Ch.372Chapter 372 – Saint Platina (2)

For a moment, I felt the temperature around us drop.

It wasn’t that the actual temperature had fallen.

It was because everyone had lost their words at what Somnus had said.

“Did I… hear that wrong?”

Kara spoke in a daze.

Then she raised her finger, pointing at the pulsating giant brain.

“That brain is… the former Saint?”

Kara’s eyes were trembling.

“That thing over there is… my original?”

Somnus didn’t answer Kara’s question.

He was just looking at me.

“Is what you just said true?”

I immediately pointed my halberd at Somnus and asked.

And Somnus calmly nodded and replied.

“It’s true, Number 13.”

Somnus smiled gently.

“There’s no lie whatsoever. I personally captured the Saint who had secretly crossed over to the Kingdom of Mikea.”

“You captured her in the Kingdom of Mikea?”

When Beatrice quietly asked, Somnus nodded.

“That’s right. I personally dragged her out from where she was hiding in some slum. Ah, perhaps you’re curious about that process?”

“Cut it out.”

“Let me see. I believe it was around that time…”

Somnus put his finger to his chin, lost in thought.

“…Ah, that’s right. It was then. After beheading her husband who was deliberately trying to draw my attention by running away, I burned his now-useless body in front of her hiding place, creating smoke.”

A blood-soaked past was flowing from his gentle face.

“Knowing her husband’s body was burning, perhaps wanting to retrieve his head, Platina emerged from her hiding place on unsteady legs and tried to fight me. With a body exhausted from fleeing while heavily pregnant. …Come to think of it, her belly was flat again, so she must have given birth.”

“Shut up, Somnus.”

Kara said quietly.

Somnus didn’t listen.

“…Well, given the environment, she might have miscarried. Anyway, I personally captured her as she was putting up that futile resistance and brought her to the laboratory.”

Soon Somnus looked at me with a smile.

“After that, well, as you can see. Since I personally captured her and split her head open myself, I can guarantee this is the Saint.”

Then Somnus playfully tapped the brain with his finger.

And he spread his hands as he spoke.

“A fitting end for a heretic who defied God and ran away, don’t you think?”

“…You seem to be enjoying this.”

I glared at the smiling Somnus as I spoke.

Somnus once again calmly maintained his polite demeanor as he replied.

“Why did you reduce the Saint to such a miserable state?”

“Ah, you might be the only one who understands this… shall I explain?”

Somnus said.

“It’s nothing special. I had been conducting research, but as I got older, it became increasingly difficult to calculate and remember things. Then, fortunately, I got an idea from a concept left behind by an ancient hero.”

“Concept?”

“Yes, I believe it was the concept of a ‘computer’?”

Somnus said, clasping his hands together.

“A magnificent device with internal storage and computational capabilities, they say. I heard that where the hero lived, almost everyone had one, and they used it to perform calculations on their behalf or store important knowledge.”

Somnus continued.

“While I couldn’t recreate it exactly, I thought that having a brain that could remember and calculate for me might be able to fulfill that role sufficiently.”

“…Are you really human?”

A cold voice flowed from my mouth.

Somnus smiled gently and said.

“Your opinion of me doesn’t matter… anyway, I worked in various ways to recreate that concept. Using various spells to extend its life, making improvements…”

Somnus once again began to spread his hands.

“As you can see, the result is a very convenient item. It stores my research records, performs calculations…”

Somnus pointed to the brain proudly.

“And now it also serves as an interception device that attacks and defends against enemies with holy power for my sake. The one who once defied me has now become an existence that works only for me.”

Somnus laughed.

“Isn’t it quite impressive?”

No answer was needed.

I immediately changed my halberd into an axe and threw it again.

This time Somnus deflected the axe with his own hand and laughed.

“I apologize. Was I talking too much?”

“Yes. You’re too long-winded for your own good.”

I glared at Somnus as I spoke.

“But after hearing what you said, I’ve clearly understood one thing, so don’t worry.”

“What’s that?”

“That I must never let you die peacefully, you madman.”

I pointed my returned weapon at Somnus.

“Just how many people have suffered because of you?”

I glared at Somnus.

“Just how many have met miserable fates because of you?”

I glanced briefly at Beatrice and Kara.

“Just how many people have to be put in danger because of you?”

I glanced briefly at Chris and Sera.

“And how many more will you sacrifice in the future?”

I glared at Somnus again as I spoke.

“I will never let you die peacefully, Somnus.”

“If you can manage it, that is.”

Maintaining his smiling face throughout, Somnus began to rise into the air.

Somehow, spheres made of magic and holy power were floating above his hands, just like before.

“Unlike before, I’ll be using some of my power now, so please do try your best.”

As soon as he finished speaking,

Somnus threw two spheres toward us.

Immediately, Chris extended his staff while Beatrice unfurled her chains.

“‘Protect the young lambs!'”

The reliable golden shield blocked the sphere of holy power that Somnus had launched.

Then Beatrice’s chains began to wrap around the magic sphere that followed.

And Beatrice quietly muttered to Somnus.

“I’ll return the favor.”

With those words, Beatrice pulled on the chains, and the chains spun around the sphere on their own, then flew straight toward Somnus.

The magic sphere that Somnus had fired began to fly back toward him.

And as Somnus calmly watched it approach, a silver shield appeared and caught the magic sphere.

When Somnus was in danger, the Saint’s brain had protected him.

“I told you she works for me, didn’t I? When I’m in danger, she’ll use every means to protect me…”

Somnus smiled at Beatrice as he spoke.

“Still, the Mad Dog is impressive. Without using any grand methods, you thought to redirect the flow of magic that contacted your chains back at me.”

Soon he extended his hand and said.

“With those skills, you could just engage me in close combat. You want to tear me apart right now, don’t you?”

“Do you think I’d fall for your provocation?”

Beatrice said coldly.

Along with that, Beatrice’s gaze briefly met mine.

“If your plan is to draw me to the front line to target the rear, I’ll tell you it won’t work.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

“No. I want to tear you apart right now.”

Beatrice extended her hand.

Soon a sphere of flame flew from her hand toward Somnus, but once again, a silver shield appeared and blocked it.

“I already have people to handle the front. My job is to guard the rear so those guys can fight without worry.”

And Beatrice smiled fiercely for the first time in a while.

“Why would I do something you’d like?”

“The title of Mad Dog seems wasted on you.”

But it wasn’t the result he wanted, as Somnus’s expression darkened briefly.

He probably intended to draw her out as well and then target our rear line, just as Beatrice had pointed out.

In fact, it was the same tactic Idea had used against us.

Beatrice shouted.

“So fight without worry, you two! Just leave some for me!”

“You didn’t need to tell us that!”

Immediately, Sia and I swung our weapons.

Just before, when Beatrice had thrown her fireball, Sia and I had already leaped toward the enemy.

A beat late, the giant made from dead experimental subjects swung its arm, and Sia deflected it with the flat of her greatsword, saying.

“Leave this to me and go!”

With those words, Sia maintained her momentum and threw a dagger toward the Saint’s brain.

Soon a silver shield appeared to block the dagger.

The dagger fell to the floor with a hollow sound.

And then.

“‘Grant us robust bodies.'”

Chris’s blessing reached me with perfect timing.

Golden energy enveloped my body.

Using my enhanced physical abilities, I stepped hard on the silver shield and jumped up.

“So you’re breaking through, I see.”

As if intending to intercept me, Somnus extended his arm.

A magic circle appeared in front of his hand, directed at me.

“Now!”

“Magic Missile!”

Hit by a sphere of magic that flew in before him, his aim was thrown off.

Glancing to the side, I saw Eve’s sword seemingly directing the timing and direction, and Sera’s staff that had just launched the magic sphere.

I saw Somnus’s eyes widen slightly.

“So you do know how to be surprised.”

Perhaps there was no time to answer, Somnus quickly raised his arms.

Having failed to intercept me with magic, he seemed to be trying to protect himself with his prosthetic arms.

“It’s useless.”

I swung my halberd toward Somnus.

It was more solid than I expected, and a loud noise came from the prosthetic arm where the halberd made contact.

But he couldn’t prevent the impact of being hit in mid-air.

With a dull sound, Somnus, who had been floating in the air looking down at us, crashed straight into the ground.

The ground shattered, raising a slight cloud of dust, and I landed on the ground, maintaining my posture.

The dust settled quickly.

Somnus was still lying on the ground.

He seemed to have used magic to prevent injury, as there appeared to be no wounds, but his clothes were dirty.

Looking down at Somnus, I asked.

“How does it feel to be looking up instead of looking down?”

“Really now.”

Somnus smiled.

“You people are unpleasant.”

Somnus said with a benevolent smile.

And simultaneously,

A black energy, oozing like mud, began to flow from Somnus.

+

My heart felt strangely unsettled.

Diana, who was guarding the ship with her subordinates, suddenly looked up at the sky.

“…This feels ominous.”

Diana narrowed her eyes.

Having spent a long time on battlefields—once as a holy knight of Emiris, and at another time as a general of the Kingdom of Mikea—she sometimes felt her heart stir for no apparent reason.

And she hated those times the most.

Because on such days, almost without fail, she would receive bad news.

From the first news of the death of a junior holy knight she had cherished, to the day her daughter went missing.

Whenever her heart stirred like this, bad news inevitably followed.

‘…That damned man called it a kind of intuition.’

Once, by chance, she had confided this to Rudger while working with him, under the influence of alcohol.

At that time, Rudger had explained that people are sensitive to misfortune and sometimes react before even hearing the news.

‘And he said that I might be more sensitive because I had worked as a commander for so long.’

Perhaps that was why she hadn’t felt this sensation much since retiring from the battlefield.

At least, she hadn’t felt this way until sending off Kay’s group.

If she had, she might have prevented it, drawing on her past experiences, just as she was doing now.

‘I hope those children are safe.’

While she was concerned for everyone’s safety, Diana quietly thought especially of Chris and Kara.

Before communication was cut off, her daughter had been pregnant.

If she were alive, would her child be about their age now?

‘Come to think of it, I started running the orphanage thinking my grandchild might still be alive somewhere.’

Her daughter had been on the run, so sadly, she might have miscarried.

But thinking her grandchild might still be alive, she had opened the orphanage.

In the end, there were no results, but the grandchildren not related by blood had provided comfort to her heart.

Perhaps that was why.

Diana was particularly worried about the safety of those two who resembled her daughter so much that they felt like her grandchildren.

“…Platina, if by chance you have become an angel or a spirit, or something similar.”

Diana slowly prayed.

“Please protect that group, and those children.”

Having already sent them off, all she could do was pray to her daughter who was no longer there.

She couldn’t have imagined that her daughter had become a miserable existence now fighting against the people she cared about.