Chapter 294: Eastern Front
“Proposal from the Chimiya Family?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The Chimiya Family has made a proposal regarding future governance.”
‘So that’s why I was called. I thought it was unusual to discuss domestic affairs.’
Inside the command room of The Tree Fortress.
Seated in the command chair was Eve, with Ringo, the AI Assistant, standing behind her. On the display in front of them was Amagio Silverhead.
The usual Five Sisters were also present in the command room. Since the topic of discussion was the Prava Divine Nation, Iris, who was in charge, and Ayame Zero, who was attached to Amagio, were participating via audio.
‘Quite the impressive lineup.’
“Everyone except for the representative from the Afrasia United Kingdom.”
Of course, other AIs were not excluded from participation. They simply lacked permanent icons, but they were free to view and speak.
“Now then. I haven’t heard anything yet, so could you explain it to me?”
“Yes, Ma’am. During the information exchange with the Chimiya Family, they proposed incorporating the monk soldiers on the Eastern Front under the command of the Chimiya Family.”
At Ringo’s report, Eve tilted her head in confusion. Why was such a topic being brought up?
‘…Maintaining a front line without a superior commander, huh?’
“The Chimiya Family is likely concerned about the potential collapse of the front line.”
The Chimiya Family had been generously providing information to the Paraiso side (albeit only what could be disclosed). This included governance issues concerning the Prava Divine Nation and the current situation of the neglected Eastern Front.
“So, the Chimiya Family is worried about that?”
“Yes, Ma’am. While there is undoubtedly a desire to secure their interests, it is a proposal that does not aim to harm us, at least.”
The Eastern Front was currently in a complete stalemate due to the cessation of command transmission from higher-ups. The monk soldiers of the Divine Nation continued to maintain the status quo based on their original orders, but it was anticipated that the effectiveness of those orders would diminish over time. The likelihood of the monk soldiers taking independent action was increasing day by day.
‘Does the Chimiya Family have command authority?’
“Yes. That has been confirmed. Members of the Chimiya Family hold at least the rank of bishop. Since only higher-ranking officials up to the High Priest exist on the current Eastern Front, if the Chimiya Family were to be dispatched, it would be possible to incorporate them into the command structure.”
The priests and High Priests were local overseers, while bishops held central positions. Essentially, bishops were responsible for coordinating the High Priests.
“I’m still not quite sure, but what kind of command structure do the monk soldiers of the Prava Divine Nation have? I can tell it’s not just a simple hierarchy based on rank…”
‘That’s something I’m curious about too. From what I skimmed in the reports, it mentioned something about magical connections.’
While the two humans spoke, Amagio likely understood the situation almost entirely. He had requested an explanation for Eve, who, being human, had various limitations. He was a perceptive man.
“Let me explain briefly.”
Ringo responded and displayed a diagram for explanation.
“This is based on what I gathered directly from the Chimiya Family. Since it is subjective information, there may be discrepancies with the facts, but I believe the concept is accurate.”
What appeared was a star-shaped network diagram. However, the star shape represented only the overall structure, while the endpoints were all depicted as a mesh network. The mesh network connected at key points to form the star shape.
“The monk soldiers and the Chimiya Family typically gather in groups of similar strength to form a mesh network.”
“…A network?”
“Yes, Ma’am. A network.”
The monk soldiers create groups and form networks within them. Once a network is established, the entire group shares a single set of behavioral standards.
‘So, everyone in this group connects their minds, suppressing individual will and prioritizing the group’s interests?’
“Yes, that is a valid interpretation. However, if the number of individuals forming the mesh network becomes too large, their movements slow down, indicating that there is a limit to their processing capacity. Therefore, they cannot connect more than a certain number of individuals in the mesh network and must connect through a hub. This hub appears to be the position of higher-ranking officials.”
And it was magic, that unreasonable concept of Fantasy, that enabled this network formation.
“It seems that the Prava Divine Nation recruited individuals capable of using magic at an early stage and trained them as monk soldiers. We are currently investigating how they selected individuals based on their ability to use magic, but the Chimiya Family seems to possess some know-how, so it is likely that we can obtain information in exchange for something in the future.”
“Really… Are they truly human? From that explanation, they sound more like machines…”
Eve remarked, and in truth, that was accurate. The monk soldiers of the Prava Divine Nation lacked any sense of humanity.
“I must admit that their ecology is closer to ours, the AI species. Their emphasis on the collective good over individual interests is reminiscent of social insects. Summarizing the information from the Chimiya Family leads to that conclusion.”
‘Network formation, huh… I recall that there was talk about our AI being involved in the founding of the Prava Divine Nation…’
“It is highly likely that this had a significant impact. It wouldn’t be surprising if they noticed the communication facilitated by magic and encouraged network formation.”
It was well-known from various relics that a reconnaissance aircraft, which Amagio had failed to recover, was involved in the founding of the Prava Divine Nation. In fact, various data believed to have been left by that aircraft had been recovered, and remnants were housed in the Sanctuary. Although heavily corroded, it was clear that some automated machines had been manufactured using advanced scientific technology.
Of course, it had been confirmed by Amagio that these were reconnaissance aircraft dispatched from his base, the Trout Nursery. The AI onboard was a biological-based computer designed for long-term solo operations, but it reportedly lacked the advanced functions necessary for free will.
However, due to its capability for long-term solo operations, it seemed to have been able to control the local populace and carry out various tasks over several decades.
“The details remain unclear. However, based on this network formation, the Chimiya Family believes it is possible to incorporate the Eastern Front’s combat power under their command.”
‘If we incorporate them under the Chimiya Family’s command, what is the likelihood of a change in their objectives? I believe their top priority is the development of the Demon Forest. If that leads to abandoning the front line, it would be meaningless.’
Members of the Chimiya Family dislike moving away from the Demon Forest. While temporary deployments to other regions for reinforcements or communication are permitted, they refuse to be stationed in another location for an extended period.
This is a drawback of their aspiration to develop the Demon Forest. They reportedly show a strong aversion to handling tasks unrelated to the development of the Demon Forest. However, until now, the home country had been taking care of those miscellaneous tasks, so there had been no issues.
“As long as we provide regular command transmissions, there should be no short-term problems. For the long term, the outlook is uncertain due to the lack of precedent. However, it seems unlikely that it would collapse within a year or two, so it is considered an optimal measure.”
“Hmm… The Eastern Front was our biggest concern, so if possible, that sounds fine. If we can manage something within a year, we can buy ourselves some time.”
‘That’s true. Worst case, I was considering disguising it as a Stampede to obscure the situation, so this is a more reasonable approach.’
Thus, the (temporary) treatment of the Prava Divine Nation’s Eastern Front was decided.
A fusion of science and magic… or rather, let’s call it knowledge cheating.
Let’s just say it’s knowledge cheating.