Chapter 100
I Became a Collab Character in a Game Chapter 100
Chapter 32 – The Grand Banquet #2
The day before the grand banquet celebrating King Adon's recovery.
In his room prepared in the detached palace, Luther was watching Integra.
‘She looks like she’s having fun.’
Squatting on the floor, Integra was fiercely typing on a keyboard made of light, her face absolutely brimming with vitality.
Over the past three days, Luther had focused on his recovery while also taking care of various matters.
First, he met with Queen Reina to discuss how they would announce this incident to the public. To get straight to the point, the conclusion was to ‘hide Hecatoncheires.’
‘Because we lack concrete evidence to confirm the existence of Hecatoncheires.’
So, instead of unnecessarily provoking Hecatoncheires, they would just feign ignorance. Since the key figures already knew it was Hecatoncheires' doing anyway, temporarily hiding it from the public wasn't really a problem.
‘And information.’
Queen Reina didn't know much about Hecatoncheires in detail. She said all she knew was from hearing a story from the previous Witch of the Sea that the Angel of the Sword had once directly confronted Hecatoncheires.
‘In this regard, Ash was actually more helpful.’
Having witnessed Luther cut down the Sky Island with his own eyes, Ash voluntarily revealed his identity. The Knight of the Wall, the 13th of the 14 Executors who act as the military force of the Holy Templars.
And after receiving information from Ash about the situation of the Holy Templars—which hadn't appeared in the original work—Luther changed his original plan.
‘It's impossible to use the Holy Templars as my backing.’
The Holy Templars was not a small organization. No matter how much Luther was an angel, it was impossible for him to seize control of the organization all at once. Rather, it was highly likely that Luther himself would be reduced to a pawn of the Holy Templars.
‘So, I'll keep my distance.’
Cooperate, but do not belong to them. Unless joining the Holy Templars could somehow stop Hecatoncheires, it would be far more helpful in preventing the apocalypse to roam freely like he was doing now, stopping incidents and gathering the Eight Great Divine Relics.
‘The Giant of the Sky sleeping in the East...’
One of the Eight Great Divine Relics, and the one that excited Luther the most. Naturally so; didn't the name alone practically scream 'Giant Robot'? It would be stranger if his heart didn't pound at the thought.
‘There's no definitive evidence other than the fact that it's in the East... but if I go there myself, I should be able to gather some information.’
Luther's own information was mostly based on the original work, but since this was a Divine Relic that didn't even appear in the original to begin with, the amount of information he had was bound to be scarce. However, if he actually went to the site and investigated the anecdotes of the Sword Emperor or traced the remnants of the Galactic Federation, he would be able to pinpoint a more accurate location.
‘I'll find the Giant of the Sky and stop the Wild Hunt.’
Just what exactly did the Giant of the Sky look like? And what kind of abilities would it have?
After indulging in happy delusions for a moment, Luther looked forward again—more accurately, at Integra, who was excitedly hammering away at her keyboard.
For the past three days, she had seemed on edge because of Princesses Yoru and Aru constantly dropping by, but now her face was full of smiles.
‘What is she doing?’
Did she find something good while analyzing the data on Schwarz and Clairehem Mor?
Piqued by curiosity, Luther quietly stood up and tiptoed over to stand right behind Integra.
[Hehehe.]
[Hehehehe.]
Integra, blissfully unaware of him, was at the peak of her happiness.
However, even though he had secretly sneaked up behind her, Luther still couldn't tell what Integra was actually doing. That was because there wasn't anything that could be called a monitor screen.
Therefore, Luther decided to just ask.
"Integra."
[Yes? You startled me! When did you get here?]
"Just now. More importantly, what are you doing to make you smile like that?"
[Oh, was it that obvious?]
"Yeah, it was that obvious."
When Luther mimicked her giggling, Integra scoffed and denied doing it, but it only lasted a moment. She actually started giggling again.
[Huhuheung.]
[Look at this.]
Shrugging her shoulders as if overflowing with excitement, Integra gestured, scattering both hands in the air.
Instantly, a fully formed 3D blueprint unfolded before Luther's eyes.
[These are the parts to be equipped onto Schwarz.]
[I already finished making the exteriors over the last three days, and now I'm making detailed adjustments.]
Explaining affectionately as always, Integra zoomed in on each part and started spinning them around.
Beam Gatling Gun.
Multi-launch Micro Missiles.
Two large-caliber recoilless rifles, live ammunition weapons.
A Heavy Flamethrower.
There wasn't a single one that wasn't a heavy weapon.
Furthermore, perhaps because they were designed to be equipped on Schwarz, who was much larger than Luther, it felt like she had completely unlocked everything she had previously restrained due to weight or size limits and focused entirely on firepower.
[Do you like them?]
[You like them, right?]
A beautiful maid panting heavily while looking at military weapons—to a military otaku, she was practically a dream come true. Of course, Luther wasn't exactly a military otaku, but his heart still pounded all the same.
‘Especially that Gatling gun.’
He really loved the sight of not just one, but two Gatling guns attached vertically. Should it be called a man's romance?
[I thought the micro-missiles might lack firepower, so I reinforced their power with magic scrolls.]
[The Malkuth Kingdom's storehouses have a lot of high-quality scrolls, you see.]
Once her existence was made known to the royal family by Aru under the guise of a 'Holy Spirit', Integra blatantly revealed her hologram body and started demanding various rewards. And naturally, the Malkuth Kingdom couldn't refuse a single one of Integra's requests.
[I also got a lot of rare metals, so making the parts was a breeze.]
[And when you equip all the parts made like this...]
Trailing off, Integra giggled as if anticipating Luther's reaction and pressed the Enter key on her keyboard. At that moment, Schwarz in his Land Vehicle state appeared among the 3D blueprints of the various parts.
And then, combination.
Seeing Schwarz equipped with all the parts, Luther unknowingly clapped and marveled.
Black and red magic armor to reinforce defense, and powerful heavy weapons mounted on each section. It was an Iron Horse to begin with, but the current Schwarz had become an entity much closer to a 'Star Savior' than a 'Dragon Hunter Origin'.
‘And a full burst on top of this...’
Closing his eyes for a moment, Luther imagined Schwarz pouring out all of its firepower simultaneously, and a smirk naturally crept onto his lips.
‘I feel like the genre is gradually shifting more and more, but I guess good things are good.’
Seeing Luther openly pleased, Integra beamed again and pulled up a new 3D blueprint.
[And this is... you know, right?]
New armaments meant to enhance Luther, not Schwarz.
[Thanks to Schwarz, transporting the parts became much easier, so I was able to upgrade them a bit more than originally planned.]
It was indeed true. The design clearly gave off a feeling of being much stronger than when he first saw it.
"Is this why you were smiling like that?"
The reason why Integra was typing on her keyboard with such an incredibly happy expression. At Luther's question, Integra smiled brightly, then averted her gaze shyly and said:
[Well... it's because Master is getting stronger.]
Integra wasn't particularly a military otaku. She was simply happy about the fact that Luther was getting stronger through the various enhancements.
A maid who thinks of nothing but her master all day long. No, a support AI.
Feeling deeply touched by Integra for a moment, Luther cleared his throat a few times and spoke in a low voice.
"Um... could you turn the switch on for a second?"
It was a sort of code phrase they had established because it was both embarrassing and awkward to ask her to activate the haptic program so he could touch her every single time. At Luther's words, Integra activated the program, and feeling newly embarrassed, Luther awkwardly stroked Integra's head.
‘As expected, it's embarrassing to do it right after asking.’
But still, she was praiseworthy, and he wanted to praise her. Integra, as always, huffed a bit, but looking at her expression, she seemed happy to be praised.
And 14 seconds later.
Integra cleared her throat with an "Ahem" and spoke.
[I'm planning to strengthen our combat power to the maximum before we leave for the East.]
[My goal is also to accelerate the analysis of Clairehem Mor and the Iron Horse to figure out the Ultimate Cube as soon as possible.]
[I'll work hard... so please just be a little patient and wait for me.]
Her voice grew slightly timid towards the end. Apparently, she felt a great sense of shame and responsibility simultaneously at the fact that she couldn't properly analyze Clairehem Mor and Schwarz.
"Yeah, I believe in you. Who else would I trust but you, Integra?"
Another Integra flashed through Luther's mind for a moment, but it was really just for a fleeting second. Because, just as he had said himself, the partner he truly trusted and relied on was the Integra right in front of him.
[Heheung.]
Smiling again as if she was both thankful and happy about Luther's words, Integra soon started typing on the keyboard again and said.
[And these are the things I'm preparing for tomorrow.]
The biggest reason why Integra had been giggling so much, in fact.
As Integra pressed the Enter key again, the various heavy weapons and Luther's new armaments disappeared, replaced by a stylish tuxedo.
"Uh, don't tell me..."
[Yes, it's the outfit Master will wear tomorrow.]
[Since all we have to do is decide on the design, we can just transform Nightwing directly into it.]
As she said that, looking at the tuxedo with sparkling eyes, it somehow seemed like she had poured more heart and soul into this instead.
‘This reminds me of doing character customization in the past.’
Recalling a game he quit in 30 minutes after spending 5 hours customizing his character, Luther chuckled and asked Integra.
"What about your dress, Integra? Didn't you tell me to look forward to it last time?"
Just as Luther could transform Nightwing, Integra only had to manipulate her digital projection. The only important thing was the design.
At Luther's question, Integra slightly bit her lip and asked in a still somewhat timid tone.
[It's still incomplete, do you want to see it?]
"Yeah, I want to see it."
[If you insist that much... I guess it can't be helped.]
Somehow, her tone was closer to dying to show him, but Luther just pretended not to notice for now.
And Enter once again.
At the navy blue dress that floated before his eyes, Luther let out a "Wow—" in admiration, but only briefly. The form-fitting sheath dress was very elegant and beautiful, but it was far too revealing.
Leaving aside the fact that the leg portion was slit high enough to expose her thigh entirely, or that it was an off-the-shoulder dress exposing her shoulders, the chest area was the problem. There was a gaping hole right in the middle of the chest, and the width of the fabric was so narrow that not only her cleavage but also the sides of her breasts were completely exposed.
[What's wrong, Master? Is there something you're uncomfortable with?]
"Uh... the exposure level is a bit..."
At Luther's words, Integra burst into a tinkling laugh, then quickly put on an alluring expression and said.
[But Master, you're the only one who can see it anyway, right?]
"Huh?"
Come to think of it, that's true. Then wouldn't it be fine?
As Luther's expression changed, Integra burst into tinkling laughter again.
[Your honesty really is your charm, Master.]
"No, uh... never mind. Just forget it."
Anything he said here would only be digging his own grave. So, Luther employed his usual tactic of changing the subject.
"Anyway... this grand banquet will be our last vacation spent in the South, so let's relax and enjoy it."
They had already found the Iron Horse, and with repairs, resupplying, and the production of various parts wrapping up today or tomorrow, there was no longer any reason to stay in the South. It was better to leave for the East as soon as possible to find the Giant of the Sky and prepare for the Wild Hunt.
[Yes, Master. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.]
Integra, smiling brightly, started typing on her keyboard again, and Luther, after watching her for a moment, turned his gaze out the window.
After the grand banquet beginning tomorrow comes to an end.
It wouldn't be too late to talk about the 'other' Integra then.
Having made up his mind, Luther took a deep breath.
And the following evening.
As the night of the grand banquet deepened, Luther encountered an unexpected guest.