Half a month had passed since the girls from House of the Hearth joined St. Freya Academy.
Nothing particularly noteworthy had occurred.
Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent—the three major factions—each quietly remained in their own territories, maintaining a fragile peace.
To Elias, however, it felt like the calm before a storm. And what he had to do was prepare—gather strength and grow as much as possible before that storm hit.
But sometimes... he overdid it.
...
In the Valkyrie dormitories—
"Lord Elias, it's time to wake up."
"Zzzzzz..."
"You've already missed breakfast. If you don't wake soon, you'll miss lunch too. As your maid, Rita cannot allow you to skip two meals in a row."
"...Mmm."
Elias' consciousness began to return.
Of all his senses, smell was the first to awaken. A gentle rose fragrance reached his nose. Then came the soft voice of his maid, calling to him.
He rubbed his bleary eyes and stretched.
And found a beautiful face right in front of his.
Rita smiled gently as he finally opened his eyes.
"Mmm, the first thing I see today is Rita's smile. Not a bad way to start."
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Elias. I'm honored. Also... did you stay up late again last night?"
"Seems like it. I made some progress on developing my Herrscher of Reason powers and may have gotten a little carried away."
Elias yawned.
He had thought up a clever workaround to surpass his current limits and construct things otherwise beyond his capabilities—
Such as the complete Throne of Moonlight.
The weapon was far too complex to construct all at once, even with the Herrscher of Reason's authority.
So Elias came up with a plan:
If you can't create the whole thing in one go—build it part by part. Construct every individual component, then assemble them.
It worked.
Though the energy consumption and time investment multiplied, he had nearly succeeded in crafting the full Throne of Moonlight... emphasis on nearly.
Because right at the final step, he passed out from fatigue.
While his body could go a week without sleep, the mental strain was another matter. That construction attempt had drained him too much.
And so, just as he was about to finish assembling the final piece, his brain shut down like someone had fired a tranquilizer dart into Kogoro Mouri. He slumped back in his chair—out cold, but in a dashing pose.
"It's admirable to be so dedicated, but please don't push yourself too hard. Now then, let's get you dressed."
"Ah, right."
As expected of a professional maid—Rita was incredibly efficient. Elias was still in a daze, but she had already undressed him and changed him into fresh clothes.
"Please brush your teeth and wash up yourself, Lord Elias. I've prepared a towel and hot water in the washroom."
"Got it."
A few minutes later, now fully awake thanks to the warm water, Elias returned to his bedroom—only to find his diligent maid tidying up the chaotic mess.
To be fair, his room wasn't filthy—
But it certainly wasn't neat either. The floor was scattered with various items:
Newly constructed prototype weapons, the divine blade Surtr, a replica Star of Eden, floating cannons, a violin, original sheet music, Honkai energy injectors...
Rita clearly wasn't doing this for the first time. Her movements were so fluid and practiced that the room looked spotless in moments.
Though she had once told Elias: "Please put things back after use, or you'll lose track of them."
Elias, of course, always insisted, "I remember where I toss everything, so it's fine."
And so, Rita made it part of her routine to tidy Elias' room every so often. Sometimes, she'd even remark that Lady Durandal also left her training equipment scattered now and then.
A few minutes later, Elias' room looked as if it had been reset—spotless and orderly. The beautiful, dependable maid wiped a nonexistent bead of sweat from her brow. Elias clapped in appreciation.
"Thanks, Rita. You really saved me again."
"There's no need to thank me—it's part of a maid's duties. By the way, how's your appetite, Lord Elias?"
"Starving. Got anything to eat?"
Elias rubbed his empty stomach.
Though his Herrscher body and Honkai-infused physiology no longer required food, he was still human at heart—and skipping meals was a tragedy for any proper foodie.
"Today's lunch is black pepper ribeye steak, creamy spaghetti, sweet corn chowder, and a fresh vegetable salad. Everything's waiting for you at the table."
"Just hearing that makes me hungry. Sounds amazing."
Elias' eyes sparkled.
Ever since this maid moved in, meals at home had become gourmet-level. Even Himeko swapped her daily beers for red wine.
While Elias had a soft spot for Shenzhou cuisine, delicious food knew no borders. Rita's cooking was easily on par with Mei's.
...
In the dining room—
Elias used chopsticks to eat his steak while reviewing intel sent over from Anti-Entropy. Rita stood behind him, perfectly still—like a graceful statue.
"Rita, where is everyone today?"
"Today is not a rest day, Lord Elias."
"Ah... right."
"Do you plan to attend this afternoon's classes?"
If Elias said yes, Rita would fetch his schoolbag—but he shook his head. Today was going to be a full-on slack-off day.
"I've already learned everything useful from the textbooks. Going would just waste time. I've also mastered all of Fu Hua's techniques and skills. I'd rather focus on developing my Authority."
Thanks to his Herrscher of Reason powers, Elias learned at lightning speed. St. Freya's curriculum no longer had much to offer him.
And as for Fu Hua's 50,000 years of accumulated martial knowledge—he'd already absorbed it all.
The only thing left was the "Taixuan Eminence" technique, which he was still working on. But no rush—being a Herrscher, he could skip the prerequisite skills and dive straight into the final move.
"Still... it's a little strange having such a quiet dorm with just the two of us."
"Hehe, it's not just the two of us."
"Oh? Who else is here?"
Rita smiled and pointed upstairs.
One of the room doors creaked open.
Out came Theresa in pink bunny pajamas, dragging a HoYo-chan plush by one ear, yawning and rubbing her eyes—clearly just woken up.
Despite being the academy principal, she had the latest wake-up time in all of St. Freya. Such indolence.
She shuffled into the room and climbed into a chair.
Clearly hunger had dragged her out of bed.
Elias gave her a flat look. He'd forgotten that while she bore the name Apocalypse, most of her bloodline was pure Kaslana. That moonlight-white hair? Classic Paramecium.
"Mornin', Elias, Rita. Got anything tasty? Also, I want some bitter melon juice."
"Right away, Lady Theresa. But first—please wash up. And also... as a young lady, you shouldn't appear before a man in such casual sleepwear."
"Ughhh, so annoying..."
Though she grumbled, once she realized Rita was the one reprimanding her, Theresa meekly shuffled off to wash up. She could never say no to this perfect maid.
A few minutes later, when Theresa returned, lunch was already set out for her—along with a bright green glass of bitter melon juice.
"Thanks, Rita. That said, today's not a rest day. You two delinquents planning to skip class again? As the school principal, I can't turn a blind eye!"
"You're one to talk. Didn't you stay up late reading manga and wake up later than anyone in the entire school? And besides, I've learned everything the classes offer. From now on, it's all independent research."
"R-right... I see."
Theresa scratched her head awkwardly. Her attempt to project principal-level authority had failed again.
At this point, Elias' importance to St. Freya seemed to eclipse even hers.
The school could survive without a mascot-tier headmistress who lacked gravitas—but it could not afford to lose its strongest combatant, healer, and strategist.
"What about you, Rita? Not going to class either?"
"Lady Theresa, I'm not actually a student here."
Rita smiled helplessly and pointed at the insignia she still wore: Vice-Captain of Immortal Blades—her S-rank Valkyrie badge.
Just because she was a maid didn't mean she could be underestimated. Not even all of the academy's A-rank Valkyries combined could match her in a fair fight.
And unfair fights? Well—those would end in despair even faster.
After all, Rita specialized in assassination tactics. That's why Otto once used her as his personal black-gloved hand.
(What a great deal. Got Rita and a free Godsbane Suit thrown in. Otto must've left in such a rush he forgot to take it back. Hah!)
During that mental chess match between Otto and Elias, Rita had arrived dreesed in the Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit.
So when she was handed over as part of the "deal," Elias didn't just gain an S-rank Valkyrie—he also gained a suit of Godsbane armor.
From a pure value perspective, that haul easily beat out those 300 B-rank armors. Blood. Well. Spent.
"Rita technically has no formal ties to the academy anymore. She's my personal maid now. Her duty isn't to attend class—it's to stay by my side and serve me."
Elias' words carried a note of pride—but they were factual.
If this were a few centuries ago, in times when human rights weren't exactly a thing, a maid could be considered personal property. One used for... all sorts of things.
"Whoa, Elias, that's kinda..."
"Relax. I never force her to do anything she doesn't want to. Name one man at St. Freya more gentlemanly than me."
"Fu Hua..."
"Principal, you might want to rethink that. Sure, Fu Hua's a decent person, but when she's angry... well, you're not her match. Just saying. Skull-cracking Ki-punch warning."
"Ahem! I didn't say anything."
Theresa nervously wiped sweat from her brow.
Poor Fu Hua—the academy's perpetual comparison target just because they lacked any other prominent male figures. Somehow, she always ended up getting dunked on.
"Still, Elias, you really didn't pressure Rita into serving you? I've seen her working non-stop—always helping you, always by your side, never resting."
"Lady Theresa, Lord Elias has never once made me do anything against my will. I'm a maid of principle."
"Then why are you so dedicated? I mean, you were basically sold to Elias by Grandpa. Shouldn't that make you resent him? Wait... don't tell me..."
Theresa's eyes widened as a realization dawned.
Could it be?
Had Elias' charm really reached that level? Had Rita—elegant, unshakable, S-rank Rita—fallen head-over-heels in just half a month?
Well... it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, this guy had even "conquered" Herrschers. Compared to that, winning over an S-rank Valkyrie didn't sound that outrageous.
"Oi, Principal, stop jumping to conclusions. It's not like that. Rita hasn't fallen for me or anything."
Elias rolled his eyes. Sure, he was handsome—but he wasn't some kind of walking aphrodisiac. He wasn't the Herrscher of Sentience, either.
Besides, he'd been way too busy lately.
He hadn't had time to woo someone like the Herrscher of Desire.
Elias turned to Rita and smiled lightly.
"The reason you've been so diligent in serving me... is because Otto ordered you to, right?"
"Like, gather intel from up close, identify weaknesses... maybe even seduce me as part of a honeypot strategy?"
His golden eyes seemed to peer straight through her.
"...Lord Elias, how did you know?"
"Come on. I'm not naive enough to think that just because you were handed over as part of a deal, you'd be completely loyal. You're not some tool—you're a person with your own will."
He reached up as if to tilt her chin up—
But stopped short.
He hadn't raised her affection level enough to be touching her casually just yet. While her resistance might have its own charm, Elias was still a gentleman.
"Otto definitely got in contact with you. That much is obvious. But I doubt he told you to kill me."
After all, Elias was still too important. In Otto's grand scheme, Elias was the key to reawakening Kiana's humanity after her eventual Herrscher transformation.
"Everything you said is true, my lord."
Rita exhaled, visibly unsettled.
All this time, she had willingly played the role of Elias' personal maid—for the sake of collecting information.
She had assumed Elias suspected something, but she hadn't expected that he'd known all along—
And yet, he still let her stay.
That meant he clearly had his own agenda.
After a few moments of hesitation, Rita decided it was better to ask directly.
"Lord Elias... if you knew I was a spy, why did you let me get close?"
"Guess."
"..."
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you. Truth is, I never let you see anything important. The info I've shown you is stuff Otto already knows—or stuff I don't mind him knowing. And besides..."
Elias flashed a sly smile.
"A gorgeous, capable maid practically threw herself at me. Why would I say no? I've been living the dream~"
He was used to spoiling others.
But ever since Rita arrived, he was the one being spoiled.
Even without orders, she would handle everything: clean his room, cook his meals, run errands. Even just her presence was aesthetically pleasing.
In exchange for a few trivial leaks—ones Otto likely already had—he got a top-tier maid at his service.
Elias considered that a huge win.
"I see... so that's how it is."
Rita sighed, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
What could she even say? Thank you for not killing me?
Because while it was true she had served him with sincerity, she had been spying.
Yet Elias let her stay—didn't imprison or interrogate her for intel.
She was honestly lucky.
Just then, Elias raised his empty glass.
Rita instantly understood, gracefully refilling it.
"Heh. You're just too good at this, Rita. I don't have the heart to get rid of you. And besides..."
His golden eyes locked onto her wine-red ones.
"Since you're trying to learn about me, it's only fair I get to learn more about you. Just wait—I'll win you over someday."
He pointed two fingers like a gun at her heart—bang.
Rita blinked, then let out a soft, charming laugh.
"Such bold words, my lord. Wanting to learn more about me... even though I'm just a spy. Truly, you are a remarkable man, Lord Elias."
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