Raiden Mei's life had seen a few ripples lately, but nothing too dramatic.
Sometimes she would go over to St. Freya High School to use the Valkyrie training grounds. Ever since awakening her Stigmata, she'd taken to chatting with her "partner" whenever she had a spare moment.
"I feel like the people in Academy City have become… strangers."
Raiden Mei had been wandering around Academy City for a while and had even witnessed a bizarre scene.
A man had gathered a crowd in front of the Security Patrol station, holding a banner demanding that everyone in Academy City be treated equally and that the brain-protection implant, currently only available to students, be made available to all.
Mei asked a bystander what was going on and learned that this "man" wasn't a man at all. She had originally been a woman who, after her transformation, went home and scooped out half of her husband's brain with a spoon.
The result, of course, was that her husband died. She then came to the Academy City Security Patrol to cause a scene, demanding that the city make this implant available to the general public.
Mei knew about this device; it was a protective measure for the brain, designed to prevent students from harming themselves. As long as brain death didn't occur, Academy City's technology could save them.
But news of this device had spread quickly, and many people with dangerous jobs wanted one for themselves. The price was unknown, however, and Academy City had no plans to offer it to non-students.
"That person is seriously messed up," the bystander chattered on, as if he'd witnessed the whole thing firsthand. "She's saying if this thing had been widely available sooner, she wouldn't have killed him—just left him half-dead after one good scoop."
Honestly, Raiden Mei had no idea what to make of it all. She just felt that Bronya's job must be incredibly difficult.
Considering that the teachers in Academy City had similar protective implants, Mei wasn't surprised that the device was so coveted. What normal person wouldn't want an extra life? And judging by its prevalence, the cost wasn't likely to be prohibitively expensive.
"Uh, you're right!"
Raiden Mei nodded in agreement with the stranger.
She knew Noldrei's true purpose in sharing this technology was never for the genuine good of humanity. It was to create even greater conflict and push the world toward the future he desired.
And look, a person like that was already standing right in front of her.
'It's impossible to love all of humanity at the same time. Because you'd have to face the cruel reality that some of the people you love will slaughter others you also love.'
Raiden Mei's gaze fell on the "man." She didn't know why this person had been released, but the fact that they were here, holding that banner, meant they had become another cog in the machine of public opinion.
Life must preserve its own existence to carry out its will.
But if the very act of preserving one's existence goes against one's will, then a dialectical contradiction will manifest within the person.
'See? These people are more disgusting than the last. Why be so weak and listen to that guy?'
'Haven't you ever thought that if you had been the first one he met, you might have been the one with your body altered?'
Raiden Mei truly felt that the saying "the will of the Stigmata is a reflection of the self" was incredibly accurate. Every thought that crossed her mind was projected out, then amplified and expressed through words and expressions.
Mei's inner shadow-self was speaking the truth. If Raiden Mei had been the first to encounter Noldrei, she might have been the one whose body was transformed into something strange. Then she could do whatever she wanted, instead of standing here envying others and overthinking everything.
Sometimes, Mei did wonder what she would do if she became like Kiana. It was impossible to say she felt no envy, but it wasn't enough to fester into hatred. There was no need for that.
"Are you sure you're not talking about yourself? I've never understood—why are you so desperate for my body? To be a housewife? To become a little pony? Or do you think that without the Herrscher Core, you can just go around cutting people down for the thrill of it? And then make some dramatic, cringey declaration that you're the legendary Queen?"
"You might as well put a plastic crown on your head and call yourself the Emperor."
Raiden Mei's mind was calm. She had gradually grown accustomed to this life. Compared to Kiana and Bronya, who had no parents, her situation was a bit more like Sasuke's.
Raiden Ryoma was still alive, and he had always treated her well. Even with the incident where he secretly experimented on his own daughter, Raiden Mei found it hard to let go of her feelings for her father.
She felt like her character was stuck in the middle—not quite up, not quite down. If you talked about suffering, she hadn't suffered as much as the protagonist. If you talked about tragedy, she was still a young lady living a life far better than 99.999...% of the world's population.
Whenever her shadow-self tried to galvanize her resolve, Mei would look up and realize she couldn't compete with the people at the top, which immediately deflated her. Then she'd look down and feel she wasn't so unhappy after all, leading to an unexpected sense of contentment.
She started to think that just hanging out with Kiana and Bronya every day wasn't so bad.
The bickering between the two Meis had no real impact. She wasn't a Herrscher anymore, just a Valkyrie with Stigmata powers. Plus, with a super-powered soul-snatcher from the underworld nearby, the threat posed by the Stigmata was meaningless. Raiden Mei felt no urgent need for more power.
'You...'
Her shadow-self was speechless. She had never imagined that Raiden Mei could be so... accommodating.
Because she was so willing to compromise, so strong in her mindset and ability to accept things, she seemed incredibly progressive.
Tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I'll just listen to you all, and everything will be fine! How much worse can you mess me up than implanting a Herrscher Core in me?
"Someone like me is suited for making friends with gentle people and continuing to live a normal life. Right now, I'm planning to check out St. Freya. If possible, becoming a Valkyrie seems like a good path for someone with a natural Stigmata like me."
Raiden Mei was quite happy. With her future as a housewife looking precarious, she decided to find a new path that better suited her interests.
If the sky were to fall, there were so many powerhouses to hold it up: Noldrei, Kiana, Cocolia, Raiden Ryoma, Siegfried, Overseer Otto, Lord Welt, Theresa, Durandal...
I'm just a normal Stigmata wielder who's lost her Herrscher Core. How much unluckier can I get?!
'Fine. Perhaps you're right. But how can you be sure any of this will work out?'
"When I was talking to Dr. Tesla, the liaison for my father and Cocolia, I learned that the Valkyries have their own online forum. A lot of Valkyries chat there, and some are like me—ready to retire before even properly entering society."
"The cruelty of artificial Stigmata is beyond our imagination. So I chatted with a senior Valkyrie who seemed nice and asked her some questions. Right now, the best place to go is obviously St. Freya."
"This is the contact info for that senior. I've already privately confirmed her ID with her. There's no problem. See? She's from the Schariac family. She's from the same family as Kiana's and Durandal's mother, Cecilia. How could there be any trouble?"
Raiden Mei showed the contact on her phone. It was Ana Schariac.