By the time Cecilia arrived in Oceania, several days had already passed since Lynelle's first return.
"Senior Cecilia, is your body adjusting well? Are you feeling any discomfort?"
"Alright, alright—if there were really any problems, the two doctors would have taken care of them already."
Cecilia wore a doting smile as she watched Lynelle curiously poking and prodding at her here and there.
"It's just a revival, why are you acting like it's your first time seeing me?"
"It's not the same. We're all used to revivals like Mr. Welt and Otto's by now, but Senior Cecilia's revival is a first for me."
"What's so different about it…?"
Cecilia chuckled helplessly, then gave Lynelle a big hug.
"No matter what, I still have to thank you for giving me this second chance. Don't worry—if we run into any troublesome enemies during this operation, just leave them to me~"
"Huh? But Senior Cecilia, your strength has only just recovered to the level of a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie, hasn't it?"
Lynelle asked curiously, "You sound so confident already?"
"Well, because I'm from the House of Schariac. Even though I'm still searching for a way to restore my holy blood, the nature of the Schariac Stigmata alone gives me powerful regenerative abilities."
Cecilia shrugged helplessly. "It's just a shame that the Black Abyss White Flower isn't in my hands right now, otherwise… Huh?!"
Watching as a lance suddenly appeared in Lynelle's hands, Cecilia rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"This is…"
"Just a little magical trick~"
Lynelle flashed a sly grin. "Actually, I've always had the ability to simulate various objects through data. But compared to Mr. Welt's direct construction, data-simulated weapons are weaker in both quality and power."
"However… after recently studying a bit of crystal flower magic, I managed to find a material that can act as a 'body' for my data simulations."
Lynelle effortlessly split the replicated Black Abyss White Flower in two, revealing its pink crystalline interior.
"So, even though there's still an issue with power, at least in terms of quality, the simulated objects are plenty sturdy now."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Seeing Cecilia's amazed expression, Lynelle smiled mysteriously.
"Actually, I've had some ideas lately about the power issue too, I just haven't found a chance to test them… If we're lucky enough, maybe this operation will give us that opportunity."
"Well then, I wish you the best of luck~"
Cecilia clasped her hands together. "Oh, that reminds me—since I'm here, should I take some kind of disguise measures?"
"That depends on where you'll be… After all, the Valkyries here at the Oceania branch have been around for quite some time."
Lynelle asked curiously, "Where were you planning to stay for now, Senior Cecilia?"
"Of course…"
Cecilia abruptly pointed toward the building across from the Oceania branch headquarters: "There!"
"I already checked—there's a brand-new arcade there!"
"That awful Otto's already banned three of my accounts in a row, so this time I've prepared something big for him…"
"Heehee, I'm going to use ten accounts to break the records all at once and knock him right off the leaderboards!"
"Uh…"
Watching Cecilia's playful enthusiasm, Lynelle couldn't help but marvel at her mother-in-law's endless energy.
"Well, Senior Cecilia, please remember to disguise yourself a bit… To be honest, I think you might have been away from society for too long—you seem to be lacking a bit in common sense…"
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
"The room you booked is at a… well, a love hotel."
Lynelle whispered, "There are hotels near the arcade too, so I'd suggest you stay somewhere else. The front desk was giving me weird looks just now…"
"Ahaha… Sorry, sorry."
--+--
After returning to Oceania, with her backup now in place, Lynelle felt almost instantly at ease.
But it wasn't long before that ease vanished again.
"Um… my dear Wendy-chan?"
Lynelle watched cautiously as Miss Wendy, who had been acting strange since this morning. "Did something upset you? Or are you angry?"
"Not at all."
"Really?"
"Really~"
"Then… could you untie the ropes on me?"
In the room, Lynelle was tightly bound to a chair with thin cords.
The red restraints pressed lightly against her fair skin, leaving faint marks, and the way the ropes were tied accentuated her already curvaceous figure, making her form even more pronounced.
"And where did you even learn these weird skills?!"
"Th-that's none of your business…"
Wendy's face flushed slightly, and under Lynelle's horrified gaze, she locked the dorm room door, drew all the curtains, and then casually conjured a cyan airflow barrier—for soundproofing.
"Anyway, this room is completely isolated now, Lynelle. You…"
"Wh-what about me?"
Lynelle put on a trembling, fearful expression.
"You'd better confess properly!"
Wendy picked up a feather and lightly brushed it against the girl's silk-clad calf.
"What was going on when you went out earlier? Why were you secretly meeting with Senior Cecilia, who's supposed to be dead?!"
"!"
Lynelle jolted in surprise. "Wait, I just went out for a bit—how did you manage to tail me the whole time?!"
"I didn't!"
Wendy's face turned bright red with fluster. "It was just my usual airflow detection! I didn't mean to follow you, b-but…"
"But?"
"But when I saw you sneaking off alone to one of those love hotels, how could I not worry?! The senior Valkyries in the branch always go to that kind of place when they're up to something strange…"
Wendy's cheeks were flushed.
"I was afraid you'd been tricked by some shady woman you met online, s-so I used the airflow to check up on you a little."
"But instead of meeting some suspicious person, you were talking with a Valkyrie senior who's been dead for over a decade! I almost died of fright!"
"Ahem, ack…"
Seeing Wendy's face shift through shades of red and pale with mixed emotions, Lynelle couldn't hold back a laugh.
She could just imagine it—Wendy, anxiously watching her enter a love hotel, stewing in turmoil before mustering the courage to scout the room with her powers, only to find not a cheating scene, but her casually chatting and laughing with someone who'd been dead for years.
The sheer absurdity of it must have been terrifying.
Honestly, it might be a bit morally questionable, but… it was just too hard not to laugh.
"You're still laughing!"
Wendy gritted her teeth, picked up the feather, and vigorously tickled the sensitive sole of Lynelle's silk-stockinged foot.
"Start talking, now! Or I'll make you laugh so much you can't even walk out of here!"
"Hahaha—ahahaha—okay, okay!"
Squirming under Wendy's tickling assault, Lynelle hurriedly surrendered. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Just—hahaha—stop, please!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.