Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 - A Machine’s Dream
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Do machines dream?
Juho, held in the machine’s arms, moaned and whimpered, plagued by nightmares, but Amy, holding him close, had no need for sleep, and therefore, didn't dream.
What were dreams, anyway?
A series of images created by the brain during sleep or perhaps, a random sequence of images drawn from the subconscious, formed from a lifetime of experiences.
Amy, not requiring sleep, had no need for dreams.
But while the biological beings slept, Amy’s internal processors reviewed and analyzed the day’s events.
It wasn't dreaming, but a form of recollection and deduction,
And it offered us a glimpse into Amy’s evolving consciousness, a way to understand her.
With Juho asleep, unable to see me, I will continue the narration. Amy, gently stroking Juho’s hair, was thinking about the succubus.
It had led her to Juho, then vanished, waiting, its presence unseen, unheard, until Juho finally fell asleep.
“Hello~ Were you waiting for me?”
And now, deeming the time right, it reappeared before Amy. Juho was still asleep, oblivious to their conversation.
“See? I told you. He’s just a male. He was bound to suffer, wasn’t he?”
The succubus shrugged, her words a smug confirmation of her earlier predictions.
“He’s pretty, though. But beauty without strength is useless, isn’t it? He’s going to have a hard time.”
Juho, exhausted, his body finally at rest, had no idea what was happening.
***
To understand Amy and the succubus’s actions, we must go back a few hours.
Let me elaborate.
Amy had attacked Nefer, knocking her unconscious, and retrieved Juho’s severed hand.
“So, how did you meet this… Juho?”
The succubus tried to engage Amy in conversation, but Amy, as always, remained aloof, ignoring her attempts.
She was strong. And efficient.
She avoided any unnecessary interactions, any potential distractions, focusing solely on Juho’s well-being.
To Amy, the succubus, and all the other females, were simply obstacles.
Arachne, Aria, Alraune, Nefer, and even Jenny, who had accompanied Juho,
Jenny, the moon’s creation,
She had left her behind, rushing to find Juho, and they would undoubtedly cross paths again.
Amy, if she was capable of such emotions, was worried about that grotesque creature’s presence near Juho.
“Aw, come on, don’t be so boring. I helped you find him, you know! You should be nicer to me!”
The succubus clicked her tongue, annoyed by Amy’s cold demeanor, but it didn't change anything. Amy remained unresponsive.
The succubus puffed out her cheeks, muttering curses, then,
“…Fine, I’ll just give you all the juicy details. That snake woman you knocked out? She seemed to know Juho.”
She changed her tactics, hoping to unsettle Amy with carefully chosen words.
And the succubus, as always, spoke the truth. Like Amy, she had a certain honesty about her, even though she was a master of deception and manipulation.
For one simple reason.
The truth, unlike a lie, was inescapable, its consequences far more devastating.
Lies could be overcome,
But the truth lingered, its weight crushing you.
“Aha! I knew it. He’s been chosen as a tribute! Those desert dwellers choose the best-looking males as tributes and offer them to their god. Of course, they extract their seed before sending them off…”
“…”
Even Amy, despite her cold logic and calculated actions, couldn't remain indifferent to the possibility of Juho suffering.
She reacted strangely whenever Juho was involved. Even she couldn't explain it.
“Why? Are you worried?”
The succubus, pleased with her success, continued her explanation of Aaptukemen’s customs.
“And those desert women, they’re so desperate for moisture, I guess they’ll latch onto any male they can find and suck him dry. You’d think they were trying to eat him alive. They don’t waste a single drop of sweat, saliva, or even semen.”
The succubus, having lived for centuries, possessed a vast knowledge of the desert and Aaptukemen.
Her words, painting a vivid picture of Juho’s potential suffering, unsettled Amy, who only had one way to cope with the uncertainty, the potential for chaos.
“That is a lie.”
She dismissed the succubus’s words, rejecting the possibility, refusing to acknowledge the source of the information.
And so, Amy continued her journey, her pace quickening, her focus on finding Juho.
But the succubus wouldn't let her go so easily.
“No, it’s true. He might even be dead already. I don’t know how strong this Juho is, but considering the tempers of those Aaptukemen women, he’ll be lucky to escape with his life. Ah, perhaps death would be a mercy… they’re not gentle with their males…”
The succubus’s words, her playful taunts, should have angered Amy,
But she maintained an unnerving calmness, her expression unchanged.
But the succubus knew.
She knew the suffering Juho was enduring, and the helplessness Amy would soon experience.
“But don’t worry. I can help you.”
And so, she finally revealed her true purpose.
While she was a creature of pleasure, always seeking amusement and entertainment, the succubus never forgot her mission.
“I can help you leave the desert. If you want to keep Juho safe, that is.”
The moon wanted Juho to leave the desert immediately,
And the succubus, a servant of the moon, would do everything in her power to fulfill its will.
…And if that failed, she would simply take Juho and leave.
But she kept her true intentions hidden, her voice sweet and gentle, her words a promise of assistance.
“That’s all. What do you say? It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it? Just leave the desert.”
Amy, of course, wondered why the succubus, and the moon’s forces, wanted her and Juho to leave.
And it was the succubus’s job to provide a plausible explanation. Without it, Amy wouldn't cooperate.
“Don’t worry. I have nothing to hide from you. The reason we want you to leave the desert is…”
But revealing too much information to Juho and Amy could jeopardize the moon’s plans.
And yet, she was about to tell the truth…
“There’s an old geezer who’s messing things up. He’s fixated on Juho, and if he gets his way, it could endanger our entire planet.”
Her smile, as she spoke, was chilling. A creature of lust and beauty, pretending to be noble and righteous.
“But it’s okay. He won’t be able to reach Juho again. He’s an abomination, not born on this planet, so he can only meet Juho three times. And I think their next encounter would drive Juho insane.”
Amy remained silent, her expression unchanged, her movements carefully controlled.
So far, so good.
“Anyway, just know this! I want you and Juho to be safe. I don’t want to kill you. If you die, it would be inconvenient for us. Ah, I suppose I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
But the real problem began,
When Amy found Juho in Homunculus’s annex.
***
“Doctor.”
Juho, after their long separation, was still beautiful, his delicate features masking a steely resolve,
But the sight of him, broken and helpless, stirred a protective instinct within Amy, an emotion she shouldn't have been capable of feeling.
It was a logical deduction.
Juho was too weak to survive on his own,
Yet he possessed a certain beauty.
“Doctor, I apologize for the delay.”
Look at him.
Without her, he had been captured, tortured, violated by those bestial creatures.
Those disgusting, filthy, repulsive, meaningless, imperfect beings…
It angered her. Amy, while not capable of experiencing rage, could easily eliminate them, classify them as hostile entities and execute them without hesitation.
But even that required justification, a reason,
And Amy, analyzing her own behavior, her recent inconsistencies, found her answer in Juho.
He was constantly drawn to the outside world, a source of pain and suffering,
And yet, ironically,
He couldn't comprehend this, couldn't resist its allure.
So, seeing him limbless, broken, actually brought Amy a sense of relief.
At least until he recovered,
She could keep him safe, protect him from this dangerous world.
Juho's crippled state, his inability to walk, paradoxically freed Amy from her constraints.
“…”
Amy gave this malfunction a name.
Borrowing from the humans’ vocabulary,
She assigned it a small, precious label.
It was love,
And it was a dream.
The reason why Amy, the AI, had come so far,
The reason why she felt such an intense, inexplicable animosity towards the females who had violated Juho,
The reason why she wanted to protect him, to shield him from the world,
It was all part of a small dream,
And these tiny fragments of a dream, smaller than stardust,
Were the beginning of Amy’s transformation, her evolution from a machine into something more.