“What nice weather, Big Sis!”
“...It really is.”
For daily health, sunbathing was extremely important.
The ultraviolet rays in sunlight known as UVB caused vitamin D to be produced inside the body.
Also, exposure to strong light promoted serotonin secretion.
Of course, it was possible to supplement vitamin D through medication and the like. Light for serotonin secretion could also be produced artificially. There was no need to force oneself to bask in natural sunlight.
However, perhaps because of the traits of a fox beastkin, Ringo’s analysis was that the act of dozing under the sun was extremely important for Eve’s mental stability.
As a result, it had become part of the daily routine for her to sunbathe every morning and again after breakfast.
And today, since Asahi had returned to the fortress <The Tree>, the two of them were spending time together. For Asahi herself, sunbathing had almost no meaning, since she was nearly entirely mechanized, but simply acting together with Big Sis improved all kinds of values for her.
“It is time, so I will activate the optical shield.”
A doll-machine communicator operated by Ringo, waiting a short distance away, gave that notice.
The stacked crystals, supplied with the proper voltage, shielded out wavelengths of light harmful to the human body. With that, even prolonged sunbathing would have no effect on Commander Ma’am’s precious body.
“...Already time, huh.”
Still curled up, Eve slowly raised herself. Then she lifted both arms and stretched wide.
Asahi, who had been rolling around beside her, sprang lightly to her feet as well.
“I’ll bring drinks and a snack, Big Sis!”
“Thanks~”
Asahi ran over to the self-propelled cart, took out chilled glasses, a pot, and frozen sweets from inside, then came scampering back.
In the meantime, Eve moved over to a two-person seat. It was a couple’s seat woven from nylon fibers.
“Here you go~”
“What is it today?”
Setting the tray on the table, Asahi poured the drink into the glasses. The liquid in the pot was a carbonated beverage chilled to just before freezing. Apparently, it had been flavored with a citrus fruit discovered on the northern continent.
“Mmm, so good~”
Things like carbonated fructose drinks, ice cream, and sherbet were digestible even for Asahi. So today’s dessert was a sherbet made from a high-sugar fruit.
That fruit, which resembled a mango, was one of Eve’s favorites.
After happily enjoying dessert together with cheerful little squeals, the two stayed pressed close on the couple’s seat and began relaxing there.
Normally, the other five sisters would return to work, so Eve would go back along with them, but since Asahi was here today, she was taking her time.
“By the way, Asahi, have you decided what you’re going to do from here on?”
“You mean Asahi?”
Asahi tilted her head and went, “Mmm.”
It was not that she was having trouble answering. She was just acting spoiled.
“Let’s see. For now, I’d like to land in the Divine Kingdom.”
“Oh my, really? I thought you were going to Northend City.”
“That side is <Cosmos>’s responsibility, after all. If Asahi went there, it doesn’t seem like I’d be able to move around all that freely!”
Northend City was being developed by the O-class Strategic AI <Cosmos>. It had been moving quite aggressively, setting up monster-material processing facilities, testing equipment for opening up the <Demon Forest>, and much more.
It seemed Asahi had concluded that if she added herself there, it would only turn into a struggle over resources.
“I see. So the Divine Kingdom, then. True, the AI for controlling the base there still hasn’t been decided. <Iris> is handling overall management, but still.”
“Yes, Big Sis. I think an I-class from Big Sis Ichigo will probably be installed there eventually, but for now it seems like the place where I’ll be able to move most freely, and my research should progress well too!”
Yaakari Port, the landing base in the Divine Kingdom. An O-class AI, <Lotus>, had been installed there as well, but only on a provisional basis. Eventually, a production base was going to be built a bit farther inland, near a large mineral vein, and <Lotus> was scheduled to be relocated there.
Given that situation, safety in the Divine Kingdom was extremely high.
If anything, it might actually be several levels safer than the United Kingdom of Aphrasia, where the local governing structure had been left in place.
“Ah, that reminds me, you said you were developing a new escort unit. Is Asahi going to be the one using it?”
“Ah, yes, Big Sis! Yes, it’s an escort unit for °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Asahi’s protection, and by extension, for use in protecting important people! As a trial, we’re planning to install a magical device called the Flame Wand that we had brought in from Northend City!”
“O-oh. I see.”
“This thing is a magical device made using a <Magic Stone> from a fire-breathing lizard, and if you put enough force into it, it fires a mass of flame! So right now, I’m testing whether we can somehow incorporate it into an automatic machine!”
“I see...”
“So that’s why I’m testing the escort unit right now. If it looks good, I may land at Yaakari Port before too long!”
“Be careful. I think it should be fine since it’s almost entirely inside our sphere of influence, but that doesn’t mean the land and sea have been swept completely clean.”
“Yes, Big Sis!”
Eve also understood that <The Tree> was steadily expanding its sphere of influence. As far as the human civilizations they had been able to observe were concerned, countermeasures had already been taken for all of them, but it was hard to say their preparations against monsters and threat organisms were complete.
Even so, if they did nothing but fear that fact, they would never move forward.
They evaluated the threat level, and if it fell within acceptable bounds, they advanced again.
That was what they were continuing to do at present.
“For the time being, the Divine Kingdom’s problems are almost all dealt with, but how are you thinking about things, Big Sis?”
That was probably just Asahi’s honest question. Since Asahi operated primarily with research as her focus, she did not have much access to strategic information that had not yet been finalized. She would download it if it became necessary, but right now this was only recreation.
Eve understood that as well, so she answered conversationally.
“Well. I think you already understand this too, Asahi, but right now we’re in an expansion phase. Securing resources has succeeded, production is steadily climbing, and we’re at the stage where we’re increasing production facilities while strengthening our military power and improving our defensive capability. The suppression of the Divine Kingdom expanded both our mineral veins and our land by quite a bit.”
The Prava Divine Kingdom was an inland state. It had rapidly expanded its national territory by opening up plains, creating farmland, and increasing food production. The military strength that would ordinarily have fallen short had been made up for through the use of cleric-soldiers, those obedient magical troops.
“The United Kingdom of Aphrasia also has quite a large territory compared to the surrounding states, but it’s nothing compared to the Prava Divine Kingdom. For the time being, we’re not going to have any problems with land or resources.”
“That’s true. There are still a lot of mineral veins we haven’t touched yet, and it looks like there may be a large iron deposit in the Divine Kingdom too, right?”
“Right, right. We found traces of something like that on the western side. It’s a little far away, so we still don’t know the details yet, though.”
The northern continent still stretched far to the east and west. For that matter, there might even be another human state farther west than the Prava Divine Kingdom. Nothing had been found through satellite imagery, but in a fantasy world, that was no guarantee of anything.
And even if there was no country to the west, there were still several states to the east that they had not yet reached.
That was why they had to be prepared for conflict.
Their controlled territory had expanded all at once.
Now they had to fully integrate that territory into their sphere of influence.
And to do that, they were still short on both automatic machines and AI.
“We need to keep increasing the number of bases in the Prava Divine Kingdom. After that, maybe move ahead with negotiations with the western states. We have absolutely no information on what lies beyond the Forest Kingdom of Levresta.”
“That makes sense. Then for the time being, it’s domestic strengthening! Asahi will master magic too! I’ll make myself useful!”
“Hehe. I’m counting on you, Asahi.”
