Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

The cold winter wind can make people lazy, and even leaving the warm bed is extremely difficult, but it cannot hold back the adventurers at all. After all, to these sensitive and perceptive adventurers, dangerous dungeons and the wilderness can never be equated with a safe resting place.

Putting on and taking off armor is almost something that adventurers have to do every day. How to put on that life-saving gear, how to move while wearing the armor, and how to take it off, how to complete these things in the shortest time possible, all of these are courses that adventurers should learn first.

Although the time required to put on and take off heavy armor has been greatly improved due to the advancement of craftsmanship and technology, it is still not easy to put on a heavy armor by yourself - it takes a quarter of an hour without help. If someone helps, this time can be greatly shortened, but it is still very troublesome. In contrast, although Ella's light leather armor has much lower protection performance, it only takes about a minute to put on and take off.

First, she tidied up the innermost shirt, then the lining that served as the second layer and for warmth, and finally the outermost layer, the leather armor that was used to protect the entire body. In just a short time, Ella had returned to her usual daytime look.

"That'll be fine?"

"Well, that's fine."

"So--"

Putting the stainless steel water cup, toothbrush and toothpaste into Ella's hands, Lunicia pointed outside the tent.

"?"

Ella didn't seem to understand what she meant at all. She just followed Lunicia and Ashlee and tilted her head to express her confusion.

"Brush your teeth and wash your face. Isn't that what you should do in the morning?"

Lunicia sighed and picked up her own portion from the side and explained.

"But, with 'magic tricks' you can -"

"If you keep relying too much on magic, you'll forget how to live without it. Okay, let's just change our mood and use a toothbrush and a towel to clean ourselves, okay?"

Rather than advocating that people should not forget life without magic, it would be more accurate to say that Lunicia just wanted to brush her teeth with Ella, to use this kind of thing to pass the time and change her mood, that's all.

I have been thinking for a long time that if I can really go out on an adventure one day, how can I skillfully apply the knowledge I learned from Sesteen? As a result, some of that knowledge is not applicable to the world today. For example, I have taught many ways to get water in the wild, but in fact, rainwater, rivers after rainfall, and snow cannot be used. On this basis, adventurers who cannot cast spells should prepare water sources in advance. If time is not short, they can even consider hiring special logistics personnel to assist. In addition, they can buy magic items such as alchemy pots and endless water bottles. These things that were originally expensive are now affordable under the influence of long-term technological innovation.

On the other hand, if you can’t even make these basic preparations, then don’t even think about going out on an adventure alone.

After all, this world is really dangerous.

Mage? Although ordinary mages cannot use "water creation" and "food purification", which are the realm of divine arts, but think about it carefully, will a mage really lack money to buy magic items when going out?

Normal rain almost no longer exists in the world, and what remains is toxic acid rain that pollutes water sources. Under the long-term baptism of acid rain, the world's ecology should have been on the verge of destruction, but for some reason, whether it was animals, plants, or so-called monsters, they eventually developed tolerance to this harsh environment, and humans can now more or less withstand toxic water in the wild - of course, it can only solve urgent needs at most. If you drink contaminated water for a long time, you will get enteritis at the least, and gastric perforation at the worst, and your digestive tract will be completely corroded, so clean drinking water is still a necessity.

As for why Setin was unwilling to explain it clearly at that time...

I'm afraid no one expected that this little princess would really walk out of the birdcage one day.

If you can't walk out of that warm and comfortable courtyard for your whole life, then just keep having fantasies about this world for your whole life.

"Ella."

I brush my teeth and wash my face, letting the clear water soak my skin and letting the temporary warmth dispel the cold. Without the heaviness of the armor, everything feels exceptionally fresh, except for the unchanging sky.

"What's wrong, Lord Savior?"

"Um……"

"Ok?"

Some of him seemed to be hesitant to speak, some of him found it difficult to say it out loud. He looked at Lunicia tapping his chin with her index finger, his eyes drifting back and forth, hesitating and thinking, and finally he managed to squeeze out the second half of the sentence.

"From now on..."

"All?"

"Just like last night."

Ella tilted her head and poured the remaining warm water in the stainless steel cup onto her hands, cleaning the remaining blood between her fingers.

"Did you say last night...?"

"That is, let's sleep together."

With another sigh, Lunicia let a smile creep onto her lips again and turned her head to look in Ella's direction.

She felt a little shy and a little embarrassed, but in the end, Lunicia still said the sentence in full. That sigh was not one of helplessness, but rather a kind of relief after finally letting go of a burden.

Snapped--

With a flick of his fingers, the cup fell into the basin, splashing water.

"But...but..."

"It's decided. Hahaha - it's been a really pleasant night -"

Completely ignoring Ella's small protest, Lunicia stretched, picked up her armor from the side, and began to dress in an orderly manner.

"Won't Lady Luna feel uncomfortable?"

"will not."

"Won't it be too crowded?"

"will not."

"Don't you think my body is uncomfortable?"

"Absolutely not."

"Don't you feel awkward, don't you think the smell is bad, don't you feel uneasy?"

"No, no, why would I, do I look like such a troublesome person?"

This time it was Lunicia's turn to ask questions.

Although there is a saying that goes "don't answer questions with questions", she still felt a little overwhelmed by such a series of questions. Lunicia was not a very sensitive woman, but even so, she could still vaguely guess the reasons why Ella resisted. If she had to say anything, it was nothing more than "I don't want to worry about her", "I don't want to care too much about her", "I don't want to put too much energy on her", that's all.

——Why are you doing this, idiot?

"……but……"

"Ella."

"..."

"Have the past few days been like last night... I don't know when I'll wake up and hurt myself unconsciously, and then it's like nothing happened, continuing this journey that doesn't make sense to Ella, and maybe it's not that interesting?"

She only embarked on this journey to find herself.

This idea does not come from evidence, although a little attention will reveal this answer; this idea does not come from divine spirituality, although that kind of extraordinary inspiration can indeed be used in this way. This feeling only comes from the temperature from the fingertips, the heartbeat echoing in the ears, the herbal fragrance filling the nose, and the unique intuition of the girl.

So, even though it was Systine, the Temple of Light, helping others, fighting against Natya's legacy, or fighting against the Iron Leviathan, all of these had nothing to do with her. She only did this because Lunicia chose to do so, she swung her sword for it, got hurt for it, and tried her best for it.

"……Um."

There was no denial, no evasion, just a simple and soft answer.

She followed her own ideas, so she would not hide anything from her savior.

Ashlee didn't say this, not because she didn't want to, but because she was used to sitting outside the tent in the early hours of the morning, quietly watching the campfire. The cold had no effect on her, and the wind and snow at most only added a layer of frost to her. When no one woke up and no one responded to her whispers, she seemed to be more accustomed to doing this, standing alone, watching things that were different from the night.

It can also be said that this matter has become very personal.

This is a little secret that only belongs to two of the three people, and the remaining person is still packing his luggage in the tent. If you think about it carefully, this seems to be a very strange situation.

"Then it's decided. We'll sleep together from now on."

"..."

"Although my sleep quality may not be that good, since I had nightmares to begin with, it should not have gotten worse. Wouldn't it be more reassuring to have someone by my side? Besides, I'm the Saint of the Glorious Temple. I'm not sure if the deacon priests call me 'Your Excellency' when they see me, but I'm sure it's warm and soft when I hug you, so please feel free to use me as a pillow—"

"Why……"

He involuntarily stretched out his hand and placed it on his chest - or rather, on the junction of his shoulder, neck and collarbone.

That was where the pink butterfly mark was, and it was also where the mark of the contract that she mentioned "as a property" was established.

"Why……?"

It's more like he was just mumbling to himself than asking a question.

"——Don't make that expression."

Just seeing, just paying a little attention to the expression on the pink-haired girl's overly beautiful face, just one glance was enough to make Lunicia's smile disappear from her face, turning it into a little bitterness, a little sadness, a little heartache, a little grief, and countless subtle and sad emotions mixed together, making it impossible for her to face the girl named Ella Hepper with a smile.

What a tearful expression.

It was like she had been tightening her eyes to prevent herself from crying, but now she could no longer hold back her tears. Except for the brief time after they first met, she had never cried because of pain or suffering, but because of Lunicia's little suggestion, she showed an expression that was irrelevant to her and only existed in dreams.

It's like the sky when snow is about to fall, making people want to cry with her just by looking at her.

"It's just a possession, just an item, for an existence that belongs to the Savior and can be consumed and discarded at any time... It's just a worthless thing. Even if I want to do something for the Savior, it will only get in the way in the end... Why do I have to do this... do this... pay all this..."

Incoherent, confused and painful.

It was like a continuation of what happened in the early morning, transforming actions into words, throwing the dagger to harm himself, but, although the words were cruel and despicable, they sounded vaguely... expectant?

What kind of emotion would lead to such words?

Is it incomprehension, a sense of inferiority, self-destructive tendencies, blindness, or all of these?

"…Stupid Ella."

He stretched out his arms, and then hugged the crying girl tightly in his arms.

She has not yet put on the damaged but still strong armor, and has not yet built an insurmountable barrier between herself and others, so there is no need to worry at all. Just reach out your hand and hug her tightly. This is exactly what Lunicia desires most in her heart.

——It’s just because that expression is really unbearable.

I keep making insignificant excuses like this just because I can't be honest with my own feelings.

“——!…”

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he remained silent.

It seemed like he wanted to do something, for example, reach out and grab the corner of Lunicia's clothes, but in the end, his fingers trembled slightly and he did nothing.

"They are not items. Neither Ashe nor Ella are items. They are not consumables, nor are they possessions. They are not a hindrance. Ella, you are..."

--Who are you……

——Yes, what?

Not only the language, but also the thinking was stuck.

A companion, a travel companion, a family member, a close friend... Every answer seems to be right and can be given as an answer without any strange or awkward feeling. They are undoubtedly applicable to the current context, but there is always a problem. That is, Lunicia does not think that these "reasonable" and "correct" answers should be the answers that she can blurt out immediately.

The real answer should be one that can be said without hesitation.

A companion, a travel companion, a family member, a close friend... or, what?

I can't think of it, or I feel that all the above answers are wrong, and I feel that there are better options, but I don't realize what they are. I just know that such a concept exists, but I can't blurt it out. It's like a layer of light fog blocking there, lingering there. Obviously, I can reach the other side by taking one more step, but it's like I'm doubting whether there is a bottomless abyss in front of me, and I dare not take a step.

"Yes--"

"……Yes?"

"Yes……"

Lack of confidence.

Her courage and perseverance were not enough to allow her to take another step. To have come this far, saying these words was already her limit. Pushing the progress forward even a little bit seemed so impossible.

"——The machine named Ashetherin is waiting because it has no mission, and is trying to find the related person 'Lunicia Agris' who can give the next order."

A female voice that sounded somewhat cold, distant, and inorganic came from behind.

"As a result, even Ashe herself could not have imagined that she would see such a scene when she came out."

It seemed as if the air became awkward.

Chapter 8: City on the Hill

The sky remained an unchanging grey, at most becoming even darker before rain or snow. This unchanging canopy of sky was like a spider's web covering the sky, making it hard to breathe.

Without the sun and stars, if humans had not already gone through a long period of time before this and possessed technology and knowledge to be proud of, this alone would probably be enough to make it difficult for people to move forward.

The arrow of the compass slowly spun, tremblingly indicating where the group would go next.

Not only the sky, but also the scenery on the ground seemed to have never changed. Looking around, all you could see were trees and snow, with a few exposed rocks here and there.

There were not many creatures here. Even for those tenacious creatures, the snow was still a boring scene for them. The temperature was low and there was not much food. If it were spring or summer, this forest would probably be much more lively. The small animals that occasionally passed by would be captured by Lunicia or Asheselin in the shortest possible time and used as dinner for today. Large beasts and monsters were never encountered.

The reason was that they were walking on the mountain road between Marie and Muirand. Not everyone would choose this road. Large merchant groups or mercenaries preferred to take the road on the west side of the Nemreth Hills, which would lead to a longer route but was wider and safer. The hilly area was also an option. Rangers would regularly organize patrols here to maintain the safety of the mountain road and drive away some dangerous monsters that approached here.

Woods, snow, rock wall, woods, snow, rock wall.

It was like a movie that was repeating itself, from the beginning to the end, and then reversed and played again. The dirt was hidden in the mud under the snow, and the surface was pure white. Looking back from a high place, looking at the lowlands blown by the north wind, watching the branches bent by the snow swaying, looking at the land where the trees and snow scenes intertwined, Lunicia always couldn't help but sigh, this is what the world really looks like.

If there is anything missing from the ointment, it is...