Chapter 14 - Integra 2
Chapter 14 – Integra 2
Would it have been about 10 cm?
At the sight of the doll-like Integra, Luther widened his eyes.
It was because this was a feature that hadn’t appeared in the original work.
‘No, there was a hologram, but Integra only had a voice.’
But now, they had managed to create a form, even if just as a hologram.
A beautiful woman with gray hair grown long to her hips and golden eyes.
When Luther just stared in astonishment, Integra giggled and slightly swayed the hem of her skirt as she spoke.
[Do you like it?]
[But don’t stare too much, or I’ll get embarrassed.]
She giggled again, but there was no sign of actual embarrassment.
Rather, it seemed like she was teasing him.
‘No, is that more like a face full of excitement?’
That expression—or no, that design—was something often seen in comics or games.
She was the very image of a seductive maid who enjoyed toying with her master.
Come to think of it, Integra’s outfit now was indeed a maid uniform, though it was a bit short and sleeveless.
[Master, as a support AI, I request your thoughts.]
When mini Integra looked up at him and spoke, Luther, after a moment of hesitation, replied.
“Why a maid outfit?”
[There are two reasons. One is because I am a support AI, and the other is that, as I mentioned earlier, I considered Master’s preferences.]
[You like maid outfits, don’t you?]
At Integra’s question, Luther flinched for a moment.
Maid outfits.
He did like them.
It was only a personal opinion, but Luther’s usual belief was that there wasn’t a man in the world who disliked maid outfits.
But did that mean he should admit here that he liked maid outfits?
If it had been the cold Integra from Star Savior, maybe, but facing the maid Integra before him now, who seemed eager to tease him, that was impossible.
“It’s just okay.”
That was why he gave such a vague answer—neither a denial nor an affirmation, perfect for deflecting the situation.
However, at his answer, Integra squinted her eyes slightly and then smiled again.
[Master, your blood pressure and heart rate are rising rapidly.]
[But since I’m a considerate support AI, I’ll let it slide for now.]
[Just this once.]
And then she smiled again, her expression as sly as a cat—or perhaps more like a fox.
‘Is something wrong with her too, just like with me?’
Even before the upgrade, Integra had already displayed more human traits than the Integra from Star Savior, but now she seemed almost like a real person.
[Master?]
“Oh, yeah. Anyway… you do look pretty. It suits you well.”
Her long and slender body, combined with her sharp yet lovely features, matched the current Integra perfectly.
[Heehee.]
Did she like being called pretty?
Integra, blushing slightly and twisting her body, was about to say something again, but at that moment, the hologram deactivated.
“Integra?”
Surprised, Luther asked, and Integra’s voice came from his mind once again.
[It’s fine.]
[The drone is too small, so it can’t maintain the hologram for long.]
[Unlike augmented reality, which is shown only to you through the HUD, the hologram consumes energy to make it visible to others, but the drone’s energy capacity is too small to use the hologram excessively.]
Luther seemed to understand.
Since the drone operated separately from his body, it naturally required its own power source, and it seemed that just flying took up most of its energy due to its small size.
“Was there really a need to install a hologram device?”
[The hologram device itself can be quite useful.]
[It can convey visual information like maps to your party, or it could even be used to lure enemies with a holographic decoy.]
“Indeed.”
It certainly seemed useful.
Moreover, creating a 3D map through a hologram would allow for far more accurate information to be conveyed than by drawing it by hand.
[I plan to control the drone remotely.]
[For now, its level is low, so it can only be used for reconnaissance and detection, but as it levels up, I intend to use it for combat support.]
At Integra’s explanation, Luther smiled.
It reminded him of the combat drones he had used in Star Savior.
‘It was satisfying to grow them however I liked.’
While the energy gun and nanosuit also had customizable growth paths, they were somewhat limited in their range of variation.
Drones, on the other hand, were external equipment, so they could be customized in countless ways, with hundreds or even thousands of combinations possible.
‘Depending on what equipment you installed, it could become an entirely different drone.’
You could attach heavy firearms for fire support or use it in combination with the nanosuit as a fusion unit.
‘You could even grow it large enough to ride on, like a motorcycle.’
Of course, right now it was nothing more than a tiny drone worth 500 won.
With a hologram maid included.
[Master, your smile seems a bit sinister.]
“Oh, no.”
Cutting off Integra’s teasing remarks, Luther attached the drone back to his wristband and stood up.
“For now, I plan to gather the byproducts from Jogress and move back to the forest outskirts. Max might have said this area is relatively safe, but we can’t just stay here.”
[That’s a reasonable decision.]
[While you sort out the byproducts, I’ll scout for a campsite using the drone.]
“Oh.”
It seemed like whatever you had, you’d eventually find a use for it.
When Luther raised his right arm as if to give permission, the drone activated its propellers and floated into the air.
[I’ll begin by surveying the surrounding area from above and getting a sense of the forest’s overall layout.]
“Yeah, reliable.”
[It’s me, after all.]
Proud yet playful, Integra answered as she sent the drone flying higher into the sky.
“Phew, alright then. Let’s sort out these byproducts.”
[Since the leather is too bulky, it would be best to focus on collecting the teeth and claws.]
“Huh?”
Luther reflexively looked up at the drone soaring high into the sky at Integra’s natural response.
Then Integra spoke.
[Multitasking is an extremely easy task for an AI.]
[After all, my main body is still with you, not the drone.]
“That’s true.”
Though she had emitted the hologram through the drone, Integra’s consciousness was still within Luther’s body—more precisely, within the system core that controlled the nanomachines.
Nodding, Luther packed up the byproducts, following Integra’s advice.
And half a day later.
Luther sat by a stream near the outskirts of the forest, looking up at the sky.
The sky, which had been burning red with the sunset, had now turned purple, gradually being swallowed by darkness.
[The weather is cold. Please be mindful of your body temperature.]
“Yeah.”
Luther softly answered, tossing a few more logs into the campfire, then looked straight ahead.
Karen and Max were sitting side by side, both looking utterly disheveled.
Their faces were clean, thanks to washing up at the stream, but their clothes were still a mess.
‘Still, they look better than before.’
Perhaps because they had drunk some warm water heated over the campfire, their complexions had improved significantly.
‘I should say what’s necessary quickly and get them to sleep again.’
Seeing Karen and Max nodding off, barely able to stay awake, Luther started speaking swiftly.
“First of all, thank you again. I was able to find the shard thanks to both of you.”
When Luther expressed his gratitude, Max blushed awkwardly, while Karen gave a faint smile and returned the gesture politely.
“Luther, that shard… is it a fragment of the Heavenly Armor?”
Karen cautiously asked, and Max widened his eyes before nodding in understanding.
Karen also seemed to have a certain degree of confidence in her question, despite seeking confirmation.
‘Well, it would certainly look that way.’
After absorbing the energy cube, both the nanosuit and the axe had strengthened.
Instead of confirming or denying, Luther simply gazed at Karen with an impressed expression, while Max, full of excitement, spoke up.
“So that’s what it was! I was wondering why Sir Luther only had gauntlets for his holy armor, but now I understand. The holy armor was shattered into pieces, wasn’t it? If you gather all the pieces, the armor will be restored! Right, Karen?”
As Max turned to Karen for confirmation, she didn’t nod but instead smiled faintly while looking back at Luther.
What could one say about her reaction? It wasn’t outright agreement, but it seemed like subtle assent.
[Their misunderstanding is rather adorable.]
[However, it seems to be a useful misunderstanding.]
[For the natives of this planet, the story of a spaceship from another world might be even harder to believe than an angel.]
At Integra’s words, Luther nodded.
Bringing up anything about the Star Savior here would only cause unnecessary confusion.
‘I should take precautions just in case.’
If rumors spread that Karen and Max had seen an angel clad in the holy armor of the heavens, it could lead to all sorts of trouble.
“Hm… it seems so.”
“‘Seems so,’ you say?”
As Max blinked in surprise, Karen tilted her head slightly in curiosity as well.
Luther smiled at the two of them and spoke.
“As I said before, I’ve lost my memory. While I think I can recover parts of my memory little by little as I gather the fragments—no, the pieces of the holy armor—it’s still hard to say anything for sure right now.”
However, since Luther himself had mentioned “pieces of the holy armor,” Karen and Max simply accepted it with an “Ah, I see,” showing little reaction.
So, Luther continued speaking.
“Just to be clear, I’d like you to refrain from mentioning me elsewhere. At least until I fully recover my memory, I want to keep it a secret as much as possible.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, Sir Luther.”
Max pounded his chest with his palm, and Karen also lightly tapped her own chest.
It was a gesture of pledge frequently seen in the Dragon Hunter series.
“By the way, Sir Luther, does that mean you’re leaving now to find the next piece of the holy armor?”
Max asked with a somewhat tense expression.
Karen, too, waited for Luther’s answer with her lips slightly pursed, her face a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
[It seems they want to keep traveling with you, Master.]
At Integra’s words, Luther slowly nodded.
In fact, Luther also wanted to continue traveling with them.
Not only had they been a great help in the recent battle with the Jogress, but their presence seemed like it would be immensely helpful in adapting to the world of Dragon Hunter in the future.
“For now, I plan to search for the next piece. It seems to be located about 100 kilometers southeast of here.”
At Luther’s reply, which still carried a slight awkwardness of translation, Karen furrowed her brow and spoke.
“Southeast, 100 kilometers… That should be near Venus City.”
When Karen looked to Max for confirmation, he immediately nodded.
“We were headed that way as well. We came down from the north to the west, and on our way to Venus City, we stopped by the Primal Beast Forest.”
“Oh.”
Judging by the way they spoke, it didn’t seem like they were making it up—it appeared to be true.
Since their next destination coincided, could this be fate?
Luther’s face brightened, and Karen also smiled widely as she spoke.
“That’s great! Then, Sir Luther, may we accompany you to Venus City?”
“I’d be glad to have you.”
“Haha, then it’s settled.”
It was decided: Karen, Luther, and Max.
Max then spoke again with a bright face.
“There’s a large village near the Primal Beast Forest. We can deal with the Jogress by-products there and then head to Venus City.”
“I see.”
It seemed like a good decision to travel together.
Though Luther had played Dragon Hunter Origins several times, there was a distinct difference between playing a game and actually being inside the game’s world.
“Well then… shall we call it a day and rest?”
Although Karen and Max had been momentarily energized by the conversation, their faces were still full of exhaustion.
“Yeah, let’s do that. But before that, there’s one more thing I need to mention.”
Since they had agreed to travel together, this was an issue that had to be addressed.
As Karen and Max looked on curiously, Luther tapped his forehead with his index finger and spoke.
“There’s a Holy Spirit living in my head.”
“A Holy Spirit…?”
“Yes, a Holy Spirit. It occasionally speaks to me, so sometimes I have to respond.”
Until now, he had managed to brush it off, but since they were going to continue traveling together, he needed to give some sort of explanation.
Otherwise, they’d think he was some weirdo who talked to himself at random times.
And it seemed Luther’s concern wasn’t unfounded, as Karen and Max exchanged glances before finally nodding in understanding.
“Oh, so that’s why…”
“You were talking to the Holy Spirit, weren’t you?”
Although Luther had tried to keep his muttering to a minimum, it wasn’t something he could completely hide.
Moreover, during battle, he had called out Integra’s name several times, so Karen and Max had started to find Luther a bit odd.
But now their confusion had been cleared up.
If anyone else had said they were talking to a “Holy Spirit,” they would have been labeled as insane, but to Karen and Max, Luther was an angel from the heavens.
Talking to a Holy Spirit was only natural.
And just then…
[Holy Spirit: A sacred soul.]
[A beautiful, gentle, kind, and caring being.]
[So that’s what you thought of me, Master.]
[Hehe, I see.]
Why did she turn out like this after just one upgrade?
But since Luther preferred this version of Integra to the original emotionless AI from the game, he held back from making any unnecessary remarks and instead extended his bracelet to Karen and Max.
“Integra, show the map.”
[Displaying the map.]
When the hologram emitted from the yellow gem on the bracelet, Karen and Max’s eyes widened in shock.
Though they lived in a world where magic existed and magical tools were part of daily life, they had never seen a device quite like this.
“Is this… a map?”
At Max’s question, Luther nodded, prompting another brief expression of awe.
“This is the most detailed map I’ve ever seen.”
“So this is what the Primal Beast Forest looks like…”
A bird’s-eye view of the Primal Beast Forest.
Luther marked their current location with a red dot and spoke again.
“We’re here right now. I plan to leave the forest tomorrow morning, so do you understand the surrounding geography?”
“Yes, I understand. Once we leave the forest, I’ll lead the way.”
As Max studied the map closely, Karen finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Alright then, let’s get some rest. We’ll leave the forest tomorrow.”
“What about keeping watch…”
“It’s fine. The Holy Spirit will keep watch for us.”
[Just me again?]
Luther flinched at the sound of Integra’s voice, full of exaggerated pity, but she quickly giggled as if nothing had happened.
[Just kidding.]
[I think Master is a really kind person.]
At Integra’s affectionate tone, Luther let out a small sigh of relief and lightly tapped the drone on his wrist as if scolding it.
“Anyway… let’s all get some sleep.”
“Good night, Sir Luther.”
“Good night.”
[See you tomorrow. Good night, Master.]
Hearing everyone’s goodnight wishes, Luther lay down and closed his eyes.
And then, the next morning…
“Aaah!”
A sharp scream jolted the group awake.
–CROW–