"Could it be that I've been reading too much Homu manga lately? Have I read so much that I'm starting to have nightmares?" Theresa rubbed her head, feeling a bit groggy.
"That's not right. There haven't been any shrine maidens in the Homu manga recently."
"It would be nice if it were just a nightmare," Irene suddenly spoke up, looking at Theresa with a face full of concern. "Principal Theresa? How do you feel?"
Hearing the voice coming from beside her, Theresa finally noticed someone was sitting by her bed. Startled, she prepared to launch a flying kick. Seeing the situation go south, Irene immediately dodged backward.
Fortunately, Theresa's legs were short, and the kick hit empty air. However, feeling the sharp gust of wind against her face, the corners of Irene's mouth twitched. If that kick had landed on her, she estimated she would have ended up in the hospital.
Her current body was still too weak. Trying to compare herself to Theresa right now was a bit premature. After all, even though Theresa was constantly teased as being a C-Rank Valkyrie, her physical foundation was ultimately composed of a combination of Kaslana and Vishnu genes. No matter what, her physical constitution wouldn't be poor.
"Irene...?" Theresa finally recognized her. "Why... why are you in my room?!"
"Naturally, I'm here because something happened to you," Irene nodded, showing no sign that she thought her uninvited presence was problematic.
"Eh? Something happened? What happened to me? Did I have a nightmare? Wait, could it be that I was sleepwalking?" Staring at Irene, Theresa subconsciously wondered if she had sleepwalked and perhaps done something stupid in the process.
"No, you weren't sleepwalking. However, if this issue isn't resolved soon..." Irene raised her hand and poked Theresa's forehead with her finger. "You might really end up dreaming inside your head for the rest of your life."
[Sister Irene...] Pardo's voice rang out in Irene's mind. [Is the one inside Miss Theresa's Stigmata right now really Rin?]
Listening to the voice in her mind, Irene fell silent for a moment before her spiritual entity shook its head: [Regrettably, Pardo, I don't know.]
[As for 'Her'... I don't know if she can still be called Rin. Nor do I know if Rin still exists deep within her heart.]
The atmosphere inside the Palace of Consciousness appeared exceptionally heavy. Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps it was a deliberate arrangement, or perhaps it was simply fate, but both Pardo and Kallen held extremely special emotions regarding Rin—and the Black Box.
Pardo's mind churned ceaselessly with the words she had spoken before Sakura's grave. If she had been able to help Sakura steal Rin away earlier, would things not have turned out this way?
She absolutely could have done it. Her luck, her skills—why didn't she use them to help Sister Sakura back then? If she had acted then, would the outcome have been different?
She clearly had the methods. Although she was weak, she could crawl through vents, she could pick locks. Why didn't she go and save her? Even though... even though...
Kallen's emotions surged even more turbulently. That Black Box was the very thing she had brought to Yae Sakura. And it was this Black Box... that killed Yae Sakura and turned her into her current state.
And now, the sin derived from it—or rather, from another version of it—was endangering another person at this very moment.
Irene's spiritual entity stood in place without speaking. It wasn't her place to say anything right now. As her ability stated—the Logic of Continuation—it merely allowed them to transcend their Destined Death, or rather, allowed them to make decisions that enabled them to transcend it. The rest was no different from the stories she knew.
Therefore, the surging emotions in the hearts of the two before her were understandable.
"Irene, is there anything we can do?" Kallen turned her head to look at Irene. "What should we do?"
Irene looked at Kallen and nodded: [To help, or rather, to save. At least that is what my mission states. We still have time to save Yae Sakura.]
[Only save Yae Sakura?] Kallen looked at Irene, frowning slightly. [Does that mean there is no requirement to save Theresa?]
[I wouldn't say that. If we can save Yae Sakura, the Stigmata's problem will be resolved. So, looking at it that way, Theresa will also be successfully saved in the process.]
[As for exactly how to do it, we'll have to see.]
"Irene," Theresa looked at Irene's expression and realized that she probably wasn't just sleepwalking. "Tell me, what did you discover? My body... what exactly is wrong with it?"
Irene raised her head to look at Theresa: "Principal Theresa, there is a Stigmata on your back that doesn't belong to you, right?"
"Eh? How did you know?" Theresa was stunned at first. She had never told Irene about the Stigmata appearing on her body—specifically, a Stigmata that didn't belong to anyone else. More accurately, aside from the research institute and Himeko, she hadn't told anyone.
"It seems I guessed correctly." Irene looked straight at Theresa. That direct stare made Theresa feel a bit creeped out. "You definitely weren't sleeping just now. And your so-called dreaming wasn't actually dreaming."
"You were dragged into a Stigmata Space, and it was a Stigmata Space in a state of runaway."
"What does 'Stigmata Space' mean?" Theresa looked at Irene with a face full of confusion. "Miss Irene, do you know some secret regarding Stigmata?"
"Correct. Some Stigmata aren't just simple enhancements." Irene nodded. She didn't plan to tell Theresa about the Herrscher of Corruption; that would only cause unnecessary panic.
The more panicked Theresa was, the more likely she would expose a weakness. It was better to let her believe this was just a 'normal' Stigmata runaway that could be resolved, rather than facing a powerful Herrscher.
As long as Theresa remained confident enough in the dreamscape and wasn't easily shackled, her mental flaws wouldn't be too large. Theoretically speaking, Higokumaru's actions would be hindered to a certain extent.
Of course, there was a limit to this. A Herrscher was, after all, a Herrscher. especially since 'She' could completely rely on the Stigmata Space—this super Black Box—to attrition Theresa.
Wait, it wasn't possible to go without sleep forever. Her mental state couldn't remain flawless indefinitely. As long as 'She' found an opportunity, Theresa would lose no matter what.
"Stigmata... internal space?" Theresa's voice still carried doubt. "Mn, but why would a Stigmata run away, and what happens after it runs away?"
"Also, Irene, how do you know this?"
"This is by no means an ordinary Stigmata!" Irene's tone stagnated for an instant, as if she were unwilling to recall something. Finally, she sighed and spoke.
"Because I have seen it. I have seen people who were trapped forever in the space of consciousness because of a Stigmata runaway."
Of course, Irene certainly hadn't seen it, nor did she know if such a situation truly existed. The closest parallel would probably be Siegfried, whom Kevin threw into the Stigmata Space for trials in the later stages.
However, for now, it was enough to fool Theresa. The Cat's ability to disguise and lie was not for show.
Irene leaned forward, looking at Theresa, who now wore a look of terror: "That is definitely not a dream, but a prison on the level of consciousness! Once lost within it, the best outcome is simply never waking up. As for the worst outcome..."
Irene didn't continue, but if the best outcome was already that terrible, what exactly would the bad outcome look like? Theresa didn't even dare to imagine.
"Then... then what should be done?" Theresa immediately gripped Irene's hand tightly, like a drowning person clutching a piece of driftwood, completely unwilling to let go.
Schicksal hadn't researched the fact that Stigmata could contain Stigmata Spaces, or that these spaces could run away and devour human will.
Right now, the only person Theresa could rely on was Irene, who claimed to have encountered this situation. As for counting on Schicksal's research? The day lilies would be cold by then.
"I do have a method." Irene nodded amidst Theresa's expectant gaze. Just as Theresa was about to ask what the method was, Irene's next sentence plunged her into an icy cavern.
"But I can't do it right now. I don't have the corresponding equipment."
"Then say it quickly!" Theresa shook Irene's hand vigorously, no longer caring about the fragility of Irene's body. "What do you need?"
"To resolve the Stigmata Space's runaway, we must enter the interior of the Stigmata Space and solve the source." Irene pushed against Theresa with force, trying to stop her from leaning in closer.
To be fair, if it were any other time, Irene might have been full of bliss having Theresa lean in like this. After all, Theresa could be considered a delicate and soft loli; getting close like this was a total win for Irene.
But right now, Irene felt only painful happiness. Theresa's grip on her hand was simply too strong—it felt like it was going to break.
"So I need technology or an item capable of connecting mental spaces. An ability would also work." Irene endured the pain as she told Theresa the requirements.
"Also, let go of my hand. If this goes on, you'll finish me off before I can help you solve your problem."
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Theresa finally realized that Irene wasn't like Himeko and the others; her frame wasn't that sturdy. "So, we need that kind of thing?"
"Correct. I can only help you if we have that kind of thing." Irene nodded. In her view, helping Yae Sakura was actually quite simple, mainly because she really had Kallen with her.
As long as she had Kallen, it was equivalent to giving Yae Sakura's heart a powerful stimulant. And Yae Sakura herself was the absolute master within her Stigmata Space.
Moreover, if she guessed correctly, she should also be able to bring Pardo and Kallen in through the Palace of Consciousness. When the time came, they could engage in a righteous gang beating. There was no worry about losing.
Currently, within St. Freya, the only things Irene could think of were Bronya's helmet mentioned in the original work, and Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down.
The latter was almost immediately ruled out by Irene. Although reliable, the risk of exposure was simply too great. If Fu Hua told Otto, the situation would be disastrous.
It is common knowledge that a hidden weapon is only a hidden weapon when it is in the dark. If she could successfully complete Sakura Samsara without Otto knowing, she could obtain the strongest hidden weapon against Otto.
The Key of Corruption. Or, if she could take it a step further, perhaps even the Herrscher of Corruption herself wasn't impossible.
As long as she could obtain it, Irene could achieve an absolute counter against Otto. No matter how high his IQ, he wouldn't predict something that 'never existed'.
To Otto, an uncompleted Key of Corruption had a threat level of zero. But a hidden weapon that existed, yet didn't exist in the eyes of everyone else, could definitely blindside Otto.
So Irene had to complete the mission while ensuring to the greatest extent that she wouldn't be discovered by Otto, securing that absolute killing tool capable of blindsiding him.
"Consciousness connection, consciousness connection... Oh, I have a way." Theresa clapped her hands. "The Memorial Arena! Oh, Irene probably doesn't know about it. It's a special training device not yet open to A-Rank Valkyries."
"Right now, that device only exists at Schicksal HQ and here at our St. Freya. It was Grandpa... oh, no, it was something I requested from Headquarters relying on my S-Rank Valkyrie authority."
"Eh?" Irene, who had been thinking about how to ask Bronya for her gaming helmet, was suddenly stunned. So something like the Memorial Arena actually existed.
If there was professional equipment, that was naturally even better. It would surely be more reliable than a gaming helmet.
Of course, she had to be careful not to connect to the network to prevent accidents—like the Herrscher of Corruption getting out. And, naturally, she couldn't let Otto have any channel to know what happened.
"Can it be physically isolated so that only two machines are connected to each other?" Irene looked at Theresa. "One reason is secrecy, the other is for safety."
"No problem. The Memorial Arena itself allows for two machines to connect and conduct training without being online." Theresa nodded. Although she didn't quite understand why they needed to be offline, listening to Irene, the expert, couldn't be wrong.
And indeed, the single-player link function of the Memorial Arena could operate without any degree of networking, achieving a physical severance. After all, one of the functions of the Memorial Arena was to extract memories to form a special training space.
There were always people who didn't want their memories seen by others, so such a setting existed from the beginning.
"Then without further delay, let's move immediately." Theresa didn't want to wait any longer. The threat of a Stigmata runaway was simply too great for her.
She liked to slack off, but she didn't want the kind of slacking off where she slept forever and never woke up.
Irene also didn't want to continue waiting. The longer they dragged this out, the worse Theresa's state would become. Moreover, Pardo and Kallen in her mind were already itching to go.
"It just so happens we don't have anything going on today. I don't have class tomorrow morning either; my classes aren't until the afternoon. I think this much time should be enough, right?"
"If there are classes, I'll get you a leave permit. Anyway, let's solve my problem first!"
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 200 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉