Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Chapter 21 - Saint Elena Island
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The ship arrived at Saint Elena Island just as dusk was settling in.
Luther stepped off the ship that had docked at the port, guided by the lighthouse's beam, and took a deep breath.
"Impressive."
The sun was setting beyond the horizon.
The red and yellow sun dipped toward the water's surface, making the boundary of the sky stand out even more sharply.
The sky, still tinged with blue but gradually darkening, lay beneath distinct clouds cast in shadow.
Between the sun and the horizon, the space blazed red.
The horizon's edge was as sharp as a line drawn on canvas, with the yellow sun's shadow stretching long across the rippling water.
The sun sets.
The sun tilts below the horizon, and the sky's boundary crumbles once more.
Pitch-black darkness descends from on high, swallowing even the horizon.
But the complete darkness didn't last long.
As two moons emerged from behind the clouds, stars lifted their heads in turn, one by one, beginning to shine with their own light.
Luther turned his head.
Other lights welcomed him.
Red and yellow lights once more.
The residents of Saint Elena Island were lighting lanterns.
Colorful lanterns made of red and yellow paper connected one after another, numbering in the dozens, then hundreds, making the cityscape visible from the pier utterly mystical.
"City of Lights."
Luther murmured without realizing it, then flinched and turned his head.
Just as expected, Integra was gazing at him—not the sea or the city—with a mischievous smile.
[Cityㅋ ofㅋ Lightsㅋㅋ.]
[Our master is so~ romanticㅋ.]
And then a poke-poke.
It was the usual pattern, so Luther tried to ignore it rather than get drawn in, but it was futile.
His face had already flushed from embarrassment.
[Why? It was pretty good.]
[Our master, who gets shy after a poetic expression~ so cuteㅋㅋ]
Naughty maid—no, support AI.
I'll get you later.
Vowing silently to himself, Luther turned his gaze back to the city instead of looking at the support AI scanning for more openings to tease him.
If one word summed up Saint Elena Island, it was 'pleasure city.'
A resort packed with all sorts of food and entertainment.
Lethe, the God of Moderation, had twin deities: Redia, the God of Pleasure and Indulgence. Redia had given a revelation to Saint Elena, commanding the construction of a pleasure city on this isolated island in the sea.
Thus, Saint Elena Island itself was Redia's holy site and the grandest temple.
Luther let his gaze follow the main road cutting through the island's center.
There, in the island's heart, stood the grandest structure: Redia's temple, symbolizing Saint Elena Island's wealth.
A towering white spire piercing the heavens.
A colossal skyscraper of over 40 floors—what would be a proper high-rise by this world's standards.
True to Redia's temple, the tower housed all manner of pleasure facilities, the most prominent being the 'Baros Auction House.'
[An auction house inside the tower, but they call it the Baros Auction House separately?]
"Yeah, not just the Baros Auction House—the other pleasure spots on various floors have their own names too. Not randomly made up; they're all named after Redia's angels."
[Hmm, I see.]
[What kinds are there?]
"The gambling den 'Inia Casino,' the luxury inn 'Hotel Bruno,' the upscale tavern 'Enia's Night,' high-class... uh. Just about that much?"
As Luther glossed over the end, Integra narrowed her eyes, glared at him lightly, and said,
[That omitted facility at the end is really bothering me.]
"Ahem."
[And that our master knows all these facilities in detail is bothering me too.]
"Well, yeah... I went there a lot to get rare items?"
[A brothel?!]
[And frequently?!]
Startled by Integra's shout, Luther shouted back in equal surprise.
"N-No! The auction house! The auction house! And anyway! It was just a game! A game!"
A game, so of course I went!
And why am I explaining this to a support AI?
[Well, can't be helped.]
[So our master was a 19+ ero-game fanatic.]
[A bit disappointing, but... you didn't commit any crimes.]
[I'll graciously understand.]
[If you watch porn, playing ero-games is fine too, right?]
As Integra nodded like she fully understood, Luther let out another long sigh.
For some reason, he felt utterly dejected.
"Anyway."
"Yes, anyway."
Integra smiled brightly again, chiming in playfully, so Luther rolled his eyes once before continuing.
"Since we're here, let's stop by the auction house. Might snag something good."
[Good idea.]
[What did you usually get in the original?]
"Well... like I said earlier, rare items? Costumes with special effects, potions that permanently boost stats, that sort of thing."
The Baros Auction House changed its listings every visit, so no one could say for sure what item would appear when.
[Still, like master says, worth checking out.]
"Yeah, but that's just the second priority. Our first goal is still the High Priest, right?"
High Priest Matriel.
Apostle of Adonai Melech, the Sea Goddess revered in the Malkuth Kingdom.
Among the three spy candidates, he was rumored to actually be Redia's apostle, so indulgent was he.
[The typical corrupt priest character?]
"Pretty much. And like those characters usually are, his actual power is immense."
The 'Tidal Wave Incident,' which devastated the entire south, could be summed up as follows.
Once every ten years, the Malkuth Kingdom held a ritual for Queen Assia—the eldest daughter of the Sea Goddess Adonai Melech and the kingdom's founder.
The ritual's climax was the surfacing of the 'Sky Island' from the ocean depths, where an ancient ritual device to trigger the tidal wave lay hidden.
"On ritual day, the spy reveals themselves and activates the device, causing the tidal wave. High Priest Matriel leads the ritual, so he's naturally heading to the Sky Island too."
[If he's the spy, he could activate it easily.]
[To stop the incident on ritual day, we need to figure out which of the three candidates is the real spy beforehand.]
[So this time, we're checking if the High Priest is the spy?]
"If possible."
Luther had planned to investigate all three candidates upon arriving in Malkuth Kingdom and identify the real spy.
Having a chance to observe the High Priest earlier than planned, he needed to make the most of it.
[Got a clever plan?]
At Integra's question, Luther grinned and tapped the drone on his wrist.
"Plant a drone in the High Priest's room."
Secretly observe, and we'll know if he's the spy or not, right?
Integra pondered briefly at Luther's words, then nodded.
[Seems the most effective option among what we can do right now.]
"Yeah. The High Priest's definitely staying at Hotel Bruno, so just find out his room number."
[I see. But is that the High Priest over there?]
"Huh?"
Luther whipped his head around at Integra's words and let out an involuntary chuckle.
"Yeah, that's him."
Even Integra, meeting him for the first time, could spot him instantly. The reason?
A conspicuous procession marched down the main road.
Two men laying out a red carpet ahead.
Twenty white-robed holy knights walking along it, scanning the surroundings.
Six scantily clad women holding ornate parasols.
And in their midst, a large elderly man in white priestly robes striding forward with an arrogant expression.
[Surprisingly fit.]
As Integra noted, the elderly man with the long white beard—High Priest Matriel—was in good shape.
His back wasn't hunched, and though plump, his muscles were firm, making him look more like a retired warrior than a priest.
[Yeah, hard to tell just by looking.]
With his stern expression, Matriel seemed like a fine priest from appearances alone.
Can't judge him a spy just for liking indulgences, so as Luther said, infiltrating with a drone for secret observation seemed the only way.
"Anyway, let's follow."
[Yes, master. We need to book a room too.]
"Right."
Luther gave a short reply and slowly followed the High Priest's procession.
* * *
High Priest Matriel headed straight for the white spire, nowhere else.
All the finest pleasures on Saint Elena Island were inside that tower, after all.
"The problem is he's holed up in his room right away."
Upon arriving at the tower, Matriel entered his room and showed no sign of emerging even after hours.
[We easily pinpointed the room thanks to that... but calculations say high risk of detection if we infiltrate the drone now.]
Matriel had rented out an entire floor.
A Malkuth High Priest was a High Priest, after all—security was no joke. Multiple detection spells covered the whole floor where he stayed.
As Integra said, rashly sending in the drone now—small as a coin though it was—carried a high chance of discovery.
"No choice. Wait till tomorrow when Matriel leaves for the auction."
Since it was Redia's temple, not Malkuth's, even the High Priest's guards couldn't engrave permanent magic circles into Hotel Bruno.
The detection spells they used were via magic tools, reinstalled each time Matriel entered his lodgings.
Thus, catch him leaving, and they could slip in the drone.
[So tomorrow, infiltrate during the auction outing, we browse the auction house, then retrieve the drone the morning or afternoon after?]
"Exactly."
There were other spy candidates besides Matriel, and preparations needed in Malkuth before the ritual, so max stay on Saint Elena Island was three days at most.
[Got it. Let's rest for today then.]
Nodding at Integra's suggestion, Luther took a quick bath and lay on the bed.
After fighting the Kraken in the morning, Trigon in the afternoon—plus losing consciousness midway—his eyes shut the moment he lay down.
[Shall I activate sleep mode?]
"Please."
Come to think of it, the massive energy drain from Clairheim Morr too.
As Luther stretched out obediently, Integra appeared by his pillow, smiled tenderly, and said,
[Good night, master.]
"Yeah, you too."
[You know I don't sleep.]
Giggling, Integra looked down at Luther again.
In moments, he was already deep asleep.
Gazing softly at his face, Integra slowly reached out and stroked his cheek—but as expected, her hand passed through.
Her current body was merely a holographic projection via HUD.
[Sigh.]
With an inexplicable pang of sorrow, Integra let out a small sigh, lay beside him, and closed her eyes.
Unable to sleep anyway, she figured she'd raise Clairheim Morr's unlock rate.
[System reloaded.]
[Access code: Star-Severing (斬星).]
Linking Clairheim Morr and the drone, Integra accessed it directly.
Awakening in a sea of 0s and 1s, Integra stepped forward slowly, exploring Clairheim Morr's interior.
With only 13% unlocked, the ceiling was pitch black, paths ahead blocked in places.
But Integra advanced patiently.
Though built on 2nd-gen nanomachines, as a military custom weapon, its software was exceptional.
[Unlocking isn't everything.]
[I'll absorb all the needed data?]
Suffering massive data loss, Integra couldn't even muster 10% of her original processing power.
Lacking in software too, she could gain much even from fragments of Clairheim Morr.
And so, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 1 hour passed.
After sifting countless data, Integra suddenly disconnected from Clairheim Morr.
Not from triggering its defenses.
She realized the data she'd inadvertently acquired was something she desperately needed.
[Calm down, calm down, Integra.]
Calming herself like a human, Integra closed her eyes again, diving deep into her own core—not Clairheim Morr.
What she sought: the protected program from the third fragment.
Couldn't unlock it then.
But now, she could.
Integra swallowed dryly, tense, and attempted activation again.
Data from Clairheim Morr served as the key to unlock the protection.
Then, another 1 minute, 2 minutes.
An eternity in an instant passed.
[System update.]
[Installing Virtual Reality Perception Control Program.]
[32%]
[51%]
[77%]
[…93%]
[…100%]
[Install complete.]
[Virtual Reality Perception Control Program executable.]
Integra opened her eyes.
Not in the data sea, but acting in reality.
Beside Luther, her holographic body.
No longer lying on the bed.
Just projecting the hologram there.
But Integra didn't mind.
She bolted upright, looked at Luther.
Tentatively reached toward her soundly sleeping master's shoulder.
-Tap.
Her finger touched.
Didn't pass through.
-Tap tap.
She felt texture.
She could touch Luther.
The hologram hadn't gained mass.
She still hovered above the bed, unable to truly sit.
Virtual Reality Perception Control Program.
Simple principle.
Like feeling textures in VR games via haptic gloves.
Visible and tangible only to Luther.
But Integra didn't care.
What mattered: Luther could now touch her, and she him.
[Master! Master! Wake up! Master!]
Integra shook Luther's upper body wildly.