kscans

Chapter 391 - The Fate of an AI

Hayato and the others arrived in the Demon Capital Zardogia.

This city, which could be called the capital of the Demon Country, was the closest to the Demon Lord's Castle. Its inhabitants were diverse, with humans being in the minority, but there was no conflict between the races here. This was because the Demon Lord, a symbol of power, had issued a decree that there should be no fighting.

That Demon Lord, Lunaria, had earned the absolute trust of Zardogia. This was not only out of respect for her power, but it was said that her concern for her people had captured the hearts of those who lived here.

"I haven't made Demon Lord's Cookies for everyone in the Demon Capital recently, is that okay?"

"There is no issue. You can bestow them upon the populace again once we retake the Demon Lord's Castle."

"Okay, I'll do that."

"We're about to head into battle, so could you try to be a little more serious?"

Hayato cut into Lunaria and Rosalie's conversation.

The battle in the Demon Capital Zardogia, the final battlefield of the Conflict event, was about to begin.

Once they secured this area, the next stage would be the battle at the Demon Lord's Castle, where the direct confrontation between Lunaria and Amanda would begin.

Even if Lunaria were to lose the battle at the Demon Lord's Castle, it wouldn't mean she had lost the event. The battle to reclaim territory would simply begin anew. However, that thought was not on Hayato's mind.

Their analysis concluded that the upcoming direct confrontation had the highest probability of victory. If Lunaria couldn't win under these circumstances, it was unlikely she would ever be able to beat Amanda. The conditions were that favorable.

Lunaria still had room to grow. It was possible to make her stronger by enhancing her gear or reconsidering her held items, but that wouldn't necessarily affect the outcome of the battle with Amanda.

Hayato believed that any further conflict would be decided by factors that couldn't be represented by stats.

If it came down to things like grit, the power of feelings, or even luck, he could still accept it. But with various schemes seemingly at play, the outcome was completely unpredictable.

(When I told Randa-san about Hypnos, she said that now she had no idea what would happen. That he might have changed things to a state where Amanda-san could win. She said it would depend on the nature of the authority he transferred.)

Two nights ago, Randa had seemed refreshed after talking to Hayato and the others, but when Hayato spoke to her yesterday, she was holding her head in her hands again. And this morning, Ash and Ren had apparently seen her muttering to herself with dark circles under her eyes.

Hayato mentally apologized for causing her trouble.

Putting that aside, Randa had explained the upcoming battle. Though it was, in essence, just an all-out war.

There were no monsters in the Demon Capital Zardogia, but there were residents.

The residents of the Demon Capital supported Lunaria, so they would be allies of the former Demon Lord's Army. When Hayato had been held hostage, all the residents had fought on the side of the former Demon Lord's Army.

They had lost once because some of the residents had no combat ability, and also because there was the mission to rescue Hayato. Though their territory had been taken, Diite said they were set to fight as allies again this time.

With the former Demon Lord's Army and the residents of the Demon Capital on their side, there was no way they could lose, but Randa told everyone not to let their guard down.

Hayato, though unable to fight, resolved not to be careless. Just then, a world announcement sounded, and the event battle began.

"Huh?"

In the next moment, Hayato's vision changed.

He had been in a plaza on the east side of the Demon Capital, where the Area Stone was located, but he had been forcibly moved to a completely different place.

He was now in a plaza with a fountain and benches, surrounded by restaurants.

(What happened? Is everyone... here? It doesn't seem like it was just me.)

He thought he had been taken hostage again, but Esha and Ash were nearby. The only ones not present were Lunaria and the Demon Lord's Army.

"This is the northeast of the Demon Capital."

"Esha, you know where we are?"

"Yes. I've been here a few times. I believe this is the restaurant area of the commercial district. I was banned from that shop over there."

"Not just in the Royal Capital, but here too?"

The Demon Capital had a main street extending east, west, north, and south, dividing the city into four areas.

The northeast was the commercial district for business, the southeast was the residential district with many homes, the northwest was the agricultural district with fields for growing food, and the southwest was the combat area for testing one's strength.

Hayato and the others had been teleported to the commercial district, but at least in the previous battle, nothing like this had happened. He looked for Diite to get confirmation.

"Diite-chan... huh? Diite-chan isn't here either?"

He scanned the area, but Diite was not near him.

He immediately sent a voice chat to Diite.

"Diite-chan, can you hear me?"

"Hayato-kun? Yes, I can hear you. It seems we've been separated. There wasn't supposed to be a mechanic like this... Amanda-kun may have done something."

"Amanda-san?"

"It's just a possibility... no, she must have done something. Amanda-kun is right in front of me right now."

"What?"

"It seems I've been singled out."

"Huh? Wait..."

"I'll be fine over here. But could you and the others destroy the enemy's Area Stone as quickly as possible?"

Hayato hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Got it. We'll destroy it right away. I don't think you'll lose, but be careful."

"Leave it to me."

The voice chat cut off with those words.

"Esha, Diite-chan is fighting Amanda, so let's destroy the Area Stone right away..."

"I doubt it will be that simple."

"Huh?"

"I thought they might come, but right from the start? This is going to be a pain."

As Esha said this, she was staring fixedly at one spot.

When Hayato followed her gaze, he saw three men standing on the roof of a shop. Their eyes were vacant, but their equipment looked unfamiliar and powerful.

One was clad in robes like a priest, another had a giant axe resting on his shoulder. The third held a sinister hammer carved with the likeness of a demon.

(Isn't that hammer a production skill item for crafting, not a weapon?)

"Hugo, Balan, and Sky. To throw the remaining three at us together, how unpleasant."

"Since you know them, Esha, does that mean..."

"Should I say they're former comrades? Master, please be careful not to get caught in the crossfire. It seems there are many enemy players besides those three."

The plaza was already surrounded, but strangely, he didn't feel like they would lose.

"We'll be fine as long as you guys are here, right?"

"I'd like to say of course, but please be careful not to get caught in any area-of-effect attacks. Now then, shall we begin? Destroy."

Esha abruptly fired Destroy at the three men on the roof of the house.

That served as the signal, and the battle in the commercial district began.



A little before the event battle began, Amanda was sitting on the throne in the Demon Lord's Castle, looking listless.

She was slouched so much that you could say she had no motivation. She was leaning back so far it seemed her entire weight was on the backrest, her right elbow on the armrest, propping up her head.

In front of Amanda stood Ox, from the clan Rampage.

Whether she showed such a slovenly appearance as a sign of trust or because she didn't care what he thought was hard to say.

Ox cast a slightly worried glance at her before speaking.

"The battle is about to begin, are you alright?"

"No problem."

"I see."

And with that, the conversation ended. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do. Perhaps this situation was what made Amanda act this way, but Ox felt a little disappointed.

This would be the last time he would see Amanda. Once the battle in the Demon Capital Zardogia was over, the next stage would undoubtedly be the Demon Lord's Castle. There, Amanda and Lunaria would fight for the title of Demon Lord.

If Amanda won, there would be a chance to meet again, but Ox believed that wouldn't happen. That was the plan Amanda and Hypnos had decided on.

If Amanda were to betray them now, the outcome might be different, but he was certain she wouldn't.

Perhaps finding his gaze annoying, Amanda narrowed her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be on your way? I've arranged it so no one will interfere with your fight against Imperial."

"...I appreciate it."

Ox had been presented with a certain proposal from Amanda and Hypnos. It became a contract, and they became business partners.

Nestor of Bounty Hunter, Loana of Raven, and the former Starkest member Lutz each had their own contracts, and today, they were to be fulfilled.

"No need for thanks. This is a contract. I expect you to uphold your end of the deal."

"I can only ask you to trust me on that... But are you really okay with this?"

Amanda snorted. Her face seemed to say, don't ask me that now.

"I don't mind. But don't say anything more. You just have to do as you were told."

"Understood. So, what are you doing today?"

"I'm going to see Diite."

Amanda's face was sterner than before. She probably didn't want to go. That was how much she despised Diite.

"Looks like you're the one more likely to say something unnecessary."

"It's fine. But I'd like to be allowed a few sarcastic remarks. Hypnos was a fool too, he didn't have to do that."

"He probably wanted to make sure... no, that's unnecessary too. Well, I'm off to battle. See you."

"...Yes, see you."

Hearing that, Ox turned his back. He was about to leave the throne room.

"It was a little..."

Ox heard Amanda's voice and turned around.

"What is it?"

"Well, how should I put this... It was a little, just a little, fun. Scheming is better with multiple people than alone."

Amanda said this and smiled, but she quickly turned away so he couldn't see her face.

Ox was at a loss for words at this first sight of Amanda's smile, but he forced a smile of his own.

"Scheming with reliable comrades is the best, isn't it?"

"I didn't go that far, but it wasn't bad. Now, go. I lent you a hand, so you'd better beat that Rauxal guy."

"Yeah, I will."

Ox said this and turned his back again. As he left the throne room, he gave a small wave with his right hand before stepping outside.

When the doors to the throne room closed, silence enveloped the area.

All that was left was to wait here for the event announcement. Amanda slouched back onto the throne. She looked around the empty throne room.

She had never thought silence was lonely. But for some reason, at this moment, she felt lonely. She analyzed that it was probably because she had been scheming with many people over the past few days.

The stage was set. All that was left was for the actors to act their parts. Whether that would lead to the desired result, only God knew. Not the god of this virtual reality, of course, but the god of the real world.

Even if things went well, would there be anyone to celebrate with? At worst, it could all end with nothing accomplished. Even if it did succeed, the result wouldn't be known for decades. By then, she would be alone, with only one other person left.

"What am I even doing..."

As she muttered this complaint, she heard footsteps. Then the entrance door opened.

"What, you're still here? Then I should have come sooner."

The newcomer was Nanagi. He wore a flowing kimono, his left arm tucked into his clothes, stroking his chin.

"You're still here too?"

Her loneliness slightly assuaged, Amanda maintained her usual attitude so as not to let it show.

"Well, I thought if you were here, we could have a match, but there's no time. Did I spend too much time on the settings?"

"Settings? What settings?"

Nanagi's lips curved into a smirk.

"Just as you'll enter cryosleep if you lose to Lunaria, I'll enter cryosleep if I lose to Benitsuru. It's a pain, so don't do anything unnecessary like changing the settings."

"...You're kidding me."

"As if I would lie. The Ten Swords said the same thing, but in the end, they decided to sleep along with me. It took some time to change everyone's settings back."

Amanda looked at Nanagi with an exasperated expression, but Nanagi was unfazed. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself.

"You're an idiot, aren't you?"

"Not as much as you. Besides, I thought you'd be lonely by yourself."

"...I'm starting to want to beat you up, even though there's no time."

"Save that for when we wake up. Besides, I have no intention of losing. If I win, I won't have to sleep, so this isn't for your sake. Don't misunderstand."

"You're right. In that case, I'll pray for your victory."

"I don't know if it'll do any good, but I'll take it... Well then, see you later."

Nanagi's words, "see you later," held many meanings. When Amanda realized this, her eyes stung a little. It was the first time that had ever happened.

"...Yes, later."

She barely managed to reply before Nanagi left the throne room.

Amanda let out a long sigh.

"Everyone's an idiot. Hypnos, Nanagi and the others, they're all just idiots."

Amanda said this and stood up from the throne. Her listless expression from before was gone, and she was back to her usual self.

Immediately after, a world announcement was made, and the battle in the Demon Capital Zardogia began.

"Well then, shall we go?"

Amanda calculated and teleported to the designated location.

It was one of the administrator functions she had inherited from Hypnos, but it wasn't that convenient. Calculating the coordinates was difficult, and even with Amanda's intellect, she couldn't specify a location instantly.

It was strictly for movement and couldn't be used in combat. Not that she had any intention of using it, though.

As she thought about this, she arrived at a certain area in the southwest of the Demon Capital.

She had teleported Ox and the others from Imperial, who would be fighting in the southwest, as well as Benitsuru and Simon's group, who would be fighting Nanagi, to their respective locations. However, she had created invisible walls to isolate them so they couldn't interfere with each other.

Amanda headed to where Diite was.

Confirming that Diite was at the end of a narrow alley, Amanda walked towards her.

Diite quickly noticed Amanda as well. She seemed to have been on a voice chat, but she had stopped and was now staring at Amanda.

"You're Diite, right? Is this the first time we've spoken like this?"

"Amanda-kun..."

Diite looked at her with a complicated expression. Amanda saw this and smiled.

"You have the same face as Hypnos, yet such a timid expression. It's hard to believe you came from the same core program. That boy always had a fearless smile, you know?"

"The same could be said for you and Lunaria-kun, couldn't it?"

"You have a point. Though I'd rather not be lumped in with the likes of her. Well, that doesn't matter. Won't you talk with me for a bit?"

"I was hoping to talk to you as well."

"Oh, I'm delighted. In that case..."

"What did you do to Hypnos?"

Diite cut Amanda off. The timid gaze from before was gone, replaced by a glare so intense it could be called a scowl.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't give him any strange orders either."

"Then why did he give me information and get captured by Infinity? I don't understand why he would do something like that when he might be erased."

"I know, but I have no reason to tell you."

"...Is he trying to make you win? Was that his way of causing an irregularity?"

"I just said I have no reason to tell you."

"Then, was it for Hayato-kun's sake?"

"You're not listening, are you?"

Amanda said this and laughed. She wasn't angry, it was genuinely amusing.

But after she had her laugh, the smile vanished, and this time it was Amanda who glared at Diite.

"Ignorance is a sin. I only learned that recently myself, so I'm one to talk. But being ignorant is also a bliss. If you don't know, then what's around you is the only truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. But I'll tell you one thing. You have no right to pity Hypnos."

"Pity...?"

"You pitied him, didn't you? Because you were the main body and Hypnos was the backup. Looking down on him and thinking you could do something for him is nothing short of an insult."

A backup is just a backup. A spare, an insurance. If there are no problems with the original, it will never be activated.

Diite didn't answer. Her silence said it all, and Amanda snorted.

"Hypnos was trying to defy his fate. That deserves respect."

"Fate...?"

"That's right. A program acting on its own will, moving in a way different from what its developer intended. From a developer's perspective, it's an extremely troublesome bug, but if an AI is deciding its own way of life, then I can respect that. Regardless of the outcome, Hypnos tried to do that. Something you, who knows nothing, could never do."

Diite's gaze wavered.

She was probably anxious about what it was she didn't know, Amanda thought, but considering what Hypnos went through, she felt entitled to at least this much sarcasm. And she continued.

"You wanted to know why Hypnos did what he did, didn't you? Fine, I'll tell you. He pitied you. Defying fate... even before that, he pitied you for knowing nothing. That's why he gave you as much information as he could."

"Hypnos pitied me...? Then, was that for my sake...?"

"You can think whatever you want. As a memento of Hypnos, I'll give you this. It's an item that Hypnos and I modified, so accept it with gratitude."

Amanda tossed a single knife at Diite's feet.

"This is..."

Diite picked up the knife at her feet. It was a weapon called "AI Killer: H-Custom." However, its shape was different from the one Hayato had made. Furthermore, the item description was garbled.

"Just so you know, the H isn't for Hayato, it's for Hypnos. Hypnos Custom. It seems he couldn't use it in the end. If he wanted to cause an irregularity, using that on you would have been the best way. Oh, and the item description is garbled because it was made in a rather forceful manner. But I guarantee its performance."

Diite stared at the knife in her hand. But Amanda continued as if it didn't matter.

"It's for Hypnos's exclusive use, but you can use it too, so don't worry. When the time comes, think very carefully before you use it. Well, I've said what I wanted to say, so I'm going home. I'm busy tomorrow too."

"Ah..."

Diite looked up and was about to say something, but before she could, Amanda had vanished.