Chapter 82
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82
Our aerial vehicle touched down at the Autonovas research institute. Dozens of other vehicles were already parked across the airfield.
Beep.
The airfield transmitted a guidance line to our vehicle, marking the designated landing spot. A green dotted line appeared on the front display.
Ilay maneuvered the vehicle down, following the line precisely.
Hiss.
The moment the door slid open, an android with glowing green eyes poked its head inside.
"Welcome, Lady Giselle Custoria, Lord Ilay Kartika, and Keisa. I am Autobot, Autonovas' proprietary android."
The Autobot was a proprietary model, not one of the Empire's standard-issue androids. Its upper body looked ordinary enough, but its lower half was strange. Instead of two legs, it had four, each ending in a wheel rather than a foot.
Giselle had explained earlier that if the Autobot were ever sold commercially, its proprietary design would create problems with scalability and compatibility. But since it was only ever used within Autonovas, none of that mattered.
"We will now proceed with security protocols in accordance with company regulations. We appreciate your cooperation."
The Autobot's eyes flared. A grid of green light swept over Giselle and Ilay, verifying whether their physical identities matched their digital records.
Beep, beep.
Each time it flagged an anomaly, the Autobot's eyes flashed red. It happened twice for Ilay.
"In accordance with company regulations, we advise Lord Ilay Kartika to disarm."
"I'm here as a bodyguard. And... those people over there are getting off fully armed, aren't they?"
Ilay nodded toward another aerial vehicle. Sure enough, bodyguards laden with firearms and protective gear were passing through the Autobot's checkpoint without issue.
"By our standards, an unarmed Lord Ilay is classified as a Red-grade hazard. Even fully armed, those others rate only a Green-grade hazard. Please understand that this is a relative measurement."
Ilay's prosthetic body was practically a weapon in its own right. Just as the Autobot said, even if every bodyguard out there ganged up on him, they wouldn't stand a chance against a bare-handed Ilay.
Given the sheer gap in combat capability, the Autobot's assessment wasn't unreasonable.
"……Fine."
"Thank you."
Arguing would get him nowhere. Ilay obediently stripped off his protective gear and stowed his sword and pistol inside the vehicle.
Whir.
The Autobot turned its gaze toward me. A grid of green light scanned me up and down, several passes in a row. It felt like it lingered a little too long.
The signal jammer.
The silhouette of my body projected onto the Autobot's sensors would read as female. I'd tuned the distortion levels of the signal jammer to make sure of that.
Since it was nothing more than electromagnetic distortion and jamming, I'd be exposed if I stripped down—but no one would dare make such an insolent demand of a "servant of the Custoria family." Doing so would imply that Autonovas didn't trust the Custorias.
"On behalf of our company, thank you for your understanding and cooperation."
The Autobot rolled backward on its four wheeled legs with a soft hum, giving us space.
"Been a while since I've walked around without so much as a pistol. Feels a little empty."
Ilay stepped out of the vehicle, his movements noticeably lighter. Giselle and I followed behind him.
"Research Institute 9 was established twenty-one years ago, beginning with the assault vehicle Salamander—"
The Autobot droned on as it led the way. No one was actually listening. Anyone interested already knew all of this, and anyone who didn't simply didn't care.
Roaaar!
The unmistakable, thunderous roar of an engine erupted in the distance. Everyone on the airfield turned toward the sound.
Beyond the institute stretched a rugged landscape that was practically a rocky mountain. A tracked vehicle was tearing across it at breakneck speed, its undercarriage rising and falling smoothly with the terrain, soaking up every shock. It looked like some enormous insect scurrying across the rocks.
"To guarantee optimal performance in any rough terrain, our company tests its products in some of the harshest environments in the Empire."
Calling it harsh was no exaggeration. This was exactly why a megacorporation's research institute sat out here in the middle of nowhere, far from Akbaran. The surrounding land was entirely undeveloped wilderness—perfect for test drives.
The Autobot led us toward the institute's exhibition hall. Groups guided by other Autobots converged, and before long a massive crowd had formed.
"Oh, Giselle? You're here too."
A noblewoman called out. Beyond her, several others who recognized Giselle greeted her in passing.
Ilay and I quietly scanned the crowd for anyone suspicious.
"Ilay Kartika! I never expected to run into you here. Since when were you interested in vehicles?"
This time a middle-aged nobleman addressed Ilay.
"I'm currently on escort duty."
Ilay politely deflected the attempt at conversation.
"Come now, this is Autonovas' private property. Relax a little. There are plenty of others handling security besides you."
Ilay managed an awkward smile. The middle-aged man kept angling to get close to him—and he wasn't the only one.
The prominent next Family Head of the Kartika family.
A crowd eager to strike up conversation with Ilay closed in around him. From his position, brushing them off coldly wasn't an option. In noble society, offending the wrong person never ended well.
I was the one with the most breathing room.
My disguise must be working perfectly. Nobody recognizes me.
I watched the people drifting toward Giselle and Ilay. A few of them had even attended the Custoria banquet. They spared me a glance before moving on, likely writing me off as Giselle's personal maid.
After all, who would ever imagine that the promising adopted son of the Custoria family was standing here dressed like this? Even I could hardly believe it.
But it was well worth the embarrassment and humiliation. No one gave me a second thought. I was completely off everyone's radar.
If I were Barbara... where would I try to kidnap Giselle?
I tried to think from Barbara's perspective, but my reasoning was riddled with holes. Barbara was an electronic warfare specialist. Her field was worlds apart from mine.
It was hard to guess what methods she'd use to get to us.
Roughly forty hours left before we head back to Akbaran.
The Autonovas tour was a two-day affair. The first day was a prototype presentation in the exhibition hall; the second, outdoor test drives.
If Barbara's going to make her move, it'll probably be tomorrow.
Then again, she might strike today just to catch us off guard.
I let my eyes drift half-shut, calling up Barbara's personal file from memory. Normally it was classified—information an apprentice Watcher like me had no business seeing. But Heilas had shown it to me for this mission. Strictly speaking, that was an abuse of authority.
...Barbara is an Irregular among Irregulars. Actually, even calling her an Irregular undersells it. She was a prepared existence.
The witch Barbara was a genius who defied every expectation I had.
The Empire had spent years hunting for the right talent for Operation Juliet—a plan to slip a top-tier hacker into Nemesis. Barbara was the end product of that painstaking search.
According to Heilas, Barbara was an even rarer talent than I was.
Barbara has genius-level talent, but she also has a personality disorder and antisocial tendencies.
Surprisingly, the Empire was fully aware of Barbara's unstable state of mind. But that was precisely what made her the ideal candidate to infiltrate Nemesis.
To win the antisocial Barbara over to their side, the Empire must have made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Just how many spies has the Empire buried inside Nemesis?
Kinuan, who had colluded with Nemesis for years, was on the Empire's payroll. Barbara, whom they'd gone to such lengths to recruit, was also an imperial spy. Beyond those two, there had to be countless others the Empire had planted.
So even the largest terrorist organization in the Empire is under the Empire's thumb.
No—come to think of it, Nemesis had only grown to its current scale precisely because it was under the Empire's control and surveillance.
The moment Nemesis was judged to have slipped its leash... the Empire would activate every human asset it had planted over the years and purge them. A purge no one would escape.
Murmur, murmur.
While I was lost in thought, our group filed into the exhibition hall. The noise swelled around us at once.
"Didn't I call it? It's a quadrupedal tracked vehicle. Now hand over the credits—"
"It's not quadrupedal, you idiot!"
"If it's not quadrupedal, then what is it—wait, what?"
Some nobles had apparently placed bets on what the prototype would turn out to be. Autonovas' prototype defied everyone's guesses.
"The highlight of today's exhibition—the variable multi-legged walking vehicle... Arachne!"
An Autonovas executive on the stage announced it with obvious pride.
Whir.
On cue, the guiding Autobots simultaneously projected holographic screens before the crowd, displaying the Arachne's detailed specifications and performance.
"Under normal conditions, it operates on four wheeled legs. In rough terrain, auxiliary high-traction legs deploy to—"
Before anyone could finish reading, the Arachne's auxiliary legs extended. Counting them, it now stood on eight legs total.
The Arachne changed the number of legs it used depending on whether it was crossing flat ground or rough terrain. It offered both speed and stability—but its variable design made it less reliable and painfully expensive.
It's strictly a toy for the wealthy.
Military use would be difficult. On the battlefield, reliability is everything. That was why variable weapons, prone to malfunction and failure, were rarely even considered.
There were eight prototype vehicles in all, the Arachne included. Each model served a different purpose. No one knew how many would actually reach commercial production.
Whir, whir.
Aside from the Arachne, one construction robot vehicle drew plenty of attention. It was a collaboration with Roman, a company specializing in robotics. The upper body was a pilotable robot, while the lower body used Autonovas' continuous-track technology. Since the upper half was a two-armed robot, it could handle all sorts of tasks.
The people around me murmured that, while similar robot vehicles already existed, this one's performance and responsiveness had improved dramatically. Personally, I didn't know much about any of it.
"Do you have any plans to develop a model where the robot's arms are linked directly to the nervous system?"
Giselle asked the researcher stationed by the prototype.
"At this level of output and size, there's barely any difference in responsiveness compared to manual controls. For now, the profitability of developing that just isn't there. Besides, to increase freedom of control, it's better to fit sensors that mimic human movement."
"I see... That makes sense."
Giselle was genuinely fascinated by the Autonovas exhibition. She probably would have wanted to come even without the mission. She roamed the hall eagerly, firing off questions.
Giselle seemed to be having a wonderful time, but for me the exhibition was dull. As I looked around, I noticed a man staring intently at Giselle.
...It wasn't the first time I'd seen him. Not that he was any kind of threat. I let out a wry smile.
Enrico Lagan.
He was the boy who had confessed to Giselle back at Cracia Academy. Since I'd been the one to push him into it, he'd been mercilessly rejected.
Even now, he watched her from a distance with a wistful look in his eyes.
You can see her at the academy any day, and yet you followed her all the way out here? Are you actually a stalker...?
Enrico almost certainly had zero interest in the Autonovas exhibition. His eyes were fixed on Giselle and nothing else.
Well, I do feel a little sorry for him.
Enrico couldn't even bring himself to approach her, let alone say hello.
And with good reason. I remembered what Giselle had told him back then.
I have no interest in you. In fact, it goes beyond having no interest—your very presence makes me uncomfortable. I'd appreciate it if you stopped hovering around me for no reason.
Giselle's cold words were surely still lodged deep in Enrico's chest.
In any case, the exhibition was winding down. Separate accommodations had been arranged for the visitors. It seemed they'd cleared out the employee dormitories for the occasion.
It was only after we arrived at the lodgings that one crucial fact finally hit me.
"Well, I'll be in the room next door. Have a good night, ladies."
Ilay flashed us a smirk before disappearing into his room. That smile sent a shiver down my spine.
"Ah..."
"Hmm."
Giselle and I both hesitated.
...We had to share a room. Autonovas had assigned it that way. Made sense, given that we were a lady and her personal maid.
Right, no big deal. We were siblings—even if not by blood.
Actually, it was a big deal. To be completely honest, this was deeply problematic.
"My lady, perhaps I should ask Autonovas for a separate room—"
"What are you talking about? Of course we're sharing a room, Keisa. I can barely even change my clothes without you."
Giselle's words snapped me back to reality.
This was the whole reason I'd cross-dressed in the first place. It was the only way I could stay glued to Giselle's side around the clock without raising a single eyebrow.
I was the idiot today.
Creak.
We opened the door and stepped inside.
Thud.
The door swung shut, sealing us off from the outside world. Just the two of us now.
...This is going to drive me insane.