As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

"How is this possible..." Chen Yuan's voice was almost inaudible, but the shock and pain contained within it were clearly discernible. He jumped off Rita's shoulder, landed steadily on the ground, and staggered forward until he stood firmly in front of Himeko.

Bianca and Rita stood frozen in place, their gazes fixed on Himeko, as if immobilized by a spell. Shock was clearly visible on their faces.

Bianca, in particular, felt her heart, which had been hanging in suspense because of Ragnar's long absence, now sink completely. A sliver of hope for Ragnar's safe return and the disappointment that followed the wait had been completely swallowed up by endless worry and fear.

His eyes became empty and lifeless, like two long-dried-up wells that had lost all their light in an instant, as if no emotion remained within them.

"Liar...liar! How could this be? You...you must be joking!" Bianca's voice trembled slightly, with obvious sobs, sounding so fragile and helpless.

At the same time, he stared intently at Himeko, trying to find even the slightest trace of a lie in her expression.

But every word Himeko uttered was like a sharp blade, mercilessly slicing through Bianca's heart, bringing wave after wave of excruciating pain.

Her heart suddenly raced, pounding like a frantically beating war drum. At the same time, her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.

Himeko nodded heavily, her eyes filled with deep sorrow. "I'm sorry, what I said is true. We've tried everything, used every resource we could, but so far..."

At this point, Himeko sighed, but gritted her teeth and continued, "We still haven't obtained any information about Captain Ragnar's whereabouts. It's as if he suddenly evaporated from this world, leaving no trace for us to follow."

"I see..." Rita nodded slightly, her seemingly calm face masking a turbulent inner storm. Instinctively, she clenched her hands tightly, her once meticulously manicured nails digging deeply into the soft flesh of her palms, yet Rita felt no pain whatsoever. "How could this be...?"

At that moment, Himeko's voice broke the brief silence: "I learned of your existence from Captain Ragnar."

"Since receiving the news, we have searched with all our might, but so far we have not found any valuable clues. I'm afraid Captain Ragnar may not even..."

At this point, Himeko suddenly stopped, unable to bring herself to utter the worst possible scenario, the one that no one wanted to face.

Upon hearing this, Bianca's face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, and crystal-clear teardrops swirled in her eyes.

But she stubbornly bit her lower lip, trying hard not to let the tears fall. At the same time, her hands involuntarily clenched into fists, and because she used so much force, her nails dug deep into the skin of her palms, leaving shocking bloody marks.

Although the deep sorrow within her heart surged like a raging black tide, crashing against Bianca's heart like waves, she gritted her teeth and used all her strength to resist this torrent of emotions, trying her best to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.

Himeko, standing to the side, quietly observed the two's reactions. Only when she saw Bianca and Rita gradually calm down from their initial agitation did she nod in satisfaction.

"While finding Captain Ragnar's whereabouts is of utmost importance, it is not my sole purpose in coming here."

Then, Himeko paused slightly, as if considering what to say next. After a moment, she took a deep breath and continued.

"I've heard about you two from Captain Ragnar. He said that you are both outstanding among your peers in terms of both talent and actual combat ability."

"Furthermore, as far as I know, you have always harbored the dream of becoming outstanding Valkyries. For these reasons, I have come here today to formally extend a sincere invitation to you—I hope you will join St. Freya Academy."

Upon hearing this, Bianca's previously tense nerves instantly ignited. She slammed her hand on the table in front of her, and with a loud "bang," the sudden sound echoed throughout the room.

His eyes widened in anger as he stared intently at Himeko before him, and he roared, "St. Freya Academy? You actually have the nerve to talk to us about this? What a joke!"

"The fate of our predecessor Ragnar remains unknown, and his whereabouts are still unknown. As his companion, instead of doing your best to find him, you come here to persuade us to join some academy?"

Bianca's emotions erupted like a volcano, her eyes burning with anger and resentment. Her gaze was filled with distrust and blame towards Himeko, as if Himeko's words had just betrayed Ragnar.

"I can't turn away at such a crucial moment! I must find Ragnar no matter what!" Bianca's voice trembled slightly as she spoke urgently, pointing her finger directly at Himeko.

"And you! You're just using your status as a member of the Stormtroopers to promote St. Freya Academy and put on a show, aren't you? That's the truth!"

"In a way, that's true, but I was just following Captain Ragnar's will." Faced with Bianca's accusation, Himeko did not get angry or argue.

She simply sighed softly, "Actually, I can very well understand the anxiety you all feel right now. But please believe me, I'm not using Captain Ragnar for a show."

"If you truly cherish Captain Ragnar, then you should acknowledge and accept the ideals she holds."

"More importantly, you should go all out to practice and realize the ideals and ambitions she has always dreamed of."

"After all, in this complex world, what is truly widely recognized by people is never just empty, powerless, and baseless words."

Bianca and Rita remained silent for a moment after hearing Himeko's words. Bianca clenched her fists, her face still showing resentment. "But we don't even know where she is, whether she's alive or dead, so how can we fulfill her ideals?"

“It’s very simple, Miss Bianca.” Himeko slowly approached Bianca and knelt down. “That’s precisely why you all need to become stronger. St. Freya Academy has many powerful resources that can help you.”

Bianca bit her lip, deep in thought. Her anger gradually subsided, and reason began to prevail. "Can you guarantee that if we enter the academy, we'll definitely get information about Senior Ragnar?"

“I can’t give a complete guarantee, and it might even just be wishful thinking,” Himeko said, taking a deep breath. “But my teammates and I are all at St. Freya Academy, hoping that one day Captain Ragnar will return!”

"What did you say?" Upon hearing Himeko's words, Chenyuan immediately raised his head, entered Rita's body, and took control of her. "All the members of the Valkyrie Assault Team are at St. Freya Academy?"

Rita's sudden words startled Bianca and Himeko, since Rita had barely said a few words since Himeko entered the room.

"That's right. I didn't participate in the mission for some reason, but after the seniors came back, we all decided to attend St. Freya Academy."

At this point, a hint of confusion flashed in Himeko's eyes. "Although I asked them before, they all said it was Captain Ragnar's idea, and they even showed me the last letter the captain wrote."

'That's...that's great...' At this moment, Chen Yuan couldn't contain his joy. Although he didn't know why he had never seen the other members of Ragnar before, according to Himeko, they were all in St. Freya Academy.

However, in the original story, they all perished alongside Ragnar at K423, the hands of Her Majesty the Queen. This means Ragnar may very well still be alive, but for some reason, she cannot reveal herself!

Chen Yuan tried his best to suppress his excitement and asked through Rita in a calm voice, "May I see that letter?"

Himeko looked troubled upon hearing this. "I'm afraid that won't work. The letter is being kept by those seniors. However, I can tell you some of the general contents of the letter."

"The letter didn't say anything superfluous, just told us to live well and suggested we join St. Freya Academy, and that was it..."

The letter actually contained a lot more, including Ragnar's understanding of her Valkyrie identity and some of her thoughts. It was because of this that Himeko chose to follow her seniors and join St. Freya Academy.

(Please give this poor author some free gifts!! A few clicks to urge me to update!! Thank you, readers!! Please~ Please~).