As I was comforting Galatea, Selene, who possesses a female-type thought routine, finally felt sympathy and issued a warning in a less prickly voice.
“Captain, the lizards have resumed playing in the sand. We should hurry and escape.”
“Are you serious… reptiles, get a grip…”
“Wha-, ah, aaah!?”
When I asked what the matter was due to the scream, a rather shocking report came in, causing me to grip Galatea tighter.
“Ri-, Ridelberdy and the others have rushed into the city to rescue the captain!”
“What!?”
Ridelberdy and the others, what recklessness! With dragons rampaging and buildings being blown away like toys while Magius Geanaite is engaged in combat, what were they thinking to enter such a dangerous area?
It’s heartwarming that they are thinking of me, but this is too much of a gamble!
Besides, involving number-list self-aware entities is quite a remarkable move, isn’t it, you guys.
“Location!”
“No good! They’ve already entered the downtown area!”
“Turn the pack around!”
“But there is a real possibility they’ll have to march on foot!”
Damn! Under these circumstances, there’s no helping it. Speed is intangible armor, as the great people of old said, “If it doesn’t hit you, it doesn’t matter much,” the swiftness to evade harm is more protective than any thick armor.
Stripping them of their speed and making them run on foot would only expose their lives to danger.
“Galatea! It’s an emergency!”
“Hya-!?”
Grasping her shoulder and pulling her free, she hurriedly covered herself – and though it’s rather belated, it’s a woman’s pride, so I’ll stay quiet – and flushed red with the unspoken question of “What are you doing?”
“Ridelberdy and the others are coming to rescue us!”
“With dragons rampaging!? ”
“Exactly! We have to escape too; they’re in danger! Will you come with me!?”
“W-yes!”
Without hesitation, she nodded, and then realized the situation. Looking around, she stopped, shocked by the five bloody corpses.
“Uh, Nozo-, Nozomu, what…?”
“I came here with the intention of bringing you to the hangar, but encountered Lord Virgil.”
“So, it was Lord Virgil’s doing then… Does he hate our family this much…?”
The trembling her, perhaps recognizing Lord Virgil, embraced herself and whispered, and eventually, coming to terms with it, with the hand opposite to the one covering her chest, she pointed at the deceased remains of Magius Geanaite.
“Could you close your eyes for a moment? I need to wear a suitable armor.”
“There’s no personal authentication or anything?”
“I’m under suspicion, but my knighthood hasn’t been suspended. I’ll manage to do this.”
I cannot bring you onboard the Gear Caliber while naked, so following her suggestion, I shall close my eyes and wait.
The clanging of armor echoed for a while, and Galatea, having noticed a moving entity – likely the object she’d slashed – donned her gear.
“That’s good… Let’s go.”
“Indeed.”
With the armor clad, she appeared valiant. It seemed the suit automatically adjusted her height to some extent, and with the bloody Gear Armor combined with her poise, she seemed more dignified than the retinue Lord Virgil brought along.
“Selene, register her armor identity so it won’t be mistaken as hostile.”
“As her appearance resembles others frequently, IFF FRIENDLY tag identification… Complete.”
Good, that eliminates the accidental fire. Amidst a chaotic battle, even a one in ten thousand chance of mistaking someone is too high.
“Then, let’s escape. We should be able to get out immediately from the hangar… right?”
“Yes, Captain. There’s a direct elevator for armored vehicles leading downward.”
“Nozomu? Who were you asking just now?”
Ah… I guess I have to reveal her soon.
When I extended my palm, Selene jumped out.
“Whoa, ka-ka-kawaii…!”
“Nice to meet you. I am Selene… well, what you refer to as an automaton spirit.”
Hey, Selene! I must say I question your claiming of entities that humans genuinely believe to be divine spirits! Even if she doesn’t know!!
“I’ve been watching Nozomu for a very, very long time. You understand, don’t you?”
“Wh, wow, I’m actually talking to an automaton spirit… this is a miracle… Nozomu must be a Saint indeed…”
Wait a second? What did you just say?
“Before meeting you, I saw Nozomu’s form when I regained consciousness. So I already thought you were special, but you’re actually the Saint mentioned in the prophecy!?”
No, no, no, I wasn’t asking that.
A Saint, according to Galatea when I grabbed her shoulder in inquiry, refers to a person mentioned in the sacred texts who can converse with machines.
They can speak directly to machines without any intermediary, as defined by the texts. It’s said they are treated as beings above the priesthood.
This must surely refer to the former crew of the “Inanna 12” whose bodies were fitted with internal cybernetic systems. They could handle machines with ease compared to the Gear Priests who manipulate stylish cadavers.
Still, with the two-hundred-year lifespan limit, the “Saints” gradually dwindled. It’s unclear what discussions took place, but due to an internal dispute or political differences, they apparently stopped cybernetically modifying their children.
If so, why then do Galatea and her kind, who should be among the old humans, have a secondary brain?
“Selene is an old friend. I’m not such a grandiose existence.”
“While I am not a strict fundamentalist of the sacred texts! This is undoubtedly…”
Before our fifth tremor of the day shook the canopy, doubts were endless. The massive tremor, larger than those before, must have broken through the barely holding defense field. Let’s see how many buildings’ worth of mass the armor plates of the “Inanna 12” can withstand.
“Ah, come on, no time for arguing! We’re getting out!”
“Got it!”
Mounting the Gear Caliber with Galatea, the controls seemed to be handled with a handlebar and grip, not fully controllable for the intricate movement of four legs.
Strangely, there were interface connections on this unit. Curious about why these existed for direct connection, I extended the cable from my neck and connected it to the Gear Caliber.
Thankfully, the OS hadn’t changed from the Zodiac Republican Union. That means I don’t have to waste precious seconds rewriting anything. The Union’s system is compatible with ours due to our alliance, though with slight discrepancies, it functions correctly.
“Alright, let’s go. Selene, send the elevator down.”
“Understood. Please move to that yellow line.”
Following the instructions with Galatea, the red warning lights lit up as railings rose around us, reaching waist high. As soon as they fully extended, the elevator descended. What started like usual descent inside a metallic wall suddenly flung us out into the air.
Oh, oh, you’ve got to be joking. I thought this elevator would connect directly to a pillar leading to the ground, but it just dumps us out! At this height of hundreds of meters, this is extremely dangerous!
With the elevator being held by just four cables, my fears grew stronger upon noticing a disturbing sight. Glancing towards a piece of steel wire caught mid-air by the wind, it became apparent one of the steel lines had been cut en route.
Looking down, I saw a flattened, burned-out vehicle resembling what was likely a large lift that had been struck by dragon shrapnel, along with transport vehicles squashed upon impact with the ground.
What a chilling sight!
“Hey, Selene! This isn’t a joke! No way I’m falling to death now!”
“This is the shortest route! Can you imagine hundreds of enemies blocking any other way?”
“Well, isn’t this way a little too risky?”
As I was complaining, the elevator kept descending, and the city came into view. Just as we were about 100 meters from the building tops, something unusual appeared in the sky.
Hmm? What’s that? It’s not blown debris.
No, it’s flying.
“Hey, Selene, that…”
“It’s a Small Dragon!”
“Are you serious!?”
The shadow rapidly approaching was soon close enough for my not-so-great optical sensors to clearly observe.
Indeed, it was a Small Dragon, as Selene announced.
Though called “small,” when compared to the large city-trashing dragon, this still measured about 10 meters in body length and a wingspan of nearly 20 meters — a massive being. After identifying a group of people fleeing in the city streets, several of these dragons dived down, blowing fire from their mouths resembling napalm flames, and incinerating the streets.
What the heck is that? How does it work? Even if smaller than the big dragon, this is still an unwieldy creature. Its wings shouldn’t be able to carry it, and furthermore, why does the napalm flame fly straight forward at 120 km/h instead of being pushed back by wind pressure?
While marveling at the absurdity of the phenomenon, the creatures noticed us, perhaps drawn by our movement.
“…Is it coming to us?”
“…Yes, it is.”
“AAH!!”
Our screams perfectly synchronized.
As the dragon flew closer with incredible speed, I tried a few rounds from the coilgun as a warning, but clearly irritated, it changed course only to turn and head back.
The impact of its wing brushing against us cut one of the cables, causing the elevator to tilt dramatically.
“Aah?! What now?!”
“Oh, stay calm!!”
Desperately trying to keep it at bay with more warning shots, but with only three magazines left, I realized we’d surely run out before reaching the ground. Moreover, enduring their annoyance was pointless.
Worse yet, perhaps attracted by the first dragon, four more were heading our way.
No way, if I escape this far and end up smashing into the ground…
“Selene! Can’t you increase the speed some more!?”
“Already exceeding the limit!!”
That’s when it hit me…
“Alright, let’s jump, Galatea!”
“What?! How high do you think until the ground, Nozomu? Sure, you might be a Saint and not die, but I’m human!”
“Are you kidding? If I hit the ground, I’ll die just like anyone else! That’s not what I mean… There!”
I pointed to a tall building near the elevator. Although the ground was still hundreds of meters away, the building was just about 50 meters from here.
The Gear Caliber’s shock absorbers should handle it, and since the impact will be lateral rather than vertical, we should be fine.
It will be a risky leap, but it’s far better than being swarmed and dying.
“Too reckless! It can’t possibly work!”
“Stand by! Cable number two is about to go!”
As fate would have it, the first severed cable was on the front-right side relative to my position. And the second dragon was charging straight at the front cable.
The cable snapped under the impact of its wing, tossing the elevator back dramatically before snapping the steel cable and hurling the lift backward. The momentum swung it forward like a pendulum.
“Let’s go!!”
“AAAAAAAAA!!!”
Just as the elevator platform nearly became vertical, we leapt like projectiles. The two Gear Calibers soared gracefully through the air.
As we got closer to the nearby building, we smashed the rooftop fence with our front legs.
Landing simultaneously, we applied brakes and swung the vehicle sideways, balancing perpendicular to the direction of travel as we stood firmly on all four legs.
Still, the momentum was strong, tearing into the building materials as it slid sideways. Finally, the anti-fall barrier stopped us.
“Phew, phew, I thought I was going to die…”
“Hah, hah, hah, I’m alive. I don’t know how, but I’m alive!”
Since I set foot on this planet, I’ve felt the strongest presence of the Three Holy Ones’ blessings. I prayed that I would read through the Scripture three times…
[Exploration Log] Generally, allied countries have mostly compatible operating systems but for Mechanized Humans or number-list selves, where direct connection to machines is routine, they often feel “This thing just seems slow…”
Next update will be around 18:00.
If you enjoyed, please follow me on Twitter for more fun behind-the-scenes exploration log details.
