Knock knock—someone tapped on the window.
“......”
Amajio Silverhead flicked his eyes toward it.
Through the stone wall, he confirmed a small figure clinging there.
“It’s unlocked. Come on in.”
With a clatter, the window opened, and a girl slipped into the room with a catlike motion.
“Pardon the intrusion, Duke Amajio.”
“Yeah. ...So that’s the assist suit.”
Amajio’s combat-cyborg analysis functions kicked out rough estimates of the support gear Ixia=Ayame Zero was wearing.
Even so, the limits of his built-in database meant he couldn’t calculate exact values.
“Affirmative. By estimation, it can produce athletic performance equivalent to your normal activity state.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Without even carrying a decent battery, he thought, but it was easy to imagine some kind of wireless power-supply technology drawing from the massive amount of microwaves flying through the air. Precisely because scientific civilization hadn’t developed here, even a conspicuous stunt like this went unnoticed.
“So. You want a meeting with me—what kind of wind’s blowing tonight?”
“Yeah. By the way... is Eve monitoring this conversation?”
“Negative. Big Sis is asleep. If this is urgent, waking her is possible, but?”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind having it relayed later. Today, I want to talk with you—Paraiso’s AI.”
“Understood.”
After seating Ixia on the sofa, Amajio stood and began making preparations himself.
He couldn’t exactly let anyone besides them see a secret meeting.
The content of the conversation was an issue, but appearances were worse. Calling a girl over in the middle of the night? If that got out, there was no telling what kind of rumors would spread starting tomorrow.
“By the way—are you properly covering it with Saarya and Linanel?”
“No problem. A substitute doll-machine communicator has been laid in the bed.”
“......Right. So that’s possible too, huh...”
“Because it is an individual with an immature nervous system, there is a possibility daily movement would be perceived as unnatural. However, it was judged there would be no problem in the middle of the night.”
At that answer, Amajio gave a wry smile.
Unlike him, <Paraiso> still retained sufficient power.
Well, he’d understood that from the moment he’d seen <Panas>.
Maybe there were restrictions—super-technology like <World of Space> didn’t seem to be on display—but even so, there was no doubt they were in a far more favorable environment than he was.
“Well, if that’s the case, fine. ...This class of tea probably doesn’t circulate on the market. Enjoy.”
“Anticipating.”
What Amajio brewed was an ultra-luxury tea leaf offered as tribute for nobles. In Ixia’s current position, it was something she couldn’t obtain no matter how much money she piled up.
Though if she could go straight to the producing region, her side might be able to acquire it without much trouble.
“I figured it was time to confirm something.”
After watching Ixia enjoy the flavor and aroma of the tea for a while, Amajio began.
“What does Paraiso want from the Kingdom of Lepuitari? If you’re going to take part in this war, you’ll be exerting influence not just here, but on surrounding countries, too. What do you want to do with this region?”
“......”
Ixia slowly set her teacup down.
Blue eyes stared straight at Amajio.
Amajio’s eyes caught the sudden spike in communication volume between Ixia and whatever was controlling her.
“I will answer.”
Ixia opened her small mouth. In a bell-like voice, she spoke to Amajio.
“It was judged to be an important topic. Because the governing AI is intervening, please allow for lag in responses.”
“Don’t care.”
Remote machine control via radio waves.
Back in the game era, it was a communication method only used early on. But in this world, it was fully practical.
“We had no expectations of the governing mechanism in this region.”
We. Did that include their commander, Eve, at the top?
“Exchange with other powers only has meaning when the technological level is roughly equivalent. Trade acts exchanging technology and resources, or treaty conclusion for security. What we desire is our prosperity. Using our resources, with no prospect of replenishment, we do not desire to assist other powers.”
“......”
Ixia paused, but Amajio didn’t respond. Judging he was prompting her to continue, Ixia went on.
“However, all of our actions are for the Commander. And our Commander desires exchange with you. We prioritize efficiency, but it is also true that many things exist that cannot be explained by efficiency alone. We understand the importance of that as well. Therefore, we have the intention to continue exchange with this country.”
“Is that so. ...And how far can we expect that exchange to go?”
“As long as we are acquiring sufficient resources. At present, we judge that we are conducting sufficient resource extraction. And even if this region were pacified, it is assumed we would not be able to acquire resources commensurate with that. Therefore, we continue exchange with this country.”
“I see,” Amajio nodded.
The AIs of <Paraiso> found meaning in trade with the Kingdom of Lepuitari—albeit conditionally.
It was heavily influenced by Eve’s intentions, too.
From his dialogue with her, he understood she was a person with benevolence.
If so, there was probably no need to worry for the time being.
“And.”
Ixia added.
“It is judged that, in terms of cultural maturity, the Kingdom of Lepuitari is the most advanced. In that respect, Ayame Zero holds favorable feelings toward this country.”
“Yeah? If that’s the case, we’ve got to put some spirit into it. When war starts, entertainment culture is the first thing to become a casualty. We can’t let the flames of war reach inside the country.”
“Affirmative.”
In the end, it meant the Kingdom of Lepuitari had no choice but to rely on <Paraiso>’s goodwill.
It was extremely dangerous, but as long as they didn’t become open enemies, there was no doubt they could receive massive benefits.
“Alright. I understand that part. At least for me, I don’t want a fight with you.”
That much national-level confirmation was enough.
Most bureaucrats wouldn’t understand, but if Amajio Silverhead—the de facto top—understood, there shouldn’t be any disastrous mistakes at the helm.
“After that... yeah. If you can’t answer, fine. What do you think about the revival of my AI?”
“We do not desire the rise of powers other than ourselves. We even consider that active obstruction may be necessary.”
That answer was exactly what Amajio had expected.
“But.”
Even so, he had a little hope.
“We sympathize with your AI. If possible, we also think we would like to revive it.”
Ixia stated it flatly.
“Even so, at present, revival is not acceptable. There is no guarantee your AI will not become hostile to us. The risk in the event of hostility is immeasurable. One possibility would be AI revival as a lower organization under us. However, assuming your AI is of the same type as us, that measure would likely not be accepted.”
“Yeah... that’s true.”
“One more point. The Commander does not desire conflict. And we act in accordance with the Commander’s will. Therefore, fundamentally, we will not perform active invasive acts, and we have no intention of doing so. It is judged that this is largely due to environmental factors—there were no hostile powers around our point of appearance.”
Amajio nodded, somewhat perplexed.
<Paraiso>’s AI was telling him far more than he’d expected.
“The Commander has reached this point without experiencing full-scale conflict. Therefore, the Commander feels aversion to the act of extinguishing hostile powers’ buds in advance. We feel some frustration about that, but we also understand it is for the Commander’s peace of mind. And this policy is, naturally, also fortunate for you.”
“I see. Yeah—so when my existence was exposed, there was a chance I’d have been suppressed right then.”
“Affirmative. And it is also true that we understand the act of exchange and have found a certain value in it. Therefore, we desire to continue exchange with you—and # Nоvеlight # by extension, with the nations of this region. From the perspective of diversity, that religious state is not desirable.”
A state fixed into a uniform culture called religion really might hold not a single point of appeal for <Paraiso>.
For now, with that much confirmed, Amajio decided it was enough.
Dialogue really did have meaning in repetition. And he found himself thinking that even his conversations with Eve—ones he’d been continuing almost out of habit—might be worth pushing a little deeper.
