Rolling her eyes playfully, she soon reached out and placed her hand on Ethan’s cheek.

“If I want to touch you like this, I have to move my hand, right?”

“That’s right.”

Ethan replied, placing his own hand over hers with a smile on his lips.

He had originally taught her that, but since his injury their physical contact had noticeably increased.

Even if it was to check his warmth or heartbeat, he didn’t really mind. Just touching her like that felt good.

With that, If slowly opened her mouth.

“A code is a set of commands created by combining actions like raising your palm to touch something or curling your fingers to grab something. You take these thousands of different movements and input them into a newly built android robot.”

“So that means…”

Ethan racked his brain. All her knowledge was full of things that gave him a headache.

“There are many types of robots, like the ones we saw in Belphirn. So each one has a different code. A robot designed to operate underwater can’t behave the same way as one designed to operate in the air. That’s why you have to create a new code every time you build a new robot.

Only then did Ethan understand the connection between the words code and error.

“So if a code has an error, it means that the behaviour does not work.”

“Yep.”

The purpose of this robot was to perform cleaning and maintenance until a human awoke.

However, as its activation had been delayed, it remained in an incomplete state.

‘The code must have been incomplete too, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there were errors.’

But even she couldn’t quite guess how it had been activated. There were a few ways to activate it, but judging by the people here, none of them should have been possible.

Ethan lowered his one remaining hand and pulled If, who had fallen into deep thought, into a hug.

“So it suddenly stopped working because the code was shut down?”

If shook her head with a low hum.

The data that makes up the code is quite heavy.

To change it piece by piece, you’d need a computer of considerable size.

There was a way to connect directly to the unit and change it, but it had to be done one at a time – changing every unit of the same model in this way just wasn’t time efficient.

“It’s not that. What I tampered with was the charging code.”

All functions had to be switched off while it was charging. It was the quickest way to stop the machine.

“…Then are you saying it could start moving again?”

If nodded. Ethan’s expression hardened quickly.

Seeing his serious face, If pressed her forehead against Ethan’s chest.

Thump, thump – his steady heartbeat echoed through the thin fabric.

It was an artefact she would have ignored if she’d seen it before. It didn’t matter who was using it – after all, it was just a tool made for someone to use.

But if that tool was aimed at Ethan, she couldn’t just stand by and watch.

A tool was only as good – or as bad – as how it was used.

What had been useful to her had become a weapon of war.

A weapon used by enemies to attack Ethan.

“So, I was thinking… do you want to go to the ruins down there?”

If stopped at the slight shake and looked up.

Wide green eyes, filled with surprise, looked down at her.

“It didn’t matter before.”

She spoke the thoughts she had held back.

The humans here had activated the machines they once used.

Even the one currently left in the forest to recharge – that was just to buy some time. They hadn’t been able to deal with it completely yet.

“I don’t want Ethan to get hurt.”

There was blood.

The blood flowing from his hot body seemed to drain the warmth from him, turning Ethan’s body cold.

He collapsed, like someone who would never get up again.

“I don’t want Ethan to die.”

She had once thought that if he died, the world would become dull again, and she had intended to erase everything, including herself.

But now, more than her disappearance, more than the end of the world, she hated the thought of Ethan dying even more.

“I like being with you, Ethan.”

She liked that he answered when she called.

She liked the way he looked at her.

She liked the warmth of his embrace, the sound of his voice calling her name, the heat of his love for her – and she didn’t want to lose any of it.

To protect it all, she needed access to the main computer.

***

“How is your body?”

“As you can see.”

Ethan waved his short arm, now just a forearm.

He had lost his dominant right arm, and even without looking it was obvious that he had lost much of his fighting ability.

The only consolation was that he could still perform above average with one arm, thanks to his original skill.

But in a force that was already shorthanded, the injury to one of its most formidable fighters was a significant loss.

Sitting across from him, Bericker frowned.

It was fortunate that Ethan had survived such a serious wound, but with so much work to be done, and now the loss of such an important asset, the situation had become extremely unfavourable.

With a heavy sigh, Bericker leaned back against the sofa with his arms crossed.

“So, what kind of operation did you call us here to plan?”

Ethan answered Bericker’s question with a single short sentence.

“We need to buy time.”

It was an unfriendly request, given without any explanation.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Burke, sitting next to Bericker, raised an eyebrow and asked.

“The artefact that attacked us.”

“The one that stopped working and was left in the forest?”

Burke looked up into the air as if trying to remember, then spoke.

Ethan let out a sigh.

“It didn’t stop working. It’s more like… it fell asleep for a while.”

“What the…?”

Bericker, who had been listening quietly, suddenly shot up and slammed the table.

Crash!

The table, which had been repaired and reused many times, finally gave in to his strength and shattered.

The existence of artefacts could completely negate military strength or combat ability.

With just one artefact, Rigo could be wiped out in an instant – there wouldn’t even be time to fight.

Bericker jumped up and cursed loudly.

Forget the odds – this was the end.

Watching him, Ethan crossed his arms and spoke calmly.

“Even so, there is a way to win.”

“How the hell are we going to win? An attack from so far away broke through our defences!”

Bericker shouted, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Ethan clicked his tongue and covered If’s ear with his palm.

“Stop shouting. You’re hurting my ears.”

Thanks to that, Ethan – unable to cover his own ears – tapped them as they buzzed with a dull ringing.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ethan’s relaxed demeanour made a vein pop on Bericker’s forehead.

“They say we have to go to the ancient ruins here if we want to stop it.”

“Phew, ruins, huh?”

Bericker, who had barely calmed down, looked sideways.

It was obvious who had told Ethan that.

If, who had been blinking up at Ethan with her head resting on his, tilted her head at the look coming her way.

“…So that’s why you said we need to buy some time. Because our forces will be thinned out while you’re on your way to the ruins.”

“Exactly. I’m planning to take him with me as well.”

Ethan jerked his chin in Burke’s direction.

“Me?”

Suddenly singled out, Burke raised his hand and pointed at himself in confusion.

“The Crown Prince was able to use artefacts. He also found out about the ruins here. Who knows what tricks he might have used in the ruins on this side? If something happens, I need someone to back me up.”

Actually, more than backup, what he really needed was someone to carry If and run if things went wrong.

At Ethan’s words, Bericker stroked his beard.

“I see. Taking Burke with you makes sense.”

All the mercenaries were quite skilled, but Ethan and Burke were among the best.

Losing them both would be a big blow to their side, but considering the outcome, it was better to send strong forces to that side instead.

Besides, Burke was the only one who could keep up with Ethan’s speed and movements, so if they had to give up one person, Burke was the better choice.

Still, Bericker sighed as he thought about it.

“But the real problem is buying time. If that artefact out there starts moving, we’ll be wiped out before we even have a chance to react.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. They say once we enter the ruins, it can be shut down immediately.”

As long as they got in, it was practically their victory.

Without the artefact, it would be easy enough for their side to strike.

“Hmph…”

“The problem is if they come at us with another artefact.”

At Ethan’s follow-up, Bericker shook his head with crossed arms.

“No, it might even be easier this way. We have the Crown Prince on our side.”

“Ah. You want to use him to negotiate?”

“Exactly. He may have been demoted and tortured, but he’s still the Crown Prince in name. They’re bound to react. I’ll try to buy time by negotiating with him. And without the artefact we still have Enkan – he won’t go down so easily.”

Ethan smiled at his words.

“We just need some time. When I get there, I can attach a prosthetic arm and fight like before. And we’ll be able to take out all the artefacts they have.”

It was all information he had already confirmed with her.

Bericker looked at Ethan and spoke.

“So when do you want to go?”

“Today.”

“…Hah…”

“Things like this are better dealt with quickly, right?”

As Bericker stood there, mouth open in disbelief, Ethan grinned mischievously.