I am a mindless machine.

Liku laughed.

Okay, we've got the most important intelligence.

He silently pondered this to himself, while also genuinely feeling incredulous.

—The vampire (the strong one) actually shares the same naive thoughts as me (the weak one). Such a miraculous thing actually happened.

If the other party hadn't harbored such thoughts and thus hadn't been hostile from the start, they probably wouldn't have fallen for their own trap so easily. Of course, the other party's choice to steer the battle towards their area of ​​expertise—psychological analysis and behavioral prediction—was also a major factor in their defeat.

"Well, since you have this idea, I also have a good suggestion..."

A sharp glint flashed in Riku's eyes. Since the other party harbored such thoughts, if handled properly, it might even be possible to pull them into the scheme and use them...

But this time, his words were interrupted. Even someone as intelligent as him couldn't prevent unforeseen factors (meteorites) that were completely unknown.

"[Sigh] Sunset... You actually let the other party so easily lead you to lose the right to speak. You really are a stupid little girl."

The clear, pleasant voice spoke these words. It was a monotone, almost scripted tone.

Riku and Shubi both showed surprised expressions—because this way of speaking was all too familiar to them.

A white-haired girl in a loose robe emerged from the shadows, her face expressionless. She looked into Riku's crimson eyes, who was momentarily speechless, and continued softly, "[Take Over] Then I will conduct the remaining conversation with you. [Additionally]—I have already obtained the information about the other method you mentioned, namely, the information that traversing planets can make the Star Grail appear."

Chapter 41 A Girl as Pure White

"【Etiquette】Nice to meet you, Riku, Shubi. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Yunyou, Yunyou Ai Deevne. Like the Machine Race standing next to you, I am a Machine Race individual whose link with my Linker was broken. And the silly little girl you were just talking to is called Yuhi, she is my companion."

Long, silvery-white hair cascaded down the girl's sides like silk, her face as serene as the most exquisite porcelain doll. If the vampire girl who appeared at the beginning reminded Riku of the vibrant night, then this girl represented—pure white. devoid of emotion, devoid of thought, even her own existence was not yet clearly defined, as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

Meanwhile, the two slightly swaying tails extending from the back of her clothes proved her undeniable racial identity.

The cyborg girl who called herself Yun You let out a soft sigh, as if she were about to accomplish something, and blinked her eyes. Then she smiled at Riku.

But that smile sent a chill down Riku's spine, and a terrible thought popped into his head.

"I hope this way of speaking reduces the pressure you feel. So, let's continue our conversation."

—She said this softly, in a tone that was perfectly human.

"...Thank you so much for your kindness."

Riku replied in an extremely bitter tone. At the same time, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly—wait, if this is a joke, then it's way too lame, it's already disqualified as a joke! Is it really possible that there are other abnormal machine types, and that they even know the names of the two of them?

Shubi's appearance was already abnormal beyond belief, and now another one has appeared. Moreover, this one seems even more thoroughly wicked than Shubi, having already mastered the art of controlling the situation with words from the very first meeting. Judging from her behavior since her introduction, and that phrase "incidentally," she is undoubtedly trying to dissuade Riku from continuing to try and gather information through conversation...

Stop wasting time on attack and defense probing, let's get straight to the point—although not explicitly stated, this is what Yunyou meant.

—Riku really wanted to ask the girl, "You haven't already won over her heart, have you?"

"...Richard...I have no way of knowing...her machine type...or her strength. But based on the number of spirits around her...her strength might be close to that of a Skywing..."

Hugh tugged at Laliku's sleeve and whispered this.

She didn't waste the time Riku had bought her, continuing to analyze the enemy. However, neither Yuuhi nor Yunyu could correctly deduce the information. Yuuhi used a layer of illusionary magic that constantly lingered around her body to interfere with her analysis. As for Yunyu, theoretically, as a fellow Machine Race member, she should have been able to obtain information more easily, but Shubi could only deduce a large number of "incomprehensible" results.

Her speech, behavior, combat abilities, and motivations—all of these things were completely different from ordinary Mechs. As a Mech who would be in a semi-crippled state if separated from her Link, she subtly exuded energy comparable to the warrior race, the Skywing.

An anomaly that defies common sense.

"A combat power at the level of a Skywing, plus the intelligence to use stratagems...?" Having received yet another piece of bad news, even Riku could no longer maintain his feigned composure. If it were only these two points, he would still be confident that he could turn the tide by manipulating words.

But the most serious problem now is that the other side has significantly more intelligence than him, and they are not the kind of fools who wouldn't take advantage of that.

"...Shubi, I'm sorry, we might die here."

"Riku...no need to apologize...Shubi will...always be by Riku's side..."

Ah... I always feel like hearing these kinds of words reignites my fighting spirit. The heart is truly an incredible thing, or should I just say that I, as a man, am too superficial?

With this self-deprecating remark, Riku turned his scrutinizing gaze back to the pure white-clad girl. His confident demeanor reappeared.

"—Alright, then so be it. Let's have a peaceful conversation, Yunyou."

...

...

"Um...this is tea and snacks, please enjoy..."

Holding a tray, Xiyang maintained the aristocratic manners she had learned as a child, placing the food and drinks on the table. These were delicious snacks she had gathered over the past few weeks, which she had then prepared after consulting culinary recipes with Yunyou... The learning ability of the Mechs could truly be described as omnipotent. Sitting down in the chair next to Yunyou, the girl seemed somewhat embarrassed, after all, the two people sitting opposite her were the ones she had threatened not long ago.

Although it was only intended to be used as a temporary base, since there were trees all around that could be used as raw materials, Yunyou also made some everyday furniture. This included the table where tea and snacks were placed and the chairs where the four of them sat.

Riku's expression was also strange. He had originally thought that the two sides would reach a conclusion there—using the intelligence they had on hand to attack and defend, and engaging in psychological warfare with improvisation...

But no, completely unexpectedly, the girl who had held absolute control from the moment she appeared said that this place didn't seem suitable for conversation, and suggested they come to where she was currently staying. This clearly well-intentioned gesture only made Riku more confused about whether the girl was friend or foe.

What exactly was she trying to say?

Yunyou sat upright in her chair, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere around her, sipping her drink as the sweet flavor spread through her mouth.

After finishing her drink, she looked at Riku with eyes devoid of any emotion before finally speaking in a calm voice.

"Then let me start with the most important thing, which is also the premise of this discussion—we want to become your partners."

Chapter 42 Peaceful Conversations

"Then let me start with the most important thing, which is also the premise of this discussion—we want to become your partners."

Yun You is neither stupid nor rigid. She clearly knows what her goal is, and the machine's analytical mind can precisely list all the possible routes that can help her achieve her goal based on the information she has.

In the original work, the protagonist, Riku, who is human and controls the overall situation of the great war, is seen by modern people like Yun You as having a logical reasoning ability that has reached the point of being almost supernatural and divine.

So now that a tool that might be useful for her purposes has appeared, how could she possibly let this opportunity slip by?

"You mean... a business partner?"

Riku frowned slightly, quite puzzled. He had already lost much of his will to resist this discussion, not because the enemy was too powerful, but because, judging from the girl's attitude so far, she wasn't an enemy at all; rather, she seemed to regard them as equals. To bother with a friendly ally who was actively showing goodwill was simply like playing mind games with thin air.

What he needs to be concerned about now is what the girl wants them to do.

The girl was referring to a partner, not a companion.

Cooperation is a joint action or method in which individuals or groups work together to achieve a common goal. In basic terms, it means two or more people working together to achieve a shared objective. Compared to the word "partner" which implies mutual trust and reliance, the term "partner" sounds rather impersonal.

But since the word "cooperation" was used, does that mean the girl believes both sides share a common goal? Could it be...?

"Yes, just as you think." Yun You's calm gaze seemed to confirm that Riku could accurately understand her meaning, and she continued directly: "You want the war to end—right? And under the hellish premise of not wanting to kill anyone."

"........." For the first time, Riku tasted defeat in the arena of conversation, a place he had always been proud of. The gap in the amount of information the two sides possessed had become so vast that it was impossible to resolve. And what puzzled him most was—where did the other party obtain their information?

He gave a wry smile and could only nod: "Yes, that's what I think." The other person was different from the Hughie he had met for the first time. Although something still felt off, the other person had undoubtedly reached the level of a complete individual.

"Huh!? With such a weak body...? Are you out of your mind?" Before Yun You could even speak, Xi Yang, having heard Riku's thoughts, widened her eyes and even stood up, exclaiming in utter astonishment. This wasn't her way of deliberately looking down on Riku; it was simply an instinctive reaction based on common sense.

It's like hearing an ant say it wants to destroy the world; a good person with power would naturally not want to see that ant do something reckless—that's roughly the feeling.

Despite his outward expression remaining unchanged, Riku couldn't help but smile inwardly at Xiyang's words. "Yes, it's precisely because I know you (the strong) all think this way that I can see the possibility of achieving it."

Who would care about an insignificant ant?

"The adults are talking, please be quiet for a moment." Yun You tapped Xi Yang's head, signaling her not to interrupt. Then she glanced at Riku and Shubi, paused, and said, "The thing you're most confused about right now must be why I, a Machine Race, am acting so strangely, right?"

"You...have you...obtained a heart...?"

Shubi, who had been sitting next to Riku, asked this question with some confusion. In her view, the only possibility for such an unusual action from a race like hers, a machine race devoid of emotions, was that they had acquired that incalculable special factor—the "heart"—that she had always wanted to understand. If that were the case, then whether it was that human-like way of thinking or the intelligence capable of suppressing Riku, everything made sense—because it was tantamount to merging the abilities they both possessed into one person.

"Of course...no." Yun You sighed, a fleeting look of sorrow crossing her delicate face, but it quickly returned to calm. "My situation is similar to yours; I'm also undergoing a psychological analysis, but I'd like to omit the details. Basically, I plan to observe your behavior...is that alright?"

"—Also, don't make that face. I'm not interested in you. You can rest assured."

"Haha..." Seemingly sensing the disdain in the girl's cold voice, Riku chuckled dryly, touching his nose. Although it was just a subconscious reaction, when he heard Yun You say she was also undergoing a mind analysis, he couldn't help but connect her situation to Shubi's. Now, would she think he's a pervert who likes lolis...?

Although he hadn't completely let his guard down, after learning the girl's true purpose and considering the goodwill she was currently showing, Riku had begun to believe that she genuinely intended to help him.

However, the most important thing cannot be taken lightly.

"So, the most important aspect of cooperation... how do you plan to do it?"

He looked sharply into the girl's calm eyes and asked in a deep voice.

Even if he said he would help him complete the almost impossible task of ending the endless war, what about the specific execution method? If possible, Riku would naturally hope that the other party would follow his command, so that the number of pieces he controlled would be greatly increased, and there would be many more things to be accomplished... But that seems unlikely no matter how you look at it.

The worst-case scenario is... the other side might act unilaterally (sabotage) after learning of our strategy. That could even ruin the entire plan, so even if it offends them, we must avoid it as much as possible.

Yun You didn't seem to care about Riku's questioning gaze; in fact, she would have been more troubled if he didn't have this level of understanding. As if she had been prepared, she said, "Regarding this..."

Chapter 43 Public Relationship? (Just kidding)

A water-burning stone, which lights up when wet, is attached to the tenon at the end of a half-meter-long wooden stick. The dim light barely allows for visibility in the narrow cave. Although it serves as an important passageway to the settlement, the path has been deliberately made difficult to traverse. There is condensation on the ground due to the cold, making the path even more damp and uncomfortable. This is an effect done to disguise it as a typical wild animal cave.

But this is just a way of comforting oneself; other races can find this place anytime they want if they really want to.

Riku was feeling utterly helpless. The reason? Because he was followed by two lolis and a little girl somewhere between a loli and a teenage girl, the four of them like a mother hen with three chicks. Their only commonality was that none of them were human.

Could it be that the capital of the forest elves has a hidden feature that allows you to find a beautiful girl if you go there? And this time, there's one more girl than last time!

Riku was struggling to conceal their identities. Hiding Shubi's two tails was already troublesome enough, and now there was another one. Was he supposed to tell them, "Oh, this seems to be a popular little girl accessory~☆"? Not to mention the wings and tail of that vampire named Sunset...

Furthermore, although an agreement had been reached with them to cooperate in concealing their identities, there was still considerable concern about whether these two, being from a superior race, would actually obey the commands of a mere human. After all, racial prejudices are something that are instilled from childhood. While this might be somewhat understandable for machine races, vampires are a race that simply doesn't respect humans... since humans aren't even worthy of being used as blood bags in their eyes.

Sigh... the future looks bleak.

After letting out a soft sigh, Riku turned back and tried to speak, "If possible, please don't reveal your true identities and cause panic, and please don't use any abilities that involve the Spirits..."

However, he froze halfway through his sentence—of the three girls in front of him, apart from Shubi who didn't notice anything amiss, the extra parts on the other two girls had all disappeared without a trace, making them look no different from normal humans.

This is clearly the result of an elf disguised as a human.

Upon realizing this, the initial shock was quickly followed by an overwhelming surge of anger. Had he not possessed extreme rationality, he would surely have been unable to resist shouting curses. The only way for humans to survive was through non-existence, like ghosts, and using elves in this cave was akin to carrying a bright lantern in a dark forest, mocking the ferocious beasts.

This is playing with the lives of more than 2000 people!

But before he could say anything, Yun You calmly explained, "Don't worry. Other races can no longer sense the elves in this settlement."

As if to confirm her statement, Shubi, upon hearing this, seemed to finally realize what had happened and looked over with some confusion. The circle representing the observation system in her eyes spun for a moment before she continued, "Shubi... didn't sense... any signs of its use... It's speculated... to be the illusion magic that vampires excel at...?"