243: The Imperial Leadership's Concerns

"Is the position returning?"

"It must be the Master's power. That kind of thing should be possible."

"Great Mother. How are the empresses doing?"

"They're still chatting. Judging by the check of the Imperial Standard Time, it seems no time at all has passed in the Imperial Standard Time."

Despite having talked for so long, apparently not even a second had passed.

As I had said, it seems time itself can be manipulated at will.

"Then let us speak a little more before returning."

"Understood, Father."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Yes."

We begin walking through the greenhouse once more.

We glance at the security personnel, but it appears no one has noticed the arrival of Chirarizumu = Konpuraekusu.

Incidentally, I'm keeping my facial muscles still to hide my agitation, but the Emperor and Empress seem to be naturally suppressing any change in expression.

"As for the future. The plan remains unchanged. First, we'll send a squad for investigation. We've learned the enemy's name is Funaka, but with no further information, neither extermination nor capture is possible."

"Yes."

"As for what comes after, it'll depend on the circumstances... But since His Majesty has spoken as such, Satu, your cooperation will undoubtedly be essential. In that case, Vee will inevitably become involved as well."

"That's probably true."

The Emperor wore a slightly frustrated expression.

After all, even the incidents involving Funaka up until now were more than dangerous enough.

Even if that individual can be matched by the Empire's power, if they are a being akin to a god, the hardships descending upon Viridiana may become even greater than before.

That... must be unpleasant for Your Majesty the Emperor.

"Father, this is something we simply cannot avoid."

I understand. I understand, but this is different from that. Who would willingly subject a child to such hardship? She said that, as a human being in this life, one could cope with it, but she never once said that it would be done safely. In other words, we can't know how much damage might occur. Hah...

...

Just so you know, Heavi, the same applies to you.

I understand, Father.

It seems being Emperor is full of burdens and worries.

I think that someone who takes on the role of Emperor knowing all this is truly an Emperor, and someone who strives to become Emperor knowing all this is truly a Crown Prince.

As for Virijanira... perhaps she doesn't want to raise her claim to the throne because she knows she can't bear the weight of it.

But I understand the Emperor's struggles as well, so I suppose I can't refuse if asked or ordered.

"Satā-sama."

"Um, the Great Mother of Machine Intelligence, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. Since my individual name is confidential, please just call me Great Mother. This body isn't my original form—I'm merely borrowing my granddaughter's for the time being."

With that, the Great Mother of Machine Intelligence speaks.

I am, after all, Memoq's mother—though not a cosmic monster, I am still on par with one.

The emperors... they're moving a bit too fast ahead.

They don't seem interested in hearing what I have to say.

"What now?"

"Having met Chilarizumu-sama this time, I believe you now understand just how perilous the Empire's situation truly is."

"Indeed, I do. Quite alarming, in fact."

In truth, the Empire's current state is extremely precarious.

There are parts of the empire so unstable that even the matter of Funaka seems insignificant by comparison.

The critical point is that if ChilariZm = Conplarque abandons this empire, then 'Vanilla OS' will be compromised, and the empire will collapse.

Though he claims to be giving us roughly a thousand years' leeway, there's no guarantee he'll actually provide even that much time.

Moreover, Your Majesty, His Imperial Highness, and the other humans are different from me—an extraterrestrial monster—and Great Mother, a machine intelligence. Even a thousand years from now, we might still be alive as usual.

"I believe we should take action as soon as possible. We need something that can replace 'Vanilla OS.'"

I agree with that point. However, even within the current scope of the Empire, I myself cannot serve as a replacement. Perhaps with time and learning, I might grow to some extent... but there's no guarantee that would succeed.

"Your willingness to act is deeply appreciated. As long as you step forward when the time comes, humanity's extinction can be avoided."

"I see."

So we need to take some action... but it seems the Great Mother is looking for someone who can maintain 'Vanilla OS' in place of Chirarizumu = Konpureaukusu, or perhaps find an alternative to 'Vanilla OS'.

"Does that mean it's not entirely up to me? What about you?"

"The imperial family, 'Vanilla OS' researchers, and artificial intelligences are all working together to find a solution. Honestly, it'd be much simpler if I could just become a cosmic monster myself..."

"Unfortunately, if there were a way to deliberately become a cosmic monster, it would be Funaka, not me. In that sense, he's certainly someone worth confronting."

"I see. That seems likely indeed. Still, capture will probably happen in an unexpected direction. It's far too dangerous, after all."

"I suppose that's true."

The cosmic monster transformation of Great Mother...

If the Great Mother right in front of me were to transform into a cosmic monster right now, I suppose that would be safe enough... but who knows what changes will occur with the OS shift, and it seems like it'll be a long, difficult journey.

"Now then, it's about time we return to the empresses. Heivie, Great Mother, Satu. I'll relay the information from that person when the moment is right, so keep quiet."

And so we returned to the lively scene of the Vilijanira clan.

For now, I'll just keep my facial muscles fixed for the day.