episode_0387

After conducting a few explorations, our weapon production plan faced difficulties from the start.

“It doesn’t make sense that you don’t know! You said you were a factory!”

“I forgot everything! I was supposed to know everything… Ugh! What’s wrong with me?”

Hekatonkeil’s reaction was unexpected.

I thought it would be limited in what it could do since it only had its central core, but I didn’t expect it to lack knowledge as well.

It looked bewildered, like an amnesiac patient.

「What, has this thing become an idiot?」

“Waaah! What is this! My core’s main functions are deactivated! The manufacturing support functions are off!”

While we were deep in thought, it seemed to sense something was wrong and quickly made a crying face.

“It’s definitely because of the Captain that I’ve become stupid!”

“What are you talking about! We’re geniuses!”

Logically, if it were connected to our genius Violet, it should become smarter.

The fact that it didn’t means there’s a problem with this thing.

Perhaps we picked up a scrap warship, or perhaps Hekatonkeil became a fool because of the Foundation’s experiments.

It was then that Ruzilin’s Cheolkwon, who had been quietly watching, spoke up.

“Hey, didn’t you say you had data from the Foundation? Why don’t you give it to Kale?”

“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.”

Immediately, I brought the Foundation’s data to the hangar.

Another new problem that arose here was where to plug it in.

“Why isn’t it going in?”

As I fumbled around its golden core, I felt its gaze intently watching me.

“What are you doing? A storage device? Wait, there’s no way it matches my specifications. Hold on, trying to put such a primitive device into me, a cutting-edge warship!”

To the alien warship, devices made with human technology seemed like baked clay tablets or papyrus scrolls.

Well, I can understand that perspective. But this is what’s important.

“So, is there no way?”

It really seemed like there was no other way for it.

“I don’t know! I can’t read something like this even if you give it to me… Ah, right. There’s a way.”

“What way?”

“Deep inside my head, there are some blueprints emerging. Emergency analysis systems and manufacturing support information, prepared for a reset state like this!”

“So there’s something like that… Wait, is this useful?”

Somewhere in the distant academy city, Violet Barracks Room 441, where new construction was underway, pulled out documents and scanned them with her eyes. I transmitted that visual information to it.

The documents contained organized data on the Foundation’s captured equipment and research facilities that I had seen.

I also roughly added explanations of what kind of machines they were.

A long time later, its eyes shone with an unusual brilliance.

“Mmm, there are many machines I’ve never seen before. Some are primitive! But… good! I think it’ll work!”

Kale then demanded writing implements and quickly scribbled something down.

“Is there anyone who can operate this?”

“Of course there is!”

Our Violet always had a way.

「Let’s bring in the prisoners of war!」

I should bring people who are currently undergoing personnel verification before being deployed to the Violet Research Institute.

There’s a list of relatively cooperative prisoners, so if I select and bring them, we might learn something.

「Good! Let’s call them right away.」

I stepped out of the hangar and sent a message to Cheolkwon.

「That thing, manage it well. If you don’t know something, help it!」

「Understood, Captain.」

And so came September.

While I was busy tracking the remaining Foundation forces, at the academy, the newly arrived Aegis juniors were being observed.

New things were being set up in the hangar.

「It’s much faster than I thought.」

「That’s because Kale seems to be giving direct orders! Want to see?」

“No! Not like that! Put that there! This here! Good, increase the voltage!”

It didn’t know how to make weapons, but it seemed to know how to do this.

On both sides of the hangar’s central core, different things were located.

On one side were various machines and facilities, and on the other, people wearing work clothes and neat research coats.

“Alright! Your mission from now on is to inject data into the core over there!”

Equipment salvaged from the site and various unknown devices were placed around the core under strict surveillance.

What was noteworthy were the machines connected around the core. Wires extending from familiar white flower-shaped mechanical devices were intricately woven like spiderwebs, connecting to complex facilities.

“Isn’t this the Nemesis Protocol?”

“Ah! Yes! That’s right!”

When I asked the scientist who was working, he was startled and began to explain in a hurry.

“The alien warship’s computational device has a different way of receiving and understanding data than ours. We have to process it according to their method to transmit it.”

“According to their method… is that the result?”

“That’s right.”

In one corner of the room, a server containing a portion of the archives’ data was placed.

The server was connected to a Nemesis Protocol device in a corner of the hangar, and the flower-shaped device vibrated incessantly, processing the received data.

At its end was a translucent case filled with a mysterious substance that glowed blue, seemingly floating between liquid and gas.

Kale nodded, seemingly satisfied upon seeing it.

“Hoo, for a civilization with such a low level, you’re quite impressive, aren’t you? Yes! To properly activate my wise computational system, Ichor is needed! The blood of knowledge and information!”

So that’s what they call Ichor. I think I’m starting to understand a little.

As the Violets watched with sharp eyes, the extracted Ichor flowed into the central core through various pipes.

“Ooh! I feel it! The blood of knowledge! Though the purity is a bit low! My core is activating!”

Kale shouted excitedly. The core, which usually emitted a subtle glow, now shone even brighter.

As its main body activated, the biological terminal girl, too, became more playful.

It soon paid no mind to the gazes around it. The blue-haired girl giggled and spun around.

“Perfect! I feel like I can do anything!”

It shouted confidently. I sent the slave scientists back and carefully asked.

“Oh? So now you feel like you know something?”

“…No, Ichor is just a substance that activates my core! This alone won’t suddenly make me know everything.”

Cheolkwon, who was watching, asked.

“Still, Kale, you said the situation is better than before, right? You might be able to do something.”

“Mmm, so you’re the tank. Hold on a sec. Is what you’re saying right? I think I might know… or not. Ah, bring me this world’s tools and implements. I need to try making something with my own hands.”

“Here you go.”

“Heck! That’s a dimensional storage system. To think even this primitive civilization had such advanced technology… Ugh, what is this. It’s too crude. These are primitive pieces of equipment that were long ago discarded in Nornir…”

It complained like that and sent me an image.

An image transmitted from Hekatonkeil’s network.

I received and read it.

What appeared was an image of a monkey making a stone axe.

“That’s all there is. Just use that for now. What else do you need?”

“I need other equipment too! Lathes and machine tools!”

Well, since it’s asking, I guess I’ll have to get them. For now, let’s just observe what it’ll do as a test. If anything goes wrong, Cheolkwon will help it out well.

“Call me when it’s done!”

***

As the new school semester began in September, the Violets became busy once again.

First, they had to explain what had happened to the academy.

Even if others didn’t know, the Principal-nim knew my true identity.

“So I taught those Foundation guys a lesson!”

“I see… I was really surprised when drone units suddenly flew towards the academy. To think it was because of your clones.”

Principal-nim Brecht made a slightly awkward expression.

“…Yes, Luminex and Laplaxia have been oppressing others too much under the guise of knowledge. It’s fortunate that they collapsed.”

“See! I did well, didn’t I?”

“…But next time, I’d appreciate it if you’d at least tell me where you’ve planted your clones in the academy. It’s fortunate that other academies experienced similar incidents, but still…”

Only after hearing that did I realize how reckless I had been.

It was lucky that the Foundation guys didn’t dig up the ground thoroughly, otherwise, I could have caused a great nuisance to the academy.

Although it had quieted down a bit, the war between us and the Foundation was still a hot topic.

「Let’s not plant myself inside the academy anymore!」

「We should.」

From trivial academy issues to preparing for the second-year semester, we had a mountain of tasks piled up.

But there was also something more significant.

That was, I had become a senior!

Seeing the newly arrived ones, I felt a new sense of emotion.

「Those are our juniors.」

Suddenly, Ariel and her friends in the hospital came to mind, and I felt a sense of sadness.

While we were fighting the Foundation, their condition had improved a bit, but when they could be discharged remained unknown.

Still, if things go well, they might get a chance to prepare for admission to Aegis Academy.

Because it’s said that all problems will likely be resolved around this year.

「Lucian is doing well!」

「It seems he likes being called ‘Hyung’ and ‘Oppa’ by the kids.」

Imagining how I would tell Ariel the heroic tales of the Ariel group, I ran through the stalemate corridor.

“Halt!”

To think there were still remnants of the defeated army.

I struck the enemy’s head from behind with a hammer.

-Clang!

“Now, surrender! We will treat you as a prisoner according to the Geneva Conventions!”

“Ge-Geneva Conventions? I’ve never even heard of such a thing!”

“Just pretend you have!”

-Thwack!

The chattering remnants of the Containment Enforcement Unit grabbed their head and fell to the ground.

Although he was an agent of the infamous Patent Decapitation Unit, his appearance was wretched.

Perhaps he was acting as the leader, for when the armed agents who had been resisting saw him fall, their morale broke, and they threw their hands up.

“Alright, follow me!”

One of the agents muttered in a trembling voice.

“Sa-save me! Don’t corrupt me!”

“I don’t want to lose my ego!”

As he said strange things, I asked again.

“What are you talking about?”

“Yo-you’re going to corrupt us! And make us part of you, aren’t you? Please, I’ll do anything!”

It’s that talk again. When on earth did such a false rumor spread?

While tracking the Archer and other Foundation personnel, the reactions of those who saw me were consistently the same.

Rejection, fear, and screams.

But there’s no need to be afraid. I am merciful.

“Don’t worry! I won’t corrupt you. You’re not worth it, anyway!”

“…!”

Ah, my words slipped out. The prisoners began to eye me nervously, as if I were some kind of devil.

Since they’re obediently listening, let’s take it positively.

Amidst all that busy cleanup, the good news arrived sooner than expected.

「Captain, it’s done. Come see!」

What the clone, dispatched after receiving Cheolkwon’s call, saw was an unexpected sight.

“What’s going on here?”

The inside of the hangar was filled with machines of unknown identity.