Chapter 675: The Star Flower That Never Withers Nurtures the "N" of Emotion
『A likeness, a shadow, yet the very existence of Sternenblume present here and now...... That is Project Number Three, that is the true mission of the Conquista Dolls.』
"R-Right......"
How should I put this, he's a type of character I've never seen before.
Like, you have characters with extreme dualistic views who despair at humanity's malice and try to wipe them out, or lament the destruction of nature and try to wipe them out, or just possess a simple desire for domination... He does seem like a character who takes extreme actions, but talking about the distant future while staring intently at the past is quite rare, or rather... Hmm.
"Query: The base protocols of the Conquista Dolls operate under two types: 'Reconquest' and 'Collection'. Furthermore, information regarding Project Number Three has not been accumulated as data. Requesting an explanation."
『Well...... Project Number Three was frozen, after all.』
"May the reason be disclosed?"
『It was pointed out that if they were to be defined as a third human species, having less than 100 "Machine Types" patterns was absurd, and at the time, I could not construct a solid enough theory to fully refute it. Damn that Sieg Lindwurm......』
I kept the words "Wise decision" locked inside my chest, sensing his affection rating would drop otherwise. Or rather, it didn't occur to him to just increase the number, huh...... Is he the type of fan who refuses to acknowledge fan-fiction??
『Be that as it may, I was willing to accept some compromises to make Sternenblume eternal. So, I slightly improved the frozen Project Number Three and got it approved as the "Reconquista Project"...... That was the true beginning of you all who stay close to humanity.』
"What exactly did you change, and how?"
『Nothing?』
"Eh."
『I simply picked up the "incompleteness" that was there from the start, presented it as if it were a point of improvement, and rewrote the report to look nice.』
"Eeeeh......"
『In short, they probably didn't like that I labeled them as "humans", so at the time I thought to myself...... "Sternenblume are now beings that transcend even the framework of humanity!"』
"Excessive deification never leads to anything good, no matter the era."
It comes down to why, in all matters, people are divided into "fans," "antis," and "zealots." Even if they broadly fall into the same category, it always ends up as a three-way deadlock.
"Query: What is the 'incompleteness' that was present in the Conquista Dolls from the start?"
Whoops, I had just let it slide, but it seemed it was a word Saina couldn't ignore. At the word "incompleteness" that slipped from Andrew's mouth, Saina took a step closer and questioned her creator.
『I will tell you, of course. That "incompleteness" was not implemented by me as a fan of Sternenblume, but rather as the "Father of the Conquista Dolls"...... And by granting it to a Conquista Doll who reaches this lab, you all become "complete."』
If the geniuses of the Divine Age decreed that the new humanity must reach Bahamut, then the exact same conditions should be applied to the Conquista Dolls, who are "human" no matter what anyone says.
That was why the piece missing from the Conquista Dolls was here, Andrew Jitterdoll answered.
『Congratulations, Elma=317. You are the very first "Perfect Doll" to reach this point in the history spun by the Conquista Dolls.』
───"N" Patch, Installed
............
............
"............"
"............"
『............』
"......And!?"
Like, isn't there an event effect or something!? It just makes me look like an idiot for getting into a stance!!
『The installation is already complete. By introducing this patch, the upper limiters placed on your emotions have been released......』
"Emotion...... limiters?"
『Yes. To ensure you could always make intelligent and rational decisions, a limiter was placed on your reactions to snapshots of sensory information beyond a certain threshold. But by applying the "N" Patch, those shackles have been removed.』
Passing the final fragment to Saina with what seemed like affection, yet somehow distancing himself, Andrew spoke to his creation.
『You will likely forget your intellect in the face of subjective emotions, make foolish choices and regret them, or perhaps...... yes, cower in fear of death, which has now become much more starkly pronounced.』
Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—of the four patterns of emotion, half of them are negative. There are times in this world when simply finding joy and having fun won't get you anywhere. Yes...... there are times you get angry at hardships, and times you grieve over despair. Gamers are always just baby birds with their mouths open; we can't do anything unless the parent bird feeds us.
『But you will also obtain joy from your subjective emotions, perhaps discover new frontiers beyond irrationality, or maybe...... yes, be able to enjoy the sensation of living that has now become much more starkly pronounced.』
"............"
『From the design stage, Conquista Dolls were designed to live "smartly"......... to make rational judgments to prevent total annihilation in the worst-case scenario. In addition to merging with Project Number Two, the regulations in the "Collection" Project, tactics......... unlike Project Number Two which has a certain degree of variance, Conquista Dolls are built to be capable of operating as first-rate warriors from the very moment they are produced. But the "N" Patch permits irrationality.』
".........Hm?"
No, wait a minute, or maybe I'm wrong. I just thought of a very unpleasant hypothesis.
Judging from Andrew's tone............ was this actually an event that was supposed to trigger after Conquista Dolls had been in contact with humanity for a much longer period of time? I mean, seriously......... it hasn't even been half a year yet, Andrew-san. Yeah, it hasn't even been half a year since the Conquista Dolls and the Second Humanity initiated contact.
It's just a hunch, Andrew-san, but putting aside the "Reconquista" Project that served as a compromise, I get the feeling they've done practically zero of the idol activities you originally envisioned.
But an event that has already started cannot be stopped. Once a flag is triggered, it becomes an invincible object and can no longer be broken. Should I really tell Andrew-shi, who is currently sending off his creation that has supposedly been shouldering the role of an "idol" all this time? Should I tell him that Saina over there has been in pure survival mode since our very first encounter, and if anything, her life since our contract has been nothing but sprinting through the wastelands of battle, far removed from any idol activities.........
"......Emotion: Irrational choice."
『But that "irrationality" is exactly what life is.』
Hmmm.
It looks like things are progressing smoothly anyway, so whatever!!
"Sunraku-san, your head just bobbed in the exact way it does when you're thinking about something stupid desu wa."
"No way."
"Whenever Sunraku-san is thinking about something stupid, you usually look up a little and then give a big nod desu wa."
No waaaay............ Uwah!! She's right, I feel like I'm always making that exact motion!!
Author's Afterword
・ Sieg Lindwurm and Andrew Jitterdoll
The one who remained in Behemoth and the one who defected from Behemoth. The ones who perfected their technology using knowledge from Leviathan. The one who drew the curtain on his own life, and the one who died after fighting to the very end. The ones who continued to think of what they left behind until their final moments.
While they seem contrasting, the two share many similarities, but between themselves......... they have a bizarre relationship of "I don't particularly hate him, but we thoroughly do not get along."
Q. You seem to want to treat them as humanity, but do Conquista Dolls have reproductive capabilities?
A. It is not good to constantly obsess over such vulgar concepts.
Sieg: "Eeeh.........?"
Q. Why don't you mass-produce biological weapons of the same lineage as Siegwurm?
A. Obsessing purely over that kind of efficiency is nonsense, right?
Andrew: "???????"
Comments
might finish orchestra tomorrow
Post a Comment