This world is cruel to Valkyries.
Only Valkyries bleed and die in the war against the Erosion Species.
Humans always issued their orders from the safety of the rear.
And Valkyries were artificial life forms, born to serve humanity.
No matter how unreasonable a human's command, it had to be obeyed.
No one ever thought to question that fact.
*Unless you're a One-Off Type, they can just mass-produce you in a factory. Excluding the player, the treatment is strangely stingy.*
Well, the inner workings of it all hardly mattered.
What mattered was that this setting felt vaguely… titillating.
What would happen to a Valkyrie who could no longer fight?
The obvious answer was exploitation as cheap labor, but.
Maybe she'd be sold as merchandise at some shady auction house?
The mightiest S-rank Valkyrie, a terror on the battlefield —
Yet perfectly obedient before her human masters… that kind of development seemed entirely plausible.
*I do love a face with its pride and dignity ground to dust…. I'd love for something like that to actually happen.*
Not to me, of course.
But I'd be dead soon enough anyway. No need to worry about it.
Lost in thought as I walked, I suddenly realized I'd arrived at my destination.
As expected, dirty thoughts really do make the time fly.
I snapped off a practiced salute in front of the man before me.
"Valkyrie Leila, returning from patrol duty."
"Oh, right. Head inside and rest."
"Yes, Colonel. Thank you for your hard work today."
"Hahaha! Well, I just sit around all day!"
The one who burst into that hearty laugh was today's duty officer.
Doing this really does make it feel like I've joined the military.
I gave a small bow and slipped out of the command room.
Free time now, with no duties to speak of.
I made my way to the secluded lounge I'd discovered the other day.
I claimed an entire wide sofa for myself and let out a long, slow sigh.
"I'm finally getting used to this life. Humans really are creatures of adaptation."
It had already been a full week since I'd possessed Leila's body.
I'd spent those days remarkably busy.
First, memorizing the names of every member of my assigned unit.
Memorizing the names of everyone I passed and exchanged greetings with.
Quickly memorizing the names of every district in this city I'd landed in….
It might look like all I did was memorize names, but.
Surprisingly, that was the most important thing I could have done.
Because I couldn't afford to let anyone discover there was something wrong with my memory.
*Good thing I didn't claim amnesia.*
Valkyries were designed from birth to be obedient to humans.
But apparently, there were occasional cases of Valkyries with psychological disorders attacking humans.
Meaning — if it came out that I had no memories from before the possession?
There was a high probability I'd be dragged away and "serviced."
My, just hearing that word gave me chills. Did they crack open your head or something?
Still, fortunately, no one had suspected me so far.
I'd been meticulously performing the Leila I'd seen in the original work.
Good thing I joined the drama club in high school.
*Come to think of it…. Provoking Arishia the other day was a little reckless.*
I'd acted on impulse in the heat of the moment, but.
Looking back, it wasn't very Leila-like, and the risk was far too high.
Lucky the fight worked out well enough.
If I'd gotten seriously hurt, it would have been a problem in more ways than one.
*My goal, above all else, is to make the Commander show me a face twisted with anguish.*
Go on the deployment, meet the Commander.
Build some kind of bond, then end up in a wretched state.
And close my eyes in his arms while watching his face.
A truly flawless life plan, if I do say so myself.
But then, all at once, a small unease crept in.
"What if it doesn't go according to plan…."
Come to think of it, I'd been nothing but optimistic this whole time.
What if the Commander turned out to be a boring person, nothing like I imagined?
What if the massive Erosion Species assault didn't come, like it did in the original?
It was possible there might be no deployment at all.
If that happened.
If I wasn't fated to die.
Where on earth was I supposed to find my enjoyment?
Maybe I'd have to do it with my own hands.
*…Well, I'll think about that when the time comes.*
No point agonizing over things that haven't happened yet.
My chest had gone murky for a moment, and I furrowed my brow slightly.
I think I was being needlessly serious just now. Or was that my imagination?
Then, suddenly, I felt a gaze from the direction of the lounge entrance.
I turned my head on reflex — and there was a girl, half-hidden behind the doorframe.
"Arishia?"
"Eep…!"
She's been spotted!
Arishia flinched so hard her shoulders nearly jumped to her ears, as if that was exactly what she'd been thinking.
Come on. She'd been staring so intensely — there was no way I wouldn't notice.
Suppressing the urge to smirk, I told her she could come in.
She hesitated for a moment, then shuffled inside and sat down in the chair across from me.
"…."
"…."
Silence settled over the lounge, just the two of us.
I smiled, as if to say she could speak whenever she was ready.
But Arishia only glared at me, sharp and unrelenting.
*Here we go again….*
This was all too familiar to me.
Ever since the day after I'd claimed victory over Arishia in the Arena.
She'd been coming to find me like this, watching me in silence.
For someone with a fragile heart, this would have been stressful.
But I had a fairly good idea of what was going on in her head.
*She wants to apologize for all the harsh things she's said to me.*
Arishia was the heroine of the original work's first chapter.
One of the investigators who came to the city after Leila's death.
Her past was gradually revealed as the story progressed.
She had a trauma from being betrayed by someone she'd believed was family.
Terrified of being abandoned, she clung to strength to an excessive degree.
She was the type of character who projected her past self onto the weak and despised them for it.
The method for winning Arishia over was simple.
When her trauma was triggered by defeat.
If she was protected by someone she'd considered weak — capture complete.
That was exactly how the Commander won her over in the original.
So I had deliberately taken the shrapnel that had been about to hit her.
*Well…. For me, it feels like my favorability went from negative to zero.*
I'd love to become something like an older sister to her if I could.
After a brief deliberation, I rose from my seat and moved to sit beside her.
Arishia startled and shrank back, pulling her shoulders in.
The important thing here wasn't to pressure her with words.
Just smile — harmless and bright — and hold her gaze steadily.
Arishia fidgeted and squirmed, then finally wrung out her voice.
"U-um…."
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Do you… hate me…? I've been saying awful things to you this whole time…."
She finally worked up the courage. I was starting to think I'd be waiting forever.
Watching Arishia's anxiety, I considered for a moment.
If I said something cruel here, she'd definitely make a wounded face.
I want to see it. I want to see it so badly. The urge surged through me.
But let's think bigger here.
The higher you climb, the more it hurts when you fall.
I took her small hands in mine and answered gently.
"I don't hate you."
"…You're lying."
"I'm not. Have I ever once said anything unkind to you?"
"That's…."
Well, no. Leila was too upright to even talk behind someone's back.
She'd probably been awkwardly smiling and sidestepping Arishia's provocations this whole time.
Leila was too earnest a girl to tell a lie.
But I was nothing like her.
I felt absolutely nothing about deceiving someone with a smile.
And so, shamelessly, I was able to say this with perfect composure.
"You know. I've always, always wanted to be your friend, Arishia. How could anyone dislike someone as pretty and sweet as you?"
"Ugh…."
Arishia bit her lip at my answer, her expression flooding with guilt.
The face of someone who deeply regretted what they'd done.
A face so close to tears, so perfectly made to be tormented.
Ah, ah…. I love that so much.
Arishia. Can't you just wear that expression for the rest of your life?
I want to cut off your head and preserve it forever….
I felt a desire clench tight and deep in my gut.
But somehow I smothered the feeling beneath the mask of my hypocrisy.
"Let's get along from now on."
"…Okay."
She lowered her lashes softly, and relief spread across her face.
Not a trace of the fierce girl from before — she looked like a gentle lamb.
Though I was a little disappointed to see the guilt leave her face.
Unable to help myself, I reached out and pulled Arishia into a sudden embrace.
*Good. Arishia has talent….*
She does. Make sure you come find me at the very end.
May this seed bloom into a beautiful flower.
I offered a quiet prayer to the sky.
*
After reconciling with Arishia, a full and productive stretch of time followed.
First, I studied everything I didn't know at the library.
The history of this world, literature, common knowledge, tactics, science, art….
Every moment outside of duties and training, I spent accumulating knowledge.
What I was aiming for wasn't an ordinary Valkyrie, but an excellent one — someone worthy of trust and reliance.
That kind of effort was necessary for my goals.
"Here I come!"
"Yes! Come at me— eek!"
I also intensified my training regimen, all in preparation to die in the Commander's arms.
I repeatedly trained in the Arena with Arishia.
Of course, my previous victory had been achieved by baiting her into using her unique ability and self-destructing.
In a straight fight, I lost ten times out of ten. It was a little frustrating.
"Hey… Leila."
"Hehe, not calling me a worthless princess anymore?"
"Ugh… I-I won't!"
And I spent my time with Arishia fully as well.
She needed to fall into deep despair at my death.
I approached her freely, as if I were her older sister.
Arishia didn't seem to dislike me all that much, either.
Her previously volatile personality had brightened considerably.
The more she grew attached to me, the more I could see the despair that would come crashing down — and my heart raced with anticipation.
And so, after spending a hectic stretch of time in various ways, one weekend evening.
The Commander at headquarters summoned me and said this.
"Leila. A deployment order has come in for you."
It seemed the time had finally come to meet my Commander.