Chapter 273 – Rebirth

000

Hermes, who got out of the body of a mechanical rat and borrowed a body close to the microcosm of a living human, immediately started calculating.

Since the two personalities are in one body, it was a little awkward to actually share thoughts.

In fact, since Hermes and Gray could be regarded as one being, it could be said that what was separated returned to its original state.

While Gray seizes the initiative and tries to escape as quickly and farther as possible, Hermes analyzes the sewage treatment automata that are chasing him from behind.

[The material has a special coating to prevent rust, but it doesn’t seem to change that it’s steel. The water in the sewer seems to be highly acidic, so peeling off its coating will cause damage to its body.]

When Hermes’ calm voice resonates in Gray’s head, Gray sneaks back as he runs away.

Then, wow! With a creepy sound, he saw the automata about to thrust a drill into himself, then looked straight ahead and sprinted.

“How can I take off the coating of a guy like that!”

[Most of the tools I have now are for spying, so they won’t be very useful in battle… There must be a way.]

“Irresponsible!”

Gray raises a voice of resentment at Hermes’ idea.

Still, he doesn’t stop thinking in his head like a detective, and he thinks of peeling off the coating as he said.

`A well-thought-out sword. As long as the legs are long, even if the movement speed is fast, it will definitely take time to swing it for an attack…’

If he could use attack magic, he would try to resist something while running away, but unfortunately Gray was not a wizard.

[Caution. If you make too much noise, you can notice the commotion from above.]

“That’s a sword you know even if you don’t say it! Ask for more helpful advice for the situation!”

I knew it, but I couldn’t afford to lower my voice, and Gray’s loud voice resounded in the pupils of the sewer.

The body of Hermes, who was sitting on his shoulder his and drooping.

Now, since there is no personality in it, it is stiff and swaying as if it were dead.

Then, Gray instinctively bent down at the ear-piercing sound that approached from behind in an instant.

Then, over Gray’s head, something like a pair of scissors for cutting shut with a ‘click!’

“Uhhhhh!?”

Gray somehow manages to move forward even while screaming incoherently from his mouth.

However, because of that posture from a while ago, the main body of Hermes riding on his shoulder he fell to the ground.

“Hermes!”

[Okay. That’s just one of the bodies. My ego is now in you.]

“Still…”

Fortunately, the mouse-shaped automata did not break, thanks to him walking without stepping on it.

However, Gray, realizing that he is repeating the same way he came from while going round and round inside the sewer, is terrified of not knowing when Hermes’ original body will be stepped on.

Then, realizing something, he opened his eyes wide and called to Hermes.

“Hermes! Then, is it impossible to transfer a personality to that sewage treatment automata!?”

[That automata is far inferior in terms of technology to the mouse-shaped automata that just fell to the ground. Of course, there can be no ego with personality like me.]

At Hermes’ answer, Gray raised his voice as if he thought he was saying something different.

“A Possible Sword or an Impossible Sword!?”

[To tell you the conclusion. It is possible. However, unlike your body or a mouse, it was not originally designed to accept my personality. So that. It is necessary to make direct contact with the automata’s core.]

Gray shuts up for a moment at Hermes’ words, then looks back with a swish.

There, still, like a slaughter machine somewhere, there was the black guy chasing after him with ruthless weapons.

“Direct contact… To that monster!?”

[Automata are designed machines, not monsters. Human design. So, there must be a loophole.]

Hermes, who responded in a calm voice to Gray’s words, continued talking to Gray.

[Grey, while I’m inside you, you take over my magical resources and your physical abilities are strengthened. I can do things I wouldn’t normally be able to do.]

“I know that… Thanks to you, I was able to escape for so long… Ugh… “

In the end, just as Hermes said, he escaped between those weapons and his body his-

No, if you say nucleus, it must be a jewel that glows red on its surface.

It was probably the magic stone supplying mana to that body.

It must have been written so that it could be performed by receiving only the minimum necessary commands.

If you bring any of Gray’s body over there, Hermes will be able to break into the automata’s body.

“Ugh… If something gets cut off, it’s Hermes’ fault!”

[…

Then, Gray stopped running and quickly turned his body to confront the automata.

“Okay… I’m not as good at fighting as Mr. Cleon, but… I’ll try…!”

Gray trying to make up his mind his, and the automata approaching Gray with weapons.

Gray quickly ducked at the sight of the pincers approaching to cut himself in half first.

If it had not been for the improved torso vision and reaction speed, a gore scene would have been produced on the spot.

[Next, drill. Shoot down from the top right.]

Wheein! The voice of Hermes echoed in my head at the same time as the sound.

“This is the advantage of split thinking…!”

Unlike Gray, who has to focus on manipulating the body, Hermes’ ego is capable of quickly analyzing all the information obtained through the five senses and calculating the results.

Therefore, it predicts the existence of an attack that will attack Gray next only with sound and slight wind pressure, and presents the route to Gray.

As if it was a waste of time for Gray to turn his head and confirm that Hermes was right, he rolled his body forward and managed to avoid the drill.

I broke out in a cold sweat when I heard the hideous sound digging into the ground from behind, and then, in front of Gray’s eyes, four grabbing claws surrounded Gray from different directions.

“Uh-“

For an instant, Gray’s concentration was scattered.

[Gray. Concentrate! If you jump-]

Although Hermes urges Gray to jump a little higher using Gray’s physical abilities.

“Wow…!”

In the end, four claws hung from Gray’s body his, two from his upper body his and two from his legs his, tying Gray’s body together.

“Kuh…”

From behind Gray, who was unable to move because his arms and legs were restrained, could be heard along with the clanking of scissors and the sound of a drill tearing through his ears.

Gray struggled to free himself from the claws, but couldn’t find enough strength to free them.

[Gray. Concentrate, put his magic all around you. Like the guy coated the perimeter of his body to keep it from rusting. You too will be able to protect yourself with a magical barrier.]

“That, something like that… It’s a sword I’ve never done before…!”

Gray tried to move his magic as he said, but in the first place he was not accustomed to using magic, and around Gray’s body his, layers of magic were created and then disappeared.

Weapons approaching slowly.

Gray said that he had reached here without realizing it, but he seems to give up.

The next moment, he finds something rolling under his feet.

That’s right, he was the original body of Hermes that he had dropped earlier.

Gray somehow moves his almost motionless body his right away.

If I could touch that mouse with my toes and even my fingertips-

After wishing so, and eating his heart his strongly, the tongs holding Gray opened very slightly, and Gray’s legs were able to move, albeit slightly.

And, through that small gap, the moment Gray’s toe touched the mouse’s body.

Gray’s body returns to his original boy or girl appearance, and the magical energy that filled his body disappears.

However, the eyes of the mouse, which had been scattered, shone with brass again and moved quickly, before the weapons that were aiming for Gray’s head touched his body.

Climbing up the body of the one who had stopped moving, he rushed in a straight line to the red glowing demon core-

Soon, as if to head-butt, the mouse that collided with the guy’s demon core fell back to the ground as if it had lost consciousness.

Thinking that the noise had stopped at some point, Gray opened her tightly closed eyes.

Even the tongs that were binding him slowly loosened up and let go of himself.

“Whew, whew…”

When Gray let out a sigh of relief, the red magic stone that flashed two or three times soon changed to a brass color.

[Invasion complete.]

“Lord, I thought I was going to die…”

Hermes succeeded in taking control of the automata and shutting it down.

Holding Hermes’ original body that had fallen to the ground, Gray looked at the huge automaton standing in front of him–the one that had been chasing him until just now, now Hermes’new body his.

“How about the inside? Is it more comfortable than a mouse?”

[Denial. Resource. East. Language skills. Lack of.]

When the answering Hermes composed a sentence made of short words, Gray laughed as if it were quite strange.

“Okay. It’s a sword that quickly returns to its original body. Ah, even after returning, that automata won’t attack us. It’s a sword that we shouldn’t forget.”

[I get it.]

When Gray brought the mouse he picked up to the magic stone, the shining light of the magic stone was transferred to the body of the mouse as it was.

[With this, the first obstacle has somehow been overcome.]

“I don’t think there’s anything more difficult than this… I wonder if the upstairs doesn’t notice that there’s such a fuss?”

When Gray looks up at the ceiling, he thinks there are definitely thick walls.

[Perhaps… Lord Setos might have inherited a person. Because he has to take his son with him.]

“I see… Then it’s fortunate… We also have to go quickly.”

[Okay. You have to observe as much as possible and bring that information back. Alvein, Setos. The two are obviously related to ‘Adam’.]

001

“Are you causing various injustices to save your son?”

A woman’s voice came from behind Setos, who had finished his interview with Alvein.

After having Albein get her men to escape through the building’s secret passageway, he himself intended to pass the time by saying good things to the guards here.

Until now, the person who had quietly accompanied Setos behind him was a dark-haired woman wearing sunglasses.

Setos glanced back, smiled on his lips, and adjusted his clothes.

“I’ll do anything for my blood relatives. I’m a family man. I’ve been working for the Tromeia family, and I’ve been working hard for my older brother.”

“But, it was all for ‘him’, Lord Sethos. He wouldn’t want to spend his energy on things that weren’t necessary.”

At her woman’s words her, Setos turned completely toward her, smirking at her and snorting at her.

“Is that why you came along to spy on me? Evelyn?”

“I’m employed by you. You are my master. But… That’s just a contract made under the condition that you work for ‘him’.”

The glare of a murderer’s eyes shines through the tinted glasses.

An ordinary person could have felt the creeps and been crushed by the killing force, but Setos is not an ‘ordinary person’, but a warrior and politician with strong bones who have dealt with such people many times so far.

When I was young, I endured even more chaos to feel that level of life.

“Let me tell you… This is all for him.”

“…Hoo?”

At Setos’ words her, Evelynn raised an eyebrow as if it was unexpected.

It was like, when she heard an obvious lie, her reaction was to talk more.

“You mean you don’t believe it? Albain, that child is a hero. He was born a hero. Just like Aruru. But, that child’s heart isn’t as strong as Aruru’s. It should be said that the mind can’ don’t support the body.”

Setos did not hesitate to say negative things about Alvein, saying that it was a place his son would not see.

It was at the level of suspicion that he was the same person as the man who had just said he was for him in front of Alvein.

Evelyn, as if thinking the same thing, smiled and waited for Setos’ next story.

“A hero with weak willpower is the optimal vessel for ‘him’. Don’t you think so? Evelyn.”

“…Aha. I see, that’s it.”

Evelyn listened to Setos’ story and nodded as if she understood his intentions.

The existence of ‘He’ whom two people serve at the same time.

As a new vessel for that existence, Setos was talking about dedicating Alvein.

“Are you okay? He’s your son, even though he’s a child born from childhood.”

Evelyn asked as if to test his will her, and Setos shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“If my son can be used as a rock for peace on the continent, there is nothing more glorious than that. If he is also a hero, he will be satisfied with that role.”

“Whoa… I hope your answer was n’t temporary. Lord Setos. Even if it’s his order his, it’s hard for me to cut you.”

At Evelyn’s words, Setos nodded and turned around to head towards the guards.

However, soon after, Setos stops him.

“Ah. That’s right. I’ll leave the rat with you. I left him alone for a while to make sure he doesn’t make a fuss until he’s done… But now I don’t have to.”

“I see. Lord Sethos.”

When Evelyn answered, she disappeared as if her body was melting into a shadow.

In the room where only silence remained, Setos cleared his throat and left.

And—Gray hastily got himself up, and he was running toward the hole he had broken through.

[Grey, hurry up. She-]

Hermes’ voice was hard to hear because it was a little far away, but it was clear that he was sending a warning to himself.

“Oh, where are you going in such a hurry…? Little boy.”

And. A voice suddenly heard from behind.

The moment Gray hurriedly turned her around, the dagger was lodged in her shoulder her.

“Aww…!”

She let out her scream involuntarily, and Gray fell behind her.

When she lifted her head and looked up in front of her, there stood a beautiful woman with emotionless eyes shining through her colored glasses.

“I can’t believe the spy who followed us all the way here is a kid like this…”

Looking down at Gray, who was dripping with her blood, she let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I warned you that it’s good to go back once… But you must have wanted to dig into our backs quite a bit, didn’t you?”

“That- that’s what I mean… Actually, I’m a fan of Lord Setos…”

The next moment Gray says so. Evelyn smiled and stroked her cheek her.

Her gloves, with her red eyes set in them, were impressive.

“Oh… That’s right. But, even if you’re a fan of Lord Setos, it’s a bit like coming in to a place like this… A bad boy must be punished.”

“Ah-“

The next moment, Gray felt something sharp in her pierce her own temple her.

Then, rapidly, her body cooled and the blood and life inside her escaped through the opening.

[Gray! Was it too late… But, being killed right away instead of being interrogated was fortunately out of misfortune… Is it…]

Hermes’ voice grew farther and farther away.

There was no doubt that he had already given up on retrieving Gray’s corpse and was walking away.

The next moment, the pendant hanging around Gray’s neck seemed to shine a little, then lost its light.

It was as if it represented Gray’s life that he had disappeared.

“I wonder if her body can be buried in the snow.”

Evelyn said so, and she picked up Gray’s corpse and she disappeared on the spot.

Only silence remained in the prison.

002

In what appeared to be a dark research facility, only blue light from magic was shining.

There, there are 13 coffins, 12 of which are empty, and only one contains a nude human.

[Check upload to Eve. Download starts.]

[Initiate thawing of the body, rebuild personality… Completion.]

[Entity Name… Tris Megistos Refine Human… No. 13. Gray.]

“Fuhaa…!”

A human who was difficult to tell whether it was a boy or a girl stood up in a tank full of blue liquid.

She was in a place where she had been frozen a moment ago, and since she was naked, she must have felt the cold.

It came down the tank casually and was immediately treated to dry the solution on its body.

Surprisingly, it had no genitals attached to its body- crotch.

Men’s, of course, the cracks of the female.

It was asexual.

Along with simple clothing, a pendant hangs around her neck.

“Ah-ah- well.”

Check if your voice is coming out properly.

[Are you awake, Grey?]

“It was scary… But this time, I was able to predict it to some extent, so I was able to transfer everything without missing memories.”

Gray confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her own body, and let out a sigh of relief.

[That is the last body. Please use it carefully.]

“Sure… How long do you think it will take to get back? Hermes.”

[It should arrive tomorrow. Let’s retrieve the injured vehicle and go back. You, too, should refrain from going outside immediately. Perhaps your face was remembered by the assassin. Until the situation is over, you have to hide your identity and act.]

Hearing Hermes’ words, Gray looked at the wall for a while, and there was a calendar hanging there.

“I have to look after Merca’s prosthetic arm and leg…”

[Do it later.]

“Hey.”

Gray let out a short murmur of displeasure as she looked at her coffin from which she had emerged.

Her gray eyes were shining as usual.