"Won's intuition, huh? That's really a hard argunt to counter... It feels kind of like cheating."
Elias slapped his palm against his forehead with a helpless smile. He'd spent considerable effort crafting that plan—he was confident even Otto Apocalypse wouldn't have been able to see through it.
And yet, Rita had broken through all his defenses with one line about intuition.
It felt like answering a tough exam question with deep thought and analysis, only to have soone else guess all the answers blindfolded—and get them all right. Ridiculous!
"Won really are cunning creatures, Rita."
"Yes, won certainly can be cunning, Lord Elias. Though... it wasn't entirely intuition."
Rita smiled as she shook the terminal in her hand.
She was, after all, still an S-rank Valkyrie—granted access to all Schicksal intel.
She had seen the reports and footage of today's Herrscher of Wind incident at the Oceania branch. In fact, she'd watched the video several tis.
"The ti when you went off the radar perfectly matched the incident at the Oceania branch. So I thought—perhaps Lord Elias had a hand in it."
"That's still a baseless accusation. Which makes it intuition after all, doesn't it? I'm honestly a bit jealous."
"Just one more thing... The Herrscher of Wind shown in the footage—could that also be you, Lord Elias?"
"..."
The corner of Elias' eye twitched violently. Now he was truly caught off guard.
Was this woman cheating sohow?
He had turned into a woman using the power of the Herrscher of Rebirth! Even the most advanced DNA test wouldn't have revealed anything.
Yet Rita had still figured it out.
"Rita, that's getting a bit absurd."
"Oh? You didn't deny it right away. I suppose that ans I was right?"
Rita blinked her wine-red eyes and playfully covered her mouth in mock surprise.
Elias felt his patience slip. He slamd a hand against the door of the Valkyrie dorm beside Rita's head, effectively cornering her.
"If you can't give a real explanation, I'm not letting you off today."
"Fufu~ Very well. The reason I thought the Herrscher of Wind was you, Lord Elias... is because your mannerisms are quite similar."
Rita looked him straight in the eyes.
"Ma-mannerisms?"
"The way you look when you fight, how your fingers move when you're relaxed, the curve of your smile, your aura..."
As she spoke, Rita replayed footage from the incident and pointed out each example.
"Ah..."
Elias' eyes turned into tiny dots.
He had assud she'd just say "intuition" again, but this ti Rita actually backed it up with solid evidence. He didn't even know how to respond.
Wait—was this woman observing him too closely?
So of the micro-movents and habits she pointed out... Elias himself hadn't even noticed them. And yet she'd picked up on all of it.
As if reading his thoughts, Rita blinked and smiled sweetly.
"As a maid, my eyes are always on my master. And I'm confident—even Miss i can't match when it cos to observing you."
"...Don't let i hear you say that, or things could get very ugly."
"Of course. I still value my life, after all."
If the Queen of Thunder—Herrscher i—heard that line, Rita was fairly certain she'd be struck by a clear-sky lightning bolt right through the skull.
But even so, she wasn't exaggerating.
As both a professional assassin and a professional maid, Rita never missed a single detail about her target—her master.
Ever since she beca Elias' personal maid, of her roughly eighteen waking hours a day, over ten of them had been spent with her eyes fixed firmly on him.
Though this white-haired youth was still full of mysteries, from another perspective, Rita felt she already understood him very well.
"I must say, I'm truly impressed. The Oceania branch, the Herrscher of Wind incident, and even the Herrscher Core from the Previous Era... You really are sothing else, Lord Elias. And if my intuition is correct... I suspect you're hiding even more secrets, aren't you?"
Rita placed her right hand on Elias' chest, as if trying to gauge his reaction through his heartbeat.
But the next mont, she felt sothing press against her own chest. Looking down, she saw a large, black, heavy 1911 handgun.
"Rita, you know too much."
"...Looks like I do."
Rita swallowed, a bead of sweat trailing down her temple. She realized she'd gone too far.
She hadn't acted clueless earlier—on the contrary, she'd kept pressing, trying to test just how much Elias would tolerate from her.
And she might've pushed too hard.
Now, she truly did know too much.
Perhaps... she'd just crossed a line Elias didn't want crossed.
"Rita, any last words?"
"...I made lunch and left it in the microwave. Please don't forget to eat it later."
"Thanks. I'll make sure to enjoy it."
Elias still hadn't lowered the gun, though he at least wasn't pressing the muzzle against her chest anymore—as if he was trying to minimize her discomfort, in his own considerate way.
Rita took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She didn't try to resist—knowing full well it would be futile.
Without armor, a Valkyrie's body was still just a human one. A single bullet from a 1911 would be more than enough to pierce her heart and end her life.
Just as Rita prepared to accept her fate—
Bang!
The gun fired.
But there was no pain.
Instead, a sweet floral scent wafted into her nose.
Rita opened her eyes in confusion—only to see golden sunflowers blooming from the barrel of the gun.
"Scared you?"
Elias gave her a mischievous grin—clearly pleased with the success of his prank.
Rita was stunned.
"You're not... going to kill ? Even though I know your secret?"
"For a second, I did think about it. But the very next second, I gave up on that idea."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Elias raised his hand and gently patted Rita's head.
"Because I can't bear to."
"!!!"
Rita's breath hitched. Even soone as composed and elegant as her couldn't help the faint blush rising to her cheeks. She had to admit—her heart skipped a beat.
"If... If I were to tell Overseer Otto all of this, would it trouble you?"
"A ton. I'd have to completely rewrite my plans. Not only would that bastard grow suspicious, but I'd also lose the advantage I have working in the shadows. Sigh..."
Elias sighed and gave a bitter smile.
"Then why... are you letting go?"
Rita looked at him, confused.
His reaction went beyond her expectations. She thought she'd figured out his limits—what he could tolerate from her. But clearly, she hadn't.
Even knowing she held sensitive information, even aware of the potential threat she posed—he still chose to let her live.
At that mont, Rita almost felt like she should pull the trigger on herself for him.
"Rita, rember yesterday's ga of Truth or Dare? I kind of cheated. When you asked why I trusted you so much, I didn't tell you the full reason."
"Please... tell the rest."
Rita was montarily stunned, but quickly asked seriously. Her intuition told her that the remaining reason was very important.
Elias looked a little embarrassed as he began to speak.
"It's a simple reason. You might not understand, but... to , you're soone special. I... like you, Rita Rossweisse."
"...Lord Elias, I'm just a maid. A spy. I don't deserve that kind of affection."
"Heh, it's fine. From my perspective, you just proved you've turned over a new leaf."
Elias pulled the sunflower out of the gun barrel and handed it to her.
"After all, your last words were reminding to eat lunch. My intuition tells —you won't betray to Otto."
To be honest, that had surprised Elias too.
He was certain Rita hadn't realized the gun was fake until the trigger had been pulled. Yet she had calmly accepted her fate without hesitation.
And if she really had any thoughts of betrayal, soone as smart as Rita wouldn't have co to him and said so much. The smarter move would've been to play dumb and quietly send the intel to Schicksal.
"...Your trust always leaves overwheld, Lord Elias. If anything, I wish you'd be a little more suspicious of ."
"I believe you won't betray that trust."
"..."
Rita suddenly lowered her head.
After a long pause, she spoke softly.
"Lord Elias, do you know why I stayed with Schicksal as Lord Overseer's black-gloved hand?"
"I can guess. But if possible, I'd like to hear it from you."
"Alright... There are only two reasons. First—because Lady Durandal is with Schicksal."
Although she'd joked the night before and followed Elias' command in a ga of Truth or Dare, that had just been in the spirit of the mont.
In truth, Durandal and Rita had been partners for years. Their bond was unbreakable.
Elias blinked.
So that's how it was. He understood now. If he wanted Rita to fully commit, he'd have to recruit Durandal too.
No problem—he'd do that eventually!
At this rate, Otto's granddaughter, subordinates, and even students were all slowly being poached. Before long, that old man would probably be left all alone. Heh.
"The second reason is this: if humanity is to defeat the Honkai, Otto Apocalypse's power is indispensable—or at least, that's what I used to believe."
No matter how twisted his personality.
No matter how many unforgivable sins he'd committed—
That foolish man truly had the qualifications to lead humanity against the Honkai. This was a belief shared by many Valkyries who knew Otto's true nature yet still chose to serve under him.
Of course, none of them wanted such a vile man as their superior. But for the sake of humanity's survival, they endured it.
Rita clasped Elias' hands in hers and spoke sincerely.
"But now... I see hope in you as well. It's my intuition as a woman. And it tells —the man before is another hero who can lead humanity to victory."
"Haha~ Your intuition is spot-on."
Elias chuckled.
In the current era, humanity held a huge advantage in the war against the Honkai. Every Herrscher so far had sided with humanity, and losses had been minimal—enough to make the Previous Era weep with envy.
There'd been no major land or population loss. On the contrary, the addition of Herrscher allies had caused humanity's power to skyrocket.
And most of the credit belonged to Elias.
For Rita to say this ant one thing—
"Looks like you're answering my feelings?"
"Rita hasn't accepted your confession yet, Lord Elias. But... I've decided to return your trust."
She wasn't the kind of woman to repay kindness with betrayal.
Elias had entrusted her with such deep trust—if she were to betray that now... Rita felt the guilt alone would be enough to kill her.
"That's enough. Thank you, Rita."
Elias nodded.
Of course, she might have misunderstood just a tiny bit—what Elias had said about "liking" her wasn't romantic affection, but more like the fondness a 2D fan has for his favorite ani waifu.
But no problem!
That kind of liking would probably evolve into the forr soon enough. Just like it had with i.
"Speaking of which, Lord Elias..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"This... wall-pin pose. How long do you intend to maintain it? Rita doesn't mind, of course, but I imagine you wouldn't want strange rumors to spread through the academy."
Rita's gaze swept the area calmly—and Elias, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted a few Valkyries who had clearly snapped evidence and were now sprinting away full speed.
Yep, rumors were definitely on the way.
But that was business as usual. As the only male in St. Freya Academy, Elias had always been the center of gossip.
Three days ago, he rely took Little Duck for a motorcycle ride—yet by the ti he returned, the school forums were full of rumors that he'd eloped with Bronya.
Five days ago, he went on a casual walk with Kiana and Theresa—and one photo taken from behind sohow led to a rumor that he and Kiana had a child together.
The principal had been furious and forced the rumor starter to drink a whole liter of bitter lon juice.
At first, i had nearly broken down crying in the bathroom... but even she had gotten used to it over ti.
Nowadays, she'd even occasionally engage in public displays of affection with Elias just to see how ridiculous the new rumors would get.
At this point, the entire school had pretty much accepted that anything involving Elias was fair ga for amusent.
"Ah... sorry. Got a little too into our talk."
"No worries. Rita doesn't mind."
"You're as composed as always. Anyway, I'm hungry. Gonna go eat that lunch soone left in the microwave in her 'final words.' Want to join ?"
"No need, Lord Elias. I still have to tidy up the corridor outside the dorms—it won't take long."
Rita had sohow produced a broom from who-knows-where.
"Alright then."
Watching her, Elias couldn't help but sigh internally.
Despite being a Valkyrie with no romantic experience, Rita remained unfazed and calm as ever—like none of this affected her at all.
It felt like she was always the one doing the teasing.
Elias figured trying to win Rita over would be equivalent to conquering ten chefs, seven ducks, and a hundred Herrschers.
However, the mont he stepped back inside—
Rita: "..."
The girl remained frozen in her sweeping stance. A few seconds later, her body trembled slightly.
Then—
She suddenly squatted down, hugged her knees, and buried her red face between them. The calm and elegant smile was gone.
White steam rose from her head as if she'd turned into a teapot. Rita had officially entered 'Steam Girl' mode.
(So close... That was my limit...)
Breathing deeply, Rita pressed a hand to her pounding chest.
Composed? Graceful? In control?
That was all an act!
Being wall-pinned by such a handso young man for nearly twenty minutes, subjected to his lethal close-up beauty, would've overwheld 80% of the single girls on Earth.
That was Rita's absolute limit.
From the mont Elias had aid the gun at her, her heart hadn't slowed for a second. The sunflower, his trust, his confession...
To have maintained her composure until Elias left—her performance alone deserved an Academy Award.
But now, she'd reached the end.
"What am I supposed to do... At this rate, even if I had to go against Lady Durandal, I don't think I could leave your side. Sigh... Is this the price? The cost of getting too close and knowing too much about you... is falling for you myself?"
Rita sat on the floor, arms around her knees, laughing through her tears.
Even an S-rank Valkyrie... was still just a pure-hearted girl at the end of the day.
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