episode_0492
by admin
“Let’s make a contract with me.”
The contract I am talking about here is not an out-of-nowhere request to sign a new employment contract or become a magical girl.
Summoner job skills obtained from the tower.
I was talking about the ‘Contract’ skill.
A necessary way to tie each other’s souls and call her in any world.
Maria, who previously existed only as a nanobot, did not need to sign a contract. The nanobot is registered as my souvenir. But now she has a body.
A living, breathing body cannot be stored in an inventory and moved around like a spare android body.
If I wasn’t going to leave Maria’s body alone in the Nova Empire, I had to register her as my summon through a ‘contract’.
‘This isn’t the first time I’ve offered Maria a contract.’
After changing my job to Summoner and returning from the Tower, I had already asked her once about her intention to sign a contract before purchasing [Heart of Alephwad].
The characteristic of the ‘contract’ is that the summoner shares half of the summoner’s abilities.
In my case, not all of my power is shared, but only the abilities that appear in the tower’s status window are shared.
But it was by no means a small figure. All of the abilities displayed in the tower’s status window were at the human limit.
And among the abilities shared, ‘horsepower’ was also included.
In fact, even Janey, who had no magic power at all, was able to gain a significant amount of magic power by signing a contract with me.
At that time, I proposed a contract for Maria, who was interested in martial arts, supernatural powers, and magic.
If she were to share my magical abilities through a contract, she could also develop supernatural abilities.
However, at the time, Maria refused, saying she wanted to make a contract after obtaining a body first.
‘At the time, I thought Maria must have wanted to eat something delicious later, but now that I think about it, it wasn’t a very convincing excuse.’
As proof, Maria just now asked me back with an awkward look on her face, pretending not to know what I was suggesting.
“Contract, huh?”
“Yes. I promised something a long time ago.”
“Ahaha… I remember well what the promise was… Wouldn’t it be better to prepare for exploration sooner than that? I don’t know if I’ll be tracked down, so I’d better do my business quickly and return to reality… ”
Suddenly.
“Hiik… !”
He smiled awkwardly and grabbed Maria’s wrist as she tried to leave. Her shoulders shook violently as she flinched.
It was awkward to watch him talk about an unlikely chase. It was said that he was able to express his emotions abundantly since he had just gained a physical body, but it seemed like he couldn’t even lie.
“Don’t pretend not to know. And if you don’t sign a contract, you can’t bring your body to reality. Don’t you remember your promise?”
“Ugh… ”
When I asked her face, she closed her eyes tightly, not knowing what to do.
There is no way Maria could have forgotten that promise. Because it is clear that her memories are recorded more clearly than mine.
When I thought about it, it was strange.
Considering Maria’s interest in the martial arts and abilities I used, I didn’t really understand why she refused the contract. She said she wanted to sign a contract after getting a body, but she seemed reluctant to sign a contract now that she had a perfect body ready.
There was a reason for that.
“Soul, are you worried that you might not exist?”
“!”
Previously, I made a promise when I brought Maria from New Kind.
He said that he would find out if she really had a soul using the methods he would find while traveling.
What was more important to her in the first place may have been the soul rather than the body.
She was quite obsessed with the differences between humans and androids. So, there must have been a difference from the rest of the Awakens who are content with simply living among people in real life.
‘Maria is anxious.’
If the skill of contracting with a soul does not work. It would be a huge shock if it turned out that she didn’t have a soul.
‘But I think it’s all pointless to worry about.’
I was convinced that Mary had a soul.
From the beginning, the ticket recognized her as a life. The proof is that she did not enter the inventory while using the body of an android. Even if I had tried to make a contract the moment I first met her, rather than now that I gained a physical body, I think the magic would have worked normally.
“Don’t worry. Both Janey and Thor, who is still closer to a chick than a thunderbird, have signed contracts. And I said it then. If you don’t have a soul, I’ll make one and give it to you.”
“… It was like that.”
Despite my assurances, Maria could not hide her slight anxiety.
“But, I am a little different from those two cases. Since it is artificial intelligence, it may react differently than normal living things… ”
“Was that your biggest worry?”
“… … .”
Maria nodded quietly.
‘It’s true that artificial intelligence is different from ordinary life, but it’s no reason to worry in a situation where it is already recognized as life by Ticket… ‘
Maria seemed to be afraid that perhaps the deal would fail and I would lose interest in her or be abandoned. Because she was like a subordinate to me. You would have thought that would be a pretty miserable situation.
At first, I felt a little uncomfortable about having nanobots in my body, but when did it become like this? When I saw Maria’s sullen expression, I felt like I wanted to comfort her.
I said, slowly stroking her head.
“Artificial intelligence is a little special, but I don’t deny it. But what’s wrong with that? Rather, that’s why I need you more. Or did you think I would discriminate and look down on everyone just because they are not human?”
“Honestly, the master doesn’t like non-humans very much… ”
“I already signed a contract with Thor, so why can’t you do it? And I don’t treat all people equally, right? There are many cases where people get killed. Even in New Kind, he killed quite a few people and androids alike. To be honest, the people at the travel destination are also people from another world, so in the grand scheme of things, they could be seen as aliens. You are much more important than people who have no connection with me.”
Maria seemed to think that my ideology follows anthropocentrism, but I just give priority to the group I belong to. If there is a conflict between humans and machines, you take the human’s side, and if a human you don’t know who is trying to harm Maria, you take Maria’s side.
The values I prioritize have always changed little by little around me.
Maria opened her eyes and glanced up at me. I patted the top of her head with my palm, feeling her hair.
“You are definitely my colleague too. Don’t be discouraged.”
“What is it, that… The master has absolutely arbitrary standards.”
As she said that, the corners of Maria’s mouth slightly turned up, as if her mood had eased a lot.
“That’s me. So, are you going to sign a contract?”
“Yes… !”
As soon as I heard Maria’s answer, I used my contract skill.
Wow~
A beam of blue magical energy was released from my chest. The magical power was directed to Maria’s chest just as it had been used before.
A path of magic connected her soul and mine.
The contract skill was successfully activated.
The result was so simple that my nervousness was in vain.
I opened Maria’s status window using the tower’s system.
「Summon status window
Summoner Name: Maria
Race: Enhanced Human (Data Lifeform)
Strength: 62 (+28) Dexterity: 54 (+26) Stamina: 58 (+28) Intelligence: ■ (+27) Magic: 0 (+49)”
Perhaps because Maria’s body was a special being created through biotechnology, she was registered as an enhanced human in the race category. And in parentheses, the word data life form, which represents the identity of artificial intelligence, was added.
My physical abilities were showing higher values than my basic abilities that TOP could read, befitting the name “Enhanced Human.”
‘Intellect… The letters are broken. Does this mean it is unmeasurable?’
Intelligence may not only indicate intellectual ability. The tester’s intelligence ability score I had was closer to representing a kind of mental power score rather than intelligence.
However, her brain now has computing power equivalent to that of a quantum computer. If that part had been reflected in the status window, it wouldn’t have been an incomprehensible result.
‘Let’s look at this again later.’
I took my eyes off the status window and looked at Maria.
“Did you see it? You too have a soul.”
Maria must have felt the moment her soul connected with mine.
Glittering tears flowed down her cheeks as she clasped her hands in front of her chest.
“… You speak so unfashionably.”
She said, lifting her hand and wiping away her tears.
It was as if her energy had returned, and her tone of voice, which usually became grumpy whenever I did something strange, was like this.
“Good news should be announced immediately. And what can I do if I speak with form? No one knows me better than you anyway.”
“I’m happy… ”
Maria muttered, wiggling her tear-stained fingers.
It was as if he was finally realizing that he had gained a body. It occurred to me that perhaps the appearance she had shown so far of not being well-adjusted to her body might have been an attempt to hide this anxiety.
‘Well, all that anxiety has probably disappeared now.’
As Maria had dreamed, she gained a body and the existence of her soul was guaranteed through skill.
I’m probably very happy even if I don’t say it.
But she grumbled as if she was displeased.
“… Having a body is uncomfortable. When I see my body shaking with just one emotion.”
“That’s good. And why do you avoid eye contact when you say it’s uncomfortable? Are you shy?”
I grabbed Maria’s face, her cheeks puffing out a little, and took the air out of her.
Maria, who had been quietly looking at the universe outside the cockpit for a while, opened her mouth.
“There is one more thing I want to test… ”
I nodded, wondering if I had missed something. If I treat you badly at a time like this, it will remain in my memory for the rest of my life and may be used as a reason to harass me.
I’m not saying Maria will tease me, but at least she’ll tease me.
“If there is something you want to do, you should do it. What is it?”
“I have a rough understanding of this body… ”
Could you help me test the other side of the functionality as well?
As Maria said that, she was already unbuttoning the top of the space suit she was wearing.
0 Comments