Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

--In the end what happened?

She struggled to sit up from the ground and took a quick look around. There was no doubt that this was the building where the battle had just taken place. However, this place was no longer the same as it was when destruction had come. Instead, it had become a complete ruin. There was nothing else except broken walls, no flowers, and no lights.

Then, she remembered a very important question.

Shouldn't I be cut into several pieces?

That was definitely one of the most horrific injuries she had ever seen. She was not completely sure that she would not have the chance to "bleed to death" in that situation. It would be better to say that "dying suddenly on the spot" was the only possibility in that situation. However, not only did she not die suddenly, but she looked completely unharmed, with no missing limbs and her torso was well connected, as if the previous incident had never happened.

"What exactly is going on?"

"..."

The other party did not answer, but just lowered his eyes slightly, but this was also a kind of answer, and Lunicia took it as a tacit agreement.

"That's it... but how exactly is this done?"

This is her biggest concern.

Resurrection of the dead - in her impression, only the spells "Resurrection", "Complete Resurrection" and "Wish" can do this. In addition, except for "Complete Resurrection", which is known as the most powerful healing spell below the level of gods, the other two spells all have very obvious negative effects. In addition, these three spells require a huge price to be paid before they can be released, and this is just the value of the wet materials.

Lunicia was very sure that the girl in front of her was unable to cast the spell of complete resurrection and the spell of wishing, which were already the highest level spells under the realm of gods. If she could cast spells of this level, she would not be so powerless when facing the power of the Twins of Blasphemy... It would not be a spell scroll either, as there was no place on her body to put anything.

Resurrection, which is much lower in standard, is possible, but resurrection has a great negative effect on the recipient, causing the resurrected person to feel extreme pain and weakness. However, Lunixia does not feel this way now, so it cannot be resurrection. So what is it?

"…It was the Word Prayer. I reshaped your body with the Word Prayer that made up myself."

Simple and clear instructions.

The girl's tone was neither sad nor happy, but calm and gentle, as if she was telling a distant story that had nothing to do with the person in front of her.

The word prayer was a little unfamiliar to Lunicia, but she could still recall what she knew about it.

Mana, also known as Azathoth, is an invisible particle that is completely incompatible with the operation of traditional magic but is everywhere. It is now generally used in the operation of steam engines. It is still a thing with many mysteries. If it is said that this thing can be used to reshape the body and resurrect the dead, it does not seem to be something completely unacceptable...

The cost is also quite clear.

The girl had become extremely weak, and her strength was probably only about the same as his own.

“Using a part of me to reshape you” might be referring to this.

"Thanks……"

I should have added another question, which is "Why do you have to go to this extent?", but this is not in line with Lunicia's style.

"…Um, is there anything I can help you with?"

In the end, he changed his words to this.

This was also what her god expected and instructed her to do. Since the last message from that god was to ask her to help the girl in front of her, there was no reason for Lunicia to choose any other explanation.

A hint of surprise, a little relief, and a hint of loneliness that was hard to conceal flashed across the girl's calm eyes.

Lunicia knew that this expression, as well as the thoughts contained in the expression she had shown on the high tower under the moon, was undoubtedly a request for help, and the request was not limited to the person. Even if she was much weaker than her, she would undoubtedly lend a helping hand according to her heart.

And that similar face probably represents some kind of fateful meeting.

It doesn't matter.

For Lunicia, the reason she chose to fight as a white knight was simply to help people in distress, nothing more.

——She was calling to herself, and that was enough.

"...Please take me away from here..."

She whispered this.

"Please let me go with you."

She moved close to Lunicia's body, her beautiful golden eyes meeting her gentle brown eyes, like a night-blooming cereus that refused to fade.

Chapter 31: The Day When Epiphyllum Blooms (Part 2)

"That's no problem. I wouldn't mind having a travel companion..."

Lunisia chewed on the other party's words and then said, "But can I ask why?"

"I... lost my memory."

"Huh? No way?"

"I don't even know who I am. All that's left are fragments of knowledge. The memories are like melting snow and are nowhere to be found... You have a face similar to mine... Exactly the same. Who are you? Are you the one I chose in my meaningless fate? Are you willing to take me away from here and help me find what I lost?"

Her words were gentle and soft. She was clearly speaking ancient Sakaar to Lunisia, but they sounded a bit like Sodzok - that was the Dragonborn language transformed from the "Dragon's Heavenly Voice" of the dragon, with seven completely different rhythms. Every word sounded as rhythmic and beautiful as poetry.

Although questions were asked one after another, Lunicia did not seem troubled or impatient at all. On the contrary, her eyes became softer.

In her opinion, those questions one after another were undoubtedly evidence of uneasiness.

The girl in front of her was feeling uneasy, and that was why she asked questions one after another to confirm Lunesia's thoughts and to make sure that her affirmative answer would not waver.

"I'll take you away."

Simple and gentle, yet extremely resolute, Lunicia gave her own answer.

She stood up from the rubble, then bent down gently and stretched out her hand to the girl. The armor covering her palm was clearly tattered, and the palm had not yet fully recovered from weakness, but it seemed to have some kind of irresistible magic, so that the girl couldn't help but reach out her hand, stretched out her slender black iron hand, and held her hand.

"My name is Lunicia, a paladin of the Radiant Court. What's your name?"

"I... don't remember. I don't remember my name, just like I don't remember who I am..."

"Then let me help you pick a name?"

The girl was stunned for a moment, but she didn't seem to object to the proposal and just nodded slightly.

"Hmm..." Lunicia pondered for a moment, and then quickly thought of a name, as if it had suddenly occurred to her: "Let's call you Exephillum."

"Is this the meaning of 'ephemeral cereus' in the Sakarian text?"

"Well, in the ancient Sakaar language, there is a usage of the word Epiphyllum after deforming it as a name. Although this is also one of the many Christian names that believers can choose, no one chooses it. It may be because not many people know about it... Anyway, do you like it?"

"Like? ...Maybe, I do like it."

"That's good."

As if relieved from a heavy burden, a smile appeared on Lunicia's face.

The night was slowly fading away, and in that not-too-long night, she had experienced so much: fighting cultists and monsters, failing to protect the people she wanted to protect, witnessing how a town's life was lost, seeing the tragedy that had already happened and could not be changed, experiencing death and rebirth... Sorrow and anger were like waves, one after another, like a tide that would never subside.

And at this moment, facing Ashlee who looked similar to her, she finally felt inner peace.

……

"I say, where are we now?"

April reached out and wiped the blood off his forehead - of course, the blood did not belong to him, but to the cultists he had chopped down. The battle had just ended, and facing the seemingly endless group of cultists, he and his two teammates had to adopt the method of fighting and retreating. Although this ensured victory, it also brought new problems, that is, they were completely driven out of the territory of the strange town and didn't know where they were now.

"Anyway, we're back in the woods. Uh, wait, I recognize this place."

Jesse remained silent, while Andy found some clues in the grass.

"The land here is very wet. We should be back near the river... Ah, I see the stone waterwheel."

Looking in the direction of his finger, they saw, as expected, a broken stone waterwheel lying in the weeds by the river. This was exactly what they had seen when they were following the traces of the cultists. Since they saw this, it meant that they were not far away from the run-down town of "Waterwheel Canal" that they knew.

This made them look at each other in bewilderment.

They had clearly chosen another option, which was not to return to the Waterwheel Canal but to look for Lunisia. However, now they were back to the option of returning to the Waterwheel Canal, and even experienced a lot of inexplicable battles in the middle. This kind of thing made them feel both amused and helpless.

"Since we are already here, why not go back and rest for a while?"

April thought about it for a moment and gave this order.

Indeed, after fighting for almost a whole night, even though the three of them were the best in the team, they could not avoid feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Although things did not go as planned, it was better to go back to the hotel and have a good rest at this time to make sure they had enough energy and strength before looking for Lunicia.

Andy and Jesse had no objection to this. They were not injured in the fight with the cultists, but their arms were sore from swinging their weapons too much. It would be too difficult for them to continue the search under such circumstances.

Following the footsteps they had come from, they soon saw familiar traces of life, which meant they were not far from the waterwheel canal. Their mood was not heavy, although they were somewhat worried, but they still had enough trust in Lunixia's strength, which further strengthened their idea of ​​"resting well before going to help Lunixia".

However, things don't seem to be going as smoothly as expected.

"Varied……"

In the eyes of the group, the town called Shuichequ no longer exists.

There were a few corpses lying on the ground. They were all faces the group had seen before, namely the defenders of the Principality of Mariai stationed here. They did not have many wounds on their bodies, but without exception, they were all fatally wounded by a sword in the throat.

The captain at the head held the gun tightly in his hand. Even though the wooden pole had been completely broken, he showed no intention of letting go.

The houses were basically intact, but a few were damaged beyond repair. The stone walls had completely collapsed, and the wooden roof had been cut in half. There was no doubt that someone had fought here. In addition, there was a lot of blood on the ground, which was undoubtedly not left by the defenders in front of them.

--who is it?

Just as April narrowed his eyes and wanted to use the power of his blood to search for clues, he immediately found that there was no need to do so.

The reason is simple: the person involved just walked over so brazenly.

"?!"

The three people, including Andy, all showed expressions of disbelief.

Their brains almost went offline for a moment, making it impossible for them to comprehend what was happening before their eyes.

"Why...are you here?"

April's voice almost trembled as she said this.

However, he quickly put aside this hesitation.

Instead, he drew a rapier from his waist, and Andy and Jesse immediately reacted and took fighting stances.

The other party didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he didn't intend to let them leave.

Everyone feels that they have no chance of winning.

Everyone feels that the other party's will will be realized, and they will only become ants crushed in the rut.

The reason is simple, because he is the director of the Judgment Bureau of the Glorious Divine Court.

"Glengarry Hunt" Leopold Greenhilt.

Chapter 32: The Day When Epiphyllum Blooms (Part 3)

"The reason you came to help me just now, is it because you want me to take you away from here?"

"Well... you have the same face as me. You must be the destined person in my life. If I am with you, I will definitely know my destiny, where I belong, and why I exist here."

"That's a very poetic statement. But I'm not trustworthy at all, especially in this kind of situation..."

While pulling Ashetherin up from the ground, Lunicia picked up the giant sword that fell to the side. Although she saved her life, the armor on her body was not as lucky as her body. The originally solid and beautiful silver armor was now only left with almost broken fragments, and the lining that was cut into several pieces was just barely hanging on the body. It could not be expected to provide any defensive effect. If any special situation occurred, only this "Avenger" would be absolutely reliable.

"why?"

“Because I’m confused too…”

Lunicia said this and turned her head away.

"I came here only because I received an oracle. I have no ideas of my own. This is my first time to contact the outside world. The world is not as beautiful as I once imagined, and the future is not as clear as I saw in the past. I don't even know what I should do. I do things only because I feel it is necessary to do so, not because I want to do so..."

"It's okay." Lunicia turned around in surprise, only to find that Ashlee was smiling at her. "If you don't know what you want to do, why not find it out in the process of doing necessary things? Why not set a goal first, such as saving the world?"

"Does the world need saving..."

Midway through her words, Lunicia stopped.

"Well, let's change it. Anyway, is there anything Lunicia needs to do, now."

"Just call me Luna - let's go meet up with the knights first. They should have returned to Shuichequ by now. Ashe, do you have any ideas? Although we are traveling together, I don't know if you have your own destination."

Even for those who don't remember anything, there might be a place they long for in their hearts, and that place might be the key to regaining their memories. Lunicia is convinced of this.

"I want to... go find my 'father'."

Ashlee had no objection to her nickname. After all, she didn't hate the name given to her by Lunisia. She simply thought about it and quickly gave her answer. However, her expression was still a little dazed and confused, as if she herself was not sure whether this was really appropriate.

Lunicia didn't have such concerns, she just cared about what Ashtherin said.

"'Father'... do you mean the creator? Ah, I don't have any problem with mechanical lifeforms..."

"Don't apologize. I understand. I am a mechanical doll created for a certain purpose. Both my appearance and functions are far from being a 'human'. This is a fact that there is no need to deny."

There was no fluctuation in her tone, and it seemed that she really had no objection to such a statement.

Lunicia felt a little uncomfortable.