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The One Modeled After the Origin of All Tanks part 2

 

Another public broadcast started and the voice of a man echoed once again all over the Fortress Area. The man’s voice sounded strange as if modified by a machine.

「Pardon the interruption once again. I’m a little late, but to the members of Metal Iris, we’ll be providing support. My name is Marujin. I’m glad to be working with you from now on.」

Even though the room was dark, it seemed like the man wore a mask that covered his eyes.

「Who is this guy?」

Blue, inside the Mark I, had no idea. Neither did Palm.

「It seems the support is starting to reach you all. Please wait a little longer until everything is ready. And to all those fighting valiantly, I offer you the words of one of my homeland’s greatest leaders.」

「Marujin? Who is that?」

Kou was also listening to the broadcast. It was a name he had never heard before.

「Marujin. A figure once known as the Hermit of Britain. Said to be one of the models for the great magician Merlin, and the one who left behind the Armes Prydain Fawr, also known as the prophecy of Britain’s victory.」

「I know Merlin. He’s the wizard from the Arthurian legends, right? But who was this Marujin?」

「The Hermit of Britain was a strange figure. He went mad after witnessing a massacre and fled into a forest, where he lived with many animals. It’s said he gained the powers of prophecy and tactical knowledge during that time.」

「A strange figure?」

「He even prophesied his own death. He prophesied he would die by falling, impalement, and drowning. And sure enough, he died by falling off a cliff, getting impaled on a stake left by a fisherman, and drowning with his head submerged in the sea.」

「Why would anyone die in such an extreme way? Is this guy an AI modeled after that eccentric figure?」

「No way! There’s no AI in Planet Asia—no, in the Nemesis star system—that was modeled after a Britain figure!」

「Why are you getting so excited, Asia?」

Asia, more defensive than Kou had ever seen, fiercely denied it. It was the first time he had seen her so adamant.

Kou instinctively felt that Asia’s Aimer attitude just now had only come from Asia’s personality, nothing from Aimer could be felt at that moment.

「Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never.」

「This is…」

「The one you mentioned before, Kou!」

「In nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.」

「Kou, the reinforcements Astraea told us about before have just arrived. Is this what it’s about?」

「The reserve force, huh?」

Kou hadn’t been informed about the existence of reserve forces. He heard the earlier broadcast but he still didn’t understand where these reinforcements had been hiding until now. Still, with everyone on the verge of breaking, no reinforcements could be more welcome than these.

「Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.」

「I remember now. These words are the continuation of the words Shuji-san often muttered. He always said, even if the enemy has overwhelming power, never give in.」

Though it was slightly different from Shuji’s words, it was unmistakably the same phrase.
It brought back memories. There wasn’t time to dwell on sentimentality, but Kou could only feel gratitude right now.

「Now then, everyone, shall we begin? —It’s time for our counterattack.」

Could these reliable reinforcements be from that person? He had survived after all.
Just like the legendary hermit Marujin, he had disappeared, surrounded himself with animals (Familia), and returned once again after gaining power and knowledge.

Kou was certain.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「Eunomia. I have something to discuss.」

「I understand. There’s no doubt it’s that girl.」

Astraea and Eunomia were talking through comms in secret.

「Only Eirene could have forged a code identical to mine. Who knows when she obtained it. The most terrifying thing is, that this probably isn’t even the real reinforcement.」

「You mean she is still holding something back?」

「If she came out now she would become the center of attention; knowing her, she wouldn’t pass an opportunity like this. And yet, that girl hasn’t shown herself yet.」

「So there’s still another surprise waiting for us.」

Astraea closed her eyes and began her analysis.

「As I thought. —The Merlin System. It’s not just a simple IFF. That self-propelled weapon AI system has a learning function, allowing it to select targets autonomously and self-destruct.」

「Won’t unmanned weapons be taken over by MCS interference?」

「That only happens with command input. The Merlin System has a limited application, but it doesn’t accept commands at all. It makes its own decisions from recognition to inference. While it doesn’t engage in complex thinking, it will move toward enemies, distance itself from allies, and if it detects a living presence, it will go berserk to protect them. It’s an Edge AI that carries out those tasks while evolving. A thin-willed autonomous weapon system—that’s the Merlin System.」

Edge AI is a type of network-based AI. While cloud-based AI links all data to a master AI, Edge AI only exchanges the necessary data, making decisions on the system it’s installed in, prioritizing real-time functionality.

A self-propelled mine, a disposable weapon, wouldn’t need a cloud-based AI. The use of an efficient Edge AI was a natural choice.

「As expected of one using the name of that famous magician, his actions are as sketchy as the magicians. The use of Edge AI, is particularly problematic. The more Merlin System-equipped weapons there are, the more they’ll evolve as self-propelled mines capable of increasingly sophisticated decisions.」

「Exactly. The data is likely stored in Eirene herself. The Merlin System has a target confirmation function within the IFF, but as necessary data is shared among Merlin Systems, it will gradually evolve and make more advanced decisions.」

「A system that emphasizes real-time response.」

「There’s no way this thing is going to develop self-awareness, right…?」

「That would be a nightmare…」

Images of self-aware, rampaging self-propelled mines flashed through their minds.

「Let’s stop. We’re tempting fate here.」

「Are you thinking about kotodama?1 Yes, let’s stop talking about it now.」

「Luckily, its versatility is low, and there are only a limited number of weapons it can be installed on. For now, there’s no need to worry about it developing self-awareness. It seems to be built with extremely advanced technology but intentionally low functionality.」

「That kind of wastefulness is very much like Eirene.」

「She’s not trying to hide it from us at all. That ‘Tehepero’ emblem is just too blatant.」

「I agree. I’m not sure what to think about that emblem. But it’s typical of her.」

「Her ‘innocence’ is just an act after all. She’s the type that says, ‘I don’t get it! It’s too hard for me!’ while pushing troublesome tasks onto others.」

「Did something happen while I was in a dormant state, Astraea?」

Astraea snapped back to reality, it seemed all her bottled-up frustration had just burst out.

「Ahem. Excuse me. In short, Eirene still has a secret ace up her sleeve. One that could captivate the attention of the entire planet.」

「Would she really go that far for attention?」

「Yes, that’s exactly the kind of person she is. When Aimer and I appeared on the battlefield we caused quite a stir on this planet. She’s definitely aiming for something with even more impact than that.」

「You two are quite similar, after all.」

「What?」

Astraea froze.

「Ending communication. We’re also dealing with a difficult enemy. An enemy fleet is pressing in from another continent.」

Astraea was left stunned by Eunomia’s unexpected remark.

 

 

TN1: Kotodama is a Shinto (Japanese religion) concept that refers to the mystical power believed to be inherent in words and speech. The term is composed of two parts: “koto” (言) meaning “word” or “speech,” and “dama” (霊) meaning “spirit” or “soul.” Together, kotodama implies that words carry a spiritual force that can influence reality, evoke emotions, or bring about changes.