Chapter 78

The flashing lights continued... The clothes, the target, and the type of pistol used in the view were all flashing... but the arm movements were completely consistent... This was Nana's 'shooting'... A series of muzzle flashes of different shapes bloomed, seemingly echoing the blood blooming on the target's body... The two people watching were in a state of disbelief.

"Um... Nana, don't you have any such bloody memories?"

As Kate finished speaking, the images on the screen transformed into various 'hanging' scenes, with a continuous chorus of cracking sounds as necks were snapped...

"Something more civilized?"

Different drugs were dripped into different containers, and different targets struggled with various states of poisoning... Compared to the previous barbaric violence, perhaps this was indeed a little more civilized?

But clearly, this wasn't what Kate wanted to see— Nana's interesting life experiences.

And what if one thinks even more desperately? The assassin known as Number Seventy-Seven, her life is almost entirely filled with this kind of thing.

Thus, the white-haired baker girl could only pat her unforgettable older sister on the shoulder in despair and give her a warm hug... To be honest, she had wanted to do this since she was very young, but she never expected that she would actually put it into practice in the afterlife.

"Okay, Nana, you've worked so hard... Poor thing, let me pat your head..."

Watching his daughter suddenly pull her 'elder' into her arms, Cole felt a little suffocated. It was only because the conscious world might not need to breathe, otherwise Nana's face-washing state would have caused her to struggle quite a bit.

Seeing Kyle's hand occasionally passing through Nana's blue, octagonal, shimmering Halo, Cole recalled the Little Cat's recent question transmitted through the Thought Chain Ring and asked:

"Speaking of which, Nana, what's with your cat ears? The Little Cat are really wondering why their captain changed from Feline to Sankta."

"... Even so... I was originally Sankta, it's just that my Halo was mostly hidden due to spells."

As she spoke, Nana reached out and plucked a cloud from the ground, which then turned into a mirror.

In the scene... the black-haired girl, held in the lap of the white-haired Feline, now has a dazzling Halo above her head, and her originally delicate and soft cat ears seem to have mysteriously disappeared.

Fortunately, even without cat ears, the presence of the attached ears can basically guarantee basic hearing... What Nana is more concerned about is her current Halo... The dazzling light combined with the dazzling eight-pointed star that looks like a strong light makes Nana feel that the shape of the Halo seems to represent something.

After carefully sensing it, Nana reached out her hand, and a black flame that had just ignited was extinguished by the light overhead... as if they could never appear at the same time.

"It feels similar to how Witchcraft suppresses the brightness of the Halo... It seems that many of the more advanced aspects of my Originium Arts are now being blocked by the Halo..."

"... Although you're having tea with us right now, don't forget you're actually heading to Ursus with your teammates... If you can't use those Originium Arts you're good at... is that alright?"

Nana tilted her head indifferently at Cole's suspicions:

"No problem. Just like killing doesn't necessarily require a weapon... sometimes all it takes to achieve a goal is a very simple action... I happen to be carrying a large Laterano Gun right now. If I don't appear as Laterano, I can't possibly carry a WA2000 around outside of Columbia."

Although, in essence, Nana's desire to carry weapons would simply be a matter of bringing an extra box, most people wouldn't care about the guns carried by the Laterano people... It's just that Nana's Halo and wings were so dark that they couldn't be displayed in the past, otherwise some tasks would be much easier.

However, compared to the laborious explanation of making everyone understand that she is a special being who possesses characteristics of both Lateran and Felin... Nana felt that perhaps keeping it a secret, or simply making 'Felin Nana' and 'a Sarkaz with a special aura' into two separate identities would be more in line with the behavioral aesthetics of an assassin.

However, Kal'tsit seems to be in a hurry to get rid of him... Now his special physical condition has obviously been exposed to everyone.

While she was still unconscious, Rhodes Island had already arranged for their team to board the Exploration Vehicle... Fortunately, Nana had prepared plans for every step of the operation before it began... Judging from the daily reports from the Little Cat, everyone seemed to be doing quite well.

Besides being constantly asleep, Nana is now being used as a fluorescent light tube by the Little Cat hanging from the ceiling, which is making the most of its resources, and this is something that Nana is a little unhappy about...

In addition, it seems that someone who considers sleeping an integral part of life often uses the excuse of taking care of himself to climb from his hammock into his bed and sleep during work hours.

Feeling the increasingly noticeable sensation of Durin crawling on her body... Nana nodded to herself as she looked at the still radiant Halo in the mirror.

Although there is currently no evidence to prove that his coma is related to the mutation of the Halo, compared to his past state where he could move freely, now that the Halo has broken the balance with the Witchcraft and turned into a star-shaped fluorescent tube on its own, it is only natural to speculate that restoring it to normal would allow him to regain his mobility.

"After all, if you keep sleeping, all your previous rehabilitation might be for nothing... Do you need help?"

"The Little Cat hung me quite high; I just hope I don't fall face-first."

Nana gave Cole and Kate a thumbs-up, then looked at her palm again... Unlike her previous attempts, this time, the intense black flames burned fiercely under Nana's deliberate control, and soon the landmass constructed from blue sky and white clouds began to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Yes, that's right, Nana is very familiar with this feeling.

She's waking up.

Just as Nana was entering REM sleep and about to wake up, Durin, who had climbed onto Nana's bed to enjoy a peaceful sleep undisturbed that day, suddenly noticed... the Halo above Nana 'Nana head, the symbol of the Sankta's lifeline, was rapidly darkening as if something was eroding it.

"Hmm? This... isn't this going to be bad...?"

Under Durin's dumbfounded gaze, Nana's Sankta Halo and Light Wings, which were completely unlike those of Sankta, changed from a light bulb to candlelight, from candlelight to scattered stars, and then suddenly went out and disappeared... This caused Durin, who was always calm and slow, to let out a heart-wrenching scream for the first time.

Such a loud sound would naturally activate the automatic microphone of the automated communication device... and through the vehicle's WiFi, the team communication channel's audio reached everyone's ears:

[Captain!! Captain, she--!]

At Durin's panicked voice, the entire Exploration Vehicle immediately descended into chaos.

Jessica, who was helping everyone maintain their equipment in the maintenance room, almost shot the Ranger. The drivers in the driver's cab slammed on the brakes, causing the huge Exploration Vehicle to drift sideways. In the kitchen, Su Sulo and Yato scrambled to the dormitory with kitchen knives in hand, still wearing their aprons. In the infirmary, Folinic had Black Horn grab every possible first-aid equipment she could find...

The Ursus girl, in the throes of adolescence where emotions are most easily stirred, kicked open the newly renovated door—which everyone had been carefully using—despite the fact that the infirmary was closest to the lounge, and shouted anxiously:

"What happened! Medic-senpai, what... what happened to her?"

Looking at Nana sitting on the top of the lounge, rubbing her face where her bedding had left marks... the glaring Halo that everyone had grown accustomed to, and which had even been used as a lamp recently, had disappeared.

Wearing cat ears, Nana looked at the group of people, all dressed differently but clearly rushing to see her, with a puzzled expression, and tilted her head.

"Good morning, everyone?"

PS: The fever has subsided, but not completely... Kurushi

One more chapter to fill out temporarily... I can't keep putting it off until next month... I need to finish it by the 31st...

PS2: Meow Meow Cat

3rd This Land: 079 Cat Halo Infection

"Hmm~ Good morning... Did you think I would say that?"

Although Su Sulo's first reaction upon seeing Nana was to complain, she still gestured to Huang and Folinic, whose height was more suitable. Then, the big cat and the little Ursus bear... cat? climbed up the bed climbing frames on both sides of the room, preparing to lower Nana from the ceiling rather than put her in a hammock.

"So, why am I tied up like this?"

"Because you keep falling off the bed halfway there, even when Liskarm and the others switched to a smoother route... Little Cat said it's because you can finally dream... To be honest, I don't really understand."

Seeing Su Sulo and Nana staring at each other as if the conversation had come to an end, Folinic, who had helped Nana remove the blood pressure monitor, looked at the crowded lounge and tilted her head:

"Anyway, everyone, please return to your posts for now. Su Sulo and I will temporarily take over Medic's duties... Blaze, please inform Rosemary that she has woken up... As for you, how are you feeling? Are you still able to move around?"

Seeing that she would be facing another round of medical tests after waking up, Nana nodded helplessly, then slowly got up...

The assassin felt like she was destined to be cursed by the Medical Department lately... she was either unconscious or woke up to a series of tests.

After Su Sulo and Folinic finished Nana's new round of physical examinations, the assassin was finally allowed to wash her face and brush her teeth at her insistence. Only then did the three of them sit down in the lounge to discuss the current situation.

Glancing around at the modern, minimalist interior with its dark silver tones, he took the hot cocoa Su Sulo handed him, sat down at the glass tea table, and glanced at the central air conditioning heating switch... He then glanced out of the corner of his eye at the iron gate marked "Armory," and on the table next to the gate was a monitoring system, with three large screens divided into more than a dozen small windows displaying real-time monitoring of the vehicle's interior and exterior...

As her body instinctively searched for a weapon to destroy the surveillance hard drive, Nana finally remembered that it belonged to her family... After a slightly embarrassed cough, Nana turned her attention back to Su Sulo and Folinic:

"Anyway, let's ask that classic question first... How long did I sleep?"

"Two and a half weeks... that's not a long time, but it's still a worrying period... Nana, you're supposed to be Feline's not good at hibernation, so why do I feel like you've been sleeping a lot lately?"

Faced with Su Sulo's question, the black-haired cat shook its head, its ears drooping: q

"... I'd like to know the same thing... So Folinic, how much do you all know about my coma?"

"Professor Kal'tsit said it's because you're undergoing some kind of treatment... but she didn't tell us the details."

"... So, how many people know that I am Sankta?"

Compared to Folinic's confused expression, not understanding why Nana asked that question, Su Sulo immediately understood Nana's concerns and picked up the conversation: Ling

"Don't worry, we picked you up in the wilderness by car... and the fact that you possess Halo... no one knows about it except for Director Kal'tsit and the Sarkaz Mercenaries who were protecting her at the time... and that Sarkaz was quite conspicuous because he was using a large gun..."

"... Is that the guy named Scout?"

She shook her head, and Su Sulo's fox ears swayed softly in the air: (chess)

"We don't know his name... Chief Kal'tsit told us to take you with us and we set off immediately, without lingering."

"... Since he's with Kal'tsit, he should be trustworthy, so it's alright..."

Seeing Nana and Su Sulo talking about things she couldn't understand as if they were speaking in riddles, Folinic blinked and looked around for a long time. Nana also noticed the confusion of her assistant who was also an intern.

"Anyway, forget about my Halo... Let's talk about the more specifics when everyone gets back tonight... Let's continue with your pre-departure preparations. Is there anything missing from the itinerary I arranged?"

"No, your process is very detailed... although I don't understand why you would have a 'Plan C' for picking up goods from your own pharmaceutical factory... especially a plan to rob your own warehouse..."

"That's a last resort, the kind that won't be used... You can think of it as me just writing it that way out of habit... After all, in the past, my partners sometimes did need to resort to some violent methods to keep the mission going..."

As she gave her explanation that made Folinic's eyes gradually glaze over, Nana then glanced at the flight log recorded on the vehicle's PRTS local area network...

The group departed the day after Aya received her 'Halo treatment'. Judging from what Folinic said, Kal'tsit must have notified the others to prepare when she was taking Aya to the Doctor for treatment...

After all, judging from the entries in the vehicle's PRTS, the various supplies, medicines, weapon parts, and even ammunition were neatly categorized. These items, which I had written in the plan but hadn't had time to inform others about, now seemed to be in good order. Many of these were originally Nana's tasks, but now most of them were signed by Folinic or Yato...

This is also the reason why the Exploration Vehicle crew can now ignore regular supply stations and Sarkaz settlements and drive directly across the desert steppe to Ursus.

Ignoring man-made roads, relying on the Exploration Vehicle's robust off-road capabilities, they traversed the vast wilderness of Sarkaz. The PRTS's built-in inertial navigation indicated that the group was currently heading straight towards their destination— the Ursus Snowfield.

After reading through what seemed like a short 'flight log', Nana put down the Terminal and took a satisfied sip of her hot cocoa.

As the sweet and slightly bitter silky smoothness harmonized on her tongue, Nana clearly had nothing to criticize about everyone's work. Although Nana herself still had questions about why her Halo had suddenly improved and changed, everything was progressing smoothly, and nothing unexpected had happened because of her slumber... This relieved Nana.

"... Well, everyone did a great job, I have nothing to criticize... What are your plans for the future?"

As Nana looked at Folinic, this girl, though from Ursus, wasn't familiar with the Ursus map and it took her a while to finally bring up the map on the Terminal:

"We will continue north. We have already passed through several major battlefields of the Sarkaz Civil War, and after about another week and a half of sailing, we will cross the border between Ursus and Kazdel..."

At this point, Folinic's finger paused briefly on a city called 'Chernobog', then the girl looked at Nana:

"Senior, the plan basically covers everything up to crossing the border... But, should we really stick with the plan that has the highest priority?"

"You mean the plan to treat the Infected directly with the Emperor's permission, bypassing Customs?"

"Yes, could this... become an excuse for Ursus to attack Rhodes Island, since we didn't enter the country through legal procedures..."

Seeing Folinic's hesitant look, Nana shrugged:

"This mission itself is meant to draw us into the internal factional strife of Ursus... Those who want to use our reformists will certainly not oppose us on this matter, while the Old Nobility the Infected will... Obviously, even if all our procedures are legal, they will try every means to make things difficult for us."

"Although Rhodes Island is a neutral organization without any political stance, we have predetermined our position for this mission... so don't expect to get along with the Old Nobility Faction... Be prepared to be treated as enemies the moment you set foot on Ursus soil."

"Being treated as an enemy... Is that why you armed this vehicle, senior?"

Nana placed the stainless steel cup back on the table, and seeing that Folinic seemed to have misunderstood, tilted her head:

"That's not it... the vehicle's armament is simply..."

Nana couldn't bring herself to say that she was simply blinded by the free vehicle maintenance and interior replacement.

After an eerie silence, Nana, with her cat ears drooping and her face half-covered by a cup, said:

"... It's simply a necessary choice to provide a stable logistical base for A4 Operations Team... While we don't really want to see Landship duel, the artillery we're carrying is indeed intended for dealing with small vehicles and low-intensity combat..."

"Didn't you already prepare for a direct confrontation with those nobles?!"

Nana did not refute Folinic's exclamation.

After Nana and Folinic finished discussing their work-related matters, Su Sulo took Nana's cup, refilled it with hot water, and casually inquired about Nana's health:

"So, is Nana still unconscious now?"

"I don't know... I feel fine myself. Didn't Kal'tsit give you any new information about me?"

Seeing the two of them shake their heads in unison, Nana first reached out and tried to use 'spell'... Because she didn't use a spellcasting unit, her left eye felt hot, and a black flame ignited in her palm.

"Originium Arts... seems to be fine... but the Halo..."

Remembering how the disappearance of her cat ears initially affected her ear canals and other intracranial organs and nerves, Nana first tugged at the top of her head to confirm that the cat ears were still there. Then, Nana carefully reduced the body-enhancing Witchcraft she had been continuously using...

But as soon as the spell was dispelled, a beam of light suddenly appeared above Nana's head... A blue Halo seemed to spread outwards from the center of the girl's head, and the blue Halo and the radiating eight-pointed star suddenly took shape in distinct layers.

To Nana's surprise, after she removed the body enhancement spell, her physical condition actually improved instead of decreased as the Halo appeared.

The only problem is that Nana's cat ears have disappeared again.

Even though the black-haired girl scratched her head in fear for a long time, and after scratching her scalp until it turned red, Nana confirmed that her excellent hearing, which she relied on for survival, would indeed disappear inexplicably after the Halo appeared... This left Folinic and Su Sulo checking her over the next day, but the three of them couldn't find out anything.

"I don't understand... the disappearance of bodily organs, and their inexplicable reappearance with the output of Originium Arts... rather than saying your body has undergone a mutation, it's more accurate to say that your body has undergone some kind of 'state switch'..."

"... My opinion is the same as Senior Su Sulo's. Medic, your 'Feline Mode' and 'Sankta Mode'... if it can't be determined by stomach intake that the 'switch' isn't actually you... your Halo and cat ears feel like two completely separate bodies..."

"So... nobody understands why things turned out this way either?"

Seeing the two doctors, one tall and one short, shaking their heads in unison, Nana sighed and opened her weapon case... pistols, rifles... even the blue and white butterfly knife had been carefully preserved and maintained by everyone. Later, with the help of Su Sulo and Folinic, Nana used a lot of instruments and things at hand in the lounge to test the difference between her two states.

What Nana is particularly concerned about is the connection between her and the Little Cat's Thought Chain Ring... The good news is that neither state affects the connection between Nana and the Little Cat, but the bad news is that because the connection with the 'Master' is too strong, Nana's Witchcraft stability is basically non-existent in the 'Sankta' state.

This means that as long as the Halo is displayed, neither the Blood Demon Sorcery that Nana often uses, nor the very convenient Child of Earth and Stone ability that she discovered earlier, can be used normally while she has the Halo above her head.

This in itself is nothing special. After all, the Halo of Nana is naturally suppressed by Witchcraft. Even if she needs to rely on the power of the 'Lord,' it's nothing more than praying that the Lord will allow her to use Firearms Arts...