Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Chapter 30 - Temple of the Sea #2
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The exciting production announcement came to an end, and Luther and Integra began discussing more realistic matters.
[You're saying we need to think about how to deal with the Hecatoncheires, right?]
"Pretty much."
There was a difference far beyond just the scale of the battles between the fight in the west and the one in the south.
"In the west, I was able to stay hidden. The response in the south suggests it actually worked. But this battle in the south... even you think it's impossible, don't you, Integra?"
[Definitely... it seems impossible.]
[Master made too big a splash to hide. Plus, there are the ar dragons that escaped alive, and the Hecatoncheires' combatants.]
Even if they didn't know the exact details, they must have witnessed Luther slicing through the sky island with Clairheim Morr.
[In the west, the mana vortex made it impossible to surveil with magic power or spells, but this time, there was nothing like that.]
[The battle in the west was close to a situation where EMP blasts disabled all the surveillance cameras around... It's too different from this fight in the south.]
[Of course, the Hecatoncheires might be incompetent at that kind of observation... but that feels like wishful thinking.]
The Hecatoncheires weren't incompetent by any means, even though Luther had crushed their plans in both the west and the south.
They had planted a massive number of spies in the Malkuth Kingdom, and they had even managed to float the sky island.
Moreover, if not for the miraculous power of Clairheim Morr at the very last moment, the royal capital of Malkuth—if not the entire south—would surely have been obliterated.
"Yeah, so from now on, we have to act under the assumption that some information about me has reached the Hecatoncheires."
[That makes sense.]
[Then the question is how much they've figured out about Master.]
[And how much of a threat they see you as, like you mentioned before.]
Luther had hidden his identity as much as possible after the western battle out of concern for Hecatoncheires assassins.
If high-ranking dragonkin like Jenadu—the mastermind behind the west side—came after him personally to kill him, there'd be no way to handle it.
"Of course, high-ranking dragonkin are executives in the organization, so they'd have a hard time moving directly... but since they're basically guerrilla terrorists right now, we should keep that possibility in mind."
And the problem wasn't just the high-ranking dragonkin.
He had taken down mid-ranking dragonkin Ragros this time, but that was partly because the guy was ignorant about the hyper-vibration blade, and the situation had favored him in various ways.
'Above all... Ragros isn't exactly a combat specialist among the mid-rankers.'
From the start, his backstory was that he preferred scheming from behind the scenes because his direct combat abilities were lacking compared to other mid-ranking dragonkin.
Of course, that didn't mean Ragros was weak.
Even if his potential hadn't fully awakened yet, he was strong enough to suppress Sandalphon head-on.
'No matter what, if a combat specialist among the mid-rankers attempts an assassination, it could get dangerous.'
So, not only did he need to minimize attacks from the Hecatoncheires, but he also needed to prepare means to protect himself.
[In cases like this, it's rational to consider the worst-case scenario first.]
[Assuming the Hecatoncheires are wary of Master's existence, my calculations suggest two immediate options.]
Integra crossed her arms up to that point, slightly furrowed her brow, and continued.
[First, cooperating with the Holy Knights would be good.]
[If you get a powerful backer, the Hecatoncheires won't be able to attack Master so recklessly.]
"You're right, that's what I think too. And the next option?"
In response to Luther's question, Integra shrugged once and grinned.
[Master gets stronger.]
[Strong enough that the Hecatoncheires wouldn't even dream of trying an ambush.]
It was a very appealing option, but not very realistic right now.
Even so, Luther nodded.
"Yeah, the best plan is for me to get stronger than I am now."
Jumping straight to high-ranking dragonkin level was impossible, but someday he could surpass even them.
After all, Luther himself was Star Savior—the Savior of the Stars.
On top of that, the Sword Emperor's Eight Divine Armaments.
The true power of Clairheim Morr was truly electrifying.
If the other Eight Divine Armaments hid similar powers, and if Luther could collect them all—
'It wouldn't even be a dream to take on the entire Hecatoncheires single-handedly.'
Of course, right now he couldn't even freely wield the true power of Clairheim Morr, which was already in his possession, but Luther was still growing.
In terms of potential and possibilities, it was entirely feasible.
[There's still quite a bit of time until the east arc begins, right?]
[The south arc battle ended much earlier than in the original story.]
"Yeah, even if the butterfly effect advances the timeline... the rite that marks the branching point of the south arc is still a month away at least. Even if things are moving faster than the original, we still have plenty of time."
The east arc, due to the nature of the events, wasn't likely to accelerate much either.
[Good, then let's use that time to contact the Holy Knights while leveling up as much as possible in the Malkuth Kingdom.]
He had secured Clairheim Morr, the Sword Emperor's blade, but that didn't mean all leveling opportunities were gone.
"Sky island."
[Right, the sky island was a Galactic Federation facility.]
[Which means the other facilities in Malkuth—like those related to the Sea Goddess Adonai Melech—could also be Galactic Federation sites. Maybe even the Sea Goddess herself is connected to the Federation.]
It was all speculation, but the possibility was there.
[We need to investigate the Sea Temple, where the Malkuth King is recuperating.]
[If we're lucky, we might find a new weapon... or clues for a software upgrade.]
She was right.
Moreover, even though they had repelled the Hecatoncheires, they still needed to cure the king's illness separately.
[Master is already the savior of Malkuth, but curing the king too would get us real national support.]
[The entire Malkuth Kingdom would become Master's backer.]
Integra chuckled like a schemer, but Luther knew she was concerned about Aru and Yoru.
Luther wanted to cure the Malkuth King for those two as well.
"And the sky island fragments... specifically, the relatively intact C-part that fell. We need to check that out. We have to replay the Sword Emperor's footage that got forcibly interrupted."
[Yes, Master. The Sword Emperor's footage is important.]
The Sword Emperor's footage had brought some kind of benefit every time it appeared so far.
Especially for Integra, who was obsessed(?) with software upgrades, her reaction was even more enthusiastic than expected.
"Alright, so to sum up: contact the Holy Knights through Ash while investigating the Sea Temple and treating the Malkuth King—that's the immediate plan?"
[Yes. If we prioritize, treating the Malkuth King comes first.]
"Yeah, then let's get moving right away—Integra?"
Luther, who had been getting up from the bed, was pushed back down by Integra activating her precious 14-second mode.
Integra tilted her head as if she had no idea what was going on, then spoke in a stern tone.
[First, have some food.]
[Master's body needs proper nutrition.]
Integra, in her usual maid outfit complete with glasses, spoke solemnly, and Luther couldn't help but laugh.
"You really look like a maid."
[Shall I start calling you 'Master'—I mean, 'Lord' from now on?]
[Huh? L-L-Lord?]
Luther's heart wavered for a moment at Integra's tempting suggestion, but he barely managed to stop himself from nodding.
He knew exactly what kind of talk he'd get if he nodded here.
'And it'd be embarrassing.'
Making a support AI dress as a maid and call him 'Lord'—what kind of guy does that?
Of course, it wasn't Luther's order that had Integra in the maid outfit in the first place.
[Lord, your face is red. What are you thinking about to blush like that? Hmm?]
Integra was shy herself but turned aggressively teasing whenever the chance arose.
Luther pretended not to hear and cleared his throat awkwardly, while Integra giggled again before launching a drone to call someone.
* * *
While Luther and Integra were heading toward an indecent master-servant relationship, a meeting was underway in the main palace from early morning.
The attendees were Queen Reina, High Priest Martriel, and Grand General Azrael.
"It seems to have progressed somewhat."
Queen Reina, seated at the head, spoke in a voice weary with fatigue.
That was hardly surprising, as she had been devoted to restoring order in the palace non-stop since the incident erupted.
And in truth, High Priest Martriel and Grand General Azrael had fought through the night just as hard.
"We've finished dealing with the ar dragons. A few flying ones escaped... but we took down all the land-based ones. Interrogations of the captured prisoners are ongoing, so I'll report any key information as soon as it comes in."
"Good work, General."
Though the general hadn't participated in the sky island battle, his contributions during last night's incident were far from minor.
Just the fact that none of the ar dragons that appeared in the palace made it to the civilian areas was a massive achievement.
"High Priest Martriel, how goes the spy hunt?"
After praising the general's efforts, Queen Reina asked, and High Priest Martriel furrowed his brow awkwardly before answering.
"We're rooting out spies starting with those who floated the sky island. And, regrettably..."
The high priest trailed off, glancing at Queen Reina and the general before slumping his shoulders and continuing.
"There are more spies than we thought. The temple needs a major overhaul."
For better or worse, the high priest was the head of the temple.
Admitting the temple's failures straight-up was tantamount to confessing his own incompetence.
But Queen Reina had no intention of dismissing or punishing him right away.
As seen in this battle, he might lust after money, power, and women, but he never forgot his position as Malkuth's high priest.
'Though he does chase them a bit too eagerly...'
Still, he was better than a traitor.
And purely in terms of divine power, he was plenty capable.
There was another reason they couldn't pin all the blame on the high priest.
Queen Reina slumped her shoulders too and spoke in a fatigued voice.
"There's a high chance spies are hiding in the palace and military headquarters as well. For now, we have to use the temple spies we've caught to expand the search."
There had even been people subtly urging her to meet the black-masked man, claiming he had a cure for the king.
The head maid who had spoken up directly had vanished, but there were likely others still lurking.
At Queen Reina's words, the general looked ashamed and somber, then asked the high priest.
"High Priest, could the delay in treating His Majesty also be due to the spies' schemes?"
Relations between the general and the high priest were already strained over his daughter's treatment.
At the barbed question, the high priest responded with a hint of anger.
"I swear on my life, nothing like that happened. I personally oversaw His Majesty's treatment every time."
"Then it comes down to your incompetence... A regrettable conclusion."
It was outright criticism, but the high priest had no retort, even if he had ten mouths.
Separate from the spies, it was true he hadn't cured the king's illness over the past few years.
"Urgh..."
The high priest clenched his fists, his face flushing with suppressed rage, and Queen Reina sighed.
"High Priest, General. This isn't the time for you two to fight."
The Hecatoncheires were a real threat that had nearly annihilated the capital—they needed to focus everything on rooting out spies.
"And... I want to entrust His Majesty's treatment to Lord Luther as planned."
From "Sir Luther" to "Lord Luther."
But no one in the room objected to Queen Reina's change in address.
Even the high priest, who had opposed Luther most vehemently, was now calling him "Lord Luther."
The great angel of Go who had descended to save crisis-stricken Malkuth.
That was Luther's current standing in the kingdom.
'The "Go great angel" part is a bit odd... but Aru and Sandalphon said it, so it must be true.'
Maybe he was a master strategist and tactician.
As Queen Reina convinced herself with "dreams mean less than their interpretations," the general asked her.
"Your Majesty, are the princesses safe?"
"Yes, Yoru and Iru were quite frightened, but they're unharmed. Aru was sleeping peacefully when she reported in a few hours ago."
Queen Reina smiled as she replied, and amid it all, the high priest blushed faintly, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"We should urgently ask Lord Luther to treat His Majesty. He seems close to Princess Peliaru, so why not request it through her?"
Luther had already stepped up to treat the king himself, but circumstances had changed since then— it was proper for Malkuth to make a formal request.
"Of course. I'll ask once Aru's condition improves."
Up to there, Queen Reina smiled not as queen, but as a mother.
She was thinking of how Luther had been with Aru last night.
A great angel descended to earth.
Malkuth's second princess.
Perhaps... they might make a good pair?
Integra would have yelled "No way!" if she knew, but neither she nor Luther was present.
That was why Queen Reina once again pictured Luther and Aru in her mind, lost in pleasant fantasies for a moment.
And at the same time, in another place.
Even though Queen Reina hadn't made a move yet, Integra was already raising her voice.
* * *
"Luther, do you know? You're now my number zero candidate for groom."