章 79: Chapter 79: Artificial Angels Don’t Dream

Chapter 79: Artificial Angels Don't Dream

The forest at night was pitch black.

Alex raised his head, but all he could see were dark silhouettes in the distance; even the sky was hidden from view. Apart from the small campfire beside them, everything around seemed swallowed by the darkness.

Alex decided not to stay at the campsite overnight—it was littered with corpses and likely to attract wild beasts. He also worried that the cultists might have more accomplices who could come searching for them. So, after leaving the campsite, Alex found a cave halfway up the mountain to use as a temporary shelter.

After following those cultists all day, both of them were utterly exhausted. Fina drank some water, ate a bit of dry rations, and then quickly fell asleep leaning against a nearby rock. Alex, on the other hand, remained at the cave entrance, gazing at the night sky. Before long, he saw a blue light flash across the sky and land in front of him.

"Master, the scouting is complete. Everything around is normal, no danger detected."

"Thanks, Ikaros. You should rest as well."

Alex smiled at the blue-haired little angel standing before him. Hearing his words, Ikaros hesitantly glanced at him before obediently sitting on a nearby rock, not too far away from him.

"Would you like something to eat?"

As he spoke, Alex flipped his hand, and a bottle of soda and a bag of chips appeared. He didn't have any "spatial bags" or similar equipment, but fortunately, dimensional mages came with their own storage space. It wasn't huge, about the size of a shipping container. During his time in the Edge of Tomorrow world, Alex had emptied out an entire supermarket, mostly stocking up on drinks, snacks, and daily necessities. He didn't plan on revealing these modern items to outsiders, as they would be too difficult to explain in this world. But for his summoned beings, he was more than generous.

"Thank you, Master."

Ikaros smiled as she accepted the snacks, nodding politely at Alex before taking small, delicate bites.

Finally, a normal summon.

Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of relief as he looked at the blue-haired angel. He had thought he was destined to summon only unsightly creatures for the rest of his life. Turns out, it was just a matter of luck. Though, strictly speaking, this blue-haired angel wasn't entirely normal either. Her attitude of placing herself in a subordinate, almost slave-like, role made Alex somewhat uncomfortable.

"You must be tired. You worked hard today. After you finish eating, you should sleep. I'll take care of things here."

"Huh?"

Ikaros was stunned for a moment, then looked up in surprise.

"Master, you don't have to do that. I don't need to rest at all..."

"Don't need to?"

"Yes."

Ikaros nodded in response to Alex's question.

"Artificial angels aren't designed with the ability to sleep or dream... So you don't need to worry, Master. I can keep watch, please rest assured."

"... I see..."

Alex didn't know what to say for a moment. He was silent for a while before gently reaching out and patting Ikaros on the head.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Ikaros. If anything happens, wake me up immediately."

"Understood, Master."

The night passed.

The deep mountains in early winter were bitterly cold, but fortunately, in this world, there were divine and magical spells—Fina had cast a "Cold Protection" spell on both Alex and Ikaros before going to sleep. Thanks to that, they managed to survive the long, cold night. Unfortunately, this didn't mean their luck had improved. In fact, even before dawn, snow had already begun to fall in the mountains.

Despite the bad weather, they had no choice but to continue onward.

"When we get back to the temple, I'm definitely getting a mount."

As Alex trudged through the snow, he couldn't help but complain. If he could summon the Zerg now, he'd summon a Zerg Overlord as a mount. Unfortunately, due to mission restrictions, the next time he could summon the swarm would be when they were ready to build a home base. Alex wasn't about to unleash a swarm in this world, so for now, he had no choice but to rely on his own two feet.

The one having the easiest time was probably Ikaros. After all, angels can fly, how convenient.

"If you, Mr. Alex, could enter the central institution, you might be able to get a pegasus."

Perhaps to pass the time during their dull journey, Fina chimed in cheerfully.

"After all, many people in the temple envy the pegasus knights."

"A pegasus? Of course, that would be great. If I could get one, I'd love it..."

Alex shrugged at Fina's response. He wasn't wrong; after all, in terms of a man's fantasy, a pegasus was second only to a dragon. Many games, animations, and novels had similar creatures… But of course, if you were to rank them, riding a dragon would undoubtedly be even more romantic.

"I'm sure you'll have no problem, Mr. Alex. You're strong, you can wield holy light with ease, and you even uncovered the cultists' schemes. If everything goes smoothly, after this battle is over, the temple will surely reward you with a pegasus."

Hearing this, Alex felt a chill down his spine.

Girl, you're setting up a flag so perfectly, it couldn't be more standard.

"Master, do you want a mount?"

At this moment, Ikaros, flying next to Alex, curiously asked. Alex nodded.

"Yeah, with this miserable weather… having a means of transportation would be nice. But unfortunately, I don't think I'll be running into a unicorn or anything like that..."

Hearing this, Fina raised her hand to block the snowflakes and then spoke.

"Mr. Alex, it's said that unicorns only approach beautiful, pure-hearted maidens. I don't think you have a chance…"

"I know, but I wouldn't want to meet that pervert anyway."

"P-pervert?"

Fina widened her eyes in disbelief, as if she hadn't heard correctly.

"That's right. Didn't you just say that unicorns only approach beautiful, pure-hearted girls? Doesn't that make them perverts? They only like women, and they're picky about it. The moment a man comes close, they attack. I don't think even dragons are as lustful as these creatures."

"Uh..."

Fina's expression became complicated at Alex's response.

"Mr. Alex, unicorns are the dream of many girls, you know... Hearing you say this... kind of ruins the fantasy."

"Well, beauty comes with distance... Hmm? Where's Ikaros?"

Alex turned his head, only to find that the little angel who had been near him moments ago had suddenly disappeared. Fina, hearing Alex's question, also looked around in confusion.

"Ah, you're right! Miss Ikaros is gone! Did she get lost?"

"Impossible. There's only one path here... Let me check."

As he spoke, Alex tightened his grip on the transparent chain in his hand and mentally called out.

"Ikaros? Where are you?"

"Ah, Master, I'm terribly sorry!"

Immediately, Alex heard Ikaros's voice respond in his mind.

"I'm preparing a mount for you, Master. Please wait a moment... Done!"

A mount?

Hearing this, Alex was quite surprised. He hadn't expected that just a casual remark would make Ikaros actually go off to find him a mount.

This little angel is really something!

Thud… thud… thud…

At that moment, Alex suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from the distance. He quickly turned his head, and together with Fina, looked towards the source of the sound.

And under their watchful gazes, a massive figure slowly emerged from the wind and snow, coming to stand before them.

(End of Chapter)

🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟

Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:

📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!

💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

Patreon.com/anish_44