Theresa rushed to the Bishop's Office door like a gust of wind, not even bothering with etiquette (though she seemed to never have bothered with it), and was about to push the door open directly, but was stopped by two expressionless direct Valkyrie guards at the entrance.
"Move aside! I need to see Grandma... Bishop!" Theresa said urgently, her eyes still red.
"Apologies, Lady Theresa," the guard's voice was flat, "The Bishop is not in the office."
"Not in? Where did she go?!" Theresa's heart sank, and her ominous premonition grew stronger.
The guard didn't speak, but merely stepped aside, gesturing for her to look at an electronic note pasted on the office door. On the note were the words in Otto's ornate yet somewhat playful handwriting:
"To my dearest granddaughter Theresa:",
"Grandma I'm going to the front lines to clear my head (and incidentally check on a certain troublesome fellow), and I'm taking two-thirds of the Valkyrie squad to stretch their muscles. Don't worry, a mere Third Empire isn't even enough to fill a gap between teeth."
"As for you~ I'm temporarily leaving headquarters for you to look after! The official documents are all on the table, remember to review them on time~ This is a rare 'training' opportunity! (Laughs)"
"P.S.: Bitter gourd supply has resumed, happy? — Your loving Grandma."
Theresa looked at the note, completely petrified.
Went... went to the front lines? Grandma went personally? And took so many Valkyries?
In an instant, immense relief swept over her, almost making her legs weak.
Although Grandma's personality was terrible and unpredictable, her strength and methods were beyond doubt! With her personally going to the front lines, Kael's safety would absolutely not be an issue! Perhaps the battle would end very soon!
Happy? She was certainly happy! As long as Kael could return safely!
As for the phrases "temporarily leaving headquarters for you to look after" and "the official documents are all on the table," Theresa automatically ignored them.
So what if she was looking after the headquarters? With so many civil officials around, what big problems could there be?
She let out a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and felt her suspended heart finally settle back into her stomach. She was even a little happy that Otto had resumed her bitter gourd supply (even though Otto was the one who cut it off in the first place!).
She turned to leave with a light heart, even humming an off-key tune, preparing to go back and get a good night's sleep, waiting for the good news of Kael and Grandma's triumphant return.
However, the next day, when Theresa was "invited" to the Bishop's Office by a stern-faced secretary-general, and saw the mountain of documents piled high on the large office desk, almost collapsing, and the dense list of pending items constantly flashing and jumping on the adjacent light screen, the smile on her face completely froze.
"These... these are all..." Theresa's voice trembled slightly.
The secretary-general pushed up his glasses, his tone flat and unwavering: "Lady Theresa, these are the daily administrative documents that require your immediate review and approval, involving logistics scheduling, personnel appointments and removals, resource allocation, intelligence summaries, ally communication, internal security... and 'special attention items' that Otto specifically instructed you to personally review before she left."
He pointed to a stack of documents marked with a red "Top Secret" stamp.
"I... I'm just a Valkyrie... I don't understand any of this!" Theresa tried to protest.
"Bishop Otto has ordered that until her return, you will act as Bishop, possessing supreme decision-making authority. All department heads will report their work to you and await your instructions."
The secretary-general stated emotionlessly, "The first joint departmental meeting will begin in half an hour. This is the meeting agenda; please preview it in advance."
An even thicker document was thrust into Theresa's hand.
Theresa looked at the dense text and charts, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, finding it more terrifying than facing a hundred Honkai Beasts!
"I... can I ask someone else for help? Like... Cecilia? Or Siegfried?"
"Lady Cecilia needs to guard the headquarters' defense system, and Sir Siegfried has an external mission. Other senior officials are performing their duties and cannot overstep their authority. The Bishop clearly indicated that this is 'training' for you," the secretary-general replied meticulously.
Theresa: "..." She finally understood what Grandma meant by "training" and that "laugh"! This was clearly revenge! Absolutely revenge! Revenge for her previous complaints!
In the time that followed, Theresa experienced what it meant to be "fated to suffer."
She was forced to sit in the Bishop's chair, which was too wide for her, listening to various department heads report on situations she completely didn't understand, using terminology she couldn't comprehend:
"Regarding the re-evaluation of energy allocation priority for Sector B-7..."
"Disputes over the details of the next quarter's material exchange agreement with the North American branch..."
"Explanation of the rationality of budget overruns for the newly promoted Valkyrie training camp..."
"Analysis of monitoring reports on suspected infiltrators..."
"Diplomatic note from Central Europe, protesting border friction..."
Theresa's head throbbed, and she could only steel herself, trying to imitate Grandma's usual unfathomable demeanor, responding vaguely: "Hmm... this matter... to be discussed again."
"Agreed in principle, but details need consideration."
"Proceed according to established procedures."
However, these old bureaucratic foxes immediately saw through her inexperience and lack of confidence, and questions came one after another, pressing for specific opinions, making her break out in a cold sweat.
After the meeting, she collapsed in the chair, feeling her brain had turned into mush.
And this was just the beginning.
The subsequent document review was even more disastrous.
She looked at the lengthy reports and applications, completely at a loss.
Approve? Afraid of problems.
Disapprove? Afraid of delaying things.
She tried to read carefully, but the convoluted official formats and complex data quickly confused her.
"Ahhh! Why does even an application to increase the budget for cafeteria napkins require the Bishop's approval!" Theresa frantically ruffled her hair.
She recalled Kael's effortless manner when handling documents and suddenly developed immense admiration for him. How on earth did Kael manage it?!
Kael: Huh? What? Does an application to increase toilet paper really need approval?
Otto: Why not?
Just as she was gnashing her teeth at a document concerning the "Headquarters Garden Vegetation Replacement Plan," the secretary-general walked in again, expressionlessly informing her: "Lady Theresa, in ten minutes, the Minister of Finance needs to have a video conference with you to discuss next year's budget draft. Additionally, three urgent military intelligence briefings have been sent to your terminal; please prioritize them. Also, the logistics department is asking if you approved the new bitter gourd procurement order? The amount seems a bit..."
"I approved it! What's wrong?! Is it not allowed?!" Theresa jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "Bitter gourd is a strategic material! Supply must be ensured!"
Secretary-general: "...Understood. I will inform the logistics department."
She paused, then added, "However, according to procedure, purchases exceeding a certain amount require an attached detailed explanation report. Please submit one later..."
Theresa completely broke down, collapsing onto the mountain of documents, letting out a desperate wail: "Grandma! Please come back! I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! Whoever wants to be this Bishop can have it! I'm going to find Kael! I'm going to the battlefield! Fighting is easier than this, ahhh!"
However, her wails went unanswered; only the constantly flashing light screen on the desk and the mountain of documents coldly reminded her — Otto's "training" had just begun.
This S-Rank Valkyrie, who usually only knew how to fight and eat bitter gourd-flavored food, was now profoundly experiencing the suffocating burden behind the highest power of "Destiny."
She finally understood why Grandma sometimes seemed so unfathomable and neurotic — dealing with all these things every day, it would be strange not to go crazy! Kael, help me!
Kael: Don't cue me, I'm by the Rhine.
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