Da Vinci ran out of the computer room and stood at the entrance of the submersible, her gaze trembling slightly as she watched the battle outside.
"Norla..."
Why?
Why was Norla here?
Possessing Lawrence's memories, she naturally remembered and knew Norla Broll. Or rather, she should have called him Arno No. 1.
The monster of London—this was the monster born from the tragedy rooted in Lawrence's bloodline.
"Roar..."
The monster let out a low growl, as if it had sensed something. It abruptly turned its head, the compound eyes atop its head fixing on Lawrence da Vinci, who stood there.
Da Vinci felt as though her heart had skipped a beat.
But...
The monster of London did not pounce on her.
It merely stared at Da Vinci for what seemed like a full five seconds.
"Norla..."
Da Vinci felt an immense sorrow envelop her.
—She remembered.
Norla had already forgiven her.
At the London Singularity, she had been willing to apologize to Norla with her death—Norla's hatred was no longer something he could control. It was a thing formed from his own grief and indignation; the hatred of the artificial humans who had died alongside him in Selim's experiments; the primal beastliness he possessed after becoming something inhuman; and even the doubt and sorrow of other child laborers who had died unjustly during Britain's Industrial Revolution.
An eternal hatred for Falgo's bloodline.
This was no longer something he could decide for himself. His existence represented many things—except himself.
Lawrence was the origin of Falgo's bloodline, so naturally she fell within Norla's range of targets.
Yet through sheer will, Norla had forcibly redirected the hatred aimed at Lawrence as an individual. Because he understood that this was not Lawrence's fault. In truth, Lawrence was an innocent victim as well.
But this