HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Then I guess... I'll accept it!"

After considering Serenade's words, Yae Rin decided to go ahead and take the weapon.

Who could turn down such a powerful tool? Besides, this gesture showed how highly Serenade regarded her and her sister.

To give away such a divine artifact so freely—surely even the great Amaterasu of myth wouldn't do less, right?

In short, this was deeply touching...

Yae Rin silently vowed to never let Serenade down and to repay this kindness one day. Even if it took a lifetime to fully repay, she would still go all out.

"A good girl is always appreciated!" Seeing that Yae Rin had accepted, Serenade smiled warmly at her.

"Big sister Kallen..."

Yae Rin, holding her new katana, suddenly looked up at Serenade curiously.

"Hm? What is it?"

"This sword, is it stronger than those legendary mythological weapons—like the Ten Commandments Spear..."

"That... I'm not sure about. I've never really compared. But I'm confident it at least matches up."

It was indeed hard to compare—the one a product of science fiction technology, the other of myth itself.

Still... speaking of legendary weapons, Serenade thought about that Japanese katana in her vault. It had been fully upgraded and sitting unused for quite some time now.

"You know, when talking about holy weapons, I happen to have one from the Far East. Would you two like to see it?"

Serenade stopped at the warehouse, gazing at the golden, blindingly shiny taiko inside.

"A holy weapon from the Far East?"

"What's that?"

Regardless of whether it was Yae Sakura or Yae Rin, upon hearing Serenade's words, both became intrigued.

"Futsunushi-To, the shining blade!"

As she spoke, Serenade drew the weapon, its radiant form resembling the sun itself.

This katana was an aesthetic masterpiece. Its hilt, a soothing blue, contrasted with the blade that seemed to have been forged from the very essence of the sun—blindingly bright.

In the Far East's Shinto tradition, the deity Kami Wakatake symbolized the power of the sword.

This five-star bling katana was the masterpiece of Toji Nagamitsu, the director of the Holy 1504 Research Institute, a renowned forge.

The weapon's blade, composed of condensed plasma, could effortlessly slice through thick armor and obstacles, cleaving enemies in two with a single stroke. Due to its immense power, this blade was rightfully named Futsunushi-To, after the legendary Okitsumi, the sword spirit of ancient Far Eastern mythology.

"Oh, what a beautiful katana!"

Yae Sakura and Yae Rin admired the blade in Serenade's hand—it was the Radiant Sword Futsunushi, named after the god of blades.

Indeed, it seemed to embody the spirit of a sword god: breathtakingly beautiful, with a hilt that resembled the azure sky and a blade as the sun itself. This was truly a divine weapon.

"If you like it, I could let you play with it. However, it's primarily designed for Valkyries who control the elements, so it might not be suitable for you. Besides, my previous gift of a plain katana to you is actually more powerful."

Although this katana looked impressive, it was specifically an elemental-type weapon.

"Oh, no need, we're content just looking at it," Yae Sakura and Yae Rin responded modestly. They were already thrilled with the five-star katana they had been given earlier and hadn't even considered wanting another weapon.

"Very well then!" Serenade replied.

In truth, there was one more amusing weapon in her inventory—the Five-Star Weapon: One Salty Tuna.

The weapon appeared as a shimmering, translucent fish, and it held a rare five-star rating. However, such a weapon was best left for admiration alone; attempting to use it would surely... be quite laughable.

After that, Serenade, the young maiden, bestowed upon both Yae Sakura and Yae Rin a pair of pistols each.

However... since the primary weapon given earlier was a five-star sword, the pistols... being secondary weapons primarily used for surprise assaults, Serenade didn't offer any more five-star options. Instead, she provided two sets of four-star weapons.

For Yae Sakura, it was the four-star 'Fire Spirit Type-II', and for Yae Rin, the 'Artemis' Guardian'.

Serenade had three 'Artemis' Guardian' weapons in total. One was given in the main storyline, and two were obtained through premium purchases. Due to a reset in the rewards system, she ended up receiving all the rewards twice.

Now equipped with five-star Stigmas and four-star weapons, the Yae sisters were truly ready to step into their roles as warriors.

All they lacked was practical combat experience; otherwise... they were well-prepared in every aspect.

With sufficient real-world training, it wouldn't be implausible for Yae Sakura to attain the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie.

That evening, as night fell on this bygone era, most had already retired to bed. Amusements were scarce in the hours after dinner, so it was common for folks to turn in early.

Serenade followed suit, hitting the hay not long after dusk. Earlier that day, she'd furnished Yae Sakura and Yae Rin with weapons, earning their gratitude and care throughout the day.

For dinner, the sisters had even slaughtered a chicken—and not just any chicken, but the fearsome Chicken Tyrant that ruled the village.

Where did this formidable fowl come from? A villager had gifted it freely. Yae Sakura initially planned to pay, but the villager insisted on giving it as a present. This small kindness slightly improved Yae Sakura's opinion of the villagers.

Of course, years of past grievances couldn't be erased by a single chicken.

This was no ordinary barnyard bird. Its combat prowess was extraordinary, routinely dominating other chickens in the village and even challenging creatures far larger than itself. Once, it dueled a python several times its size—emerging unscathed while leaving the serpent severely injured.

Aside from its combat prowess, the chicken's appearance was strikingly beautiful as well.

When Yae Sakura and the others saw the chicken for the first time, they couldn't help but exclaim in unison: Oh my! You're a gorgeous chicken...

Later that night... within the depths of Yae Shrine, two silhouettes stealthily moved toward Serenade Kallen's room in the pitch-black darkness.

"Big sis, if we... do this, do you really think Kallen would be okay with it?" Yae Rin clung to Yae Sakura's hand, her voice betraying her anxiety.

Never had she imagined Big sister would want to discuss such matters in her room, and even more surprising, she'd agreed and came along.

At first, it didn't feel wrong, but now, outside, she suddenly felt apprehensive. What if Serenade didn't appreciate their actions?

Would she start disliking them?

If Serenade rejected them, Yae Rin felt her very existence would lose purpose.

So, hesitating, Yae Rin stopped in her tracks and tugged tightly at her sister Yae Sakura.