Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Chapter 37 - Northern Black Tortoise Chaldea #2
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Following the navigation, Luther learned why Anes had returned so quickly.
[The Northern Black Tortoise's movements seem to have been completely missed.]
[The entrance is structured this way, so that makes sense.]
Just as Integra said, the issue was the entrance to the Submarine Tunnel.
If the Submarine Tunnel's entrance had simply been a hole in a wall or the floor, Anes would have chased the Northern Black Tortoise right into the tunnel.
But the entrance was, of course, perfectly concealed.
Almost flawlessly, in fact.
"It's pretty impressive."
Luther was now caressing a certain point in the intricately formed underwater canyon.
Even through the nanosuit, the texture wasn't perfect, but no matter how much he touched it, it just felt like ordinary rock.
But what he was touching was actually a fake rock created by the camouflage panel attached to the Submarine Tunnel entrance.
When he brought the Sea Key nearby, the rocky surface instantly turned into a smooth metal plate, which then swung wide open to reveal the tunnel interior.
[The Sea Key really is a miracle tool.]
[It's a shame we couldn't get the Sky Key or Earth Key.]
"Yeah."
He did feel like he was being a bit too greedy, but considering it, Luther was currently struggling alongside Integra to prevent the world's destruction.
Wasn't a little greed allowed?
[That's the face you make when you're thinking something off-topic.]
[I don't hate that expression, but we should hurry now.]
"Right."
Luther nodded and remounted Schwarz before entering the Submarine Tunnel.
And after advancing a bit further.
After descending diagonally for nearly 100 meters in a straight line, the seawater suddenly vanished at some point. Advancing another 50 meters or so brought him to a platform he'd seen several times before.
"Luther!"
The moment he arrived at the platform, he was greeted by Mina.
She had been standing anxiously on the platform, but upon seeing Luther, she hopped up and down in joy. Her beaming smile was one thing, but the presence of her three tails swishing wildly left and right was even more striking.
"You're safe! Thank goodness, really!"
Mina came down the stairs with quick steps and clasped her hands tightly together again.
Aru probably would have run straight into Luther's arms without stopping there.
[Hmm, she knows how to restrain herself.]
[Awarding Mina one point at the shop.]
As Integra crossed her arms with an inscrutable expression, Luther dismounted from Schwarz and approached Mina.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Mina."
As Luther released his visor and smiled gently, Mina flinched for a moment before blushing and bowing her head shyly.
[Awarding Master one point at the shop.]
[Master, Master needs to realize that Master's face itself is a plot device.]
At Integra's voice laced with dissatisfaction, Luther cleared his throat awkwardly with a sheepish look.
Integra narrowed her eyes again and said,
[Master, it's so obvious you're holding back laughter because you're happy.]
"No, well... Ahem."
Luther cleared his throat unnecessarily again and asked the still-embarrassed Mina,
"Mina, where are Doju-nim and Northern Black Tortoise-nim?"
"Ah! The two are further inside. I'll guide you."
With that, Mina belatedly bowed politely to Schwarz and took the lead up the platform stairs.
[The functions are intact, but there's no train at this station right now.]
[Maybe there's one at the connected platform.]
[We'll have to check the control room later for a full tunnel map.]
It was all sound advice, so Luther nodded in response and continued following Mina, unable to help but notice her fluffy, cute fox tails swaying gently.
[...Master, do you like foxes?]
'Huh? Uh... Yeah. Though I prefer rabbits more.'
[Hm, rabbits. Got it. Look forward to it.]
"Huh?"
Look forward to it?
To what?
Well, he had a pretty good idea.
As Luther looked at Integra with expectant eyes, she huffed and said,
[Not now, later.]
[Later.]
She finished with a teasing, subtle smile, then giggled softly. Thanks to that, Luther, who had unwittingly started entertaining various fantasies, cleared his throat.
[LOL, so cute.]
What a seductive maid.
Ignoring Integra, who was now clutching her stomach and rolling with laughter, Luther took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Mina, who was leading, turned back as if wondering what was wrong.
"Luther-nim? Is something the matter?"
"No, just a moment."
[Yes, just a moment.]
Integra, who kept giggling at whatever amused her so much, earned a glare from Luther as he quickened his pace.
And about a minute later.
Deeper inside, they came to a small room. Mina didn't enter right away but stood at the door and called inside.
"Northern Black Tortoise-nim, Luther-nim has returned."
"Come in."
With Northern Black Tortoise's permission, Mina carefully opened the door.
The inside was surprisingly cozy and livable. The room itself was from the Galaxy Federation, but the furniture was all from the East—specifically the Ashanta Continent.
"I'm truly relieved you're safe."
As Luther entered, Northern Black Tortoise, sitting on the bed, let out a long sigh of relief.
He must have been quite anxious waiting for Luther.
"What about the Hecatoncheires' dragonkin...?"
"We repelled one... The other fled with the fallen dragonkin. We won't have to worry for a while."
At Luther's answer, Northern Black Tortoise's eyes widened in surprise before he murmured in admiration.
"As expected... Successor to the Sword Angel..."
Having already clashed once with Kaliot, Northern Black Tortoise couldn't help but feel Luther's strength more viscerally.
"For now, let me express my thanks again."
Northern Black Tortoise gently stroked the head of Yerang, who was sleeping demurely on the bed, straightened his posture, and bowed politely to Luther.
"Without you, we all would have been dead. Thank you for saving my life, Yerang's, and Mina's."
Escaping the pursuit of two mid-tier dragonkin was all thanks to Luther's efforts.
Especially for Northern Black Tortoise, who had been bested by Kaliot in the Water God Cave, Luther's courage and sacrifice in charging at the dragonkin to buy time left an even deeper impression.
"It's fine. I just did what needed to be done."
As Luther replied as always, Integra snickered, while Northern Black Tortoise and Mina looked moved once more.
It was a cliché phrase, but one that's hard to say in practice.
Perhaps because of that, Northern Black Tortoise now gazed at Luther with even warmer eyes and spoke calmly.
"Luther, you said you were an angel who lost your memories. Is that right?"
"Yes... That's correct."
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
Though Integra was rolling on the floor laughing, fortunately or unfortunately, only Luther could see it.
Thus, Northern Black Tortoise continued seriously.
"Can you tell me more details?"
The circumstances of the memory-lost angel.
Mina also watched with sparkling eyes full of curiosity, but he couldn't spill everything that had happened, so Luther gave a condensed version again.
"One day, I woke up on the surface. But with the Heavenly Armor and the Holy Spirit with me, I managed to pull myself together somehow... Then, while searching for the shattered armor pieces, I clashed with the Hecatoncheires."
"The Holy Spirit..."
As Northern Black Tortoise murmured softly, Luther deployed a drone instead of explaining.
[Hello, Northern Black Tortoise-nim. I'm Integra.]
Integra appeared via the drone's hologram, curtsying slightly in greeting. Northern Black Tortoise admired quietly before pointing to himself.
"I'm Northern Black Tortoise Chaldea. This is Yerang, and the one attending Yerang is Saint Mina."
"I'm Saint Mina."
Mina, who had thought Integra was just a voice until now, bowed her head with a mix of surprise and fluster.
Integra smiled at Mina's reaction, turned back to Northern Black Tortoise, and said,
[I'm the Holy Spirit attending Luther-nim.]
[Please take care of us going forward.]
"Yes, I look forward to working with you too."
Northern Black Tortoise smiled warmly, and Integra smiled back before retracting the hologram.
"Such a... beautiful Holy Spirit."
Northern Black Tortoise gazed at where Integra had been, and Mina nodded in agreement. Luther just smiled awkwardly.
It was because Integra was humming smugly right beside him.
[Hum hum hum.]
[Hee hee hee hum.]
[Did you hear?]
[Such a beautiful Holy Spirit, they say.]
Yeah, you are pretty.
You really are.
Especially since she acted all prim and proper in front of Northern Black Tortoise.
If she just kept quiet, anyone would believe she was a goddess from legend.
[Wait, so what does that mean I usually am?]
Instead of answering, Luther invoked his right to silence and turned to Northern Black Tortoise. Unaware of Integra, he naturally shifted the topic.
"Luther, you possess the Sword Emperor's sword. You're said to be the Sword Angel's successor. If you've lost your memories, how do you know that? Can you tell me?"
Northern Black Tortoise already believed Luther was an angel, but some parts still puzzled him.
At the question, Luther casually tapped his chest—precisely the part still equipped with the nanosuit.
"I recover memories each time I find a piece of the shattered armor. That's how I obtained the Sword Emperor's sword too."
"I see... I shouldn't keep questioning my benefactor when I already believe you're an angel. Forgive my rudeness."
"It's fine. I would have asked the same things in your position."
And it wasn't really interrogation anyway.
Since he was accepting everything Luther said at face value.
"Thank you for understanding."
"Thank you for believing me."
Both sides smiled again.
It was a heartwarming scene, but they couldn't linger forever, so Integra gently tugged Luther's arm.
[Master, how about resolving our questions now?]
Things to ask Northern Black Tortoise.
Luther felt it was time too, so he composed himself and asked Northern Black Tortoise, who was looking their way.
"Northern Black Tortoise-nim, do you know anything about the Hecatoncheires?"
Northern Black Tortoise had hinted in the Crystal Palace that he knew of their existence.
But perhaps he knew more?
Northern Black Tortoise paused to gather his thoughts before responding calmly.
"Truthfully, I don't know much either. Only that they're a group of dragonkin inheriting the evil demon dragon's blood, intent on destroying the world. And that about 130 years ago, there was a great battle between the Sword Angel and the Hecatoncheires on this Ashanta Continent. That's all I know."
It was indeed scant information.
But one part resonated deeply with Luther.
"Northern Black Tortoise-nim, you said there was a battle between the Sword Angel and the Hecatoncheires?"
"Yes. According to records left by the previous Northern Black Tortoise-nim, it was on the scale of a war, not just a battle. Even the other Sacred Beasts participated."
A war between the Sword Angel and the Hecatoncheires on the Ashanta Continent.
[No records of a war between them in the books about the Sword Emperor's legend.]
[A hidden history that occurred in secret?]
That seemed likely.
Based on all the information Luther and Integra had so far, there were no records of direct clashes between the Sword Emperor and the Hecatoncheires.
[Maybe the imperial family has some memoirs left.]
Probably.
Northern Black Tortoise himself knew through records left by the previous one.
'That's how he knew about the Star-Cleaving Sword too.'
If it was from records describing the Star-Cleaving Sword rather than seeing it in person, it made sense.
[Master, talking alone won't suffice.]
[Can we see the previous Northern Black Tortoise's records directly?]
When Luther relayed Integra's question, Northern Black Tortoise furrowed his brow and spoke apologetically.
"I'd like to grant my benefactor's wish, but... unfortunately, it's impossible right now. I had to leave the previous Northern Black Tortoise-nim's records in the Water God Cave."
They couldn't return to the Water God Cave now either.
Who knew what measures the Hecatoncheires had taken there.
"...Understood. Then, Northern Black Tortoise-nim, is there no way to stop the Wild Hunt?"
Northern Black Tortoise had said the Sacred Beasts suppressed the Wild Hunt's energy.
Even though two Sacred Beasts were dead and one still too young to use power, Northern Black Tortoise was intact, so maybe there was a way.
But Northern Black Tortoise's face darkened as he drooped his shoulders.
"I can't suppress the Wild Hunt's energy alone. The ritual to suppress it was performed in the Water God Cave to begin with. However... the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden might have a way."
Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden.
A figure who never even appeared in the original story.
Radian, the protagonist of the Eastern arc, only mentioned the Sacred Beasts in passing.
Seeing Luther's curiosity, Northern Black Tortoise continued with a slightly brighter expression.
"Mina told me you visited Yerang's island seeking the Sword Emperor's Eight Divine Artifacts. In that case, you must seek the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden all the more. She's the only one who knows about the 'Giant's Grave' where the Sky Giant slumbers."
As Northern Black Tortoise said, Luther had originally visited Wind God Island seeking the Eight Divine Artifacts.
If even the answer to that lay with the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden, he had no choice but to meet her.
[Hmm... A shrine maiden, huh.]
[Another stunning beauty this time, right?]
At Integra's barbed remark, Luther chuckled softly.
'Well, probably?'
Given the pattern so far.
Integra pouted discontentedly at Luther's response. He stifled another laugh, then smirked mischievously.
'But Integra.'
[What, Master?]
'You're a stunning beauty yourself, aren't you?'
[Huh? Oh, no. Well... I mean, yeah, but...]
[Yeah, but...]
Integra was Integra, after all.
She'd flirt shamelessly usually, but genuine praise left her flustered.
This time too, her face flushed to her neck as she fidgeted with her fingers adorably.
And so Luther, as always, opened his mouth for the follow-up blow—but Integra was a tad quicker.
[W-Wait! Stop the mindless flattery!]
[You're about to say something embarrassing again, right? Right?]
'Embarrassing? Like what? Give me an example.'
[Huh? Uh... Well, like... how my hair is pretty like moonlight, or my voice is sweet, like last time...]
[Agh! What am I even saying?!]
[Anyway, Master! We need to meet the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden!]
[A-And Northern Black Tortoise is looking at us weird!]
Luther barely suppressed his laughter at how unbearably cute her flustered, red-faced panic was.
Just as Integra said, Northern Black Tortoise was staring oddly.
"Hm... Were you talking to the Holy Spirit by any chance?"
"Yes, sorry for interrupting. We were just discussing the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden."
"No need to apologize; that's understandable. What did the Holy Spirit say?"
For a moment, Luther wanted to mention Integra's self-praise, but he held back.
It didn't fit the situation, and any more would make Integra burst into tears.
"She said we absolutely need to meet the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden."
"I agree. We can't let the Hecatoncheires rampage unchecked."
With that, Northern Black Tortoise waved his hand lightly, forming an ice map in the air.
He pointed to the center of the Ashanta Continent in the east.
"If the Sacred Beasts symbolize east, west, south, and north, the Yellow Dragon symbolizes the center. But unlike us Sacred Beasts, the Yellow Dragon isn't a tangible being. It's the sacred energy itself, opposing the ominous Wild Hunt energy."
And protecting and tending that Yellow Dragon energy was the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden.
"We only know her abode is somewhere in the continent's center; even we Sacred Beasts don't know the exact location. So the Hecatoncheires likely haven't reached her yet."
It was a reasonable point, but Luther couldn't relax.
Because the original story never mentioned the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden at all.
[So you're saying she might have been eliminated by the Hecatoncheires?]
Luther nodded at Integra's question.
She might be safe now, but there was no guarantee for the future.
[We should hurry.]
They needed to find the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden as soon as possible.
With his resolve firm, Luther turned to Northern Black Tortoise, who nodded once before pointing at his ice map.
"We don't know exactly where the Yellow Dragon's Shrine Maiden resides, but there is a way to find her. That way is..."
Trailing off, Northern Black Tortoise pointed to one spot with his fingertip. Luther knew what lay there.
The great plains ruled by the centaurs.
The Wind Plains were there.