To investigate the mana density around <The Tree>, Albatross craft equipped with mana-density meters launched one after another.
Watching them go, Eve let out a sigh with Ringo at her side.
“This is turning into another one of those problems that makes my head hurt...”
“......”
Of the twelve recovered mana-density meters, six had been loaded onto Albatross craft to measure concentrations at long range.
The remaining six were to be mounted on drones and used to survey the nearby sea.
Eve herself was not especially bothered by it, but Ringo seemed extremely concerned about the high mana density.
Apparently she was having a negative reaction to the idea that something she could not detect existed all around them—at an abnormal level, no less.
Well, Eve could understand that.
If a base one believed had been under perfect control turned out to have actually been contaminated all along, it was easy to imagine how unsettling that would feel.
“Asahi thinks Ringo is worrying too much! Mana is probably just something universally present on this planet! It’s like oxygen!”
“Whoa, you startled me. Asahi, aren’t you in the middle of an overhaul?”
“My love for Big Sis made the impossible possible!!”
Asahi’s voice suddenly cut in, even though she was supposed to be in pieces during overhaul.
Eve turned to Ringo, but Ringo shook her head.
“She is connected through the wireless unit standard-equipped in the Brain Unit. Since adhesion with the spinal nervous system has advanced, some connections cannot be disengaged, so consciousness is being maintained.”
“Last time I was bored out of my mind because I got taken apart while still conscious, so this time I tried harder!”
“As long as there aren’t any side effects... Is that really okay?”
“She says there is no problem, so it is probably fine.”
Apparently Ringo had already given up on Asahi to some extent.
Replying rather casually on that front, she displayed the mana-density map for Commander Ma’am.
“This is real-time data from the Albatross units. To quickly confirm surrounding concentrations, all craft are flying outward in a radial pattern.”
“Huh. ...Just looking at the numbers, it really does seem like <The Tree> is the center.”
When the displayed mana-density values were connected as contour lines, the distribution was roughly concentric.
The area around <The Tree> had the highest concentration, and from there the mana density dropped off sharply. At the point of greatest concentration near <The Tree>, it was fully 2,500%. But at a distance of about 30 km, it seemed to fall to around 200%.
“It’ll take a little longer before we can see the full picture.
For now, tell me the plan going forward.”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Using the Albatross-mounted units, we will continue measurements out to the continental coastline, covering a radius of approximately 1,000 km. At the same time, using the drone-mounted units, we will collect data within a radius of about 50 km. By comparing that against the detailed mana-density map from around Northend City to the <Demon Forest>, we should be able to analyze conditions around <The Tree>.”
This mana-density meter, which used Forest Boar olfactory cells, had the drawback of a somewhat slow response time.
Given that it operated by generating a potential difference in response to ambient mana density, it made sense that it would not be instantaneous.
As a result, on Albatross craft flying at several hundred kilometers per hour even at the slow end, the readings from the mana-density meter became significantly blurred.
To compensate for that, they would gather information in the nearby sea using drones capable of low-speed flight and hovering.
“In addition, we will immediately establish two fixed observation points. At those locations, we should be able to confirm whether mana density changes over time.”
“Hmmm, it kind of doesn’t look like the highest concentration is just smack in the middle of <The Tree>, either. Ringo, can I borrow some processing space?”
“Absolutely not. If you chew up bandwidth in the middle of maintenance, this will never be finished.”
“Aww.”
◇◇◇◇
“All right then, let’s share information! About mana!”
“We’re starting with Asahi’s test results.”
“Wait, what? Big Sis, why!?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am.”
A report meeting was being held for Eve’s sake, since she could not connect directly to the network.
Everyone had gathered in the lounge.
“Asahi goes here!”
“Sit right here!”
“Ah, okay.”
Noisy Asahi was seized by Utsugi and Erika.
They shoved her right into the middle of a two-seat sofa. She was locked down firmly from both sides, though she looked happy enough about it that nobody felt the need to object.
Eve sat down beside Ichigo, and Olive pressed in beside Eve.
Akane, who entered last, quickly looked over the scene and chose the spot next to Ichigo.
Once everyone had settled onto the sofas, Ringo began serving drinks and snacks.
“Well then.”
After the beverages and light food were in place, Eve opened the discussion.
“So. How was Asahi?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. For the moment, no abnormality has been detected. The progression of adhesion with the spinal nervous system is now almost 100%. Going forward, any damage information from your chassis will be fed back directly to the Brain Unit, so exercise due caution.”
“Yes! I’ve built a bypass circuit into the feedback-processing system, so fault tolerance should actually be higher than normal. No problem!”
“Asahi, Ringo is telling you not to get hurt.”
“Ah...”
Scolded by Eve, Asahi hurriedly turned toward Ringo.
Ringo was staring at her with a flat look.
“Asahi really is reckless.”
“You’re always on the front line, so of course we worry.”
Her cheeks were kneaded from both sides, and Asahi fell silent.
Watching the three of them, Eve let out a quiet laugh.
“Well, it looks like safety measures are being handled properly, and we’re monitoring from here too, so I’m not that worried. ...Now then.”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am.”
Ringo projected an image into the air—an X-ray of Asahi’s Brain Unit.
“I’ll share this with everyone too. This is the inside of Asahi’s brain.”
What showed up on the X-ray was a strange white haze that had appeared inside the Brain Unit.
“Compared to last time as well, this region of white shadow has definitely increased. To put it simply, some kind of abnormal state is progressing. That said, no actual problem has appeared in the examination results. The diagnosis is exactly as already shared.”
“So this is an abnormality that can’t be detected by the testing equipment?”
Ichigo asked that, and Ringo nodded.
“That is correct. Functionally, there is no problem at all. However, this white shadow appears on X-ray imaging. That is all.”
“Ohhh... wait, does this mean Asahi has finally stepped into the realm of absurd fantasy too!?”
Asahi, hearing these results for the first time, lit up instantly.
She tried to jump to her feet, but Utsugi and Erika pinned her back down at once.
“Hey, come on, sisters...!”
“Yes, yes, sit still and listen.”
“Stay seated.”
“So we looked into whether this abnormality was happening anywhere else too.”
Watching the three of them flail around together on the cramped sofa, Eve continued.
“At the very least, signs of this white shadow have been confirmed in U-class and E-class AIs operating inside the <Demon Forest>. The same goes for O-class Strategic AI <Cosmos>, which oversees Northend City. And—”
Ringo looked around at all of them.
“X-ray imaging has low resolution, and the information it provides is inferior to that of other examinations, so it had not been used. The truth is simply that Asahi tried every piece of test equipment available, just in case.”
“Isn’t the way Asahi gets treated a little too rough?”
“Asahi’s a problem child.”
“You know that yourself, don’t you?”
Maybe because they did not usually interact with her so directly, but Utsugi and Erika were absolutely treating Asahi like a toy.
“We carried out examinations on as many independent AIs as possible. As a result, approximately thirty percent of AIs were found to have the same kind of white shadow in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} their physical processing devices. Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, Olive. The same is true for all of you.”
At those words from Ringo, the five sisters froze.
