Vol 12 Chapter 2 (2/2)
”Oohh I-It's okay—Ahmm Ya Mm”
Tia's sweet voice echoed in the shower rooertips to banish unnecessary thoughts
I used the inner side of ently rub the s th to scrub the interface between the scalp and the horns
”Oh Th-That part Yuu This feels so nice Mm—”
Tia otten used to this stireatly
It see the base of the horns was quite pleasurable so I focused on cleaning it for a while Then I coers and carefully washed all the way to the tips Finally, I washed off the suds and applied conditioner before rinsing with hot water—Thus I coiven me
”Okay, it's done”
”—Tia's mind feels blank”
With blushi+ng cheeks, Tia turned her head back then rested it against my body
”Tia, are you okay?”
I bent down and caught Tia with my hands as she leaned back Her petite body ar on her body, washed froh to cover her pale, nude body I really had no idea where I should direct aze
”So weird Just a shower, yet it feels like Tia soaked too long in a bath”
Tia murmured in puzzlement
”Then let's get out soon”
I switched off the shower and was going to pick up the lirabbed my arm forcefully
”Oh—Wait! Tia still wants to stay here with Yuu longer”
”W-Why?”
I did not understand so I asked for the reason Her face all red, Tia spoke:
”It's cra close to Yuu won't be strange Not because Tia is weak”
Tia squeezed out these words before wrapping her arms around my neck
”Uh—”
Direct contact with tender skinTia's tre
When I asked why she had picked separate cabins with Lisa, she had acted strangely
”Did so happen?”
I controlled entle tone of voice At the same tiently patted her to soothe her
”Yuu Tia did as Vritra suggested, to search the drasil's predecessor—'Verdant' Kiskanu—about the seventh dragon”
Hugging htly, Tia whispered in my ear
”Then you saw so scary?”
Holding her delicate and young body, I inquired, but she denied it
”No Nothing could be seen, total darkness”
”Total darkness?”
”So forests and grasslands Kiskanu became unable to think Due to the excessive loss of plant life, not enough computational poas left So al could be done”
Then Tia paused, hugging hter
”So scary 'Death' turns out to be so painful, so sad So lonely Tia never knew”
Hearing this, I understood why Tia was tre
Digging through Kiskanu's memories, Tia had experienced ”death”
I had also stood on the brink of the abyss of death, but in my case, there was still a chance to return It was iine true death
”You worked really hard”
Consolation did not seeht, so I chose to praise her effort instead
”Yes, Tia worked really hard But Tia needs to continue working continue thinking”
Tia nodded lightly then , she looked at me squarely
”Thinking?”
”After destroying the world, where exactly did the seventh dragon go That pitch-black darkness—what Kiskanu called 'end matter'—what is it exactly? Why Bahamut reappeared now of all times Tia must think to find answers This is a job that only Tia can do by using Yggdrasil's Akashi+c Record”
Tia finished with deter a bit
”You're not overdoing it, are you?”
”A bit Tia actually wants to go to Lisa and hug her tight Lisa is so kind and will definitely ask Tia to stop straining But That won't do”
So this was her reason for picking a separate cabin from Lisa, huh?
Saying she was not weak earlier was definitely just putting on a brave face
”Will you be able to hang in there?”
”Yes—Leaning close to Yuu, Tia feels warm It's fine now For the husband, the ork hard!”
With scarlet cheeks, Tias on a strong front
Hearing these words filled with intense affection while locked in a nude e to feel my cheeks heat up
”Yuu”
Tia drew her face near and the tips of our noses happened to touch Then slightly shyly, she smiled A sweet atmosphere filled the entirety of the cramped shower roo up
At that very ht in the shower room suddenly flickered
Just as Tia and I looked up in surprise, the shower suddenly poured out a lot of cold water
”—So cold—!?”
”Kyah!? Cold!”
As we screamed, the water flow fro it to fall from the hook and jump all over the place
”Ouch!”
The ju me see stars
”Y-Yuu! Hurry and turn off the shower!”
”Yeah—But I'm pretty sure I turned it off just now—”
While dodging the showerhead that was ra like a snake, I adjusted the water flow and temperature
However, the shower flow did not decrease S into the wall, it continued to spew cold water
”Ooh So cold”
Clinging to e of her boso my heart race, but this arousal was instantly put out by the water
”L-Let's leave first”
I gave up on shutting off the shower Carrying Tia in one arm, I walked out of the shower room
But in the process, I shuddered from the cold
”S-So cold again”
Huddled in a ball, Tia commented on the cabin's condition
Yes—The cabin's tecold air at maximum output
The coldness seeped intomy teeth to chatter I put down Tia then immediately operated the panel to control the air-conditioner, but like the shower, it did not respond
”Yuu, the door can't open either!”
Unable to bear to cold, Tia slaainst the door to the corridor and cried out anxiously
”Could it be that Marduk has gone out of control?”
I focused my mind and increased my synchronization with Marduk Then I tried to use my mind directly to operate the cabin's functions
However—I failed to conveywas blocking the transmission of my commands
Next, the shi+p's operating system seemed to show abnormalities The shi+p's body also shook heavily once
”Sorry, Tia, it looks like I can't control Marduk In truth, ht I could keep it under control”
”Got it Then Tia will try interfering with the systems”
Tia nodded and closed her eyes to focus her mind Electrical sparks erupted fro did not stop and the door remained locked
”—So is in the way”
Tia showed a surprised look then turned her head to sweep her gaze around the roo near the air-conditioner
”Yuu, look! So's there!”
”Where?”
Despite looking in the direction Tia indicated, I still could not see
”Just like when you were peeping, Yuu, it can't be seen normally”
After hearing that, I tried using ”Marduk's viewpoint” to get a grasp on the cabin situation
I concentrated and synchronized myself with Marduk further From overhead, I observed this room—
Then I noticed a tiny glowing dot flitting about in the cabin
However, the glowing dot iht trail
”It noticed that we discovered it and hid So must have invaded Marduk's system, so it's not Yuu's fault”
Saying that, Tia quickly dried herself and put on her unifor not to look in her direction and asked:
”Invaded the system But this is a pre-civilization weapon filled with lost technology, right? Is that even possible?”
”But it's true we've been hacked We'll know once the culprit is caught But it's hard unless Tia goes all-out Yuu, you ht feel numb Okay?”
Tia asked hesitantly
”Yeah, no problem Go ahead”
Since I could not do anything, relying on Tia was the only way
”Got it Okay, electronic warfare—Begin”
Tia had already put on her clothes A blinding flash of electricity was released frohout the crauarded my face with my are but the feeling of being synchronized to Marduk was numbed for an instant
This was evidence that Tia's interference had spread throughout the shi+p Most likely, Tia had held back earlier to avoid affectingprobably referred sensations on Marduk's side
After subduing Yggdrasil, Tia had gained the power that Kiskanu had used to destroy ”Ultimate Wisdonetism and dominate all kinds of ”electronic information”
A forcible search through the systems of Marduk, an Atlantean weapon, would be a piece of cake for Tia
The cabin's illumination flickered and went out
When it brightened again, the air-conditioner stopped blowing cold air and I could hear that the water in the shower room had stopped
”—Control over this cabin has been seized back Yuu, if soht in the shi+p, tell Tia”
Having dressed, I nodded then checked Marduk's state as though exa my own body
Marduk's nuradually recovering Although a bit of nu precise operation of the shi+p's facilities, finding irregularities was still doable
”Considering the shaking earlier, so with the drive syste off about the gravitational control device on the left ”
”Got it It must be there!”
Tia nodded and her horns released a flash of electricity
The blinding light ht I could not i place inside the syste localized paralysis and nu place—but I could not get a grasp on further details
”—Cornered”
After a while, Tia smiled victoriously and held my hand
”Yuu, go to the bridge! The culprit is over there!”
Pulling me, she walked towards the doorway and the door opened automatically
”By over there, you mean—”
Before I understood the situation, I ith Tia to run along the corridor to the bridge
After the door to the bridge opened, we stepped into the do up at the monitor that was filled with static
”W-What happened? Did I press a wrong button?”
”Doubt it Cal”
Ren comforted the flustered shi+no optical i static but also had countless s over the screen
”Look, I'll catch it soon”
Tia pointed up
I looked closely and saw a glowing ball hly the size of a baseball The vines were chasing it
Finally cornered, the glowing ball was entangled by the vines
”This rubbish tree! Unhand me!”
Then a high-pitched voice sounded throughout the bridge
The glowing sphere gradually diht was displayed on the s sprouting froht was around twenty centimeters
”A fairy?”
Ren remarked in a whisper
Judging froht and appearance, it was quite normal to think of this description first
”In any case, what is the current situation?”
Unable to hide the doubt on her face, shi+nomiya-sensei wanted us to explain further Tia replied:
”The virus invading Marduk and the vaccine progra visualized on theis the virus and the vines comprise the vaccine”
”Who are you calling a virus! I am the ultimate machine intellect, created by supreme wisdom!”
The tiny fairy instantly retorted, struggling furiously to escape the vines restraining her However, the vines showed no signs of releasing her
”Machine intellect? You mean AI?”
As soon as I asked lared at me
”Do not coence! I a created by huh continual self-evolution of collective ht to be called ence! How dare you call me a virus, that would be an insult of the most awful and most atrocious nature Isn't the rubbish tree that destroyed my civilization an even more deplorable virus!?”
The fairy vented in a vigorous diatribe While her voice sounded in nored
”What Atlantis? What rubbish tree Don't tell drasil?”
Seeing the fairy glare at Tia with hatred, I asked cautiously, but an unexpected source gave the reply
'Precisely, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe She hates Yggdrasil with a passion—or what used to be known as Kiskanu, I suppose After all, it was the mortal enemy that wiped out Atlantean civilization completely'
”—”
I followed the sudden sound source, which was co, but it was not her voice In front of her seat, there was a squareon the
”Further of the battleshi+p Naglfar's cannon was interrupted due its syste to take into account that the other side possessed the holder of Yggdrasil's authority”
”Major Loki”
Iwryly
He used to be my superior officer In addition, ere opponents who had put everything on the line to kill each other Furtherh Kili had used biogenic transmutation to save his life afterwards The sensation of taking a life still lingered on my hands
'Hhost, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe You can't possibly be unaware that I aht?'
”I knew, but it still feels strange”
With uilt and relief, I nodded
'Me too Being able to see the face of one's murderer must be a rare experience However, let us put this topic aside for now Could you release her first? It appears that she entered your shi+p through the communications channel while Colonel shi+noy discussion'
Major Loki pointed at the screen and spoke Although the direction was off, he was presuht in the vines
”Well, even if you tell me to release her”
Slightly troubled, I exchanged eye contact with Tia beside me for a moment Major Loki smiled
'Relax She won't take any action that would cause critical harm to any of you She is well aware that your participation is necessary for the upcoive you a headache, that's all Aht, Atla?
Hearing this, the fairy restrained by the vines nodded glumly
”Precisely Seeing the rubbish treewith my Marduk, I could not hold e I a position again”
She apologized honestly,that, Major Loki smiled at us and said:
'—So there you have it Even with lingering hatred, she is not your enemy Rather, it would be better to consider her a friend currently'
Major Loki shrugged lightly and told us not to worry
After listening to this conversation, shi+nohed mildly and looked at us
”Release that fairy-esque being Next, ill be fighting alongside NIFL, so trust theed to give us a proper explanation”
I complied with shi+nomiya-sensei's instructions and had Tia release the vines
”Hmph, phooey”
Regaining her freedom, the fairy made a face at us then flew back to Major Loki's side
”Hmm She didn't repent at all”
”Let's listen to his explanation first”
Tia pouted unhappily so I patted her on the head to appease her
”M From what she said earlier, it sounds like she's related to the civilization of Atlantis”
Ren's eyes were gli Then san to recount
'Rather than related to Atlantis, it's better to say she is Atlantis The supre the lost civilization Its name was Atlantis She—Atla—was born from its restoration'
”Yes, I am precisely 'Ultimate Wisdom' Atlantis!”
Moving inside thethat showed Major Loki, the fairy puffed out her chest proudly
However, that childish behavior left us with visible doubt on our faces
”Supreme machine intellect”
Even said out loud, it did not feel real Tia frowned and did not seem convinced
”Doesn't look that a”
”Med a civilization”
Ren agreed too The fairy—Atla—went bright red in the face
”How rude! Whether organic or inorganic, there exists no intellect higher than mine!”
Major Loki apparently saw Atla's furious ie too and he said with a wry smile:
'—Atla is undoubtedly a very advanced intellectual entity However, e e and loss in the storage medium, memory data—the archives of Atlantis—have become incomplete As a result, the avatar's behavior became a little cute But her true identity is indisputably the ”God of the old world” It would be best not to underestimate her'
Although Major Loki covered for Atla, she hispering ”M-Master callingher body The clai at all
Unlike Ren, shi+nomiya-sensei and I ere rendered speechless by Atla's words and behavior, only Tia showed an expression of extreme surprise
”Storagelike that be left behind!? Kiskanu should've wiped out all electronic data when destroying Atlantis”
Tia asserted strongly Yggdrasil's Akashi+c Record must have retained related records
However, the confidence in Major Loki's shtest despite Tia's objections
'What we unearthed were not e devices but only stone tablets'
”Stone tablets?”
Tia frowned in surprise
'Due to the destruction wrought by dragon disasters, a site containing Atlantean ruins was found by chance and fell under secret ard and NIFL Preserved in the ruins were a vast nue consisting of two symbols was carved on the surface of these stone tablets
Hearing this, Ren spoke in comprehension
”Two symbols Could it be binary? They used stone tablets to record electronic data?”
'Precisely Most likely, Atlantis used durablefuture hue es, it is inetic interference Of course, reading it is a challenge and it took usyears to finally complete the data extraction This allowed us to revive the overn the Atlantis civilization, in the e'
Although Major Loki sounded proud in his reply, I could see an element of self-deprecation in his smile
'—That being said, there are liy can acco Atla's poe finally finished an ilfar—but it is far inferior to the genuine article you have there'
Major Loki had just said that it was the battleshi+p Naglfar that had fired its cannon at Midgard Equipped with a weapon similar to Babel, it was apparently Marduk's imitation
”Major Loki, by saying 'this battleshi+p,' does that lfar?”
Major Loki nodded
'Yes, I a by at the first defense line, aboard this Atlantean weapon that has just been revealed to the public We are currently in a state of severe shortage in combat potential, so your side's participation is very heartening'
Despite the goodwill in Major Loki's words, Atla suddenly interjected
”Master, I believe we should take over Marduk after the rendezvous”
”What are you suddenly saying?”
The sudden suggestion caused an uproar in Marduk's bridge
However, Atla ignored our concerns and continued speaking to Major Loki
”After entering the shi+p, I discovered that they are still unable to operate the shi+p well At this rate, they areto waste a treasure I dare assert, only the King of Atlantis approved by on!”
'Hmph Unable to operate the shi+p well? Is that true, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe?'
””
His sharp gaze put me at a loss for words
'It appears that the allegations are true However Be that as it may, I currently do not have the authority to requisition Marduk Still I must ask, do you have any plans to ameliorate this situation?'
Confronted with his words and gaze, testingthe risk of Major Loki seizing command of this operation at this rate, I replied assertively
”The strain of operating the shi+p was higher than expected This is the truth However, there has been no clear signs of ht her mischief”
I stared at Atla, who had forced her way into Major Loki's , and she immediately launched a rebuttal
”One person barely keeping things under control is li The strain will multiply several fold when battleto burst immediately”
Atla asserted with certainty Then Tia pouted and glared at her
”Tia will help if Yuu is in trouble If it's possible to operate Marduk better, Atla can simply reveal the correct method”
”Hmph, like anyone would tell a rubbish tree”
Atla turned her face away viciously However, Major Loki seeree with Tia's opinion and nodded solemnly
'Fair point Atla, if you knohere the problem lies, instruct them on how to control Marduk'
”N-No way!? If you were to pilot Marduk, Master, surely—”
Atla looked very flustered, but Major Loki shook his head and interrupted her objections
'Atla, Marduk is not the key to this operation Atlantean weapons are effective against Bahamut to some extent, but cannot deliver a decisive blow As such, it does not '
”Muu Understood”
Atla agreed reluctantly However, I was more concerned by what Major Loki's words implied
”Cannot deliver a decisive blow How did you know that?”
'Rather than asking drasil'
Major Loki motioned to Tia beside me
”Ask Tia?”
'Yes, after all, our—Atla's—analysis was based on the data salvaged frodrasil scattered at Fuji's Sea of Trees'
Hearing that they had done that secretly, I shi+fted aze to Tia
”Yes If what appeared this time is truly Bahamut, then Marduk No, any weapon will not be able to destroy it completely Only Basilisk's authority—'Catastrophe'—is capable of destroying it”
Seeing Tia agree with his viewpoint, Loki nodded
'Indeed, Atla also reached the saard's assistance We know that the D targeted by Leviathan in the past, Iris Freyja, is able to use Catastrophe, though the official report only arrived just now'
Major Loki's smiled was mixed with irony Then he continued:
'Hence, she is theher must not co on you, alright?'
Warned in this lared at me
”You leave ot that?”
”Yeah”
Seeing ht hand
”Marduk's control requires at least two people as linkers If you take charge of piloting and weapons control, leaving the enemy detection system and the rest of the functions to someone else, the problem of excessive strain should be solved”
Atla spoke very rapidly, as though trying to finish a hated job as quickly as possible However, I noticed an unfamiliar term
”Linker?”
”Stop asking questions Did I not say that I shall not repeat myself?”
”No, it'll be a probleet”
Seeing hed with displeasure
”Pick this sort of thing up from context, will you? A linker is a pilot who performs a mental link with Marduk—Currently, this means you”
”It's true I'm synchronized with Marduk But how do I link another person's mind with the shi+p's systems?”
My h the process of constructing Marduk Although Tia could take control through hacking, we still did not know the properto the shi+p
”Good grief, asking this and that Since Marduk's control authority lies in your hands, sihts or speech and it would allow others to perform a mental link with the system”
Atla finished iround of theMajor Loki Major Loki sed
'—So there you have it, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe Unfortunately, the Naglfar does not make use of the mental link system I cannot sympathize with your pain, but if you need a co-pilot, Jeanne Hortensia would be a candidate She should be in your coht?'
”Yes, but why Jeanne?”
Seeing me ask with a frown, Major Loki smiled profoundly
'Soldiers of Atlantis all had their bodiesto their responsibilities, thereby opti their abilities as much as possible In thetalents are their descendants In other words, theof such people, should exhibit relatively good compatibility with Atlantean weapons'
A quiet comment from Vritra suddenly surfaced in my mind
She had said that people possessing exceptional abilities do not exist without reason—Jeanne's natural talent was possibly inherited from the Atlanteans
”Major Loki, you assembled Sleipnir not only to conduct experi Atlantean weapons?”
Wondering how ht ahead, I asked However, he shook his head wryly
'Now that would be overthinking things First of all, powerful weaponry is not needed if one possessed Code Lost At least fro humans'
I thought back to how terrifying it was to use Code Lost in its full forht, and a chill ran down lint in Major Loki's eyes that caused my instincts to sound an alarm
During the battle revolving around Code Lost, I eed victorious over Major Loki in the end and thwarted the plan to kill Charlotte However, he never showed a loser's attitude when interacting with me
”Is that so?”
Although ere currently allies, I warnedsomewhat stiffly At this moment, Major Loki slowly leaned forward to the screen
'Hmm, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe, your tone was so stiff just now I reht
”Huh?”
Pointing this out unexpectedly, he caused htly
Indeed, duringpolite language—
”Oh—Well, back then, ere enemies”
'In other words, I am currently your superior on the said attitude? Then that is truly a sha to have a candid conversation with you'
He sighed in disappointment I did not kno serious he was
”Then don't make me your enemy, okay?”
I retorted sarcastically, prorin
'At least for this operation, we are allies Don't worry, I won't stab you in the back Of course, I will tell Atla the same'
”Sounds like it will be scary after the operation”
'Really? But I a forward to it'
Major Loki saze to shi+nomiya-sensei
'—Well then, Colonel shi+nomiya, for the operation's success, let us have a detailed discussion 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe, kindly find a good partner before the operation begins'
”Very well—I will take the mentioned advice for reference”
I nodded and breathed a heavy sigh of relief Sure enough, talking to Major Loki was very tiring
I aze away from Major Loki who had started his discussion with shi+nomiya-sensei and talked to Tia
”Tia, to prevent Atla's o find Jeanne first”
”Yes, okay, leave it to Tia!”
Tia nodded and Ren also turned her head back from