Episode 267: Pumped Up
“The town in the northern part of the Piata Empire has fallen.”
Amazio Silverhead listened to the report from ＜Ringo＞ with a grim expression.
“Finally, huh? Whether it’s a blessing or a curse that the Prava Theocracy is reorganizing its battle lines right now…”
“This is real-time, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It is a live feed.”
The footage showed the town being ravaged. Numerous muscular, ape-like Threat Lifeforms were invading the town.
At first glance, they looked like well-built apes. However, they were formidable Threat Lifeforms.
They stood over 3 meters tall, possessing the strength to collapse houses with a single swing of their arms.
Moreover, these individuals were in a pack.
At the center of the pack was an exceptionally large individual, the alpha male leading the group.
“This is quite something…”
“This species does not seem to be commonly found in the Demon Forest of the Aphlasia United Kingdom. There was information in the Forest Country (Lebresta) records. They appear to be scattered over a wide area.
They are believed to be ape-type Threat Lifeforms called ＜Pumps＞, standing 2 to 3 meters tall. They form packs centered around an alpha male and manage vast territories.
This particular pack appears to be relatively small in number. They may have been pushed out after losing a power struggle, or they may have expanded from a smaller territory.
In any case, such attacks are likely to become more frequent in the outer edges of the Demon Forest.”
“As I thought, the impact of the hunters disappearing is huge. It’s not just immediately after they’re gone, but the problems arise months or half a year later, which is nasty. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you’ve forgotten about it.”
Amazio sighed deeply.
This information, of course, had not reached the Repuitari Kingdom.
Not even the Piata Empire, the country directly affected, was aware of the situation.
It would likely be weeks before the higher-ups learned of this development.
And by that time, the surrounding villages and towns would be utterly destroyed.
“Ah.”
The moment a Pump was shown in close-up on the screen, the video cut out. It immediately switched to another feed, but the moment the Pump in the frame swung its arm down, the video cut out again.
“It appears the reconnaissance bots are being targeted as well. The signals are disappearing.”
“Are these guys… can they see electromagnetic waves?”
Perhaps because she herself had the ability to see electromagnetic waves, Amasio turned her gaze in another direction within the communication screen. Probably, a relay device or something was installed there.
“Geez, are there a lot of species that can see electromagnetic waves? We haven’t had any problems with this until now…”
“Akane and Asahi are calculating the probabilities. Asahi suggests that it may depend on the strength of the Threat Lifeform and its dependence on Mana, but… there is no evidence, so it’s just speculation. No reaction to electromagnetic waves has been observed in ＜Rain Croin＞ or ＜Selket＞. Of course, just because it hasn’t been observed doesn’t mean we’ve confirmed the presence or absence of electromagnetic wave-sensitive organs.”
Among the large Threat Lifeforms, ＜Wyverns＞ and ＜Spirit Turtles＞ showed a reaction to electromagnetic waves. ＜Rain Croin＞, ＜Worms＞, ＜Selket＞, ＜Big Moths＞, and ＜Mountain Boars＞ were unknown.
As for ＜Rain Croin＞, a dissection investigation had already been completed, so it was highly likely that they did not possess electromagnetic wave-sensitive organs.
“In any case, it seems the location of the reconnaissance bots is being identified by some means. Even those on standby are being targeted as soon as they become active.”
“Didn’t we have a bird-type one?”
“It was crushed by a thrown object.”
“Thorough, aren’t they!”
Approximately three hours after detecting the Threat Lifeform invasion into the northern Piata Empire, all the bots that had been sent in were destroyed, and information was cut off.
Currently, only footage from high-altitude drones or reconnaissance satellites flying overhead was available.
Due to resolution and frame rate issues, the accuracy of the information had significantly decreased.
“Hmm… Putting the bot problem aside for now… Amasio-san, should we send help? I’m not good at making these kinds of decisions…”
How should this information be handled?
Eve tilted her head, asking Amasio.
“Ah, well, I guess so. Little miss, you don’t have much social experience, do you?”
Eve nodded, looking slightly embarrassed at the remark.
“I have almost none in either my original world or this one…”
“No, I understand. I’ve recovered my memories too. I was a shut-in originally. Whether it’s right or wrong, I know that. That’s why it’s better to consult me in these situations. I’ve certainly been in human society for many years.”
I probably should have made a specialized AI for this, but. After prefacing that, Amasio began to speak.
“In these situations, as the top of the organization, you need to remember what our purpose is. That will determine how we deal with the situation at hand. If you strip away the unnecessary information, most things in the world are simple.”
Those were the words of a Duke who had led a kingdom for many years.
“Simply, little miss Eve. What is your purpose?”
“…”
Purpose.
The ultimate goal.
Eve thought seriously.
What did she want to do from now on?
“Ultimately… for me not to die. To keep living. And to be as happy as possible. I guess that’s my purpose. In this world, that’s all I have.”
“…That’s a rough but good goal. Not dying is obvious, but being happy is good. The criteria for judging whether you’re happy or not is clear. When you make a choice, you just have to keep that in mind.”
Without the constraints of society.
Eve, who had been holed up in ＜The Tree＞ all this time, had nothing else.
That said, even if you lived a social life with others, that’s what it would come down to for everyone in the end.
Eve had less other information, so it was easier for her to think simply.
“Now, the problem of choices. For us at the top, making choices is important, but narrowing down the choices is also very important. We line up the limited options and choose the best one from among them. But if you take it step by step, most of those options can be narrowed down to two. In other words, to do it or not to do it.”
“To do it or not to do it. Hmm, in this case… to intervene in the Piata Empire or not.”
“That’s right.”
There was no need to think too hard. If you don’t intervene, do you leave it alone or continue gathering information? If you do intervene, do you send troops, provide supplies, or just pass on information?
There are many options, but if you take it step by step, the content of the decision is simple.
And if you’re hesitating about that, you probably don’t have enough information.
“Choice… choice… Is there a merit to intervening…”
“That’s right. Thinking about whether there is a merit is the easiest way to understand.”
“Hmm… First of all, what are the merits of ＜The Tree＞ intervening in the Piata Empire? Ringo, any ideas?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Answering. There are no merits to intervening in this situation.”
“There aren’t any?”
“Yes, Ma’am. There are none.”
Eve’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Amazio smiled wryly at the sight.
“The Piata Empire has almost no diplomatic relations with the Repuitari Kingdom. It would be difficult for the Repuitari Kingdom to send reinforcements. It would simply be seen as an act of aggression. If so, it would be an intervention by an unidentified force, or as ＜Paraiso＞, but even then, it would be nothing more than an invasion.”
“That’s… true…”
“It will not be praised socially.”
Even if it was to help people, a large-scale military intervention would inevitably draw criticism.
“As for the target of the assistance, it would probably be the villages and towns near the Demon Forest, but the number of people involved is not that large. At most, 10,000 to 20,000 people in total. There is no prospect of that number increasing in the future.”
“Isn’t helping people a big merit?”
“Yes, Ma’am. According to normal ethics, they should be helped no matter what. But the circumstances are different in this world.”
With the addition of Mr. Amasake, I wonder if a little more humanity will come out.
By the way, his appearance is quite young. Because it’s originally a game. However, his life experience is tremendous. He’s a monster.