I Am a Saintess at Schicksal Chapter 28

K422 couldn't help but let out a sigh, her mind turning to Sister Himeko's condition.

The conflict with Maria wasn't the most pressing issue right now.

After all, she wasn't a Valkyrie yet, and Bishop Otto would buy her time. Her main task at this stage was to learn.

She was learning basic knowledge from the teacher sister assigned by Bishop Otto, and combat-related knowledge and skills from the Assault Team.

But Sister Himeko was now facing a life-or-death crisis.

Success meant becoming a Valkyrie, but failure meant either becoming crippled or a Corpse.

If she became a Corpse, Himeko's final fate would be to be hunted down by Ragnar, who was waiting outside.

In fact, Himeko's success rate for the Valkyrie modification surgery was lower than that of other candidates.

The surgery had a low success rate.

Even if successful, her potential was limited.

Even so, Himeko still wanted to become a Valkyrie.

Even K422 couldn't help but want to persuade Himeko not to undergo such a high-risk modification surgery.

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

One hour, two hours…

The passing time felt incredibly long, and anxiety and unease spread among the team members.

Ragnar, pacing back and forth, had lost his usual smile.

The woman with wavy, apricot-colored long hair now had red eyes, biting her nails as she stared intently at the laboratory's alloy door.

The performance of the Assault Team captain and members made K422 even more agitated, wishing she could play dozens of rounds of Kallen Fighting to beat up the blonde bishop inside.

Ding!

The red "Surgery In Progress" light above the alloy door suddenly changed to a green "Surgery Complete" light after this sound.

"She made it!!"

Ragnar, who had been holding his breath, finally let out a sigh of relief.

The situation he feared most hadn't happened.

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

Since that hadn't happened, it naturally meant the surgery was successful.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. Even though the modification surgery took a while, she's okay."

"That's great, Sister Himeko is fine."

"We should celebrate!"

"This time, the newbies have to drink and strip!"

"Exactly!"

The woman with wavy, apricot-colored long hair and the other team members also cheered.

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

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

"Captain Ragnar, what's going on?"

K422 hadn't expected an accident.

"Sister Himeko!!"

Seeing the "Surgery Complete" indicator light turn back to "Surgery In Progress," Ragnar couldn't help but pound on the laboratory's alloy door.

Because this was Himeko's modification surgery, Ragnar had been ordered to wear Valkyrie armor.

With the enhancements from the Valkyrie armor, Ragnar struck the heavy alloy door three times, deforming it with each blow.

Soon, the red light changed back to green.

The alloy door swung open to the sides, and a medical staff member with a grim expression walked out.

He glanced at the deformed alloy door, his expression darkening further.

"Captain Ragnar, please refrain from such reckless actions. You are damaging Schicksal facilities, which incurs fines. Moreover, your actions just now nearly caused Comrade Himeko's death…"

Knowing that the woman before him was an A-rank Valkyrie, the medical staff member didn't dare to openly show his displeasure.

"What exactly happened? Why did it suddenly go back to 'Surgery In Progress'? What do you mean Himeko was nearly killed?" Ragnar strode up to the medical staff member, bombarding him with questions.

"After Comrade Himeko completed the modification surgery, her body experienced a secondary rejection reaction. She is out of danger now, but her body has been re-eroded by Honkai Energy. She will need a period of recuperation, and her lifespan has been significantly reduced. She will be shorter-lived than a regular Valkyrie, likely not living past 35."

Facing Ragnar's imposing presence, the medical staff member took a small step back. Though intimidated, he still conveyed the surgical outcome.

However, the outcome the medical staff member described poured cold water on the previously jubilant Assault Team.

"...Thank you. I apologize for my recklessness earlier. If it weren't for you, Himeko might not have survived. Thank you, Doctor."

After a moment of silence, Ragnar sincerely thanked him.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Doctor, thank you for saving the newcomer."

The other team members immediately reacted and also began to express their thanks.

Although the other party was just an operator for the modification surgery, Himeko's survival was indeed due to their efforts.

The medical personnel nodded, then returned to the laboratory to arrange for the nurses inside to transfer the still unconscious Himeko to a quiet room.

The medical personnel also specifically instructed them not to make loud noises, and everyone quietly watched the haggard Himeko on the bed in the room.

Although she had successfully become a Valkyrie as she wished, the price she paid was too great.

"Everyone, when Himeko wakes up, we must welcome her with smiles," Ragnar said in a low voice.

"Yeah, after all, Himeko has become a Valkyrie, and she'll be our good comrade from now on. This is something to be happy about."

The woman with apricot-colored wavy long hair also encouraged the team members who were infected with sadness.

Soon, everyone forced a smile, not wanting Himeko to see their dejected faces when she woke up.

K422 quietly left the room, knowing that the next period of time belonged to the Assault Team.

With the company of the Assault Team, Himeko would definitely be fine.

She prayed in her heart.

31. Today's training will be changed to observation.

Because her body needed rest after the surgery, Himeko naturally did not participate in the subsequent training.

In fact, Himeko was very lucky.

One of the two candidates who underwent modification surgery the next day failed, and was paralyzed in half of her body, forcing her to leave Schicksal headquarters.

Even though her future life was guaranteed by the Schicksal organization, this was definitely not the outcome she wanted.

However, becoming a Valkyrie was this cruel.

Bad luck could turn you into a Corpse, to be hunted down by your own friends and comrades.

The fact that Himeko almost became a Corpse due to the secondary erosion of Honkai Energy had indeed a great impact on K422. She spent an entire night calming her emotions, and then threw herself back into training.

It was just that the members of the Assault Team were a bit absent-minded today. A few members who were jogging with her even managed to fall on flat ground, in a rather cute way.

"..."

When another team member tripped over her own feet again, and because she had no cushioning pad in front of her chest, she fell face-first. The pained cry that followed naturally sounded particularly painful.

Hearing the cry, K422 instinctively stopped and looked back.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that these Valkyries were genuinely worried about Himeko's condition, K422 would have suspected they were deliberately faking a fall, just so she couldn't continue training today.

She felt like everyone was out to get her abs.

"Alright, I know you want to stay by Himeko's side. Go ahead, I'll handle Kiana's training today. Kiana, let's change today's training to observation."

The team members' behavior naturally made Ragnar very helpless, and she had to end the physical training early.

"Observation?"

"Yes, go watch the battles between Valkyries."

Ragnar couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't get distracted while training the other party, so she proposed a plan where it wouldn't matter if she got distracted.

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

"If it's according to the standards I set... then yes, you can."

Ragnar's answer made K422 roll her eyes fiercely.

It was precisely because she found the set standards too lenient that K422 deliberately chose to train at the daily maximum limit.

"...Then let's observe."

K422 had no choice but to agree.

Because Bishop Otto hadn't given her much authority, her range of action had always been very limited, and there was always someone accompanying her, or rather, monitoring her.

Only when Theresa accompanied her did the surveillance around her decrease.

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

"...Let me see, Valkyrie Obstacle Training Ground number twenty is currently in use, so I'll take you there."

Ragnar took out her communicator to check the usage status of the training rooms.

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

Seeing that the training had ended early today, the medical research team decided to end their work for the day and prepare to go to the academic area to exchange ideas with the researchers at Schicksal headquarters.

These medical researchers lived a rather leisurely and comfortable life at Schicksal headquarters.

Apart from a few medical researchers who had been kicked out by Bishop Otto for attempting to steal DNA maps, all other medical researchers who passed the review and stayed would receive double the remuneration.

Most of the remaining medical researchers simply wanted to repay Theresa a favor, but they didn't expect that the remuneration for the work they were doing was already not low, and now it was double the original remuneration.

The workload for the medical research team had always been small, and they could almost always get off work early every day, while also being able to interact with Schicksal headquarters, which gathered a large number of top-tier research talents.

Welt Yang, blending in with the medical research team as a rookie, felt a mix of emotions. His daily tasks were minimal, making him feel like he was scamming a young girl out of her allowance.

But Theresa was wealthy, and Bishop Otto was her grandfather. This background was one of the reasons the medical researchers deliberately owed him favors, hoping to get closer to him.

"Valkyrie Obstacle Training Ground Number Twenty?"

"Yes, training grounds eleven through twenty are exclusive to Valkyries. However, training ground twenty is an obstacle course. Each area, about the size of a basketball court, is filled with stone pillars and numerous irregular stone walls. A Valkyrie who can fight at full strength in such an environment is at least B-rank... Never mind, seeing is believing."

Ragnar didn't intend to brag about how he used to dominate his peers in Training Ground Twenty.

"Captain Ragnar, please lead the way."

In fact, K422 had never witnessed a Valkyrie's combat prowess.

Ragnar, serving as her instructor, had only advised her to improve her stamina and taught her some basic technical training knowledge.

How powerful a B-rank Valkyrie was remained an impression K422 had only gained from books.

It was said they could rival a tank.

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

While she was lost in thought, Captain Ragnar naturally led her to Training Ground Twenty.

K422 normally couldn't come to places like this; even to visit, she would need a personal attendant.

After Ragnar showed his credentials, he easily brought her into Training Ground Twenty.

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

Of course, it was possible that only A-rank Valkyries at headquarters had such privileges.

Seeing Ragnar swipe his card to enter the training ground, K422's expression turned serious. If she wanted to access areas forbidden even to A-rank Valkyries, she would probably need a researcher's ID.

Upon entering Training Ground Twenty, K422 was naturally astonished by the sight before her.

From its surface area, Training Ground Twenty was similar to Training Ground Eleven, which she used frequently.