Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 146

Since Sera had been working in Africa ever since passing her A-rank Valkyrie assessment five years ago, she had very little interaction with Theresa, who was stationed in the Far East.

Theresa, however, was an S-rank Valkyrie, bore the name Apocalypse, and had been personally assigned by Otto. Her arrival in Africa was akin to a central official inspecting regional operations. Sera was deeply concerned that she might misjudge Theresa’s temperament and inadvertently offend her. In the workplace, displeasing a superior was never a good idea.

Seeing Sera’s anxious expression as she voiced her worries, Lewis chuckled and waved his hand dismissively:

“Miss Sera, your concerns are unnecessary. Although I haven’t interacted much with Lady Theresa, I can assure you she is nothing like what you’re imagining. She is kind and approachable, never flaunting her authority when speaking with Valkyries of any rank. She would never say something like ‘I’m an S-rank Valkyrie’ to assert superiority.”

“In fact, before Lady Cecilia’s sacrifice, headquarters tried several times to confer the title of S-rank Valkyrie upon Lady Theresa, but she refused each time, believing she wasn’t worthy. It wasn’t until after Lady Cecilia fell in the Second Honkai Eruption, when the Schicksal was reeling from heavy losses and needed an S-rank Valkyrie, that she finally accepted the title.”

“So, when facing Lady Theresa… I think it’s best not to be too reserved. Just answer her questions honestly—say what you know, and if you don’t have the answer she’s looking for, as long as you haven’t lied and your reasoning is sound, she won’t blame you excessively.”

Sera nodded thoughtfully, taking his words to heart.

On July 13th, Theresa’s private plane arrived in Cairo. Following Lewis’s advice, Sera adhered to protocol, dispatching a B-rank Valkyrie to pick Theresa up in a standard-approved car and escort her to the African branch headquarters.

During their meeting, Sera introduced herself just as she had with Lewis the day before, keeping her words straightforward and devoid of unnecessary flattery. However, out of respect for Theresa’s seniority, she spoke with a slightly more deferential tone and occasionally glanced at her discreetly.

“Although I’ve long known that Lady Theresa’s physical growth halted at age twelve due to special circumstances, actually seeing such a petite Valkyrie in person… she seems… incredibly cute? No, no—that’s far too disrespectful.”

Sera’s subconscious head-shaking caught Theresa’s attention.

“Is something wrong, Sera? Did I misspeak earlier?”

Being in an unfamiliar environment like the African branch, Theresa grew uneasy when she noticed Sera glancing at her repeatedly and shaking her head almost imperceptibly. She knew all too well that the success of her mission in Africa depended heavily on the cooperation of the local branch. The last thing she wanted was for the staff to harbor unspoken objections to her actions, only to express their discontent through passive resistance in their work.

“No, no, Lady Theresa, everything you said was correct.”

“Then why were you shaking your head?”

“Ah… well…”

Theresa braced herself, ready to accept any criticism. If a few pointed words were all it took to ensure no one brought personal grievances into their work, she could handle it.

Recalling Lewis’s advice, Sera decided to take a leap of faith:

“I… this is my first time meeting you, Lady Theresa, and I just thought… I thought you were… the cutest in the world!”

The moment the words left her mouth, everyone in the room widened their eyes and turned their attention to the two of them. Some even gave Sera a thumbs-up. Both Sera and Theresa immediately flushed bright red, wishing they could vanish into the ground.

“Ahem, thank you. Now… where were we?”

Theresa quickly steered the conversation back on track. Though the embarrassment of the moment was overwhelming, both felt a weight lift from their chests.

Sera led Theresa to a building and pointed toward the terminal system.

“Lady Theresa, before your arrival, our Valkyries detected several individuals with abnormal Honkai energy readings. Although there’s no evidence suggesting any of them are Herrschers, I’ve restricted their movements to some extent as a safety precaution.”

Theresa’s heart sank upon hearing this, and she immediately asked Sera to show her their living conditions.

Each of them stayed in a separate room equipped with a bedroom and bathroom. Meals were delivered regularly, and the rooms had internet access. The only requirement was undergoing several tests a day—essentially no different from quarantine during the pandemic, complete with daily PCR tests.

Seeing their situation put Theresa at ease. But upon reflection, she realized she had overreacted out of concern. If this were another Babylon Tower, Sirin would have likely attacked long before her arrival.

“By the way, Lady Theresa, this individual in particular is quite unusual. Although no virtual core was detected, her readings are very strange. Our Valkyries found her with a merchant caravan at the edge of the desert. According to the caravan, she was caught in a sandstorm and was on the verge of death when they discovered her.”

Theresa followed Sera’s pointing finger to Room No. 3. Inside was a gray-haired, green-eyed girl with delicate features and a pure white hair tie holding her long hair in a ponytail.

The test results showed not only a strong adaptability to Honkai energy but also data that appeared as outright garbled code. Theresa knew all too well that if Otto got his hands on her, she could become another Sirin. She absolutely could not allow such a tragedy to repeat itself.

“Ahem, given how unique this individual is, I will… well… take her back to the Far East for personal observation before transferring her to headquarters.”

Though Theresa visibly struggled to sound confident while saying this, Sera raised no objections and promptly began processing the paperwork.

Theresa looked at the child on the monitor with a relieved expression:

“I hope you can experience a relatively normal life at St. Freya.”