NOVEL WEB Chapter 13 - Welcome to the Ark (3)
Chapter 13: Welcome to the Ark (3)
“Oh my, oh my? The Contact Unit attacked that delicate girl first? Without even identifying her?”
“Are you talking about the troublemaker from the Byblos Family?”
“Do you mean Cleang? That guy is notoriously infamous in the Ark’s inner circle~.”
The Ark’s inner nobility isn’t entirely righteous and pure, but at the very least, there are boundaries they don’t cross.
Cleang had long since overstepped those boundaries, leading to a severe punishment from both the Byblos Family and the Ark’s inner circle.
“Cleang, that guy. He was stationed as a member of the Contact Unit at the patrol base on the outskirts of the Junk Forest where I was assigned this quarter. We’ll need a memory interrogation at the institution to confirm, but it seems like before my arrival, the Byblos Family pressured or negotiated with the Overseer assigned to the Junk Forest to grant their son certain conveniences.”
“Does that mean the Byblos Family does that with every new Overseer? Then, did they contact you as well, Oriana?”
“They did reach out a few times, but I just blocked them.”
Even noble families in the Ark couldn’t easily meddle with a First-Class Overseer.
“Initially, we detected an anomaly in the forest, so I sent the Contact Unit first, thinking it was a monster. But those bastards stabbed a child in the neck with a mana-charging awl.”
“Oh my goodness! Surely Lady Oriana didn’t give such an order!?”
“Of course not. Naturally, I ordered them to annihilate hostile entities or escort and protect humans.”
“Oh my, I think I understand what happened. That rascal Cleang must have failed to handle his cryo-stress and seized every opportunity to commit murder with the Contact Unit. This time, he got caught by Lady Oriana.”
“Judging by the circumstances, that seems to be the case.”
It was well-known that the Contact Unit was a penal force comprised of serious criminals, but it was standard procedure for them to remain in suspended animation while serving their sentences.
This form of cryosleep, where consciousness and time perception remained intact, inflicted significant stress on the individuals, often leading to homicidal impulses among the Contact Unit.
“What about the child, the Returnee? While I’m sure Lady Oriana dealt with the Contact Unit, the attacked child…”
“Oh, I didn’t even touch the Contact Unit.”
“Then…?”
“That girl… no, Alice had already taken care of it before I arrived.”
“What?”
Fira widened her eyes in shock at Oriana’s words.
“Except for Cleang, who was wandering off alone, that girl subdued the entire Contact Unit.”
“…!”
Alice succeeded in subduing all the Contact Unit members without killing them.
This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
The Contact Unit was composed of individuals sentenced as high-level criminals.
Here, high-level criminals weren’t just petty thieves robbing stores or banks.
They were individuals powerful enough to threaten the peace of the Ark and its cities, earning the title of high-level criminal.
Effectively, Contact Unit members, when factoring in their natural abilities and the equipment they were provided, could rival Fourth-Class Overseers or C~B-rank Hunters in combat power.
There were over twenty such people, yet Alice had managed to subdue them alone without taking their lives.
Fira understood very well just how incredible this feat was.
“Furthermore, that bastard Cleang disturbed the nerves of a slumbering Scrap Dragon and lured it toward us, and Alice took care of that too. Honestly, I barely did anything.”
“What? What!? Even though the Scrap Dragon had just awoken from slumber!? To think she even hunted that—she’s an extraordinary talent! For Lady Oriana to acquire a Returnee like Alice, the word ‘luck’ doesn’t even begin to cover it!”
If other Overseers had known about this, they would have fought tooth and nail to claim Alice for themselves or hastily secure her as a successor before Oriana could act.
“This is an opportunity! If it’s confirmed that she’s a Returnee, you absolutely must make that girl, Alice, your successor, Lady Oriana!”
“Haa.”
At Fira’s enthusiastic outburst, Oriana let out a sigh.
Although Fira wasn’t a bad person, Oriana, being more introverted by nature, often found herself drained in the presence of someone as vivacious and full of energy as Fira.
“Fira, do you think this is some kind of contest to raise fancy pets as successors?”
“Don’t worry! Since Miss Oriana has found an excellent successor this time, I will make sure to have one that I won’t be ashamed of by the next time we meet!”
“I heard the Dunhill family is arranging a marriage or engagement for you?”
“They can kiss my ass.”
“What?”
What did I just hear?
Oriana felt like something completely inappropriate had come out of the mouth of a noble young lady.
“Hmph! I have no intention of listening to the nonsense from family elders who didn’t lift a finger to help me become an Overseer!”
Fira puffed her cheeks like a child, a gesture that didn’t match her tall stature.
“When I said I wanted to become an Overseer, my family tried to sell me off to some hypnotic drug merchant straight out of a cheap novel, claiming it was for the good of the Dunhill name. But now that I actually am an Overseer, they’ve switched their tune to ‘We always believed in you!’ Isn’t it just absurd? Such people deserve nothing better than my utmost scorn!”
“……”
“And now, they keep pushing marriage and children, saying that bearing an heir will bring more fortune to the family, treating me like some kind of property! It’s utterly ridiculous! They’re nothing but useless tr… ahem, excuse me. I got a bit worked up.”
Hmm, I didn’t know things were like that.
Oriana had always seen Fira as a vibrant, confident noble lady and hadn’t imagined she had such troubles.
Seeing Fira puff her cheeks, it didn’t seem like she was making it up.
Still, Fira, as a high-ranking Overseer, was relatively tolerant compared to others.
Other high-ranking Hunters or Overseers in her situation might have cut ties with their families at best or, at worst, destroyed their families and taken everything for themselves.
[First-Class Overseer Fira.]
Just as Fira was about to say something to Oriana, the AI hologram of the Barrier Institution appeared in the center of the waiting room.
[Chief Administrator has reviewed Overseer Fira’s pioneering report.
All Pioneer Teams are approved to enter the city after undergoing sterilization and disinfection processes. Detailed rewards will be provided within 13 days.]
“Oh-ho-ho-ho! Judging by how quickly this was processed, it seems the Administrator has taken note of our exceptional performance!”
[To expedite the report of the Pioneer Team, Overseer Fira will be transported to the forward base outside the city wall. Do you consent?]
“Understood~”
With an elated expression, Fira shrugged her shoulders and walked gracefully to stand before the hologram.
“Now! It’s already time for us to part ways. Sniff, sniff… Parting with Miss Oriana so soon, I feel tears welling up!”
“The pioneering is over, so you’ll be in the city for a while, right? You can just visit whenever you want.”
“Of course. Once the Pioneer Team disbands, I’ll come to see you right awa… oh, damn. I almost forgot I need to stop by my family. How utterly revolting.”
Now that the institution’s business was over, the AI would transport Fira to where her Pioneer Team was waiting.
“Oh, Miss Oriana? I may have said it lightly, but when I suggested you make Alice your successor, I wasn’t joking.”
“……..”
“We never know when we might die.”
The seriousness in Fira’s expression felt unfamiliar to Oriana.
“Even though I’ve been acknowledged as a First-Class Overseer for my strength, bad luck, an unfortunate accident, or a true catastrophe could mean that someone I spoke with yesterday might be someone I attend a funeral for today. I absolutely hate that.”
“That’s true.”
Oriana understood what Fira was saying.
It wasn’t just Overseers.
All Awakened who protected the city and Ark lived with risk.
The monsters and calamities outside the city—
And criminals and underground forces within the city could also take your life.
First-Class Overseers, in particular, faced more tenacious malice and danger.
The watchful eyes on the frontlines of protecting the Ark, the city, and humanity.
That is what a High-Class Overseer is.
“Lady Oriana, I hope you and I live long and healthy lives together.”
Oriana blinked at Fira’s sudden confession-like words.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Seeing someone you greeted yesterday dead the next day. We’ve seen that happen far too often.”
“…Well, I’m used to it by now.”
“I wish you wouldn’t grow used to such things.”
Perhaps, after this meeting, both would be too busy with their respective duties for a while.
Fira with the Pioneer Team’s settlement, and Oriana with the Junk Forest Patrol Base and matters concerning Alice.
It would take some time before the two could meet again.
“I want to meet with you again, Lady Oriana, and laugh over tea. I’d love to introduce each other’s successors, roam leisurely, and even visit the recreation zones together on our days off. And I wish for Alice, that Returnee girl, to come to love the Ark—the final bastion of humanity. I trust without a doubt that you, Lady Oriana, will guide her to do so. And even if you are no longer here, I will ensure it happens myself.”
“Fira, I saw in a movie once that saying things like that is a death flag.”
“Ohohohot! I’m strong enough to shatter any death flag to pieces!”
Fira laughed again, but her figure began to blur.
“But if one of us were to die, and someone carried on their will and met the successor they nurtured… The one left behind wouldn’t just let the departed go with tears alone, would they?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Oriana didn’t expect such heavy words from the seemingly carefree noblewoman.
“Then next time, please introduce me to that child, Alice….!”
But before Fira could finish speaking, the AI’s transmission magic came to an end.
Oriana stood silently for a moment, staring at the space where Fira had disappeared, her hand brushing her lips as though deep in thought.
The truth was, Oriana hadn’t told Fira everything.
It was true that Alice defeated the Contact Unit and the Scrap Dragon.
However…
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Alice collapsed, and Oriana, holding her in a princess carry, smiled.
A powerful Returnee.
No, Alice was more than powerful—she was rare and extraordinary to a degree beyond words.
A machine in the body of a young girl.
Yet her mind was infinitely close to that of a human.
It was true that Oriana was captivated by her uniqueness.
However, Oriana harbored a personal desire and obsession that she never showed to others.
‘If it’s this girl… it might just be possible…’
At that moment, as Fira had suggested, Oriana thought of protecting Alice and proving her identity.
Then, after going through the necessary steps, she considered placing Alice as her successor in the Ark’s inner circle.
The relationship of a successor isn’t merely one of giving and receiving.
While some Overseers and their successors maintain a family-like bond, at its core, it’s a structure of mutual support and transactional benefits.
When interests align, the relationship can become closer than any other.
-Boom!
[Screeeeeeeech!]
From beyond the forest, a new Scrap Dragon appeared.
The creature, waddling on its swollen hind legs like a fat lizard, moved in a group.
Among dragons, these were one of the rare types known for their strong kinship.
If they sensed the death of one of their kind, nearby Scrap Dragons would immediately appear to punish the fool who harmed their kin.
Thus, when a single Scrap Dragon appeared, it was usually recommended to avoid conflict or withdraw.
“Six of them, huh?”
Oriana, in a good mood, summoned an Artificial Spirit and painted the air with her sword.
Normally, she would avoid unnecessary fights, but today, with her spirits high, she found the annoying lizards to be a fun challenge.
However, someone stopped her.
-Screech!
“!?”
Mechanical tentacles wrapped around Oriana’s arm as if to restrain her.
“Alice…?”
When Oriana looked at Alice, she noticed that Alice’s eyes were open.
Why was Alice, who had fainted as if her power had been cut off, moving again?
But there was a distinct difference from before.
[Insuff… insuf… insufficient… charging… required…]
Alice’s once golden pupils now flashed a dangerous red.
The aura emanating from her eyes resembled a feral hunger, closer to hostility.
Although Alice’s body was composed of metal and machinery, as Oriana’s scan had revealed, Oriana could feel Alice’s dire hunger and starvation, despite knowing she was mechanical.
-Screech!
-Screech!
-Screeeeech!
[Power… insuf…ficient…]
Muttering incomprehensibly, Alice’s head twisted grotesquely like a broken doll.
Not just her head—her previously limp arms and legs bent in reverse directions, began to emit a glow, and from her spine, numerous metallic tentacles extended outward.
[Insufficient… replenishing… locating… locating…]
The metal tentacles did not harm Oriana.
Instead, as if they had a will of their own, they anchored themselves to the ground, lifting Alice’s body as a substitute for her arms and legs.
[Target located.]
In this bizarre sequence of events, Oriana was too stunned to act, unable to restrain Alice.
The red glow of Alice’s ravenous eyes was fixed on the Scrap Dragons, her main body limp as only the grotesque, writhing mechanical tentacles moved her forward toward the dragons.
Logically speaking, Oriana should have stopped Alice.
It made no sense for a girl who had fainted from low energy to suddenly rise like a puppet and charge toward six Scrap Dragons.
Yet strangely, Oriana did not feel that Alice was in any danger.
[Extracting. Extracting. Beginning. Beginning.]
[Disassembly. Disassembly. Analysis. Analysis. Slaughter. Slaughter.]
[Absorption. Disassembly. Cessation. Slaughter. Deployment. Securing. Pain. Severance.]
And, as Oriana had expected, Alice toyed with the Scrap Dragons effortlessly.
Her mechanical tentacles moved like spider legs, anchoring on the ground and trees to achieve rapid mobility.
The Scrap Dragons’ heavy strikes were easily evaded, and her tentacles struck their weak points with precision.
Even the rusty water and molten metal spewed by the dragons were completely absorbed by Alice.
Neither the dragons’ hard scrap-metal skin nor their plastic-like scales posed any threat to her.
“…A new personality… no, an auxiliary personality designed to protect the main body.”
Oriana hypothesized that when the main body, Alice, fell into a state of energy depletion, an auxiliary personality emerged to replenish her energy, signaled by the flashing red eyes.
Her guess was correct.
Alice’s auxiliary personality mercilessly tormented the dragons, feeding on their pain to restore energy.
Initially, it seemed as if Alice might be overwhelmed by her lack of energy.
But the more the Scrap Dragons suffered, the more energy Alice’s body appeared to gain.
【Initiating… torture… operation…!】
-Vrrrrr!!!
-Kiiiii!
[Kh… khh…..!]
[Khrrr….!]
[Kiee… eee…!]
After that, dozens of mechanical tendrils ejected from Alice’s body wriggled like the legs of insects, torturing the Scrap Dragons.
The grand sight of a massive dragon being horrifically tortured and wailing at the hands of a single small girl was something Oriana had never witnessed before, despite her vast experience as an Overseer.
Alice, having extracted a certain amount of energy through the torture of the Scrap Dragons, collapsed once more into slumber in Oriana’s arms.
Although the scene lasted less than ten minutes, Oriana felt as if she were dreaming.
It was beautiful, enchanting.
And as beautiful as it was, it was equally dangerous.
Only one word came to Oriana’s mind.
And as she looked at Alice, nestled in her arms, such desires and thoughts began to surface.
Ah.
How desirable.
Ah.
How lovely.
Such a dangerous and tempting child couldn’t possibly be bound by something as trivial as the role of a successor.