Fallen Chronicles



Chapter 84: Capture the Thief First then....

I can see it now.

You guys, each and every one of you, really have a unique talent!

Renji, who woke up in surprise from his near-death experience, sat up in his bed at the hospital. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

The young man's movement immediately woke up the girls lying on either side of his bed, vigilantly watching over him.

"Boowaa*, old timer, you finally woke up!"

[Master, you're back!] Number 86 exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

After the battle in the church's underground, Renji lingered a bit too long in the sea of consciousness, relishing his joy a bit too much. As a result, his physical body remained comatose, so he was later transferred to the hospital.

In theory, Renji should have been in a coma for at least another day and night to fully enjoy the fruits of victory. However, he was forcibly awakened just as it was getting dark, which made him quite annoyed.

But there was nothing he could do. The Dragon Nation had declared war directly, and the Holy Kingdom, which had just witnessed the "miracle" of Suthia, was now plunged into a major crisis of being wiped out again.

'Nova did not disappoint me…'

'This Vanguard Dragon Maiden made a big move as soon as I arrived'

Renji recalled the praises he had just given Nova in front of Suthia, something along the lines of "how could she still be a brute after becoming an Empress" However, he was swiftly slapped in the face.

Harsh.

Too harsh!

But he had to admit that being a brute had an immediate effect. At the very least, it made Renji completely lose the chance to get close to the little nun again.

After all, Suthia, who learned about this news, was directly in a state of panic. The Holy Kingdom was her labor of love for the past five hundred years, and she had treated it like her own child. Seeing it now being bullied by someone else, Suthia couldn't sit still. She almost blacked out again, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to go to the Dragon Nation to reason with Nova.

It can be seen that although the Yandere attribute has indeed been greatly weakened, it is impossible to completely cure it. Suthia's aggressiveness has increased significantly compared to five hundred years ago, and she can't handle too much stimulation.

Renji continued to comfort Suthia, assuring her with pats on his chest, telling her not to worry. He instructed her to continue purifying the contamination and pollution with the new contract in the Confession Room, leaving everything else to him. He promised that the Holy Kingdom would be safe, confident that he could easily handle the situation with Dragon Nation and Nova on his own. His reassurance stabilized Suthia, keeping the situation under control.

Though Renji enjoyed watching women fight, he didn't like seeing his own women in battle.

Despite his complaints, Renji couldn't really blame Nova. After all, the Dragon Maiden's original role as a Vanguard was — 'Tyrant.'

If a nun could be tainted into a yandere after five hundred years, he could only imagine what a Dragon Maiden, who was originally a 'Tyrant,' would turn into. Renji stopped deluding himself.

Snapping back to reality and observing Eileen and Zero, it seemed that the news of the 'declaration of war' hadn't reached them yet. Indeed, revealing such significant news directly could potentially throw the entire Holy Kingdom into chaos.

With time being of the essence, Renji quickly explained the situation to the two and got out of bed. He didn't want his actions to lead to a devastating war between the two.

This was when the advantages of a mechanical being over a human were apparent. While Eileen was in a state of shock after hearing the news, Zero processed it quickly, or rather, recorded it as data without any additional emotions, making things much easier for Renji.

"Zero, contact Maria for me. I need to see her immediately."

[Command received. Contact successful! Miss Maria has been informed and is expected to arrive at master's room in seven minutes] No.86 reported with a quiet joy in response to her master's title.

'Uh…'

It was only then that Renji realized something was a bit... off with this mechanical maid.

"No. 86?"

[…] 86 felt a pang of concern in her 'heart'.

Renji: "…?"

[Answering master, my body comes from a combat maid of the 'Emergency Squad' that Miss Eileen retrieved from the Sea Sand Bar. My consciousness chip originates from an 'Observer' that 'Zero' deployed in the Blackhole Plains to search for the Great Ashen Emperor. Due to an unknown malfunction, I have been unable to connect to the 'Main Brain Network' and thus cannot sync with Zero's consciousness. I am not the real 'Zero' I apologize for disappointing you, master,] Eighty-Six confessed, unable to hide the truth any longer.

"So, what you mean is, you are an independent entity? Zero doesn't know about your existence?" Renji asked after digesting the information.

The robotic maid beside the bed nodded. She paused for a moment and then quickly spoke again.

[May I ask, will master erase me?] No.86 asked nervously and fearfully.

"Why would I erase you?"

[Because, Eighty-Six is unstable data, and unstable data should be erased] Eighty-Six said dejectedly and sadly.

Before Renji could respond, Eileen, who had finally recovered from the shock of the 'declaration of war,' came over to the maid, patting her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, the old timer is not that kind of person. Maybe he's even secretly happy now. It's lucky you can't connect to Zero; otherwise, we might have had another enemy declaring war on our Holy Kingdom!" Eileen said, giving Renji a dangerous glare.

"Cough, cough."

[Is that true, master? You really will forgive me?] Eighty-Six asked excitedly and fearfully, wanting to hear confirmation directly from her master.