episode_0329

***

The next morning, NB came out tying a ribbon to a tree branch and was more cautious than usual in moving her body.

“……”

NB, hiding between walls, looked up at the sky. The aperture in NB’s eyes moved and observed the situation.

increased. More than yesterday.

Drones were flying in the sky in droves, as if they had disturbed a wasp’s nest.

The appearance resembled that of soldiers busily running around preparing for battle, rather than a regular patrol procession.

NB considered stopping the search for Aaru and returning to base.

However, now that the repairs to the dimensional sailing ship were nearing their end, wasting time was not a good option.

Moreover, there was a thought that NB would not be caught. The infiltration skills developed over a long period of time fooled even the eyes of the Ark for years.

You may not get caught. This was the result of NB’s calculations.

Every time I stepped into the depths of Aaru, NB activated its calculation circuit once again.

After a short calculation that took less than a few seconds, the result was the same as before.

However, NB thought that it needed to operate the calculation circuit once again.

The same result came out again, but NB did not take it very positively.

“Today, the first rule will be to return quickly.”

Without even knowing to whom he was speaking, NB disappeared into the depths of Aaru.

– Ugh.

A mechanical sound came from somewhere.

***

NB’s search went fairly smoothly.

The drones flying bustling around were probably only at the entrance of Aaru, but when I got to the center of Aaru, I could hardly see any of them.

Maybe the security forces had been moved outside. NB thought that something from outside the city might be threatening Aaru’s safety.

With freedom of action, the search also sped up.

And today, many useful items caught the eye of NB. NB put them in his old backpack and wandered around the city again.

As the midday sun was about to set towards the west, NB decided to stop the search and return to base.

The harvest was better than expected, and as I had thought when entering Aaru, I decided to return early today.

But unlike when I came in, the way back was difficult.

The drone’s movements became difficult to predict, and NB’s steps became slower due to the strangely increased number of obstacles.

“I will wait here for a moment.”

NB, who hid himself to cool off, took out a book from his pocket.

It was brought to avoid drones or to read while cooling down an overheated body.

NB thought that reading books was ‘fun’ these days.

In the past, the purpose was simply to gain knowledge, but when Kang In-ho came and listened to his interpretation of the book, I started to think that I wanted to read a newer book.

The book I brought this time was a novel dealing with the theme of war.

A farmer’s son is sent to war and struggles. As the war intensifies, and for the allies who are on the defensive, a farmer’s son volunteers to stop the enemies alone.

And several comrades follow him, and five soldiers are sacrificed to buy time for our troops to retreat.

NB had doubts. The main character, a farmer’s son, was a person who had a wish to return home and see his parents.

However, he abandoned that hope and threw himself into the battlefield. No one pushed me to volunteer.

Have your wishes changed? That’s not it. Even as the protagonist closed his eyes, he remembered the farm in his hometown.

“I have something else to ask.”

NB, thinking that this was a question he would ask Kang In-ho when he returned to base, stood up.

The road was still rough, but NB was able to exert more strength than before.

It helped cool down my overheated body, and the fact that I was going to see Kang In-ho also played a part.

As the thoughts reached that point, NB tilted his head and thought.

“What is Kang In-ho to me?”

At first, he was a human being who had to be protected according to protocol.

And at his request that he did not want to go to Aaru, I stayed at the base with him.

Up to this point, it would have been NB’s actions in accordance with the divine law that had no choice but to respect humans.

The humans who had been living together like that have now become deeply involved in NB’s daily life.

He helped repair the dimensional navigation ship, taught her the meaning of the book, and taught her about emotions.

These were things that were difficult to explain through the relationships between humans and androids, and androids and humans.

Therefore, information about Kang In-ho was engraved on some of NB’s calculation circuits.

There are still many things about him that have not been revealed.

Where did it come from, how can it speak, how did it survive…

NB became curious about Kang In-ho.

Although he didn’t reveal it, NB liked hearing Kang In-ho’s opinion.

NB had been wandering Aaru alone for a long time, so it was only this time that he learned the importance of exchanging words.

So NB quickened his pace.

Although it was a bit dangerous, we narrowly avoided the drones’ detection area.

Suddenly, just like when I entered Aaru, the calculation circuit began to work as it should.

I started calculating the route back to the base.

There were no problems with the calculation results. All I had to do was keep going like this.

However, NB activated the calculation circuit once again.

I don’t know why, but I decided it would be a good idea to check one more time.

The body overheats and the computational circuit operates.

The result was the same as before.

NB’s feet became faster. A group of drones appeared to be heading somewhere.

NB started the operation circuit once more.

My body, which had cooled down at best, overheated once again.

NB didn’t know the name of what he was feeling right now, but when he reached the base, he was able to recall its name.

‘unrest’

From dawn this morning until returning to the base, what NB felt was a feeling of ‘anxiety.’

Watching from afar the base burning into a giant firewood, NB turned onto the path to the next base.

– Ugh.

A mechanical sound came from somewhere.