After finishing his meal, Rod transformed into a bolt of lightning and left the restaurant.
With his six eyes fully activated, he scanned the entirety of Elsaland in two minutes.
However, to his disappointment, he did not find Girenu.
Rod did not choose to give up, but instead returned to the palace to build the Valkyrie armor, planning to search in slightly more distant places later in the afternoon.
Black Wolf Girenu.
Former member of the 【Black Wolf's Fang】.
She was a Sword King of the Sword God Flow, recognized by the Sword God as a fully qualified disciple, and possessed the potential to become a Sword Emperor.
Rod had a natural affinity for her.
Not only because she was a beast-eared girl, but also because of her almost fanatical loyalty.
Once she found someone to pledge her loyalty to, it would be almost impossible for Rod to win her over.
Rod followed Rita's blueprints and crafted two Valkyrie armors.
The first was based on the Dark Rose, incorporating the Heatburn Cloak, Stealth Cloak, Shock Gloves, and Armor-Piercing Short Sword, designed as a maid-style daily wear.
Rita thoughtfully included two modes for the maid outfit.
One was a long work uniform like Liliya's, for daily work.
The other was a "Critical Hit" outfit recommended by Rita, the Herrscher of the Scarlet Thunder, to be worn when no one else was around to serve him.
The second armor was based on Shadow Iron, also incorporating the aforementioned sets, each paired with a Carbon-Based Hunter.
Rod hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided against integrating the Zanpakuto.
The power of the Moonlit Halo could easily lead them to rely on shortcuts, neglecting their own training.
After they passed Rita's approval, it would not be too late for Rod to copy the Moonlit Halo for them.
However, Rod would imprint Rita's own Stigmata onto them when giving them the armors.
There was no need to worry about their growth.
“Hum hum hum~”
In Rod's room.
A little maid wearing the new Dark Rose stood on a chair, happily waving a feather duster, diligently cleaning the dust.
Rod had just finished the last armor, stretching and letting out a long sigh of relief.
He looked at the cheerful little maid and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“You're so happy even though you're doing such a tiring job?”
The little maid didn't seem fazed by Rod's question. She put away the feather duster, jumped off the chair with a "Heh-heh," and lifted her skirt to give a bow.
“Heh-heh, we have a warm house to live in, and endless food to eat. We don't have to worry about being sold, and we don't have to fear being killed by bad guys.”
“Just working to repay Your Majesty for giving us happiness, I still feel it's not nearly enough!”
“Moreover, Liliya-neesan and Rita-neesan are like mothers to us, and Your Majesty is the best person in the world, of course we're all very happy!”
The little maid's words were innocent and naive, yet sincere and earnest.
Rod beckoned her over, smiling as he rubbed her little head.
The little maid squinted her eyes with satisfaction, even daring to hug him, though she jumped back immediately, blushing afterwards.
Rod didn't reprimand her for the impropriety, just chuckled and asked.
“What's your name?”
“My name is Alpha!”
“Alpha, good name. How are you feeling now? Is there anything unusual about the Stigmata on you?”
Alpha shook her head, blushing, and raised her little fist, proudly tilting her head.
“I feel great now, I can even lift a bull!”
Rod confirmed with his six eyes that she was indeed fine, then nodded reassuringly.
“Good. If you notice anything unusual, be sure to tell me, okay?”
“Go on, call your last companion in.”
“Okay!”
Alpha nodded enthusiastically and dashed out the door.
She didn't have the clumsy attribute of tripping over her own feet, her short legs ran both steadily and quickly, her Dark Rose maid outfit fluttering like a butterfly, and she was gone in a blink of an eye.
Watching her cute back, Rod's mood also brightened.
“Sigh, despise Rita, become Rita, surpass Rita!”
Of course, though he said it, Rod was just doting on the little maids, he had no intention of actually doing anything.
Not long after, the last little maid walked in, blushing.
Fifteen minutes later, all the maids in the palace were imprinted with the Stigmata and equipped with Valkyrie armor.
Of course, they were not yet able to fight effectively, that would be up to the omnipotent Rita to train them.
The new little maid happily examined her outfit, then thought of something and asked timidly.
“Your Majesty, since we have battle-ready clothes, should we have a new team name?”
Rod looked at her twice, realizing that this little maid was clearly more intelligent.
He lowered his jaw and pondered for a moment, then broke into a mischievous smile.
“Let's call it 【Destiny】.”
Hopefully Rita wouldn't suffer a PTSD attack upon hearing this name.
The little maid chewed on the word, her eyes gradually gleaming with excitement.
“Des...tiny...！Such a cool name! As expected of Your Majesty!”
Rod got up and leaned against the window, reaching out his hand towards the sun overhead, slowly clenching his fist, his gaze fixed.
“To serve 【Destiny】 is to serve the fate of this world. Any evil they commit, any bloodshed they cause, will be forgiven.”
“Because, I—am Destiny.”
After showing off to the little maid, Rod unsurprisingly earned a look of adoration and longing.
“Your Majesty is so.......cool!”
If Charlotte hadn't come to say goodbye to him, Rod could have kept up the act for a while longer.
Although Rod had also given Charlotte a Zanpakuto, she had only just started practicing with it and was not yet proficient.
Rod directly picked Charlotte up in a princess carry and jumped into the air, activating the Limitless·Azure.
Infinitely shrinking the distance between himself and a certain point far away, achieving a near-instantaneous teleportation effect across vast distances.
In a flash, he sent her to the border between the land of strife and the Asra Kingdom.
“Go further, there are barriers above the big cities, forcibly breaking through them would cause unnecessary trouble, so I'm sending you here.”
Charlotte clutched her head, which was a little dizzy.
The girl who had never experienced flying had a bit of a fear of heights.
“It's alright, Your Majesty.”
Rod poked the angel-like creature floating beside the girl, warning her fiercely.
“Protect my beloved subordinate, you hear me? Otherwise, I'll eat you in a hot pot!”
The angel-like creature quickly hid behind Charlotte in fright.
“Your Majesty, don't bully her, then I'll be on my way.”
“Remember to come back soon~”
After successfully passing through the checkpoint, Charlotte turned her head three times towards Rod's direction, waving goodbye reluctantly before gradually disappearing from sight.
The smile on Rod's face gradually faded, and he narrowed his eyes, gazing up at the sky above the Asra capital.
“Sky Fortress......humph, I want to see if you, King Ankylosaurus, can protect this country when I'm ready to destroy it.”
Rod had never forgotten the revenge he owed Darius for framing him.
And his father also seemed to have died as a result of the great powers' balancing act.
When the time was right, Arcadia would declare war!
【This is a picture of Girenu. Of course, in terms of second-generation design, all the girls who need to be recruited will be given attention to their clothing, and the beast-folk's heat cycle trigger points will also be avoided.】