Chapter 116 Discovery.
Though Alice complained again and again in the end she couldn't stop Sam from the two young Valkyries with him. To be more accurate neither Miku nor Zero Three wanted to listen to what she says and followed after him.
In the end all she could do was threaten him saying if he put his hands on either of them she would never forgive him, and that their relationship would be over, but Sam didn't really have much choice in the matter since those two were acting according to their own free will. He wished she would stop talking as if he had groomed them or something.
'It's not my fault if they end up falling for me.' He thought to himself, desperately trying to convince himself that being in a relationship with two underage looking beings isn't wrong.
Things would've been much easier if he still saw them as nothing but lifeless androids, however that had changed. The two had free will now. They aren't simple war machines anymore, and though they're different from normal humans, specifically in how they will never grow older, they have feelings and he had to put them into consideration. He can no longer use them to satisfy his lust and think nothing of it.
That said, there is one big problem.
'They're so cute!'
Though it was broad daylight and many of the soldiers were walking around, Sam didn't instruct the petite blond Valkyrie on how she's supposed to act in public. Because of that after they left the commander's office Miku kept clinging to him, her arms locked around his right as thin cherry lips drew a small smile. Three was on his other side keeping a single step between them as she walked in silence.
Sam was aware of the way she glared at her fellow Valkyrie, however he said nothing. He fond himself enjoying the jealousy the brown haired swimmer felt at the sight of someone her size being so close to him. She didn't show the same reaction toward Five and Nine for some reason, however now that another young Valkyrie is competing for his attention she most likely felt that her position is threatened.
''Doctor, don't you think it's inappropriate for a Valkyrie to be acting this way toward her superior, especially in public?'' Having had enough, Three finally voiced her complaints.
''True.'' Sam replied. ''However it's been a while since she has been around so let's overlook it for now.''
Zero Three didn't seem to like his response that much as she looked away with puffed cheeks. As Sam did his best to suppress the smile that was about to appear on his face, Miku glanced up at him for a moment then turned to Three looking a bit annoyed.
''And who are you to decide how I should be acting toward Doctor?'' She said, tightening her hold on Sam's arm. ''I'm Doctor's personal Valkyrie, you are not. That mean I'm much closer to him than you are so you have no right to tell me how I should behave!''
Sam was speechless. Thankfully they were already at the maintenance area so no one was around to hear them. Miku's statement must've hit Zero Three pretty badly as she froze in her place from the shock.
''D-D-Doctor!'' Three turned to him with tearful eyes, but sadly Sam was no longer able to hide his smile which caused her an even greater shock.
''Technically she is right, Three.'' Sam said, noticing the young Valkyrie's reaction. ''Miku was the first to offer herself to me so it should be fine for her to get some special treatment.''
''Wha-''
''That said.'' Shifting his sight to the blond one, Sam decided to make things clear to avoid the trouble getting escalated. ''Three is right as well. Even if you are my personal Valkyrie there is a proper way to behave in public. Always remember that your actions reflect on me as your superior.''
''... understood...''
Miku reluctantly let go of Sam's arm and glared in Three's direction, however her mood improved instantly when he patted her head.
Though he wanted to mess around with the two a little more Sam had something else that's taking his attention at the moment. The red symbols which formed the halo above the blue Nephilim's head. He was sure he had seen them before but found it difficult to recall where.
''I'll be focusing on work so make sure not to disrupt me.''
Arriving at his lab the first thing Sam did was instruct the two Valkyries to not bother him under any circumstances. He then sat down at his desk and picked up his tablet. It didn't take him that long to find what he is looking for.
The symbols looked familiar because they left a strong impression the last time they made an appearance. During the last big battle when the Nephilim showed themselves for the first time one of the Calamities, the one they call Torso, had created two purple giants which it used to launch a double beam attack that left quite the mark on the surrounding area.
'As I thought...'
The symbols appeared right before that attack happened. They weren't identical and the color was different, however there was enough of a resemblance for him to recognize that there is some connection between them.
Sam couldn't help but chuckle.
'Are those some magic runes or something?'
He remembered how baffled he was when he saw them for the first time. It sounded ridiculous, but what other explanation is there for something like that?
'Well, if magic really exists then it would be just another scientific field the rules of which we have yet to understand...'
Though it was difficult to guess what effect the red hallo has, the golden runes the purple giants used had a specific one. After analyzing them multiple times he realized that once the ring is completely formed and the symbols start spinning, the light they emit grows in intensity and a moment after that the beam is launched.
'Shit. If only we had better footage...'
Sam knew that that would be asking too much. The second armor used by the Valkyries are equipped with the best visual and sound detectors human technology is able to create specifically for the purpose of gathering the best data in the hope of it becoming more useful in future battles. That meant the recordings in his hands right now are the best he will ever be able to get so his only choice is to try and analyse it to the best of his abilities and hope that would lead him to something.
'What am I trying to achieve anyways?' Sam asked himself.
Was he hoping to somehow be able to recreate the runes and replicate the Calamities ability to use those magic like powers? He didn't want to admit it, however that was exactly what he's trying to do right now.
'Whatever it is that he stole, it's something essential in the creation of the Valkyries.'
As he was deep in thought watching the recording repeatedly, Sam suddenly remembered something Shizuru had told him the other day.
Odin is the thief the Nephilim are after and what he stole is most likely something very crucial in the creation of Valkyries. Though he understood where such speculations came from, Sam couldn't bring himself to see them as anything more than that. If the Valkyries really are somehow related to the Nephilim then looking at the difference in strength alone it's easy to tell which one is the inferior version.
Odin is being hunted for stealing something essential in the creation of the Valkyries, or the Nephilim if one were to consider that they are the same thing. If he wanted to protect himself then why didn't he create a more complete version instead of settling for what they have now?
'No, that's not it...'
There are more than one way to explain why he couldn't do it. What intrigued Sam more was the possibility of the Valkyries being the same kind of being as the Nephilim. If that is really the case then there is a chance, even if it's a very small one, for him to elevate Three and the others to the same level as their enemy.
'This is...'
Sam's eyes went wide as he looked down at the screen of his tablet. He was just done running the footage Elina had brought through several spectrographs and the results left him chocked. He thought that the halo over the blue Nephilim's head was the only instance of it using the strange symbols, however that wasn't true to say the least.
Though they were invisible to the naked eye, the blue Nephilim had countless symbols surrounding her body forming so many rings overlapping over each other as they moved to the point of him feeling dizzy just from looking at them.
'What in the world...' though the discovery shook him to the core, Sam couldn't help but cover his mouth as a huge grin spread across his face.
Though he wasn't entirely convinced at the time something told him that he had just made a discovery that might change the direction of this war.