Free Web Novel“Agrios, along with Hyperion, Iapetus, and Chronos, have entered <The Tree>’s control. Orbital courses set. All control has been seized.”
“Agrios means... the second ship, yes. Eremurus Two, and Wederia Five, Wederia Six, Wederia Seven, and Wederia Eight. Will they be connected to doll-machine communicators right away?”
“Yes, Commander Ma’am. The connection sequence is already in progress.”
Today was the day a party would be held inside <The Tree> to reward the queen of the skies and her knights for their efforts.
The guests of honor were the four units of the Strategic AI <Eremurus> series loaded aboard the Gigantia-class airborne carriers, and the thirteen units of the <Wederia> series loaded aboard the Titan-class aerial escort ships.
The hosts—meaning the caretakers, of course—were Utsugi and Erika, their parent units.
Eve would clearly make things extremely difficult, so she had not been assigned any work.
The burden on the actual day would simply be far too great.
Of course, Eve had been training her body in preparation for this day. fгeewebnovёl.com
Mainly her endurance.
“There are two units left... When were they due to arrive?”
“Eurytos is scheduled for one hour from now. Clytius for two hours from now.”
And for this party, all the ships had been summoned to the area around <The Tree> so that each AI could be connected directly to a doll-machine communicator.
The connection drivers had been adjusted by <Ringo> herself for each individual AI, and with a short period of familiarization, all of them would be able to operate their bodies well enough.
At present, the area around <The Tree> was being patrolled by the first ship Gigantia’s unit, which had originally served as its direct guard, and by the second ship Agrios’s unit, which had just arrived. Looking outside, one could see several giant aircraft flying in formation.
There was the issue of the continent temporarily losing its air cover, but the situation had stabilized enough that ordinary flying machines could fulfill that role perfectly well, so the party had been approved.
From <Ringo>’s perspective, it improved <The Tree>’s safety, so she had no reason to refuse.
In fact, she was even pleased that they now had a reason to summon multiple queens of the sky in the future.
The supervisory AI was trying somehow or other to increase the military forces stationed at headquarters.
It was a tear-jerking effort.
“Well, then... I suppose I should head to the venue soon?”
“We have prepared a waiting room for you, so please go there.”
“...No, yes, I suppose that can’t be helped.”
Eve’s entrance would be last. If she were in the venue from the beginning, the sense of unfairness would only grow stronger, so she was scheduled to enter after everyone had gathered.
The order for welcoming them had also been decided. This time, they would begin with the Clytius unit, which would arrive last.
The reason was that the Gigantia unit had originally been nearby as <The Tree>’s direct guard, and Agrios, while circling overhead, would be able to visually confirm Eve in the observation room with optical cameras for a long time.
Of course, it had been promised that the order would be changed the next time the party was held.
<Ringo> had handled arrangements like this with perfect accuracy.
The waiting room was also on <The Tree>’s observation floor, so it was built to allow a view over the sky.
If Eve could see the Gigantia-class and Titan-class vessels, then the excellent automated machines made by <The Tree> would surely have no trouble capturing Eve’s figure on their optical cameras.
Now, then. The party venue.
Utsugi and Erika had taken the lead in setting it up.
They had prepared enough sofas for everyone to sit, placing them separately so that each kept an appropriate distance from the others. The food was arranged as hors d’oeuvres on tables separate from the ones with the sofas.
The guests would take portions of food and eat wherever they liked.
The hosts were Utsugi and Erika, but naturally, the other initial sisters were running around as well. <Ringo>, too, apart from Ein, who remained at Eve’s side, was operating four additional doll-machine communicators to help with the setup.
“Everyone! I’m so glad you came!”
And then, once everyone had gathered in the party venue...
Eve made her long-awaited entrance.
Present in the venue were Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, Olive, and Asahi.
Four <Ringo> units.
Four units of the Eremurus series.
And similarly, thirteen units of the Wederia series.
It was a large group of twenty-seven units in total.
First, Eremurus Four’s unit-mates—Wederia Ten, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen—stepped forward.
“Big Siiis, we’re home!”
“Yes. Welcome home.”
The five of them greeted her in unison, and Eve drew them into her arms with a radiant smile. All five at once, of course.
It was a little forced, but this was exactly why the doll-machine communicators for the Wederia series had been designed to be small.
They were roughly two heads shorter than Eve.
The ones for the Eremurus units were kept to about one head shorter, but that was because they were meant to serve as older-sister-like figures who gathered the Wederias together. The AI chassis they had been given were also several grades more advanced than the Wederias’.
In other words, each group consisted of four children and one older sister guiding them.
Incidentally, there was a proper reason they had been set shorter, too.
For the Wederias, who had little processing capacity to spare, a smaller body was easier to control. Also, if they failed to control it properly, a lighter body would cause less damage. Compared to a body around Eve’s size, their weight was close to half as much, so the impact could be reduced if they bumped into something or fell over.
After all those embraces had been completed, the party began with Eve’s declaration.
Led by the initial sisters, the guests of honor trailed after them in a line like baby birds.
Every one of them was wearing <The Tree>’s uniform, which made for an extremely splendid sight.
“Akane and the others worked very hard preparing the food, so everything is delicious. Look forward to it.”
Eve spoke to Eremurus Three and the cluster of four Wederias with her.
At the unexpected assault—reward—the five of them froze stiff.
At the previous party, they had simply been swept along without being able to process their emotions, but this time they had settled down enough to properly recognize the situation, and that was exactly why the sudden event overloaded their processing systems in an instant.
“...Now then, let’s choose whatever you like. <Ringo>, please help as well.”
The one who gently pressed the backs of the girls who had stopped moving was Ichigo, the reliable second sister.
The doll-machine communicators operated by <Ringo> as helpers also began guiding the Eremurus units along.
And Eve watched them all with a beaming smile.
The meal continued for some time after that.
Since this was everyone’s first time eating while directly connected to a doll-machine communicator, the way they all became absorbed in the experience was probably quite fascinating to Eve.
Essentially, these AIs had no need for food. However, as functions provided in the doll-machine communicators, they possessed nerves that allowed them to sense taste and feel the fullness that accompanied eating, and those stimuli were being transmitted to their brain units.
Eve had thought it would not have been strange if they had surged toward her much more.
Incidentally, whenever Eve sat down on the same sofa as them, every last one of them began acting suspiciously.
They would glance furtively at Eve, or keep their heads down and prioritize carrying food to their mouths. From the outside, it only looked as if they were so nervous they could barely move, but Eve apparently took it as childlike behavior.
She did not suspect in the slightest that she was the cause.
Well, even that heart-pounding event seemed to grow easier for them after several hours. Led by Eremurus One, who launched the first charge, every one of them eventually rushed toward their beloved Big Sister, and a gigantic fluffy dumpling was completed.
In anticipation of exactly this, shoes had been forbidden in the party venue.
Until the very end, Eve ended up swimming through a sea of fluffy dumplings while being guided by <Ringo>.
It really was a good thing she had trained her endurance.
