"Hahh... so soft..."
A moment later, the girl waking from hypnosis, Lynelle, felt no awareness of the changes her body had undergone.
Her consciousness still foggy, she snuggled comfortably into Aponia's embrace, nuzzling against the soft, ample 'pillow' that seemed deep enough to completely bury her head in.
Except... barely a second later, the girl opened her eyes in confusion.
After all, her usual pillow didn't carry this milky fragrance... unless it was after one of those pleasant 'academic exchanges,' when she'd rest her head on Kiana's, Wendy's, Stelle's, or... Herta's chest... Wait, no, not Herta.
Anyway, accompanied by that soft sensation, Lynelle's awareness gradually returned to her brain, and then her cheeks burned with a sudden 'whoosh' of heat.
Wait, wasn't I just studying with Aponia on how to master the Discipline? How did studying lead to falling asleep, and sleeping right in Aponia's arms?!
I didn't accidentally call Aponia 'Mom,' did I? Snake Lady would kill me if she heard—even I don't call her mom!
Lynelle hurriedly lifted her head, meeting Aponia's gentle, doting gaze, then immediately bashfully lowered it again.
"It's alright, Lynelle. Falling asleep during hypnosis is, in a way, a sign of built-up stress lately... If you're tired, you can come to me often, to talk things out."
With a loving expression, Aponia drew Lynelle back into her embrace, holding her for a moment before releasing the somewhat flustered girl from her expansive bosom.
"Ahem, ahem, maybe I really am a bit tired..." Lynelle said sheepishly. "Sorry, Aponia, I accidentally dozed off just now..."
"Should we start the Discipline training over?"
"The Discipline?" Aponia tilted her head slightly in confusion, reaching out to stroke Lynelle's hair.
"The method to use the Discipline, I've already made your body remember it. Now, just silently will it in your heart, and your body will automatically enact the Discipline I've imprinted within you..."
"Ah, it's already over? But, 'made your body remember'... that phrasing sounds kinda weird..."
Lynelle blurted out the thought, and instantly, both she and Aponia froze.
As the words left her mouth, Lynelle suddenly remembered something—a forgotten detail about the setting.
As the strongest among the psychic-type MANTIS warriors, even Su and little Hare could easily read the surface thoughts of those around them.
Naturally, Aponia was no exception.
And, crucially, humans are contradictory creatures.
The more Lynelle tried not to think of certain strange images in this situation, the more such thoughts flooded her mind.
Like the Deepest Bedchamber... Or remembering the length of fingers with her body... Ahem.
"Little Lynelle's thoughts are quite adorable..."
A moment later, Aponia spoke with a doting smile, soothing the girl who had nearly—no, had—turned into a steaming teapot. "But this also means Lynelle has truly relaxed now, doesn't it?"
"D-Don't say anymore..." Lynelle quickly covered her face.
"W-Well, since the Discipline teaching is over, I'll... I'll head out first... I'll come find you again when I have time, Aponia... sis!"
With that, Lynelle didn't even bother with the usual exit. She just swiped a hand, tore open a portal right there, and whoosh—vanished on the spot.
"What a lovely child. No wonder Mobius is so fond of her..."
Watching the space where Lynelle disappeared, a slight smile touched Aponia's lips.
"And, I originally thought only Mobius and Elysia held those... peculiar feelings for Lynelle. To think it was mutual all along... I wonder when they'll take that final step."
"Though, if it were just Elysia leading someone, it might be easier. With Mobius's personality, breaking through that last layer of paper seems rather difficult..."
"Hmm, should I... give her a little push?"
Aponia fell into contemplation.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side, Seele, who had just made a decision not long ago, looked puzzled at Lynelle, who had practically 'burst through the door.'
"Big Sister Lynelle, you seem in a real hurry? Never mind... Big Sister Lynelle, Seele has decided. Seele will stay in the Elysian Realm a while longer, until she becomes stronger, before returning to Bronya-sis."
"But, Seele will still join you on this mission, Big Sister Lynelle. Won't let you go alone... Huh?"
Seele stared, bewildered, as Lynelle immediately grabbed her hand and instantly transported them both to the Elysian Realm's reception lounge.
"Is that so? Good, then let's go right now!"
Lynelle, who currently wanted nothing more than to carry a train out of the Realm, said rapidly.
"S-So urgent? Did something big happen in Nagazora City?" Seele, unaware of the preceding events, asked in confusion.
"Whether Nagazora's in trouble, I don't know, but I feel like if I stay here another minute, I'm gonna explode..."
--+--
Meanwhile, not long before, at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Lady Durandal, the mission assigned by the Overseer this time... seems a bit... unusual?"
In Durandal's room within the Immortal Blades' station, Rita asked, observing the slight frown on Durandal's face.
"I'm well aware. After all, sending personnel to ensure an experiment in Nagazora proceeds undisturbed for a full day, considering the city's current state... even Principal Theresa would likely see the issue."
"Given our current cooperative relationship with Anti-Entropy, carrying out the Overseer's order is bound to create conflict with their operations. Yet, not executing it... Overseer Otto is, after all, Schicksal's leader. Our refusal would constitute insubordination."
Rita voiced her dilemma.
"Sigh... Rita, the main issue isn't that right now. Whether we disobey or not is largely irrelevant to the current situation." Durandal sighed.
"The key point is, when the Overseer left last time, he took someone with him."
"Took who..." Rita suddenly caught on. "Wait, you don't mean..."
"Exactly. Just now, the Far East Branch sent us this image." Durandal forwarded a picture to Rita's terminal.
In it, a brunette girl who looked under 1.5 meters tall, with a shockingly ample chest, was hugging a bag of snacks and curiously looking around the reconstructed safe zone of Nagazora City.
"Is that... the one the Overseer has kept cryogenically preserved all this time..."
"Correct. Her. Schicksal's hidden S-Rank Valkyrie, Li Sushang."
Durandal nodded. "It's clear. Regardless of whether we consider potential conflict with Anti-Entropy, or whether we deploy forces to Nagazora as the Overseer requested, it won't interfere with his plan... because the person truly responsible for this experiment, he took with him during his last appearance."
"The Overseer remains as meticulously calculating as ever..." Rita sighed.
"Anyway, back to the earlier question. What should we do now?"
"..."
Durandal fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"For this mission, it's inappropriate for either of us to intervene personally."
"Given our current stance, even to ensure stable development of cooperation with Anti-Entropy, if actual conflict arises, we cannot side with Miss Li Sushang."
"So, let Ana take her Glory Blades squad."
"I understand your meaning, Lady Durandal." Rita, in perfect sync with her superior, instantly revealed a knowing smile.
"I will assign them the mission of maintaining stability in Nagazora. Regarding the details of the Overseer's experiment... I will privately inform Ana, letting her adapt to the situation as it unfolds..."
"...With Ana's intelligence, she should naturally grasp my intent."
"..."
Watching Rita, who seemed to have understood something, a question mark slowly appeared above Durandal's head.
She actually meant that Ana wasn't particularly familiar with either Anti-Entropy or Li Sushang, so she could objectively decide which side to assist based on the situation.
But Rita seemed to have misinterpreted her, and looked rather pleased?
And... 'with Ana's intelligence'?
Remembering that fool who, after being defeated by an unknown enemy during the Schicksal war, began questioning whether her S-Rank Valkyrie position was obtained through family connections, Durandal seriously doubted Rita's assessment.
Had it been too long since Rita last saw Ana, leading to a mistaken impression?
Could that child Ana really be considered 'intelligent'?
Still, even if Rita's understanding might be off, since she didn't voice opposition, the decision probably wasn't problematic. With that thought, Durandal decisively abandoned further contemplation.
--+--
Time returns to the present, in Nagazora City.
"Captain Ana, the situation in Nagazora... doesn't it seem a bit too grim?"
A Valkyrie from the Glory Blades squad looked at the scene before her with a troubled expression.
"This level of Honkai energy concentration... even a regular C-Rank Valkyrie would feel mild discomfort, let alone the residents here."
"And, according to the Honkai concentration monitors we set up an hour ago, the levels are still rising... If not for the fact a Honkai Eruption already occurred here, I'd think a Herrscher was about to awaken."
"So, I suggest immediately contacting the Far East government to evacuate the remaining residents, and then... Ow ow ow! Captain, what are you..."
"Shh, shh, don't jinx it..."
Ana irritably ruffled her teammate's hair vigorously, turning the carefully styled locks into a complete mess before explaining slowly.
"You think I haven't considered that? I spent half the flight searching Schicksal's internal network for information... You think the government doesn't want to evacuate?"
"After the Third Eruption, any residents wishing to leave Nagazora were already properly relocated."
"The people still living in this safe zone, which is more like a settlement now, are the ones who refused to leave... Haven't you noticed most residents here are quite elderly? The average age here is probably two to three times mine..."
"But we can't just leave them here to wait for death... Even with strong local attachment, they should at least preserve their lives first..." the same teammate muttered.
"Rest assured, the Far East government thought the same initially, but... reality might not permit it."
Ana sighed. "I said most residents here are elderly, but I didn't say the remaining minority is problem-free... The current residents left in Nagazora are essentially either the elderly or children."
"As for why this is the case... According to data from both Schicksal's internal network and Anti-Entropy, after the Third Eruption, the residents remaining in Nagazora, due to long-term exposure to high Honkai energy levels, have undergone certain... well, mutations."
"You could say, if they returned to live in normal areas now, it might harm them instead. In a way, this is a form of adaptive evolution…"
"Moreover, in this environment, the children of Nagazora generally have significantly higher Honkai adaptability than their peers. I know several branches have already recruited girls with Valkyrie potential from here."
"So, no matter how complex, we must find a way to protect this place... According to the Tech Department's projections, how long until the Honkai concentration here triggers a beast tide?"
"At most three days, at minimum one... Time is tight, Captain."
"Then we split up." After brief thought, Ana quickly made a decision.
"You all go take over Nagazora's defense operations first. Then negotiate with Anti-Entropy to jointly establish a defensive line against a Honkai beast tide."
"If a tide really emerges, Headquarters will surely send reinforcements. So, plan the defenses to hold for three days initially. Our supplies should suffice, right?"
"Weapons and ammo are definitely enough, but food and fresh water..."
"Leave that to Anti-Entropy. This is their territory; logistics are their responsibility."
Ana stated decisively.
"As for me... I'll first scout those areas with abnormally high Honkai concentration, see if I can find the cause. While you set up defenses, also gather intel within the city and share it with me in real-time."
"Yes, Captain!"
Watching her squad members immediately disperse to carry out orders, Ana turned and headed back towards the transport aircraft, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Truth be told, she had never told such a significant lie in front of so many squad members before—this sort of 'first experience' was a bit too stimulating.
Because... regarding the cause of Nagazora's anomaly, Ana already knew perfectly well before departure.
"The Overseer's experiment... Sigh, I still have to go see for myself."
Staring at the map of Nagazora for a moment, the hesitation in Ana's eyes gradually solidified into resolve.
"If the experiment's situation is exactly as described in the Overseer's message, with abnormal Honkai concentration lasting only one to three days, then I can turn a blind eye."
"But, if it's as Rita guessed, likely to cause long-term or even permanent impact on Nagazora, like a Herrscher descending upon it..."
"Then I'll end it with my own hands!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.