Before connecting the communication, Rita had already composed herself, her expression perfectly calm as she looked at the light screen before her.
Then, looking at the man who appeared on the screen, Rita said with utmost respect.
"Lord Bishop, Rita has handed the HSN serum over to Leo Ash."
"Mm, very good."
Looking at Rita's expression, Otto nodded slightly.
"Since you gave him the serum, it seems you've judged that the problems with this mission have nothing to do with him, correct?"
"Rita, I trust your judgment. Let's leave this matter at that for now."
"Yes, sir."
"Furthermore, I've read the mission report. I have already notified Durandal about this mission."
"Even Lady Durandal?"
Hearing Otto's words, Rita sounded slightly surprised.
"Does this mission require Lady Durandal's presence?"
"If it's just to retrieve the Gem of Conquest, then it's not quite necessary."
If it's just to retrieve the Gem of Conquest... is it?
Before participating in this mission, Rita hadn't given it much thought.
Although her combat power was not on par with Durandal's, her meticulous mind and serious work ethic had led Otto to entrust her with many directives, and she had participated in and completed numerous missions.
For Rita, although this mission involved the Gem of Conquest from the 'Four Gems,' it was not fundamentally different from other missions.
Nagazora City, although it was Anti-Entropy's territory, their Alliance Leader had been missing for a long time. Their strongest assets, at the end of the day, were only the Titan Armor they prided themselves on.
These armors might be able to bully ordinary A-rank Valkyries, but for Rita, even without using armor, she could easily defeat a large number of Titans just by using the Pantheon Armament [Aphrodite].
What's more, now that Schicksal had completed the Godsbane Armor [Argent Knight: Artemis] and the Soulium Pantheon Armament [Skadi of All-Frost], both suitable for her, her combat power had risen to a new level. Those Titans had lost their last shred of threat to her safety.
Yet, under these circumstances, Overseer Otto still deemed it necessary for the very busy Lady Durandal to come to Nagazora City?
"Could it be..."
Having guessed a certain possibility, although Rita's expression barely changed, her tone had become more solemn.
"Just as you guessed, this mission now involves a Herrscher."
Seeing that his reliable subordinate had immediately guessed the truth, Otto didn't bother wasting time being mysterious.
"According to our headquarters' monitoring, there have been multiple small-scale Honkai outbreaks around the world."
"And our personnel on the outskirts of Nagazora City have also sent reports, stating that there have been numerous instances of electrical appliance failures in Nagazora recently. The after-sales departments of various electronics manufacturers are probably at their wits' end."
"These phenomena... are they all caused by the Gem of Conquest?"
As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal and a confidante who had to carry out some of Otto's less savory tasks, Rita certainly knew the true nature of the Four Gems.
Conquest, Haste, Desire, and Serenity—the true forms of these four gems were actually the cores of the Herrscher of Thunder, Herrscher of Flame, Herrscher of Wind, and Herrscher of Death, respectively.
Apart from the Gem of Conquest, which had fallen into the hands of Anti-Entropy, the other three gems were still kept at Schicksal Headquarters.
The small-scale Honkai outbreaks around the world, coupled with the electromagnetic interference in Nagazora City, were enough to prove one thing.
"The Third Eruption will break out here, giving birth to the Herrscher of Thunder... Is this why you requested Lady Durandal to come here?"
"Yes, and Theresa and her subordinates will also be coming to support you."
Even Lady Theresa?!
Lady Durandal has the Divine Key [Abyss Flower], and Lady Theresa has the Divine Key [Oath of Judah].
It is rumored that both of them have the combat capability to face a Herrscher head-on without being defeated. It seems that this time, Lord Bishop is genuinely concerned about the situation in Nagazora City.
Wait, then the HSN serum I gave to Leo...
This serum was never meant for Leo; I knew that from the beginning.
But at first, I thought it was bait from Lord Bishop to test Leo's loyalty.
But I was wrong. This is a move Lord Bishop has set up.
If the HSN serum truly has the effects described in the report, then it could very well be a move to weaken the Herrscher—provided Leo can survive facing the Herrscher.
Although, as a member of Schicksal, facing danger is a part of daily life, but...
"What's wrong, worried about Leo Ash?"
Looking at the silent Rita, Otto chuckled lightly.
"Since you've determined that young man hasn't betrayed Schicksal, our people will protect him as soon as they enter Nagazora City."
"...Thank you, Lord Otto."
"Now then, continue with your mission, Rita."
After saying this, Otto proactively cut the communication.
Having obtained this intelligence, Otto had indeed deduced that the Third Herrscher was about to awaken in Nagazora City.
However, Otto, who knew this, had absolutely no intention of stopping the Third Eruption's awakening.
Admittedly, the Third Eruption breaking out in Nagazora City would cause the deaths of several million innocent citizens of the Far East, but...
—what did that have to do with Otto?
For certain reasons, Otto craved the awakening of Herrschers.
After all, for his plan, a mature Herrscher was the best nourishment to feed the Honkai Queen.
Furthermore, the outbreak of the Third Eruption was, in essence, inseparable from Anti-Entropy.
One could even say that the Third Eruption was caused solely by Anti-Entropy.
Millions of deaths in exchange for a mature Herrscher.
And this mature Herrscher would be apprehended on the spot by the two S-rank Valkyries and one former S-rank Valkyrie he had dispatched, ultimately becoming a spoil of war for Schicksal.
At the same time, Schicksal could use this atrocity committed by Anti-Entropy to launch an attack on the international stage, further lowering Anti-Entropy's already not-so-high international standing.
To Otto, sacrificing a few million lives for these gains was simply too good a deal.
A non-desperate Otto wouldn't go around being a butcher for no reason.
But that didn't mean he cared about the lives of ordinary people.
Besides, letting this situation develop might also bait out a new, bigger fish.
Heh, my old rival, with your mentality, you would never allow your subordinates to act so recklessly.
If your physical condition is good enough for you to act, you will surely appear in Nagazora City.
Let me see, this operation...
—whether it can bait out a big fish like you.
...