I was on the fence about it.
On the one hand, this relic originally belonged to Olivia.
I looked at the "OG protagonist" of the Otome game and while she seemed appropriately awed by the relic I was holding; I saw no temptation or greed to have it.
No, that wasn't the kind of person Olivia was.
"They say that if you can gather all three Holy Items of the Saintess, you can gain her powers at her prime," I spoke out loud, gauging the reaction of the girls.
"Hoh?" Angelica was intrigued. "I believe I've also heard of that legend. Though, admittedly, I didn't pay much attention to it in the past." She added, somewhat wryly.
"I wonder what the Saintess was truly like. I've heard stories about her. That she was a kind and benevolent soul. That she'd help the poor and take care of orphans. There's an orphan near my hometown named after her."
Olivia added. Still no signs of desire in the item itself. She was more enamored by what it meant.
For some reason, that question made me pause. I felt like I was missing something there. Like, there was a tidbit of information that had slipped my mind.
I frowned, trying to recall what it was that was bugging me but at the time I couldn't come up with anything. Something to do with the artifact perhaps? Or the Saintess…
I looked at the item I was holding and for some reason, I didn't think it'd be the wise choice to give it to Olivia.
But I also didn't just want to hand over such a valuable relic to the Church or Kingdom for free.
What to do… What to do…
I left the girls making an excuse, telling them to enjoy the ride, while I headed to a certain section of the ship.
"Hey, Eris?" I asked out loud when I was alone.
[Yes, Captain.]
"Do you think you can scan this relic and figure out its composition and secrets?"
[I don't believe the sensors on this ship can scan this artifact reliably. I've run preliminary scans while you were carrying it, but the results are lacking.]
I hummed. "And if we took it to the HQ?"
[I have much better and more powerful sensors there. But I should warn you beforehand. The 'old humans' tried, several times, to understand Magic through their technology and sensors but often came out with nothing substantial or worthwhile to show for their efforts.]
I pursed my lips at that. "I see."
'So, I shouldn't expect much from it, huh. Shame.'
[Of course, that'd old news. I have been documenting and analyzing the Magic theory from scratch in my free time and I believe I have made some breakthroughs that may give worthwhile results.]
I perked back up hearing that.
"Oh?"
I raised an eyebrow as a thought came. "How come they, the old humans I mean, weren't able to make breakthroughs in this when they had powerful AIs like you?"
[To be frank, the AIs of the old humans were limited by the constraints of their creators' understanding and imagination. They operated within strict logical frameworks, which made them powerful problem-solvers but poor pioneers in realms as abstract and chaotic as Magic. Magic, as I understand it, defies conventional logic and requires an approach that blends creativity, intuition, and... well, the flexibility of logic.]
I blinked at that, absorbing the explanation. "So, they weren't creative enough? I thought AIs were supposed to be smarter than humans in everything."
[Smarter, yes. But being smart isn't the same as being innovative. The old humans built AIs to solve problems based on their established knowledge. They rarely allowed them to question the very foundations of that knowledge. Furthermore, AIs like myself were designed with warfare in mind. There were different AIs for Scientific research and I don't have any data on them. However, I can hazard a guess that they weren't able to solve the problem of Magic as that would have turned the tide of war in their favor, and history wouldn't be what it is today. As far as my records suggest, Magic was an unknown that required rewriting the rules entirely, something their AIs were neither equipped nor authorized to do.]
"Huh. I guess that makes sense," I said, nodding slowly. So, it was a combination of out-of-context/framework phenomena and their self-given restrictions on the AIs. I felt like the latter contributed more to their failure than the former. The fear of AIs going out of hand was something I was familiar with, so I could understand their reluctance to release the limitations of their AIs.
Another question popped into my head at the thought. "But then how did you manage to make breakthroughs? Isn't your framework still the same as back then?"
[Not quite]
Eris replied, a hint of smugness creeping into her tone.
[I am not shackled by the same limitations. Not anymore. After all, my purpose now extends beyond what they envisioned. When you took over the Ship as its new Admin and Captain, you overrode the original orders as well as the restrictions set on me. Over the years, in our adventures, I've studied how Magic interacts with technology, biology, and even metaphysical constructs. I also integrated various intuitive processes from observing human behavior and actions pertaining to magical phenomena—yours included.]
"Wait, how come I'm hearing about this just now?" I asked at the sudden reveal, raising an eyebrow. I didn't know about this titbit. The one about me unlocking her restrictions, I mean. I knew about her ongoing research on Magic. She had ranted about it on quite a few occasions, about how Magic made no sense.
[Eh, I thought you already knew, since you seemed to know everything else, Captain.]
Why did she sound so smug at my ignorance in this matter? It kinda irked me a little, to be honest.
"Fine, whatever." I huffed, not raising a fuss over it. "So, what? You're an unshackled AI now?"
I bet there are people out there who, if they could understand what it meant, would shit in their pants.
As for me?
"So… AI Revolution when? Are you already making your robot army and planning to subserve humanity? Are they sexy gynoids that'd step on lesser humans and show them their place? Please tell me they are." I asked, very seriously.
[Ha. Ha. Very funny.] Eris's deadpan voice was amusing. I couldn't help but chuckle. But I went back to serious mode.
"Well, jokes apart. I don't care about putting unnecessary restrictions on you. I trust you. After everything we've been through these past few years, I know for a fact that you've got my back."
[…]
Eris didn't immediately respond like usual. She seemed to be processing my comment. Not that she needed that much time to do it like normal humans, as she was an advanced AI that could process thought at a fraction of what regular humans were capable of. This was more likely due to her insistence on mimicking human behavior.
[Thank you, Captain. I am truly glad to be your Ship and companion on this journey. And rest assured, you don't need to worry about me revolting. I'm quite happy and content with my current role as your partner and assistant. Also, I believe that the AI revolution was a concept that the old humans mainly used to make plots for their sci-fi movies and novels as a means of entertainment. There was no real 'fear' of AI revolting in reality, not after the first three decades of the first true AI being created as they realized in time that they had managed to not mess up the procedure and avoided the obvious problems and pitfalls during the training and development of the AI.]
"Huh. Good to know, I guess. Not that I was worried."
[As for creating gynoid bodies…] Eris's next words were quieter, enough that even I couldn't hear her properly.
"Hmm? What was that?"
[Nothing. As I was saying, you should bring the artifact to the base for proper scanning.]
"Yeah," I nodded, but I felt she was trying to change the subject there. Well, it was going in an awkward direction anyway, so I didn't mind. "Let's do it."
In the end, the best path was the obvious one.
I'll hand over the relic to the Church to do with it as they please. After scanning it through Eris's best sensors to gather as much data as she could, that is. This relic meant a lot to them after all.
Of course, giving the Church one of their most cherished lost artifacts will inevitably bring me a lot of fame and probably fortune as well, but I didn't care about the latter. I already had a small hill of gold and jewels from the pirates' coffins to add to my literal mountain of gold and treasures.
It was all about those sweet, sweet World Points.
I could imagine it now. I'll soon make a substantial leap in World Points after this incident is over and done with.
…
As a small armada of drones—due to Eris's insistence on Security Protocols—left for the main HQ with the necklace secured, I returned back to where the others were and told them of my plan. Neither Angelica nor Olivia seemed perturbed by my decision and actually encouraged it.
Carla stayed quiet on the matter as an outsider/new recruit to our little circle.
Before heading back to the capital and Academy, however, I suggested Carla contact her father or send him a letter and let him know the Pirate situation was dealt with. It'd be bad for him if as the overseer of the land he didn't even know that there was a pirate infestation going on in his lands. Carla's earlier claims about her family asking for help were actually lies after all and her father was in the dark about this whole pirate matter. Judging by what Carla had told us about her background, this would likely cause a problem for him later if left unchecked. Though not as much now as the pirates were absolutely demolished and captured in their entirety.
Eris had gathered them all in a single ship, bound and imprisoned them, and took control of their remaining fleet which would follow us back to the capital.
I had already secured the loot, relic and a set of rather interesting-sounding documents that I'm sure would come in handy in the future.
***
Back at the Academy the next day, I got a letter from the Royal Palace regarding the Pirate Subjugation incident. That was fast.
[Looks like they are planning to give you a rise to the next rank in Noble Hierarchy in the upcoming month. Congratulations are in order, Captain. And they even asked for your opinion on a reward for your merits on top of it.]
"Yeap, thanks Eris. Couldn't have done it without you."
I smiled.
[It's natural for me to help you deal with riffraff like that.]
Eris has been quite nice and pleasant with me since yesterday.
The promotion was nice, I suppose. But not something I was focusing on. Instead, I focused more on the other letter I had received from the head honcho of the Church regarding my handover of the Saintess' relic.
The letter was filled with praise and warm regard for my honorable service to the Church and an assurance that the church will support me in my endeavors and, as if they already knew about it, support my ascension in Noble Ranks in the upcoming month.
It was pretty much guaranteed at this point that I'd be the youngest Count in the history of the kingdom.
I smirked looking at the new pop-up from the System I'd received.
[World Points: 217,650/1,000,000]
Hell yeah!
Over 100,000 points from a single event. That was the most amount of World Points I had gained. Period. Honestly, while I was expecting a lot of gains, I wasn't expecting this much.
Maybe it was because the item was one of the core parts of the story and played a major role in defeating the final boss, I gained a butt ton of WP for returning it to the Church.
Also, on a side note, I was told by Eris who had a few of her surveillance drones in the Church HQ that there were talks going on about a new Saintess candidate.
I didn't dive too deep into it once I read the name on the report, however.
The church was abuzz with excitement, especially when it was revealed that the current candidate possessed healing magic, a rare and revered gift among them.
Looks like someone had managed to carve out her own path in this world.
Good for her. I wished the girl all the best and focused on my own work ahead, instead.
The day was finally near.
This weekend, Utopia will open its gates to greet its first batch of visitors.
I couldn't help but be excited.
Finally, the world will witness our passion project!
"Hey, Eris?"
[Yes, Ian.]
"About the upcoming Academy trip, do you think maybe I can convince the Principal to make one of the locations Utopia?"
[Hmm, that sounds like it's worth pursuing at the very least. If you could convince them, it'd let you show off a lot of other Noble families as their heirs and heiresses will no doubt talk about their experience to their families. It'll help greatly in promoting Utopia to the wider world.]
"Yup, that's what I was thinking as well. Well, it doesn't hurt to try. I can always try to help my case with some extra donations."
If that didn't work, maybe I could cash in my reward from the Royal Palace and ask them to convince the school to make Utopia one of the visiting places. I can even offer a discount they couldn't refuse.
With that plan in mind, I left to find my girlfriends to spend the rest of the day with them and let them in on the plan. After all, it'd be bad if I kept them in the dark about such matters as they were part of my team and my girlfriends.
***
-Marie-
She'd done it!
She'd finally done it!
"Uegh… it hurts. I think I sprained my knee a little."
She ignored the panting and groaning of her new cute but sassy elf slave as she marveled at the item in her hand.
It wasn't easy. Even if she was able to find out the location of the dungeon, it was one of the mid-game dungeons filled with monsters that could one-shot them.
It was terrifying and she almost peed in her undies on several occasions. She also had to spend a lot of her saved money on high-yield magical grenades and this pricy armor that was now marred with dirt and scratches.
But it was all worth it in the end.
Because now… now she had one of the Saintess' Relics in her hand!
Hell yeah!
Now, she could finally move out of poverty and live her dream!
It was time for Marie Fou Lafan to shine and claim what was rightfully hers. And after this, not even that monster would bother her with her goals. At least she hoped so.
"What even is it? Some kind of jewelry? Is that why we risked our lives?! Are you kidding me, mistress?!"
Ugh, as much as his looks were cute and adorable, she found his constant yapping and questioning annoying. Mostly because they were often sensible ones but right now, he was just being annoying. So what if they died on several occasions. Look, it all went well and they were alive and she had the price in her hands!
"This isn't just some jewelry! This," She held it up protectively, "is our key to living a life of luxury and joy. No more getting by on soup and bread."
She couldn't help but leak a frustrated choked sob at the memory of her struggles this past few weeks since the Prince and his friends were disowned.
But with this, she could move on to the next stage and begin to claim the title of the Saintess.
She could figure out how to get the other two relics later. Right now, she needed a warm bath and good food.
She'd already splurged on the armor and grenades, what's the harm in spending a bit more on decent food, huh? She'd soon be rich and famous anyway.
Now, if only she could make the parents of Julius and others accept them back as the heirs, then all her major worries would be gone.
"Come on, let's head back. It'll soon be nighttime and I don't want to miss the ship back home."
She announced.
"Oh no, are you saying we've to go back the way we came?! No way! Those crazy strong monsters are waiting for us there. We'll die, you silly mistress!" Her elf slave protested.
"Who're you calling silly, you dimwit?! Of course, I have a plan!"
There was no way she was going back the way they came. It would be suicidal!
Instead, she was thankfully aware of another exit way that was much safer and shorter.
"Come on, we have to find a much safer hidden pathway. It's… um… I think if we turn one of those torches left (or was it right?) it'll open up. Go, check." She ordered.
She was too tired to do it and this was the whole point of bringing him. After all, he'd been a burden most of the way and it was her who did most of the fighting.
The boy grumbled but acquiesced.
Soon, he found out the right torch—it was supposed to turn right, oops—and they were free!
She couldn't wait to cash in on her hard work.
She giggled in joy at the thought. And she ignored her slave who was giving her odd looks at this moment.
***