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461 The Gentle and Charming Maid
🕑 Added 2025-07-12 15:00:13 +0000 UTCAfter the downfall of World Serpent, Kagura didn’t immediately set off with Rita to return.
The repeated use of the Infinity Stones had taken quite a toll on her, and once the battle was over, exhaustion washed over her like a tide.
Since Rita was now safe and the other Valkyries from “Immortal Blades” were no longer in danger, she figured she might as well rest here a while before heading back.
Besides, this break gave her a chance to collect the intelligence and data left behind by the World Serpent organization.
There was still a vast amount of Honkai energy, samples of Honkai beasts, and undead soldiers that could be salvaged.
“What kind of power is this, I wonder? To alter the world with just a snap of the fingers…”
Inside the underground research facility of Divine City Pharmaceuticals, Rita was carefully wrapping the burn on Kagura’s right hand.
“Even the Honkai Will itself probably couldn’t pull off something like this… Miss Kagura, just who are you really?”
“I’m just a simple traveler,” Kagura replied with a faint smile, watching Rita tend to her wound with genuine curiosity.
“This power was a gift from the world I came from.”
Truth be told, Kagura could’ve healed her injury instantly using the Infinity Stones, but since Rita had offered to help bandage it, why refuse?
Being pampered by a maid—especially one as skilled as Rita—was an experience usually reserved for Otto himself. So why not enjoy it a little?
Rita’s touch was gentle, her movements both efficient and graceful.
Even though it was a simple first-aid procedure with nothing more than disinfectant and gauze, she carried it out with a composure and elegance that betrayed her expertise.
Not a single hint of panic or inexperience.
As expected of a true professional maid!
“A traveler from another world, huh…”
A curious smile played across Rita’s pale and elegant face.
“That’s quite fascinating. I wonder what such a world would be like. A world without the Honkai… what would that even look like?”
“Want to find out?” Kagura offered. “You’re more than welcome to visit my world if you’d like, Miss Rita.”
“Hehehe… Miss Kagura, you flatter me.” Rita chuckled softly. “I still have many duties to attend to. Leisure time is a luxury I don’t really have. But thank you for the offer.”
“Ah, I see. That’s a shame.” Kagura nodded, then changed the subject. “By the way, what’s your opinion of Archbishop Otto?”
World Serpent might have been eliminated, but peace was still far from reach in this world.
From what Kagura knew of the Honkai universe, there was still one major instigator constantly stirring up trouble, disrupting the world and endangering lives.
That person was none other than the leader of Schicksal—Otto Apocalypse.
“Archbishop Otto?”
Rita blinked, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden question. Still, the serene and graceful smile on her face never wavered.
“Well, I’m not sure why Miss Kagura would ask something like that all of a sudden… but I can say that I hold Archbishop Otto in high regard.”
“You… respect him?” Kagura repeated thoughtfully.
Rita Rossweisse—on the surface, a loyal confidante of Otto.
But judging by her tone, was she actually unaware of the shady things he’d done behind the scenes?
Or perhaps… she simply didn’t care what kind of twisted man her master truly was?
“All done.”
Rita finished tying a butterfly-shaped knot with the bandage on the back of Kagura’s hand.
“Please avoid any intense physical activity until the wound heals properly. It would be ideal to get professional medical care if possible.”
“Understood. Thank you, Miss Rita.”
“No need to thank me.” Rita stood up and gave a small, elegant bow. “Miss Kagura saved my life. This is the least I can do to repay you.”
“Alright!” Kagura stretched and took a deep breath. “I think I’m well-rested. Let’s head back!”
“Himeko, Kiana, and Miss Alvitr from Immortal Blades are all waiting for us outside. If we take too long, they’ll start worrying.”
“Indeed,” Rita said with a smile. “Then let’s go, Miss Kagura.”
As they stepped out of the underground research facility and passed through the inner sector of Divine City Pharmaceuticals’ industrial zone, Kagura finally grasped the sheer extent of what her snap had done.
The power of the Infinity Stones had precisely and completely erased all traces of “World Serpent” from existence.
The Honkai beasts, undead soldiers, and all the twisted creations of the organization had turned to ash.
Yet surprisingly, Shencheng Pharma’s other scientific achievements, World Serpent’s years of intelligence gathering, and even the bio-research equipment had remained untouched.
That left Kagura with quite the collection of “spoils.”
“Huh? They even have data on the Vermilion Knight?”
As she casually browsed through the facility’s database, Kagura found a large amount of information related to the legendary Valkyrie of Schicksal—Fu Hua, also known as the Vermilion Knight.
“Now that… is definitely worth looking into.”
Rita flipped through the data on Fu Hua as she pondered aloud.
“A survivor from the previous era of civilization? Just what kind of secrets is Miss Fu Hua hiding? And why was World Serpent so interested in her?”
“The reason’s actually pretty simple,” Kagura replied, tapping a few keys.
“The leader of World Serpent—the one we defeated in the Sea of Quanta, Kevin—he's also from the previous era. He probably knew Miss Fu Hua back then.”
“Ah, I see now.” Understanding seemed to dawn on Rita. “That explains why Divine City Pharmaceuticals had such a particular interest in her.”
Then, a faintly displeased smile curled her lips.
“Honestly. Durandal might be the strongest Valkyrie, but these people don’t even give her the slightest attention. How rude.”
“Ah… ahahaha…” Kagura scratched her head awkwardly. “Well… not being dragged off for dissection is probably a good thing, right?”
Still, for some reason, it wasn’t even surprising that Rita was sulking over something like this.
Could this be what they called… jealousy from afar?
Oh my, oh my—Miss Rita, truly devoted to Durandal, through and through!
“Wait a minute… what’s this?”
Suddenly, Kagura stopped typing. Her smile faded as her eyes narrowed at the screen.
“Classified files…? Divine City Pharmaceuticals was commissioned by Schicksal to conduct research on… Stigmata?”
“That doesn’t make sense,” she muttered. “As far as I knew, Shencheng Pharma was secretly conducting research under World Serpent’s protection—without Schicksal knowing about it.”
She kept digging deeper into the document, her expression growing graver with each line.
“Schicksal secretly provided Shencheng with foundational theories on Honkai and the undead soldiers…?”
“Otto personally made contact with World Serpent—and even revealed the existence of the ‘God-Slaying Spear’ to them…?”
“Stigmata are vessels of ancient memory… a genetic expression of fragments of ancestral consciousness…?”
“Through mass Stigmata integration, one could awaken long-lost wills buried deep within the human genome…?”
This was…
Using Stigmata as a medium to reconstruct the personalities of the dead?
“When the Will of Honkai fully awakens, and the final Herrscher is born, the power of Honkai will fuse the scattered fragments from five hundred years ago back together…
The end becomes the beginning…
A single instant becomes eternal…”
Kagura’s face darkened with each passing second.
“To see the one he loves again… Otto would destroy the entire world without hesitation…”
“Otto… you madman. Unbelievable.”
