​The sunlight piercing through the Orchid-Ether filters in the windows of Castle Zero’s Grand Hall felt warmer than usual, yet the atmosphere within the room was charged with a palpable tactical tension. The Ironwood table, which only hours ago had served as a communal dining space, had been transformed into a command center. In the center of the table, a pillar of indigo light pulsed, projecting a highly detailed three-dimensional holographic map of the Aethera Continent.

​Dayat stood at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes fixed on a flickering red dot in the Eastern region. “Eight hundred kilometers,” he murmured softly, his voice echoing in the vast space. “That is a madness of a distance to cover by land, especially with the current volatile state of the Forest of Lamentation.”

​Dola, standing directly by his side, slid her slender fingers through the air. The map rotated, zooming into the jagged area between Sector Zero and the borders of the Brassvale Kingdom. “Mathematically, this journey would require fourteen days using conventional transport methods. However, with the manifestation vehicle you engineered, we can reduce that to four or five days—provided we do not become entangled in large-scale conflicts with Alpha-class monsters.”

​Kancil, swinging his legs from a wooden chair, chimed in with unbridled enthusiasm. “Then let’s move! I can’t wait to see Riri and the others. They’re going to lose their minds when they see Brother Dayat’s cool car!”

​Lunethra, who had remained silent while observing the map, finally spoke. Her voice was tinged with a worry she couldn’t quite hide. “Dayat, are you truly certain about bringing Kancil? Bakasa is a lion’s den for all of us now. The Inquisition has surely plastered your bounty posters on every street corner of the city.”

​Dayat opened his mouth to reply, but Dola intervened before he could speak. Her voice was calm, melodic, yet possessed a weight of authority that felt absolute. “Actually, I have conducted several strategic simulations for this specific mission. And the conclusion is definitive: Kancil and Lunethra will not be part of the infiltration team.”

​A sudden, heavy silence smothered the room. Kancil froze, his fork nearly slipping from his hand. Lunethra’s brow furrowed, her green eyes snapping toward Dola with a sharp, defensive intensity.

​”What exactly do you mean, Dola?” Lunethra asked, her tone rising. “You intend to let Dayat walk into the heart of Brassvale’s power entirely alone?”

​Dola turned her head slowly, a thin, unreadable smirk playing on her lips. “Not alone, Lunethra. He will be with me. There are two fundamental reasons for this decision. First, Castle Zero is currently in a state of vulnerability. The automated defense systems—the Logic-Nullification Field and the plasma cannons—are still in re-charging mode following the Lamping incident. If we all depart, the monsters of the forest will claim this fortress as their nest in less than twenty-four hours. Someone must guard the ‘heart’ of our organization.”

​Dola paused, allowing the logic to settle into the air. “Second, Dayat’s combat efficiency. While Dayat is formidable, his technological manifestations achieve one hundred percent synchronization only if I am within a five-meter radius of him to stabilize the binary Mana flow. In Bakasa, we do not need an army; we need precision. Your presence, Lunethra, and yours, Kancil, would only fragment my protective focus.”

​”But Dola!” Lunethra interrupted, stepping toward the table. “I can provide support, and Kancil is a master of infiltration. We can be useful!”

​”Useful for drawing unwanted attention?” Dola countered smoothly. “Your appearance as a high-born Elf is far too conspicuous, and Kancil… well, he is still too impulsive. In Bakasa, a single misstep is a death sentence. Dayat needs me to be his eyes, his ears, and his shield simultaneously. This is maximum efficiency.”

​Lunethra looked at Dayat, searching for support, her eyes pleading. “Dayat, do you agree with this?”

​Dayat rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the weight of the decision. Dola’s logic was flawless, yet he felt the sting of Lunethra’s disappointment. “Lunethra… Dola is right about the castle’s security. I can’t leave this place empty. You two are the ones I trust most to guard our home. If anything happens to Castle Zero, we have no place to return to.”

​Lunethra’s shoulders slumped. Her expression shifted—not just into disappointment, but into a painful realization. She saw clearly that in Dola’s eyes, her position as Dayat’s assistant or friend would always be secondary to Dola’s absolute utility. “I see… So, it’s for efficiency,” Lunethra whispered. “Fine. I will guard the castle. Just ensure you return safely.”

​”Don’t worry, Sister Lunethra! I’ll train so hard that when Brother Dayat gets back, I’ll be a better shot than him!” Kancil exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood, though even he looked a bit dejected.

​”Final decision,” Dayat tapped the table. “Tomorrow morning, Dola and I depart. Lunethra, I am handing over the manual access keys for the Orchid-Ether system to you. Use them wisely.”

​Night fell over the Forest of Lamentation. The darkness outside the castle was absolute, broken only by the occasional pulse of binary light from the towers that sliced through the mist.

​Dayat was in his private quarters. The room was the pinnacle of Maiden technology and luxury. The floor, made of polished dark obsidian, reflected a ceiling projected with the constellations of a distant world. Dayat had just finished changing into lighter clothes, preparing to lay down on the massive bed that seemed to float in the center of the room.

​”Tomorrow will be a long journey,” he muttered to himself. He tried to steady his breathing, but flashes of Bakasa and the faces of those he had lost in Lamping still flickered in his mind. He tried to project the strength of a leader for the Wailing Horde, but in the silence of his room, he was just a man seeking certainty.

​Suddenly, the binary door sensor chimed softly. The door slid open, revealing a figure that caused Dayat’s heart to skip a beat.

​It was Dola.

​She had clearly just bathed. Her long silver hair was damp, the strands clinging to her porcelain-white shoulders. The scent of fresh floral soap and warm steam seemed to billow into the room, overpowering the sterile scent of the Orchid-Ether. But it was her attire that left Dayat speechless.

​Dola wore a sheer, white nightgown that was nearly translucent, covering only the most crucial areas with shimmering binary patterns. It was short and fluid, accentuating the perfect curves of a body that was a masterpiece of both technology and aesthetics.

​”D-Dola?” Dayat stammered, sitting bolt upright. His cheeks flared with heat. “Why… why are you here? Don’t you have your own quarters next door?”

​Dola stepped inside, her feet making no sound on the obsidian floor. The door slid shut behind her with a definitive click. She approached the bed with a smile that was far removed from that of a ‘binary assistant.’

​”Master Dayat… I mean, my Husband,” Dola sat on the edge of the mattress, so close that Dayat could feel the radiant heat from her body and the fragrance of her damp hair. “Have you forgotten? Before the binary code of this world, we bound ourselves. In data and in soul, I am yours, and you are mine. Is it not natural for a husband and wife to share the same space?”

​”B-but… that…” Dayat fumbled for an excuse, trying to maintain his cool ‘Architect’ persona, but his eyes kept drifting toward Dola’s exposed shoulders. “We have a critical mission tomorrow! We need proper rest!”

​Dola let out a low, melodic laugh that sent a shiver down Dayat’s spine. She reached out, her cool but soft fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “It is precisely because tomorrow is dangerous that I wish to be by your side tonight. Besides, binary energy synchronization is much faster through constant physical contact. It is… for the efficiency of the mission.”

​Dayat knew it was a ruse. Dola was manipulating him, using the same logic she had used to sideline Lunethra earlier. But as Dola lay down beside him and pulled the blanket over them, he found he had no desire to resist.

​Dola wound her arms around his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. “Sleep. I won’t do anything… unless you start it.”

​Dayat froze. His brain, which could design complex steam engines and mana-circuits, felt like a burnt-out processor. Dola’s embrace was so real, so warm, and so fiercely possessive. He could feel her heart—or the perfect simulation of one—beating in resonance with his own.

​”You’re cheating,” Dayat whispered in defeat, finally allowing his body to relax and returning her embrace.

​”I’m not cheating. I’m just ensuring that my Husband doesn’t look at any other women during our trip,” Dola murmured before closing her eyes.

​Beneath the shadow of Castle Zero, in the heart of the world’s most lethal forest, the Architect and the Maiden of Steel finally shared their first warmth as one. Tomorrow, the storm awaited them in Bakasa, but for tonight, there were only binary heartbeats echoing in the dark.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep