Compass Inner Domain/meet AI.

Pardon me. I will examine you now.

Hmm... Body temperature, pulse, pupil dilation, all normal. At a glance, you seem to be perfectly healthy.

Do you have any other symptoms?

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Yes. I am Sion Eltnam Sokaris.

Why do you feel it necessary to reconfirm my name at this point, Fujimaru?

Oh, come the hell on. You don't get to treat us like we're the dumb ones for asking that.

You look completely different.

... ...?

How so?

Besides, even if my visual datathat is, my appearance were different than usual, it would not be particularly significant.

I know for a fact that I am Sion Eltnam and that I perceive myself as such.

Even were I to try, I could not perceive myself as anyone or anything else.

It is the same for you two.

Is that not right, Fujimaru, Master of Chaldea? And Kama, his Servant?

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... ...

Okay, this is shady as hell!

Are we seriously supposed to believe you're the same weirdo who practically lives in the Command Room?

The Sion we know is just a regular Atlas Institute mage.

She shouldn't be able to change her form the way I can!

Vision-jacking. Physique modification. Transferring your mind into a different body...

Even the most average Atlas Institute mage could easily come up with a hundred ways to change their appearance.

That aside, I am still very much me. Further, I do not recall having changed my appearance recently. In fact, I find your assessment to be incredibly shallow and superficial.

While I am at it, I should mention that if anyone here is shady, it is unquestionably you, Kama.

Of all the Heroic Spirits Fujimaru is contracted to, why are you the only one to be present?

That's...what I'd like to know, too.

Frankly, I would not be at all surprised if you were feigning ignorance as part of some wicked plot.

You are one of the Servants who is potentially dangerous to Master Fujimaru, as you recall.

At least, that is what I recall reading about you in our reports.

Look, I'm telling you, I don't know anything! I'm not even sure how I wound up here.

I think I was talking to someone before this happened, but that could just be my imagination.

...Though, I definitely feel weirdly lightheaded.

And not in the fun way I felt during summer...

How convenient. Everything you are saying is unprovable and you have offered no useful information whatsoever. Tell me, are you doing this on purpose?

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...Fine.

I predicted things would turn out this way. Thus far, everything is unfolding as I calculated.

Hmph, is that so? Well, don't come crawling to me when trouble comes knocking.

Anyway, how exactly should we go about this? Do we just walk around and see what we find?

A moment. I want to share my underlying premise.

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Uh... Why are you giving the ground a pat down?

I knew it. I suspected as much earlier, but this confirms it.

I am not able to determine the construction materials of this building.

That I cannot tell is an answer in itself. Just as I calculated.

This placeno, this whole world, is most likely

What was that?

I heard it, too. And it sounds like it came from pretty close by.

I wonder what it'll be...the first local we meet, or the first enemy we encounter?

Wanna bet on which?

Personally, I'm rooting for whichever one leaves you all groaning in disappointment♪

... ...

Oh, it's both. Tch. What a cop-out.

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So they are. It looks like...

What in the world is that?

It kind of looks like a Sea Fiend. It sure is slimy and nasty-looking like one. Ugh, just my luck!

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(...Sigh)

Fine, fine. Say no more. I'm your Servant now and all that.

Come on, you don't have to look at me like that to get me to help.

Actually, I really wish you'd stop. It's making me queasy.

Still...just remember this:

The more you use me for your own convenience, or to satisfy your own desires...

...the more "It's only fair that I get to use you for my convenience and desires too" points you'll be racking up.

And every point takes you that much closer to the edge of beautiful depravity.

If you really are quantifying your frustration, the least you could do is include a way for people to see that number.

That way, we can tell when you need a tune-up, and when it is time to throw you into the trash heap.

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Do not worry about me. I am an Atlas Institute mage; I can take care of myself.

For some reason, while it feels as though it has been a very long time since I used them, my actual skills have not atrophied.

Whatever. Just don't get in my way.

I don't want to be held responsible if one of my lust arrows happens to get you all hot and bothered.

All right, that's far enough.

I don't know what the hell you are, and I'd really rather not have to deal with you myself.

BUT! It will be nice to squash you without worrying about love or depravity for a change.

(Deadpan) Yaaay. Wooo. Kama wins.

...(Sigh) I guess it's fine. Hmm?

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I don't know. It's like my magical energy and body aren't working like they usually do. I can't quite tell for sure though.

Oh well, who cares. The important thing is, that nasty creature is dead now. Say, wanna stomp on it for good measure?

This will be your chance to show off what a cruel Master you are. Go ooon, do it. It'd make you look really cool.

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Tch.

Shunned and isolated with only me to rely on...tumbling into depravity... Maybe I can still make that golden route a reality... (Muttering)

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Do not worry about me. That was essentially just a light warm-up. More importantly...

Who are you...?

We are, if nothing else, at least not your enemy.

We are sufficiently intelligent to recognize when you are under attack. We are also sufficiently empathetic to help you.

Are you okay? ...It seems your injuries are not too deep. Do you need first aid?

No, that's all right. With enough resources and time, I can treat myself.

After all, we are AIs whose primary function is medical treatment.

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(I knew it.)

What's that stand for again? Artificial intelligence?

That's right. We are computer programs designed to think, act, and converse of our own volition.

I am part of the R.A.N.I. Series, Type R, for "Repair." I have no individual name.

If you would like, I could tell you my unit number. I do not think that will be necessary, though.

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So you are taking our acronym and sounding it out phonetically, as a word for our name. Very sensible.

We sometimes address ourselves in the same way when speaking to one another.

Most AIs are created to fill a particular role.

If your role is medical treatment, who or what do you usually treat?

All the other AIs here, of course. That goes for other types as well.

As Type Rs, our duty is to repair damaged AIs and ensure everyone can perform at their maximum potential.

And what is the AIs' overarching purpose?

That answer should also go without saying, but since you asked...

...it is to ensure the smooth functioning of this world.

The whole world? That's awfully ambitious.

Just as I thought. I could tell something was off from the beginning.

I put this hypothesis on the back burner, since I did not have enough data to verify it...

...but if you are an AI running this world, that should be sufficient to perhaps reveal the truth.

This is a virtual world. Or a conceptual one, if you prefer.

Am I correct?

Yes, that's right. We don't know all that much about this world...

...but we have been programmed with basic data regarding what it is called on the outside:

Paper Moon.

That is the name of this system, or rather, the world, we AIs oversee.

So...you're saying this is a virtual world inside that Paper Moon thingy?

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Of course it does. Right now, it IS our reality.

The fact that our conscious minds perceive us as being here right now...

...means that we ourselves have been transplanted into this virtual world somehow.

This includes our brains, nervous systems, sensory organs...everything that makes us who we are.

Consequently, even if there are discrepancies with the outside world...

...our minds are not presently able to perceive them.

Let me see... For example, say a two-meter tall person was keeping a thirty-centimeter tall animal as a pet.

Now imagine that this pet and its owner were sent to another world where everything was one tenth its usual size, including them.

Since everything around them remains at the proportions to which they are accustomed...

...the human and animal would never realize they were now twenty centimeters and three centimeters tall respectively.

That being said, it seems unlikely that ALL of our outside world knowledge and sensations would be absorbed...

...so there are likely to remain noticeable discrepancies.

Your suspicion regarding my supposedly new appearance is likely one such discrepancy.

I do find it strange that I seem to be the only one who is unable to perceive a change in my appearance. Perhaps something happened when we were converted to fit in this world.

It is probably a phenomenon along the lines of Spiritron or Pseudo-Spiritron conversion.

At any rate, even if this world is purely virtual...

...our perceiving it as reality means dying here would result in us meeting the same fate in reality, so be careful.

Honestly, I have no idea what all that means, but I do know one thing:

You're shady as hell.

I mean, you Atlas Institute people are the ones who gave Chaldea the Paper Moon in the first place, right?

Yes, that is true.

Originally, the Paper Moon was passed down among Atlas Institute leadersspecifically, the Eltnam family.

Zepia, the current head of the Eltnam family, gave its custodial rights to his daughter on her eighth birthday...

...and until she turned nine, she focused on tuning it up and expanding its capabilities.

After that, the Paper Moon was given to Chaldea in accordance with the Atlas Contract.

So of course, it only made sense for me to continue maintaining it after we joined forces.

However, the Paper Moon is ultimately no more than a device. Its internals run only the bare minimum of software.

I certainly do not recall creating a world like this inside it.

However...one could also argue that conceptual worlds of which we are unaware exist in all manner of places.

As for the AIs, from a micro-magecraft perspective, it is possible that the self-advancing programs I installed could have evolved into artificial intelligence without me realizing it.

It is quite fascinating.

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Conceptually speaking, yes.

Though it may be more accurate to say that it was fitted into the Paper Moon rather than made for it.

I would need an opportunity to make a more detailed examination of this world's laws before I could make a definitive determination.

Sounds like you're dodging the question to me.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I say something?

Oh, sorry, we did not mean to ignore you. We can come back to this topic later.

...Hang on. You said you could heal yourself, right? Why are you not treating your injuries then?

They certainly do not seem trivial enough to ignore.

If the problem is that you are low on resources, we could share some with you.

Running self-diagnostic program.

Performance degradation rate is currently thirty-seven percent.

Usually, we would aim for a zero percent degradation rate in order to satisfy our defined desires...

...and ensure operations continue to run smoothly. But right now, another routine is taking precedence.

...Meaning, while you could heal yourself, you currently have a higher priority?

Correct. Allow me to give a more complete report.

At present, a large number of my fellow Type R units nearby are under attack by more of those tentacled threats.

I would like to ask you to rescue them so as to minimize the damage to Type R units as a whole.

Would that be possible?

Okay, there's being a good Samaritan and there's this. We still don't even know what's going on here.

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I thought you would say that. Just as I calculated.

Report: we're close. I detect multiple Type R units around that corner.

However, in my estimation

Aaand of course we have more of these freakin' things. Ugh. This is the wooorst.

Come on, let us make our way through them. Please stand back, Rani.

Understood.

Although we Repair AIs do feel joy when treating injuries...

...that doesn't mean we want to see units in good condition get hurt. Please be careful.

Look, I appreciate the support since it makes my job easier and all, but...are you okay?

You're looking a little pa

Ugh, what's that noise? I wish they'd pipe down.

It's coming from around that corner. Sounds like they're really going at it.

Report: I'm still detecting a large number of fellow Type R AIs. Many of them appear to be injured or immobilized.

I can also confirm that the head of the Type R AI, our leader equivalent, is present.

"Leader equivalent"? What an odd way to put it. Why not just call her your leader?

Because at present, she also possesses a new extended function.

It is recommended that you refer to her by her new role...

..."Master," when addressing her.

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Ah, it's no use. I'm too hungry to fight. Or to care.

Honestly, I could really go for a gaggle of gorgeous girls cheering me on right now.

Come on, get it together! You've got ME cheering for you, right!?

I already told you: I don't find you attractive. At all.

Maybe if you started dressing more in line with my tasWhoa!

Crass though you may be, you do not seem to be entirely lacking in skill.

However, I grow tired of this meaningless dance. It's time my blade was bathed in crimson.

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Hm? Who're you!?

Ah dammit, more enemies? All right, time to make a run for it.

Hey! You can't turn tail at the first sign of trouble! What about the others!?

Who cares!? The weak always die first! That's just how it goes!

Hehe. Indeed. It is the law of nature that the feeble-bodied offer up their lives in sacrifice.

Now then, I think I will help myself to a little snack.

Aaah!

Report: Unit Two Three Seven lost. Regeneration impossible.

(I think he just absorbed something that AI possessed. Probably magical energy or an equivalent of some kind...)

Hmm. I guess that gloomy-looking guy really is controlling those tentacle creatures then.

He seems kind of familiar, though I can't place him. Anyway, what do we do now?

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I will keep watch for any further attacks directed against them.

If the enemy gets too close, I can at least buy you some time.

But I am counting on you to take them out.

Yeah, yeah. Must be nice, getting to just rest on your laurels playing cat's cradle while I'm out there busting my ass.

(Sigh) Oh well. This might be a huge pain, but I guess it's just going to keep cropping up unless I pull it up by the roots.

If I get the chance, I'll see what I can do about the gloomy guy.

Yeah, he might be dressed like a knight, but he sure doesn't fight like one.

He's obviously much better at commanding those familiars. What's your deal? You've got a sword and all, but are you a secret Caster or something?

Hehehe. Indeed, I am a Caster. I am impressed you noticed, fair maiden.

The flowery scent clinging to you is delicious. Once you've grown up a little, I might even be willing to accept you as my bride.

Lucky me, but hard pass. Kinda got my hands full trying to push this nimrod over the edge and into depravity.

What's going on? Did they save us?

(Gasp of realization)

Th-that's it! Excellent work, my friends! I've been waiting for you to show up!

Now that you're here, this battle is as good as won!

Come, let us fight together to put this Caster in his place!

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... ...

What would you have me do, Master?

Tch. So they've already teamed up with another faction.

And we lack sufficient resources to take on two Servants at once.

Fall back for now, Caster.

Understood. Then it seems I'll have to invite you down to my room another time.

The remaining tentacle creatures have disappeared. It seems the situation has been resolved.

Don't even think about asking me to go after them, got it? I've already worked way too much today.

Wh-what's going on? Do you know these people?

Phew. Good. I knew I made the right call.

If unexpected strangers show up, better to make allies of them before they can become your enemies. You never know how useful they might be.

Granted, you don't usually get someone like Karna when you do that, but even so.

Hey! Tell me what's going on already, Berserker!

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Huh? Hey, Master?

Oh no! We should not have put this off until later.

There has been something wrong with you since we arrived. Those battles must have only made things worse.

Here, Fujimaru. Lie down, take some deep breaths, and

Fujimaru!?