Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

Sure enough, she was awake.

Lunicia was not surprised at all, she just smiled and shook her head at Ashlee.

"Ashe, do you feel 'uneasy'?"

"will not."

The answer given by the mechanical girl was simple and clear, but her tone was still as Lunicia knew it, cold, lacking in ups and downs, seemingly without emotion, and as if mixed with some inexplicable meaning.

"Anxiety is based on the existence of fear. If the moon is covered, the light will disappear. The individual Asheselin has no reason to feel the so-called 'anxiety', just like Asheselin has no ability to appreciate food."

For some reason, the mechanical girl in front of Lunicia seemed to be much different from the impression she had at the beginning. Compared with the first time they met in the ruins around the waterwheel channel, although she no longer referred to herself as "I", she became much more agile than then. Especially after leaving the Principality of Mariai, Lunicia always felt that she seemed to have become more attractive, and the time she spent on her attention did not decrease but increased.

“Would you like to try to imagine the feeling of uneasiness?”

"It's hard to do. Is Luna feeling uneasy?"

"A little……"

To say there is none at all would be a lie.

She was a holy warrior who could not lie, so at this time she could only reveal her truest thoughts. Besides, she had no intention of hiding anything from Ashetherin.

The cabin broadcast only sounds during meal times and when encountering turbulence. There are very few passengers, and naturally not too many crew members on duty. Most of them are probably responsible for maintenance and operations in places that cannot be seen. Even if Lunicia wanted to talk to the waiters in the restaurant, she couldn't find any useful topics - the already narrow interpersonal relationships have now returned to a level similar to that in the cathedral.

Just as she trusted Cestin, Sieli, and Evelyn, she also entrusted the words in her heart to her traveling companions named Ella and Ashlee.

It was because of their existence that Lunicea did not feel lonely.

——I don’t know how April, Andy, and Jesse are doing now.

Most of the knights who led the troops to the Waterwheel Canal died, and the remaining three were also separated in the final chaos and are still missing. When she was busy, swinging her sword, and trying her best, Lunisia was too focused on thinking that she could not recall the many experiences that happened in the Waterwheel Canal. Once she had some free time, those chaotic thoughts would pull her back to the bloody battlefield and let her recall the eyes of her colleagues who died with grievances.

That may be the initial trauma of facing death.

"Is this really okay?"

Trying to look at Ella with as gentle a gaze as possible, at the frail figure wavering between sleep and wakefulness, Lunicia continued to talk softly to Ashtherin.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it really a good idea to return to the Divine Court like this...without accomplishing anything, without being able to protect my companions, and possibly putting my fellow travelers in danger?"

"Luna, just make your own decision. Ashelyn will not raise any objections. Whether it's following Luna's idea and changing direction, or returning to the land favored by Zelti with Luna, or even being treated as a heretic and nailed to the spire of a high tower by the Holy Lance, Ashe will not have any objection."

"That's not good at all..."

Lunicia knew very well that what Ashtherin said was not something that would never happen.

The girl named Ashethelin might really be regarded as a dark and ominous alien and executed in the name of God. Whether to forgive her or accept her is not a decision that one person can make alone. Lunisia, who has too little contact with others, does not have the ability to judge the thoughts of every high-level person in the God's Court.

She needed to explain, unless it came at the cost of the lives of her fellow travelers.

"Before this, Ashe rarely seemed to take the initiative to do anything. Going with Luna was a decision made by Ashe herself. The cost of this decision must naturally be borne by Ashe. Don't blame yourself for this, Luna."

"…If, well, if it really turns out like that."

"what?"

"Let's run away together."

Lunicea smiled softly.

"If my place of residence cannot accommodate you... let's find a new place of residence."

"Do you really want to do this?"

"But if, Father Sieli would never make such a decision. If someone really wants to take Ashlee away, and I can neither persuade nor stop him -

Let's run away together, taking Ella with us."

Chapter 2: The Hot Battle of the Girls

"Good morning, Ella."

"Good morning, Lady Luna...?"

Ella Hepper looked sleepy—this was a rare sight for Lunicia.

The journey they had spent together was not long, but the things they had experienced together were relatively rich. Even so, Lunicia still felt that it was always a happy thing to know more about Ella, even if it was just a little bit. Lunicia always showed such a gentle smile to this girl who showed excessive loyalty and dedication only to herself and seemed a little awkward and cold to others, to this girl who sometimes obeyed her orders and sometimes did things that only she could understand.

The one whose first kiss was snatched away was Lunicia, and the one who degraded herself to a subordinate was Ella Hepper. Which side seemed to be at a greater disadvantage? At first glance, it was the latter, and Lunicia was naturally the same, but what was going on for Ella, only she knew.

Ella rubbed her eyes, wanting to stretch her body that was too indulged in sleep, but she found the mechanical girl lying beside her. Ashlee was looking at her with her eyes that showed no emotion. If it was just like this, Ella would probably choose to turn her face away and selectively ignore her gaze, but the current situation did not allow her to do so.

After all, the black iron wrist was still around her waist. The black iron mechanism was no longer cold due to the temperature of the quilt, but it was still full of presence. She could feel the still hard lower abdomen, calves and toes. Those parts that were close to the skin were too difficult to ignore for Ashleelin, who was more accustomed to sleeping alone.

Almost instantly, Ella's face was covered with a blush.

"Ai! Xi! Se! Lin!"

"Are you here?"

“Guuuu…!”

Ashlee still had a calm expression, supporting her body with her black iron wrists, lying on her side beside Ellaherper, looking at her flushed cheeks and her almost gritting teeth expression with a calm face. There was no change, no ups and downs, but in the eyes of Lunixia, as a bystander, the corners of her mouth that did not fluctuate seemed to be wearing a faint smile. What happened? Perhaps when she was immersed in her dream, some unknown story happened between the two of them, and Lunixia was quite curious about it, but she just changed her clothes while quietly watching the movement on the other bed.

This isn’t a bad thing, Lunicia thought.

Lunicia and Ashlee have been inseparable since they left the Waterwheel Canal. Ella has also been sticking to Lunicia since their encounter in Nosavi, but their communication only seemed to increase gradually when they set out on the road to Muirand. Lunicia had thought about how to improve their relationship before, but now it seems that there is no need to do so. After all, Ashlee is much more proactive than she looks.

But, what exactly happened?

Sitting on the edge of the bed, tilting her head and thinking, Lunicia still couldn't come up with the answer.

"Okay, okay, let's wash up first. The time now is... eight o'clock, and it will be breakfast time soon."

"Lady Luna, this guy, she!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter if you are an individual Ashlee, but are you really going to say it?"

"you……!"

Ella's cheeks turned even redder.

Such an Ella Hepper is equally rare. Who could have imagined that the pink-haired girl who always seemed to keep a distance, polite but distant in front of strangers, and always had a cold expression and a straight face, would actually be so excited, shy and incoherent.

Angry and embarrassed - this is probably the most suitable word to describe her current state.

"I don't know what happened, but is it really okay, Ella? Were you bullied by Ash?"

“No, no…it’s okay…”

Ella suddenly became depressed. Although she said "nothing happened", the expression on her face, which was not sure whether it was melancholy, distress or worry, showed her hypocrisy without reservation. I guess something really happened. Compared with the dangers in the adventure, it was insignificant, but it was not so small that it could be laughed off. It was true. When she was drowning in a dark and long dream, Ashlee played a prank on Ella Heper without reservation.

"Um, okay."

Lunicea tilted her head.

She had no intention of forcing Ella to reveal the secret she had concealed, but simply turned her gaze once again to the black iron mechanical girl.

"Ashe, that..."

"Ashe is listening."

"Is it better to stop playing pranks in moderation?"

"A prank? Well, maybe what the individual Ashlee did was indeed a prank."

Shaking her metal fingertips, making the waxed smooth surface reflect the light under the lamp, Ashlee crossed her legs, which were also made of black iron, and took the initiative to move her body a little to make some space for Ella. The latter also cooperated by pulling up the cup to cover her slender body.

"But after this, Ella might become more frank. In this case, the 'prank' has its meaning. There is always a hazy mist between this wonderful triangle, perhaps between Ashe and Ella, or between Ella and Luna, or between the individual Ashe and Luna - these three people are obviously walking on the same path, but they may not be able to understand each other's thoughts. What do you think, Luna?"

"Oh, me? Um..."

Ella stared at the face that looked like Lunicia, while Lunicia herself pondered, thinking about the meaning of Ashlee's words. Perhaps Ashlee felt that Ella's attitude was too insincere, so she semi-forced her to have a heart-to-heart talk last night. In this way, Lunicia also felt that she should find an opportunity to talk to her two travel companions alone. Even two people with a spiritual connection may not necessarily understand each other. Maybe she really needs to do this now, using frank words and a refreshing attitude to discuss some topics that she had deliberately skipped before because of shyness, concerns or worries.

"It would be nice to be frank, wouldn't it, if the time was right?"

After all, it seemed that the journey was coming to an end soon.

After a short flight in the sea of ​​dark clouds, when your feet step on the ground again, perhaps that is when everything ends. The holy city shrouded in golden light, the place of purification, seems to be the place where the journey is destined to end, returning to the idle daily life, or embarking on another ending, a kind of endless escape called "eternity".

Lunicia was not expecting this kind of ending. There might be some kind of unspeakable romance in embarking on a journey with her two companions that had no end, but this was not what Lunicia expected. She had never thought of abandoning the people who raised her, nor had she ever considered staying away from the glory of the great god Zelti. But the note with "Be careful of the Divine Court" written on it, the completely different attitude of Sestin, and something that was happening vaguely made her feel anxious and worried, and she felt a possibility that might soon appear in front of her, a disturbing possibility.

What should I do at that time?

It is impossible for Sesteen not to know her relationship with the Ritual Bureau, which means that she knows very well that Sieli's preference and Evelyn's protection are useless in the storm that may soon sweep Zelhar. Sesteen's attitude is wavering and ambiguous, which seems to represent her hesitation. She knows a lot, but not enough, not enough for her to give a definite answer, so that she can simply choose to stop or let it go. The only thing she doesn't want is that Lunixia is too close to the truth of the matter, so that she reveals flaws, is targeted, and slides into the abyss, or even she herself can't grasp everything hidden in the tangled clues, so she both stops and lets it go, because she doesn't know what Lunixia may face.

She is just moving forward along the path she has chosen, that's all.

This seemed to represent a glimmer of hope, indicating that Lunisia still had the possibility of being able to grasp the way forward.

But what if at the end of everything, you still have to face everything that you don’t want to face?

Lunicia couldn't help but tighten the corner of her clothes.

……

Since it was an airship belonging to Myurand, most of the dishes served in the restaurant were local Myurand dishes. The people in the mountain city didn't care much about breakfast, which was in stark contrast to the Zerhal people who focused on the beginning of the day. However, Lunisia and her group didn't care: two of them were adventurers who could swallow anything as long as it was food, and one was a mechanical creature that didn't need to eat. If they came across food they liked, their mood would improve, but if they had to put something they didn't like so much on the table, their mood wouldn't get worse.

Of course, in the final analysis, it was just a matter of not paying enough attention to breakfast, which did not mean that they were really perfunctory. The "Duke of Candiano" was, after all, a top-level luxury airship, and there were not only Lunicia and her group of passengers on board. Although there were not many, there were still several other passengers traveling to the Zerhal area by ship, so it was not necessary for the ladies who were honored as "Heroes of Muirand" to have a working meal with the crew.

In fact, it is said that when the aviation industry was still developed, the catering on luxury airships was all self-service. Passengers strolled between counters filled with food and drinks and freely chose what they wanted. Now, due to the decrease in passengers, not only can meals not be provided around the clock, the mode has also been changed to ordering and serving, and it is said that the variety of dishes will be reduced from time to time.

These Lunicias won't care either.

Perhaps because of the worries and thoughts that flashed through her mind from time to time, she was not very interested in food today. For breakfast, she simply chose fragrant fruit tea, fried egg bread and vegetable salad. Ashlee politely refused to have breakfast and just sat opposite Lunicia and Ella, holding her chin with her hand while watching them eat. Ella didn't seem to have much appetite either. While eating mashed potatoes, she stared at the mechanical girl opposite.

There is no schedule that must be followed on the airship. Although the time for serving meals is fixed, passengers who need it can also ask the crew to provide food at other times. Simple staple foods and appetizers can be served at any time, even late at night. In this way, it can be said that the whole day is free time. There are more things to do than expected. The airships in the fifth calendar period generally have open decks. Under the protection of the magic shield, passengers can walk freely at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Of course, there is no room for this now, but the airship also has a bar, reading area, smoking room and entertainment room inside. Passengers who don't want to be bored in the cabin can choose their own way to spend time in these places.

Lunisia did not choose these designed entertainment methods.

In the not-so-spacious bedroom, on the table illuminated by the glow, she built a small altar with her own hands.

There were no materials specially prepared for this purpose. Even if there were, when Lunicia's body was torn into pieces by the light of God, they were all lost at the border of the waterwheel canal. Lunicia only used the things she could find at hand and the gifts she received from Muland when she left. She built a frame with wood blocks and books, placed the candlesticks high up, placed gold and silver ornaments around, let the earrings, necklaces and rings bathe in the light, and finally placed the holy emblem, the overlapping thunder and the triple sun disc in the middle, where the light was the brightest. This was considered to be the completion of this altar that was not formal but was enough to show piety and God's will.

"What is Lady Luna going to do?"

Ella seemed to have finally calmed down and returned to her usual state. Stabilizing emotions did not lead to the creation of non-existent knowledge in her mind. Even though Ella could recognize that this was a simple altar at a glance, she did not know what Lunicia was planning. If it was just a daily small sacrifice, there was no need to set up such a complicated altar. She only needed to place the offerings on the holy emblem.

"I plan to improve my strength a little bit."

"Becoming stronger, huh...?"

Although it seemed to be very clear, Ella still didn't know the specific relationship between "improving strength" and "building an altar". Some followers of evil gods would use blood and other rituals to please the gods they believe in in exchange for more powerful power, but if it was a similar method, the scale of this altar seemed too small.

"Ella, if you want to improve your strength, what should you do?"

"Feeding knowledge to magic books or something like that."

It is a common understanding among spellcasters that mages rely on spellbooks to cast spells. Mages of the Secret Book School admire magic books as much as their colleagues in the Scribe Society, but they choose different paths. This school, which originated from the ancient North, is committed to using magic books to absorb forbidden knowledge and cultivate them into volumes that contain the truth. They call their achievements "magic books." For Ella, as the "nutrients" absorbed by the magic book increase, her own strength as a "secret book mage" will also increase until she reaches the ultimate realm.

"Training the body and skills can also increase strength, but for a paladin like me and the priests who also serve the gods, this basic training cannot enhance the ability as a 'servant of the gods' - strengthening faith, enhancing the understanding of gods and doctrines, sensing the realm of gods, and obtaining gifts from the gods are the ways for us to enhance our own abilities. Because of this, people like paladins, whose great power is based on the gifts of gods, will lose everything once they betray the gods they believe in, leaving only unblessed flesh and blood."

After carefully checking to make sure there were no omissions in the altar, Lunicia knelt in front of the altar, closed her eyes, and continued to explain to Ella.

"Paladins often need to travel outside, and cannot indulge in research, asceticism, or meditation like scholars in quiet rooms, but we are not without anything - we have magnificent adventures that can be dedicated to the gods, and military exploits created as the gods' agents. Next, I will hold a sacrifice ceremony and sacrifice my experience as Lunicia Agris to Zelti in exchange for more protection."

"If I do this, will I lose my memory of my previous adventures?"

This made Ella seem a little uneasy, but she didn't show it and just confirmed it in a normal tone.

"It will not happen."

Lunicia smiled and shook her head.

Although Ella concealed it very well, Lunicia still felt the uneasiness, and she seemed to understand the reason for the uneasiness all at once, which came from the fear of being forgotten. Lunicia did not feel that she had become more sensitive than before. It seemed that this was because Ella Hepper had become more frank, as Ashlee said.

"It's just like reporting or debriefing, presenting proof of one's own efforts to the gods - letting one's achievements and military exploits reach the sky, and then the gods will give encouragement and blessings. It's just a small ceremony that is neither complicated nor long."

Chapter 3 The Secrets of the Girls

"Ella."

"...What do you want to do again?"

"If I were to ask the individual Ashlee to rate this overreaction, it would probably be rated as 'cute'. Aesthetics is something mixed with emotion. Can this machine, a mechanical creation, really comprehend the meaning of it? It's a really complicated and difficult issue to answer..."

"Aishelin!"

The expression on Ella Hepper's face was quite interesting, mixed with annoyance, nervousness, uneasiness and a little shyness, and even her voice seemed to tremble. Of course, she was also very clear that now was not the time or the occasion to vent her emotions, and she was not used to doing this kind of thing at all - she was cold and withdrawn, not a flower blooming in a greenhouse, but an icicle hanging on a peak - so that no matter how many times she opened her mouth, she couldn't say a word in the end. She could calmly point out the flaws in the enemy's words and give sharp and vicious sarcasm and ridicule, but when facing Ashlee, she always seemed to be at a disadvantage, even if the opponent was just a metal doll.

"Don't mind it too much. After all, to be precise, only Ella and this machine are here now. No matter what you say, Luna can't hear it for the time being. How about taking this opportunity to speak freely? I don't know how to tell Luna about those things - about Ashe, and about yourself. If you stay still, the moonlight will decay, the flowers will wither, and the wind will wither."