Chapter 20 — This Robot Knows Too Much!

 The creature was about the size of a ten-story building. About thirty meters tall, if Yogiri judged correctly.

 "It really is a robot, no matter how you look at it," Tomochika muttered to herself.

 As they got closer, it was quite clear that it was a machine of some sort, but it also gave the impression of being a living monster. It had four arms and an armored skeleton. Apparently incapable of standing up straight with its thin frame, the parts that constructed its spine were bent from the hip upward. An enormous horn sprouted from its head. It had a single piece that looked like an eye, which glowed with a dull light.

 "Seems about as unrealistic as the dragon, doesn't it?"

 As Yogiri and Tomochika spoke, the giant slowly crouched down. That may have just been its standby state, but either way it seemed quite nimble. There was no guarantee they were safe just because it was crouching.

 "So, you don't plan on fighting us?"

 "Correct. I have no intention of partaking in a battle I cannot win." It had been speaking in rough, broken sentences at first, but its chorus-like voice gradually took on a more natural tone, as if it was fine-tuning itself on the fly.

 "Wait, is there a girl in there?!"

 The giant's voice had changed to that of a young female. Their translation necklaces weren't active just then, so it had to be speaking Japanese all on its own. No doubt it had chosen the language after hearing Yogiri and Tomochika's conversation.

 "I have no passengers. It would be acceptable to consider me an autonomous robot."

 "So then why did you make your voice sound like that?"

 "I am attempting to curry favor. According to my database, it is more likely for this type of voice to garner positive reactions when facing human males."

 "Talk about being calculating!"

 "Three hundred million possible courses of action have been reviewed, including continued combat. It has been decided that the most efficient course of action for completion of my current mission is to behave modestly. To that end, it is necessary to explain my thought process honestly in order to build trust. Retreating in this context bears the risk of being perceived as a threat and thus risks a forced interruption of all functions. Acquiring your understanding has become necessary for continued operation."

 "This robot understands people too well!"

 As a robot, it could be perfectly logical with no wishful thinking mixed in, Yogiri surmised. It was rare that someone was so guarded against him; the vast majority of people he had come up against, even after seeing his ability firsthand, were unable to fully comprehend it.

 "Well, if you don't plan on fighting us, that's fine. But can I ask you some questions?"

 If the giant left now, it wouldn't be a real problem, but they would still have no idea what had actually happened here. If the boy that Yogiri had killed earlier was truly a Sage, it would likely impact their future actions significantly.

 "I shall answer anything within the scope of my knowledge."

 "Why were you two fighting?" Yogiri asked, pointing at the fallen boy.

 "I was attacked. It is my conjecture that he was taking defensive action. His kind refer to us as 'invaders.'"

 "Apparently, he was a Sage. Did you know that?"

 "I lack any particular knowledge of this individual."

 "Are you an invader?"

 "If by 'invade' you mean 'the attempt to subvert the sovereignty or dominion of the present ruler,' then I have no such intentions. In completion of my mission, however, I do not avoid combat. From their perspective, taking defensive action against us is logical."

 "What's this mission you keep talking about?"

 The giant suddenly fell quiet. It didn't seem to feel like talking about it.

 "Okay. Whatever you're doing, it has nothing to do with us. If you don't plan on attacking us, then go ahead and finish your mission or whatever."

 "I request a negotiation. If there is any assistance I can offer, I shall do so. In return, I request that you refrain from attacking me. Do you accept?"

 "Hmm. I suppose it's hard to trust someone who says they'll let you go, so you want to ensure that it's worth our while?"

 "Geez, this robot is a pain! We said we'd leave you alone, so that's that, isn't it? More importantly, can you even harm a robot like this?"

 "Is there a reason I shouldn't be able to?"

 "What? Well, robots can't really die, can they?" Tomochika was once again caught off guard by Yogiri's reply.

 "Even a robot can live and die, don't you think?"

 "Oh, now we're getting philosophical?"

 "I won't know until I try, but the thing's been talking like it can be killed from the start, hasn't it?" As Yogiri pointed at it, the giant's lone eye blinked on and off.

 "I do not know what you believe I am, but I do consider myself to be alive."

 "Actually, now that I think about it, if you're an invader, where did you come from?"

 "I came from beyond this world."

 "Oh, would you happen to know how to get back? We were actually brought here from another world against our wills."

 "Unfortunately, the only world that I can return to is the one I originated from."

 It would have solved an awful lot of problems if the robot could have taken them home, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

 "What if we asked you to take us back to your world, then?" If they didn't have any direct way home, they might as well explore other options.

 "Impossible. There are two reasons for that. One, my existence is not solely located in this world. A portion of myself remains in my original world, to which I am connected. As such, I am able to return. But the entirety of your existence is located here."

 "I see. So you've got a sort of lifeline connecting you to your home."

 "An acceptable metaphor. Additionally, this world exists in the lowest strata of energy potential. Descending to it is rather simple, but ascending from it requires a tremendous amount of power."

 "So Hanakawa and the others probably got back the first time because they still had a connection to our world."

 But Yogiri and Tomochika had no such connection. The Sage that had summoned them obviously had no intention of sending the candidates home.

 "The power required to return me to my home is located within that world. To return you to yours, the precise coordinates of your world and a tremendous amount of energy would be required."

 "Coordinates and energy. So if you have those, you can travel between worlds. Is that right?"

 "Correct."

 "Suppose we had those...what would we have to do? We have no idea what the actual process is for getting back."

 "Advice on the method is possible. In comparison to those two main issues, all other problems are minor."

 "Then let's use that for our exchange. Thanks."

 Such a deal was plenty valuable to Yogiri, who had no idea how to even begin trying to return to their original world.

 "Is that truly sufficient?"

 "Sure. So what's the second reason you can't take us with you?"

 "I would refuse to carry a being as dangerous as you to my home world. Such a concern is more pressing than my individual life."

 "Is there anything you want, Dannoura?"

 "I have no idea what a robot like this could even do for me," Tomochika said with a troubled expression. "What could I possibly ask for?"

 Yogiri understood...it wasn't particularly easy to think of something you could ask a robot from another world for.

 Well then, allow me to offer a suggestion!

 As Tomochika pondered over her answer, the ghost of Mokomoko entered the conversation.

 ◇ ◇ ◇

 Edelgart and Jorge of the City Guard's First Battalion were rigid with shock.

 Following instructions from Sage Lain, they had accompanied a construction crew out to the area by the Garula Canyon. There, they found the body of another Sage.

 "What happened here?!" Edelgart cried.

 Jorge had no answer for her. "This is...Sage Santarou, correct?"

 The train was completely destroyed, the rails had been ripped up, dozens of people lay torn to pieces, and the landscape of the canyon itself had been changed. It was clear that something out of this world had taken place, but that wasn't particularly rare where the Sages were concerned. Whenever one was locked in combat, these kinds of things tended to happen.

 But the Sage that had brought all that about was now dead, his neck bent at an impossible angle. While that was likely the cause of death, Jorge couldn't bring himself to believe it. The Sages were absolute. There was no way one could just be lying here, discarded like trash.

 "What the hell happened here?!"

 But of course, there was no one there who could answer the captain's question. The only ones alive and moving were the construction crew that had accompanied them. The passengers of the train were either dead or had long since fled the scene.

 "It seems he fought something here...in which case, there is a possibility that those two were involved..."

 Jorge and Edelgart had come this far in pursuit of Yogiri Takatou and Tomochika Dannoura. And that pursuit had led them to a destroyed train and a dead Sage. Beyond the strange powers they seemed to have, it was now possible that they were involved in the death of one of the world's all-powerful protectors.

 "I have no idea what's going on here! There's nothing we can do but report what we've found to the Sages."

 This was a situation that a pair of city guards couldn't hope to deal with alone.