Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Chapter 18 - Integra #3
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"Ah."
A dark room.
Luther opened his eyes in the guest room bedroom and blinked them wide once before recalling the memory from before he fell asleep.
'I absorbed the Energy Cube... and came back to my room.'
The Energy Cube found in the third fragment contained far more information than the two previously discovered cubes combined.
Because of that, Luther had excused himself from the group and retired to his bedroom first.
So he could focus solely on collecting the Energy Cube's data.
'It's pretty late at night, at least.'
Several hours at minimum.
The sun had just been setting when he closed his eyes, but now it was pitch black night.
'But why is she so quiet?'
The gentle voice that always greeted him upon waking was absent this time.
Startled without realizing it, Luther bolted upright from his lying position and called out urgently.
"Integra?"
*Haa... Yes, Master.*
*This is your Integra...*
A response came to his call, but the atmosphere was completely different from usual.
Her tone was limp and listless, devoid of any energy.
'Tired...? No, more like she's down in the dumps?'
And as if to prove Luther's thought, the mini Integra that appeared before him had her shoulders slumped, letting out deep sighs.
"What's wrong? Did something bad happen?"
Perhaps she hadn't obtained any meaningful information from the Energy Cube?
Integra let out another sigh at Luther's question, her face gloomy as she spoke.
*I found a skill in the Energy Cube that I desperately want to acquire... but I can't unprotect it.*
She looked so dejected that it seemed like tears might start falling any second.
What kind of skill could make her this despondent?
"What skill is it?"
*Well...*
"Well?"
Integra's lips twitched a few times at Luther's prompting before she shook her head side to side.
*I'll tell you later.*
*It's not directly related to Master's combat power... It's a skill for my personal interest.*
'No, that makes me even more curious.'
A skill unrelated to combat that had caught Integra's personal interest.
Luther couldn't even begin to guess what it might be.
'But pressing her about it feels wrong.'
If it were something Luther absolutely needed to know, Integra wouldn't hide it like this.
Of course, as her 'Master,' Luther could force an answer with a command... but that didn't sit right with him.
'Still, it really piques my curiosity.'
What skill could make Integra act like this?
"Uh... Does this 'protect' mean it can never be unlocked?"
*No... Not at all. If we acquire additional information from other fragments... there's a high chance it can be unlocked.*
*If we're lucky, it might unlock right away with the next fragment, but if not...*
*We might need to collect five or even six more fragments before it becomes possible.*
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, clearly more than just a little down.
No, it was more like disappointment.
'How much had she been hoping for it?'
The greater the expectation, the greater the letdown—she must have been extremely excited when she first discovered it.
"Hm... What about the other stuff?"
*Other stuff?*
"Yeah, the Energy Cube didn't just have that one skill. Surely not everything else is protected too?"
*Not at all.*
*There were quite a few skills where I couldn't even confirm the type, but there was still more acquirable information than that.*
*Hoo, I need to perk up.*
*I'll return to being the gentle, lively, and lovable Integra as usual.*
'No, saying that yourself is a bit...'
It was mostly true, though.
Either way, Luther had no reason to complain, so he consciously raised both arms and watched the mini Integra let out a 'woo-woo-woo' cheer.
*Whew, all good.*
*I've recovered somewhat.*
*Let's do the usual briefing.*
Speaking gently, Integra straightened her shoulders and chest, then created several windows in the air.
*The third Energy Cube contained more information than the first and second combined.*
*38% of the information is protected and inaccessible, 40% is too damaged for analysis, and 22% is fully acquirable.*
It felt less like subtle and more like just plain low numbers.
But Integra wagged her right index finger at Luther as if to say otherwise, continuing.
*Even that 22% gave us more information than the previous two cubes combined.*
*As I mentioned before, the current 38% inaccessible part can likely be acquired through additional fragments.*
"Indeed."
So what part of the spaceship was this fragment from to hold so much data?
He didn't ask outright, but perhaps reading his expression, Integra shrugged and said.
*If my guess is right, it's one of the spaceship's cores.*
*For a small shuttle-class ship, this fragment might be the core itself. For a larger mid-to-heavy class ship, it was probably one of the auxiliary cores.*
"Oh."
It was a more crucial core component than expected.
*Through this information acquisition, we've dramatically boosted the propulsion system's performance.*
"The propulsion system's?"
*Yes. Numerically speaking, thrust has been enhanced to 170% of previous levels.*
*Now Master can move much higher and faster.*
*Naturally, the performance of weapons utilizing the propulsion system has improved as well.*
Glad tidings all around.
"Anything on the drones by chance?"
Integra smiled at Luther's question, crossing her arms as she replied.
*Of course, the propulsion enhancement allows us to increase both the drones' weight and size.*
*However, Master, to further enlarge the drones here, merging with the backpack alone won't suffice.*
*We'll need additional parts.*
Luther thought he knew what she meant.
The nanosuit alone wasn't enough; they'd need to carry separate parts for merging.
"What about shields or weapons?"
*I'll consider options prioritizing portability as much as possible.*
"Yeah, thanks."
Luther briefly recalled 'Star Savior Luther Lightseeker.'
In the original work, Luther had enhanced the nanosuit's combat power by merging with various parts.
'He did form changes too.'
Specializing in close combat, long-range shooting, and more, adapting the nanosuit's form to the situation.
*Then, Master, I'll prepare blueprints for the new suit, additional parts, and drones by tomorrow morning.*
"Sure."
Normally, Integra would have already prepared blueprints to show off, but today, perhaps due to her earlier gloom, she hadn't finished.
'It really bugs me. What skill could disappoint her this much?'
What could it be?
What skill would get the current Integra all hyped up only to crash down?
*Master.*
"Hm?"
*I'd also like to discuss the schedule from here on.*
Other than leaving the Gleston Count's residence tomorrow morning to head to the port city of Erenpe for a southbound ship, Luther and Integra hadn't really discussed their itinerary.
Luther scratched his chin at Integra's question.
"For now... we need to time it right."
*Time it?*
"Yeah, Ash is about to set off south now."
*Ash as in the holy knight Ash? The protagonist of the Southern Campaign side story?*
"Right. Our destination is the Malkuth Kingdom same as hers, so we'll meet eventually... but it'd be better to catch her early if possible."
*Hm... Understood. Ash. Woman. Beauty. Every character we meet is a woman and a beauty. This 19+ game.*
"...Like I said last time, it's 19+ for violence, not fanservice?"
*If Master says so, then sure.*
"Ugh, seriously."
If it were actually a 19+ eroge, he wouldn't feel so wronged.
Anyway, to divert the giggling Integra, Luther brought up another topic.
"Besides the main story, there's other business in the south to handle."
*The Sword Emperor's sword, right?*
"Yeah, the sword of the lost Sword Emperor Clausewitz."
One of the Sword Emperor's Eight Divine Weapons, the jet-black greatsword Clairheim Morr, called the 'Star-Cleaving Sword.'
It wasn't an event from the original game.
But according to the intel gathered by Arma Valentine, the sword was slumbering somewhere in the southern seas.
*But Master, if it's sunk deep in the ocean, even I might not be able to find it.*
"Yeah... We'll see when we get there."
It was described as 'somewhere in the southern seas,' but he knew the exact sinking location.
*Understood.*
*We'll discuss the rest later.*
*I'll start the data analysis, so how about Master gets a bit more sleep?*
"Yeah, thanks."
With that, Luther lay back down and closed his eyes.
Though he only needed three hours of sleep a day, the lingering effects from the battle with the beast lord Balakia must have remained, as he quickly fell into deep slumber again.
And after another minute, two minutes.
Confirming Luther was deeply asleep, Integra processed two tasks simultaneously in the nanosuit's core—her own neural space.
One was blueprint creation, the other a review of last night's events.
Under the soft moonlight, two people dancing to the music.
A memory she'd revisited many times, but one that still brought an involuntary smile to her lips.
*Hehe, hehehe.*
With a somewhat foolish yet endearing smile, Integra immersed herself in the memory.
And at the same time, deeper within the core.
There lay a woman asleep as if dead.
Snow-white hair and flawless, clear skin.
Her facial features matched Integra's.
But to say their auras were the same would be an overstatement—they were worlds apart.
More artificial in nature.
A machine devoid of emotion.
The third Energy Cube's information had reached her too.
It partially restored functions halted since the crash.
*9th Generation Nanosuit.*
*Model Number: ZX-999-S*
*Support AI: INTEGRA*
*...*
*..*
*.*
*Rebooting*
A stream of data.
Function recovery.
A silent awakening.
The white-haired woman opened her eyes.
Golden irises gazed into the darkness.