In the Sea of Quanta—
Kevin had returned to his original world bubble, and the excitement he had just felt once again froze over.
After all, no matter what happened in the real world, it had nothing to do with someone like him, imprisoned in the Sea of Quanta.
No matter which Herrscher had descended now,
No matter whether Elysia was alive or dead,
He could neither intervene nor confirm any of it.
(Kevin: "There's nothing I can do.")
Besides, right now, there was an entire box of instant noodles in front of him, so Kevin really only had one option—
Slurp them!!
However…
"How did it come to this."
As Kevin opened cup after cup of instant noodles, his already expressionless cold face grew increasingly dark.
Finally, when he opened the last cup of noodles with trembling hands, only to find it was the same as the others—
Bang!
He crushed the cup in his hand.
Not a single one had a seasoning packet! Not one!
"...I finally decided to eat some noodles, and this is how it ends? Damn it."
That day, Kevin stood among piles of flavorless instant noodles and swore—to himself and to Elias—that he would remember this grudge!
A few minutes later, Kevin began eating the plain noodles anyway... One could only say: true strength lies in never complaining. Even without seasoning—he slurped on!
...In the real world...
Elias, completely unaware that he had made an enemy out of Kevin by accidentally buying a seasoning-less bulk noodle pack, was currently strolling through St. Freya Academy, filled with curiosity.
"Whoa, is your St. Freya Academy a little too extra? Is this supposed to be some 500-year-old noble school? Why does it look like the Vienna Palace?"
"I've never seen such a luxurious school either."
"Papa Elias, is this really the school Seele will be attending? Isn't it a bit... over the top?"
Palace-like buildings filled the campus, ornate statues were everywhere, and the landscaping was masterfully designed. High-tech elements were seamlessly integrated throughout.
Chiba Academy in Nagazora City was also considered a school for elites, but compared to St. Freya, it was like a kennel.
"Ahem! Well, this school was built to train Valkyries to fight against the Honkai. You could also say it's a massive military base, so this level of scale is totally normal."
Principal Theresa puffed out her nonexistent chest proudly. Though proud, her feelings were also a little complicated.
The reason: the construction of St. Freya Academy had been rather bizarre—funded and supported by both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, but ultimately controlled by neither.
In a way, it was as if the two factions had built a competitor together.
(Sigh~ Grandpa and Cecilia were just too generous. I originally wanted something more modest, just enough for a normal school. Who could've guessed...)
Schicksal's funding came entirely from Otto's affection for Theresa. As long as it didn't involve reviving Kallen, the Overseer was extremely indulgent toward his granddaughter—providing money, land, and even equipment.
Even though Otto knew St. Freya wouldn't obey his commands and could potentially lead to a split in the Valkyries, he still let it grow.
As for Anti-Entropy, the money came from Cecilia.
Though this saintly woman was branded a traitor by Schicksal after the Second Eruption and joined Anti-Entropy,
Her friendship with Theresa ran deep, and the two had long planned to create St. Freya together.
Once she had the means, Cecilia spared no effort in supporting it. Anti-Entropy, too, strongly supported the initiative.
St. Freya Academy really could cause a schism within Schicksal's Valkyrie forces—something Anti-Entropy was more than happy to support. They even provided some technological aid for that reason alone.
You could say St. Freya got the best of both worlds.
Of course, it wasn't entirely without cost.
In exchange for their strong support, Anti-Entropy's only request was quite simple... just let their leader—who had infiltrated the academy as a history teacher—do as he pleased. In other words, let the old man enjoy his retirement.
That's right—the leader of Anti-Entropy, the First Herrscher, Herrscher of Reason, Welt Yang, was currently teaching history at St. Freya Academy!
This school was truly stacked. No wonder they called it the demon cave of the Far East, or the future Herrscher Academy.
"So you're basically a neutral faction that's friendly with both major powers? Tsk, now that's what I call playing smart."
Elias clicked his tongue in admiration, never expecting that his actions had caused such a transformation in St. Freya Academy.
He glanced at Raiden Mei beside him.
In the future, she'd be attending exchange programs at World Serpent's academy, and even studying abroad at the Elysian Realm. As long as she stayed on this path, she'd be treated like upper management.
(Damn, St. Freya Academy—soon to be on good terms with World Serpent, Schicksal, and Anti-Entropy? That's an unprecedented and badass trajectory. Limitless potential.)
"Ahem, can we maybe walk a little faster?"
"Hm? Theresa, is something wrong?"
"Since you've enrolled in my school, from now on you need to call me Principal. And I just think... if we don't hurry, we might not be able to walk at all."
Theresa wiped cold sweat from her forehead and glanced around nervously. Sure enough, just as Himeko predicted—
A crowd of Valkyrie students was gathering nearby, staring at Elias with looks of curiosity, surprise, excitement, and dangerous interest.
"Waaah! It really is a guy!"
"The transfer student wasn't lying after all!"
"So handsome! Mom, I think I'm in love!"
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Fu Hua-senpai. I think I might be falling for someone else. Please forgive me!"
Though they were elite Valkyries with a noble mission to protect the world, they were still beautiful young girls, all at an age when love was sweet and fresh.
Before, there had been no chance for such things—after all, St. Freya was an all-girls' school. But now, Elias was like a blade of green grass in a garden of flowers.
Even those not interested in romance were bound to be curious about him.
"This is bad! All Kiana's fault."
Theresa sighed helplessly.
"What did my little paramecium do this time?"
"She went and told everyone about you the day she enrolled! I wanted to keep your admission under wraps to avoid a commotion... Wait, hold on! What do you mean your paramecium? Kiana's my child!"
"Does it matter? We're all family now."
Basking in the attention of all the beautiful girls, Elias couldn't deny it felt kind of good—but unfortunately, he was already spoken for.
The next second, he took Mei's hand and pulled her into his embrace right in front of everyone.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
The Valkyries all widened their eyes in shock.
"E-Elias! There are so many people..."
"That's exactly why I'm doing it. Or do you want some other girl to steal me away?"
"No way!"
Mei responded without hesitation. Though after the past few days, she knew that monopolizing Elias would be nearly impossible,
Still—she wanted to hold onto her exclusive claim for as long as she could. Even if her body couldn't always handle Elias' terrifying intensity, she had pride too!
Mei glanced at the surrounding Valkyries and understood exactly what she needed to do—declare her claim.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to do something so bold in public.
But that's okay.
When the main personality fails, the inner shadow takes over. Queen, this duel's on you!
"Other me, I'm counting on you!"
(Hmph! Useless. Can't even handle something this simple.)
Herrscher of Thunder Mei swapped in.
The girl might be shy under others' gaze, but the domineering queen had no such weaknesses.
"Long time no see, my queen."
"No need for formalities, Elias."
"Mmph!"
Herrscher Mei leaned in and kissed Elias on the lips right in front of the entire crowd of Valkyrie students. This bold and overwhelming move left the inexperienced girls completely stunned.
She was proud and aggressive, staking her claim on Elias in the most direct way possible.
"Y-Y-You two... shameless! St. Freya Academy prohibits early romance!"
"Ababababa! Papa Elias actually...!"
(Seele! Pull yourself together! Damn it, this Raiden Mei woman—let go of Elias, it's my turn!)
"Hmph~ nothing worth paying attention to."
After the long kiss, Herrscher Mei licked her lips and swept her queenly gaze across the stunned Valkyries with disdain.
Their reactions were like startled baby birds. Pathetic. (Not that she remembered acting the same way two days ago.)
Was she embarrassed? Of course not.
To Herrscher Mei, there was only one person in this world worthy of her attention—Elias. Her eyes existed solely to look at him.
Everyone else? Insects. And when you're kissing your beloved, who cares how many bugs are watching?
"Enough! It's your first day here and you're already causing this kind of scene. I really regret admitting you two into St. Freya. If this happens again, I swear I'll—cough, cough—just follow me to the dorms."
Principal Theresa scolded them with a blushing face.
Don't be fooled by her twelve-year-old appearance—she was actually 45. But also don't be fooled by her age—she was still more innocent and pure than most teenage girls.
As the principal of St. Freya Academy,
Theresa felt she absolutely could not allow this kind of public lovey-dovey display.
But just as she was preparing to discipline these two early-romance offenders, she remembered—
The guy could punch out a top-tier Honkai Beast barehanded.
The girl was literally a Herrscher.
Theresa: "...I didn't bring Judas with me today, so I'll let you off. Not because I'm scared or anything."
Elias: "Alright, alright~ this principal is too cute. Hey, this might be my first time meeting a real legal loli."
Immediately, dangerous thoughts entered his head.
Could he—after taking over St. Freya—use Theresa to control Otto...? Nah, not likely. At most he could maybe push Rita around a little.
...
Soon, the group arrived at the dorms.
And, as expected from a school that looked like the Vienna Palace, even the dorms were stand-alone villas.
Elias: "Rich! So rich! Filthy rich!"
He thought back to his pre-isekai school dorm life—five or six guys squeezed into one tiny room. Now, standing in front of a private villa...
He never wanted to graduate.
Beautiful girls. Private villas. Loads of high-tech gear. Perfection~
"Yo~ finally here, huh? Your rooms are already prepared. Come on in and check them out."
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a statuesque, flame-haired beauty walked out from the villa. Her mature aura, paired with a fiery figure, seemed to brighten the entire scene the moment she appeared.
Elias twitched slightly at the corner of his eye. What was wrong with his vision? She had a beauty mark on her chest, and on top of that—wealthy and generous?! The radiance nearly blinded him.
"Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Himeko—Murata Himeko. I'll be your teacher and instructor for the time being, as well as your housemate."
(It's Himeko-sensei—aaahhh!!)
Elias screamed internally. Even though he had expected to meet her eventually, having her appear in front of him like this still stirred up intense emotions.
Back when he was still just a powerless Captain, Mihoyo had emotionally wrecked him with Himeko's story countless times.
That unforgettable "Final Lesson" still replayed in his mind. But this time...
She wasn't going anywhere!
"Nice to meet you, Miss Himeko. I look forward to learning from you."
"Polite, aren't you? I like that. Want to grab a drink later?"
"I'd be honored. If there's time, I'd be glad to."
"Himeko!! You explosive woman! Stop inviting students to drink with you!"
Theresa scolded her with hands on her hips. But with their massive height difference, it looked more like a child throwing a tantrum at her older sister.
Elias wanted to say his alcohol tolerance was actually pretty solid.
Every time he had drinks with Raven after a mission, she'd be the first to pass out. Maybe his post-Herrscher body had become immune to alcohol.
And honestly, if you can't get drunk, what's the point? Might as well drink juice. Elias had lost interest in alcohol ever since.
But this was Himeko. Whether it got him drunk or not, he was definitely drinking.
"Elias, Mei! You finally made it!"
"Welcome, Papa Elias—cough, I mean, Mei-sis. And... Seele?! You're back too?!"
"Bronya-sis!"
Kiana and Bronya, who had arrived two days earlier, came out to greet them. Bronya's face lit up when she saw Seele, and the two hugged tightly.
Elias placed one hand on the white-haired girl's head and the other on Bronya's—his head-patting skills had been maxed out ever since arriving in this world.
"Wait, I'm staying here?"
"What, do you have a problem with that?"
"Not at all. One, two, three, four, five... Five beautiful women sharing a house with me? I'm thrilled. I just thought you'd give me a separate villa."
Elias was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Seele, and even Himeko to be living in the same house with him. Was this fate testing his willpower?
Normally, he should've gotten a separate dorm—something clearly divided from the girls' quarters.
"If I gave you a private place, that'd be even more dangerous."
Theresa crossed her arms.
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Because then if you snuck a girl in, no one would even notice. This way, at least you'll be monitored by your roommates."
"I think you're worrying a bit too much. But thank you for the arrangement. I love it."
Elias gave her a thumbs up.
Theresa pouted and turned away in a huff.
There was one thing she didn't say: if Elias had his own villa, even if he didn't invite girls over... the girls would probably invite themselves.
"Himeko, you especially—no more walking around the house in skimpy outfits! There's a man living here now!"
"That sounds a bit off, Principal."
Himeko replied, half amused.
She thought Theresa was overthinking things.
The boy already had a beautiful girlfriend. Why would he look twice at someone like her—nearing thirty, with her body damaged by artificial Stigmata, and not long for this world?
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