Bang!
“Whoa!”
It swung the hammer hard, but I narrowly succeeded in dodging it.
Damn it, I just wanted to live in a romantic comedy world. Why does it feel like I’m living in a thriller-horror-mystery-detective-action genre instead?
Even while lamenting my situation, I never took my eyes off the automaton. At times like this, no matter how scared you are, you must never lose track of your opponent’s movements.
‘Wait, is there any way to stop this automaton without magic?’
So, is there a way to disrupt this automaton’s system?
The AI automaton of this era is not perfect. There have been frequent errors in the Boleno Kingdom recently.
So, a way to disrupt this automaton… Ah.
“There is a right-angled triangle where the base and the opposite diagonal are perpendicular. If the length of the base is 10 and the height is 6, what is the area of this right-angled triangle?”
At that moment, the automaton, which had been swinging its hammer, suddenly stopped. It was designed to prioritize answering questions when one was posed.
“Calculation complete. 30.”
“Incorrect.”
“No error.”
“Visualize that right-angled triangle.”
The mechanical hum of the automaton grew louder.
“Error, error.”
This was the automaton’s weakness. If its calculations were disrupted, it would result in an error.
And the reason for the automaton’s error was simple. A right-angled triangle with a base of 10 and a height of 6 cannot exist.
A right-angled triangle can be inscribed in a circle, with the hypotenuse as the diameter of the circle and the right angle at a point on the circle’s circumference. If the base is 10, then the diameter of the circle is also 10. This means the radius would be 5, and thus, the maximum possible height would also be 5. So, how could a right-angled triangle with a height of 6 exist?
This is knowledge you should definitely remember in case you ever get transported into a steampunk dystopian thriller world.
As I watched the automaton, which had stopped due to the error and was emitting mechanical sounds, I smiled with satisfaction.
‘Alright, that takes care of it…’
“Error detected. Proceeding to eliminate the cause of the error.”
…Wait, what? Normally, automatons in this world don’t behave like this, do they?
I widened my eyes in shock at the unexpected reaction.
The sight of it swinging its hammer at me played out in slow motion. And then…
“Damn it.”
Someone grabbed me and yanked me backward just as the hammer embedded itself into the spot where I had been standing.
The familiar scent made it clear who had saved me, even without looking back.
“Simone…!”
“Why do you always get tangled up in such troublesome situations?”
“That’s really unfair. Honestly, most of the trouble I get into is because of Aurora. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t chased after her.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from diving headfirst into danger. I pride myself on patience and restraint, but you’ve been pushing my limits lately.”
“Plato said that the four cardinal virtues of humanity are wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.”
“…For now, let’s focus on what’s in front of us.”
Hmm, Simone was right. Because the automaton was swinging its hammer again.
But it couldn’t keep moving for long.
Bang!
That’s because Raffaelo suddenly appeared and shot the automaton.
“Every machine has a core. For AI automatons that are made to resemble humans, the core is located near the heart.”
Raffaelo, who had shot the automaton directly in the heart area to stop it, explained.
The automaton emitted mechanical noises and collapsed to the floor in a frozen state. It no longer moved as if it had never acted like a human in the first place.
I shouted Raffaelo’s name as I saw him striking a pose after showing up so late.
“Raffaelo! Why are you only showing up now?”
“Because I was sleeping.”
“Sleeping at this hour?! It’s only 2 a.m. right now!”
“Normally, people would be sleeping at this hour…”
Raffaelo spoke in a bewildered tone as lights suddenly lit up the entire mansion.
We had just stepped outside when we saw Duke Lithman hugging Princess Angela.
“…What on earth just happened?”
Well, I suppose it’s time to clean up this mess.
***
“My goodness, for an automaton to malfunction like that…”
Princess Angela rubbed her forehead with a weary expression.
“I’m certain I stored it in the warehouse. I have no idea why it moved on its own like that.”
“These days, malfunctions in automatons have also been reported in the Kingdom of Boleno.”
As I said that, Princess Eva came to mind.
Since most of the automatons were under Princess Eva’s command, it was only natural to suspect that she had something to do with this incident as well.
“Haaa…”
Princess Angela let out a deep sigh once more.
“Anyway, thank you for your help. I’ve caused inconvenience to our guests.”
“It’s nothing at all. It’s only right to offer help in situations like this.”
At the moment when a hint of guilt passed across her face, I realized something.
This is the perfect opportunity to persuade her!
“But Duchess, there is one thing you must keep in mind.”
Her light green eyes turned to me.
“All automatons are under the control of Princess Eva.”
“…..……”
Hearing that, Princess Angela’s face turned pale once again.
“Of course, automatons fundamentally follow the commands of their owner based on pre-programmed instructions. However, as the creator of automatons, Princess Eva possesses a control device that allows her to manipulate all automatons.”
“That means…”
“If she wishes, she could exert her influence even here in Cassan.”
Princess Angela’s eyelids quivered.
But this was undeniably true.
Princess Eva’s automatons were spreading throughout the entire continent, allowing her to wield influence anywhere on the continent.
Of course, since her opponents were automatons, she couldn’t use any supernatural powers. Nevertheless, if she truly intended to, she could attack us at any time.
That was one of the reasons I feared Princess Eva.
After I explained this, Princess Angela’s face grew pensive.
“But in the northern continent… automatons haven’t spread there yet, have they?”
“So, are you planning to run away? To a place where there are no automatons?”
“…….….”
“Are you truly going to abandon everything and run away?”
As I cornered her with my words, Duke Lithman tried to intervene, but Princess Angela raised her hand to stop him.
“It’s fine. Lady Viviana’s words have some merit….”
Her light green eyes locked onto mine.
“Just like Lady Viviana said, I can’t keep running forever…”
“You already knew that one day, you would have to face it head-on.”
“…….….”
“To protect the things you love, you have to steel your heart.”
I delivered the final blow, aiming straight at her wavering gaze.
“All things that destroy but never conquer, I charge at you, whale, and will fight you to the end. Even in the depths of hell, I will throw my harpoon at you, and with uncontrollable hatred, I will give you my final breath.”*
*Herman Melville, Moby Dick
She took a deep breath, then looked at me with a face of resolve.
“Tell me, are you not my enemy?”
“If the Duchess knows what I know, then we are on the same side.”
“…Alright.”
Soon, she stood from her seat with a strangely resolute expression.
“In that case, Lady Viviana, follow me. There’s something I need to tell you.”
It just got more and more interesting