Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Chapter 30 - Temple of the Sea
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Luther wanted nothing more than to pass out like he had after his battle with the beast lord Balakia, but this time, he couldn't afford to.
Unlike before, the incident hadn't fully concluded yet.
"The sea dragons are fleeing!"
"Don't let them escape! We can't allow them to leave the palace!"
The situation was nearly wrapped up, but battles with the sea dragons were still raging in various parts of the palace, and in areas where the fighting had ended, firefighting efforts were in full swing to contain the blazes caused by debris.
[At least there don't seem to be many casualties from the debris.]
It was thanks to the evacuations that had already taken place to avoid attacks from the sea dragons and giant bats.
Of course, there had been damage from the assault itself, but there was no way to prevent that.
They had to be grateful just for averting the total destruction of the capital.
[Master, for now, I recommend some rest.]
[Damage from the intense battle has accumulated significantly.]
[In particular, that final strike with Clairheim Morr has caused issues with the Twin Drive system itself.]
[You'll need time not only to stabilize the newly acquired Dragon Heart but also for nanomachine reproduction and system reconstruction.]
[You could catch a cold, so dry off first, okay?]
At the gentle concern added at the end, Luther chuckled softly and slowly nodded.
Just as Integra said, staying submerged in the waterway like this would give even him a cold.
[By the way, I have no idea why Clairheim Morr suddenly activated.]
[It's amazing that such an incredible function was hidden inside.]
[What on earth happened?]
[Did it react to Master's courage or something?]
Integra laughed with a giggle at the end, clearly joking.
From her tone, she seemed completely unaware of the "other Integra."
Why was that?
What had happened?
The other Integra seemed to know not only Luther's actions but Integra's as well.
"Integra."
[Yes?]
"No, never mind. Let's rest like you said for now."
He needed to talk about the other Integra.
Integra was probably the only one who could figure out who she was and how she existed.
But he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Strangely, the image of Integra in the submarine tunnel, her functions suspended, kept coming to mind.
'It wasn't just that I didn't see it. Integra doesn't even recognize the moments when the other Integra was active.'
Her functions had stopped.
It wasn't that she couldn't remember; she hadn't been active at all.
That fact made Luther deeply uneasy.
[Master? Are you hurt anywhere?]
[According to the data, your whole body hurting is normal...]
"No, just tired. Like I said, I really need to rest."
[Understood. Given your personality, Master, you wouldn't rest in hiding without a word, so I'll locate Queen Reina.]
"You know me well."
[I'm your support AI, after all.]
With a cute flick of her tongue at the end, Integra closed her eyes and launched a small drone.
Having depleted too many nanomachines during the fierce battle, the only drones Integra could deploy were coin-sized minis.
Luther watched the drone soar into the sky and thought.
'Just a little... I'll talk after things calm down a bit.'
He wasn't the only one exhausted from the battle.
Integra was worn out too.
Whether an AI could feel mental fatigue was questionable, but Integra was far more caring and emotional than any human.
It was best to avoid topics that could cause major confusion right now.
'Or is that just what I want...'
Either way, now wasn't the time.
So Luther buried the topic of the other Integra in his heart, sat on the edge of the waterway with his hips perched there.
Integra found Queen Reina about ten minutes later.
* * *
[Just say you'll talk tomorrow.]
[Tomorrow for now.]
[Tell her you need to rest first.]
Thanks to Integra repeating the same lines the moment they met Queen Reina, Luther quickly secured a place to rest.
Though the palace had been attacked in spots, it wasn't entirely overrun, so the room next to where Luther had been staying was intact.
[It's similar to the Gleston count's estate.]
Back then too, the annex where Luther stayed had been mostly unscathed, so he'd returned there right after the battle to rest.
And now, heading to the annex again, it was just as Integra said.
[But the scale is enormously bigger this time.]
Luther nodded in agreement, entered the room, and first took a hot bath.
Naturally, there was no one to draw the water or attend him, but for Luther, Integra alone was always enough, anywhere, anytime.
[Tomorrow, let's wash more carefully.]
[Today was basically just rinsing off with water.]
Luther chuckled at Integra fussing over his bath like a real maid and lay on the bed with a towel roughly covering his lower half.
[It's a relief Princess Aru is safe. Same for Princess Yoru and Princess Iru.]
The reason for seeking Queen Reina specifically, despite the grand general and high priest, was to check on the three of them directly.
[With your personality, Master, you need to see Princess Aru safe with your own eyes to relax.]
[Even though she was asleep, seeing her put you at ease, right?]
Just like before, Integra knew Luther all too well.
Luther nodded again and released the tension from his entire body.
"I'm going to sleep, Integra."
[Yes, Master. Good night. Dream of me coming out.]
[A little naughty is okay too?]
Luther smiled back at the mischievous grin and closed his eyes.
And the next morning.
The gentle voice of Integra greeted Luther as he woke, just as always.
[Master, you're awake?]
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Integra's smiling face looking down at him.
[It's 6:20 AM.]
[You slept about eight hours.]
[Vitals are good. All statuses green.]
As Integra said, his whole body felt light. Like he'd slept deeply and refreshingly.
'As expected of a combat homunculus.'
Plus Integra's auto-healing, so lingering fatigue would be the real anomaly.
[While you slept, nanomachine recovery reached 32%.]
[Nanosuit and Night Wing normal operation still impossible, but instead!]
Integra suddenly raised her voice, puffed out her chest proudly, and patted it firmly.
[We successfully fully integrated Ragros's Dragon Heart.]
[As a mid-tier one! Output is a whopping 320% higher than Balboa's and Astra's Dragon Hearts.]
[If the previous was 200%, now it's 520%, so by simple math, 2.6 times stronger.]
[Actually, even more so!]
Integra beamed, emphasizing it repeatedly as if bragging, then hopped off the bed and continued.
[With three Dragon Hearts now, instead of repairing the damaged Twin Drive, I built a new Triple Drive system.]
[Ragros's Dragon Heart as Master's main power source, Astra's stays in the backpack, and Balboa's moved to Master's right arm.]
"Wait, right arm?"
[Yes, for easy transfer to drones if needed.]
[And since you're right-handed, Master, and use most weapons with your right hand, this is more efficient.]
As expected of Integra.
Hearing the explanation, Luther found himself nodding naturally.
[Triple Drive massively boosts output, strengthening Buster Cannon's power as well.]
[And it solves the output shortage issue.]
[Remember failing to unlock the third core due to insufficient output?]
Integra's excitement made her words fly fast.
As Luther nodded with a vague "Was there?" face, she continued right away.
[When Weapon Master Arma Valentine provided the third fragment at the Gleston estate.]
[Output was lacking then, but now it's fixed, so we unlocked the third core.]
[And as a result, ta-da~! Overall spec upgrades for all your gear!]
Integra grinned wide, spreading her arms, as various charts appeared above her head.
The 3D blueprints showed not just nanosuit and Night Wing, but Energy Gun, drones, and even the backpack had been upgraded.
[Third core unlock lets us better utilize nanomachine functions, so we applied research on the sea dragons' scales we've collected.]
[Introducing: Nanosuit Scale Form!]
With her right index finger raised triumphantly, a 1:1 3D blueprint materialized beside her.
[Reinforced outer armor referencing sea dragon and dragon scale structures.]
[Considering your tastes, Master, I gave the visor more of a dragon feel too. Like it?]
As Integra said, the armor now had a scaly dragon look overall, but the visor's change was most striking.
It had transformed into something like a dragon's head.
'Well, not completely.'
More precisely, helmet decorations made it feel like a dragon head design?
It evoked old tokusatsu shows from childhood, mixing coolness with embarrassment for Luther.
But Luther didn't show it at all.
He couldn't, anyway.
[Master, don't you like it?]
With Integra biting her lip anxiously, how could he say it was embarrassing?
"I like it. Really."
[Hehe, right?]
[I know your tastes perfectly, Master. Trust only me from now on. Only me.]
"Y-Yeah."
At this rate, even the Buster Cannon might turn into a dragon head.
Shaped like a dragon's breath weapon, she'd say.
'That might actually be cool...'
As Luther indulged in that embarrassing fantasy.
Integra, who'd been spinning happily boasting developments, pulled up the Night Wing blueprint and continued.
[Night Wing's output is enhanced too.]
[Added high-speed flight mode.]
[Like this, transforming the wings—how's that?]
"Love it. Absolutely."
Luther was quite pleased seeing the bat-like Night Wing morph into jet-plane wings.
Integra then boasted about backpack output, new drone designs, and such, before suddenly letting out a "Hehehe" laugh.
"Integra?"
She'd been laughing all along, but this felt different.
A mix of shyness and eagerness?
Her cheeks flushed red.
[Hnng, hehehn.]
Biting her lip lightly, twisting her body a bit, Integra fidgeted with her fingers and continued.
[And, and.]
[Clairheim Morr's unlock released a ton of info?]
[So software upgrades too, but...]
She trailed off with another "Hehehe," swaying bashfully, eyes downcast.
[The time we can touch each other has greatly increased.]
[From 7 seconds... a full 14 seconds!]
At Integra's declaration, Luther's eyes widened in surprise.
No wonder—time to physically touch had doubled.
"Ooh, oooh."
As Luther exclaimed in awe, Integra giggled "Hehehe" again, and he cleared his throat, averting his gaze.
Talking about touch time suddenly felt embarrassing anew.
'And from 7 to 14 seconds.'
Doubled, sure, but still pretty short?
And honestly, even longer wouldn't change much—
'—or would it.'
But that was as far as his thoughts went.
Luther cleared his throat again, regaining composure, while Integra laughed merrily at him but didn't press further.
She was embarrassed too, after all.
Anyway, a few minutes passed like that.
After the brief lull, somewhat recovered, Luther and Integra consciously shifted topics.
[Anyway, Master, one highlight remains.]
"Highlight?"
[Yes, highlight. New weapon incorporating tech from the third core unlock and insights from this battle.]
Integra took a deep breath and unfurled a massive blueprint before Luther's eyes.
What it contained was—
[What do you think?]
At Integra's question, laced with excitement and a touch of nerves, Luther smiled and gave a genuine thumbs-up of admiration.
"Perfect. Amazing."
The new weapon Integra had devised.
No, armament.
Smiles returned to the faces of the two, whose tastes had grown eerily similar.