St. Freya Academy, an outlier within Schicksal, stood apart from other branches that treated Valkyries as expendable resources, disregarding their lives. From its inception, the academy had strived to cultivate Valkyries who valued their own lives and those of others.
Unlike other militarized Valkyrie training institutions, St. Freya resembled a true academy. It boasted an Academic Building, a Library, dormitories, a cafeteria—all the facilities one would expect of a proper school.
Of course, it also possessed facilities that no ordinary academy would have: Valkyrie training grounds, armories filled with advanced weaponry, an intelligence department bristling with satellite antennas, a research institute dedicated to developing new weapons, and a military harbor housing the airborne battleship Hyperion.
And occasionally, Valkyrie Patrol Squads, armed to the teeth, would patrol the academy's main thoroughfares, serving as constant reminders to the golden-haired girl strolling along the academy's main avenue of the institution's true nature.
"So... where's the Headmaster's office?" The overly intricate European-style gardens had successfully led Snow astray, her cerulean eyes now filled with confusion.
"Hmm, you seem to have recovered well. Headmaster Theresa wants to meet you, and your discharge papers have already been processed. Brave young woman, it's time to set out!" The Head of the Medical Department's words still echoed in Snow's ears.
It was class time at the academy, and the paths were mostly deserted.
Occasionally, a staff member hurried past, rushing toward some destination. No one seemed to notice the young woman wandering aimlessly along the path, her purpose momentarily lost.
"Sigh... Guess I'll start by asking around at the busiest place," Snow thought, turning her gaze toward the bustling training grounds in the distance.
The clang of swords and the roar of guns and cannons drifted from that direction, suggesting that they were engaged in live combat drills or simulated battles as part of their Valkyrie training curriculum.
The surrounding pure white marble architecture, adorned with manicured gardens and lush greenery, created an surreal contrast to the sounds of war, as if a battlefield had been transplanted into this tranquil academy.
"What a strange sensation... The serene beauty of the academy is juxtaposed with the clamor of battle that should only belong on a battlefield," Snow mused, heading toward the source of the noise.
The training grounds weren't far; even at her leisurely, almost strolling pace, she reached the area in less than a few minutes.
On the training grounds, a white-haired girl was sparring with a blue-gray-haired girl wearing red-rimmed glasses—or rather, being unilaterally drilled by her.
"Your relentless forward momentum is commendable, Miss Kiana, but it's always wise to reserve some energy for adaptability," the white-haired girl, now sporting a blue training uniform, was once again sent flying backward by a palm strike from her opponent.
"Waaah! Flat-chested freak! You're so annoying!" The girl, who had only enrolled a few days prior, seemed unaware of her opponent's legendary status at St. Freya Academy, and she charged forward again, fists raised.
...Silence fell over the training grounds.
"She actually called Class Monitor Fu Hua a flat-chested freak..."
"Putting aside everything else, I have to admire the transfer student's courage."
The Valkyries in the audience whispered among themselves.
"I hope things get messy," Snow murmured, her hands clasped together in a prayer-like gesture as she approached the edge of the sparring platform, her eyes fixed on the girl who had just uttered those shocking words.
"Hey, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a new transfer student like Miss Kiana?" A Valkyrie nearby asked curiously, glancing at the golden-haired girl beside her.
"A transfer student? I guess so..." Snow nodded to the unfamiliar Valkyrie beside her and continued watching the stage.
The blue-gray-haired Valkyrie's expression darkened instantly upon hearing the word "flat-chested." Her open palm clenched into an iron fist, poised to strike at the charging Kiana.
"Some little idiot's about to get hurt..." Snow shook her head, observing Fu Hua's clenched fist and the bulging veins in her arm.
"Leaving your chest wide open, charging in with no reserve... Are you planning to turn yourself into a volleyball and let her spike you, Kiana?"
"Even a Knight of the Kaslana family's body can't withstand such recklessness."
As a former companion who had fled Nagazora City together, Snow couldn't help but offer a well-meaning warning from the sidelines to Kiana, who was charging forward with reckless abandon.
Unfortunately, Kiana, whose impulsive nature was as ingrained as her very being, seemed deaf to her companion's advice. She continued her wild, open-armed charge at Fu Hua.
Bang! As expected, Fu Hua's fist struck Kiana squarely in the chest. The white-haired ball of energy went flying... and, to make matters worse, crashed directly toward Snow's position.
"Student, watch out!" Fu Hua's expression changed drastically as she saw the white-haired ball hurtling toward the golden-haired girl still wearing her hospital gown. She dashed forward with a sword step, attempting to catch Kiana mid-air.
"Thanks for the concern..." Snow sidestepped the incoming Kiana, grabbed her by the collar, and, using her left foot as a pivot, swung the white-haired ball in a half-circle, hurling her back onto the stage.
Unfortunately, the unlucky white-haired ball once again hurtled directly toward Fu Hua, who was charging forward. The Class Monitor paused, startled by the incoming Kiana, then instinctively raised her hand and slapped her away...
The young, white-haired girl continued to scream mid-air, hurtling once more toward Snow.
"Am I some kind of magnet?" Snow sighed, watching Kiana, who was once again flying toward her at high speed. Bracing herself, she calmly reached out and caught the white-haired ball, setting her gently on the ground.
"You two! Are you treating me like a volleyball?!" The white-haired ball, finally back on solid ground, screamed furiously at Fu Hua on the stage and Snow below.
"I believe I've warned you before, Kiana," Fu Hua said, adjusting her glasses and looking earnestly at the white-haired girl. "Enthusiasm is a good quality... but one should always leave room for maneuver."
"And I think I warned you too," Snow retorted, "leaving yourself wide open—or, to put it more politely, charging recklessly forward with brute force alone..."
"—Isn't that just like a volleyball? Anyone could have sent you flying like that." Snow shook her head at the white-haired girl who was shouting beside her.
"You golden-haired monster! Talk is cheap! Come spar with me!" Kiana leaped onto the training platform and beckoned provocatively at the blonde girl below.
"Just imagine what your dear teacher, Murata Himeko, would say if she knew you were picking a fight with a patient who'd just been discharged from the hospital..."
"You get my drift, you white-haired idiot?" Snow said, her expressionless gaze fixed on Kiana, who was snarling and ready to pounce.
"Kiana—"
A demonic voice roared from behind the white-haired girl, and the Red-haired Valkyrie's arm clamped down on her head like an iron vise.
"Himeko-sensei... Let me explain! I mean, justify myself! No, wait, let me explain myself properly!"
-
"So, how did you end up here? Director Leona from the Medical Department told me you were supposed to be meeting Theresa. Did you already see that short, white-haired runt? Was she cute?"
Himeko looked at Snow, who was dressed in a white hospital gown, and asked curiously.
"Short, white-haired runt...? No, I just got lost. And since it's during class hours, I couldn't find anyone to ask for directions to the Headmaster's office." Snow's eyebrow twitched at Himeko's description of the Headmaster.
"Hahahaha... You're no better yourself, huh... Uh..." The laughter had barely escaped the white-haired girl's mouth when it was stifled by the sympathetic gazes of Murata Himeko and Snow.
"—As far as I know... a certain white-haired idiot, brimming with confidence, brought her 'bestie' along for enrollment yesterday, only to get completely lost and end up at the military port of the Hyperion, which was currently undergoing maintenance..."
"You even clashed with the Valkyrie patrol squad in that area, getting hogtied and pinned to the ground... Only the Headmaster's intervention saved you."
"Your legendary exploits have even reached the Medical Department's sickbay, Kiana Kaslana," Snow said with a sarcastic smile, reciting the white-haired girl's glorious misdeeds from the previous day.
"Do you know how the Valkyrie squad members you injured described you when they came to the Medical Department for treatment...?"
"They called you a 'white-haired brute gorilla'..." As Himeko maintained her usual expression—as if she were on the subway, watching an old man staring at his phone—the golden-haired girl spat out the white-haired girl's first nickname, earned in less than half a day at St. Freya Academy.
"Shut up! AAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
Yes! Miss Snow wins! Kiana, you're still too green! Watching the white-haired Kaslana Ball descend into a frenzy, the blonde girl flashed a devilish grin.