"Congratulations, Himeko. You're fully recovered now."
"With your current condition, living for a few centuries won't be a problem at all."
(Good luck getting me to ever allow anything like 'The Final Lesson' to happen now.)
Elias stood with his hands on his hips, having adjusted Himeko's body to its most perfect state.
Forget about Honkai energy corrosion—even all her old injuries had been completely healed. In this condition, living one or two hundred years would be a piece of cake.
Although, with the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, Elias could easily control Himeko's cells—
He could stop aging entirely, even reverse it, allowing her to achieve eternal youth or even return to childhood.
But for now, there was no need to go to such extremes.
Anyway, with Elias around, the people by his side would never have to worry about physical health again.
"Thank you, Elias..."
Himeko stared at the boy before her, her eyes growing misty.
"I can't believe this is happening... Am I dreaming?"
She touched her healthy body all over, feeling a lightness she hadn't experienced in ages. Ever since undergoing the Valkyrie artificial stigmata surgery, she had never felt so comfortable.
"But what exactly happened? How did you end up becoming a Herrscher? It's too shocking."
"Emmm, well, a friend told me that someone sent over a Gem of Serenity. He notified me to come pick it up. After I got it, I fused it into my body and then became a Herrscher."
Elias swung the blue-black scythe he was carrying and struck a cool pose.
"I named myself the Herrscher of Rebirth, a Herrscher who controls life and death. Pretty impressive, right?"
"..."
Himeko didn't even know what to say. That explanation was way too oversimplified. What kind of friend could casually gift a Herrscher Core?
And even if an ordinary person got a core, it would be useless. The odds of becoming a Herrscher were one in a million—no, one in tens of millions! Yet Elias simply became one.
The odds were lower than randomly buying a lottery ticket and winning billions! What kind of absurd luck was this?
"Um, so Elias... you became the Herrscher of Rebirth to save me?"
"Hmm? Ah~ You could put it that way. But I'm only telling you because I trust you, Himeko. You mustn't tell anyone else—except Mei, Kiana, Bronya, Seele, and Theresa. Not even Fu Hua for now."
"Alright, I understand."
Himeko agreed without the slightest hesitation.
She could tell Elias was hiding a lot.
For example, where he really got the Gem of Serenity, how he was able to become the Herrscher of Rebirth, why Fu Hua couldn't be told, and so on.
Ordinarily, anyone would be desperate to dig out the answers to these critical questions. But Himeko felt no need to pry.
To her, there was only one thing that truly mattered.
This person became a Herrscher willingly—to save her.
Everything else was unimportant.
Since Elias had become a Herrscher to save her, then she should trust him unconditionally and stand by his side—that was only proper.
Besides, just looking at Elias made it clear: he was without a doubt a Herrscher who still retained his humanity.
"Since you've recovered, there's no need for you to keep lying in a hospital bed. Let's go home, Himeko."
"Yeah. I've never liked hospitals, all white and smelling of disinfectant."
"Hmm? Himeko, you don't like white?"
Elias blinked and regretfully ruffled his drooping bangs.
Seeing this, Himeko chuckled and shook her head, then raised her hand to gently ruffle Elias' soft, snowy hair.
"Don't worry, no one in this world would dislike your white hair. I love it too. But... Elias, hasn't your hair gotten a lot longer? Wasn't it short before?"
Himeko asked curiously.
"I'm not really sure either. After I fully became a Herrscher, it just grew on its own. Actually, the same thing happened to Mei—her purple hair is normally waist-length, but once she activates her Herrscher mode, it reaches the ground."
Elias touched his back and found that his hair had already grown down to his waist.
Come to think of it, it seemed that long hair was practically a required trait for a complete Herrscher form.
"Well, it suits you."
Himeko then got off the hospital bed and stretched her proud figure deeply.
Under the bright moonlight, Elias caught a glimpse of some sights he shouldn't have seen—especially the nearly-bursting buttons on Himeko's chest that left a vivid impression.
"Let's go, back to our dorm."
"Yeah. Better leave a note, though. Otherwise, when they find you missing in the morning, it'll cause a panic."
"Good point, hehe. Though I bet Theresa will get a huge scare tonight."
But she would also be overjoyed.
The unavoidable problem of Valkyries suffering Honkai erosion finally had a complete solution now.
Himeko understood Elias' character. He wasn't the kind of person who could turn a blind eye to tragedy happening before him, especially when he had the power to help.
There were many others at St. Freya Academy suffering from Honkai erosion, not just Himeko.
Most A-rank Valkyries had lived since the Second Eruption and were severely eroded by now.
But now everyone had a chance at rebirth. They would no longer have to rely on daily medications just to barely survive.
...When the two returned to the dormitory...
As expected, the girls were all fast asleep.
"By the way, Elias, is there any dinner left? I'm feeling a little hungry now."
"Unfortunately, no. Neither I nor Mei cooked dinner today. Seele can cook, but no one was really in the mood today, so we just made do with instant noodles."
Elias glanced at the trash can full of empty noodle cups. Honestly, he hadn't eaten dinner either.
After a full day of training, he had been about to cook when he heard the terrible news about Himeko's hospitalization. Afterward, he flew straight from St. Freya to Chicago, became a Herrscher, and flew back to heal Himeko.
Elias: "Haaah~ Feeling a bit exhausted."
Himeko: "...If you don't mind, I'll whip something up. Also, how about drinking a few glasses with me tonight?"
Elias: "Sure. Even instant noodles with spam and egg sounds like a feast when you're hungry."
Though it was just instant noodles, canned luncheon meat, an egg, and some vegetables, as Himeko's signature dish, it still tasted pretty good. Elias said he'd go take a bath first—the Pacific sea breeze had left him longing to soak in hot water.
Watching the boy yawning and heading into the bathroom, Himeko thought: hopefully he wouldn't fall asleep mid-bath like a certain flip-flop girl and nearly drown himself.
"Alright, time to make an effort... Ah, if only I knew how to cook more dishes."
Himeko pulled out two packets of instant noodles from the cabinet, smiling wryly to herself. She wanted to show off a little, but if instant noodles were all she could cook, there wasn't much she could do.
She regretted a little not learning a few more recipes earlier. Now, even if she wanted to express her gratitude, all she could do was toss two extra eggs into Elias' bowl.
Fortunately, it wasn't just noodles—Himeko still had wine. She pulled out two bottles of fine liquor from deep in the wine cabinet, both with excellent alcohol content.
Though she wasn't sure if alcohol could affect a Herrscher at all, truthfully, even back when drinking with Elias before, she had never seen him get drunk.
After soaking for about ten minutes, Elias emerged from the bathroom.
The steam had left his cheeks slightly flushed.
"Yo? Red wine with instant noodles and luncheon meat? That's a fresh combo."
"Well, it's the only thing I know how to cook."
"No problem. As long as it's delicious, it doesn't matter how many dishes you can make."
"Coming from you, that's not convincing at all."
Himeko thought of Elias' and Mei's cooking skills, both good enough to run a Michelin-starred kitchen, and felt a tiny bit envious.
Slurp~ slurp~ slurp~
Starving, Elias immediately sat down and started digging in.
Slurping noodles was a wonderful thing. Elias mused that even Kevin hadn't gotten tired of it after fifty thousand years. He wondered if Kevin had finished the crate of instant noodles he left last time.
"Hmm? This wine is pretty good too."
Elias looked at the wine in his goblet in surprise.
Even though he didn't like drinking much because he couldn't get drunk, he could still appreciate quality. He could tell immediately that Himeko had brought out some real treasures.
Without holding back, he downed two glasses in a row.
"...You really don't get drunk, huh."
Himeko looked regretfully at Elias face, which hadn't reddened in the slightest. Meanwhile, after just half a glass, her cheeks had already bloomed with a rosy hue. She wondered if there even existed a liquor strong enough to make him drunk.
"I seem to be immune to alcohol."
"That's too bad. By the way, Elias, have you drunk with others before? Women?"
"...I have a friend who owns a bar—uh, the bar's just one of her businesses. After missions, she'd always invite me for a couple of drinks."
The image of Raven surfaced in Elias' mind.
He wondered how Natasha was doing. Hopefully, she had managed to buy that island villa she dreamed of.
Hopefully, it hadn't sunk this time.
Come to think of it, one of the rewards from his previous space-time settlement had included an island villa.
(It's been a while... I do kinda miss Raven. I wonder if her affection for me has risen enough that she might break through the system's memory restrictions next time we meet.)
(If Raven recognizes me when we meet again, I'll give her the villa. If not... hehe! I'll "borrow" her Seven Thunders of Retribution for a few days.)
"So you have drunk with others. I thought so—you always looked so professional drinking. I figured someone must've taught you... Let me guess: she often made you drink really strong stuff?"
"That friend of mine was great at mixing her own drinks. But you're right—each time, the alcohol percentage got higher and higher."
Elias swirled the goblet in his hand.
After taking a sip, he lifted it toward the moonlight, admiring the crimson liquid. He always enjoyed beautiful things, and often regretted that he couldn't get drunk.
Raven used to personally mix each drink after missions, each one stronger than the last, as if trying to finally get him drunk—though she failed every time.
"Hehe~ I can understand how your friend felt."
Himeko showed a meaningful smile.
"Oh? Mind sharing?"
Elias immediately asked with curiosity.
"Well, I think any woman who drinks with you would really, really want to see you drunk. But since you can't get drunk... in the end, they can only end up drunk themselves."
"...Is that so? Himeko, you too?"
"Mhm~ Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought out such expensive wine tonight. It's just a pity—you still can't get drunk."
Himeko's beautiful, mature face turned bright red as she lightly flicked her wine glass, producing a crisp sound, before downing the rest of her drink in one gulp.
If there existed a wine strong enough to get Elias drunk, she felt she'd buy it without even glancing at the price tag... Perhaps his friend had thought the same way.
"Himeko, are you drunk?"
Elias waved his hand in front of her face, thinking that for once she wasn't getting rowdy. He remembered how the last time she got drunk, she had started taking off her clothes—an unforgettable sight.
Though he found it strange, Elias didn't understand why, when women failed to get him drunk, they would end up drunk themselves.
"Hehe, don't underestimate my drinking tolerance, Elias. It'll take more than that to get me drunk... Huh? Why's there a giant pancake in the sky? That's weird."
"Looks like you're really drunk. And that's the moon."
"Is that so? So that's the moon, huh~ It's beautiful. I'd love to visit it someday."
Himeko leaned against the window sill, seemingly entranced by the bright moon. She even reached out with childish longing.
Elias took another sip of wine and shook his head.
"Not much to see. The moon's covered in craters. Pretty boring, really."
"Heh~ I said 'moon,' you said 'moon's surface.'"
"Uh, fair enough."
Elias paused, then nodded in agreement.
He hadn't expected a drunk Himeko to win an argument with him—or to reveal such a romantic side. It opened his eyes a bit.
But then Elias remembered: Himeko had always been a romantic soul.
She had read Tagore's poetry collections. Her original dream was to explore the sea of stars, but due to her father's influence, she had taken a different path and become a Valkyrie.
The Himeko aboard the Astral Express was probably the embodiment of this Himeko's unfulfilled dream.
"Elias, would you like to hear about my past?"
Drunk Himeko suddenly asked.
"If you're willing to tell, I'm willing to listen."
Elias set down his wine glass.
Himeko smiled and gazed up at the starry sky, lost in memories.
"Actually, my father was a scientist for Schicksal. Because of him, I always dreamed of becoming a physicist. Believe it or not, I almost got into Caltech at the age of 15."
"Hmm, hard to imagine. Himeko doesn't really seem like the studious type."
"Hey, are you mocking me?"
Himeko weakly punched Elias in the chest, but her expression soon darkened.
"But then one day, my father died. I never learned the details. I just found some documents about Schicksal on his desk... and to investigate further, I became a Valkyrie."
"Thinking back, it's almost laughable. I gave up my Caltech education, my dreams, and even accepted the life-shortening artificial stigmata surgery, just to become something I never wanted to be."
"Elias, tell me... did I live my life right? Did I make the wrong choice back then?"
Suddenly, Himeko lunged forward, grabbing Elias' shoulders and staring at him with confused, tearful eyes.
"..."
Elias froze for a moment.
He didn't know why Himeko was revealing her past so openly now. Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Maybe, no matter what he said, she would forget by morning.
But he felt that he had to answer seriously.
"Himeko, I don't have the right to judge your life. But... even if you ended up on a different path than you originally planned, that doesn't mean your life was wrong."
"At the very least, I love the Himeko of today. Not just me—Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Seele, Theresa, everyone at St. Freya Academy loves you too."
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