Himeko originally thought that Bronie was going to live at St. Freya Academy.
After all, Bronie's game store is equipped with bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets.
But Bronie said she lived outside St. Freya Academy and could visit the children at any time, so she wouldn't choose to live there.
Himeko said it was a pity. After all, Bronie had really brought out a bottle of wine from the store—one Himeko had never seen before.
Himeko couldn't understand the words on the package, which aroused her curiosity.
"No wonder you said the wine you have is more interesting. But where is this wine from?"
"Sea of Quanta."
"Uh... are you serious?"
Himeko can be considered a top student, and she once had the desire to explore the starry sky.
But later, because of her father's death, Himeko joined Schicksal to investigate the truth.
After many twists and turns, she finally came to the Far East Branch of Schicksal, feeling like she was exiled to the frontier.
Although Schicksal's technology to fight against Honkai is being innovated every year, the Valkyrie armor capable of resisting Honkai energy has only been available in recent years.
In other words, Himeko, who fought before that, was in too close contact with Honkai energy, which caused the symptoms of Honkai energy erosion in her body to be a bit severe.
In the end, she suddenly ended up in this state of neither up nor down, and the possibility of exploring the truth became slim. She could only be a teacher, teaching the wisdom of survival on the battlefield.
However, even so, Himeko did not completely abandon her professional knowledge.
She even worked hard to enrich herself by studying various subjects.
So when she heard about the Sea of Quanta, Himeko found it a little outrageous.
"The Sea of Quanta is enormous, with countless world bubbles inside. Different world bubbles have different worlds, and different world rules and civilizations exist within them. You should be familiar with this glass of wine because it is the wine of the Hass people."
"Hass... people?"
Himeko felt that Bronie didn't seem to be joking.
"Do you remember the game Outerlands? It was adapted from the story that happened in a world bubble. It's a pity that there were no brave Hass people who stood up to adapt everything in that world bubble. There was only a meaningless cycle of destruction and rebirth."
Speaking of this, Bronie handed the bottle to Himeko.
"I'm giving it to you. Anyway, I don't like drinking much. The rest is mostly for giving to others. I have a friend who likes drinking as much as you, but now she can't come because of special reasons."
"Thank you so much!"
Himeko knew that this was a gift Bronie gave to her in the hope that she would take good care of Bronya and the others.
Although this could be considered a bribe to some extent, it was hard for Himeko to evaluate the value of this bottle of wine, and Himeko never intended to give up on those children from the beginning.
Not to mention that she was not bad to them.
"So, can you take me to visit their classroom?"
It was said that the other party was Otto's partner.
Himeko pondered for a while and checked Bronie's identity information in the Schicksal Record again.
It turned out that the authority Bronie had was higher than her own!
She was an S-rank Valkyrie.
So Himeko didn't think much about it and nodded directly.
"Okay, I didn't expect your authority in Schicksal to be so high. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with the Archbishop..."
It turned out that it was not a bribe, but just a gift...
To be honest, Himeko's heart was more or less moved.
After all, if Bronie had such a close relationship with the top management, maybe she could get news about her father from Bronie in the future?
Her father's death was not an accident, and the truth was right in front of her!
"The relationship with Otto? The kind where we don't like each other. If we don't have the same goal, I don't want to have much communication with him. He's the kind of bastard who's even more despicable than Funny Valentine. On the surface, he's indeed the Archbishop of Schicksal and is extremely glorious. He loudly shouts slogans against Honkai, but in reality, he needs the power of Honkai to achieve his goals."
"Personal selfishness... The power of Honkai is indeed magical, but after five hundred years, Overseer Otto still has no results?"
Although Bronie was speaking badly about Otto, who is worshipped by the Valkyries, Himeko had also dealt with many high-level leaders herself.
Among them, there are countless unsavory matters, and many people who are unaware of the need to fight the Honkai, instead seeking to achieve their own goals through its power.
But would Otto give up fighting the Honkai?
Are you kidding?
"There are results, of course there are results, but if I weren't here, he'd probably have sacrificed more innocent people, and he would have destroyed the Honkai after achieving his goal. That's why the Schicksal he's been controlling has completely deviated from its path."
It's still progressing toward destroying the Honkai, but during the course of Schicksal's development, has it been tainted with selfish motives, driving it toward certain goals?
That makes sense now.
However, since she doesn't know Otto as well as Bronie, she can't provide any solid evaluation. She simply escorts Bronie into the teaching building.
Then, Bronie saw a white-haired figure standing in the corridor, asleep on their feet!
"Ugh, this brat swore to become the strongest Valkyrie. I always said combat power and wisdom go hand in hand, but this is what I get!?"
Bronie rolled up her sleeves and walked straight toward Kiana. Kiana didn't even notice her arrival, and Bronie promptly pinched Kiana's ears.
"Ouch! That hurts! Who—who is it?"
"Kiana, did you come to St. Freya just to find a new place to sleep? Since you love sleeping so much, why not come sleep in my Golden Courtyard? At least there are beds!"
"Sister Bronie!? What are you doing here!? Isn't this..."
Isn't this the territory of Schicksal!?
Given Kiana's understanding of Bronie, she knew her sister disliked Archbishop Otto of Schicksal.
Generally speaking, Bronie had no reason to come to the school. Moreover, since Sister Bronie wasn't a member of Schicksal, it would be difficult for an outsider to simply enter St. Freya' Academy.
"Kiana, the teacher told you to stand out, and you dare to sleep? Write a self-criticism later, no less than 2,000 words."
Kiana's face fell immediately.
Why was she so unlucky today!?
"Did you not sleep last night?"
After letting go of Kiana's ear, Bronie looked her over.
"I did..."
"Did you learn all the knowledge in class, so you felt bored?"
Kiana shook her head.
"Are you worried about something? Didn't sleep well last night?"
Kiana hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"In the first class taught by Teacher Himeko yesterday... Teacher Himeko said that if a comrade is corroded by the Honkai and turns into a dead soldier, it's best to execute them before they fully transform..."
Ah, so that's it. The Valkyrie's physical resilience is special, and their resistance to the Honkai is stronger. But once such a body is fully eroded by the Honkai, that strong body may endanger teammates.
Leaving such a danger behind is also a mistake.
It could even lead to more people being eroded by the Honkai, spreading the disaster.
This is indeed the most logical choice.
However, emotionally speaking, no one knows what will happen until the last moment. If you execute them directly, won't the injured be stained with the blood of their teammates?
This is why Kiana didn't sleep well last night. The unfamiliar environment made her uneasy.
"Since you don't want to face such things, you should try to avoid them. Just let your comrades deal with the Honkai beasts before they are eroded. You shouldn't have to make such decisions. Although that's what I say, I still hope you can choose what you won't regret according to your heart."
"Just destroy them in advance... I know! Sister Bronie!"
Good grief, did you hear any of the latter part of the sentence?
Or are you unwilling to face the facts?
Kiana is really just a child. She hasn't grown up at all and doesn't realize what she's doing or what she truly wants.
"Mei and Kiana are the most worrisome. They haven't grown up yet. In the future, I'll ask Miss Himeko to look after them."
Himeko felt the same way.
As a teacher, she had seen many students like them.
So she nodded and responded, "It's our duty."
Hearing Kiana's worries, Himeko felt a little uncomfortable.
On the battlefield against the Honkai, you have to face such realities. Kiana's strong reaction just proved the kindness and innocence within her.
That's good, but it's not suitable for a child like Kiana to stay at St. Freya's Academy.
However, Kiana still carries the Kaslana surname, so she definitely won't be allowed to run away!
Leaving Kiana aside, Bronie focused her attention on the classroom.
There weren't many students in the classroom—about twenty.
So Bronie easily spotted Mei and Bronya.
Mei was taking notes diligently in class, but was surprised to see Bronie appear at the door.
Meanwhile, Bronya was using the neural connection device to slack off?
Looking at the class material, Bronie quickly realized that almost everything being taught was something she had already covered long ago. No wonder Bronya wasn't interested and had turned her attention elsewhere.
Not paying much attention to the rest of the classroom, Bronie projected a panel and accessed Bronya's neural connection device.
"This is..."
Seeing Bronie manipulate something, Himeko couldn't help but grow curious.
"I just want to see what Bronya is interested in lately. She's always looking at something during class. I need to learn a bit about what's popular with kids these days."
"Ah? Bronya's skipping class!? No, don't leave me standing outside alone..."
Bronie's hand came down on Kiana's head with a swift motion.
"Idiot Kiana, if you can at least score 60 points on the exams—not 85 points—I won't mind if you skip class. And do you think Bronya's playing? She's been acquiring companies recently!"
Looking at the red and green tables, Bronie immediately understood what Bronya was up to.
She was using class time to trade stocks and would probably spend the money she earned on other activities during her breaks, right?
Himeko stared at the panel in front of Bronie in amazement. She saw that the companies Bronya had acquired appeared to be in materials and heavy industry, which struck her as odd.
"She's gotten into this area recently... But it's impossible to take down these tough companies relying solely on capital. We should consider making some moves against those old, rotten entities..."
Bronie commented, and Himeko now understood why Bronie was so confident in Bronya.
Bronie knew Bronya well and trusted her greatly.
But it wasn't about relying on anyone else's help.
Is she some sort of gang boss!?
"Okay, I have a good understanding of what Bronya's focused on lately. And Kiana, don't make the teacher in class angry. Knowledge has the power to change Schicksal. Strength is just a tool to achieve your goals. Don't do anything you'll regret."
After closing the panel, Bronie made sure everyone was doing well, and the weight in her heart eased.
"I know, Sister Bronie~"
"Go back to the dormitory after school. I've prepared lots of good things for you. I'll cook dinner for everyone tonight. Tomorrow, you'll have actual combat training. Keep your body in top condition."
"Great! What about everyone in the Golden Courtyard?"
"Don't worry, Aponia's there."
Himeko heard the familiar name and realized just how mysterious Bronie had become.
She actually knew that enigmatic psychological counselor!
What is the Golden Courtyard?
Are there other people living there?
After saying goodbye to Kiana, Himeko followed and asked, "So, how do you feel?"
"What's the name of the teacher in the class just now?"
"Eh? Her name? She should be a new teacher from the headquarters. Her name is Medea Ataegina. It's strange isn't it? Someone actually named their child that."
Strange?
If you knew that the person behind her was Otto, you wouldn't be surprised!
Who knows what Otto is up to in this school?
Could it be that the Archbishop of Schicksa doesn't do much work on regular days!?