"How about I make you a Rita too?"
"Huh? Isn't that a complete repetition?"
"Wouldn't it be a new figure if I changed my clothes?"
"No, no, this method won't work at all. No matter how you put it, you have to make the birthday gift yourself!"
"That's great determination~"
...
"Damn it... Indeed, can you only choose engraved patterns?"
"It's not shameful to know your own limits."
"What do you mean by that sermonizing tone of yours?"
"I'm just speaking the truth... Have you decided what to engrave yet?"
"Hmmmm... I have no idea."
"I have an idea about this. Do you want to try it?"
"Absolutely!"
...
"It's really good, Bianka, your hands are very steady."
"Don't underestimate me! No matter what, I'm also an A-rank Valkyrie! But... are you sure Rita will like it?"
"Probably, I can guarantee she won't hate it."
"Isn't that a bit irresponsible of you to say?"
"Well... it's not that you're useless..."
[Bianka Compatibility +20%]
Midnight, zero o'clock
Dong dong
"Lady Bianka, what's wrong?"
Rita opened the door immediately after hearing the knock and looked at Bianka, who seemed a little awkward outside the door, with some confusion.
"Is Mr. Guardian Angel also here?" Rita was very sensitive to Tian Shi's presence.
No, too much deliberate reconnaissance wasn't needed. After all, Tian Shi wasn't with him, so the only option was to be with Bianka.
"It's nothing."
"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea, Lady Bianka and Mr. Guardian Angel?"
Although she was a little confused about Bianka's purpose, Rita kindly invited them in.
For Rita, it's inevitable that she looks at her boss as if she were her younger sister.
After all, both of their experiences are very similar.
"Uh... thank you, but, but not this!"
"Well... what about you, Mr. Guardian Angel?"
Rita tilted her head and then looked at the air next to Bianka.
She felt it would take Bianka a long time to make herself understood in that state.
"Do you really want me to do it? If I do, it won't be as perfect."
"I, I know!"
With a determined heart, Bianka pulled out the carving she had prepared from behind her back.
On the sharp, white-as-jade teeth, a blooming flower garden was exquisitely carved.
"Here... this... is for you. Happy seventeenth birthday, Miss Assistant."
"Eh, ah, thank you, thank you."
"No, it's nothing, it's just a trinket carved from Leviathan teeth... Mr. Guardian Angel helped a lot in the middle, though I probably did it myself."
Bianka turned her head shyly.
"The engraved content above was also suggested by Mr. Guardian Angel... I don't know if... Anyway, if you don't like it or find it strange, just throw it away!"
"Eh?" Bianka's words surprised Rita a little, and she carefully looked at the drawing on the teeth. Flowers are blooming...
"I like it. No, I should say I like it very much." Rita smiled and took the ivory carving in her hand.
[Rita Compatibility +15%, Bianka Compatibility +5%]
"I have a gift too." Tian Shi took the carved figure of Rita from the blind spot next to the wall. "Look!"
"Well, this gift of yours..."
Rita's eyes turned subtle, and at the same time, her arms unconsciously lifted her chest.
—This seems to be a little less than the size of the statue.
"I feel like they are completely different except for their faces and weapons."
"This is simply a good blessing for you, Miss Rita," Tian Shi gave the reason he had used before without blushing or breathing heavily.
"Do you think I'm as easy to fool as Lady Bianka?"
"Look me in the eyes, do you think I'm a filthy liar?"
"First you have to let me see them." Rita held her forehead, they couldn't see Tian Shi at all!
"But..."
Rita looked at the statue of herself in Tian Shi's hands.
She had to admit that, although there are some exaggerations in some places, it is definitely not what he said before: "Except for the face and weapons, they are completely the same."
On the contrary, in this statue, whether it's the slight smile at the corner of the mouth, or the standing posture... even some small habits that she herself hasn't discovered, everything can be found in this statue.
Rita looked at the ivory carving and even had a strange feeling, as if she was seeing the future.
"No matter what, it's not good to look at women's bodies, is it?"
"I'm sorry, I'm looking at it with integrity." He had already possessed the Lunar Soul Armor before, you know? He has been infinitely close to zero-distance contact.
"In a way, it's even more terrifying."
Rita complained: "But, then again, you never told me my birthday..."
"In my opinion, it was Bishop Otto who betrayed you."
"Your opinion? That Mr. Guardian Angel is..." Rita looked at the air beside her with surprise.
"As your Guardian Angel, isn't it normal for me to know a little about you?" Tian Shi said casually.
Guardian Angel...?
Rita looked at the statue in Tian Shi's hands again.
She really felt as if she saw the future.
Although this kind of future where you can only see your body improving is a bit strange, it's not a bad thing after all.
It's also hard for Rita to imagine how much effort Tian Shi took to carve such a detailed statue.
[Rita Compatibility +20%]
"Thank you. I will treasure the gifts from Lady Bianka and Mr. Guardian Angel... Although I'd prefer to forget Mr. Guardian Angel's blessing. Giving such a gift to a girl is like sexual harassment."
Rita blushed as she took her statue and then: "Lady Bianka, please come in and have a cup of tea."
"What about me?"
"Mr. Guardian Angel... you can't drink it anyway," Rita showed a mischievous smile, "But, then again, if I don't grow like that in the future, what if Mr. Guardian Angel promises me one thing?"
"And if you do grow?"
"Then I can promise Mr. Guardian Angel one thing," Rita smiled.
Wow, someone's delivering the goods to your doorstep, right?
Tian Shi feels that the number of wishes he'll ask for in the future will increase by one.
"Rita, may I ask what you want me to do?"
"Well... maybe because it's fun?" Rita laughed sinisterly.
"Even if I lose, Mr. Guardian Angel won't make me do something as extreme as 'take off my clothes,' right?"
"..." To be honest, I'm saving the number of wishes I ask for because I'm playing a big chess game.
"But on the other hand, if I win, I can make Mr. Tian Shi do something interesting... why not?"
"..." Tian Shi really didn't want to know what "interesting things" Rita was talking about.
But... Rita, you're going to be in trouble!
"Then, at what point in the future..."
"How about five years?"
"Okay." There's no need for Tian Shi to dig the hole, Rita did it herself.
[The next day, the Caledonia set sail for Gibraltar, a small place with many names like "Pillars of Hercules," "Mount Tariq," and "End of the World."]
[Although the geographical distribution of this world is the same as Earth's, there are innumerable ultra-high-speed underground currents hidden in the ocean, allowing you to travel thousands of miles overnight.]
[Even if you, Rita, and Bianka think this is ridiculous, this is the truth. You cannot use common sense to judge the world.]
[Outside Gibraltar, you saw a scene that shocked you: a violet barrier completely embraced the entire coastline.]
[However, Shakespeare corrected your perception: this purple barrier has completely surrounded all of Europe.]
[From Shakespeare's mouth, you learned about the history of this huge wall known as the "Wall of Asgard."]
[At the same time, according to data measured by Schrödinger herself, this giant wall is composed entirely of high-concentration Honkai energy that should not exist in this world. Direct contact would definitely kill ordinary people.]
"No Honkai Beasts appeared?" Rita looked at the violet "Great Wall" in the distance.
"Honkai Beast? Ah, that's the kind of monster you're talking about, right? No."
Shakespeare said with absolute certainty.
"Except that ordinary people who touched it were instantly reduced to ashes, there was nothing unusual."
At this point, Shakespeare sighed: "I once tried it without knowing my own limitations..."
"So, did you find anything?"
"Nothing at all!" Shakespeare proudly lifted her chest, "Instead, this sword has become like this." Shakespeare flaunted her sword, which had no presence whatsoever.
"What is this? A sword?" Bianka looked at it.
"It's not broken, is it?"
"That's because you haven't seen its true appearance."
Shakespeare pulled the corner of her mouth, "Ah~ Brave weapon~ How unfortunate you are~"
"It's all thanks to you, isn't it?"
"..." Bianka's words immediately reprimanded Shakespeare, who was about to sing a few more lines.
"Never mind. I'll just say this sword is called Durandal. I broke it anyway, so I'll give it to you."
"Why would you throw your broken weapon at me? And I seem to have heard that name before..."
"How to put it…?" Shakespeare's eyes spun guiltily.
"I only used it forcefully once, and it seems I violated some kind of contract, and the weapon's power disappeared... Strictly speaking, it's not broken."
"You..." Bianka put her hand to her forehead.
"Don't tell me you want us to help you recover the sword's lost power."
"Bingo~"
"Why do you think I'd agree to something so unreliable—!"
"Because the first officer said so... She knows a lot about you Valkyries. You or Rita might be the lucky ones."
"What is the meaning?"
"It is this Durandal that, upon unleashing its true power, will verify if its owner has met its expectations: courage, confidence, fraternity, kindness, serenity, vitality, and nobility. If any of these seven aspects are not recognized, the sword's power will transform into seven gems and escape to the ends of the earth."
"Are you telling fairy tales again? Your name is Shakespeare, not Andersen."
"What's wrong if I just recovered the 'Gem of Valor' from the western end of the African continent and the red decorative ring has reappeared on the hilt?"
"This..." Bianka also fell silent.
"Wait... Bianka, this is your weapon."
Tian Shi looked at the knight's sword in Shakespeare's hand: "It's the sword of eternity, the blade of immortality: the sacred sword Durandal.
If you don't like it, you can also call it Durandal." Anyway, it's spelled Durandal.
"Your tone is really annoying..."
Although she complained, Bianka made a decision and reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword.
The moment she held the hilt of the sword, six scenes suddenly flashed through Bianka's mind one by one.
-Flowers blooming in the snow
-The dazzling idol on stage.
-A strange city surrounded by volcanoes and snowy mountains.
-At the edge of the desert, a space center with towering launch pads.
-A blue cave in the rainforest that is as deep as a gem.
-A deserted island with a collapsed stone statue abruptly rising on the shore.
Regardless of these sights, Bianka suddenly began to feel that the sword in her hand was the sharpest being in the world.
Indeed, at that moment, Bianka even felt the confidence and invincibility of a certain soldier.
"Are you okay?"
The gentle male voice pulled Bianka out of those strange feelings.
Only then did Bianka realize that she was sweating profusely.
"Thank you."
[Bianka Compatibility +5%]
"Do you feel anything?"
"All these strange visions, and... the terrifying power that the sword hides. If it really manages to awaken, it could pierce the wall. Without a doubt, it's a divine weapon on the level of the Key of God. How did you get it?"
"I picked it up." Shakespeare replied without thinking.
"What?"
"I picked it up." Shakespeare was not at all willing to change her tone.
"When I met Leila, there was an earthquake and the sword rolled down the mountain to me."
If this is true, this woman's luck is ridiculous.
"Believe it or not, but when I took this sword, I saw the figure of a knight maiden, under the emblem of the Carolingian eagle, she and her companions overcame countless powerful enemies, fought in all directions, and even reached the moon. What do you think? Does this story sound familiar to you?"
"The paladin Rowland, the bravest warrior under Charlemagne."
Rita revealed the answer calmly.
"But then again." Shakespeare scratched her head: "The Rowland in the story I know is a man whose brain is almost full of muscles."
"Man?" Bianka was startled.
"You see? Isn't it clear? The young knight Rowland should be from your world, right?"
Yes, she is the great heroine who fought against Honkai.
Although she is not a Valkyrie, there is no Valkyrie who doesn't know her.