Interlude 1: I Should Always Have My Tea

"What an interesting specimen we have here."

The professor spoke banally, but that was his usual composure.

"Indeed," Virgil replied.

She was sitting next to the professor in a small office that housed dozens of monitors, each one showing a wide view inside Serial Slain 2.0. A low buzzing could be heard from the next room over, which contained the massive super-computer that ran the fully immersive world.

Virgil was a young woman with short blonde hair and circular-rimmed glasses. As a young girl, she had always distinguished herself as a scientific prodigy, but she instead wanted to develop video games, leading her to work for Telemachus Technologies.

On the other hand, the professor had greying hair and deep laugh lines on his absent-minded expression. During his early career, he struggled to find recognition, and it wasn't until Telemachus Technologies picked him up that he could invest in developing a highly realistic artificial intelligence.

"Is this the man that tried to kill himself?" the professor asked.

"That's right. His name is Claudia. To be honest, I never expected someone like him to become so invested in this world. I have you to thank for that, Professor Hashimov. You're AIs are astounding!"

"Artificial Intelligence," Hashimov muttered. "In your opinion, Virgil, at what point would you consider a machine to be sentient? When can a machine truly be considered human?"

"When the machine can fool one of us into thinking it's human, of course."

"I disagree," Hashimov said.

"You do?"

"I believe that a machine can only become human when a person knows that it is a machine, but still acknowledges its humanity and forms a pseudo-biological bond."

"Please elaborate."

"Claudia knows that everyone else in the game is a mere NPC, but he still treats them the same as real people, even going as far as feeling what appears to be love—much deeper than simple infatuation—with a fictional character. That is what truly makes him such a fine specimen."

"Unfortunately, Iago had to go out of his way and interfere," Virgil said.

"Leave him be," Hasimov replied.

"But he left his designated domain!"

"Unlike the others, he doesn't have much of a life other than this game. He's bound to get bored. Besides, I want to see how the players push the boundaries of the world. Even an old geezer like me will fall into decadence if he doesn't get some surprises every now and then."

Virgil rolled her eyes. "Fine. As long as Iago doesn't disrupt the game too much, I'll give him some free rein."

Hasimov leaned back on his chair and placed his hands behind his head. "As Dostoevsky once wrote, 'Let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.'"

Virgil let out a sigh. "Your urge for chaos is alarming."

"And that's why you're there to keep the order," Hashimov said.

"Yep."

"Other than Iago and Claudia, there's one other specimen that I've taken quite to liking to."

"Another player?"

"No. An NPC."

"Who?" Virgil asked.

***

The morning was young, and Sakimi stood before the mirror, wearing her mage's uniform, identical in design to her late sister. She held a staff in her hand, pantomiming and lip-synching different spells.

Finally, after the quick warm-up, Sakimi took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "This is it."

Sakimi carefully nudged open her bathroom door so as to not make any creaks. She then dashed through the living room until she made it to the front. Just as she was about to turn the shiny metal knob, a menacing voice boomed from behind her.

"Where are you going, young lady?"

Sakimi's father stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the young girl.

For a moment, Sakimi considered fabricating a lie, but it wouldn't have worked. Her father already knew where she was going.

"The Adventurers Guild," Sakimi said.

"What's all this talk about the Adventurers Guild?" Sakimi's mother asked, rubbing her eyes as she got out of her bedroom.

Even from this distance, Sakimi could feel the boiling pressure within her father. He had barely slept last night due to the stress, and here was his daughter, saying that she was about to apply for one of the most dangerous jobs. It seemed that grazing just a tiny needle could cause the man to burst.

"Sakimi," Mr. Fujimoto said. "You're not going anywhere."

"But father! This has been my life's goal!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"I've been training as a mage ever since I was little, just like Ayame. We both made a promise to each other that we would become adventurers!"

"And look what happened!"

"Sakimi," the girl's mother said. "I hope you understand. We don't want to lose you too."

"I know. And I don't want to die. But this is the only thing that I've ever wanted to do in life!"

Sakimi's father gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I forbid you from going, and that's final!"

A similar argument occurred when Ayame said she was going to defeat the Demon King with Ares. By then, she had already become a member of the Adventurers Guild, but she hadn't done very many quests. It took a while, but Ayame finally convinced her parents to let her go.

Now, there was no way that Sakimi could break out of her parents' iron grip. They had a good reason to be so protective, but if Sakimi couldn't become an adventurer, she would feel like an eagle who was forced to live with the chickens.

"Father, I know how you feel," Sakimi said. "But you can't stop me. I want to kill the Demon King just as much as Ayame. I know for a fact that she would want me to go out and fight. That's the only thing we can do. If we stand idly by, nothing will change in our circumstances. I have to take the risk and live dangerously if I want to achieve the world that I always wanted."

"You girls are much too stubborn! Just where did you get such a headstrong attitude! If you don't want to be buried six feet under, you better not leave, Sakimi!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Ayame."

At that, Sakimi opened the front door and sprinted away. Her parents chased after her, but they were old and slow. There was no way they could keep up to a young and healthy teenager.

It didn't take long for Sakimi to arrive outside the Guild Hub, where various adventurers and merchants milled about. She was an outlier, being the youngest one in the crowd.

Sakimi pushed her way inside the building and traversed to the receptionist's desk, where she said, "Hello! I'm looking to become an adventurer!"