After returning to the dormitory, Kiana checked her schedule and noticed that there was a practical combat class scheduled for the next day.
In order to challenge Durandal, the white-haired girl made many preparations, including but not limited to refraining from playing any games at night and going to bed early. She also avoided overeating for breakfast and lunch, opting instead for a comfortable amount of food.
However, this behavior startled Raiden Mei and Bronya, who asked her with concern, "You only ate two bowls of rice today. Is something wrong?"
Kiana pouted, "I'm fine, I'm just preparing for the practical combat class this afternoon."
The two exchanged a glance. They sensed a hint of disbelief in each other's eyes.
As the afternoon approached, Kiana finally stopped hiding her excitement.
She dashed like an unbridled husky, dragging Raiden Mei and Bronya to the classroom for the practical combat class, which was located in the room where the Saint Freya's memory battlefield system was installed.
From a distance, Kiana could see Durandal waiting at the door. Unlike the loose casual outfit she wore when they met in the cafeteria yesterday, Durandal was fully armed today, wearing the blue and white Bright Knight Excelsis and holding the Hler Lance of Eternal Silence. Her golden hair flowed in the wind, radiating brilliance under the sunlight.
"Mm, so cool!"
Kiana muttered to herself. She clenched her fist, about to greet her opponent, but then noticed another person standing beside the golden-haired knight—a person with distinctive white hair, a short stature, and an exaggerated golden cross on her back.
Yes, that person was Theresa Apocalypse, the head of the Far East Branch. She accompanied Durandal to the scene.
Seemingly to express her importance, the school director even changed into a neat nun outfit, carrying the Oath of Judah on her back, complementing Durandal in Bright Knight Excelsis perfectly.
At that moment, Theresa was loudly announcing the precautions for this special combat class to the gathered students. "Those who have confidence in themselves can try to challenge Durandal and test their skills as Valkyries..."
The students discussed in low voices, most of them looking quite conflicted.
After all, Durandal was an S-rank Valkyrie. It would be quite embarrassing if someone went up and got knocked down in one move. Everyone looked at each other, seemingly waiting for the first brave one.
Seeing this, Kiana's charging footsteps suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Kiana?" Raiden Mei asked.
"I see a very troublesome person..." Kiana pursed her lips, saying softly, "It's Theresa Apocalypse. Do you remember her?"
"Of course, she's the school director of Saint Freya, and also the head of the Far East Branch..."
Raiden Mei also saw the figure of the large white-haired loli, she touched her chin, saying softly, "We just left Nagazora City and came to Saint Freya Academy, and it was Theresa who helped us with the enrollment procedures... and..."
Bronya seemed to have a telepathic connection, continuing Mei's words, "And the school director is also Kiana's aunt..."
Kiana twitched her mouth slightly, "Yeah, aunt..."
Although Kiana knew that she had experienced an accident in her childhood, which led to her losing most of her memory, and she would definitely encounter some people she had forgotten but who were very familiar to her in the future, she never expected to meet this person at Saint Freya.
When she first came to Saint Freya with her companions and was taken to the school director's office, she saw a big loli whom the girl called "aunt," which made Kiana feel somewhat at a loss.
After informing Theresa that she had lost her memory, the school director became teary-eyed and lamented, then pulled out a series of evidence from the desk to prove that she was Kiana's "aunt."
Among them, the most heavyweight was an album full of photos of Theresa, Cecilia, Siegfried, and the young Kiana. Holding the album, the white-haired girl found her young and handsome father and her gentle and kind mother inside. Suddenly, Kiana felt her nose tingling.
She remembered seeing Cecilia in her consciousness world in Nagazora City...
Of course, the album also contained a photo of the baby Theresa holding Kiana...
Huh, why does it feel like so many years have passed, and this person hasn't changed at all?
Kiana didn't think too much at the time and directly asked the question in her heart, which naturally earned her a sulking school director.
Theresa answered with a voice full of resentment, "I don't know why I don't grow up either, even though I'm forty years old..."
Looking at the increasingly blackened large loli, the white-haired girl wisely chose to speak from the heart, no longer pursuing this topic, and admitted the identity of the other party as her "aunt."
So, in the days that followed, Theresa often came to visit Kiana, but the two didn't have much experience of getting along with each other, often causing some awkward situations.
Now, the white-haired girl saw Theresa's figure beside Durandal, and she was somewhat worried that when she went to challenge the golden-haired knight, the school director would say something weird, leaving a strange impression on Durandal...
But Theresa had obviously already noticed Kiana's figure, and she waved to the white-haired girl, gesturing for her to come over.
Kiana pursed her lips, nodded to Raiden Mei and Bronya, who still had some worries, "It's okay, I'll go over and say hello to Auntie first."
The girl with blue-purple long hair squeezed Kiana's hand and whispered, "Relax, we are all Schicksal's students now, we are all on the same side... nothing will go wrong."
"Yeah."
The white-haired girl strode over confidently and came to Durandal and Theresa, "Auntie, Durandal, good afternoon!"
"...Auntie?"
The golden-haired knight tilted her head imperceptibly, her eyes complicated as she glanced at Theresa—do you have this kind of relationship with the Herrscher?
Theresa didn't understand the meaning in Durandal's eyes. She sighed and rubbed her temples, "Kiana, remember to call me the school director when you're outside."
"Oh, I got it..."
The white-haired girl's floppy hair fell flat on her head, looking somewhat dejected.
"Alright."
Theresa tiptoed and helped Kiana adjust her bangs with her hand, saying, "Come, let me introduce you. This is the S-rank Valkyrie Durandal from the Headquarters of Schicksal... This is Kiana Kaslana, my, um... niece? Anyway, she's a lively kid."
Yeah, she's quite lively, lively enough to become a Herrscher.
Durandal and Kiana looked at each other, the atmosphere was very tense, and sparks seemed to fly from their gaze.
"It seems that you have already contacted Durandal before this?"
Theresa pursed her lips, originally intending to incite Kiana a bit, let the white-haired girl become the first student to break the status quo and challenge Durandal, but now it seemed that she didn't need to do anything. Kiana already had this plan on her own.
"Yes, we met in the cafeteria yesterday and agreed to have a practice match today."
Durandal blinked and smiled, "I guess you must be prepared, right?"
"Yes!"
Kiana nodded very seriously, "Lady Durandal, I challenge you!"