"So, you originally planned to deal with the Pseudo-Herrscher yourself, but you were ambushed by the enemy. When you were poisoned, you were rescued by someone, and then you didn't contribute at all, just watching the other party solve all the problems?"
In the Headmaster's office at St. Freya Academy, the woman named Himeko pressed her temples, a headache forming after listening to Theresa's account.
She had been quite worried when Theresa had inexplicably lost contact for two days.
Initially, Himeko was happy when she received Theresa's communication, but after hearing Theresa's description, Himeko didn't know what to say.
"To have someone who doesn't even know what a Valkyrie is solve a Pseudo-Herrscher problem... Is this world too crazy, or is my thinking too outdated? But, you actually got poisoned by a Pseudo-Herrscher. As an S-rank Valkyrie, aren't you a bit too weak?"
"It...it was only because I wasn't paying attention that the other party found an opportunity! If it was a face-to-face one-on-one fight, I wouldn't be afraid of her!"
"But this operation, if it weren't for their help, our Headmaster would probably have died due to her own carelessness. Really, to be so ungrateful to someone who helped you."
Thinking of the scene when Theresa returned to the Academy, Himeko's head started to ache again.
Can you imagine Theresa emerging from the spaceship, holding chains and dragging Inaba Tsukiyo?
If she weren't so familiar with Theresa's personality, Himeko would almost suspect that her dear Headmaster had awakened some strange interest.
"No...no way, I kindly invited her to join St. Freya, but she kept making excuses. It's infuriating!"
"Perhaps she just thinks the Headmaster is too useless, and therefore believes that St. Freya Academy, with you as its Headmaster, isn't a very impressive place."
Himeko sighed. Doesn't this person know to leave a better impression on others?
If the other party truly was a talented individual, as Theresa claimed, this behavior would be enough to make them resent her and them.
"However...this time out, you actually brought back a Stigma, and one that we've never seen before. It seems your experience this time was very rich."
Because she was worried about Theresa's health, Himeko specifically arranged for Theresa to have a physical examination. The report came out very quickly.
Her body was perfectly normal, in fact, better than ever. But what was with the Stigma on her? It had never appeared in previous examinations.
"I... I don't know either. At that time, I was poisoned by the Herrscher and was in a coma, so I don't know anything about what happened."
"...Could this matter be related to the girl you brought back, Headmaster?"
During the time Theresa was asleep, there was only Inaba Tsukiyo and her friend who died to save her.
The Stigmata on Theresa's body was very likely something the other party did to save her; there must be more to it.
"This is truly... a strange person. But, are you sure she is really safe? To be able to deal with a Pseudo-Herrscher without valkyrie armor, can humans really possess such strength?"
Even after hearing about it from Theresa, Himeko wasn't entirely convinced. After all, humans could at most deal with things like Death Soldiers; fighting a Pseudo-Herrscher was too exaggerated.
"I know you don't believe it, but please trust me, Himeko. I personally saw her deal with a Pseudo-Herrscher, and she resolved it very easily. Inviting her to St. Freya Academy was absolutely the correct decision. Even if I didn't invite her, with her abilities, she would definitely be discovered by Schicksal or Anti-Entropy. If she became our enemy, our situation would only get worse."
Letting Inaba Tsukiyo join St. Freya Academy was not only to repay her but also to prevent her from joining Schicksal or Anti-Entropy.
Although St. Freya Academy was Schicksal's Far East branch, without her consent, her students had the right to refuse orders from the main branch.
"...I hope your decision is correct. I will monitor her."
Knowing she couldn't say anything, Himeko could only reluctantly agree to Theresa's decision.
Theresa nodded in satisfaction. She had originally expected to have to argue more, but she didn't expect Himeko to agree so easily. The first step was successfully completed.
However, what concerned Himeko more was the Stigmata on Theresa's body.
Thinking of her own situation, a strange light flashed in Himeko's eyes.
"Oh, by the way, where is Tsukiyo-chan? I haven't asked her what kind of dorm she wants, or her courses at the Academy. Where is she now?"
"Her? She should have been taken away by the interrogation department several hours ago."
"...Huh?"
At the same time, in a small dark room at St. Freya Academy, Inaba Tsukiyo was sitting across from a table. A desk lamp illuminated Inaba Tsukiyo's face, and also the face of the person sitting opposite her.
They had been in this state for a long time. Inaba Tsukiyo wasn't in a hurry, just smiling and looking at the other person, waiting for the other person's patience to wear thin.
"Why did you come back with the Headmaster? Are you the Headmaster's illegitimate daughter from outside?"
"Although this world doesn't lack loli complex, if you make a move on such a young child, you'll be arrested by Police Uncle. And look at me, do I look like her child?"
Inaba Tsukiyo, amused by such a question, couldn't help but answer.
Theresa was only a little taller than her, yet she was being mistaken for Theresa's illegitimate daughter. It seemed this interrogator lady usually read a lot of novels.
"Really no relation? Then why were you brought back by the Headmaster in that manner? Our Headmaster has a very good personality; even if you say she'll never grow taller, she won't get angry."
"Because what you're saying is the truth, why should she get angry?"
Telling someone who won't grow taller that they won't grow taller is probably the most common thing she has ever heard.
The originally very serious interrogation gradually began to change its tone. This young lady kept asking questions about Theresa, and Inaba Tsukiyo just kept nodding.
After about half an hour of this, the person standing outside finally couldn't help but drag the young lady out. After a while, another young lady appeared in the room.
"Hello, I am Himeko from St. Freya Academy, rank Major. Although I apologize for bringing you to a place like this, it's for the safety of the Academy, please understand."
"Oh? Major? That sounds like a high rank. And the name Himeko, let me think... I remember it was about a million dollars, but that was a few years ago. I wonder if the price has gone up now."
Remembering something interesting, Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but say with a teasing tone.
The so-called one million dollars was the bounty placed on Himeko in the black market. For Inaba Tsukiyo, who was once a special forces soldier, this was a very familiar matter.
Incidentally, the bounty on that old woman Cocolia was in the tens of millions, at least ten times Himeko's.
"You're a bounty hunter?"
Himeko's eyes narrowed. Of course, she knew what the so-called one million dollars meant, but she hadn't expected Inaba Tsukiyo to have such an identity.
"That was a long time ago. I was always active in Russia. But something happened, so I came to Changkong City to prepare for retirement. I didn't expect such a thing to happen."
"Retirement and all... You're so young, and you're already thinking about things like that?"
"Is there a problem? Those of us who constantly work on the edge of a knife also get tired. And the most important person is gone, so I don't need to do those things anymore."
Sighing deeply, Inaba Tsukiyo leaned back in the chair and said with some fatigue.
For some reason, Himeko saw her younger self in Inaba Tsukiyo, but this thought was quickly dismissed.
Russia, this was a very important clue. The Honkai outbreak in Europe fourteen years ago left most of the children in Europe without a home, and Russia was one of the affected areas.
So, the appearance of child soldiers as young as Inaba Tsukiyo was understandable. When Himeko went to Russia on missions, she had seen too many such people.
'You've really brought me trouble, Headmaster.'
Himeko shook her head with a wry smile. With this added identity, Himeko was too sensitive. Although due to her age, she was still within the scope of being educable, she was an uncertain factor.
"You saved the Headmaster when you were in Changkong City before? And before that, were you always acting alone?"
"No... Although I acted alone for a while at first, later I was in a group with three girls. Named Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya. Originally, I didn't want to come, but I heard these three came to this Academy before, so I couldn't help but come to see."
"Are those three very important to you? So much so that they changed your mind."
"No, I only care about the child named Bronya. When I was still in Russia, she helped me a lot. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have held on."
Inaba Tsukiyo did not want to reveal the matters of Cocolia Orphanage, as that would only make Bronya's situation difficult.
She was very clear about the relationship between Anti-Entropy and Schicksal. If the other party knew that Bronya was Cocolia's person, that would be too bad.
Himeko was silent for a while, then waved towards the window beside her, seemingly indicating something.
This was to have the other party turn off the monitoring of the interrogation room. The following content was not suitable for others to hear, and the person outside very cooperatively turned off the monitoring equipment.
After doing all this, Himeko took a deep breath, and her gaze towards Inaba Tsukiyo became serious.
"Next, I need you to answer one question seriously."
"That is, how exactly did the Stigmata on the Headmaster's body come about?"
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