"Responsibilities and all that... Natasha, you're making it sound like I dumped you."
"!!!"
Raven's cheeks flushed as she bit her lip.
She raised her little fists and pounded Elias' chest over and over, as if venting all the gloom and worry she'd bottled up over the past year.
She knew exactly what kind of relationship she had with Elias.
Essentially just mercenary partners—and friends, at best.
She was the one who had projected extra feelings onto Elias, and it was her who had proposed a lifelong contract.
Once again, Natasha recalled that saying—"Doves in the church will never kiss crows."
If Elias was that white dove—
Then perhaps she was just another raven.
She envied the peace and purity that dove symbolized. She longed for the radiance of that sun-like boy. But could a cursed raven truly accompany a pure white dove?
So now, she couldn't bring herself to speak. She could only express her feelings this way.
"Natasha, you..."
"Hmph! Don't talk to me. I'm solo now. We're no longer partners! I'll find time to terminate that lifelong contract. You can pay the penalty, Elias!"
"..."
Elias caught the glint at the corner of her eye. Though she quickly wiped it away, those falling fists and her words said it all.
He suddenly understood. Raven's feelings for him... might be deeper than he imagined.
After all, when she instantly recognized him despite not being influenced by systematic thought control, it had already shown that Natasha harbored extraordinary affection for him.
"Sorry, Natasha. I made you wait too long."
"...Who's being presumptuous? I wasn't waiting for you."
"But as for the penalty, I'm not paying it. That lifelong contract of yours—I'm never giving it up."
Elias looked into her eyes and said it seriously.
Raven felt her heart clench.
She immediately lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, but still clutched his battlesuit tightly and whispered—
"If you disappear again without telling me... I won't forgive you. Ever."
"I get it. If I vanish again, I'll work for you for free for the rest of my life."
"...Fine. Deal!"
Raven froze for a moment. Then her lips curled slightly. She punched Elias lightly in the chest and said,
"Next time, Elias, I'll make you the full-time bartender at my bar, or maybe the full-time steward at my island villa!"
"Hehe, that kind of life doesn't sound too bad."
Elias chuckled, thinking back to the days they spent together—running missions around the world, sharing drinks after jobs, and occasionally chatting about the kids they'd adopted.
He really did enjoy those days.
At that moment, a transmission came through his earpiece.
"Elias, how's your side?"
"Mei? All done on my end. What about you guys? Done fighting Durandal and the others?"
"...Yeah, it's over."
Mei's voice clearly sank.
Elias immediately realized—she must have lost. Not surprising though, considering the opponent was the golden goose Durandal, a literal walking cheat code since childhood.
"Hold tight, I'm on my way."
After ending the call, Elias grabbed Raven's hand and dashed toward the others.
"Come on, Natasha. Let me introduce you to my current companions."
"Sure. Let me see how many girls you've charmed this past year."
"Ahaha, what can I say? I'm just too charming."
"Hmph! Shameless."
Then, to Raven's astonishment, Elias activated the Herrscher of Wind's power and took off, carrying her into the sky.
Feeling his aura—now exponentially stronger than before—Raven couldn't begin to imagine what Elias had experienced over the past year.
Still, she spoke from her heart.
"Hey, Elias..."
"Hm?"
"It's really good... that you're still alive."
"...Yeah. It really is."
Elias nodded firmly. Ever since arriving in this world, he'd faced countless brushes with death. The ordinary person he once was no longer existed.
But he had no regrets, no longing for the past. After all, this life was so much more thrilling and radiant.
...
The two soon arrived at an open field far from St. Freya Academy.
After all, Raiden Mei and Durandal were either Herrschers or S-rank Valkyries. If they fought seriously, the surrounding terrain would be devastated.
It wouldn't do for Otto's Honkai Fissile Bomb to fail to level the academy, only for the girls' battle aftermath to reduce it to ruins.
"Sorry, Elias. I let you down."
Mei opened with an apologetic tone.
She felt deeply frustrated. Despite becoming a Herrscher, she'd still been overwhelmed by Durandal.
Even with three people on their side, they barely managed to fight the golden goose to a draw.
"How could you ever let me down, Mei? You've done incredibly well."
"But still..."
"This world runs deep, filled with all kinds of unreasonable cheaters. You'll get used to it."
Elias consoled her, gently patting her head.
Mei felt like crying.
(Forget words... Elias, just keep comforting me like this. More pats, please.)
At that moment, Rita walked over. Seeing Elias striking a peace sign, she smiled.
"Rita, I won."
"Indeed. As expected of Lord Elias. In that case, it's time for me to fulfill my promise."
With that, Rita turned and walked toward Durandal.
She bowed slightly to the blonde knight and handed over a medal that symbolized her status as an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal and vice-captain of the Immortal Blades.
"Rita, what are you doing?" Durandal asked in confusion.
"Lady Durandal, as of today, I formally resign from my duties as a Valkyrie of Schicksal and as vice-captain of the Immortal Blades."
"W-Wait! This is the first I'm hearing of this!"
Durandal immediately panicked at Rita's words.
"From now on, I will serve exclusively as Lord Elias' personal maid. Hehe~ So, please take care of me, my~ dear~ master~"
Rita lifted the hem of her battle skirt and offered Elias a perfect curtsy. Her flirtatious tone, paired with her sincere and pure gaze, was overwhelming.
Ah, I'm dead!
Elias instinctively clutched his chest. Internally, he roared: Who could possibly resist this?! No wonder she's the Herrscher of Desire. Rita exuded irresistible charm as if it were part of her very being.
And poor Durandal was utterly devastated. She'd just been cucked right in front of everyone!
"Rita, you're joking, right? If you go with this Elias guy... what am I supposed to do...?"
The blonde goose looked pitiful.
Though Durandal was far from helpless, she'd grown used to having the perfect maid by her side for so many years.
Especially during Rita's undercover mission at St. Freya, living alone had made Durandal painfully aware of her importance.
That attentive care...
Just experiencing it once was enough to get hooked!
(Durandal: "Rita~ Don't leave! How will I survive without you~")
Even Rita showed hesitation.
Though she'd already decided to serve Elias, the best friend who had been with her for years—if she had to abandon her now, it would be like tearing out a piece of her heart.
So Rita looked toward Elias for help.
With a sly grin, Elias walked over, placed a hand on both girls' shoulders, and said,
"This is simple—Durandal, why don't you just join us at St. Freya Academy?"
"Eh? Me, join too?"
Durandal pointed to herself in shock.
"Yeah. That way you won't have to be separated from Rita, and you can still fulfill your duty as a Valkyrie fighting the Honkai. Problem solved~"
"Hmm... That does make sense."
Durandal blinked her wide, innocent eyes. Elias' reasoning seemed oddly convincing.
And strangely, just like when they first met, she found Elias rather pleasant to look at.
Even though he just stole away her closest companion, she couldn't muster a hint of hostility toward him.
"But the atmosphere at St. Freya feels a bit too relaxed for me. Schicksal's side has more assignments."
"Uh..."
Elias raised an eyebrow. He'd nearly forgotten—this girl was a total overachiever. Durandal had the highest deployment rate among S-rank Valkyries in Schicksal history. She was either on missions or training 24/7.
"If that's all, you should've said so earlier. If you want more missions, I'll personally join you in clearing Honkai incidents across the globe on a regular basis."
"Really? That sounds amazing!"
Seeing Durandal beaming with joy, Elias took a deep breath and hyped himself up internally.
Let's go! If she wants to grind, we grind! No problem!
We're both future apex-tier fighters. And frankly, my base setup is way stronger than hers!
"In that case, I'll seriously consider it."
"Eh? That convinced her already?"
Theresa was dumbfounded. She had tried several times in the past to recruit Durandal into St. Freya and had been rejected every single time.
Yet Elias got it done just like that?
Rita was equally surprised. She knew Durandal well—despite her straightforward and gullible nature, anyone who treated her like an idiot usually faced harsh consequences. The fact that Elias could so easily sway her thoughts was astonishing. It felt like Durandal already had a considerable fondness for him.
(Wait... is she really that easy to talk into?)
Even Elias was taken aback. He hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.
"Ahem, you can start with a trial enrollment. We'll always welcome you."
"Thank you. I'll try not to cause any trouble."
"Not at all~"
Perfect. Now Kiana would have a big sister figure around.
Only now did Elias realize—he had basically poached almost all of Schicksal's S-rank powerhouses. The only one left was Big Pillow Li—cough, Li Sushang, who hadn't joined yet.
Elias: "Hmm, at least this side held back."
Unlike Mei and the others who fought seriously—
Fu Hua, Ji Xuanyuan, and Li Sushang looked almost spotless. Clearly, they'd held back and not fought in earnest.
After all, Fu Hua and Sushang were acquaintances from five hundred years ago—especially since the former was the latter's grandmaster.
To someone like Li Sushang, whose values were still rooted in ancient times, there was no way she'd use lethal force against Fu Hua.
After all, betraying and harming one's master was a grave sin. (Looking at you, Seventh Disciple.)
"Now that you've repaid your favor to Otto, Miss Li, what do you plan to do next?"
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Sushang. As for my plans, I want to travel around and see what this world has become after 500 years. Since I'll be living in this era from now on, I should get to know it."
Li Sushang's expression was full of anticipation.
"I see. A very proactive decision. In that case, I strongly recommend you join our St. Freya Academy first."
Elias immediately extended another olive branch.
Theresa's eyes lit up from the side, silently cheering Elias on to reel in the last remaining S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal.
"Uh, why would I join too?"
Sushang scratched her head in confusion, and Elias responded with a sincere look, as if it were for her own good.
"Of course, to learn about modern knowledge and common sense. You know times have changed, and many of the old ways no longer apply today."
Though Elias did have selfish reasons for wanting her to join St. Freya, he genuinely had her best interests in mind.
As someone freshly awakened from the ancient past, tossing Sushang into modern society without preparation worried him greatly.
Martial strength didn't go far in today's world.
After all, no matter how strong your kung fu, there's always someone ready to fake an injury and sue you.
Big cities were full of traps. If left on her own, Elias feared she'd drown in the complex web of modern life.
Just based on Sushang's chivalrous character alone, she'd surely leap to help the weak and uphold justice.
But Elias could already imagine the headlines: scammed, framed, falsely accused...
It was a sad irony of human progress—while civilization advanced, morality often regressed.
"At the very least, read this anti-fraud handbook. Also, you need to learn traffic laws, modern regulations, and most importantly—how to use a smartphone."
"Eh? Huh? Oh, this..."
Li Sushang stood there dumbfounded.
"Sushang, we may have once roamed the land sword in hand, but nowadays that's illegal. You don't want your first step on a journey to land you straight in jail, right?"
Elias spoke with the weight of experience.
He casually conjured a projection screen and began showing her videos about modern scams. Sushang's face visibly paled.
Li Sushang: "T-This... how can this even happen?! Saving someone can be illegal now? And this thing called pyramid schemes sounds decent—but it's actually this horrifying?! And this, and this... even my martial arts can't save me from stuff like this!"
Her innocent heart took a massive hit.
Seeing these traps on the internet, Sushang began to question whether her travel plans were too naive. The outside world was terrifying. Thankfully, this kind-hearted boy named Elias warned her just in time.
Elias: "You may be powerful, but you lack modern knowledge. This isn't just about your journey—it's about helping you adapt to this era."
"I suggest you postpone your trip until you pass my evaluation. Any objections?"
Li Sushang: "No objections! Thank you so much, Mr. Elias! I'm willing to join St. Freya Academy."
Elias: "Plan succeeded!"
Everyone present, except Durandal, looked on speechlessly. This girl had no idea she'd just walked right into Elias' trap.
You sold yourself and even thanked the buyer!
And just like that, St. Freya Academy welcomed two more S-rank Valkyries! Schicksal's resources had nearly been picked clean~
Elias: "Oh right—don't forget to recruit the A- and B-rank Valkyries Otto brought along. They're valuable combat assets—don't let them go to waste."
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