At the rocket research facility under the pyramid—— Alright. I'm done completely deleting that hijacking program. The robots should be safe from being hacked now. President Shelley... I would like for you to explain the history of this city. The 「forgotten history」, I mean. ..... Who's 「Professor Faust」? According to the machine's records, he used to know you. ...An old research partner. He tried to make a super computer made out of human brains and was exiled from the city 18 years ago. ...I see. He was truly a genuine 「mad scientist」. The machine in question was made by 「Professor Faust」. However, it's not possible to condemn a dead person. ...He died? Yes, it happened two days ago. The cause of death is overwork. ..... He completed a robot hacking program before he died, put it inside the machine, and let the attack be carried out autonomously. ..... The ones who kidnapped Jimmy at the library were Faust's men. They were unable to perform maintenance after Faust's sudden death, so they kidnapped three scholars, Jimmy being one of them. ——Our companions pursuing the kidnappers have seized control over Faust's facility. It was an easy job. Because there was no one left besides Jimmy and the machine at the facility. ...What do you mean? Hey! What happened to Jimmy!? There was an incident involving poisonous gas at the facility. Don't worry, Jimmy is safe. The machine behind this incident helped him. ...The machine helped him? What do you mean? I explained it a moment ago, Captain. Faust was planning to make a super computer using human brains, and that computer developed an ego. According to the records—— That machine seems to have a cute humanoid interface. It refers to itself as 「Alice」. ..... Ahahahaha! That Jimmy! He totally fell in love, didn't he? All alone, with a cute machine doll, who even saved his life... Hehe, hehehe. ...Cough. In any case, if you look at it objectively, that machine is a terrorist who disrupted the order of the city. And by making use of the poisonous gas of the lake, it killed the other hostages and Faust's men. It claims 「my life was threatened」 but—— That sort of legitimate defense argument wouldn't apply to it. Right, President Shelley? Obviously. The law dictates a minimum of 10 years of community service and constant surveillance. But the culprit being a machine makes the situation very complicated. ...No, there is a benefit in being a 「machine」. Benefit...? Which? That 「Alice」 is made out of human brains, right? A 「human brain」 can only come from human beings. So it could be said what 「Alice」 is made of, her 「real form」, is a bunch of ordinary people. That's... a possible interpretation, yes. Then, shouldn't Alice be treated as a normal person? All you have to do is apply the law to it, and charge it with disturbing the order of the city and killing people with poisonous gas. And thanks to being a machine, you can easily investigate the evidence... Right, Schrodinger-sensei? Yes. We posses admin privileges over the machine. Thoroughly inspecting all of its records, memories and emotions is possible. See? Also, some of those brains probably belong to the outsiders who have been disappearing these past few years. In that case, 「Alice」 is not just the culprit behind this incident, but also a victim. If you're worried the jury might not reach an unanimous verdict, bring that up. ..... As always there is a hidden motive behind your actions. Would it kill you to say what you want clearly? Oh my, I've been found out. Fine, I'll be clear. I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to hand over the 「Gem of Reason」 to us. That gem belongs to the only weapon capable of bringing down that 「wall」 near the ocean. Bianka Ataegina kept quiet and let herself be swayed by the movement of the truck. Her partner decided by lottery this morning, Jimmy Watt, also sits in silence in front of her. He isn't a talkative person in the first place. Which made the already strange conclusion to this case make her feel like she had something stuck in the back of her throat. Deep inside that facility, Bianka found a boy and a girl in an unexpected mood. The boy's name was Jimmy, and the girl's name was Alice. Despite being kidnapped, Jimmy didn't show any joy when he was rescued by Bianka and the rest of his crew. He said nothing, and with a serious look on his face, he handed over a document to Bianka. The document was signed by the 「President of the City Administration Group」. It detailed how a team under her orders was able to take control of the facility before the ground team did, and instructions on what to do with the girl and the facility. That girl saved Jimmy's life, but she is also a suspect who let people that could have been saved die. And on top of that, she's guilty of causing this incident. ...No, that's wrong. She should be considered innocent. After all, she's just a mere computer. Rather, the suspicious one here is Jimmy. Even Bianka feels that way. Even after reuniting with his companions he only kept asking 「who will be in charge of Alice's daily maintenance?」. ...Maybe engineering is a profession full of eccentrics. Could it be—— That he fell in love at first sight with this doll, this computer? Bianka shook her head. There is no way she could be jealous of their absurd relationship. Yes, it's definitely impossible. 3 days later—— Geez! We went fishing to kill time and the trial is still not over. Hmmm... I suspect the jury needs time to wrap their heads around this case. I mean, the main suspect is a 「computer」 made out of human brains—— ——Honestly, her whole existence is an enigma to an old man like me. ...The more strange things happen to you the more used you get to them. If you ask me, I'd say you've seen enough to start getting used to this stuff. Anyway, I can't believe that woman called Shelley or whatever told me 「only citizens are allowed to attend the trial」 and kicked me out of the court! She let Rita stay but I can't? Unbelievable. Well, Rita is a witness. All that stuff about citizens and non-citizens doesn't matter when it comes to that. ...Yes, I know. Just wanted to complain a little. ——Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong. Oh. Seems they're done. ...S-Sorry for the wait! I-I was a bit worried when they said the verdict was guilty—— But I think it was for the best. Right, Alice? Yes! Ah, umm... Sorry. I didn't expect them to be so lenient. Yes yes. So? What was the sentence? She will live under surveillance for 10 years, do community service for 20 years and surrender her system rights for 50 years, but her privacy will be respected. The part that truly matters is who will be her supervisor, and that person is none other than Jimmy-san. ..... Well, well. Look at that, isn't that nice and convenient for the two of you. I'm sorry! I realize the sentence is—— ——A-Alice, you don't have to take what Bianka says so seriously. Unlike Rita, she likes to joke. ——Y-You were joking, right? ..... Sure. Let's go with that. ..... Hmph. It's only been a few days but—— ——You seem to have grown more confident! ...So that German pilot and you are going to stay here? ...Yes. We finished yesterday the paperwork to move in. I can't let anyone else be in charge of 「Alice's surveillance」, s-so I made the necessary arrangements before the trial. Manfred will look for a way to repair his plane. Alice and me should be able to help him with that. Feels like someone has been pulling strings in the background. Let me guess, you stroke a shady deal with that woman Shelley? A-Ahahaha... By the way, have you heard about what kind of community service Alice will have to do? Hm? No, I haven't. I'm guessing it's not going to be physical labor. President Shelley said that thanks to the framework built by her creator, Alice will be able to control the city's robots with very little adjustments. That task can be run in the background, so it shouldn't put much of a strain on the Alice personality. There is a vacancy in that department because—— ——President Shelley decided to give the 「Gem of Reason」 to Captain Shakespeare. You probably know already. President Shelley's 「jewel」 was the 「Gem of Reason」, a crystal that originally belonged to the treasure sword 「Durandal」. Yes. I heard that 「jewel」 is already in the Captain's hands. They probably made some kind of deal... Anything else? T-This city will need Alice's power now that it lost its 「strong artificial intelligence」. B-But public opinion is putting a lot of pressure on this case. President Shelley plans to take full responsibility and resign at the next Public Council meeting in a few days. Things will calm down soon enough, but we need to think of long term plans for the future. And for that President Shelley will help me in her spare time to update Alice—— So that we can be better equipped to help everyone in the future. Of course, that's also what Alice herself wants. Based on current public opinion, it's likely the use of robots will be limited in the future. But robots are too ingrained in the city's lifestyle. ...In court, Director Thales said we are the ones that needed to change. She said: 「Social order was established by human beings. Thus, we have an obligation to make a place in our society——」 「——For robots and other kinds of intelligent life.」 Oh, it's the Captain and everyone else. Well, Bianka? Can you tell how much my dear engineer has grown? Heh, you call this growing up? Isn't he more childish than before? ..... I'd say being able to 「face your own troubles head on」 is a sign of becoming an adult. Him growing up and overcoming many hardships together with Alice sounds good. ..... Err... What is this thing who's acting all familiar with us? Is it another interface or whatever made by that mad scientist? My appearance changed a little bit and you don't recognize me anymore? I'm so hurt. ..... So, who are you? Oh fine. I am me and no one else—— Your companion in this quest for gems, who has now regained its sight and body—— ——The sword known as 「Durandal」. Just call me 「Dudu」 if the name is too long or hard to remember. ...What!? It's the truth. The 「Gem of Reason」 is a strong artificial intelligence. Basically, the sword has acquired an ego. From its point of view, 「Durandal」 is its body and the 「Gem of Reason」 is its brain. The moment I put the gem in the sword, it used its... 「Soulium」 was it? To change its shape to this form. ..... Captain Shakespeare, are you trying to pull off something sketchy 「again」? I don't think so. At least on this matter, I believe Shakespeare-san is innocent. ..... Because... ...What? The fact that Dudu-sama can freely manipulate Soulium to alter its appearance means—— 「Dudu-sama」? Nice. I like it. It's not a mere 「Sacred Relic」, a standard weapon from the previous civilization. Oh, that previous civilization you mentioned earlier—— Quiet, Captain. Hmmm... I guess so. Yeah, I'm not a 「standard weapon」. ——Rather, I'd say I have nothing to do with you people.