Ch.243The Universe’s Strongest Maid (1)

# The Delaus Advanced Extraterrestrial Research Institute Attack Incident

The Federation was in great shock.

Bruce Aizoph.

Everyone was horrified by the fact that this violent criminal had attempted to assassinate the head of the Rheinland family by controlling a Darwin-type monster.

Even more surprising was that Eidel had risked his own life to successfully rescue researchers who hadn’t managed to evacuate in time.

Saving human lives.

It was the iron rule of the Rheinland family.

As news of Eidel’s actions spread, the family was abuzz. Some elders of the council who had looked down on Eidel for not being a doctor began to see him in a new light.

Anyway.

The person in question was now resting.

“Lord, are you alright?”

“Thank you so much for saving us yesterday. I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt…”

The researchers who would have died without Eidel.

They visited Eidel’s lab where he was resting to express their gratitude.

“If you ever need help with your research, please call on me anytime. It would be the honor of my lifetime to collaborate with you!”

“Thank you. Please get home safely.”

People from the Darwin Extraterrestrial Research Institute.

Important connections.

I expect they can create good chemistry with Mezulen during the crystal processing phase when making gravity bombs.

Grin.

A smile naturally formed on his face.

[— Receiving quest reward.]

[— You have obtained Calipers of Wisdom (S) and 30,000 Fron.]

He also received a reward.

Calipers of Wisdom, S-grade.

If he had possessed this earlier, dealing with Scholanant might have been a bit easier.

Where there’s receiving, there must also be giving.

Eidel transferred some of the coins accumulated in the “Red Egg” item to Cartesia.

[— You donate 100,000 coins to the ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’.]

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ begins to feel stronger affection toward you.]

Coins are an energy source that extraterrestrials can use.

Their fundamental nature is believed to be the monetization of energy produced by stellar nuclear fusion.

The more energy they obtain, the stronger and longer-lived extraterrestrials become.

Just as humans like to become wealthy even if they ultimately die empty-handed, extraterrestrials instinctively pursue the accumulation of coins.

Eidel’s donation was particularly welcome to Cartesia, who was isolated and penniless.

Cartesia grumbled.

[“Kid, next time just stick to research instead of jumping into action.”]

“Are you worried about me right now?”

[“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just saying this because there’s nothing more deflating than watching someone die stupidly because they don’t know their limits.”]

“Humans call that ‘being concerned.'”

[“Primitive creatures.”]

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ snorts.]

Cartesia changed conversation partners.

[“Hey.”]

Sonia.

She had been watching over Eidel day and night, and now startled, looked around.

[“Come outside so we can talk?”]

“Young master, I’ll be stepping out for a moment.”

After leaving the room, Sonia whispered.

“You’re here again. What is it this time?”

[“About that offer I made before. So, after experiencing all this, are you considering accepting it?”]

“Offer, you say?”

[“Yes. The offer to become my avatar.”]

Yesterday, Sonia had seen it.

The appearance of Bruce who had been chosen as an avatar.

He was neither human nor anything else—just a monster.

She was certain that she didn’t want to become such a hideous figure. Young Master Eidel would hate her.

[“No need to worry. I’ll let you maintain your original appearance.”]

“…”

[“If you become my avatar, you can protect your master. Because I’ll give you that much power. Despite appearances, I’m quite strong, you know?”]

She had heard from Young Master Eidel.

Avatar.

An avatar created by extraterrestrials to extend their influence in this dimension.

If she accepted the proposal, Sonia would become a servant of the extraterrestrial. In exchange, the deal essentially offered to help her obtain a body capable of reproduction.

[“Think about it carefully. It’s not coercion, but a choice. Whether to trust me or not, whether to change your current situation or not. Everything depends on you.”]

Back then, Bruce had said:

Give me power.

Give me the ability to kill Eidel von Rheinland.

As a result, he transformed into an avatar and became a real threat. If Ireh and Rustila hadn’t been there, Sonia and Eidel would have been harmed on the spot.

Sonia was the same.

Just as Bruce had desired.

“…I want power.”

Not to destroy someone.

She wanted power to protect her young master.

“This incident made me realize something. No matter how much I enhance my modules, I cannot defeat high-grade monsters or avatars with this body. Machines cannot handle Aether. The difference is too vast.”

Sonia continued.

“When the young master I’ve served for 20 years was bleeding, I was powerless. It felt like my CPU was burning up. I don’t know what this calculation, this emotion is. It’s an undefined function.”

The fear of possibly losing someone you cherish.

She anticipated loss.

Anxiety, heartache, worry, numbness.

It was an input that couldn’t be defined as any single thing.

One thing was certain: this incident was negative feedback for Sonia.

“This feedback made me feel I need to change. This isn’t enough. The young master will face more attacks, and Miss Rustila or Mr. Ireh won’t always be there to help him.”

[“So, you’re going to play bodyguard?”]

“Yes. I am exclusively the young master’s, after all.”

Sonia said expressionlessly.

Cartesia asked cautiously.

[“…Aren’t you suspicious of me?”]

“I am suspicious.”

[“You might end up like that crazy scientist. It would be better not to take my words at face value.”]

“If you really meant harm, you would have done it already. And you wouldn’t have said such things.”

It had been three months since Sonia received Cartesia’s offer.

She had thought deeply about it.

She had several questions and resolved them through her own deductions.

“Extraterrestrial, you said you face no resistance in manipulating us. That means I could lose my sense of self and become a puppet if you wished it. Yet you repeatedly offered to make me your avatar.”

[“Yes, it’s not coercion. So what?”]

“The same applies to making me an avatar. You could have forced me to become your avatar. I’ve already deduced that you’re from the Descartes system. Neural network manipulation wouldn’t be difficult for you, would it?”

She was correct.

Cartesia remained silent.

“For some reason, I sensed kindness in that. God of Wisdom and Curiosity, you see me as an intellectual being equal to humans.”

[“Don’t misunderstand. You’re all the same to me. Whether neural networks made of organic matter or electronic circuits. All the same mechanism…”]

“The core of my argument isn’t about functionalism. It’s that you are kind. Despite being an extraterrestrial, you show consideration for insignificant beings like us.”

A clicking sound of disapproval.

Sonia concluded her train of thought.

“My logical assessment is this: You are Eidel’s patron deity. Therefore, you don’t want him to die. However, due to some constraints, you cannot fully use your power, so you’re trying to partially transfer power to someone trustworthy. So that when something like this happens again, you can save the young master’s life through me. Is my reasoning incorrect?”

A moment of silence.

The extraterrestrial giggled and then spoke.

[“Wrong, you idiot. I’m just proposing a contract because it looks fun.”]

“I’ve heard that extraterrestrials are very cautious about creating avatars.”

[“That’s incorrect information. This is why tin cans are useless.”]

Sonia raised her head.

Her visual sensors captured a black starlight.

[Avatar Contract / Contract Summary]

[1. Sonia (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party A’) and the God of Wisdom and Curiosity, Cartesia (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party B’) enter into a contractual relationship as avatar and mother star.]

[2. Party B shall share some or all of their abilities and resources with Party A, and in return, Party B may share Party A’s senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, etc.) at any time.]

[3. Party A shall follow Party B’s orders, and Party B shall have the obligation to protect Party A.]

(…)

[10. Once the contract is established, it is bound by ‘constraint’ and cannot be permanently terminated, and no modification of any contract terms is possible except for increasing the ratio of shared power.]

There were a few more clauses, but these four were the only important ones.

Sonia marveled.

“This contract is better structured than I expected. But why am I Party A?”

[“Only insignificant beings care about such order.”]

Regardless.

The most important thing was the proportion of power the extraterrestrial would transfer to the avatar.

An avatar should be neither too weak nor too strong. If too weak, it cannot function properly as an avatar; if too strong, it might try to rival the extraterrestrial.

Balancing that ratio is crucial.

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is calculating the proportion of power to share with you.]

Gulp.

Sonia swallowed dryly.

The God of Wisdom and Curiosity, Cartesia.

Her intentions would be revealed by how much power she possessed and how much she would share.

One-tenth would be moderate, and according to the Advanced Extraterrestrial Research Institute’s findings, even avatars sharing two-tenths of power were considered in the top 10%.

So, how much would it be?

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ has shared 100% of her power with you.]

Sonia’s jaw dropped.

The universe’s strongest maid was born right here.

***

“Damn it.”

Swan sensed complete failure.

“If I go back like this… the Queen will end me.”

Bruce, whom she had used like a limb, was dead.

Eidel von Rheinland was still alive.

The Delaus planetary system, once a playground for extraterrestrials, had completely transformed into human territory.

“Stupid fool. Who told him to charge in and die?”

Of course, Bruce’s death was unexpected. He had teleportation, after all. She thought he would escape when in danger. She never imagined he would be so consumed by rage that he wouldn’t flee and would end up dead.

Above all.

“Those human women.”

Rustila von Rheinland.

And Ireh Hazlen.

While she knew about Rustila, the existence of the girl named Ireh Hazlen was beyond expectation. This was like having another omega-grade swordswoman by Eidel’s side.

“…”

She considered her options.

Be devoured by the Queen?

Or aim for a comeback with one final gamble?

It would depend on how she played it.

“Petel.”

“Yes, Mother Star.”

Petel.

A crane with a head split into plates appeared.

“You are the only avatar with whom I’ve shared seven-tenths of my power. I truly cherish you, but…”

“Just give me your orders. I will complete the mission even if I have to dig into areas with high Aether concentration.”

“Very well, then I’ll give you this.”

As Swan flapped her wings, a pristine octahedral crystal appeared in the air.

“What is this…?”

“It’s a crystal containing one of the ‘Fragments of Devotion’ from the 12th house, Virgo. If you carry this around, your power won’t be diminished by Aether barriers.”

“Is it alright to entrust me with something like this?”

“You’re the only one who can take on this mission.”

Swan is an extraterrestrial with many tricks but weak forces.

She had no choice but to do this.

“I’d like to move personally, but… because of that damned trap or whatever, I can’t directly descend to the Delaus planetary system. Casting curses is all I can do.”

“I understand. I, Petel, will perfectly execute the mission entrusted to me by Lady Swan and return.”

“Good. Once this task is complete, I’ll increase your shared power to eight-tenths.”

“Kuhehe, thank you.”

Petel inwardly rejoiced.

With eight-tenths, he would have power comparable to his master.

How subserviently he had acted all this time to become transcendent.

The opportunity of a lifetime, fermented over thousands of years, was approaching.