"You're Lady Snow...?" Rita asked, puzzled, glancing at the white-haired, purple-eyed Schicksal Cardinal before her.
"Merely a disguise. Simon Lailey's craftsmanship is quite impressive... Oh, she just left disguised as me."
"Rita, let's put on a good show."
"As you wish, Cardinal."
-
Amidst the crumbling ruins of the ancient stone tablet exhibit at the British Museum, Rita and Snow exchanged intelligence.
"How careless of me," Rita murmured, her eyes following the trail left by the cat Snow had sent flying with a single punch. "I never imagined a Honkai Beast could possess such destructive power..."
"Oh, by the way, Rita, do you know someone called the Gray Serpent?" Snow asked casually. "He wears a black hooded cloak and a mask that only reveals a single eye, and he's particularly fond of carrying a black umbrella."
Rita's brow furrowed. "Lady Snow encountered someone claiming to be the Gray Serpent?"
"Indeed."
"He's an exceptionally reputable and influential information broker in the underworld," Rita explained to Snow, who feigned ignorance. "In this underworld teeming with illicit activities, he's renowned for his unwavering adherence to commercial ethics and the precision of his intelligence."
"So, the Gray Serpent is essentially a lone operator?"
"Yes, according to Schicksal's current intelligence. Lady Snow, did you discover anything else...?" Rita glanced curiously at the golden-haired Valkyrie.
"He mentioned an organization called the World Serpent—a mysterious group claiming to have accompanied humanity since the dawn of this civilization, guiding us to the present day."
"And it seems they intend to prevent us from finding the divine keys left behind by the previous civilization..."
"That strange cat we encountered earlier was likely sent by them too..." Snow turned to look at the gaping hole in the wall.
"I first saw that adorable little cat in Singapore while retrieving the Gem of Serenity. It even tried to run off with the gem!"
"A mysterious organization attempting to steal the gems and prevent us from obtaining the divine key hidden in England..." Rita fell into deep thought.
"Lady Snow, I need to report this intelligence to Overseer Otto."
"Mm, let's hear what my father has to say..."
The young woman nodded, and Rita began operating her armor to transmit the information back to Overseer Otto.
The response came quickly, indicating the man had been closely monitoring the situation in London. Rita paused briefly after reading the reply, then nodded.
"Let me guess—my father anticipated this scenario and instructed you to continue with the mission?" Snow surmised, reading the slight hesitation in Rita's expression.
"Yes, the Overseer said everything is going according to plan, but... he said to entrust all subsequent matters to you," Rita nodded.
"Entrust it to me...? Making me work for free comes with a price, you know~"
Just as they were about to continue their conversation, an angry female voice interrupted them.
"Miss Rita... and this unknown... Lady?" The Curator of the British Museum hesitated, eyeing the exquisite ceremonial attire Snow wore.
"You may call me Omega... Catherine, the current Curator of the British Museum," Snow said, raising an eyebrow at the wine-red-haired woman who had emerged from behind them.
"Very well... Miss Rita and Lady Omega... could you explain... what exactly happened here?"
A vein pulsed on the still-youthful Curator's forehead, and Catherine glared at the pair before her.
"Don't worry. Schicksal will fully cover all damages to the museum," Rita said, narrowing her eyes and offering a polite smile.
"...Very well then, Miss Rita. I'll have my staff begin the cleanup immediately," the Curator said, turning and leaving.
-
"Lady Snow... what are you looking at?" Rita asked, noticing the white-haired girl had been staring intently at Catherine since she arrived until she left.
"Her eyes..."
"?"
"Rita, didn't you notice? When Curator Catherine got angry just now, her pupils turned vertical... That's not the kind of pupil a normal human should have..."
Snow smirked knowingly.
"You mean... she's also with the World Serpent?"
"No... she's just a pawn. Compared to the Gray Serpent, she's utterly insignificant."
"Still, let's see what they're really up to..."
The wail of sirens echoed in the distance. Scotland Yard police had received the museum's emergency call and swiftly cordoned off the attacked British Museum. Soon, yellow and black barricade tape stretched across the perimeter, keeping curious onlookers at bay.
"Let's go... We'll leave this to the English police. I saw Bianca earlier; let's find her."
"Lady Durandal? Understood."
Rita nodded, following the girl out. The exit was straightforward. The police pouring into the museum seemed to have been warned in advance and didn't stop them. Several officers, presumably commanders, even nodded respectfully as the pair passed.
-
"Oh! By the way, Rita, who's this Schicksal Cardinal with you?" Bianca, dressed casually and happily holding a cat, waved to the pair as they emerged from the museum's main entrance.
"It's me, Snow. I'll explain everything later, Bianca... including the cat you're holding."
"..." The pair's eyebrows twitched as they looked at the cat in her arms, while the cat's pupils dilated wildly at the sight of them.
"Rita, this is a kitten I found! Isn't it adorable? Its owner abandoned it, so let's adopt it from now on!"
"..." The trio—two humans and one cat—all wore stunned expressions.
"Bianca, hold onto that cat tightly for a moment... then listen to me," Snow said, a twitch at the corner of her mouth as she began to explain.
"This cat... just transformed into a Honkai Beast inside the British Museum and attacked Rita... It even blasted a huge hole through the museum wall."
"Then I punched it so hard it flew out... You found this thing outside?"
"Well... on a sunny lawn in a plaza, this little kitten fell from the sky right in front of me, rolled onto its back, and started showing me its belly to act cute..."
"—It looked so adorable and abandoned, I couldn't resist picking it up and giving it some rua..."
Snow and Rita's gazes shifted to the pale gray Siamese cat in Bianca's arms, causing Stan to break into a cold sweat.
"Showed its belly?"
"Acted all cute?"
"Rolled around on the grass?"
"This thing?" They stared skeptically at the cat Bianca was holding.
Seeing their skeptical expressions, Stan narrowed his eyes and put on an adorably pathetic face.
"Meow~!" (I've seen the light now! What do you want from me?)
"?... Alright, looks like its Transformation Collar is broken too. It's not much of a threat anyway." Snow shrugged and seized the opportunity to give Stan's belly a rub.
"Hmm~ This rub feels pretty good..."
"Meow~" (Hmph, fickle woman.)
"Speaking of which, is this one a boy or a girl? Should we... you know, snip something off?" Snow scratched her head, looking at Stan, who was determined to keep playing cute.
"Don't worry about that, Lady Snow and Lady Bianca," Rita said with a sweet smile, pulling out her sickle. "Leave it to me." She prepared to make a precise snip at the kitten's... nether regions.
"Meow—!" Lady, let's talk this through calmly!