. There was so little work every day that he felt like he was swindling a little girl's allowance.

But Theresa was rich, and Bishop Otto was her grandfather. That background was also one reason several medical researchers had deliberately made themselves owe her favors, hoping to gain connections with her.

"Valkyrie Obstacle Training Ground No. 20?"

"Yes. Training grounds No. 11 through No. 20 are all exclusively for Valkyries. But No. 20 is an obstacle course. Every area is roughly the size of a basketball court, filled with stone pillars and irregular stone walls. Any Valkyrie who can fight at full strength in a place like that is at least B-rank... Forget it. Seeing is believing."

Laguna had no intention of bragging about how she had once crushed her fellow trainees in Obstacle Training Ground No. 20.

"Captain Ragnar, please lead the way."

In fact, K422 had never seen a Valkyrie's combat power before.

Laguna, who served as her instructor, had only advised her to temper her physical strength and taught her some basic technical training knowledge.

As for how formidable a B-rank Valkyrie was, K422 had only gotten an impression from books so far.

They were said to rival tanks.

But if even B-rank Valkyries could rival tanks, could A-rank Valkyries rival battleships?

While she was lost in thought, Captain Ragnar naturally led her to Training Ground No. 20.

K422 normally had no way of coming to a place like this. Even if she wanted to come, she would need a little maid accompanying her.

After Laguna showed her identification, she easily brought K422 into Training Ground No. 20.

That was the extent of an A-rank Valkyrie's authority.

Of course, perhaps only A-rank Valkyries stationed at headquarters had such extensive authority.

Watching Laguna swipe her identification card and enter the training ground, K422 revealed a grave expression. If she wanted to enter areas forbidden even to A-rank Valkyries, she would probably have to get hold of some researcher's credentials.

The moment she entered Training Ground No. 20, K422 was naturally astonished by the sight before her.

Judging by its surface area, Training Ground No. 20 was about the same size as Training Ground No. 11, which he often used.