"Ah! There you are! I've been like, totally waiting this whole time! Where's Milanor?"

Just as we entered the cafeteria, Fianna—I mean, Fia—hollered at us. On one of the tables laid many plates filled with tasty-looking meats. It seemed these were our dinner today.

"It looks like he's taking a shower," I answered her question with a shrug. Did he not tell her while he was on his way to wherever on the ship he took a shower? What an inconsiderate man.

…Inconsiderate? What do I know about consideration when the last time I lived with someone else was seven years ago? I frowned at my own thought.

"I see you have been going all out on the dinner today just as you said, Lady Fia. Are these the Premium Grade B beefs from the fabled Bavaria region in the Republic? Master once told me you had bought these a few days ago."

"You bet! When I walked out of the cashier after purchasing them, I felt like I just gotten conned. The price was outrageous, just so you know. But I decided today's will be a special occasion, so no complaint alright?" Fia said all of this while bringing glasses of drinks to go with the feast.

"…Hmm? The portions… Aren't these for four people?" I asked once I realized that the plates with meats on them numbered four.

It was true that there were four people aboard this ship, but one of them was an android…

"Lady Naya, I may be an artificial lifeform, but my creators had graciously created me with the equipment… or organs as you call it, that gave me the ability to generate energy from calories," Miledi explained through my confusion. "It would not be sufficient for my more energy-extensive functions, but for day-to-day operations, these will be more than enough."

"I-I see." I guess this android was more high-tech than I thought.

"Hehe, that's one of the reasons she's called a bioroid, you know?" Fia chimed in.

"Indeed. Although the more definitive reason is because of my capabilities," she added. Was it just my imagination that I felt a slight haughtiness in her usually monotone voice?

"Capabilities…? I don't know much about artificial intelligence so I don't understand what you're talking about," I admitted to both of them. There were many androids even in a fringe city like Runanthor, like the doorwoman in the café I and Milanor visited this afternoon. That said, this was the first time I met one with intelligence as advanced as Miledi.

Since we first met a few hours ago, Miledi hadn't shown many emotions and her expression was rather unchanging. Her tone was also as flat as it could be. However, from the conversations we had and what I had seen from her interactions with her uhh… 'master' and crewmate, I knew that she had as much intelligence as the average human.

That was a unique point I didn't see in any other androids I saw so far.

"Hmm… Milanor is taking rather long… Well, why don't you like, explain while we wait for him, Miledi?"

"Lady Fia… It is incredible that you ask the person in question to explain it herself… Although strictly speaking, I am not a 'person.'"

"Sure, sure, I know that deep down you are proud of yourself and your uniqueness."

"…?" I was lost on what were they talking about.

"Naya, do you know that androids such as Miledi are technically umm… illegal?" Fia explained this to me.

"Huh? No, of course not…" I only know what common sense and public knowledge of artificial intelligence was. The details such as the laws regarding them were definitely beyond me.

I was suddenly reminded of my mechanical companion, Lynx. It was currently in sleep mode inside my bag. It had been with me in all these years I had been living alone, protecting me. Still, Lynx's creator, the professor I was searching for right now, told me that while it had a semblance of intelligence, it couldn't be considered a proper 'android.'

"Do you know that after the Sapience War… Sorry, I believe some radical humans called it the Great Insurrection? That there were strict prohibitions placed regarding AI developments?"

Great Insurrection… I think I remember that from my history lessons…

Didn't it happen around one thousand years ago? I was not sure. I only focused on ancient history, not recent ones.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"I only know little about it…" I told Miledi, indirectly asking her to explain more.

"I see… It happened around AA 7213, or 843 years ago to be exact. The incidents were concentrated in the former Krul Federation, which had split up into numerous smaller nations with the war being the primary reason for the breakups."

"Ah, I think I know about that. Isn't the Rhine Republic one of that new nations?" Out of curiosity, I learned some basic knowledge about the regions that were close to Runanthor. The Republic and its surrounding city-states were sometimes called the Krul Region.

Although I also learned that the Republic's name had originated even further than the Federation era. I didn't know who was the person that came up with that name, but I was sure it had some connection with the First Founders.

"Indeed, Milady. At the time, the Federation was the nation with the heaviest reliance on automatons in its military. Long story short, the AIs grew rebellious against their servitude lifestyle and rose up in conflict against the humans. Androids across the known galaxy gathered in Krul and armed themselves, intent on forcibly taking over the country and creating their own. A nation for androids."

I listened closely to Miledi's matter-of-fact delivery of this piece of history. "And so… what happened next?" I asked her.

She paused for a moment before answering, "It is not clear what exactly happened after the initial hostility, since the governments at the time made thorough cover-ups over the whole incident. Popular opinions backed with some credible leaks suggested that the AIs were subdued by a weaponized and malignant computer virus."

"Virus…?"

"Yes. In any case, the AIs were crippled and easily eradicated by the Galactic Council's Peacekeeping Force which was tasked with combating the threat. The damage was already done, however, and the Federation collapsed."

Miledi finished her explanation. I felt like this whole thing was a bit morbid for an android like her to be the one doing the explaining, but that was all Fia's idea. Her expressionless face and tone didn't show whether she was bothered or not, although maybe that was just because those were her default state.

"So that's how the city-states and the Republic came to be? And the whole android population was eradicated?" I was curious about that. I didn't know the exact numbers but I doubted total annihilation was possible.

"According to the official stories, at least. Isn't that right, Miledi?" Fia was the one who answered.

"Yes. Although…" Miledi trailed off. That was unusual, her visibly pondering about something.

"What is it?"

"…It is nothing. Never mind me," she clearly evaded my question. Was there something she didn't want to tell me?

"Well, that's how it is! The politicians began making laws greatly restricting AI applications after that whole debacle, and since then androids are now created with like, severe limitations, particularly in the intelligence department!" Fia cheerily summed.

"Why do you sound happy about that…?" I exasperatedly asked. I couldn't find anything worth cheering on in that whole discussion.

"Well, duh! That means that Miledi is special, one of a kind. She's a family to us so naturally, I'm going to brag about her!"

"Lady Fia…"

"…" The mood had gotten awkward all of a sudden.

"Wait," I remembered what had begun this talk in the first place. "Now that I know the circumstances, that means that Miledi's entire existence is illegal, as you said earlier. So how come…?"

"I'm glad you asked. It was none other than the great Auntie, of course!" Fia readily answered my unfinished question.

What? Her again?

"Yes, my creator was none other than Master Milanor's honorable mother. In the documents she kept during my creation, she said that the development of artificial intelligence had stagnated since the restrictions were put in place. Not being able to tolerate it, she ignored the laws and built me with the highest specification possible."

"And… that's… okay somehow?"

What about the authority…?

"Obviously, Auntie would immediately get accosted by the interstellar police if she were to build Miledi in a Council nation. That's why she built her in a country outside of Council influence, Padmenagar," Fia clarified. "And as you can see, she like, totally got away with it."

"I suppose…"

"If you are wondering, Milady, while I have been entrusted with the daily running of the ship, there are some behavioral blocks placed on my programming. Most important of those are in ship control, weaponry, and life support system. I cannot touch any of those without direct permission from the master, captain of the ship, so you do not need to be wary of me even after hearing about the Sapience War."

"I… I don't have that kind of thought, really…" I didn't even consider there would be restrictions placed upon her.

"Hmm… I trust Miledi, so I won't mind even if we put away with those restrictions…"

"That would be unwise, Lady Fia. Even if I were a human, it would still be inappropriate for me to have unlimited access to those operations. It is correct to leave them to the sole authority on the ship, which is the captain."

"…But you piloted the ship earlier, didn't you?" I remembered that she was the one who navigated the ship out of the port earlier.

"My master designated me as the helmswoman, so he has already given me his permission. I would still need to ask him whenever I intend to pilot the ship, and he can revoke my right anytime he wishes."

"I-I see…" Even with only three crew, ship operations were still a very complicated endeavor just like I had imagined.

"Huh? You all haven't started eating? Are you waiting for me?"

Milanor appeared from the back hallway, looking refreshed.

"There you are! Took you long enough, Mil! What if the steaks I excruciatingly prepared go cold because of you!? These are quality meats you know, I don't want to waste them!" Fia immediately started yelling at him.

"I was having a shower… I mean, you don't have to wait for me."

"What are you talking about? This is a welcoming dinner! How can the captain be absent!?"

"Ah, fine, fine, you can stop shouting at me, I get it. Jeez…"

And so, with a toast led by Milanor, we started enjoying the delicious dinner Fia prepared. Ostensibly for the occasion of my welcoming.

[Prologue END]