Downstairs, Aili saw everyone already eating breakfast.
It turned out she was the last one to wake up today.
"Elysia, have you completed your mission?" Kiana said while eating.
"Of course, it wasn't a very difficult mission ♬~" Aili pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Then, Elysia, is it fun to go out on missions?" Kiana asked curiously.
"Kiana, going on missions is not a game." Mei gently tapped Kiana's head.
"But looking at Elysia, the mission really doesn't seem difficult." Kiana rubbed the spot Mei had tapped.
"It's a lot of fun ♬~" Aili said, taking a sip of porridge.
"Eh, is it really fun? Aunt! When can I go on missions?" Kiana quickly looked at Theresa.
"We'll talk about it after you pass your Valkyrie assessment!" Theresa glared at Kiana.
"Kiana, going on missions isn't for fun. It's just that Aili's mission this time was an outdoor assignment and didn't require combat." Himeko also spoke up.
This playful attitude cannot be brought to the battlefield; not only would you get hurt, but you'd also implicate your teammates.
"But I've seen Elysia's two missions, and they both seemed quite easy." Kiana pouted.
"Stupid Kiana, that's because Elysia is very strong." Bronya glanced at Kiana and said.
"Hmph, Bronya! This miss will catch up to Elysia's pace sooner or later!" Hearing Bronya's words, Kiana immediately turned and glared at Bronya.
"Alright, alright, everyone eat first. We can discuss it after we finish eating." Mei quickly interjected, seeing the two about to start arguing again.
Under Mei's persuasion, Kiana began to focus on eating.
After dinner, Theresa said, "As expected, Mei's cooking is delicious. The food at Heliopos Life Science tasted strange."
"I saw you eating quite happily then." Himeko said.
"Please! Himeko! We had been fighting continuously for so long then, I was already very hungry, alright!" Theresa said, waving her fist.
"Besides, Mei's cooking is just delicious, okay?" Theresa looked at Himeko and said.
"Yes, Mei's cooking is indeed delicious." Himeko walked to the refrigerator and took out a can of beer.
"Himeko, you should drink less of that in the morning." Theresa said, watching Himeko's actions.
"This is one of my few interests." Himeko said, then opened the beer and took a sip.
"Seriously, Himeko, if you can't handle it, why don't you just be a teacher?" Theresa said, frowning.
"How can I do that? They haven't grown up yet, I can't withdraw from the front lines." Himeko waved her hand.
Then, holding the beer, she walked into the living room.
Sitting on the sofa, Himeko picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.
After finishing her meal, Aili also walked into the living room.
"Sister Himeko, are you injured?" Aili asked, sitting next to Himeko.
"Injured? How is that possible? With those Honkai Beasts, and both Theresa and I there, I wouldn't get injured." Himeko shook her head and said.
"Is it because... of the Artificial Stigmata?" Aili bit her lip after asking.
She shouldn't have known about the Artificial Stigmata.
"How did you know?" Himeko asked seriously.
"So... it's really because of the Artificial Stigmata, right, Sister Himeko? Is there no way to remove the side effects of the Artificial Stigmata?"
"Remove? How is that possible? To gain power, this is a necessary side effect. I'm not like you, still young." Himeko put down the remote control and stroked Aili's head.
"Although I don't know how you found out about the side effects of the Artificial Stigmata, don't tell anyone else. After all, we Valkyries who have implanted Artificial Stigmata all have reasons why we must possess power."
After Himeko finished speaking, she took another big gulp of beer.
"So, Sister Himeko, is there really no way?"
"There is, if we can find a natural Stigmata." Theresa walked into the living room and said.
"Theresa, natural Stigmata are not that easy to find. Even if you find one, it might not even be compatible." Himeko waved her hand.
"Don't think about those things. How long has it been since there was any news about natural Stigmata? I'm already very content with how I am now." Himeko said casually.
"We'll find it eventually." Theresa said seriously.
Himeko didn't respond, after all, news of natural Stigmata wasn't that easy to come by.
"Sister Himeko, we will find it." Aili also said seriously.
"You should still focus on growing. Your growth is the most important thing." Himeko rolled her eyes and said.
"Don't worry, Sister Himeko, whether it's me or Kiana and the others, aren't we all growing rapidly? We'll soon make it so you don't have to work so hard anymore." Aili directly hugged Himeko's arm.
"You mischievous girl, fine, when you all can truly stand on your own, I'll consider retiring." Himeko smiled helplessly.
"Speaking of which, something is really off with Heliopos Life Science." Himeko changed the subject.
"Hmm, those Honkai Beasts we both faced seemed to have been deliberately placed there." Theresa also said very seriously.
"Yes, it's as if they knew we were both going, deliberately placed those Honkai Beasts, and then tried to stall us both." After Himeko finished speaking, she looked at Aili again.
"Aili, did you meet anyone strange at Heliopos Life Science?"
"The person in charge I met at Heliopos Life Science was named Natasha Cioara. She doesn't seem like just a simple consultant." As she spoke, Aili took out her phone, which had a picture of Raven on it.
"Is it this woman? When Theresa and I arrived at Heliopos Life Science, she was the one who came forward." Himeko said, looking at the photo.
"This woman is not simple. By Valkyrie standards, she is at least a B-rank Valkyrie." Himeko said.
"Eh? Sister Himeko can tell that?" Aili asked, a little surprised.
"It's just experience. Some of her habits can't be changed." Himeko said.
"But then again, this is an enterprise recognized by the Bishop, so it's normal to have some capable people." Himeko said, looking at Raven's photo.
"Besides this woman, were there any others?"
"Yes, there was a person whose exposed parts were all mechanical prosthetics." Aili said, then brought up another person's photo.
Looking at the masked person in the photo, "Who is this person?" Himeko asked.
"His name is Gray Serpent. Besides Miss Cioara greeting me at the beginning, he was the one who handled the subsequent interactions with me." Aili said.
"Is that so? A person with mechanical prosthetics. This Heliopos Life Science really keeps its secrets well." Himeko whispered, looking at Gray Serpent in the photo.
Such a degree of prosthetics, it's probably not the only one in Heliopos Life Science.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!