When it came to a Divine Key, Theresa couldn't help but be cautious.
Originally, she thought this matter was at most related to a Stigmata. Although such things were rare, they were not unheard of. Not to mention the Stigmata holders in Schicksal, there were plenty of people in the world with natural Stigmata. As far as she knew, her old rival Anti-Entropy had several natural Stigmata holders. Besides, Stigmata transplantation was not a simple matter.
Moreover, unlike the limited number of Divine Keys, Stigmata were a renewable resource. Each era would see a new batch of people with natural Stigmata, and Schicksal's research into artificial Stigmata was getting deeper and deeper. Perhaps in the future, they could reach a level close to natural Stigmata.
In any case, at the current stage, Divine Keys were far more important than Stigmata. Each Divine Key could even create an S-rank Valkyrie. This was absolutely a nuclear-level strategic resource!
Thinking of this, Theresa looked at the pensive Ming Yu and couldn't help but wonder, how much does this guy know about Divine Keys?
Regarding this person who seemed to have appeared out of thin air, Theresa had always been wary of his past. The feeling of being unable to find a single clue was just too terrible.
Moreover, Theresa always felt that Ming Yu was hiding many secrets. He seemed to know a lot, yet at the same time, he seemed as ignorant as a novice. These two completely opposite auras coexisted within him.
Paying no attention to Hiyokumaru and Theresa's little thoughts, Ming Yu was considering another way to obtain Jizo Mitama.
According to the normal plot development, Hiyokumaru would transform into a huge red armor after coming into contact with the Divine Key, wielding two swords and wreaking havoc, looking all sorts of cool and badass.
However, if he had a choice, he would rather not fight such a suit of armor. After all, all this fighting was very tiring for him too.
So, would it be feasible to just take Jizo Mitama directly?
Although this sword looked dangerous and there would be some risk in taking it directly, it was still better than fighting that suit of armor.
As he thought this, Ming Yu reached his right hand toward the black tachi on the table.
"Wait!" a voice suddenly called out.
"Hmm?" Ming Yu stopped his hand from grabbing Jizo Mitama and looked at Theresa in confusion.
"Do you know what this is?" Theresa asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
As soon as she said it, Theresa felt a little regretful. If Ming Yu knew this was a Divine Key, would he kill her to silence her for the sake of this sword?
After all, who could remain unmoved by the power of a Divine Key, which could rival that of a Herrscher?
Plus, she had lost her powers now. If Ming Yu suddenly turned on her, she would be completely defenseless.
Seeing Theresa's conflicted little face, Ming Yu suddenly realized a problem he had never considered before. Regarding the ownership of this Divine Key, he had never factored St. Freya High School and Theresa into the equation.
In Theresa's eyes, every Divine Key contained the power to fight against a Herrscher. Would she trustingly hand over a weapon of this level to someone she didn't fully trust?
If he were alone, he could naturally grab the Divine Key and leave, at most worrying about being hunted by Schicksal later on.
But he was now a student of St. Freya High School, a Valkyrie-in-training of the Far East Branch. He couldn't and shouldn't do this. With Theresa, the Principal of St. Freya High School and the person in charge of the Far East Branch, present, he couldn't bypass her and decide the ownership of the Divine Key on his own.
If he insisted on doing so, he would probably have to prepare to defect the next moment.
No matter how peaceful and loving the atmosphere at St. Freya High School was, it couldn't change the fact that the Far East Branch was a strict military organization. His actions could be considered a betrayal of the organization!
After all, the Far East Branch was not an adventure group, and a Divine Key was not some ordinary treasure. It couldn't be decided by a first-come, first-served rule, where whoever finds it gets to keep it. If everyone did that, the Far East Branch might as well just dissolve and divide the spoils. What's more, he wasn't even an official employee of the Far East Branch yet.
For the entirety of Schicksal, Divine Keys were also extremely special items. Before Siegfried's defection and Theresa's establishment of St. Freya High School, all of Schicksal's Divine Keys were located at the headquarters, not a single one distributed to the branches.
Even the Judah that Theresa currently held was only in the Far East Branch due to her special circumstances. Otherwise, Otto would not tolerate a branch possessing a Divine Key.
The last guy who found a Divine Key and chose to keep it for himself instead of handing it over to headquarters had resolutely defected, taking a branch with him and conveniently establishing Anti-Entropy to contend with Schicksal.
But Ming Yu couldn't do that, and no one would help him resist a behemoth like Schicksal for his sake.
So, should he hand over Jizo Mitama?
From every angle, it seemed this was the only way. He was just one person; he couldn't even escape from St. Freya High School, let alone confront the Far East Branch.
Even a fully powered Theresa could easily crush him without him being able to make a ripple. Even if he possessed Jizo Mitama, he would be no match for Theresa.
Although he liked to tease Theresa in his heart about being a Judah launcher and Judah being the real S-rank Valkyrie, it was undeniable that Theresa was truly worthy of the title of S-rank Valkyrie. A full-powered Theresa was someone he absolutely could not stand against.
But, could he really willingly hand over Jizo Mitama?
He had been planning for this Divine Key for a long time, striving to seize every opportunity to become stronger. Learning fist techniques from Fu Hua, learning sword skills from Yae Sakura, all for this day.
Even when he met Yae Sakura in Nagazora, he had harbored such thoughts in his heart. That's why he let Yae Sakura become the Stigmata on Theresa's back without any attempt to dissuade her.
He had invested so much, planned for so long, and now he had to give it all up. How could that be possible? How could he be willing?
The Tenshukaku instantly fell silent, and the air was filled with a tense, gunpowder-like atmosphere, as if a battle could break out at any moment.
Looking at Ming Yu's ever-changing expression, Theresa's heart also began to pound. Could he really be about to silence her?
Even Hiyokumaru sensed that something was wrong, her eyes darting between Ming Yu's and Theresa's faces, trying to figure out what was happening.
But this matter was ultimately too difficult for the little fox's small brain. She could only hang her little head, her four tails wagging helplessly behind her.
"This... is probably a Divine Key, right?" After a long period of contemplation, Ming Yu said with a hint of hesitation.
"I once read in some old records that Divine Keys are super-divine weapons made from Herrscher Cores, said to possess great power," Ming Yu added, his tone still not very certain. "And this sword seems to have a Herrscher's core as well. So, perhaps this is a Divine Key."
At this point, he could only take it one step at a time. No matter what, he was unwilling to give up Jizo Mitama, but he also didn't want to fall out with Theresa.