"It's still early, Sakura. Why don't you come with us? We can drop Rin off and then take you back to the temporary office."
Elysia reached out to take Rin's hand, turning her gaze toward Sakura as she spoke.
"Alright," Sakura replied, seeing no reason to refuse.
She picked up her suitcase and headed toward the door. After the click of the lock, Sakura stowed her luggage in the trunk of the car.
Durandal took the wheel, first driving Rin to the primary school section of Chiba Academy.
They watched until the young girl had safely entered her classroom before turning the car toward the temporary office to drop off Elysia and Sakura.
At the office, Dystopia, Kevyn, and the squad members serving under the three of them—including Sakura's team—had already assembled.
The buses prepared by Connie were lined up and ready; they were only waiting for Sakura's arrival to depart.
"I'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting," Sakura apologized sincerely, seeing she was the last to arrive.
However, everyone understood her situation. Moreover, she had arrived with the Leader and Sub-Leader, and since the scheduled departure time hadn't actually passed, no one minded in the slightest.
Once Sakura boarded, the two buses began the journey toward Sapphire City.
Meanwhile, in Sapphire City, the personnel there were waiting for these buses to arrive before they would take those same vehicles back to Nagazora City.
The reason Dystopia and her group could leave so easily was that Nagazora was still guarded by Durandal, Elysia, and two veteran members, Ato and Emile.
With them holding the line, as long as a Third Honkai Eruption didn't break out immediately, they could handle the workload.
Sapphire City, however, had no specialized defense forces against Honkai beasts other than Himeko's group. Therefore, they had to wait for the Nagazora reinforcements to arrive before they could pull out.
Back at the temporary office, Durandal handed the car keys directly to Connie.
"Rin's suitcase is in the trunk. Connie, when you have a moment, please drive the car over and move her things into Elysia's old room."
"Understood," Connie replied, taking the keys with a nod.
She was well-accustomed to such tasks. When Durandal had returned from her last business trip, it was Connie who had delivered her luggage back to the villa ahead of time.
With Rin's belongings settled, Durandal called Ato and Emile into the briefing room.
The agenda was straightforward: new recruits from Sapphire City would be arriving shortly. Back in Sapphire City, these rookies had mostly followed the lead of Himeko and her Fire Moth Fifth Squad.
Once they arrived in Nagazora, however, that dynamic had to change.
It was time for Ato and Emile—two former Fire Moth soldiers—to start standing on their own two feet.
"The evaluation I'm giving you is different from the ones I gave Kevyn and Sakura," Durandal said, her expression solemn as she looked at the two men.
"When it comes to soloing Zombies, I have no doubt you can do it easily once you have the custom equipment Vill-V designed for you. But the reason I haven't immediately promoted you to Flame-Chasers or given you your own squads is that I wanted to give you more time."
"I want you to thoroughly discard certain habits you picked up in Fire Moth—regardless of whether those habits were 'good' or 'bad'."
She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.
"I need you to realize one thing: in Schicksal, just like in Fire Moth, obeying orders is your duty as soldiers. But as individuals, you cannot lose the ability to think for yourselves."
"If there ever comes a time where I or Elysia make a mistake as your superiors, you must have the courage to speak up and correct us, rather than blindly executing a flawed command."
"Regrettably, I haven't seen that from you yet. It's not because you aren't capable, but simply because Elysia and I haven't issued a 'wrong' order for you to challenge yet."
"Because of that, I'm still a bit concerned about making you Flame-Chasers and squad leaders right now, where you'd have to plan and execute missions independently."
"Therefore, your test is simple: you will lead the Sapphire City newcomers as Vice-Captains and handle the Honkai incidents here in Nagazora."
"I will make my final decision on your Flame-Chaser status based on your performance during this trial period. That's all. Go back and get yourselves ready."
Durandal had no patience for long-winded meetings. Once the message was delivered, she promptly adjourned the session.
Back in her private office, Elysia filed away the meeting minutes and drifted over to Durandal's side.
"Is it really alright to be so harsh on them?" Elysia asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Durandal shook her head. "Being strict is exactly what will put them at ease. To some extent, they were pushed out by Fire Moth."
"The taste of being suspected—or even betrayed—by the organization you serve is a bitter one. What I'm doing is giving them a chance to prove themselves through hard work."
"Whether it's their competence or their character, this gives them a path to truly settle in."
Beyond that, Durandal held other concerns she couldn't voice.
She thought of the original timeline—the ending where Ato became a sacrificial lamb, and the fate where Emile ended up as one of the Herrschers of Dominance.
She wasn't sure how much of Ato's sacrifice had been voluntary and how much had been forced by circumstance.
If it was the former, his self-sacrificing streak was so strong that making him a Flame-Chaser and a leader might actually end up hurting him and his family.
And what about Emile? Did he become a Herrscher because of some hidden darkness in his heart, or was it just bad luck? Or was it simply "destiny"?
If it was the first possibility, Durandal wanted to find it and guide him through it as early as possible.
It would be a tragedy if a lieutenant recognized by Kalpas fell because of a hidden flaw in his own character.
Of course, she didn't mean that becoming a Herrscher was a "defeat" in itself—especially since, with her here, she would never let Emile lose his human heart.
But in this world, where power was strangely tied to one's will and spirit, a crack in one's mental state could severely limit their ultimate potential. It would be a waste if Emile couldn't grow to the very peak of his talent.
Hearing Durandal's explanation, Elysia tilted her head and gave a slow, appreciative nod.
"Mmm~ It seems our Lady Durandal really is a most qualified leader, tailoring her approach to every subordinate!"
As she spoke, Elysia slid over and sat sideways across Durandal's lap. She reached out, tilting the other woman's chin up slightly, her eyes shimmering with a playful, sultry light.
"So, tell me, Lady Durandal... how do you plan to 'tame' a unique subordinate like me?"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.