elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
For the time being, let s get this line walking, said Rod. These are the evacuees from the empire, right?
That they are. Goodness, I had nearly forgotten what we were doing, Claire said.
It was easy to forget, but we were indeed still in the middle of evacuating the citizens of the capital.
I ll have the Bauer reinforcements help guard the line. We should be all right even if the Demon Queen attacks again, Rod said.
Thank you, Rod, Claire replied.
From then on, we focused on evacuating the citizens. As luck would have it, the Demon Queen didn t attack for the rest of the trip.
I, however, had nothing but questions on my mind. How was the Demon Queen me? Why was she so hellbent on killing me and Claire? And while we were at it, why was I in this world in the first place?
My nerdy self hadn t questioned being transmigrated at all, being so used to seeing characters suddenly be sent to other worlds in the media I consumed. But now, for the first time ever, I was questioning my own existence in this world.

***

The damage sustained in the retreat from the capital was less than we d predicted. For the most part, only soldiers had lost their lives, and even then, only those in the rearguard. Considering how dire the situation had been, the fact that the citizens were largely unharmed was a miracle.
Of course, that didn t change the fact that lives were lost. Words of condolences for Dorothea and the others who d died were sent from not just other cities in the Nur Empire but the surrounding countries as well. Those countries had heard of how the empire had protected its own citizens, as well as how they d bravely fought against the Demon Queen and her army to protect humanity. Personally, I was heavily against glorifying the act of death for a greater cause, but all the same, I mourned the loss of those who d given their lives to see their duty through.
All right, shall we begin discussing our plans for the future? Manaria said, to get the meeting rolling.
We were in Zur ck, a Nur city near the border of Bauer. It was a fortified citadel built by the empire in anticipation of a war with the kingdom, so it served well as a base of operations against the demons. We had borrowed a large municipal conference room as we discussed preparations for our next course of action.
Most of the attendees were those who had participated in the retreat. Claire and I were present, naturally, as was Manaria, representing Sousse; William, representing the Alpes; Thane, Dole, and Rod, representing Bauer; Philine and Hilda, representing Nur; and Yu, Misha, and Lilly, representing the Spiritual Church. It was quite the spectacle to see so many important political and religious figures in a single room.
Have the demons made any moves? Manaria asked.
Allow me to answer that, Hilda said. According to the reports from our scouts, the demon army hasn t moved since occupying the capital.
What are the damages to the capital? Philine asked.
About that Strangely, there hasn t been much damage at all to the buildings and other facilities. They seem to have rummaged through places for provisions, but there have been no sightings of any destruction for destruction s sake, Hilda said.
How ominous, Thane said with a frown.
No, no, no, we should just be happy that they aren t wrecking the city, William said nonchalantly. Just think how easy recovery will be once we take it back.
Bill, we should be focusing on driving back the demons for now, Dole lightly admonished him. We can think about recovery afterward.
What s the status of the anti-demon barrier? I asked. If the city wasn t in ruins, then maybe it was still up.
It s been destroyed, as is to be expected, Hilda said. Magic stones located in the four cardinal directions maintained the barrier, and we have received a report that they have all been broken.
So the demons have entered the city? Claire asked.
Yes, Hilda said. Platos and the Demon Queen seem to have taken up residence in the imperial castle.
What about Socrat? Claire asked.
His location remains unknown. There s a chance he might have remained back in demon territory to protect it, but
That d be wishful thinking, wouldn t it? Claire finished.
At any rate, we didn t have Dorothea anymore. We would have to fight the remaining two of the Three Great Archdemons and the Demon Queen without her.
Philine, said Manaria, there s a good chance the imperial capital will become our next battlefield. Is that all right with you?
Philine didn t respond, seeming to be in a daze.
Your Imperial Majesty. Hilda lightly shook Philine s shoulder.
Oh I m sorry, what were we talking about? Philine asked.
It s quite all right. You ve only just lost your mother, Dole said sadly.
Thank you, Dole. But this is no time for me to be out of sorts. I m the Empress of Nur now. Mother would laugh at me if I were to let this hold me back. Philine smiled bravely, but it was clear that she was pushing herself. Dorothea had been dearly important to her. Without wavering, she continued, While I m a little reluctant to have the capital be our battlefield, I see no other choice. At least we ll have a familiarity with the area, which we can use to our advantage.
Philine loved her people. Choosing to spill blood on the streets of their home had to be a painful decision.
All right. All that s left is to determine what we can do against the Demon Queen, Manaria said with a sigh.
Your report said the Demon Queen s true identity was Rae, but just what in the world is that supposed to mean? William asked, looking at me for an explanation.
I didn t really know myself, either, so I wasn t sure how to answer.
While we don t know the details, there s no doubt that the Demon Queen is indeed Rae, said Claire. I guarantee it.
That doesn t make sense. Rae s right here! he complained. Or are you trying to say there are two Raes or some such?
That is what we believe, she said.
Ha ha, you re kidding, yes? he said with a wry grin.
Dole furrowed his brow. While there is some level of credence to this claim when it comes from you, Claire, most people find it difficult to believe that there could be two of the same person.
I ll admit it s baffling, but there s no doubt that the Demon Queen is Rae. There s no way I d mistake her for anyone else, Claire said, not budging.
What do you think of this, Rae? Thane asked me.
Honestly? I don t know. The Demon Queen s voice and face certainly match mine. But according to Manaria, the magic shrouding her and the structure of the spells she used is different. There might be a chance she s just mimicking
No, Claire firmly interrupted me. She is Rae.
Hmm, doesn t seem like we can agree here, Manaria said. But really, the Demon Queen s identity doesn t matter all that much. We just have to beat her. The problem is that it looks like it will be next to impossible to defeat her in a head-on battle. We need more intel if we re to win although maybe her identity could be a clue in that regard?
Is there anyone else who might know something about the Demon Queen? William turned to Yu. What about the Church? Do they know anything about her?
The existence of a Demon Queen doesn t seem to have been passed down within our records, Yu said. Is that correct, Misha?
Yes. I ve had a chance to look through some of the Church s old tomes, and while there were various detailed accounts of demons, there wasn t a single mention of any Demon Queen.
So not even the Church, after all its years of opposing the demons, knows anything, Thane said with a grim look.
Seeing no way forward, a silence fell over us.
A voice suddenly broke the silence. I suppose I should explain, then. Although I doubt many of you will be able to understand.
Miss Lilly? I said.
The time s just about right. We ve finally managed to pull the Demon Queen onto the stage. Lilly s tone was light.
Huh? I asked. But I thought the Church didn t
Rae. Claire stopped me. That s not Lilly speaking.
Ah. I finally understood.
Am I wrong, apostle? Claire asked.
The apostle confirmed Claire s suspicions with a smile.

***

Apostle? Thane said, confused. I thought Lilly was a former cardinal?
It s a pleasure, Thane Bauer, the apostle said. I hope your trip from the kingdom was pleasant.
So you really are someone else entirely. Lilly would never take such a tone with me, he said.
You re too kind. The apostle bowed like a stage actor might.
Explain this, Claire. What is an apostle? What do you know? Dole asked, seeming lost at sea.
Claire and I exchanged a look and nodded. It seemed it would be best if everyone understood this moving forward.
They call themselves the apostle, Claire said. They claim to have ties with the Spiritual Church and also claim to manipulate the world from the shadows. I don t know how much weight we can give those claims, however. She sounded a little doubtful.
Oh, but it s all true, Claire Fran ois, the apostle said. I m sure everyone is eager to learn more about the Demon Queen, so why don t I answer any questions you might have?
Oh, well, isn t that just so convenient, William said in his usual idle tone. Of course, we re not going to blindly believe everything you say without question.
That s fine by me, the apostle replied. But I swear I only speak the truth. The only concern I have is that the truth may be beyond what you can comprehend.
Are you questioning our intelligence? Dole said a bit crossly.
It s not a matter of intelligence but a matter of your cultural level? No, the level of your civilization, I suppose. Then again, this might not pose a problem, as Rae Taylor should be able to understand well enough for all of you.
All eyes turned to me.
Guys, I swear I m as lost as you are. I was getting tired of all this vague, cryptic nonsense. Apostle, please, just give us some real answers already? Why are you and the Demon Queen giving Miss Claire and I such special treatment?
Oh, forgive me. Let me begin explaining in earnest. Let s see, where should I start?
How about you start by answering my questions, Claire said. Is the one who calls herself the Demon Queen really Rae?
That s a great question to start with, Claire Fran ois, but the answer might not be as simple as you d like. The Demon Queen is Rae Taylor, but Rae Taylor isn t necessarily the Demon Queen.
Claire made no effort to hide her irritation. Do you think this is a game? Take this seriously or else.
I am fully serious, the apostle said. Forgive me, but my specifications do not allow me to overlook logical inconsistencies.
Specify cations? Claire repeated, clearly unfamiliar with the word.
It means something along the lines of design or configuration, Miss Claire, I said.
Huh. I m surprised you know such a word, Rae.
It s pretty uncommon, I suppose. But I could swear it was only used to describe man-made objects, not people.
Huh? Claire paused. Then, apostle, are you
You re sharp, Rae Taylor. Yes, I am not a living thing but man-made.
A flurry of noise burst throughout the conference room.
You re not alive? That s nonsense, Claire said. You act so human.
Such words are the highest praise I can receive, Claire Fran ois. But I speak the truth. I am, without a doubt, a man-made piece of advanced technology. Rae Taylor, I m sure you ve just about figured out what I am by now? The apostle smiled at me.
Nonliving. Piece of technology. Resembled humans Only one thing came to mind.
You re an AI. An artificial intelligence.
Correct, Rae Taylor. The apostle applauded me.
That one answer only gave me dozens more questions.
Eigh aye? What s that supposed to be? Claire asked.

For the time being, let s get this line walking, said Rod. These are the evacuees from the empire, right?

That they are. Goodness, I had nearly forgotten what we were doing, Claire said.

It was easy to forget, but we were indeed still in the middle of evacuating the citizens of the capital.

I ll have the Bauer reinforcements help guard the line. We should be all right even if the Demon Queen attacks again, Rod said.

Thank you, Rod, Claire replied.

From then on, we focused on evacuating the citizens. As luck would have it, the Demon Queen didn t attack for the rest of the trip.

I, however, had nothing but questions on my mind. How was the Demon Queen me? Why was she so hellbent on killing me and Claire? And while we were at it, why was I in this world in the first place?

My nerdy self hadn t questioned being transmigrated at all, being so used to seeing characters suddenly be sent to other worlds in the media I consumed. But now, for the first time ever, I was questioning my own existence in this world.

***

The damage sustained in the retreat from the capital was less than we d predicted. For the most part, only soldiers had lost their lives, and even then, only those in the rearguard. Considering how dire the situation had been, the fact that the citizens were largely unharmed was a miracle.

Of course, that didn t change the fact that lives were lost. Words of condolences for Dorothea and the others who d died were sent from not just other cities in the Nur Empire but the surrounding countries as well. Those countries had heard of how the empire had protected its own citizens, as well as how they d bravely fought against the Demon Queen and her army to protect humanity. Personally, I was heavily against glorifying the act of death for a greater cause, but all the same, I mourned the loss of those who d given their lives to see their duty through.

All right, shall we begin discussing our plans for the future? Manaria said, to get the meeting rolling.

We were in Zur ck, a Nur city near the border of Bauer. It was a fortified citadel built by the empire in anticipation of a war with the kingdom, so it served well as a base of operations against the demons. We had borrowed a large municipal conference room as we discussed preparations for our next course of action.

Most of the attendees were those who had participated in the retreat. Claire and I were present, naturally, as was Manaria, representing Sousse; William, representing the Alpes; Thane, Dole, and Rod, representing Bauer; Philine and Hilda, representing Nur; and Yu, Misha, and Lilly, representing the Spiritual Church. It was quite the spectacle to see so many important political and religious figures in a single room.

Have the demons made any moves? Manaria asked.

Allow me to answer that, Hilda said. According to the reports from our scouts, the demon army hasn t moved since occupying the capital.

What are the damages to the capital? Philine asked.

About that Strangely, there hasn t been much damage at all to the buildings and other facilities. They seem to have rummaged through places for provisions, but there have been no sightings of any destruction for destruction s sake, Hilda said.

How ominous, Thane said with a frown.

No, no, no, we should just be happy that they aren t wrecking the city, William said nonchalantly. Just think how easy recovery will be once we take it back.

Bill, we should be focusing on driving back the demons for now, Dole lightly admonished him. We can think about recovery afterward.

What s the status of the anti-demon barrier? I asked. If the city wasn t in ruins, then maybe it was still up.

It s been destroyed, as is to be expected, Hilda said. Magic stones located in the four cardinal directions maintained the barrier, and we have received a report that they have all been broken.

So the demons have entered the city? Claire asked.

Yes, Hilda said. Platos and the Demon Queen seem to have taken up residence in the imperial castle.

What about Socrat? Claire asked.

His location remains unknown. There s a chance he might have remained back in demon territory to protect it, but

That d be wishful thinking, wouldn t it? Claire finished.

At any rate, we didn t have Dorothea anymore. We would have to fight the remaining two of the Three Great Archdemons and the Demon Queen without her.

Philine, said Manaria, there s a good chance the imperial capital will become our next battlefield. Is that all right with you?

Philine didn t respond, seeming to be in a daze.

Your Imperial Majesty. Hilda lightly shook Philine s shoulder.

Oh I m sorry, what were we talking about? Philine asked.

It s quite all right. You ve only just lost your mother, Dole said sadly.

Thank you, Dole. But this is no time for me to be out of sorts. I m the Empress of Nur now. Mother would laugh at me if I were to let this hold me back. Philine smiled bravely, but it was clear that she was pushing herself. Dorothea had been dearly important to her. Without wavering, she continued, While I m a little reluctant to have the capital be our battlefield, I see no other choice. At least we ll have a familiarity with the area, which we can use to our advantage.

Philine loved her people. Choosing to spill blood on the streets of their home had to be a painful decision.

All right. All that s left is to determine what we can do against the Demon Queen, Manaria said with a sigh.

Your report said the Demon Queen s true identity was Rae, but just what in the world is that supposed to mean? William asked, looking at me for an explanation.

I didn t really know myself, either, so I wasn t sure how to answer.

While we don t know the details, there s no doubt that the Demon Queen is indeed Rae, said Claire. I guarantee it.

That doesn t make sense. Rae s right here! he complained. Or are you trying to say there are two Raes or some such?

That is what we believe, she said.

Ha ha, you re kidding, yes? he said with a wry grin.

Dole furrowed his brow. While there is some level of credence to this claim when it comes from you, Claire, most people find it difficult to believe that there could be two of the same person.

I ll admit it s baffling, but there s no doubt that the Demon Queen is Rae. There s no way I d mistake her for anyone else, Claire said, not budging.

What do you think of this, Rae? Thane asked me.

Honestly? I don t know. The Demon Queen s voice and face certainly match mine. But according to Manaria, the magic shrouding her and the structure of the spells she used is different. There might be a chance she s just mimicking

No, Claire firmly interrupted me. She is Rae.

Hmm, doesn t seem like we can agree here, Manaria said. But really, the Demon Queen s identity doesn t matter all that much. We just have to beat her. The problem is that it looks like it will be next to impossible to defeat her in a head-on battle. We need more intel if we re to win although maybe her identity could be a clue in that regard?

Is there anyone else who might know something about the Demon Queen? William turned to Yu. What about the Church? Do they know anything about her?

The existence of a Demon Queen doesn t seem to have been passed down within our records, Yu said. Is that correct, Misha?

Yes. I ve had a chance to look through some of the Church s old tomes, and while there were various detailed accounts of demons, there wasn t a single mention of any Demon Queen.

So not even the Church, after all its years of opposing the demons, knows anything, Thane said with a grim look.

Seeing no way forward, a silence fell over us.

A voice suddenly broke the silence. I suppose I should explain, then. Although I doubt many of you will be able to understand.

Miss Lilly? I said.

The time s just about right. We ve finally managed to pull the Demon Queen onto the stage. Lilly s tone was light.

Huh? I asked. But I thought the Church didn t

Rae. Claire stopped me. That s not Lilly speaking.

Ah. I finally understood.

Am I wrong, apostle? Claire asked.

The apostle confirmed Claire s suspicions with a smile.

***

Apostle? Thane said, confused. I thought Lilly was a former cardinal?

It s a pleasure, Thane Bauer, the apostle said. I hope your trip from the kingdom was pleasant.

So you really are someone else entirely. Lilly would never take such a tone with me, he said.

You re too kind. The apostle bowed like a stage actor might.

Explain this, Claire. What is an apostle? What do you know? Dole asked, seeming lost at sea.

Claire and I exchanged a look and nodded. It seemed it would be best if everyone understood this moving forward.

They call themselves the apostle, Claire said. They claim to have ties with the Spiritual Church and also claim to manipulate the world from the shadows. I don t know how much weight we can give those claims, however. She sounded a little doubtful.

Oh, but it s all true, Claire Fran ois, the apostle said. I m sure everyone is eager to learn more about the Demon Queen, so why don t I answer any questions you might have?

Oh, well, isn t that just so convenient, William said in his usual idle tone. Of course, we re not going to blindly believe everything you say without question.

That s fine by me, the apostle replied. But I swear I only speak the truth. The only concern I have is that the truth may be beyond what you can comprehend.

Are you questioning our intelligence? Dole said a bit crossly.

It s not a matter of intelligence but a matter of your cultural level? No, the level of your civilization, I suppose. Then again, this might not pose a problem, as Rae Taylor should be able to understand well enough for all of you.

All eyes turned to me.

Guys, I swear I m as lost as you are. I was getting tired of all this vague, cryptic nonsense. Apostle, please, just give us some real answers already? Why are you and the Demon Queen giving Miss Claire and I such special treatment?

Oh, forgive me. Let me begin explaining in earnest. Let s see, where should I start?

How about you start by answering my questions, Claire said. Is the one who calls herself the Demon Queen really Rae?

That s a great question to start with, Claire Fran ois, but the answer might not be as simple as you d like. The Demon Queen is Rae Taylor, but Rae Taylor isn t necessarily the Demon Queen.

Claire made no effort to hide her irritation. Do you think this is a game? Take this seriously or else.

I am fully serious, the apostle said. Forgive me, but my specifications do not allow me to overlook logical inconsistencies.

Specify cations? Claire repeated, clearly unfamiliar with the word.

It means something along the lines of design or configuration, Miss Claire, I said.

Huh. I m surprised you know such a word, Rae.

It s pretty uncommon, I suppose. But I could swear it was only used to describe man-made objects, not people.

Huh? Claire paused. Then, apostle, are you

You re sharp, Rae Taylor. Yes, I am not a living thing but man-made.

A flurry of noise burst throughout the conference room.

You re not alive? That s nonsense, Claire said. You act so human.

Such words are the highest praise I can receive, Claire Fran ois. But I speak the truth. I am, without a doubt, a man-made piece of advanced technology. Rae Taylor, I m sure you ve just about figured out what I am by now? The apostle smiled at me.

Nonliving. Piece of technology. Resembled humans Only one thing came to mind.

You re an AI. An artificial intelligence.

Correct, Rae Taylor. The apostle applauded me.

That one answer only gave me dozens more questions.

Eigh aye? What s that supposed to be? Claire asked.