Chapter 172: Testing Rita
A long list of technical specifications and complex introductions could actually be summarized in two simple words: absolutely badass.
The new battlesuit perfectly resolved the glaring pain points of Rovel's combat style—namely, his lack of long-range strike capability and insufficient area-of-effect damage. However, the wearing requirements were another story entirely. Rovel stared at the holographic data, a soul-searching question echoing in his mind. Was this thing actually designed for human beings?
It demanded a baseline requirement of 1800 HW in Honkai Energy resistance. Was this an armor fitting, or a screening process for a Herrscher host?, it required a staggering 2000 points in the Intelligence attribute. Even if Rovel dumped his remaining 100 free attribute points into Intelligence right this second, he would only barely scrape past the 2000 mark.
One had to remember that he had already fused with [Taiyi]. Even under these extraordinary circumstances, his current attributes only just barely qualified him to equip the gear. Otto really thought highly of him. Rovel now seriously suspected the Overseer's underlying motives. Either Otto's plan was to intentionally send a top-tier battlesuit he couldn't use just to annoy him, or the man simply wanted him to die outright from Honkai corruption the moment he put it on.
"Rovel, won't you give it a try?" Rita inquired softly, her crimson eyes observing his dazed expression. "You won't be able to truly feel the power of this battlesuit just by looking at it."
Rovel shook his head, offering a polite smile as he declined. "No, thank you. I still haven't fully recovered from the last battle. I probably won't be able to handle the strain of wearing this thing for a short while, so let's just put it away for now."
"Oh right, I completely forgot about that..." Theresa slapped her forehead, realization instantly dawning on her face.
Medical inspections had shown that after Rovel used [Kalpas] to strike down the colossal Honkai beast Chiyou, his bodily functions had plummeted by over ninety percent. It was a severe state of exhaustion that conventional medical treatments couldn't fix. Hearing Rovel say he would be fine after a while offered some comfort, but Theresa still didn't know exactly how long that recovery process would take.
Rita keenly caught this vital piece of information. Her elegant smile remained perfectly intact on the surface, but she secretly noted the detail about his weakened state in her heart.
"That is a real shame," Rita said, her voice dripping with honeyed warmth. "You should certainly try it on once you have fully recovered from your injuries, Rovel."
An inexplicable sense of closeness emanated from the maid, as if she intentionally wanted to bridge the emotional distance between them. Or, more likely, she was deliberately fabricating this gentle appearance. After all, Rovel didn't believe for a second that the sharp hostility he had felt upon first entering the office was merely an illusion.
Where exactly did that hostility come from? Rovel rubbed his chin, his mind racing through the possibilities.
"Rovel, I'll have someone transport the armor to the Hyperion later. You go back to class first," Theresa instructed, waving her small hand.
Rovel's gaze lingered on the petite Headmaster for a fraction of a second, and the pieces suddenly clicked into place. Could it be that the incident of Theresa dragging him into her room to sleep had already leaked out? Judging by the maid's hidden animosity, it was highly likely.
"Alright, Headmaster," Rovel replied, an inexplicable, teasing smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Then this noon..."
Theresa panicked instantly upon hearing this. Her blue eyes darted nervously toward Rita before shooting Rovel a fierce, warning glare.
"Cough! I am not free this noon!" Theresa declared loudly, her cheeks flushing. "I have to organize last year's financial reports right here in the office. If you need anything, go find Himeko!"
At that exact moment, with his Taixu Sword Intent passively active, Rovel clearly perceived a chilling spike of killing intent radiating from Rita. Although the murderous aura vanished in a flash, it made Rovel absolutely certain of one thing: Rita's true purpose for coming here was definitely not just to deliver a battlesuit.
"Mhm, understood, Headmaster. Make sure to get some rest. If you need help, you can come find me," Rovel nodded smoothly. He then turned his attention back to the smiling maid, his tone soft and measured. "Farewell."
Not long after Rovel exited the room, Rita also fabricated a polite excuse to temporarily leave the office.
Under normal circumstances, she certainly wouldn't have left Theresa's side so easily. She would have stayed to serve the Headmaster premium tea, bake her favorite bitter melon desserts, and offer a relaxing massage to ease her paperwork-induced stress. Seeing Lady Theresa's blissful, happy expression was usually enough to heal Rita's own body and soul.
But things were different now. There was a person named Rovel who had seriously threatened Lady Theresa's precious purity, and he had even possessed the audacity to utter those provocative, suggestive remarks right in front of her just moments ago. Rita could only suppress her overwhelming urge to take care of Theresa. Right now, her priority was to go investigate and gather concrete evidence of Rovel's heinous crimes, and then lock him away in Schicksal's deepest dungeon. Forever.
When Rovel returned to the training grounds, it happened to be time for the practical combat class to begin. Playing the role of a recovering patient, Rovel found a comfortable spot to sit and waited for the girls to arrive. Unsurprisingly, Kiana was still the first person to complete the grueling physical training laps.
"Rovel, where did you go?" Kiana asked curiously, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow as she looked down at him.
"My Schicksal knight armor arrived. Theresa asked me to go over to the office and sign for it," Rovel explained casually.
"The armor is already here? Where is it, where is it? Can you let me see it?!" A brilliant spark of intense curiosity instantly burst from Kiana's azure eyes.
"Theresa said it was sent directly to the Hyperion. I'll take you to see it after class is over," Rovel promised with a nod.
"Yay! Hmm..."
After the initial burst of excitement, Kiana puffed out her cheeks again, deflating like a punctured balloon. The official Valkyrie assessment wouldn't be held until September. That meant she would have to wait at least until the end of the year to finally receive her very own customized Valkyrie battlesuit. Given her notoriously impatient nature, waiting that long felt like absolute torture.
Rovel saw right through her transparent thoughts at a glance. He leaned in close, aiming for her ear.
"What are you doing?" Kiana muttered, moving away from him with a look of exaggerated disdain.
But Rovel simply hooked his arm around her neck, pulling her back and not letting her leave.
"Let me tell you a secret," he whispered softly. "I have a way to let you become a B-rank Valkyrie ahead of time."
Kiana, who had been about to struggle out of his grip, froze instantly upon hearing his words.
"Real— Mmf!" Just as Kiana shouted a single syllable, Rovel clamped his hand over her mouth and made a strict shushing gesture.
Kiana nodded vigorously to show she understood the need for discretion, and only then did Rovel slowly release his hand.
"But there's a difficult problem in front of us," Rovel continued in a hushed tone. "We must convince Himeko to agree to this. If Himeko doesn't agree, even if we have a guaranteed method, we won't be able to go."
"Then what should we do?" Kiana asked, her voice tinged with sudden anxiety.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Rovel reassured her, his eyes glinting with calculation. "When I went to Theresa's office just now, I saw that a Schicksal S-Rank Valkyrie had arrived. There is a high probability she will come over to the training grounds to give some combat guidance. As long as you perform exceptionally well in the upcoming battles, maybe Himeko will agree to let you participate early."
Kiana's eyes gradually lit up with determination. Just as she opened her mouth to declare her resolve, a shadow fell over them. Himeko leaned over, crossing her arms beneath her generous chest.
"What are you two whispering about here?" the fiery-haired major asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Uh... we're discussing whether sweet zongzi or salty zongzi is better! What do you think, Himeko?" Kiana's mind worked at lightning speed, instantly blurting out a food-related question that perfectly fit her gluttonous personality.
"What do I think?" Himeko scoffed, shaking her head in amusement. "I think zongzi stuffed with chili is better. Alright, enough slacking off. Fall in!" Himeko ordered, slapping both of them lightly on the back.
During the time they had been whispering, most of the other students had already completed their physical conditioning and were gathering on the field. And just as Rovel had accurately predicted, Rita soon made her appearance.
As an active S-Rank Valkyrie, Rita was considered a massive celebrity within Schicksal, and her elegant arrival instantly caused quite a stir among the trainees.
"Major Himeko, may I conduct the combat test on your behalf for this class?" Rita asked, her voice carrying an elegant, melodic grace.
"If you're willing, then nothing could be better," Himeko agreed without a second thought. Having an active S-Rank Valkyrie personally provide combat guidance to her students was a rare and valuable opportunity.
"Then, let's start with Rovel." Rita smiled, smoothly pulling out a piece of paper from her maid outfit as if she had anticipated this exact scenario.
On the paper was a roster arranged according to the rankings of the previous practical exam, and the name sitting squarely at the very top of that list was none other than Rovel.
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