I am a mindless machine.

This doesn't mean she agrees with the world's distorted and corrupt ideas, but while she understands this, she can't easily deny the world.

"[Apology]...I cannot answer this question. You'll have to explore it yourself in the future."

So in the end, Yunyou could only reply to the setting sun in a calm voice.

At the same time, she silently added another sentence in her heart.

...That's something I also want to understand.

Because the answer to this question... requires a heart to answer. It cannot be decided by the ideas told to you by others, but requires you to use your heart to think about the answer that belongs only to you.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Two Groups About to Meet

Fate always loves coincidences.

Or perhaps, everything that happens is inevitable. It's as if a pair of skillful hands, controlling everything, weaves countless tiny probabilities into a complex, intricate rope, leaving one completely baffled.

"Rikku...we've arrived...this is...the place on the map. The former capital of the Forest Elves."

A childish voice tinged with timidity as the petite girl in the loose robe gently set down the white-haired boy named Riku she was holding. At most, one might mistake this scene for a reversal of gender roles—but just moments before, without using any spirits, she had covered in half a day a distance that would take humans five days on horseback.

—She is not human, but a machine named Shubi.

After his feet touched solid ground again, Riku took a few seconds to calm his heightened senses and loss of balance caused by the violent tremors, lest he unceremoniously vomit a large amount of unidentified matter. A few seconds later, he cautiously examined the building before him—this was the capital of the Forest Elves, which he had planned to visit alone a year ago, but that trip had been interrupted by a sudden intensification of the spirit storm and the appearance of Shubi.

Now, with the convenient mode of transportation like Shubi, even places that used to require risking one's life to reach are now easily accessible.

Seriously, it's because these monsters are fighting that this world has become so hard to survive in...

Riku couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, but he was already subconsciously using his five senses and the spirit needle disc in his hand to survey the surrounding terrain and any potential dangers. In such a terrible world, this was a habit that every human would develop for survival. But after realizing he was being redundant, he asked directly, "Shubi—are there any signs of other races around here?"

"...No...at least within a ten-kilometer radius...I haven't sensed any unusual spirit presence..."

Hugh lowered his eyes slightly, and after less than a moment, he opened them again and gave Riku a precise answer.

Yes, no matter how hard humans try, no matter how many tools they use to measure, they can't match the accuracy of data that others can obtain in just a moment.

"I understand." Riku nodded. The year-end spent together had fostered a basic level of trust between him and Shubi. So he didn't waste any more time and began to observe today's target.

"Most of the facilities were destroyed by the Sky Strike... but this has made our destination more visible." The grandeur of the Forest Elf City was clear to the naked eye, and finding the building covered in flowers and plants among a sea of ​​charred structures was far too easy. "Shubi, let's go."

"......Um."

With that, the two walked toward the location without saying a word.

Hopefully nothing unexpected happens...

Riku prayed in his heart—even though in such a world, humans didn't even have a god to worship.

...

...

"Lord Yu-Yu! Something's happened! Someone's here..."

Outside the cave where the two had been living for almost three weeks, the black-haired little girl snapped out of her reverie while training her inherited illusion magic and rushed in somewhat flusteredly, intending to report the strange occurrence she had just discovered to Yun You. However, upon seeing Yun You's condition, she blushed and exclaimed in surprise, "—Eek!? You, you're still repairing yourself!? At least put your clothes on!?"

"[Protest] Sunset, you're so noisy... Give me... some peace and quiet. I'm feeling... um... I don't have any energy..."

The white-haired girl, Yun You, appeared before the setting sun—completely naked, her cheeks flushed with a distinct blush, her snow-white skin tinged with a delicate pink, her eyelashes drooping slightly, her expression somewhat dazed. She lay curled up on the ground in the most comfortable position, breathing softly as if utterly exhausted, her two long tails swaying listlessly at the ends of her body.

Yun You's injuries were extremely severe at the time. According to the machine armor's assessment, it would take at least 2163 hours, or about three months, to recover using normal methods. However, in this world, even Yun You dared not allow her strength to be weakened for such a long period. She had absolutely no interest in fighting while in a weakened state.

So the question arises: what exactly is this so-called abnormal repair method? The answer is the same method used when they infiltrated human settlements: using violence to plunder the spirits in the air, causing them to flow through their bodies at the fastest speed to nourish the damaged parts.

Thanks to this drastic measure, her wounds have mostly healed.

The aftereffects... are what it looks like now, as if it has been "self-regulated".

For Yunyou, who had lost her emotions, this was no big deal, but for Xiyang, who was quite innocent in this regard, it was a huge problem. After witnessing Yunyou's restoration process for the first time, she immediately moved out of the cave to live there. Seeing her like this every day, who could resist!

"I'm so sorry! I'll leave now! I'll monitor the intruder without being detected, Master Yu. I'll give you a detailed report after you've finished repairing it... I... I'm leaving now!!"

The setting sun's eyes were practically glowing with mosquito coils. After quickly finishing her sentence, which was a bit slurred, she immediately fled the area. Now, she had a basic level of confidence in her illusion magic. After all, she had essentially been empowered by that legendary genius, and coupled with her innate extraordinary talent—at least keeping her secret from the Skywing race without them actively tracking her was no longer a problem.

Moreover, thanks to Yunyou's presence, the energy that had always troubled her was no longer an issue. Whether practicing or developing new techniques, she had ample reserve energy.

So now, within a ten-kilometer radius of the cave where the two of them live, she has covered the entire area with an illusionary barrier that can both conceal themselves and detect intruders.

Not long after the sun set, Yun You quickly returned to her original state, donned a white robe, and her eyes remained as calm as ever, without the slightest ripple of emotion, as if the events of the previous day had never occurred. This weakened emotional state proved extremely effective in this situation.

"[Repeated] Was there an intruder at this time...?"

She murmured, repeating what Xiyang had just said, a faint look of interest flashing in her eyes.

"[By sheer luck] Could I really be that lucky...?"

As she said this, she stepped out of the cave and followed the direction the setting sun had indicated—the only well-preserved forest elf library—taking small steps.

Chapter Forty: The Battle of Language

After discovering the new spell developed by the Forest Spirits, which was even written in complex codes by the developers, Riku and Shubi were forced to stay here for a while longer due to the sudden intensification of the Spirit Remains Storm.

Inside the elegantly designed building, the two were playing chess—a game of great significance to both of them—while conversing. But now, their conversation was coming to an end.

"So that's how it is. The monsters' goal in war is to seize control of everything on this planet... the Star Grail?"

Riku smiled wryly—just now, moved by Shubi's remarkably human words, he couldn't help but ask the question he had always dismissed as meaningless, unnecessary, and pointless.

That was the purpose of starting this great war and the conditions for its end.

Countless divine beings commanded their created races to slaughter each other, attempting to kill all other divine beings and become the sole survivor—they believed this would fulfill the definition of a single god, and allow them to obtain the conceptual device that grants absolute control over all things in the world... the Star Grail.

"Hey... Shubi... Surely no one has noticed? -- There's another way to obtain that so-called Star Grail."

"Eh...? You mean... another method?"

Seeing Shubin's wide eyes and slightly tilted head in confusion, Riku was certain that she truly didn't know the method—no, no one had noticed.

The method was too simple for a weakling like him—because those people were too strong, possessing the power to fight and kill each other—so no one had thought of it; they hadn't even tried to think of other methods, not because they couldn't think, but because they fundamentally denied the possibility of learning.

Riku felt like laughing because reality was so absurd and unreasonable, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel like crying because it was precisely because of this absurd and unreasonable reality that humanity had ended up in such a miserable state.

The ethereal storm that had blotted out the sky had quietly departed, and countless vibrant petals, protected by the forest god, floated in the wind. Looking through the window, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

Riku stood up, extended his hand to the still bewildered Shupi, and smiled genuinely: "Let's go—Shupi, I feel that as long as you're here... I might be able to do something else—!?"

But in an instant, he saw a figure, and his face turned deathly pale. His expression was as if he had been cast from heaven to hell.

Within 0.01 seconds, Shubi sensed something was wrong from Riku's reaction. Her inorganic red eyes instantly turned in the direction Riku was looking, activating all her search devices to try and analyze the attacker's details.

"...!?"

A look of astonishment unconsciously appeared on her small face.

According to the information extracted, that location should be completely empty.

However, both she and Riku did indeed see that person's figure in that dark corner. The petite figure made no attempt to conceal itself, appearing directly before them. It couldn't be detected on radar, yet it was undeniably there... like a ghost whose afterimage existed only.

"I think I heard something interesting?"

The ghost smiled calmly, dressed in a jet-black dress that seemed to be woven from the night. Her slender arms, as white as carved jade, contrasted with the purest white, highlighting the only unique color—purple-red eyes with intricate patterns, which made the ghost in the darkness even more eerie.

That was probably created by directly using the illusion magic, a specialty of vampires.

A slight smile played on her lips, revealing a captivatingly sweet expression. While she emanated no imposing aura of a powerful figure, it was all the more terrifying in this situation. Like a ghost, the girl smiled and explained why she had appeared before them: "—Could you tell me about that other method to break the war?"

"(Oh no! It's a vampire...!? Damn it, did I forget to be alert to my surroundings because I was so engrossed in my conversation with Shubi!?)"

Looking at the wings and tail on the petite girl's back, Riku couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. But his mind became even calmer—for humanity to survive in such a world, it must neither exist nor be able to exist... because once discovered, it would be plunged into an absolutely hopeless situation.

However, she was now being noticed because that vampire had impulsively eavesdropped on the monkeys' conversation... First of all, it was strange that she could understand human speech, not to mention that she seemed to be taking the nonsense of a mere monkey seriously. She even resorted to blackmail to get an answer.

This vampire... might be a little abnormal. Riku made that judgment in his mind.

However, this is a good thing—because it means there is a possibility for communication between the two sides.

If the other party is a vampire, then my existence is meaningless to them, because without the blood of an elf, I'm practically useless to a vampire. In that case, all I need to do is honestly tell them the answer to that question—no, even deception would suffice...

As Riku was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed the vampire girl's gaze—she was looking at Shubi with a somewhat surprised expression. This made his heart skip a beat.

"(Oh no...!)" He regretted his huge oversight—he had overlooked the fact that Shubi was a Machine Race. If the other party discovered this, then the consequences...—no, there should still be a chance, if Shubi's details hadn't been revealed. That could actually be used as leverage...

"You're... a Machine Race? But I haven't detected any other Linked Beings within a ten-kilometer radius." Looking at Shubi's face, the vampire girl said this with a puzzled tone, then, as if realizing something, a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Wait... could it be that you're an individual whose link has been severed?"

—Okay, I've been checked.

Riku smiled bitterly to himself, but his eyes sharpened. The moment Shubi's identity was discovered, her escape route was cut off. A vampire girl would never let go of Shubi, this rare blood bank, and would likely take her back to her tribe.

Although there is an option to have Shubi fight the opponent here, the fact that Shubi didn't find any trace of the opponent when she first arrived suggests that the outcome of a real fight might not be too optimistic.

Choosing to discard Shubi and answer honestly is the best option – the correct answer.

But... for some inexplicable reason, Riku didn't want to choose that answer.

As mentioned before, we are indeed in check, which means we are in a crisis—but not in imminent death.

and so--

Taking a deep breath, Riku's face also broke into a smile. He patted Schwi's back reassuringly, a slight look of panic on his face. Then he said, "—You said you wanted to know another way to end this war?"

So he had no choice but to do what he had always been best at – deception.

Instead of letting Shupi answer the other person's question, he started a new conversation (a trick) on his own. He judged that although Shupi probably couldn't beat the other person, it would be fine to use the stalemate to gain space for conversation before the inevitable battle.

First and foremost, it's crucial to seize control... and to obtain the intelligence needed to escape from here.

"Uh...? Yes, that's right."

The vampire girl seemed somewhat shaken upon discovering Shubi's identity; even the aura that had been surrounding her faltered. Riku seized this opportunity to abruptly ask a question. After a moment of surprise, the girl nodded, then attempted to regain control: "So, you now—"

However, Riku wouldn't allow her to do that. He quickly gleaned from the girl's expression that she wasn't actually good at interrogation and that she didn't intend to kill him. As far as he knew, the god who created vampires had died long ago, and the current vampires were passively engaging in combat, only concerned with obtaining blood. And in this context, the girl had asked him, a mere monkey, how to end the war besides killing each other. Although he found it unbelievable, he knew he had to make good use of it!

"So—you want to end this war using means other than killing? Is that right?"

Without any warning, he said this.

"Ugh...!"

The girl's wavering deepened, because her true thoughts had been completely seen through by the other party. Although it only took her less than 0.1 seconds to realize Riku's intention, she immediately used illusion magic to change her expression and put on a poker face—but it was too late.