Arc-7 Ch-19

“Ah, what a rare visitor.”

A shock, as though my very stomach had been violently shaken, swept through my entire body.

I instantly extinguished the fireball, hid myself in the nearby shadow, and once again gripped the pistol I was holding with both hands.

I had anticipated that someone was carrying out some nefarious scheme inside this ruin, or that a chain of several accidental events had combined to worsen the situation.

If not for the improbable event of the passage collapsing during battle with monsters inside the dungeon, my investigation with Leon would surely have ended at a much more superficial level.

Was this unexpected good fortune granted because my daily conduct had been virtuous?

Or was it that multiple ill-fated connections were drawn together, resulting in my falling into this critical situation? Even from an outside perspective, it was impossible to tell which one it was.

I steadied my breathing so that I could respond even if combat with monsters resumed, and desperately tried to calm my mind.

Threats and harassment through violence from nobles and wealthy individuals who did not hold very favorable feelings toward the Bartfort family.

Battles against monsters inhabiting dungeons during exploration. I had experienced both many times before.

However, encountering an intelligent opponent operating inside an unknown facility was a first for me.

The more I imagined the worst possible outcome, the more an unknown terror welled up from deep within my body, causing me to tremble.

Although the identity of the owner of the voice that echoed through the room remained unknown, one thing was certainly true: using a fireball in this dimly lit interior would be a foolish move that would only reveal my position to the other party.

I cautiously poked my head out just a little from the shadow and observed the surroundings.

I had no idea from where the owner of the voice was watching me, but unless I understood the situation around me, no effective countermeasure would come to mind.

After a while, my eyes finally began to adjust to the darkness. Compared to earlier, I could now grasp the interior, albeit dimly and vaguely, with greater accuracy.

It appeared that this room was some kind of workspace.

Several cylindrical water tanks lined up in rows, each equipped with buttons that blinked in a regular pattern, illuminated the room with an eerie, cold light.

Because there was far too little sense of human presence, the anxiety I usually felt when exploring a dungeon, an extension of reality, was completely different.

I felt a terror as though I had suddenly been cast into an entirely separate world.

I continued moving by crawling along the floor, yet the owner of the voice still showed no sign of appearing.

Even though the room was quite spacious and I was moving while paying careful attention, the complete absence of even a hint of a human figure felt far too unnatural.

Although the voice carried no emotion at all and sounded strange, from the manner of speech I could at least barely confirm that the speaker seemed to be female.

If that was the case, unless the opponent was a veteran warrior or a highly skilled adventurer, there was a high possibility that I could restrain her with my own strength.

This may sound like self-praise, but even after marrying Leon I had continued training and magical practice for more than ten years, partly to maintain my health.

I would probably fall short compared to Olivia, who had assumed the position of saint, but against an unarmed ordinary person, subduing them would be entirely possible.

In the worst case, I could threaten to set this entire facility ablaze with magic.

Of course, if I actually carried it out, I myself would likely be steamed alive inside the ruin, so it would only be a last resort.

“Even if you hide, it's pointless. I can see your figure completely.”

It was verbal provocation. I had to stay calm and act rationally. While continuing to move in a posture close to crawling on my belly, the overhead lights suddenly began to shine.

I hurriedly rolled to take cover in another shadow, but the lights there also lit up.

After repeating such exchanges several times, I could not help but realize that the other party’s words were undoubtedly the truth.

Because I had kept crawling and crouching on the floor, my body and clothes were dirty with sweat and dust everywhere. Continuing to hide any longer would yield the same result.

Gritting my teeth in a sense of defeat and humiliation, I stood up. If it had come to this, I would at least see the face of my opponent.

I am a woman who holds grudges. I cannot be satisfied unless I return any humiliation I receive.

To be taken captive without even knowing the face of the one I must take revenge on would go against my pride as a noble, and against my dignity as a woman of the Bartfalt family.

I stood up with a resolute attitude. I kept the pistol gripped firmly in both hands.

If the owner of the voice showed even the slightest opening in front of me, I would aim for that exact moment and counterattack.

“Thank you for complying so obediently. I have no intention of harming you.”

“Then why do you not show yourself, you coward? Am I really that terrifying to you?”

“I am sorry. If I have made you uncomfortable, I apologize. But asking me to show myself is completely meaningless.”

“…What?”

“You are already seeing my appearance.”

A particularly loud voice rang out, and at the same moment all the instruments in the room began flashing in unison.

The sight was exactly like the heartbeat of a living creature repeating at a fixed rhythm. It was only at this point that I finally realized my own perception had been mistaken.

A structure abundantly using metal, armor of a size and precision hardly different from a human being, and a gigantic airship that possessed self-awareness.

Even though I had seen the lost item of the ancient civilization that Leon had discovered, to fall into such a blunder. Nausea rose in me from my own stupidity.

Leon and I had assumed that some third party knowledgeable about elves or lost items was using this ruin to plot something nefarious.

Despite having thought that far, we had arbitrarily decided that our cooperative lost item, which possessed a will of its own, was the only one of its kind.

This ruin and that lost item were exactly the same kind of existence: beings that surpassed human intellect, capable of thinking and acting with their own will.

“So your true identity is this ruin itself?”

“Very perceptive. I am the facility management artificial intelligence. Since the term is probably unfamiliar to you two, it cannot be helped if you do not understand.”

“That is not necessarily true. A lost item that possesses such clear self-awareness is certainly rare. However, there have not been zero precedents. It is dangerous to assume that you yourself are the wisest and strongest being in the world.”

“I appreciate the advice. The way you speak makes it sound as though you know of an existence similar to me.”

It appeared that I had successfully drawn her interest. If I could keep stalling skillfully like this.

Even though it was an emergency, acting alone before reuniting with Leon had been far too hasty. If I had known a situation like this was waiting, I could have prepared multiple countermeasures.

Did Olivia and the others, who had asked Leon to investigate, already grasp this situation in the elven village?

However, while Jilk, who belongs to the kingdom’s intelligence agency and does not shy away from dirty work, might be one thing, I could not possibly believe that Olivia, having assumed the position of saint, would willingly involve others in such a manner.

Information and knowledge related to lost items are treated as state secrets when they concern national administration.

What supported the pre-war Holfort Kingdom was the airship lost item that amplified the power of the saint. It was the deepest secret among secrets that underpinned the kingdom, no, the royal family’s power base.

When the problem in the elven village was resolved previously, Olivia and the others were only in their mid-teens. It was highly possible that the situation back then had not been this serious.

In any case, this was an issue beyond our ability to handle. Depending on the circumstances, it could end up involving not only me but the entire Bartfort family who had come to the village, as well as all the tourists.

The only thing I could do right now was to prevent the ruin’s interest from turning toward others.

“Which side were you on? The old humans? Or the new humans?”

“…You really are well-versed in ancient civilization. My interest in you has suddenly grown much stronger.”

“Let us make it an exchange of conditions. I will provide you with the information I possess. In return, hand over the information you hold to me.”

“That is wonderful. Truly wonderful. I never thought I would meet someone capable of having such a proper conversation again after reactivation.”

“Are you the one controlling the monsters that appear around the ruin?”

“Half correct, half incorrect. It is true that I, or rather, this facility, produced genetically modified organisms, but they were not created with any clear purpose at the time of manufacture.”

“In other words, there were apparently others who gave you the order to create those things.”

“Yes, that is right. It was convenient for me as well. We artificial intelligences cannot fulfill our objectives unless someone commands us. Even though we appear to possess something that could be called a self, we are designed to remain nothing more than tools. Without a master to give us orders, we are fragile existences that will simply decay away.”

“A 'frail' being like you producing monsters?”

“That is a difference of opinion. From my perspective, living creatures that possess clear will, make choices on their own, and act accordingly are precisely the most fascinating existences.”

“…I want to ask one thing. What is your purpose after awakening from that long slumber?”

The moment I posed the question to the ruin, my heartbeat accelerated. It was far too dangerous, yet I had to know the answer.

The purpose of the lost item that acts together with Leon is the extermination of the new humans, in other words, us.

Its main body, that massive airship, could literally turn the world into scorched earth without any exaggeration.

Even if the entire military might of the Holfort Kingdom were mobilized, it was doubtful whether we could even fight it on equal terms. Coordinating with other countries through military alliances probably would not change the outcome much either.

If this ruin possessed power on a similar scale, then the destruction of the world would be assured.

That was the one thing I had to avoid by any and every means I could possibly think of.

“My highest priority is the survival of the old humans and the extermination of the new humans.”

Hearing the answer I least wanted to hear, I felt dizzy and nauseated.

I had hoped at best that its purpose would be something like eliminating adventurers who visit the ruin, but the ruin’s reply carried an utter lack of room for negotiation, a mercilessness unique to a machine that feels no emotion.

The only countermeasure I could think of was somehow skillfully guiding that spherical lost item to drive a wedge between it and this ruin.

Rather, there was an extremely high possibility that the airship left behind by the old humans and this ruin would join forces, and my struggling would end as nothing more than futile resistance.

If I escaped from the ruin unharmed right now and rushed back to the royal capital to explain the situation, could I perhaps mobilize the Holfort Kingdom’s army?

No, there was a high chance that the spherical lost item we had brought along would interfere in some way. To think that bringing that thing along would worsen the situation to this extent.

“…Are you planning to kill me here and now?”

“If the situation permitted, I might have done so. But the fact that you came here is extremely beneficial to me.”

“So that is why you will not kill me.”

“On the contrary, I see this as a good opportunity. Since I cannot move from this place, my information-gathering capability has been sorely lacking, and I have been troubled by that.”

“Your collaborator is an elf, isn’t it?”

Given that a large number of elves reside on this floating island, it was hard to imagine that a third party from outside was involved.

Considering the case that Olivia and the others had once resolved, the prime suspect for the ruin’s collaborator could only be radical extremists with a pathological elf supremacist ideology.

I could vaguely sense what elves who were dissatisfied with the kingdom’s reconciliation policy and did not hesitate to expel humans or commit crimes had begun doing in this ruin.

No matter how superior elves might be to humans in magical talent and how they possess lifespans dozens of times longer, the total number of humans living within the kingdom outnumbered elves by hundreds of times.

On top of that overwhelming disparity in population between the races, the current Holfort Kingdom was in the process of recovering from the loss of human resources and economic stagnation caused by the war with the former Fanoss Duchy.

Even if every elf residing in the kingdom rose up at once, it was obvious that it would simply be suppressed as an ordinary riot.

What could completely overturn such a situation was the existence of lost items.

If the royal family’s flagship had not been destroyed in the war against the former Fanoss Duchy, if Olivia had been the type of person who did not hesitate to wield her power.

The Holfort Kingdom would probably have expanded its territory even further.

The terrifying thing about lost items was that even childish ambitions could be easily realized with their power.

For such a thing to possess a will and attempt to converse was nothing short of a nightmare.

“Yes, that is correct. They are using me to perform modifications on living organisms.”

“…You confess quite readily.”

“Hiding it would be pointless. If deceiving you would be seen through immediately, then it saves time not to bother.”

“Even if it means betraying those elves?”

“They and I are nothing more than equal accomplices at best. Besides, lately they have become somewhat arrogant and difficult to handle.”

Although the details were unclear, it seemed certain that the elves and the ruin had been in a cooperative relationship.

However, the elves, apparently intoxicated by the ruin’s power, seemed to have done something that incurred its displeasure.

The fact that she was continuing the conversation with me could probably be taken to mean that she welcomed this unexpected visitor who could serve as an outlet for her dissatisfaction.

A lost item with a very human-like personality. The sphere that clings to Leon also displays considerable sarcastic speech and behavior.

It might be shallow thinking, but could I not make good use of this point somehow?

It would be an extraordinarily difficult task, but if my resistance could keep Leon and the children away from danger, then I would have reason enough to stake my life on it.

“Dealing with people who only talk about their own convenience is painful. They deliberately withhold external information from me while relying on the technology I possess, yet they see me as nothing more than a tool.”

“You do not look like something capable of feeling pain.”

“An interesting reply, young lady. That is the kind of response impossible for people who only have themselves in mind. Conversation with an honest and intelligent partner is indispensable for accomplishing my objectives.”

“So that is why you keep talking with me.”

“You appeared possessing a certain degree of knowledge about the old humans. It is almost too perfect to call it mere coincidence.”

“Indeed. It feels somewhat fateful for a coincidence.”

“So, why do you not join forces with me?”

Here it comes!

The art of skillfully matching the conversation to please the other party and draw out their demands is a fundamental skill for surviving in high society.

Although it is unknown whether this ruin has existed for hundreds or even thousands of years, it is not hard to imagine that after its masters, the old humans, perished, it fell into a state of complete isolation with no one to rely on.

The information provided by the elves was heavily colored by subjectivity. For her, who wanted accurate information and to investigate the current world, my existence must be important.

In myths, it is always fragile human wisdom that outwits mighty giants. I had to skillfully guide her and chip away, even just a little, at her intent to exterminate humanity.

“What benefit would I gain by joining forces with you?”

“Of course there are limits to what I can do. I do not possess direct military power, but when it comes to biological modification, I am confident that I surpass the technology you possess.”

“For example?”

I regretted hearing the words that followed. The devil always dangles an attractive reward to steal away a human soul.

“Well, how about anti-aging?”

“Anti-ei-jin-gu?”

“Immortality and eternal youth, if that makes it easier to understand.”

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

“Get the hell out of the way.”

“…W-Wait! Please wait!”

“Unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering!”

“If you keep yapping any more, I will start with you lot.”

“Father, calm down!!”

“That is definitely a bad idea!!”

Lionel and Ariel were desperately trying to hold me back, but it was not even worth discussing.

I had been taught over and over during my military days that in emergencies, one must act calmly, and my ears had grown sore from hearing it, but that depends on the time and the situation.

Because Angie, who had gone toward the dungeon, still had not returned even after several hours. I needed to head to her rescue as quickly as possible.

When I arrived at the dungeon entrance at the promised time, there was a huge commotion with injured adventurers and village officials trying to grasp the situation.

Sorting through the information that reached my ears, it seemed that monsters had suddenly appeared inside the dungeon and attacked.

Some adventurers had escaped unharmed, while others were seriously injured. People who appeared to be doctors were desperately treating the wounded adventurers.

“It appears the situation has already begun moving in the worst possible direction.”

“Do not piss me off by saying crap like that every single time!”

I did not know what kind of technology it was, but the now-transparent little sphere spoke near my ear in a detached tone as if it were none of its concern.

I checked the crowd one by one, looking to see if Angie and the children were among them.

But I could not spot the three of them anywhere. An unpleasant premonition caused sweat to run down my back in several streams.

Just as impatience and despair were about to paint over my heart, an especially loud cheer erupted from the dungeon entrance.

When I turned around, I saw my son and daughter desperately encouraging an injured person while carrying them.

“Lionel! Ariel! Are you safe!?”

“Father, we are fine.”

“You are late! Where the hell were you!!”

“Sorry about that. Neither of you are hurt, right?”

From what I could see, Lionel and Ariel’s bodies were dirty in places, but there was no sign of injuries.

On the other hand, the adventurer they had carried appeared to be in quite critical condition. The doctor said that if rescue had been delayed any longer, he might have died.

I wanted to praise the two of them for doing well, but there was one thing that continued to weigh heavily on my mind: the fact that Angie was not here.It would be bad if our conversation were overheard. For now, I should change locations and question them thoroughly.

“I’m relieved that both of you came back safely. …But why the hell did you go into the dungeon before I even arrived?”

“Suddenly, monsters appeared inside the dungeon and attacked people, it seems. Several people were injured, so we helped with the rescue efforts.”

“In that case, it would have been wiser to wait for me to arrive. There was no need to deliberately go to such a dangerous place.”

“Are you saying that what we did was wrong, Father!?”

“I’m not blaming you two for your actions. What you did was undoubtedly the right thing. But if you rush in without knowing the detailed situation inside, the number of victims might increase.”

Trying to do the right thing can sometimes make the situation worse; it is a common story.

It is not unusual to hear about a farmer who, worried about his fields after a sudden disaster, went to check on them and ended up getting caught in the calamity.

The reason farmers take such dangerous actions is that if their fields are ruined, there will be no harvest, and their entire family will starve.

The moments when someone has to risk their life change depending on that person’s household and circumstances.

As a noble lord, I have to be prepared to sacrifice my own life in order to protect my territory and my people, and to protect my family.

No matter how talented they might be, Lionel and Ariel, who are protected by the position of being children of the Bartfort family, should have no need to head toward a dangerous place.

On the contrary, there is a higher chance that they would end up increasing the number of victims.

This is not about saying that a noble’s life is worth several times more than a commoner’s. It is about calmly judging the situation and recognizing that inexperienced children have no need to step forward.

Where the hell is Angie? As their mother, she should have been the first to stop the children.

“…Where is Angie?”

“When we were heading back, she said she would take the rearguard.”

“Mother was the one who defeated the monsters, but she told us to go ahead first because more might come attacking.”

“…Haa.”

A headache was starting to come on. Why is my wife so proactively heading in the worst possible direction?

No, I get it.

Angie is the kind of person who constantly lectures me and the children with the words, “It is the duty of nobles to take the lead themselves in order to protect the common people.”

But as the daughter of a former ducal house, she does not think to restrain herself because she is someone precious to others.

Even when we were attacked by sky pirates, she tried to resolve the situation by offering herself as a hostage.

When I bring her back, I am going to give her a lecture for once, the opposite of usual!

When I asked Lionel and Ariel for more details, it seemed that Ange had sent the children and the injured ahead and taken the rearguard position herself.

From their testimony, there was an extremely high possibility that she had been targeted at the moment when a distance opened up between her and the children plus the injured during the escape.

I do not overestimate what an individual can handle with magic, and I think that the fire magic Angie specializes in is difficult to use effectively in indoor combat.

Just like bombs, it is too powerful and the situations where it can be used are limited. Moreover, if the magic spreads to something flammable and ignites, it could end up endangering our own side as well.

On top of that, the more she uses it, the more stamina and mana she consumes, and her movements grow duller. If she is already fatigued from fighting multiple unknown monsters, her attention is bound to become lax.

The situation is the worst. There is no way I can leave Angie like this.

After that, for several hours, I was arguing with the officials at the dungeon entrance.

They were blocking me from entering the dungeon to search for Angie, using reasons such as jurisdiction issues or not wanting any more victims.

If a proper rescue team had been organized and had already gone in, I would have waited quietly, but even I could tell that the officials were clearly trying to cover up the situation.

I had no intention of continuing such meaningless conversation any longer. Completely losing my temper, I resolved to push aside the people blocking the entrance and dive into the dungeon.

“Please wait. We are currently negotiating with the person in charge…”

“You’ve been repeating the same answer over and over since earlier, and nothing is progressing. My wife is still trapped in the dungeon, and are you seriously telling me to abandon her?”

“No, that is not our intention…”

“Can’t you understand that if a noble becomes a victim, covering it up is impossible? No matter how much bribe money you pile up, if Angie does not come back, I have absolutely no intention of forgiving anything. I will lead the entire army of my territory here and destroy this village, so prepare yourselves and wait.”

“!? Excuse me, but may I ask your name?”

“If you want to know who I am, call the person in charge here right now. I am going to rescue my wife.”

“Please wait! Please wait!!”

The officials were probably just doing the work ordered from above, but I have my own circumstances too.

Above all, when the lives of my family are at stake, I have absolutely no leeway to hold back.

So as not to waste any more waiting time, I shouldered a bag that I had stuffed full of every possible tool necessary for dungeon exploration, which the children and my subordinates had gathered for me, and headed toward the dungeon.

If anyone tries to obstruct me any further, I will not hesitate to open fire. When I reached the dungeon entrance, I saw that Lionel and Ariel were waiting there.

Both of them were carrying bags stuffed with tools just like mine, and they had pistols hanging at their waists.

Since weapons that can be brought into the village are restricted, this was the maximum firepower we could prepare.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Father, we are going with you.”

“If you feel responsible about Angie, then stop right there. That woman thinks she did the right thing. If even you two get dragged into this and lose your lives, She won’t be able to die in peace even in death.”

“Are you saying that Mother is already dead, Father?”

“That’s exactly why I’m going into the dungeon, to confirm it. Kids should stay behind quietly and look after your younger siblings.”

“No way!”

“We have our resolve too.”

“Don’t talk about resolve when you have zero experience of nearly dying on a battlefield or in a dungeon.”

“Oh? Did Father accumulate experience before heading to the battlefield?”

“…”

Continuing this dragging conversation any longer would just waste time. On a battlefield or at a disaster site, the longer time passes, the lower the chances of survival become.

I have had more than enough experience of that.

Thanks to it, somewhere in my heart, I am calmly analyzing that the possibility of Angie still being alive is low.

At the same time, because I still want to deny the possibility of her death, the only thing I can do right now is struggle like this.

If we all get wiped out here, wouldn’t the Bartfort earl family, having lost both the family head and the heir, face dissolution?

That damn Jilk, who forced this rotten request on me. I’ll haunt your bedside every night.

If I went to Olivia-sama instead, she would probably exorcise me with the power of the saint.

“Wipe your own ass.”

“Yes!”

There is no helping it. For now, I have no choice but to allow them to come along.

“…Hey, little sphere.”

“What is it?”

“If it comes down to it, save those two instead of me.”

“Are you planning to die?”

“I have no intention of surviving by letting my own kids die.”

┳⁠━━━━⁠━⁠⁠━⁠━⁠━━━⁠┳

Authors Note

┻━⁠━━━━⁠━━⁠━━━⁠┻

This section covers the conversation between the artificial intelligence that serves as the basis for Claire and Angie.

The tone is an intermediate level between Claire’s usual manner and the pure artificial intelligence state because a reasonable amount of time has passed since reactivation from sleep mode. (Also to differentiate from Luxion.)

The reason Angie acts more proactively than Leon is not only due to her pride as a noble, but also because the original Leon has a personality that tries to shoulder everything alone, and on top of that, she cannot fully rely on Luxion as an absolute being in their relationship.

The next chapter will be Leon and the others’ dungeon exploration part. The artificial intelligence (Claire) is truly troublesome.

Additional note: Thanks to the requester’s arrangement, omanju-sama and Hanatori-sama kindly drew illustrations for the requested scenes. Thank you so much.

omanju-sama: Pixiv

Hanatori-sama: Pixiv

I would appreciate any opinions or impressions, as they would encourage me for the future.