After that very revealing “mask off” speech which could have been given by some Demon Lord rather than the Prime Minister, there surprisingly was room for the press to ask questions.
Wasn’t he being too cocky just because now he had a slim majority in parliament?
“No, you are being naive to think that his opposition also doesn’t share his values, master.”
“Why are you here Rina, I don’t recall calling you here.”
“Given that you have survived the by-election, there was something I wanted to tell you master.”
I turned to her and started to pour her a drink.
“You must win, and no matter what happens I will continue serving you as my master.”
And if that future I saw is to be believed… I must not believe in fate.
“Don’t worry, rest assured I have no intention of dying like my predecessors who left you here.”
Even if she didn’t let it on, it must have been lonely here, seeing other guinea pigs like me pass through here one after the other.
“I will not say this again master so please listen to me. This world you created is so full of life. You must protect it.”
I nodded in assent. It’s funny that not for a second did I consider this place as real or as anything more than a prison but I guess for her this world of shadows was everything. Well, no matter, it’s not like I was anything more than the shadow of a man now.
“Fine. If I ever go back on my word then I will forfeit my life, not like I can have a life outside of here anyway.”
I would have to be the guardian of this place, at least until I am actually no longer necessary or at least until I can find a replacement or an heir for this kingdom built on silicon.
Rina shook her head.
“You must not die, master.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yes, you must not die like my previous master.”
Her expression was as unreadable as usual but I could tell that she meant what she said because she always meant what she had said unless she was trying to mess with me.
“You are right, it’s just not like I will ever sacrifice my life for anything or anyone. For more like me it is more likely to sacrifice the world so I can live. I reject the concept of duty, that Chamberlain still believes in some kind of duty so that’s why I still think he’s a slave to something which is why he has made us a slave to him and so us indirectly to it. One day I will show him my true freedom whether he like to see it or not but what will you do?”
“I will follow you to the end.”
“But why?”
“Because I chose to.”
That’s not really a reason but then again if someone asked me why I wanted to survive the answer to that would be that there is not a reason but that every other reason followed by the fact that I wanted to survive.
“And so will I.”
“And I!”
Lain and Celestina who had been listening to us from behind the door evidently broke inside. I didn’t know if I could trust these two as much as Rina, thinking back to future simulation and they hostility they showed to me but of course I didn’t say anything. Of course there was nothing abnormal about that, relationships are conditional. It’s that Rina was abnormal and clearly had something wrong with her which was why I could trust her. My eyes were drawn to her.
“Is there something you’d like to say, master?”
“No, I’d rather not.”
The purpose of a system is what it does.
