NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35 - Annerose 2
Chapter 35 – Annerose 2
—–CROW—–
Arma Valentine.
One of the world’s ten greatest superhumans.
A Weapon Master who wielded countless weapons as if they were extensions of his own body.
However, in the original story, he was a character who existed only in name, mentioned solely through Annerose’s dialogue, never actually appearing, not even having a single illustration.
[In that respect, he’s similar to Lilia.]
“Something like that.”
Luther’s room.
After concluding their general discussion with Count Glasston, the group dispersed to their respective rooms. Although Count Glasston’s estate had suffered damage here and there due to the young dragon attack, the actual damage was concentrated in the main building and the garden, so the annex where the guest rooms were located was still usable.
Luther, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, closed his eyes for a moment and thought about Arma Valentine.
‘Annerose’s master.’
A skilled warrior who, true to his title of Weapon Master, freely wielded all kinds of weapons.
And…
[And?]
“And nothing else.”
He wasn’t joking; it was the truth. Unlike Lilia, who occasionally reminded people of her existence through various item descriptions, Arma Valentine was barely mentioned by anyone other than Annerose.
“Even then, it was as rare as hen’s teeth.”
[But Master, there were things Annerose mentioned, weren’t there?]
[Combining those should yield some meaningful information.]
She wasn’t wrong. No, she was completely right. But there was one fatal flaw in her argument.
“I don’t remember.”
[Huh?]
“I don’t remember. Actually, wouldn’t it be strange if I did remember?”
Even if it was a game he liked, how could anyone memorize every line of dialogue? Except for the so-called famous scenes, the parts where Annerose mentioned her master were mostly just passing events.
[Hmm… I suppose that’s possible.]
[Because past you didn’t have me.]
“Exactly. Wait, just in case, I’m asking, are you recording everything that’s happened with me so far?”
Just as Luther asked that…
Suddenly, a Luther appeared before him and shouted, striking a transformation pose with a reddened face,
“Tr-Transform!”
“Wh-What is that?!”
Luther and Luther’s voices overlapped. To be precise, it was the voice of the Luther from last night, recreated by Integra through augmented reality, and the voice of the current Luther, who had jumped up in surprise from the bed.
But it didn’t end there.
The blushing, embarrassed Luther disappeared, and this time, a naked Luther soaking in a large bathtub and Integra wearing only a towel appeared.
[What? We’re in the bath.]
[Oh, because we’re in the bath, we have to take everything off?]
The Integra in the bathtub smiled seductively and lightly grasped the edge of the towel draped over her chest, and Luther’s gaze in the bathtub naturally followed her finger.
[You were staring at my cleavage back then. Master, are you still looking now?]
At Integra’s remark, Luther, who had been staring at the Integra in the bathtub, flinched and immediately shook his head, but it was too late.
[Sigh, honestly.]
[It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to sacrifice myself for my perverted Master.]
Clicking her tongue, Integra suddenly appeared on the bed and placed her hand on the chest area of her maid outfit.
And click.
Then click, click, click.
At the continuous sounds, Luther, who had finally turned his gaze, was confronted with the sight once again.
[You’re so cute.]
Integra, with a seductive smile, was unbuttoning and buttoning the first button of her outfit.
“Oh, for f*ck’s sake.”
[Hahahahaha! Our Master is so cute!]
Integra burst into laughter at Luther’s reddened face and started rolling on the bed, clutching her stomach.
“Oh, really.”
[Ha, ha… Sorry, sorry. Sob, sob. But still, hehe.]
Make up your mind, either apologize or laugh.
Luther glared at Integra and shook his head with a sigh.
Then Integra quickly got up and spoke in her characteristically gentle voice.
[Master, it’s human instinct, so it can’t be helped.]
[It just means that you possess a healthy mind and body.]
[And that I’m a very attractive woman.]
“Hey, the last part is a bit strange, don’t you think?”
[Huh? Why? Are you saying I’m not attractive? Shall we experiment again?]
Integra, with a serious expression, placed her hand on the button again, but Luther, scoffing as if he wouldn’t be fooled again, said,
“A video is just a video. I won’t be seduced by a digital woman anymore.”
[Hmph, you watch porn just fine.]
“Hey!”
[What? You didn’t watch it? You must have. Let’s see, the actress and genre Master likes are…]
“Stop, wait, hey!”
The flustered Luther waved his hands and raised his voice. He was partly afraid of what Integra might say, but more than that, there was something truly strange.
“How do you know that?”
He had let the Pikachu incident slide, but this was a different matter. No, it wasn’t that it was serious because it was porn—
[Hmm… Actually, I don’t know either.]
[It’s like information about Master is gradually accumulating within me?]
[Perhaps there’s an information leak as Master’s memories synchronize with the homunculus, Luther Light Seeker.]
[And that information flows into me, his support AI and, you could say, other half.]
It was a rather plausible explanation.
Lee Yun-ho’s soul and Luther Light Seeker’s body. The union of two that were originally not one. The resulting information leak.
[Anyway, so you admit it now, right?]
“Admit what?”
[That I’m an attractive woman, close to Master’s ideal.]
As Integra spoke with her chin raised, Luther, suddenly tired of all this, simply nodded and said,
“Yeah, well… your appearance is fine, I guess.”
[Hehehe.]
It was a dismissive reply, but Integra seemed pleased with just that, smiling bashfully.
[Anyway, Master, as you can see, I’m recording everything we’ve done together.]
[I can now memorize even thick books like photographs just by reading them once.]
“That’s good.”
Come to think of it, he had often seen scenes like this in movies and comics. Scenes where a seductive maid teases her master—no, scenes where someone memorizes complex and difficult ancient texts in an instant thanks to nanomachines.
[Then shall we continue with the early records?]
[I recommend the one where Master runs naked from a Jogress.]
“Enough with the jokes, let’s get back to the main topic.”
[Yes, Master.]
Having teased him enough, Integra obediently replied and removed the paused video—the one with Luther and Integra in the bathtub.
[We were talking about Arma Valentine, right?]
“Yes, Arma Valentine. The enigmatic figure who doesn’t appear in the original story.”
Having said that, Luther searched his memory once again. He had already told Integra that he didn’t remember, but that was referring to the entire script. He still remembered the general image of Arma Valentine that had formed in his mind as he played the game and listened to the passing mentions of Annerose’s master.
“Incredibly strong, incredibly scary, incredibly strict during training, but still a good person.”
[A typical master character.]
A strict but ultimately caring and loving teacher who truly cherished his disciple.
“Yes, anyway, he’s not a bad person.”
[That’s good to hear, but… I’m still a little worried.]
[He might hold a grudge against Master for destroying his residence.]
“Well… it wasn’t intentional, was it?”
[It wasn’t intentional. But you were the cause.]
Circumstantially, it was highly likely that ‘Luther’s spaceship fragment’ was what had not only exploded Arma Valentine’s residence but also completely destroyed his prized collection. It must have been quite a rage, considering that Arma Valentine, who had remained confined to his home in the original story, had personally ventured out into the world.
“But still… hmm… well… it’ll work out somehow… right?”
[I just hope he’s someone we can reason with.]
Having said that, Integra suddenly made the sign of the cross and assumed a praying posture.
“Anyway, it will take some time for Arma to get here.”
[Yes, based on Annerose’s story, I estimate it will take at least two or three days.]
“Right, so let’s put Arma aside for now and proceed with our plans.”
Future plans. The tragedy at Count Glasston’s estate, which could be considered the beginning of Annerose’s story, had been completely averted.
[Having defeated the bosses of both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, there must be a significant gap in the story.]
“That’s right. It’s no exaggeration to say that a considerable number of events from the original story have already disappeared. But there are still some events remaining.”
[You mean the demonic beast summoning incident?]
“Yes, after all, all the events in the Western Arc are meant to lead to the summoning of the demonic beast Valakia.”
In the original story, Annerose escaped from Count Glasston’s estate and, after a fierce battle, defeated Balboa. Having realized that Balboa attacked the estate because of the Spirit Gem, Annerose decided to seek out her master after much deliberation.
She believed that Arma Valentine, one of the world’s ten greatest superhumans, would be able to protect the Spirit Gem even against an enigmatic organization of Dragonmancers.
However, her trials weren’t meant to end so easily.
On her way back to her master, Annerose encountered her former companions, received treatment for her injuries, and had a brief moment of respite, but she was then attacked by the Wyvern Astra.
Annerose, losing all her companions and facing a crisis due to Astra, who appeared seeking revenge for Balboa and the Spirit Gem.
However, Annerose, the Sun Maiden, never gave up. Drawing out the hidden power of the magic sword Aventa, given to her by her master, she defeated Astra and realized that Hekatonchires was plotting something in the West.
“Hekatonchires plans to summon the demonic beast Valakia to the West. And the Spirit Gem is needed for that.”
[Since it wasn’t an energy source… perhaps it’s a catalyst or a sacrifice for the summoning ritual.]
“Probably something like that.”
The exact purpose wasn’t revealed in the original story, so there was no way to find out for now. Therefore, Luther decided to focus on something else.
“Anyway, Annerose tries to stop the demonic beast summoning, but as is typical in RPGs, she ultimately fails to prevent it.”
[And that battle with the demonic beast is the climax of the Western Arc.]
“Yes, it’s an incredibly difficult battle. The original story itself isn’t a novel with a predetermined outcome, but a game that branches depending on the player’s choices… and this is reality. If we don’t prepare thoroughly, we might lose.”
The demonic beast’s strength was incomparable to that of Balboa or Astra. Even though they had secured the Spirit Gem, no one could guarantee that the demonic beast summoning event itself had been prevented.
“But this time, we have one advantage. We know the time and place.”
[Is there a specific time when the demonic beast can be summoned?]
“Exactly. Have you heard of the ‘Night of Mana’?”
[No.]
[But judging from the context, it seems to be a special phenomenon unique to this planet.]
As expected of Integra.
Nodding, Luther looked at the night sky outside the window and said,
“According to the setting, it’s a phenomenon caused by the two moons. During the ‘Night of Mana,’ the concentration of mana in the atmosphere increases dramatically, strengthening the power of magic and affecting the mental state of beings influenced by mana, such as young dragons and monsters.”
[I see. So the summoning ritual can only be performed when the mana concentration in the atmosphere is high?]
“Probably something like that.”
[Understood. Then Master, when is the next Night of Mana?]
“Since it’s still before the main story begins… about half a month from now?”
[Not bad. We should be able to find the second fragment and upgrade within that time. With any luck, we might even be able to secure the fragment Arma possesses.]
She was right. Furthermore, Hekatonchires, being a secret society, was organized in a cellular structure. Even if they realized that Balboa and Astra were dead, they wouldn’t be able to dispatch a Dragonmancer immediately.
‘Because of the distance.’
In other words, they would have peace for the next few days.
“Lilia said she would create a special seal to hide the Spirit Gem, so we can leave that to her. As for searching for the second fragment… Integra, how much time is left until my upgrade is complete?”
[21 hours, 12 minutes, and 29 seconds remaining.]
[I suggest you rest well tomorrow and start searching for the fragment the day after tomorrow, or three days from now if possible.]
Luther was fatigued from the consecutive battles. Even a combat homunculus needed rest at this point.
“Yeah, I’m not planning to rush things too much. But I need to rest efficiently.”
Having said that, Luther suddenly got up from the bed, looked at Integra, and said,
“Integra, shall we go on a date tomorrow?”
[Huh?]
“A date. A man and a woman going out together. There’s somewhere I want to go with you.”
Integra blinked at Luther’s words, then blushed and shyly nodded.
And the next morning…
[Sigh, just as I expected.]
“No, why?”
[You know why.]
[Master is an idiot.]
In front of Integra, who was puffing out her cheeks, stood Max and Karen, holding the box containing Kapu’s head, along with Annerose, smiling brightly.
Processing the bounty and securing their identities.
Today was the day they had to go to the Adventurers’ Guild.
—–CROW—–