"Elias, kiss me. Love me."
"As you command, my Princess Mei."
After that, the two of them went wild from morning until dusk.
The first floor of the Valkyrie dormitory, already wrecked from the night before, once again became a battlefield and suffered severe destruction. This time, it was an intense clash between two Herrschers!
At Mei's request to hold nothing back, their battle raged like a storm.
In the end, she collapsed softly into his arms, resting on the only sofa that had survived the devastation.
By the way, Himeko was completely out of commission—this was a battlefield far beyond what an A-rank Valkyrie could endure.
"I'm sorry, Mei."
"...Elias, what exactly are you apologizing for? Himeko? Or what's coming next?"
"Both."
Elias gently stroked the girl's soft hair in his arms, uttering an apology deeper than any he had made in either this life or his last.
"I'm sorry I couldn't control myself... but even more, I'm sorry because I plan to take responsibility for Himeko."
"I know it isn't fair to you, Mei. But I can't pretend last night never happened. Even if you don't forgive me, I won't give up. So... all I can do now is apologize."
Elias smiled bitterly.
He had once told Cocolia and Dr. Maki that when you make a mistake, you must pay the price, repent, and make amends.
But now that he was the one at fault, Elias realized the only thing he could do was apologize to the girl in front of him.
He understood he had made a mistake, and he was willing to bear the consequences—but he did not intend to "undo" it.
Elias had no plans to abandon Himeko.
But that made it unfair to Mei.
Hearing this, Mei clutched tightly onto Elias' clothes. Her bangs covered her eyes, making it impossible to read her expression. Her voice trembled as she asked:
"Elias, are you choosing Himeko and giving up on me?"
"Of course not. I just feel so guilty toward you."
"So... you still want me?"
"...Mei, you're my first love in this world. I would never abandon you. Never."
Elias lifted her chin and looked into her violet eyes, speaking with sincerity. His golden eyes held only honest regret and tenderness. He just didn't know how to make it up to this girl.
"!!!"
Once she was sure she hadn't been abandoned—
Tears burst from Mei's eyes.
She hugged the boy tightly, sobbing like she was afraid of losing him.
It was such a strange situation. Clearly, Elias had done something wrong—yet it was Mei who was crying in fear.
"Thank goodness... Elias, you didn't leave me."
"How could I ever leave you, Mei."
"But... I can't do anything..."
Mei spoke with deep helplessness.
Yes, Elias and Raiden Mei were a loving couple—but even if he saw them as equals, Mei unconsciously viewed herself as lesser.
She believed there was no real equality between them.
Because she was the one who had been saved by Elias.
He had become the light that warmed her heart in the darkest days of her life. Since then, he had protected her, helped her, redeemed her again and again.
He had done so much for her.
But she—she hadn't done much for him at all.
That sense of indebtedness had always made Mei uneasy. She wanted to do something for him, just like he had done for her.
But aside from that one time when she lent him her Honkai energy, Mei had never truly been able to help him.
When that feeling of indebtedness found no outlet for expression, and what happened with Himeko occurred last night, Mei's first reaction was fear.
She feared Elias would break up with her.
Feared that her prince no longer wanted her.
In the end, Raiden Mei was just a girl experiencing her first love.
And that first love, without a doubt, would be both her first and last. Elias was simply too important to her—more than anyone else, even herself.
If Elias ever left her... Mei felt like she might just cease to exist.
"That day, Elias, you protected me. From the moment you stood in front of me, my fate changed. You're the most important person in my life, so... please don't leave me."
"Silly girl, that should be my line. I was worried you might break up with me. I've already become completely dependent on you, Mei."
Now understanding Mei's true feelings, Elias pulled her tighter into his embrace. He couldn't help but marvel at how lucky he was to find a girl so devoted to him.
The two of them remained locked in that tight embrace.
They truly loved each other.
Loved each other enough to forgive all mistakes.
"Mei, I love you."
"Elias, I love you too."
Fingers interlaced, they reaffirmed their feelings for one another and kissed beneath the golden-red dusk... completely oblivious to the several singles outside whose jaws nearly hit the floor.
Kiana: "..."
Bronya: "..."
Seele: "..."
Watching Elias and Mei affectionately clinging to each other as if no one else existed, the three girls who had just returned from school felt like their hearts had taken a critical hit.
While they were working hard in class, learning and training, just what exactly had these two been doing at home?!
And just look at the living room—worse than this morning by at least threefold!
So this was a battle between Herrschers... terrifying! The whole house looked like it had nearly collapsed.
...
Later that evening at dinner.
Due to the serious secondary damage in the living room, repairs would take another full day. Thankfully, the new table had already arrived, so they at least had somewhere to eat.
But despite the dinner being especially lavish tonight, Bronya, Kiana, and Seele all felt like they were being forced to eat something absolutely awful.
Elias sat between Mei and Himeko, and the three of them were happily sharing food with each other.
"So... Mei-sis, about what happened with Elias yesterday..."
"Of course I chose to forgive him."
Mei replied with a blushing face.
At this point, her mood had completely shifted from gloomy to sunny.
After receiving Elias' heartfelt confession, she felt entirely content. After all, she had never asked for much.
She didn't find it hard to accept Himeko's involvement, perhaps because some part of her had always expected things to end up this way.
Mei had already mentally prepared herself.
And to be honest, now that Himeko had joined in, Mei figured her number of sick days might finally be saved. No more taking at least three days off every week.
Elias' overflowing energy could now be split—by maybe one-third.
Though that was still far from enough.
Now that he was the Herrscher of Rebirth, Elias had unlimited stamina and energy. Far from easing, the "battle conditions" on their side were worsening...
"Bronya applies to join the battlefield!"
"Seele and I want a share too!"
Bronya and Dark Seele both voiced their intent to join.
But were promptly rejected by Mei and Himeko.
"Application denied. You two should just give up."
"Yes, it's still too early for the two of you."
"Why?!" x2
"..." x2
Mei and Himeko exchanged glances, their cheeks blushing slightly. After another look at Bronya and Seele, they both firmly shook their heads, rejecting the request.
Their eyes held a trace of pity. That battlefield was still far too intense for Bronya and Seele.
With their small frames, they'd likely collapse within minutes of stepping onto that battleground, eyes rolled back and arms thrown up in defeat.
If they really wanted in, they needed to become Herrschers.
Or sneak in on their own.
But...
Mei: (This time, I have to stay alert. I can't let anyone else take advantage of an opening! I used to think Himeko was reliable, someone I didn't need to guard against—but now... on this battlefield, everyone except me is the enemy!)
She admitted she couldn't handle Elias alone, but even so, she had no intention of sharing him. It was like having more money than you could spend, but refusing to throw it into the street.
Even a generous and composed girl like Mei still had her possessiveness. After all, this was her first love. And her other self was a conquering queen... albeit a bit weak.
Queen Mei had authority, but lacked strength.
...
Three days later...
"What?! Elias, did you just say you became the Herrscher of Rebirth?! And you can cure Valkyries of Honkai erosion?!"
Inside the principal's office at St. Freya Academy—
The official mascot of the academy, who utterly lacked any dignity as an administrator, was left completely stunned by Elias' words.
She even tore her manga in half in shock.
"Ahem. Principal, could you please stand on the desk? I can't see you while you're sitting."
At 145 cm tall, Theresa was completely hidden behind her desk chair—Elias could only see her forehead. She really was the most petite principal he'd ever seen.
He had never met such a legally compliant loli.
"...Don't look at me with that expression."
Noticing Elias' subtly amused gaze, Theresa pouted, her face turning red with frustration. But this only made her seem even cuter, and no more authoritative.
Once she stood up on the chair, Elias finally saw the top of her head.
"Pfft—ahem, okay, back to the topic."
"Hmph! Just because you're tall... One day I'll grow too!"
"Sure, sure. I believe in you. Anyway, about me becoming a Herrscher, keep it a secret for now—especially from Otto Apocalypse."
Seeing Elias' serious expression, Theresa understood the gravity of the situation. She immediately nodded and patted her chest, promising not to tell anyone.
She knew her grandfather's personality all too well. Being the focus of Otto Apocalypse's attention was definitely not a good thing.
Soon enough, shock gave way to excitement.
Theresa leaped from the desk straight to Elias, tugging at his clothes with shining eyes.
"So what you said just now is true? You can actually treat Valkyries suffering from Honkai erosion?"
Valkyries who fought for all the beauty in the world mostly didn't die at the hands of Honkai beasts—they fell to artificial stigma overuse and erosion.
Even the most advanced medical facilities could only slow it down.
This had always been a source of deep anguish for Theresa.
She had seen too many Valkyries consumed by Honkai energy, either turning to ash or becoming zombies.
There had never been a way to save them.
"Of course it's true. Himeko is the best proof. You know she fully recovered yesterday, right?"
"So that was your doing? I thought it was just some miracle from the explosive girl's random good karma. Himeko's body was so heavily eroded by Honkai energy, and she recovered overnight... The only explanation I could think of was divine intervention."
"Heh, the power of a Herrscher isn't far from a miracle, is it? But, Theresa... miracles are never made by gods. They are created by humans."
Elias smiled as he spoke. He was a Herrscher who retained his humanity—the Herrscher of Humanity. He had always been human first.
"...That's very true."
Theresa blinked in surprise, then crossed her arms and showed a look of genuine approval.
She still hadn't completely let go of how Elias had tricked her so badly on their first meeting, but she had to admit she liked the guy.
Though... after letting him into the academy, over 90% of the Valkyries were now secretly crushing on him. Hmph, maybe she did regret bringing him in!
"That said, if this happened yesterday, why are you only telling me now? This is huge."
"Ah, well... a few unexpected things happened."
Elias awkwardly looked away.
He had been too busy dealing with the Mei and Himeko situation. Honestly, that might've been the biggest crisis of his current life.
Thankfully, it ended peacefully. Mei loved him deeply, and he and Himeko were now properly committed.
"Ahem. Anyway, from now on, Valkyries at the academy don't need to worry about Honkai erosion. Just let me know who's in critical condition, and I'll treat them directly."
"But let's keep the details vague. Just say Anti-Entropy developed some kind of anti-Honkai serum."
It wouldn't be long before it became true anyway.
Even though Dr. Maki mentioned the serum required huge resources, with Welt as the Herrscher of Reason, Elias didn't think that would be a problem.
Worst case, they'd just work poor old Yang to the bone. If he died of exhaustion, he could just do a sit-up and keep going.
"...Hey, can you only treat our school's Valkyries? Could you try to help those from Schicksal too? Their situation is like ten times worse than ours."
Theresa asked with a hopeful look.
Otto was Otto, and Valkyries were Valkyries. The former was a bastard, but the latter were heroes who protected humanity.
Theresa wanted to save all Valkyries, not just those in St. Freya.
Elias gently patted her head.
"Don't worry. The excuse I made up will soon become reality. Anti-Entropy will sell the serum to Schicksal eventually... though the price might make Otto cough blood."
"Really? That's great! I don't mind if Grandpa coughs a little blood. As long as we can save the Valkyries, I'll have Amber divert all his Kallen fantasy funds to buy your serum."
Theresa said this very dutifully.
Elias gave her a thumbs-up.
"Alright, then. I'll head back to class."
"Ah, wait! I have something special for you. I was planning to give it to you later, but since you brought such good news, you can try it now!"
Theresa grabbed Elias by the hand and pulled him toward the academy's armory. With their matching white outfits, they looked like a pair of siblings.
Valkyries passing by widened their eyes in shock.
"Girls, I think I found a new ship to stan."
"Following the main Elias x Mei ship, the popular Elias x Bronya, and the Elias x Kiana, now comes a new faction: Prince Elias x Principal Theresa—the Elias x Theresa ship!"
"Blasphemy! That's heresy! The only canon ship is Elias x Miss Fu Hua—Elias x Fu Hua forever!"
"Hmph! Looks like we can't avoid a fight today. Elbow! To the training ground, for a shipping duel! Elias x Mei reigns supreme!"
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