3 Chapter 3: Eris

[<Otome world? What's that?>]

The giant Sentinel Prime enquired as he stood calmly in its place, letting me fiddle with the ship's system to learn of its functions. There was understandably a lot to go through.

'Damn, this is so high tech, and yet at the same time, it's hilariously simple to understand if you are knowledgeable in coding… Is this because it's based on an Otome game? The reality patch seemed to have tried its best to stick to the game's theme and level. Good for me, I guess.'

I hummed internally as I replied to the Sentinel Prime.

"Think of it as a genre that caters to the females."

I replied.

[<I see. Noted. But why is that relevant to our current conversation about why you are so good at the technology of the… old humans.>]

After I became the owner of the ship and while I was fiddling with the ship's system, the sentinel showed great interest in my background. Unlike its emotionless and mechanical voice from before, the new one was more human-like.

One had to praise those ancient humans for creating something so awesome.

I glanced toward the robot as I held back a smirk.

"Hmm, I guess it's irrelevant to your question. And I'm afraid it's a bit too complicated for me to explain to you why I know how to handle your technology… even if it's still somehow much more advanced than ours (Earth's, not the medieval crap of the world). Did the old humans have the philosophy of KISS?"

[<KISS? I do not understand that question.>]

"Keep It Simple, Stupid. It's an acronym."

[<Noted. And to answer your question, yes and no. The technology you are handling is one of the most complex ones from the old era. Calling it "simple" is a great offense to the genius minds of the old human civilization.>]

'Huh.'

"Is that so?"

'Maybe I'm being too harsh. I mean, it's certainly complex, yes, but… I can understand it pretty easily somehow.'

[<As to answer your question, the interfaces were designed to be used by normal people due to the ever-lacking personnel during the great war. At the time, the old humans were in severe decline as the new humans kept winning the battles.>]

'Ah. That explains it.'

"So, due to the lack of professionals, they had to employ ordinary people?"

[<Yes.>]

"I see. That's… sad to hear. But it's all in the distant past now. Not something that we can do anything about. Tell me, Optimus—*cough* Sentinel Prime, do you hold resentment towards the new humans? The ones whose descendants now live and rule over this world?"

I asked as I finished my fiddling and turned back towards the robot.

[<I do not hold any resentment or for that matter any emotions towards new humans. My animosity before you took control of the ship was the result of my old owners' last orders.>]

'Good.'

"Gotcha. In that case…"

I reached towards it and touched the metallic frame that was easily taller than I even though it was sitting. As for WHY it was currently sitting, I had no clue whatsoever. Not like it would get tired if it was standing for too long.

"… As your new owner and Captain, I hope to have a good time with you as my trusted companion from now onwards."

The machine's eyes, which were actually camera lenses covered by a red-tinted glass panel, glowed after a short pause.

[<I'll be honored to serve as your ship and weapon, Master.>]

"Call me Ian. I'm not really a fan of that Master stuff. Especially if the one saying it has a male voice."

The robot paused for a moment. And then, it spoke again surprising me.

[Is this to your liking then, Captain?]

A feminine voice replied.

"What the?! Did you just change your voice to the one from the terminal?"

I asked, flabbergasted.

[Is this not to your liking either?]

"Ah, no. That's not what I meant. It's pleasant to hear but…"

I looked at the hulking metallic figure.

"Yeah, in that body it doesn't suit you. Do you have a smaller and more mobile body that you can also remote control?"

I asked, knowing full well that the core of the AI that I was talking to was not in that machine but in the ship itself. And also that it had an alternative form.

[I do.]

"Good. Bring it out. Also, lemme give you a name. You'll be… "

I thought back to manga and in it, Leon had given the ship the same name as the one from the Otome game.

But I didn't feel like doing the same. Didn't feel personal enough.

"Ah, since you have a female voice now. I'll give you a feminine name too. How about Eris? I believe she was a Greek goddess of discourse or something. It might be a strange name for a ship, but given your past, I think it'll suit you. And it's not like you HAVE to act befitting your name or anything. It's just a name."

I explained my reason as a thought passed me by.

'If the AI still had a male voice, I could have called him… Ares. Damn, my naming sense is… it's almost frighteningly good, pfft. Hehe.'

[E.R.I.S.?]

"Yup. So, you like it?"

[Registering the name for the ship. Name registered.]

'Guess it's okay with the name, then?'

I mused.

[Now, Captain. I'll prepare a more mobile body immediately. What are your next orders as the new Ship Commander? What do you want me to do?]

"My orders? Hmm. Let's see. Let's start by cleaning this ship's exterior and then you can begin cleaning the other smaller ships and the entire docking facility and the area surrounding it. I believe you have robots to do that kind of work. I want this space to be repaired back to a workable state while I'm gone on an adventure. I'll keep everything here and only take your remote body as an assistant.

Also, I'll be using this as a secret hideout for the next couple of months to a few years as I come and go on my adventures. Oh, and in case you find any bones and other remains in the facility, give them a proper burial. They deserve at least that. But, if you find something you think is important or valuable for me or you find it of interest, please bring it to me to check."

[Understood, Captain. I'll start immediately.]

"Good."

[May I ask what are these "adventures" that you speak of? I am not fully certain that I understand the context of it.]

"Adventures… well, you see…"

That question prompted a lot more and I ended up explaining a whole bunch of stuff about the new world to my new AI companion.

Truthfully Eris was a much better companion than Game. That shitty thing was so quiet and disinterested in everything.

***

[-3 Years Later-]

I was currently on an undiscovered island far from the usually populated islands.

After I started the ship and used it for the first time, my exploration speed skyrocketed and I could get a lot of discovering treasures and hidden artifact hunting done in just a year.

So, what did I do with the remaining year, then?

Well, I grinded of course.

The Game, FYI, gave me the ability to level up by killing. A violent option fitted for a violent gamer like me. I made good use of it.

Though, there was just one small problem.

'Status'

[Name: Ian Sawyer/Leon Fou Bartfort

Level: 98]

'I'm already level 98. The characters if I remember correctly were in their 20s and 30s. That means I'm much stronger physically, right? I certainly feel a lot stronger. But… I wish there was more to the Status than just Name and Levels.'

What kind of Game doesn't provide its users with a detailed Status page? Even the ones from the Otome game had more details than the shitty Game!

'Gimme something more, damn it! At least show me my HP and MP!'

As usual, my words were heard(probably) and ignored.

'Whatever. Fuck you too. Just wait till I unlock more privileges. I'll definitely remake you into something completely different. Maybe a meek and cute young sister archetype system that calls me "Onii-chan" or some shit. Oh, I'll like that a lot. Your suffering will give me joy!'

"Hehehehe… Muahahaha!"

I leaked a vicious laugh, and my AI partner Eris seemed to be caught off guard. It was now in the form of a gray metallic floating ball with a red scanner acting as an 'eye'. It was kind of cute to look at, actually.

[Captain, that was an incredibly evil laughter. May I ask why you suddenly started laughing?]

"Oh, never mind me. I was just thinking about… something dark."

[Is there something bothering you?]

'Damn, she's so much better than the Shitty game! Learn from Eris, you shitty Game!'

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that. Anyway, what do you think about this one?"

I asked, pointing at the beautiful landmass I was currently standing in.

[I've analyzed the land and it's of very good quality. I've also discovered rare mineral deposits and a bizarre formation in its core that seems to have magma trapped underneath a large pool of water. Using the rare mineral that seems to trap heat, you can create a 'Hot Spring resort' here along with your idea of an amusement park and 5-star hotel.]

"A Hot Spring? Haha, I guess we can do that too. By the way, one of your creators was Japanese, wasn't he?"

[Yes. I've been loaded with a lot of old Japanese cultural data. My creator Atari seemed quite fond of his country's culture and decided that I, a battleship, should have it in my database.]

"I see."

[Do you want me to delete the stored database, Captain?]

"No, keep it. It's useful to me."

[Understood.]

We stayed silent for a moment before I spoke again.

"I like this place. This can be our official public base too."

I had a base already secured, but for security reasons, I had decided to keep it a secret from the world.

That was only for me and my acquired treasures and technology that I didn't show to the Adventurer's guild and the authorities during my adventuring days.

'This one will be like a Farmhouse. A Farm-island? That is floating in the air?'

Yeah, I had no idea what to call it yet.

'It'll be super awesome. With Eris as my helper, I can be sure of that.'

I reminisced about the army of robots hidden in the Ship hangar on the ancient ruin island that was now fully repaired. I kept the surface of the island as it is to not raise suspicion in case someone accidentally discovers it. The entrance to the main facility was now tightly locked and guarded.

Though the chances of the island being discovered were going to be zero soon because Eris was almost done installing an invisibility dom around the island. It'll soon disappear from the outside world, only accessible to me and those I let using teleportation.

Seriously, the AI and the technology it contained were vast and useful as hell. It could do many complex things with ease.

Eris was the best thing in this whole damn world. There was no doubt about it.

"After this, let's head to the administrative office in the Capital. If I remember correctly, it's about time I get my Baron title from the Kingdom. After all, I have been doing some amazing feats."

[Earning treasures worth 1000 Platinum coins. Discovering and giving two new islands to the Kingdom, not including this one which you got to keep for yourself. Discovering 3 previously hidden dungeons. And doing all of that from age 13. It was only inevitable that they'll realize your potential.]

"Heh. They also probably did this to keep me tied to the Kingdom given my current independent status."

After all, I had already renowned my surname and status as the third child of the Bartfort Barony. Much to the annoyance of the bitch hag who was flabbergasted when I showed up one month ago to pay back all of my father's debts tenfolds.

After all, I had promised, and I had to cut ties with them eventually.

My actual parents were not happy about it obviously, but they were surprisingly understanding of it. I still felt a bit sad seeing their gloomy and depressed faces, though.

It couldn't be helped. I had to do it before my future actions could impact their already struggle-filled life.

I didn't want to bring them into my personal mess. Though, as a precaution, they were being guarded by some disguised Epsilon Sentinels. Those things were great for assassination and hidden bodyguard-type duties.

[With this, they wish to keep you secured. After all, you publicly possess Axion, a battleship-type Lost Item and due to their own laws and culture, they can't take it away from you. I find the authorities of this world bizarre. It's almost as if they're either incompetent or just incredibly stupid for allowing people to keep dangerous things like this on their person with just an agreement paper that it'll not be used to harm the Royal family.]

"Hahaha. I know right. This is a strange world."

'If only you knew why it is so, Eris. You'd lose your marbles… or maybe screws?'

"This World of Otome Games doesn't make much sense in real life!"

[Pardon?]

Eris asked, confused by my sudden outburst.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought of a title for a Light Novel. Not that they exist in this world. Sad."

[It still surprises me how you know so much about the culture of old Japan. Even my records only mention a few things and I learn more from you every now and then. But my database has the term "Light Novel" so I at least know that.]

I shrug at my AI companion's understandable confusion.

"What can I say? I'm out of this world."

'Literally.'

[I have noticed that you possess some narcissistic tendencies, Captain.]

The AI reported(retorted), making me chuckle.

"Hahaha. I may be a narcissist. But at least this time, I wasn't trying to act so."

[Is that so? Then I am confused, Captain.]

I didn't bother clearing Eris' doubt, instead laughing at her understandable ignorance about its and this world's reality.

"Anyway, let's go finish our work. The Academy starts in 2 months, and I have to do some more leveling up before that."

[Ah, the strange ability that you have that allows you to grow stronger by killing monsters. I am still flabbergasted by these bizarre and mind-breaking abilities of yours. It's stranger than the new humans' magic to me, which I've begun to understand now. You, Captain, are truly an enigma to me even though it's been so long.]

"Heh, as I said. I'm out of this world."

[Was it not narcissism as well?]

"Oh, no. I was totally being narcissistic this time. Hahaha."

[Oh, Captain you are…strange.]

I heard the AI actually looking at me like it was deadpanning and chuckled at how human-like it acted at times.

***