Rita's Decision and Kiss

Valkyrie Dormitory.

"I must apologize, Lord Elias. As your maid, having you personally take care of me like this is truly disgraceful."

"Don't say that. Here, eat first."

Inside Rita's bedroom—

The beautiful maid with short ash-golden hair lay exhausted on her bed. Unlike her usual composed and graceful demeanor, she now carried a hint of sluggishness and laziness. Yet, this vulnerability only added to her charm, invoking a desire to protect her.

Elias sat at the edge of the girl's bed and used his authority to examine Rita's condition, confirming that it was merely physical exhaustion that had yet to recover. She wasn't injured.

(Seems it really was just a spar with Mei. I was overthinking it. Then again, both Mei and Rita are level-headed girls. It's unlikely they'd actually break into a fight or something like that.)

With that thought, Elias let out a breath of relief.

To be honest, he had been a bit worried that upon opening the door, he'd find Rita missing an arm or a leg.

After all, while Mei is usually calm. (Not always.)

The Queen, on the other hand, is always aggressive!

"Heh, still... this is a rare sight."

"What is it, Lord Elias?"

"Nothing. Just thinking how it's usually you taking care of me. Now, with roles reversed, I finally get a chance to take care of you."

Elias placed a small table on the bed and set the warm dishes in front of Rita.

Though he wouldn't mind feeding her with an "ah~" gesture—in fact, if it were Kiana or Bronya, he would've started already—

Unfortunately, while Rita's favorability was steadily rising, it still wasn't quite high enough for such couple-like intimacy.

"As expected... such a neat and tidy room."

Elias glanced around and commented. He had briefly considered helping the maid tidy up her room, but immediately realized he wouldn't get the chance.

After all, Rita Rossweisse was a perfect maid.

How could her room possibly have even a speck of dust?

"Thank you for the compliment. But, you know, it's not very polite to stare around a girl's room like this."

"You're right. But do you mind, Rita?"

"Hehe, well... if it's Lord Elias, then I suppose I don't mind at all."

Even in a state of exhaustion, Rita Rossweisse maintained perfect elegance.

She gazed at the boy before her and thought: let this peaceful and lovely moment be a reward for my efforts today. I hope you don't mind, Miss Mei.

Mei: (I absolutely mind! You wretched maid!)

But Rita's mischievous thoughts went no further.

Like the dishes she so perfectly prepared, she precisely measured each moment. Without any excessive behavior, she simply savored this moment of shared space.

If you asked whether Rita liked Elias now—

The answer would be yes.

But if you asked whether it was love—

Then no, not quite yet.

Rita enjoyed the occasional flutter Elias brought her. She was content with no longer playing the black-gloved hand, able instead to focus on being both a Valkyrie and a maid.

Compared to Schicksal, St. Freya Academy was far too full of sunshine. Her assassination techniques and spy skills had not seen much use for a long while.

Rita couldn't help but feel her edge in those areas had dulled considerably.

Though she had originally been handed over to Elias as a bargaining chip by a certain inhuman Overseer, she never expected that it would allow her to leave her assassin self behind.

The time spent in the Valkyrie dorm—

To Rita, was a time of healing.

...

"Ehh~ Even though Lady Durandal is still with Schicksal, I find myself less and less inclined to return."

"That's good then. Abandoning darkness for the light is always a good thing."

"Only Overseer Otto is the darkness. The majority of Valkyries in Schicksal are quite bright, you know," Rita added.

Elias shrugged, not disagreeing.

Aside from being ruled by that inhuman Otto, Schicksal had always been committed to fighting the Honkai.

Unfortunately, while he could now easily dethrone Theresa and claim the title of ruler of St. Freya Academy, he still couldn't usurp the position of Overseer of Schicksal.

Well, maybe not entirely impossible.

Elias could time-travel to the past, after all.

(Tch, last time it was all "my friend" this, "my friend" that, and the favorability didn't go up at all. Damn dog Otto, if you really think of me as a friend, let me time travel back 500 years and just off you myself!)

Come to think of it, Otto really took the long way around.

His lifelong dream of saving Kallen Kaslana could've been fulfilled in the simplest way—by genuinely becoming Elias' friend. Elias could then time-travel back over 500 years to a time Otto could never reach.

And erase Saint Kallen's tragedy altogether.

In hindsight, Otto's eventual false-godhood, his decision to touch the Imaginary Tree and forge a new timeline to save Kallen, might actually have been the correct choice.

After all, if you simply rewound the current era back 500 years, even if Otto succeeded in saving Kallen once...

Due to fate's corrective force, she would still inevitably die.

Because that was her destined fate.

Using time travel to save someone from the past—

That was an ability exclusive to Elias.

As an outsider to this world, he alone was immune to correction, capable of changing predetermined fate and saving those long gone.

"Speaking of which, Lord Elias, I overheard something downstairs earlier... You and Miss Kiana..."

Rita suddenly changed the subject, blinking her beautiful eyes. She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

"Ahem! Those who know, know."

Elias gave an awkward cough and averted his gaze.

"Right, it's pretty self-explanatory. Still... you've chosen to become Miss Kiana's pillar of support, even after uncovering Overseer Otto's plans."

Rita commented with a touch of emotion.

After Fu Hua left Schicksal and switched allegiances, she had informed Elias of Otto's plans. Rita trusted that someone as sharp as him had already deduced the Fool's entire scheme.

And as Otto Apocalypse's former black-gloved hand, Rita knew more than most—perhaps even more than Fu Hua, though not everything.

But a woman as intelligent as Rita had, to some extent, already discerned Otto's objective and some of his methods.

"Perhaps the Overseer's goal is to use everyone's bonds with Miss Kiana—especially yours—to assist in awakening the Gem of the Void inside her."

The Gem of the Void was an especially unique Herrscher Core, unlike the Herrscher of Reason or Herrscher of Thunder.

Schicksal had long confirmed that if the person fused with that Core awakened as a Herrscher, there was a high probability they would become a Herrscher of the Honkai, hostile to humanity.

During the Second Eruption, the first Herrscher of the Void (Elias) had not been taken over by the Herrscher consciousness inside the Core, instead acting as a human who wielded its power.

But that Herrscher consciousness hadn't disappeared. It remained dormant within the Gem of the Void all these years.

And judging by what happened when young Kiana briefly experienced Herrscherization and was temporarily controlled by that Herrscher persona—

The result was Siegfried's left arm being broken and an entire Valkyrie squad being wiped out.

The Herrscher persona within the Gem of the Void harbored a deep hatred for humanity.

"If we wish to avoid falling into Overseer Otto's plan, then perhaps the correct approach would be to keep a distance from Miss Kiana—in other words... avoid forming a deep bond with her."

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen."

Elias shook his head without hesitation.

As the captain of Honkai Impact 3rd, how could anyone resist forging a bond with the ultimate, incredibly, overwhelmingly adorable Kiana? If he were to do that, then what would be the point of his time travel?

Rita wasn't surprised by Elias' answer.

But precisely because of that, she felt concerned.

"I knew you'd say that. But if you go down this path, you're bound to face off against Overseer Otto soon."

After all, Otto Apocalypse was just waiting for the moment Kiana's favorability toward Elias maxed out.

Yet Elias gave a confident smile, completely unfazed.

"Don't worry. He has his schemes, and I have my cards to play. If it comes to a confrontation, I'm not afraid of that bastard. I've already gathered enough strength and trump cards."

"As expected of you, Lord Elias."

Seeing him so full of confidence, Rita smiled in admiration. The boy's composure and self-assuredness gave peace of mind to all who followed him.

"Naturally. But while I have nothing to worry about... what about you, Rita? I have a feeling a storm is coming. When that time comes, what will you choose?"

Elias crossed his arms and asked with interest.

"That..."

Rita's eyes flickered with hesitation.

When Otto and Elias clashed, it would mark the moment Schicksal and St. Freya Academy went to war.

And though she was nominally Elias' personal maid now, she was still officially an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal.

That would put Rita squarely in the middle.

Her position would be extremely awkward. In the end, she would have to pick a side—and neutrality likely wouldn't be an option.

Elias rested his cheek on his palm, quietly enjoying Rita's troubled expression.

He was confident that she wouldn't choose to oppose him, but he also wanted to savor her moments of indecision and internal conflict.

However...

"If that time truly comes, then I will choose to fight by your side, Lord Elias."

"Oh? That's more decisive than I expected."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised at her lack of hesitation.

"Because I believe you will win. And isn't it only natural to stand with the victor?"

"Haha, sharp thinking—as expected of you."

Elias laughed heartily and clapped his hands.

Rita smiled back politely.

Though she appeared decisive on the outside, inside she was nervous.

She truly believed Elias would win, but his opponent was none other than Otto Apocalypse.

Who knew what kind of inhuman and insidious tactics that man might pull? This would be a gamble for Rita as well—a test of faith.

She had staked her bet on Elias' victory.

If he lost, she would be branded a traitor to Schicksal, without question…

But if he won, it would prove her judgment correct—and that the man before her was indeed the greater hero, more capable than Otto Apocalypse of leading humanity to triumph over the Honkai.

Once Rita was convinced of that truth—

She would offer him her absolute loyalty.

If the coming clash with Otto was the final boss battle of a game, then defeat would mean losing all equipment and never having another chance.

But if Elias won… one of the rewards awaiting him would certainly include a fully loyal max-affection character—"Rita Rossweisse's Absolute Devotion."

"You must give it your all, Lord Elias. I've bet everything on you. Though... if possible, please don't make me face Lady Durandal."

"I'm afraid I'll have to apologize in advance. If Durandal really shows up, I'll most likely drag you into the fight too."

Having a best friend from the enemy faction on your team—

Might just apply a "holds-back-a-little" debuff to the golden goose.

"That would be quite a problem."

"Hehe, then maybe you could try persuading Durandal to switch sides when the time comes."

"I don't think that's likely. Lady Durandal... she's quite stubborn."

Rita gave a bitter smile as she replied.

That golden goose was the type who'd never back down unless she slammed into a wall—and even then, with her strength, she could probably break through it.

Just thinking of that spear that looked like it could pierce stars—and the bug-like strength of its wielder—made Rita shudder and break into a cold sweat.

(With the years of friendship between me and Lady Durandal, I hope she'll hold back... at least a Pacific Ocean's worth. That way I might still be standing at the end—rather than lying down...)

Though the chances were slim.

Rita still decided she would try to persuade her.

After all, there was no future in following Otto. She had found a new possibility in this Valkyrie dormitory—a new hope for defeating the Honkai.

...

Rita gazed at the boy before her, beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

(If it's Lord Elias... with his charm, he might just be able to win over every future Herrscher. Just like how Miss Mei completely fell for him!)

If that happened, the war against the Honkai might turn into something else entirely—something like... Honkai: Date A Live!

"Rita~ That look in your eyes tells me you were just thinking something weird."

"Ah, no, not at all. How could that be."

"Heh, alright then. It's getting late. I really enjoyed our talk tonight. You should get some rest."

Elias checked the time. Without realizing it, he'd been in the maid's room for nearly three hours. Time always flew when he was with this elegant beauty.

The sky outside had grown dark.

If he didn't leave now, with how well people like Mei knew him, they'd probably think he had already... done something.

But just as he was about to leave, Rita grabbed his hand.

"Lord Elias, there's one last thing... please come a little closer."

"Hm? What is it? This close enough?"

"Not quite. A bit closer, please."

Elias moved to sit even closer at her bedside, but the Herrscher of Desire shook her head.

So Elias leaned in again—until his face was nearly touching hers.

"This close?"

"Mm~"

Just as Elias thought she was going to whisper something into his ear—

Two soft, fair hands gently cupped his cheeks.

And the next second, her red lips landed on his.

Elias' eyes widened in surprise.

The maid before him blushed slightly, her smile pure yet seductive.

"Think of it as an advance blessing for your victory, Lord Elias. Please, make sure you win."

"Gulp! And if I do—will there be more?"

"You're really greedy, you know. But... whatever it may be, I'll grant your wish."

"Hissss~ Suddenly I feel like tearing Schicksal down right now. Otto, my dear friend, do me a favor and just go die already!"

Elias suddenly understood why it was so easy to lose control around a woman like this. With someone this charming—so pure, so seductive, so naturally alluring—teasing you like that...

A man losing his rationality was perfectly understandable!

If Rita had lived in ancient times, she'd absolutely have the potential to be one of those legendary beauties said to bring down empires.

Not to mention, besides maxing out her charm, she was also a dual-A in strength and speed who could swing a scythe and take down enemies.

Ah~ that made her even more irresistible!

As Elias floated away from the girl's room, still dazed by the charm of this Herrscher of Desire—

Inside the room...

"Uuuuuuuu~!!"

The sound of a kettle boiling echoed.

The previously composed and seductive Rita was now buried under her blanket, her face red enough to drip water.

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