Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Chapter 30 - Temple of the Sea #3
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No sooner had Luther finished a simple breakfast than guests arrived right on cue.
“Luther, did you hear? You’re now my top pick for a groom.”
Aru flashed a playful grin, her bubbly teasing making it hard to believe she’d been kidnapped and faced death just last night.
But that very attitude put Luther at ease.
Even if she was just pretending to be strong, the fact that she had the energy to do so was a good sign.
[More like she’s just got nerves of steel.]
[But seriously, why is Master suddenly her number one groom candidate?]
[They say people who don’t even get offered rice cake start sipping kimchi soup.]
Integra crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks in genuine annoyance.
‘Not sure who even uses sayings like that these days.’
Luther kept that thought to himself—Integra would no doubt snap that wasn’t the point—and turned his gaze to the cheerful Aru and the sullen Yoru standing behind her.
“...Worrying was a waste.”
Yoru muttered under her breath, almost to herself, then let out an elegant sigh.
[Her vitals suggest she pulled an all-nighter.]
[Probably nursed Aru all night.]
Despite their bickering, they were still close sisters.
At Integra’s words, Luther pictured Yoru gazing warmly at a soundly sleeping Aru on the bed, and a fond smile crept onto his face unbidden.
It was a heartwarming scene.
But Luther’s smile didn’t last long.
“Luther, Luther—did you know you’ve saved me twice already?”
“You saved me too, you know?”
“Oh, right. Sis once, me twice. Wow, that’s double for me?”
“Aru, are you seriously bragging about that right now?”
“Huh? Why not? It’s just a plain fact. Like how Sis is the first princess and I’m the second?”
[Wow, she’s seriously obnoxious.]
Sharing Integra’s sentiment, Yoru pressed her lips tight and shot Aru an elegant glare, while Aru just shrugged happily.
“Anyway, Luther, thank you so much. Really. Saving my life and my chastity twice? Doesn’t that mean it’s fate?”
As Aru cozied up to Luther’s arm with those words, Integra’s eyes flashed with fury.
[That sly fox! Master, don’t fall for it. See how she’s deliberately pressing her chest against your arm? Total vixen!]
Hey, you’re not exactly in a position to talk.
But knowing better than to say it aloud, Luther tried to gently extract his arm with an awkward smile.
And that’s when it happened.
A soft sensation pressed against his right arm—the one not held by Aru.
“Th-thank you, too.”
Unlike the bold Aru, Yoru’s face was flushed bright red as she shyly clung to him.
And that sight stirred Luther’s heart even more.
‘And... they’re bigger.’
He felt like a total creep for noticing the difference, but they were bigger.
Aru on his left arm, Yoru on his right.
Under the assault from both princesses, Luther struggled to keep his composure.
Blushing or grinning now would spell disaster in so many ways.
But Luther still had one more trial to endure.
[Seriously! So lovey-dovey!]
Not his arms, but straight ahead.
Integra, cheeks rosy with indignation, grumbled as she hugged Luther’s chest tight.
And once again, Luther couldn’t help the trashy comparison.
[Hmph, perverted Master.]
Her words scolded him, but her expression said otherwise.
That gap created a uniquely alluring vibe.
‘Endure it, endure it, Luther.’
Grinning like an idiot now would be the end of him in every sense.
Luther mentally chanted sutras to stay calm, but his face still heated up red.
Seeing that, Aru and Integra wore shy yet sly smiles. Yoru just kept blushing.
‘Calm down, calm down, Luther.’
Dragon Hunter Origin wasn’t some 19+ dating sim.
He regretted that fact more than ever right now, but a fact was a fact.
[Hmm?]
After fourteen seconds, with Integra still clinging to his chest, Yoru broke the awkward silence.
“Aru, that’s enough. We should show respect to the Archangel of Go.”
At Yoru’s suggestion that they both back off, Aru hugged Luther’s arm even tighter.
“This is between me and Luther. What’s the big deal? Right, Luther?”
What was he supposed to say to that?
Luther just gave an awkward laugh, and Aru shot Yoru a triumphant look.
“See? The Archangel of Go says it’s fine. But you’re not, so why don’t you let go?”
“Eek.”
It was childish, but it left Yoru cornered.
Desperate, she shot Luther a pleading glance. He flinched again, then smiled awkwardly.
“Uh... Yoru’s fine too.”
Yoru smiled shyly, then elegantly cast her eyes down. Aru and Integra puffed their cheeks in unison.
And Luther thought:
‘I really did come to another world.’
Stuff like this happens here.
Chuckling wryly despite himself, Luther alternated glances between Aru and Yoru.
“For now, let’s all sit down. And Aru, Yoru.”
“Yes, Luther.”
“Yes, Sir Luther.”
The beautiful duet from both sides made him flinch again. Luther took a deep breath, his voice steady now as he pointed out the key fact.
“I’m not the Archangel of Go. Though... I am an angel, sort of.”
Why did he have to say that seriously?
Luther forced a smile amid his self-loathing as Integra burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
* * *
After a noisy morning in every way, Luther met Queen Reina in the afternoon.
Deep in the main palace, she met him privately and bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you for saving Aru and Yoru—and Malkuth Kingdom itself. Archangel of Go.”
‘Damn it.’
Who kept spreading that rumor?
Swallowing a curse, Luther helped Queen Reina stand, then spoke softly.
“It was just the right thing to do.”
At the scripted line, Queen Reina’s face lit up with emotion, a beautiful, elegant smile gracing her lips.
She bore no blood ties to them, but she seemed like Yoru’s upgraded version in every way.
“Then, Sir Luther, allow me to report on the situation.”
Queen Reina treated him not just with courtesy, but like a superior.
Part of it was believing he was an angel, but she clearly meant her thanks for saving Aru, Yoru, and the kingdom.
[A good sign.]
[The Grand General would die for Master’s word too, so Malkuth is basically in our pocket now.]
[We can pull the strings however we want!]
Integra was back to her trash-talk ways after a while.
As always, Luther let it slide and focused on Queen Reina’s report.
[In summary: they’re rooting out spies, and it’s already showing results.]
[The palace is getting back in order too.]
[Hm. Next up, they’ll probably ask Master to heal the king.]
And as usual, Integra nailed it.
Queen Reina cautiously asked Luther to treat the King of Malkuth. He nodded readily.
“Of course. I came here to heal His Majesty in the first place.”
They’d defeated Lagros, a mid-tier Hecatoncheires agent, and sunk the Sky Island that would’ve caused the tsunami—but the king still needed healing.
Not just for Aru, Yoru, and Queen Reina, but for Luther himself, the king recovering was best.
[But Master, the King might be an ungrateful sort.]
[He could see you—a figure backed by the kingdom’s key players—as a thorn in his side.]
‘No way.’
The King of Malkuth barely appeared in the original story, so Luther had no read on him. Still, a king wouldn’t forget a debt like this.
‘Plus, with Aru, Yoru, Queen Reina, and the Grand General on my side.’
With support from the kingdom’s core figures, as Integra said, trouble was unlikely.
“I can treat His Majesty today if needed. But Queen Reina, first, I have a request.”
“Anything. If it’s your wish, Sir Luther, I’ll make it happen with all I have.”
Luther smiled faintly, a touch burdened, then continued.
It was about Malkuth’s support for his future moves and how to publicize this incident.
Hiding completely like in the west was impossible, but he had no intention of fully exposing himself either.
[The Hecatoncheires don’t know Master’s true capabilities.]
[They don’t even know you can’t use Clairheim Morr’s Ultimate Form right now.]
[They might only know the outcome, not the details.]
Luther couldn’t reproduce the Ultimate Cube needed for the Ultimate Form yet.
But as Integra said, the Hecatoncheires likely didn’t know that.
To them, Luther was an unknown.
He planned to leverage that unknown to make them hesitate in judging him.
‘They won’t ambush an enigma lightly.’
That wasn’t all he was aiming for.
The more doubts they had about him, the harder it would be for them to act.
‘If I can’t hide it anyway, flaunting it might not be bad.’
And he’d already discussed the flaunting method with Integra.
Luther calmly outlined his plans, and Queen Reina listened intently.
An hour or so later.
Leaving the main palace, Luther headed to the Temple of the Sea—where the King recuperated—with Queen Reina, Aru, Yoru, Sandalphon, and Iru in tow.
“We’ve been waiting.”
At the pier at the palace’s northern edge waited High Priest Matriel.
Perhaps due to the swarm of spies from the temple side, he was far more deferential now. He conjured a large water bubble with holy magic.
“Please, board.”
Everyone except Luther was a mermaid, so they didn’t need it for the sea depths—but they all climbed on with him.
“It’s been years since I last saw Father, so my heart’s pounding a bit.”
Aru whispered as she hugged Luther’s arm again. Yoru sidled up and gently took the other.
Queen Reina, Iru, and the Grand General wore odd expressions. High Priest Matriel shot envious glances.
But Luther ignored the stares, focusing ahead to fend off Integra’s frontal assault(?). He started a silent chat.
‘By the way, Integra.’
[Yes, Master?]
Integra appeared before him, arms crossed, glancing between Aru and Yoru.
Feeling the urgency, Luther pressed on quickly.
‘It’s late to ask, but... can you heal the King of Malkuth?’
The original story didn’t detail the king’s condition, so Luther wasn’t confident.
But Integra smiled reassuringly.
[No problem. Surgery’s my specialty—I can handle it.]
[We’ve got the herbs prepared too.]
[Let’s trust the original story for once.]
Luther nodded, took a deep breath, and looked ahead.
They’d stopped the Sky Island and saved the capital. Healing the king would wrap up the south successfully.
‘Underwater city, huh.’
What would a city under the sea look like?
Anticipation bubbling, Luther closed his eyes, imagining ones from movies and comics.
And then—
Integra, about to sneakily hug his waist, froze. Her eyes widened as she raised her voice.
[Master! Galactic Federation signal detected!]
‘What?’
Deep in the ocean, en route to the Temple of the Sea.
Startled by the sudden alert, Luther and Integra stared at the same spot.