After the Taixuan Eminence strike instantly defeated Mei, Fu Hua returned to the Valkyrie dormitory. At that moment, her mood was like that of a heroine who had just defeated a demon king—ready to greet her sleeping prince.
However...
"Misteln, what are you doing?"
"Hm? Can't you tell? I'm taking advantage of Elias while he's asleep. Ah~ feels so nice~"
"..."
The brave heroine walked through the door, only to find that the witch had already "conquered" the prince she had long admired.
Misteln was hugging Elias tightly, her face glowing with a blissful blush.
The lenses of Fu Hua's glasses cracked. She thought to herself that she could never win against this woman. While she was busy dueling Mei head-on, Misteln had snuck in and stolen a home run!
"Aiya~ all that fighting and killing, what's the point? Isn't this a much more relaxing way~ eh-heh~"
Misteln blinked her pretty eyes playfully. Though she had the face of a saint, Fu Hua could clearly see the little devil hidden beneath that smile.
At the same time, she also noticed the third person in the room—Theresa, hanging from the ceiling by the Oath of Judah, her face completely red, eyes spinning like mosquito coils.
It was clear she had seen something far too stimulating.
"Uh, Principal Theresa , are you alright? Misteln, you didn't do anything to her, did you?"
"Of course not. It's just... this little principal's reaction was so amusing. Apparently, it's because of my face, so I performed a little demonstration for her. Then she just... broke."
Misteln spoke cheerfully.
Everyone knew Theresa and Cecilia had been best friends—and Misteln looked exactly like Cecilia.
So when Theresa saw her "best friend" doing all sorts of indecent things to a sleeping Elias right before her eyes, her brain simply couldn't process the shock.
Her system overloaded and crashed.
Theresa (thinking): (W-What did I just see?! Cecilia doing those things to Elias?! How could this be? She's supposed to be so pure... I must be dreaming. Yes, that's it! It's all a dream! Waaaah, what kind of disaster day is this?!)
"Eh~ you never change, do you."
Fu Hua sighed helplessly.
Aside from those harmful to Elias, Misteln rarely bore ill will toward anyone—good or evil, beautiful or ugly.
As a Stigmata Spirit, she treated all humans equally, without bias.
It was precisely for this reason that many in the Previous Era had called her the saintess.
However...
As one of her close companions, Fu Hua knew Misteln's bad habits all too well. Even without malice, this absent-minded lady of [Idea] often did things that caused all kinds of trouble.
Theresa's current state was the perfect example.
And the only person in the world who could rein Misteln in... was Elias, now lying asleep while she continued taking advantage of him.
"Alright~ I'm satisfied for today. It's your turn next, Fu Hua. Good luck~" Misteln said sincerely, cheering her on.
"Sometimes I really envy your personality."
"Is that so? But I think your personality is much better. Elias probably likes honest and well-behaved girls like you."
"R-Really?!"
"You guess~"
Misteln smiled, waved lightly, and returned to Elias' mental space.
"..."
Fu Hua's eye twitched helplessly. She felt as though she had once again been toyed with. With a sigh, she found herself daydreaming again—about another version of herself.
One who was her opposite in every way: confident, bright, perhaps even a little bold—someone who acted without hesitation.
(If I were like that... maybe I'd finally have the courage to tell Elias how I feel? Ah... what am I even thinking? I'm neither a Herrscher nor Vill-V. I don't have multiple personalities. Stop overthinking.)
Fu Hua shook her head to drive away the "impossible" thought, then turned her attention back to Elias.
She sat down on the sofa and gently lifted the white-haired boy's head onto her lap.
"Phew~"
Fu Hua exhaled softly, wiping away imaginary sweat from her forehead. Though it was such a simple act, it required far more courage than fighting a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast.
If it had been anyone else, they would've taken advantage of Elias' defenseless state without hesitation. But as a modest and honest person, Fu Hua thought this was already more than enough.
Just giving Elias a lap pillow and watching his sleeping face filled her heart with satisfaction—she could almost say she had no more regrets in this life. After all, this was the greatest progress she had made in fifty thousand years!
However, just as Fu Hua prepared to savor this rare moment and relax her mind—
"Hm? Hua, is that you giving me a lap pillow?"
"E-Elias, you're awake?!"
Fu Hua panicked so much her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Looking down at the white-haired boy who had just opened his eyes, she couldn't help but curse her rotten luck.
Seriously? How long had it even been? Don't tell me her turn was already over? This was a once-in-fifty-thousand-years opportunity!
"Cough, cough... Mei and the others had something to take care of, so I happened to pass by and thought I'd look after you in their place. Since you're awake now, I'll just head back." Fu Hua stood up, dejected, ready to leave.
But Elias suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Hua, can we stay like this a little longer?"
"Eh?" Fu Hua froze.
"It's my first time experiencing your lap pillow. Please, let me enjoy it just a bit more—just for a while!"
Elias clasped her hands, looking up at her with those sincere, radiant golden eyes. Even if she hadn't already wanted to, there was no way she could refuse now.
"Alright. You can rest on my lap for as long as you like, Elias."
"Hehe, thank you, Hua. You're so kind. By the way, you've already told everyone about what happened, right? I really look forward to seeing everyone again in this era."
"Y-Yes... I've already told them."
Fu Hua averted her gaze guiltily. Lying to an enemy was easy enough—but lying to her companions? That was another matter entirely.
Naturally, the ever-perceptive Elias, who had long surpassed even Vill-V in the art of deception, noticed her unease right away. But... he didn't doubt her for even a moment.
(Hm? Did Hua just lie? Hmm... must be my imagination. Anyone else, maybe—but someone as honest as Hua could never lie. I must've just seen it wrong because I just woke up.)
He would sooner doubt himself than someone he trusted.
"...Elias, can I ask you a question?" Fu Hua hesitated for a while before finally speaking.
"Of course, Hua. What do you want to know?"
"It's nothing serious, I'm just... a little curious. What kind of girls do you like?"
"...Uh, you're asking that now?"
Elias blinked, half-thinking he'd misheard.
What kind of girls he liked? Was that even a question anymore? There were already so many examples to reference! Was the Immortal Phoenix really trying to dig into this topic now?
On the other side, Fu Hua instantly regretted asking the moment the words left her mouth. What kind of question was that? Just look at Elysia, Eden, and Aponia for reference!
Then again... maybe not. Even she couldn't really tell what kind of girl Elias truly liked.
"There was a time I used to be a little picky about appearances, but since everyone around me is a beautiful girl... honestly, as long as someone isn't too plain-looking, I'm fine."
"Uh... so looks do matter, huh..."
Fu Hua hadn't expected Elias to be that blunt.
"As a normal guy, is there anything wrong with liking pretty girls? But let me be clear—I'm not the kind of person who'll fall for someone just because they're good-looking."
Elias emphasized seriously. In his eyes, love was something sacred—perhaps even excessively so.
If there was even the slightest trace of calculation, it was no longer pure. If there was even a hint of ugliness, it no longer deserved to be called love.
Perhaps others didn't see it that way—but to Elias, love was something holy, flawless, and untainted.
As for the result of pursuing such a flawless kind of love—Kiana, Elysia, Mei, and all the other girls who had gathered around Elias—it proved that his ideal wasn't wrong.
Elias: "But really, it's not that complicated. There's only one thing that truly matters."
Fu Hua: "What is it? Please tell me!"
Elias: "I like girls who make me feel happy and at peace when I'm with them. That's the most important thing. Everything else is just decoration."
Fu Hua: "..."
What a very "him" kind of answer.
Fu Hua once again realized that the white-haired boy resting on her lap was like a gourmet. Though his standards for taste were high, he wasn't picky—anything "delicious" was equally lovable to him.
"By the way, Hua, I really like spending time with you. It feels peaceful and calming, like all my worries just melt away... so relaxing~"
"I always thought you preferred girls who are a bit dangerous or exciting, since you're always so reckless."
"Haha, I'm a pretty greedy person—I like both. But right now, I prefer peace and quiet. I just finished one hell of an adventure, after all."
Elias stretched lazily. Lately, all he wanted was to stay in the dorm, surrounded by the girls of the Current Era, until the loneliness he'd carried for over ten thousand years finally faded away.
Fu Hua couldn't help but smile warmly.
After hearing Elias say he liked being with her, she felt light as air. Unlike the insatiable Elias, Fu Hua was far too easily satisfied.
After that, the two of them spent a long, peaceful time chatting together. But to be honest... Elias felt a bit disappointed.
(No confession, huh? I even dropped all those hints... Does Hua still need more time? When Misteln woke me up, I was actually looking forward to it.)
He had barely slept for an hour—hardly enough to recover his accumulated fatigue. Misteln had appeared in his dream, telling him that Fu Hua might confess her feelings, and that's what made him wake up.
Though he was usually the one doing the confessing, sometimes he wanted to be the one confessed to. In short, Fu Hua's worries were unnecessary—Elias was already more than ready to accept her feelings.
(Hmm... maybe I should get the Herrscher of Sentience to give her a little demonstration. Eh, whatever. There's no rush. I've got plenty of time now~)
Elias admitted to himself that he could be a bit mischievous. But that was just his nature—he was a man of fun and curiosity. Besides, he wanted to see Fu Hua gather her courage for something other than battle.
...
A few days later—
Theresa, with a complicated expression, realized that things weren't as bad as she'd feared. Although the St. Freya Academy training grounds now needed daily repairs, at least everyone had become far more "motivated."
Even the always-lazy Kiana now stayed behind after class for extra training—determined to improve herself and win the next "battle of love."
As for the others... they were even more competitive.
Though Misteln's misunderstanding had been cleared up, Theresa still hadn't managed to retrieve the Oath of Judah—not because Elias refused to return it, but because Judah itself refused to go back to her.
Truly, a legendary nerf!
And as everyone soon discovered, ever since Elias' return from the Previous Era, he had become incredibly clingy! Practically every hour of the day, he was sticking close to someone.
The girls: "Please, keep being like this forever!"
Originally, Elias didn't even need to attend classes.
Given his level of knowledge, there was nothing St. Freya Academy could possibly teach him. As the savior of the Previous Era, no one in the world understood Honkai better than he did.
But just so he could stay close to Kiana and the others, Elias attended classes every day.
After just two days, however, Theresa practically begged him to stop.
"Elias, please just stay home! Every time you show up, none of the Valkyries in class can focus—and even the teachers lose concentration!"
Theresa was deeply relieved that Elias was a man of principle—otherwise, St. Freya Academy would've turned into his harem by now. After all, what Valkyrie could resist his charm?
Still, Elias admitted that even though the dorms were comfortable, he didn't want to stay there alone. After spending over ten thousand years on the road of time, he had long grown tired of loneliness.
In the end, after much discussion, the two decided—if he couldn't stay as a student, then why not become a teacher?
Since Elias naturally drew the Valkyries' attention, they might as well redirect that attention toward learning.
As the leader of the Flame-Chasers in the Previous Era, Elias' experience in fighting Honkai was unmatched. By teaching the Valkyries what he knew, their strength would surely grow.
And so, Teacher Elias made his grand debut!
That very day, Mei and the others competed fiercely for the position of class representative—and by the afternoon, they had once again demolished an entire training ground.
In the end, the one chosen was Seele.
Elias: "Kiana? No way—pass. Mei's the house chef, and Bronya's plenty capable already. This time, I'll give Seele a chance to train~"
At the same time, he couldn't help but notice how unusually competitive the girls had become. Their power was increasing at an alarming rate—but even when Elias asked, none of them would tell him the reason.
Every one of them turned into a riddle master.
"Sorry, Elias," Mei said firmly, eyes gleaming with resolve. "We can't tell you the details—but we have a reason to get stronger. A new enemy is coming. We can't afford to stay stagnant. Before that day arrives, we have to sharpen our blades."
The sheer strength Fu Hua had displayed had left everyone stunned. Even when they all fought together, not one of them could defeat the Flame-Chaser of [Vicissitude].
In her normal state, Fu Hua was manageable—but once she triggered Artificial Cascade and transformed into the Phoenix, it was hopeless. Even if she stood still and let them attack, she barely took any damage.
They couldn't hurt her faster than she could regenerate.
The power of a Flame-Chaser was simply overwhelming.
Knowing that more of them might appear in the future, Mei and the others were understandably on edge, pushing themselves harder than ever.
Elias: "Hmm... is everyone worried about the future Herrschers? It's not really necessary, but it's good to see everyone motivated. In that case, I'll help out too."
So after classes ended that day, Elias asked Mei to stay behind. The two of them... spent some rather intense time together in the classroom.
After that, Elias offered her a special form of enhancement.
"There are many ways for a Herrscher to grow stronger," Elias explained. "The simplest is to have a companion Honkai Beast. Here—I'll give you one. A Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast: Kurikara!"
"ROAAAR—!!"
As he spoke, Elias pulled out a palm-sized red-and-white orb and tossed it onto the floor. It opened with a flash—and from within, a massive black-and-red dragon-like Honkai Beast burst forth.