Act 1: Guardian of Luna Nova Part 1

**Act 1: Guardian of Luna Nova Part 1** is the fourth chapter of *The Rise of Luna Nova Valkyries*, the first story of *Little Witch Academia: Witches of Midgard*.

## Summary

*The appearance of Mark of Mistletoe at Luna Nova urged Ursula to retake the mantle of Sky Valkyrie for the first time in a decade.*

## Full Recap

"For me? I thought it's —"

"The property of Valkyrie Corps., I'm fully aware with that. However, I trusted you will use this Valkyrie Blade wisely regardless whether you decide to take up the mantle of Kara. Besides, you are among few who can access its true power thanks to your experience with its template Shiny Rod. I even convinced both Professor Ursula and High Valkyrie Leafmane to let you have it in the light of difficult times ahead... provided you won't use it for personal gain, of course."

Akko was pleasantly surprised by Diana's decision to entrust her the special wand accessory the latter lend to her during the fight against Naglfar moments earlier along with Ursula and the High Valkyrie's approval of it, yet she couldn't help but mixed at the same time. The Japanese witch-in-training admittedly knew nothing about rules upheld by Valkyrie Corps. but, Asger's reaction upon seeing her using it implied the Blade to be an asset which couldn't just be hand out to anyone on a whim as with Valkyrie Bracelets in her, Lotte, and Sucy's possession.

It was close to curfew hour when Diana visited Red Team's dorm room shortly after her aforementioned talk with Ursula and Alvilda and by then, its occupants already changed to their respective nightwear. Lotte's pajamas consisted of an aqua collared t-shirt with matching pants while Sucy's a white loose nightgown paired with a red and white cap as usual. Akko on the other hand, had made some changes on hers since the beginning of their second year in which she replaced her usual red shorts and white t-shirt with dark grey jeans miniskirt and black cropped, loose sleeveless that exposed a good portion of her flat stomach for Diana to briefly gaze upon (the heiress decided to overlook it since Akko reassured that she would wear her orange zip-up hoodie over it while outside her dorm room).

"You are so lucky, Akko!", Lotte commented.

"You should keep it Akko. Anything can happen after Naglfar placed that accursed Mark of Mistletoe at our school", Sucy suggested. "Someone let a mountain troll in as a diversion to steal a powerful artifact which recently transported here, a long-dormant monster hidden somewhere beneath us finally awakened from its slumber to aid its destined master in 'cleansing Luna Nova of its unworthy students', a mass-murderer hiding among us under the guise of someone's pet with the only thing which keeping them from harming anyone being an escaped convict they framed in the past... Luna Nova might be regarded as one of safest places for us witches but, a series of incidents will put such belief into question just like what frequently befell Croton in Hereweald Potter series."

"I doubt our situation will be like in that series, Sucy", Diana bummed. "As the matter of fact, neither me, nor Professor Callistis, nor even Headmistress Holbrooke wanted you three to be involved in the war against Naglfar. But alas, our role in the revival of Yggdrasil means you will participate in it regardless."

The three friends shared a glance, followed by Akko who asked, "What do you mean, Diana?"

"Naglfar believes nine witches who involved in the unsealing of the Grand Triskellion — four of whom being us — to be potential threats to its campaign in ensuring its deities' dominion over Midgard and beyond", Diana explained. "Although everyone mostly remembered me and Akko since it was both of us who released the World Altering Magic together and destroyed Noir Rod at the same time in the end, my sources indicated the pagan cult somehow aware of other seven. I'm still uncertain about the others but, Naglfar suspected you two to be among them in courtesy of whoever broadcasted our progress in chasing Noir Rod-infested missile before Professor Ursula spread it to the rest of the world for more support, Lotte, Sucy. What happened tonight only proved such point."

Lotte gulped heavily at such notion while Sucy asked, "You mentioned one of Naglfar acolytes from the other day, The Seax, was the one who reverse-engineered magic-mechanical equipment belonged to dark elves of Svartálfheim for his cult's use, right? From where exactly did he get them?"

"Some time prior to Thapoli-Naglfar War, Naglfar formed an alliance with Myrkálfar, dark elves of Svartálfheim, in which those creatures provided the cult their magic-mechanical designs in exchange of a land to rebuild their empire in our world. Among such designs was Blackstone Armor, enchanted suit of armor made of obsidian imbued with magic drawn from Niflheim — the same type of armor The Seax himself and his female protégé wore", Diana explained. "Both factions' combined forces would be unstoppable had much of both scientific and magical knowledge pertaining them not lost in Ragnarök. Of course, it didn't stop The Seax and his followers from studying diagrams Myrkálfar preserved from destruction as much as they could."

"How come you familiar with Blackstone Armor, Sucy?", Akko wondered.

There was a sudden pause between the witches. Seeing neither her roommates nor the heiress would take no for an answer, Sucy eventually replied warily after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "It's complicated but, I can only say that I find Naglfar using Myrkálfar's magic-mechanical designs disturbing."

Akko, Lotte, and Diana had a feeling the Manbavaran hid something from them but, they knew better than treading through such proverbial minefield despite their growing curiosity. With no more matter left to be discussed, the heiress stood up and stated to the three friends, "Now that my business here has been concluded, it's time for me to make my leave."

Diana then walked toward the door before hesitated upon remembering something. Glancing back at the brunette and her roommates, she reminded them, "Considering the duty of a protector is not for the faint of heart, you have one week to decide what to do with your calling."

With that, she quietly exited red team's dorm room.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

They confirmed German the Heart's fate in the next morning.

Holbrooke, alongside Ursula, Diana, Asger, Harr, and Alvilda oversaw a group of wolves and raven-like green and brown creatures, Harr and Asger's subordinates, examining a small canopy of peculiar-looking ash trees they found in the woods on the west side of Luna Nova, just few steps away from the area where their deceased comrade met Akko, Lotte, and Sucy on the other day. They were joined by both Scotland Yard and a group of magic users in grey metal armor over midnight blue robes and pointy hats — Warband of Thapoli officials — in investigating the attack. Unassuming on the first glance, glowing cracks could be seen on ash trees' surface where the ones on the center tree, which happened to be the largest, were more prominent than the rest.

German the Heart's battered dead body had turned into wood and became one with the roots of the center tree by the time they found him. Coupled with remnants of the battle surrounding the ash canopy from which his corpse grew, it was evident that he put up much of a fight before eventually succumbed to his wounds.

"I have heard my seniors' tales of certain legendary creatures native at Hoddmimi's Holt from whom small forests grew upon death but, I never gave them much credit. Apparently, I was wrong", Holbrooke commented.

"It's a shame he had to face such bitter end, even if it was for a noble cause", Ursula added sadly.

"Does he have a family?", Diana wondered.

"Apart from a sister and his fellow Wrath of Thor, he had no one. Every member of our band is an orphan", Harr replied. "We lost our birth families when the war against Naglfar began."

"Thane Harr, we have recovered Thane German's equipment!"

Just then, one of wolf-like Pomokai Holoholonas brought Harr their fallen comrade's saddle, bags, choker, disc-like transformation trinket, and tail blade with aid of Object Control Magic; only latter two which least damaged. He then presented salvaged equipment to his hawk-like superior.

"Thank the Nines his Lancer Medal and Thunder Atgeir are still intact", Harr smiled after examining them. "He planned to pass these to her after his would-be last mission on the other day."

"Her who?", Holbrooke wondered.

"A successor? Thane Asger is not amused, it seems", Diana added, briefly glancing at the frowning squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona. "Does she not worthy of those?"

"Thane German chose someone with no common sense like her to be his heir?!", Asger yelled indignantly. "What was he thinking?"

"Wished we could discuss it further back then. In fact, I don't see her interested in stepping into her brother's hooves", Harr mused sadly. "Bewitching Aurora Borealis to dance in fantastically spectacular manner all over the sky of Hoddmimi's Holt... It's unthinkable Viveka came up with such preposterous idea to celebrate the revival of Yggdrasil AND made it work all by herself."

"You can't blame her. She was worried about the future of magic as much as everyone else", Ursula stated. "Up until the release of Grand Triskellion, we all lived on borrowed time. Sorcerer's Stones and Sorcery Solution Systems Croix developed could only do so much in delaying the decline, and we knew better it was only a matter of time before magic vanished entirely."

"Not only magic users all over Midgard became obsolete as the result, but also our home realm left open to otherworldly, supernatural threats more than ever. If anything, the realm of men turning upside down upon the resurgence of the very thing which allowed us to keep such threats at bay seemed preferable", Alvilda added.

"Viveka? You mean Viveka the Meadow Witch? The former owner of the best apple farm at Thapoli?", Diana wondered, finding the name Harr just mentioned familiar to her.

"The same", Asger growled in dangerously low voice.

"Thane Asger!", Harr chided.

"Sir, what should we do with these?", the wolf-like Sword of Laeradr warrior interrupted, reminding his superiors about German's salvaged equipment.

"Wrap them up. Send them to the Meadow Witch", Harr instructed firmly before his fellow Thane could say anything.

At once, the wolf-like Pomokai Holoholona pulled out a spool of metallic ribbon from his backpack with vine-like appendages growing from one of his two fluffy tails. Whipping the ribbon on the air, he willed a portion of it to detach and magically weave into a medium-sized metal chest in a split second.

Watching his subordinate dutifully placed their fallen comrade's equipment into the metallic ribbon-woven chest, Harr stated to Asger, "I know you believed The Lancer of Wrath of Thor should've died with him but, denying Viveka the mantle regardless whether she will fight alongside us is no better than staining our dear comrade's memory. Let us just hope his faith in her not misplaced."

Despite the apparent look of disapproval on his face, Asger found himself unable to argue with his fellow Thane about the matter. The squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona could only watch bitterly as German's equipment made their way to their owner's unlikely heir before leaving the area.

"German the Heart... Does any of you know how he earned such moniker?", Harr wondered to the witches present. "Our proud band, Wrath of Thor, began as a bunch of nobodies and scavengers who stuck together so the loss of our birth families won't be too unbearable. Life was grim, and we greeted it grimly. But German? He was unlike the rest of us, always smiling even in the worst of times. He did his best to keep our spirits high no matter how helpless the situation we found ourselves in and diffuse any tensions either among members of our band or between us and our allies."

"A mediator, I see", Diana nodded. "I supposed he was the reason my predecessors were able to fight alongside you and your fellow Sword of Laeradr warriors back during the war against Naglfar despite the fact that our relation being rather... tense, from what I read."

"Yes. German was the wisest out of seven of us", Harr smiled wistfully. "It's true that he made decisions which at times too questionable to our liking but, none of them yielded negative outcomes. Hopefully the same went to choices he made revolving those Valkyrie Armors and the next Lancer after him." The hawk-like Pomokai Holoholona then stared at the direction where Asger left and continued, "Still, now that he's gone, things will never be same anymore."

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

Ursula lingered in front of German's ash canopy before eventually returned to the academy. The stag-like Pomokai Holoholona's death was no doubt a major blow to both his fellow Wrath of Thor members and the rest of Sword of Laeradr for him being one of founding members of both groups and importantly, among greatest Thapoli-Naglfar War veterans that lived to modern era (Pomokai Holoholonas such as German himself had greater life expectancy than high-tier magic users and some dragon species which already beyond at least 3 centuries). Coupled with the revelation of Colborn — one of most formidable Naglfar acolytes who fought during the same conflict — revived as a draugr to join his comrades in the fight against everything Nine Olde Witches and Gods of Asgard stood for once again, showed how huge the stakes had become.

"High Valkyrie Leafmane, remind me why the search for immediate heirs of those three Valkyrie Armors had to start here of all places? I understand its urgency following untimely deaths of their predecessors during the disastrous mission to stop Naglfar from resurrecting Holger the Zealous — one of the cult's Frost Jötunn champions — and that neither of them had the chance to elect their would-be successors. Surely there are promising candidates at Mimirsbrunn Camp, aren't there?", the French professor asked Alvilda as soon as she caught up with the latter, Holbrooke, and Diana.

"You are not mistaken about it. However, Council of Five agreed that candidates from this school should be considered first, more so if they happened to be those Miss Cavendish have acquainted with very well thus allowing them to work together as a team more efficiently", Alvilda mused. "Moreover, inheritors of Elemental Valkyries Armors have always been affiliated with Luna Nova as much as its guardian Geirdriful in some ways and many of us found it preferable to keep it that way."

"Even if it means the succession of those Armors is somewhat unfair and predictable in certain perspective?", Diana responded. "Disappointment over the unlikelihood of inheriting Elemental Valkyrie Armors simply because of lack of ties with Luna Nova is one thing but, what made such policy detrimental is the chance of our enemies foreseeing their transport to the academy in the event of their current bearers dying without immediate heirs to pass their Armors and titles to. What if both the disastrous mission at Holger's burial mound and the subsequent attack on the other day were part of Naglfar's plan to seize Kara, Geirskogul, and Skogul all along?"

Alvilda sighed. "That is exactly what I feared. The size and capabilities of attack forces Naglfar dispatched against us proved sufficient not just to conduct hit-and-run tactic to test Luna Nova's defenses, but also to counter the might of my Sword of Laeradr escorts", she responded grimly. "Which was why I had instructed our fellow sisters in Skjaldarhall to investigate possible information leak in both our coven and Sword of Laeradr and determine those who responsible — assuming it was the case, of course — shortly after we dispelled the Mark of Mistletoe the cult left behind. Still, I cannot shake my suspicion of certain former members of our coven involved in this as well, especially with the fact that a handful of them harbored ill-will toward us following their expulsion or downright dissatisfied with our ways, either which motivated them to join forces with our enemies and worse, provide them some insights about us."

"A spy or a vengeful former Valkyrie? Either way is concerning indeed", Holbrooke nodded grimly. "I remembered taking in a student with promising potential and power back in 2004. Her name is Ethelinda. I believed in her. I told her she was destined for greatness. Did I know, in my heart of hearts, how much her pride and ambition darkened her heart to the point she craved power too much? I think I did but, I closed my eyes."

"It wasn't your fault, Headmistress Holbrooke. She made her choice", Alvilda reassured. "We tried to educate her that she won't become a proper Valkyrie and witch unless she learned humility. To understand that power is not everything. But she was regrettably too stubborn and we had no choice but to expel her from both your school and Valkyrie Corps. in the light of her role in the incident during one of expeditions at New Moon Tower's dungeons which left her fellow students severely injured."

"Let me guess: Ethelinda unsealed one of dangerous beasts imprisoned somewhere in deeper parts of the dungeons?", Diana guessed.

"I'm afraid so", Holbrooke replied grimly. "The beast she unsealed was a Nightmare — a monster born from a failed magical experiment revolving imbuing the mixture of different poisonous substances with disembodied souls of different poisonous creatures. Even though we prepared to destroy such foul beast should it set loose, we still had a hard time in fighting it while protecting the students at the same time. Compared to when you released the magic-eating dragon in the previous year, it was a truly chaotic mess."

"What happened to her next?", Ursula wondered.

"She was sent to Niflheim Fortress. Destroyed Holbrooke to do it. But she had no choice. The evidence was overwhelming and worse, our attempt to discipline Ethelinda for her blunder in hopes of not resorting to do such a thing unexpectedly led to a violent confrontation", Alvilda explained.

"Niflheim Fortress? A prison Magic Council repurposed from an ancient structure at Niflheim? The same prison Professor Meridies was sent into?", Diana wondered.

"The same. Magic community's equivalent to Alcatraz, if you will", Ursula replied. "As you know it, the fortress was set in the middle of a vast frozen wasteland with some sort of specialized Ley Line Terminal as the only ticket to return home but, its staff didn't need walls to keep their prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads. Which of course, thanks to Grave Sentinels commissioned to make up the bulk of the guards stationed there."

"Massive beasts of reanimated bone dredged from the soils of Old World under the swamps of Mimosa Forest where a forgotten city condemned by Gods of Asgard for its inhabitants' hubris once stood at, Grave Sentinels are among foulest animated constructs ever created by the people of magic community in Midgard. Put together by unconventional magic, they are designed to, well, be drawn and feed upon the light of living beings around them. Get too close to a Grave Sentinel and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. Thankfully, they won't suck out your soul nor rendered you in a state of partial nonexistence. As effective as they seemed to be considering Niflheim Fortress being reserved for most formidable of criminals of magic community, I felt whoever invented those monstrosities had overdone it."

"Reminds me of Depression Incarnates from Hereweald Potter series except that they can be destroyed", Holbrooke commented. "Anyways, a month ago, Naglfar sieged Niflheim Fortress and tore down the whole place. The prisoners inside were either killed or worse, joined the cult. It was thanks to Croix the surviving staff were able to recapture some of them after the warden perished in the struggle, though by then what remained of Niflheim Fortress had since taken over completely."

"If my sources were to be believed, the fortress was originally a structure of great importance to Jötnar but, no one remembered why. Except those who affiliated with Naglfar hence the reason the cult went to such extreme lengths in seizing such facility, I presumed", Alvilda added thoughtfully. "Seemed that Miss Meridies was right about something off in that forsaken fortress all along."

"In any cases, we must ensure Luna Nova completely secured in case of future attacks. We should have easier time in doing so with both Sword of Laeradr and Warband of Thapoli on our side", Holbrooke stated, concluding their conversation as soon as they reached the academy's main building.

Returning to her office with Alvilda on her side as Diana and Ursula left to tend to their business, Holbrooke's mind wandered back to their conversation pertaining the fall of Niflheim Fortress — the same prison Croix and Ethelinda incarcerated at. She couldn't help but anxious regarding the latter's fate. Ethelinda was among those who declared missing during such incident. Wishful thinking it might be, Holbrooke could only hope her former protégé wasn't among prisoners who joined Naglfar.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

Returning to her office, the French professor reached into her office's secret compartment which she had yet to repair, pulling out a small wooden chest not unlike the one German used to carry 3 Valkyrie Bracelets that had chosen Akko, Lotte, and Sucy on the other day. Uneasily touching the insignia of Valkyrie Corps. on its lid, her mind wandered to the day after the release of Grand Triskellion...

*Opening a pair of double doors in front of her, Ursula entered a sizable, circular underground chamber illuminated by blue torches. Six ornate chairs formed a circle around the insignia of Valkyrie Corps. painted on the center of the floor. The chairs have been occupied by Alvilda and five witches clad in customized black and grey robes — the Council of Five, a group of five highly experienced Valkyries who attained the privilege to be High Valkyrie's trusted advisors and leaders of their respective branch of the coven.*

*"We've been expecting you, Chariot Du Nord", Alvilda greeted before instructed, "Now, step into the center."*

*Without a word, the French witch did as she told to. The last time she was brought there, it was after turning herself in before her superiors following the moon incident. It was also in the same chamber she confessed her part in Dream Fuel Spirit Incident prior. If anything, she didn't expect to return there of all places.*

*"Very well", Alvilda nodded before finally started. "Chariot du Nord, you have been brought here before this council in the light of your invaluable contribution to the return of magic in our world and importantly, your success in bringing Miss Meridies to the justice for her crimes. We have fully considered circumstances revolving them, particularly the sacrifice you made to ensure both the success and the future of Atsuko Kagari, the last wielder of Claiomh Solais. For that, we believed you proved yourself worthy to rejoin our honored coven and have your rank as Master Valkyrie restored."*

*"W-what?!", Ursula gasped, unable to believe what she just heard.* They decided to welcome her back?

*"Yes. Despite dire ramifications from both your part in Dream Fuel Spirit Incident and catastrophic misdeed which costed your worth as the wielder of Claiomh Solais, it's not to say you deserved to be judged harshly for it all", Alvilda explained. "Unlocking Seven Words of Arcturus, performing as Shiny Chariot, carrying out your duty as a Valkyrie... It was evident that you found yourself biting off more than you could chew despite your best efforts in balancing between them. Although, such predicament won't be a major problem nor would both you and Miss Meridies lose your way had Woodward not too apathetic and cryptic to properly guide you."*

*Alvilda stared at the floor bitterly. "We are dismayed by my ancestor's indirect role in Miss Meridies' descent into villainy and tragedies which followed it all along, yet only faintly surprised", she continued. "Despite being the wisest, Woodward has... always been the aloof one among the Nines. Her disciples and peers had a hard time in truly connecting with her. Her extremely distant nature even reflected by her questionable approach in guiding others that, as you know it, often detrimental to both their progress and well-being rather than beneficial. She never grew out of such unhealthy behavior, not even after her ascension into a transcendent ghost upon death where she supposedly enlightened as with her fellow Nine Olde Witches."*

*"That being said, your offenses back then should've more than enough to warrant you a court martial with Magic Council as the judge. We chose against it because of your previous exemplary deeds and your shows which, from a certain perspective, unveiled how much older magical families went astray in face of changing times. We also kept the truth about both Dream Fuel Spirit and moon incidents from the public so you won't have to endure further ridicule given to your... unfortunate infamy as Shiny Chariot and importantly, to prevent unwanted mass mayhem. In retrospect, your methods in inspiring people as a magical stage performer left much to be desired considering more subtle, better appreciated means to do so were available. Regardless, you are a shining example of witches and Valkyries should be more like through and through."*

*The High Valkyrie nodded at one of Council of Five members, a witch with short ash grey hair and matching eyes as well as apparel themed after Renaissance-era pirate captain, who then stood up and approached Ursula. The Council member reached for the pouch attached to her belt, and pulled out an ornate wooden chest one and a half larger the size of it. Said chest had Valkyrie Corps.' insignia painted on its lid.*

*"There's only one way to find out", the Council member stated with a smile before opening the chest, revealing its familiar content for the French witch to see.*

*Inside the ornate wooden chest was a white Valkyrie Bracelet emblazoned with a red and gray circular symbol that had a golden four-pointed star in the middle — the very insignia the French witch based the symbol of her Shiny Chariot hat on.*

*Ursula stared at Valkyrie Bracelet within for a moment, uncertain whether to reclaim it. The Bracelet didn't reject her after what she did to the moon back then, yet it became uncomfortably hot in her touch nonetheless, perhaps a sort of warning from its worthiness enchantment that she strayed from her path. Reluctantly, she reached out and picked the Bracelet up all while expecting the same outcome. To her pleasant surprise, it instead zapped her hand with a weak burst of green electrical energy and cold to touch, deeming her worthy to wield its power once again.*

*"There are evil forces, Chariot", Alvilda stated firmly to the astonished French witch. "Yggdrasil's revival will not only ensure the future of our people, but also pave the way for the reemergence of ancient evils that were last seen during Great Age of Magic as prophesied in Edda of Vör. Our allies have seen the signs. We must take up the fight against them."*

*"I understand, High Valkyrie Leafmane. But I... I'm not ready for all of this yet", Ursula stammered, having a second thought about what she about to sign for.*

*The Council member with pirate captain-themed robe stopped Ursula before she could return her Valkyrie Bracelet and pleaded, "We understand how much your past blunders affected your confidence as one of our finest protectors. But please, it's not just Luna Nova and people you cared about. The world needs us more than ever in order to overcome dark times ahead."*

*"She's right. With everything you learned through guiding the last wielder of Claiomh Solais, particularly what you severely lacked in your own quest back then, you should be able to carry out your duty better by now", Alvilda pointed out with a faint yet noticeable smile.*

*With words of encouragement the High Valkyrie gave, Ursula felt slightly better. Deep down, she missed the days she fought alongside her fellow Valkyries more than she'd like to admit. And so, she proudly put the Bracelet on.*

*"Chariot, one more thing", the Council member with pirate captain-themed robe spoke before holding Valkyrie Bracelet on Ursula's hand. Procuring her baton-like wand from within her belt pouch with her free hand, she aimed it at the Bracelet and murmured a spell the latter not familiar with. In a flash of emerald light, a gray metal band materialized around it and tightened, causing the Bracelet to flicker a bit.*

*"Before you can use Geirdriful's true power, you must first prove yourself before us and your sisters-in-arms as some of us questioned whether you deserved to have a second chance", Alvilda explained. "To ensure whether you still able to properly fight as a Valkyrie, we provide you the prototype of an artifact recently developed by one of best wizard-blacksmiths from Sindri's Forge."*

*With a nod from the High Valkyrie, the Council member reached into her belt pouch once again, this time procuring another object. This time, a chakram-like tool with red, white, and gray color scheme with four orbs of different colors embedded on it (red, yellow, green, and purple).*

*"Spirit Disk, enchanted chakram devised as both throwing weapon and means to call forth simulacrums of magical creatures its essence copied from. You will need this to summon your Armor in its alternate forms relative to simulacrums you summoned", Newt introduced the new equipment as the curious Ursula examined it.*

*"With this, we conclude this hearing. We trusted you won't disappoint, Chariot", Alvilda concluded.*

Back to the present, Ursula was gazing at her reflection in the mirror within the spacious attic of the observatory which has since repurposed into her very own living quarters. She couldn't be any more grateful to Holbrooke for both her kindness and going through the trouble of arranging that place for her, being honestly the only one she could turn to back then. Holbrooke herself happened to be among those in magic community who harbored little to no misgivings toward her for using magic as part of her shows throughout her tenure as Shiny Chariot. Even though she currently no longer incognito now that majorities of, if not all of her fellow professors already knew who she truly was and their opinions about her improved somewhat in courtesy of her role in the return of magic at Midgard, Ursula still preferred to live in such lonely part of the school because of certain secrets of hers which best known only to selected few among Luna Nova staff.

The French professor had put on a black and grey witch outfit she hasn't touch over a decade thus adjustments must be made in order to make it fit on her like a glove once again. She also took off her glasses and let her hair loose to complete her look in it. In addition of a witch hat, a right pauldron with three glowing emerald lines, and a round medal with matching orb over her sternum, the apparel consisted of a single-shoulder top with long, wide right sleeve adorned with a light-colored pattern coiling around it, a detached wide left sleeve complementing the top, a belt sash with a buckle and a pouch securing waistcloth worn over a wrap-up long skirt bearing crescent-shaped leaf motifs resembling those in artistic rendition of Grand Triskellion and Seven Words of Arcturus in her office along the bottom, and a pair of boots with furred interior. The aforementioned buckle bore the same insignia as that of Valkyrie Bracelet she reclaimed shortly after being reinstated into Valkyrie Corps..

The black and grey witch outfit would've of course, expose a good portion of her toned midriff and left shoulder had it not come with a transparent body suit whose neck extended up to her chin underneath. Said body suit tighten around her into sort of second skin — more so than her maroon and red one because she could feel sensations through it as if she wasn't wearing anything beneath — upon materializing alongside the rest from its disc-like medal, necessitating Ursula to take a few moments to stretch and make sure she still retained her complete range of motion after putting it on. She had to admit the apparel was rather revealing yet much tamer in comparison of her Shiny Chariot costume which hugged her form in a way that left little to the imagination and left more parts of her body bare.

Staring at Geirdriful Bracelet on her left sleeve, Ursula thought to herself, *I wonder how Akko will react upon learning her hero is more than a mere stage performer...*

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

Though the investigation had been concluded later that afternoon, the lockdown was still in effect because of ongoing search by the staff and officials of both Sword of Laeradr and Warband of Thapoli to make sure everything was completely safe. The students were told not to go anywhere for the time being thus had to order their meal to the school's head chef. Having completed their part in the investigation, Scotland Yard officials departed from the academy and let the others taking care of the rest. Alvilda departed also, but not before reassuring Holbrooke that Luna Nova was in capable hands.

Diana didn't immediately return to her suite because faery custodians required her assistance in delivering some food for her fellow students. As she did, the heiress took her time by checking on the progress of the cafeteria's restoration. It looked pretty bad. Repair crews were everywhere. Some of them even brought in a couple of familiar looking roomba-like equipment to make their job easier. The damages would've been worse had Akko not interfered back then.

After completing one more delivery, the heiress retreated to a secluded spot near the library's entrance for some needed privacy. There, she leaned against the wall while procuring the pastry she had prepared in her vest for quick lunch; a special hot dog which recently added into Luna Nova's menu.

Diana already started munching on the first bite when a familiar voice unexpectedly greeted her, "Having expectations to fulfill as both the school's honor student and Ice Sword Valkyrie is not the reason to neglect your well-being, right Diana?"

The Cavendish's heart stopped as she immediately turned around and saw a familiar student with mocha-brown skin and wavy teal-blue hair which fell past her shoulders and covered her right eye beside her. "M-Molly!", Diana gasped before swallowing the food in her mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you", Molly replied while pulling out her own special hot dog as she joined the Cavendish in her short lunch break. "I'm sorry for startling you and... not being here when Naglfar attacked our school. Wished I did but, I got wrapped up in that investigation in Sweden."

"It's alright, Molly. On the flip side, the attack on the other day provided Akko the chance to shine as the potential heir of Kara", Diana stated reassuringly. "It's up to her whether she will take up the responsibility as a protector, however."

"So true", Molly agreed while munching on her food. "Although, it will be nice if she, Lotte, and Sucy decide to join Valkyrie Corps.. The more the merrier, right?"

"You are absolutely correct, Molly", Diana nodded in agreement.

Both witches ate their pastries in the next few minutes of silence. After finishing hers and tossing its wrapping into the nearest trash bin, Molly continued, "Professor Ursula informed me about circumstances of the attack, particularly parts where you let Akko join the fight against our enemies and even entrusted her your spare Valkyrie Blade. Questionable your decisions might be, you nonetheless saved Luna Nova and importantly, confirmed both Akko's worth and ability to harness the true power of our coven's traditional weapon. Too bad Thane Asger refused to see it all unlike Professor Ursula and High Valkyrie Leafmane. Then again, he never had best opinions about our coven from start."

Diana stared forlornly at her half-eaten pastry.

"Out of seven Wrath of Thor members, Asger is perhaps the most ruthless, vengeful, and bitter of them all", the heiress explained. "He has every reason to despise Naglfar as with his comrades but, he regrettably refused to believe that there are those among members of that pagan cult and their allies who genuinely capable of mending their ways. In fact, he had a heated confrontation against my predecessor, Diane Cavendish, upon discovering she and her fellow Cavendishes who joined Thapoli-Naglfar War spared the lives of Naglfar acolytes under their mercy and even rehabilitated them as opposed of killing them outright."

"Dear God, really?", Molly gasped. "There's no need to fight our enemies if we can reason with them."

"A wisdom shared by both my family and Pomokai Holoholonas of Hoddmimi's Holt", Diana smiled. "But not him. Anything that Thane Asger perceived as a threat had to perish, whether young or old, sick or healthy, combatants or civilians, humans or non-human beings. Not to mention about —"

A loud noise that sounded like an explosive went off interrupted their conversation. "It's coming from the bathroom", the startled Molly commented while glancing at the doorway not far from them.

"Someone is attempting to re-enact 'official Croton toilet seat joke', *again*", Diana rolled her eyes in annoyance before hastily finished her pastry and tossed its wrapping into the same trash bin where Molly discarded hers.

The exasperated heiress approached the bathroom door with her teal blue-haired friend on her side, intending to barge in and bust whoever caused such commotion. However, a high, petrified scream stopped the two before she could reach the knob. A low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet could be heard from the other side of the door also.

"Something's not right", Molly warned Diana just as a foul stench — one which smelled not unlike a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seemed to clean — caught their nostrils. That was when both witches realized they were about to face something which definitely unwelcome to Luna Nova.

"Ready your Baton of Frost and Embers and follow me, Molly", Diana told her teal blue-haired friend quietly while attaching her sapphire Valkyrie Blade to her wand.

The teal blue-haired witch placed her wand into the slot of metallic gray baton-like wand accessory she procured from the pocket underneath her vest as instructed, causing its rectangular ends to ignite in fiery orange and icy blue respectively. With that, the heiress pulled the door open and they rushed inside.

A fellow student with bluish gray-eyes and matching hair that tied into a low ponytail, Catharina, was shrinking against the corner of the bathroom, looking as if she was about to faint. Cornering her were three tall, gaunt-looking humanoid creatures with long, bulging nose and donkey-like tail clad in crudely made leather clothing with mushroom growing on it. The tallest of the creatures — their leader, no doubt — carried a huge club carved from a tree trunk and sported a pair of extra head-like growths on each shoulder. A large, gaping hole could be seen at the middle of the bathroom floor, which indicated from where the creatures came from.

"I cannot believe Sucy was right about the possibility of troll attack being the next... except that we're going to face *three* instead of one!", the heiress groaned exasperatedly.

"Tusseladd breed. We're about to get knocked around a bunch, aren't we?", Molly added.

Fortunately for both girls, the intruders were occupied in the argument about what they should do with their prey, conversing with one another in a language which seemingly consisted of grunts and simple hand motions. In fact, neither of the creatures noticed the heiress and the teal blue-haired witch barging into the bathroom.

Knowing that they need to discreetly warn the academy about the situation at hand, Molly wasted no time procuring a spool of metal ribbon from her vest. With her wand as a focus, she willed a piece of it to detach and rearrange into a sheet of metallic paper in the air via. Object Control Magic, conjured a message comprised of glowing letters on its surface, and then sent it flying toward the headmistress' office in form of a paper airplane. "The headmistress must know about this", she explained quietly.

"No argument from me", Diana nodded before instructed, "Alright, Molly, you go ahead and get Catharina to the safety. I'll keep our uninvited guests distracted and see whether I can learn something from interrogating their leader. I have a feeling whoever let them in assisted them in bypassing the school's security somehow also."

"Roger", Molly nodded affirmatively.

Having enough with their quarrel, the leader of the Tusseladd trio eventually stepped in and raised his club overhead with a mighty roar before swinging it down at the screaming Catharina who could only close her eyes and brace for the worst. Yet nothing happened. Glancing up, the surprised Catharina and Tusseladds saw the club suspended in the air few feet above its owner's head and surrounded by faint emerald aura.

["What is this? A trio of Tusseladds wandering too far from their home? My apologies but, you have chosen a wrong hunting ground"], Diana taunted the creatures in a language which curiously not unlike theirs. With a wave of her Valkyrie Blade, she shoved the floating club back to its owner's face, causing him to momentarily sway on the spot and startling his cohorts who caught him in time — a cue for Molly to sneak around them and reach their terrified classmate.

"Come on, Catharina! Let's get out of here!", Molly hissed urgently to her as she dragged the latter out of the bathroom.

["That Blade!"], one of Tusseladds shouted, apparently recognizing the weapon in Diana's hand.

["Eir the Ice Sword Valkyrie?!"], the recovered Tusseladd trio leader added.

["Correct. I recommended you to cease and desist for you won't like the outcome of me and the professors here resorting to take hostile action"], Diana warned.

The Tusseladd trio leader brushed off the threat and charged toward Diana with the intent of squashing her with his club like a bug. The heiress casually responded by swinging her Valkyrie Blade upward while reciting, "*Aruya Karegrana!*", conjuring giant ice spikes between them to intercept the incoming blow, staggering her opponent.

Recovering from the counterattack, the Tusseladd trio leader noticed Molly and Catharina exited the bathroom and barked at his cohorts, "[Don't just stand there! Our food is getting away!]"

Shorter Tusseladds stopped standing like statues and rushed to give chase. Diana was about to cast a spell to magically lock the door... only to see them *burst* through the wall beside it.

"I forgot that they don't use doors!", the incredulous heiress cursed under her breath, which soon followed by one of the bathroom's double doors fell off its broken hinges.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

Meanwhile, Holbrooke was resting at her office when Molly's metallic paper airplane landed onto her desk. Recognizing the paper airplane, she unfolded it and saw a written message that said:

**A band of Tusseladds in first floor's bathroom. Sound the alarm. High Priority Level.**

"Tusseladd problem, headmistress? Don't bother with those creatures. I bring them in so no one disturb our heartfelt reunion."

Without warning, a dreadfully familiar voice sounded from behind her. Holbrooke whipped around in less than half a second and frowned, holding her staff tightly.

"Ethelinda?!"

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

**Author's Note: It's almost a year since my update on the fic, isn't it? No worries, I'm not dead yet! Just further working on the fic's lore and revising some parts in previous chapters to overcome the dreadful writer's block.**

**As much as I annoyed by lots of people quick to compare them despite their vague similarities apart from magic school settings, I can't help but amused by the idea of *Harry Potter* series being featured in *Little Witch Academia* series as sort of in-universe entertainment program in one way or another. Not sure if you guys noticed it already but, let's just say *Hereweald Potter* series is my attempt to explore such idea.**

**In the light of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine which still ongoing (?) as I wrote this chapter, I'd better off seeing whether to revamp certain details of my prequel fic "Jasminka and Mo" as well as my take on Jasminka herself in my overall Norse fanfic series while improving their writing, probably by changing Jasminka's heritage/background from Russian to mixed one, specifically Sweden-Ukraine descent, among other things.**

**All comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated!**

**Chapter Updates:**

* **Adding some details which include Warband of Thapoli and Scotland Yard's involvement in investigation on Naglfar's attack at Luna Nova. (Revision as of March 18, 2023)**
* **Updating the description of Grave Sentinels by Ursula to make them closer to their expy Dementors from *Harry Potter* series.(Revision as of March 18, 2023)**