"Theresa, how have you been lately?"
Otto looked at the figure projected in the air before him, a kind smile on his face. It was a kindness that didn't match his youthful, twenty-something appearance, but Otto didn't find it strange, and neither did the person he was speaking with.
"Grandfather... I am no longer a Valkyrie of Schicksal. I am the principal of St. Freya Academy now."
Theresa Apocalypse, a petite girl with long white hair and a delicate face, shared the same surname as the Schicksal Overseer, Otto, and even used the strange yet intimate address of "Grandfather." However, the girl's attitude was not so friendly, her tone somewhat stiff.
"I know. But if you or your beloved St. Freya Academy ever run into any trouble, you must tell me, okay? Even if you are no longer affiliated with Schicksal, you are still my lovely granddaughter. As a grandfather, it is only natural to help his granddaughter."
Otto maintained his kind smile, treating her words as the rebellion of a small child, full of tolerance.
Theresa said nothing, only looking at him.
Seeing this, Otto continued on his own.
"I've contacted you this time to tell you something about K423."
"What about her? You promised me before that you wouldn't harm her. If you want to go back on your word, Grandfather, I will definitely take the Hyperion and—"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited. She is in the Far East right now, outside of our Schicksal's sphere of influence and very close to your position. However, her situation is not very good. Siegfried is missing, and the girl is stranded on the streets, all alone. Don't you plan to help her?"
"How could Siegfried go missing? And, you're monitoring Kiana?!"
Theresa grew more agitated. She had uttered a name, a name vastly different from the alphanumeric designation "K423" that Otto had used, but Otto's expression did not change, because they referred to the same person.
A tool had been given a human name, and by that human's own father, no less. How interesting.
The corners of Otto's mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh—a laugh of derision at so-called humanity—but because he was speaking with his beloved granddaughter, he held it back.
"Siegfried's disappearance has nothing to do with me; it was his own fault. As for K423... hmm, as for Kiana, do you really think a minor can travel around, let alone buy a long-distance plane ticket from Europe to the Far East by herself, without causing any trouble? If not for my help, she wouldn't have been able to move so freely. And now, she has gone to Nagazora City. As you requested before, I have not stationed any Schicksal members in the Far East, so I don't know her current situation. But she probably hasn't starved to death yet. After all, it has only been a day and a half."
"It's already been a day and a half?!"
An anxious look appeared on Theresa's face. Seeing this, Otto smiled, a meaningful smile.
"It seems you have some urgent business to attend to, so let's end our call here. My lovely granddaughter, when you're tired of playing, remember to come back. The gates of Schicksal will always be open to you."
The communication ended. In St. Freya Academy, in the principal's office, Theresa jumped down from her office chair.
Yes, jumped.
The standard-sized office chair was still a bit too high for the petite Theresa. When she sat on it, her feet couldn't touch the ground. But if she used a small, child-sized chair, her head wouldn't be able to see over the rather tall office desk.
To solve this problem, she would have to purchase a full set of children's tables and chairs for the office, an act that lacked the dignity of a principal, which Theresa naturally refused to do.
St. Freya Academy, formerly known as Schicksal's Far East Branch, had become an independent school after Theresa broke away due to her dissatisfaction with some of Otto's actions. It was a special school, and Theresa was its principal.
In a world where the Honkai erupted from time to time and was constantly facing danger, Schicksal, which fought on the front lines, undoubtedly held a very special status and many privileges. As a former Schicksal branch, St. Freya Academy could access most of their data.
Very quickly, Theresa confirmed through the records of Nagazora Airport that her grandfather had not lied; Kiana had really gone to Nagazora City.
Theresa's first reaction was to bring her back and take care of her.
But she quickly overturned her own idea.
This was St. Freya Academy. One of the reasons for its establishment was Theresa's opposition to her grandfather Otto's indifferent attitude towards the lives of Valkyries; she wanted to create a more humane Valkyrie training institution. But in the end, it was still a place to train Valkyries.
And Valkyries never had good endings.
The vast majority of people were mediocre and lacked talent, but becoming a Valkyrie required talent. Schicksal also needed a large number of powerful Valkyries to fight the Honkai. So how was this problem solved?
Under the direction of the great Overseer Otto, researchers studied, replicated, and modified the power contained within the bloodlines of ancient families—Stigmata. Thus, artificial Stigmata were born.
They gave Valkyries aptitude, strength, and Honkai adaptability, improving them in every way, but the price was a greatly shortened lifespan.
Dying young in their twenties or thirties, in the prime of their lives, was a foregone conclusion for those with artificial Stigmata. And for a Valkyrie, such an end was actually considered lucky, because most of them died in battle long before that.
The Honkai was a catastrophe aimed at all of humanity, a calamity that would lead civilization to its end. The outcome of fighting the Honkai with individual strength was predictable. Even outstanding A-rank or even S-rank Valkyries could not guarantee they would survive their next encounter with the Honkai.
Theresa absolutely did not want Kiana to walk down this tragic path.
She decided to go to Nagazora City herself, observe Kiana in secret, confirm her situation, and then find a way to get her into an ordinary school to enjoy the carefree life of an ordinary person.