Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 7

Part 1

The inforh-level ether should reveal so

Now, let us reviee know about Skuld Silent-Third

Overview of the Norn Program

This project was established in order to fill the hole in the current systele Object and Pilot Elite For information on the Object side of the project, see the other paper Here, I would like to refer eneral-use Pilot Elite

Using the saenetically-similar people will i the one-to-one relationshi+p between person and weapon, multiple people can share the work and personnel can be swapped out if the unforeseen occurs That will be Step 1

If it succeeds, we can avoid being stuck with an entirely useless Object if the Pilot Elite is assassinated

And the success of this project could also create a starting point for y or the like (nb: Whether or not Central will provide religious ethics approval is always a question)

Journalist’s Voice Recording not Used in an Article

Verdandi: “Yeah, let’s not be all formal We’re sick and tired of that shallow and floay they talk about us”

Urd: “Yes They call us the Goddesses or saints of the Norn Prograanda ht, but Verdandi and I really only just barely rade as Elites”

Verdandi: “We use our ingenuity to make up for e lack, so you should really praise us for that”

Urd: “So the Norn’s only real Elite is that girl…Skuld”

Verdandi: “Yeah, she’s a genius in the truest sense of the word”

Urd: “But there is a major problem with her personality We hold her reins and prevent her froe”

Verdandi: “What’s gotten you so quiet? I thought you asked people questions for a living You can’t exactly do your job if you’re dumbfounded, can you?”

Urd: “Cut him some slack, Verdandi Who kno his life would be destroyed if he put this in an article Hee hee”

Confiscated Journal

I don’t understand what life is

It isn’t so you can see or hear

Everyone says to treat life with care

But I don’t understand what it is No one does

Itlike water or air

You can’t understand how ranted But once you don’t have enough, you realize just how important it is

So to learn about life, you must approach that final limit

Confession Recorded by a Counselor

Yes, yes Please forgive ive me I understood Saint Skuld’s sickness It is true she has been at the mercy of her inborn nature, but it isit to exacerbate in how I interacted with her An agent explained to me that this would protect the world and that it was necessary for the Norn Prograrah to wholly eliuilt Yes, this was all due to my immoral-…? What? A blackout? What is-…kssssssshhhhhhhh!!

…You should have just done as you were told

Voice a Personal Appointment

Message left at 1:40 AM on August 19

“Hey, Tony! Is it sunny enough for some bikini babes where you’re at? I’h the daood news for you No, no I’ to borrow any et a hell of a video out here in this battlefield country It was dark and I only had my handheld equipotta be you-knoho enjoying her ‘hobby’ You knohat Iback there behind your desk! You probably think it’s a fake and that I’d post it online to become a hero if I really had the video of the century, but if I uploaded soerous as an individual, it’d only look like some cruel snuff film I need the reputation of the press! I really wish I could send you the video right away, but since this is a battlefield country, it see but the landline phone’s been cut off Anyway, I want an appointment for the very second I’m back in the country Listen, this is the crucial et I went to you first since we’ve been friends for so long!”

…

Would you like to delete the e?

A Freelance Writer’s Notebook

New soldiers occasionally vanish froet fed up with the battlefield after learning how tough life is there, they tried to earn so and were dishonorably discharged, they foolishly tried to make a pass at Saint Skuld and were eliminated by the Valkyries, etc But my intuition tells me the truth lies elsewhere All of those explanations are al Almost like someone planted the evidence after the fact

And then there was the incident from a few days back It only received a quick article on an online news site, but that’s when it hit me

A soldier vanished in a safe country instead of a battlefield country He was apparently close to Saint Skuld and acting as her bodyguard while she was on leave If he was fed up with his job, it would be ical to vanish in a safe country than a battlefield country, but I bet…no, I know that isn’t the truth

I know about her “hobby” Or I think I do

It always happened in battlefield countries where proper criations don’t take place But this was different It happened in a safe country, a territory controlled by the rules of us pacifists I doubt they’ll havethis one up Searching for any slight opening herethe truth

(The next page is covered in dried blood and cannot be opened)

Deletion Request

All,

To protect Saint Skuld Silent-Third’s life and lifestyle fro personal infored by the military, but a few pieces still exist in a variety of media from before she joined They all exist on the server such that they can only be accessed with a special tool, but please delete them ASAP

1 Suspicion of Aniard Elementary School

(Including the ghost stories on the school’s unofficial site)

2 Suspicion of assault and Battery at the Same School (2 Incidents)

(Including the posts on e boards and SNS)

3 Suspicion of Serial Arson Targeting the Homes of Students and Teachers at the Same School (4 Incidents)

(Including an online request to a private investigator and a dismissed bill of indictment)

In addition to the above documents, please search for and delete any similar documents If anyone requests the release of this information or works to block the deletion thereof, please report it to your contact

Accountant’s Memo

About Norn

Authorization from Central → A clue → What would be best?

Iroundwork,on the practical use of cloning

Fros run more smoothly

(Adjustments for the hidden jobs like assassination and cover-ups takes money, so one more)

Is the h? Hmm…

Reduce the nuo down

Ask for eht discover the Venerable Elder’s expenses

Use a “wo way

(But it could work as a threat against any helpers who refuse to agree If I list up each of their fa relationshi+p with an adopted son or biological son, I can ht work)

Other sources of funds… Hmm

Berserker

Draupnir ✔This one

Sub or tripling the supply research budget, and then cutting away the fat ood co to the Venerable Elder)

Lead Article in an Agency PR Magazine

Monthly Asgard April Issue!

This ht on Saints Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, the three sisters who control the Second Generation Norn These sisters have both power and beauty and I would like to introduce you to their noble minds and the spotless radiance of their lives Let’s start with Saint Skuld At the age of 14, she looks like she would still be entirely dependent of her faence of her peers She has a fully-for skills and she is the solid wall protecting our lives, lifestyles, and dignity She is the ultimate…

Part 2

It was pouring rain

Thick and dark rain clouds covered the entire sky

It was supposed to be the dry season in the Antsiranana District, but that did notto the satellite, the rivers were more than full and the land was flooded as far as the eye could see The raphic factors, so it had escaped the flooding, but waist-high muddy water could be found not far outside the base And it continued all the way to the horizon

“This is what they call heat pollution, isn’t it?”

Silver-haired and busty Frolaytia toyed with her bangs in annoyance while holding her long, narrow kiseru in her mouth

“The industrialization of the mainland across the ocean has raised the upper atrees As their operations pick up, the atrows unstable”

“What’s the situation?” asked Quenser

Frolaytia breathed out some sweet smoke and looked the other way

She looked to the Baby Magnu its armor and weapons swapped out in the center of the maintenance bay

“The Faith Organization is sure to have noticed the approaching transportation fleet of submarines and hovercraft But they’ve chosen to tolerate its presence Theyfor us to finish our maintenance”

The base’s vehicles were mostly just a pile of rubble, so new ones had been sent in for an almost wholesale replacement of the base

“Theythis because thein and not out If we tried to evacuate the officers or the classified servers, they would attack and give the fleet a watery grave”

“Could we not evacuate in tiency submarines?”

“That ht work for a VIP or two, but there are too many of us Besides, the Trinity Style is e shape whenever it wants The area is flooded so badly we can’t see the ground, so it will al an air cushi+on Thatwould be too reckless”

“But then why are they doing this?”

“Why are they prepared to respond at a otten, Quenser? The Trinity Style…no, Skuld’s raan when she pretended to be defeated in order to defeat our Princess more easily” Frolaytia s to protect her despite all the problems she causes, sheanization So they want a way to test Skuld’s loyalty Or perhaps she needs a purification ceremony to clear her name”

“She’s num? She wants to shi+ft all the blausted “And just like they wanted, we chose to stay on Experiascar”

“Well, the higher ups wanted an early withdrawal to bring back Skuld and all of her classified inforinal plan: kill the enemy When you think about it, it’s a simple order”

“But…”

Quenser started to speak but trailed off

Frolaytia nodded and continued for him

“I understand It all looks like we’re under Skuld’s control Torld powers are working together to supply a hunting ground for a young girl’s hobby It’s pathetic In that way, enius A serial killer who just kills people will be caught before long, but the truly dangerous ones understand society well enough to blend in despite their abnors beyond her reach and bring the current trends and public opinion to her side”

“…”

Quenser heard her out, but he actually disagreed

He doubted Skuld Silent-Third had thought any of this through

Too much of this had been unpredictable: the battle with the Baby Magnudom’s defeat in the second battle, the rescue operation, and her capture by Verdandi after trying to kill Quenser during that rescue operation It had all been adlibbed and none of it could have been planned out

She was si dessert she saw, as if she had happened across a food stand She was not even worried about how much was left in her wallet

And yet she had made it this far

It was all so solid that it seehout

It was a blindfolded tightrope walk that could have h to continue laughing throughout She had had no plan for success and she would have been thrown to the ground if she

If she was a genius, that was the important point

She planned nothing, she only adlibbed, and she always made the choice that would lead to the most deaths in the moment

That was all she had done, and yet she had thoroughly manipulated torld powers at once

It was al Skuld Silent-Third from behind

But was that a Goddess of fate, a Goddess of victory, or a mysterious Goddess of death?

Part 3

It was time for the mission

“You’ve gotta be kiddingone of the Objects that ended the nuclear age, not going fishi+ng Why do we have to rely on rubber boats now?”

They were riding a sh for 10 people that had an engine-powered propeller on the back Several dozen of the the flooded muddy river

They could hardly believe this had been a dry and cracked wasteland just the other day

They could no longer tell where the large river dividing the two armies’ territory had been

It was only water, water, and more water as far as the eye could see And it was far too muddy to tell how deep it was Quenser felt his skin crawl at how this seemed more like the middle of a lake than a river, but Heivia was in a much worse state as he controlled the boat Unlike a lake, there was a powerful current and they would be swept downstrearew careless

“Co this time? Her static electricity system needs naval floats to cross rivers and oceans, but what about in this pouring rain?”

“She can force herself across soathered water with insoluble repellant, but this environment is pretty bad Well, the old lady and the others were doing so equipment, so I bet she’s had the floats installed I mean, it’s completely flooded out here”

“But the floats have a shark anchor weight that extends straight down Won’t that hit the ground?”

“That’s why the old lady and the others orking so hard They were cutting that away”

The naval equipnu a handicap in battle was no laughing matter at this point

Only two or three people were on each 10-man boat and the two idiots were the only ones on their boat The rest of the space was filled with spear-like equipiant attached crossbow that fired them

The weapon looked a lot like the ballistae used centuries ago to bring down stone castles

“Do you knoe need to do?”

“Yeah, this plan is a lot like a research project We fire arrowheads full of aluiant-ass arroill fuse onto it Then balloons fill with carbon dioxide gas to increase the air resistance and slon its , in …Like hell that’ll work! That thing’saround at Mach 5 or 10 and it can shoot down every tactical missiles you could shoot at it!!”

“But the chemical fusion has already been proven to work …Of course, that was just the old lady and the others attaching the defeat”

“They just fired the arrows at the Object while it was sitting there And when it was pretending to be stopped to trick us That’s nothing like a real battle!!”

“The Trinity Style will have to keep a constant eye on us while it fights That’s enough of a plan right there We can’t think about actually defeating it We just have to take some of the pressure off of the Princess so she can win”

“But if we stand out, it’ll fire its plasma and lasers Our skin isn’t razes us, we’ll be vaporized!!”

Co about their situation

They could see so on the muddy river that spread to the horizon

They were boxy silhouettes and Faith Organization soldiers were likely riding them

“What the hell are those!? Are they floating around in arfor a toy!!”

“Check out what’s beyond them”

Quenser was referring to soiant for above the horizon

Even at this distance, tingling fear spread across Quenser’s entire body

It was the Faith Organization Second Generation Trinity Style

No…

“Skuld Silent-Third!!”

Part 4

First, the Legitianization arht trucks

Powerful gunshots rang out as the heavy uns attached to the truck roofs roared to life Each and every shot was an extraordinary bullet as thick as soer than the average anti-le hit would tear someone to pieces

The Legitiht uns that weighed several dozen kilograht trucks had sacrificed defense for the ability to float These bullets were h to the inside

Both sides were risking their lives

Sparks flew and pillars of water continually rose from the muddy river

But even that exchange of lives was no more than a farce

The true clash began soon thereafter

The Baby Magnum and the Trinity Style both fired their main cannons

The blinding light and deafening noise was enough for Quenser to nearly forget the reality of his situation

Giant ripples expanded from the Objects and they threatened to capsize the rubber boats

Meanwhile, the two mechanicalup and vaporize a nuclear shelter

At soanization arht trucks had ended

Their heads were too rattled to aie of tiiant azine attached on opposite sides

“The container cannon that uses the elevator? Are they starting with Urd!?”

“Enough with your technical obsession! We just have to do e can Load one of the ballista arrows If you don’t have anything else to do, get to work!!”

The side effects of the Object battle were enough to tear their ranks apart A rubber boat up ahead of Quenser and Heivia’s had already prepared their several-e, they pulled the trigger to fire an arrow thicker than an iron rod

The sound it

Even without the aluminum or iron oxide in the arrowhead, a hit from that would tear a human to pieces

But…

“Gwah!!”

“You idiot! Look away, Quenser! Don’t watch it!!”

A light as bright as welding soon followed It had been easily intercepted by one of the Trinity Style’s lasers before it hit

It had been as casual as shooing away a fly in front of your face

But a second laser took revenge by vaporizing the leading rubber boat and the soldiers aboard it

“Dammit! Jump in!!”

Heivia switched off their boat’s engine, grabbed Quenser by the collar, and dove into the ht continued even as the eneht the Princess Several boats were bloay