42: Chapter 39 Theresa

Kiana's fingers were still tightly clutching Mei's collar.

The only sound left in the corridor was the faint humming of the warship's ventilation ducts and Kiana's heavy breathing.

Mei was pressed against the metal wall, silent, her eyes downturned like a puppet.

Kaiwen leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath as she watched the scene unfold before her.

She raised her hand and gently pressed it against Kiana's arm.

"Kiana... let go," Kaiwen said softly. "I'm fine, just a little exhausted. It has nothing to do with her."

Hearing that weak voice, Kiana's body stiffened.

She didn't turn around right away, her eyes still glued to Raiden Mei.

Kiana gritted her teeth, her fingers gripping the collar trembling slightly from overexertion.

"...Tch!"

After a few seconds of dead silence, as if finally giving in, she let out an irritated click of her tongue and shoved Mei away somewhat roughly.

She turned around, and upon seeing the trace of blood remaining at the corner of Kaiwen's mouth, the anger in her eyes was instantly replaced by panic.

"Stop talking. Don't move around in your condition," Kiana said, her voice tight as she carefully reached out to support Kaiwen's shoulders.

Kaiwen didn't argue, letting her body lean into the support.

After catching her breath for a moment, she asked, "Where's Miyuki?"

"She's already in the medical pod," Kiana replied, her tone dropping. "She was taken in right after we boarded. The doctor said she's stabilized for now."

Kaiwen nodded slightly, half the weight lifted from her heart.

Her elbow unconsciously pressed against the cold syringe inside her pocket.

Stabilized for now didn't mean cured.

This vial of schariac holy blood was what could truly save Miyuki.

The vial of schariac holy blood inside her jacket was the real trump card to save Miyuki.

However, it had after all been traded from Gray Serpent. If it appeared right under Schicksal's nose, what awaited her wouldn't be warm camaraderie, but endless, severe interrogation in Schicksal's interrogation room.

Kaiwen suppressed the urge to pull out the serum right then and there, pulling her hand back and quietly waiting for a safer opportunity.

She looked up at Raiden Mei. Mei was standing in place, head lowered, motionless. After Kiana released her collar, she stood quietly in the corridor, unsure where she should go.

Just as Kaiwen was about to offer a few words of comfort, a voice shattered the silence in the corridor.

"Alright."

Himeko lifted her chin toward the two Valkyries behind her, gesturing in the direction of Mei and Bronya. "You two, take them to the guest quarters to rest. Have the maintenance team take a look at that mecha while they're at it."

"Yes, ma'am."

One of the Valkyries stepped forward and whispered to Mei, "Follow me."

Mei didn't look up or speak; she just silently followed her steps, walking slowly into the depths of the corridor.

As she passed Kaiwen, her footsteps paused for a moment.

It was brief—so brief that if Kaiwen hadn't been watching her continuously, she wouldn't have noticed at all.

Then she continued forward, never looking back.

Bronya followed behind expressionlessly. As she passed Kaiwen, she said calmly, "Sister Kaiwen, rest well."

Only after the two figures disappeared around the corner of the corridor did Himeko turn back around.

Her gaze moved slowly between Kaiwen and Kiana, her expression darkening.

Kaiwen noticed that the way the red-haired woman looked at them had changed, acquiring an indescribable layer of scrutiny.

"Kaiwen, and Kiana," Himeko spoke in a steady yet non-negotiable tone. "Headmaster Theresa wants to see the two of you. She's in the captain's quarters right now. I'll take you there."

Kiana frowned. "Who?"

"You'll know when you get there." Himeko offered no further explanation, turning to walk ahead.

Kaiwen and Kiana exchanged a glance, then followed Himeko.

...

The captain's room was at the end of the corridor. (The game's main interface should be the bridge.)

Himeko stopped in front of a heavy alloy door, stepped aside, and pushed the door open.

Kaiwen followed Kiana inside.

The captain's quarters weren't large, but they were neatly arranged.

Directly facing the door was a metal desk with several tactical maps and frontline reports spread across it. A cup of black tea sat in the corner, steam still rising from its surface.

Kaiwen's eyes swept across the room and then came to a stop.

Leaning against the wall beside the desk was a massive golden cross.

It was taller than a person, its surface carved with intricate patterns, gleaming with a metallic luster under the cool white light of the cabin.

The 11th Divine Key—the Oath of Judah.

Even after seeing it countless times in the game, when this cross—known as Schicksal's strongest brick—stood right before her eyes, Kaiwen couldn't help but exclaim silently in her heart, "Holy crap."

Looking past the cross, sitting behind the metal desk was a short girl who looked about the same age as them no matter how one looked at her.

Silver hair, blue eyes, and a nun's shawl draped over her shoulders.

The Judah Launcher.

At this moment, the nominal supreme commander of the Far East Branch was sitting on a custom-made chair, calmly flipping through the frontline combat reports in her hands.

Hearing footsteps, she frowned and raised her head.

Her gaze swept past Himeko and landed on the two people behind her.

Theresa's movements froze.

Her amber pupils shrank slightly, her fingers turning the report hovering in midair as her whole body fell still.

Her eyes moved back and forth between Kaiwen and Kiana.

Once, twice, three times.

Then she put down the document in her hand and sat up straight.

"I am the commander of this warship, Theresa Apocalypse," she spoke, her voice steady, though her pacing was half a beat slower than normal. "You can just call me Headmaster."

She paused, her gaze fixing on Kiana. "What is your name?"

"Kiana," Kiana answered calmly, without any trace of wariness in her tone.

Theresa's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

She didn't respond immediately. Instead, after a few seconds of silence, she turned her eyes toward Kaiwen. "And you?"

"Kaiwen."

Theresa looked at Kaiwen's face, her gaze deepening.

Kaiwen could feel that this Headmaster, who looked like a young girl, was examining her facial features in an extremely restrained manner.

That look wasn't like looking at a stranger; it was more like trying to find the shadow of someone on her face.

Furthermore, the time she spent staring at Kaiwen was noticeably longer than the time she spent staring at Kiana.

The atmosphere turned somewhat subtle.

Noticing that Theresa kept staring at the pale-faced Kaiwen beside her, Kiana frowned, took half a step forward, and unconsciously shielded Kaiwen.

"Headmaster, Kaiwen was injured just now. Can you let a doctor check on her first?"

Theresa seemed to be pulled back to reality by her words.

She blinked, the complex expression in her eyes quickly receding, replaced by a subtle trace of heartache.

"...Of course," Theresa said softly, turning her head to look at Himeko by the door. "Himeko, take her to the infirmary."