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Chapter 267




Chapter 267
I Favor the Villainess .  267
Feb 25 2021
Shrill Laughter
Once I came to, my consciousness was back in the server room .
It seems that I had collapsed where I stood, so the Pope, Lily-sama, and Irie all looked at me with worry .
“Has your consciousness returned? Rei Taylor . ”
“Rei-san… I’m so glad…!”
“We were worried…”
As I propped myself up, the three all looked at me in relief .
Though the Pope remained relatively expressionless, it appeared that Lily-sama and Irie had been quite worried . Lily-sama was practically on the verge of tears .
Though I wanted to apologize for worrying them and offer console, there was something that I must ask before any of that .
“What about Claire-sama?”
Before diving into the system, Claire-sama was nowhere to be found .
Though I was confident that I had succeeded in releasing her consciousness, I didn’t know for sure how that would reflect in reality .
“If you mean Claire François, she’s here . ”
When I looked, it turned out the Pope was holding Claire-sama in her arms .
“Thank goodness…”
It seems the operation to reclaim her had been a success .
Claire-sama’s face was also in a good hue and it appeared that she could awake at any moment .
“To think that you would really take back Claire-sama’s consciousness, I can’t believe it . ”
This voice, a mix of both exasperation and admiration, belonged to TAIM .
She stood in the very same position that she had when I first dived into the system .
Using her holographic body to its fullest, she made her surprise clear .
“You really underestimated my bond with Claire-sama, didn’t you TAIM . Your ambitions come to an end here . ”
“I suppose . As Claire François has returned, the administrator privileges will belong to her . ”
“In that case―”
“That’s right . ”
At that very moment, TAIM’s face was dyed with ecstasy .
“If things continue to proceed as they are, that is . ”
“!?”
A crevice opened between us and the mainframe, allowing something giant to rise up .
It wasn’t just one thing either .
There were enough that we couldn’t count them with our fingers .
“W-what is… that…!”
“A monster…?”
“Incorrect . Those are… scientific weapons . ”
The Pope corrected the words that Lily-sama and Irie had spoken out of fear .
At first, they only looked like clumps of metal .
Their surface was coated in a metallic black lustre, showing off how hard they were .
Countless lines split the clumps as they came apart before putting themselves back together, transforming into multiple grotesque monsters .
“Chimaera…?”
Though what they were composed of was different, they had taken the form of the chimaera Claire-sama and I had defeated together in the past .
Once the metals had completed their transformation into the grotesque shapes, a gold flash lit their eyes .
“I based the design off of something within Claire François’ subconscious . Once the privileges are transferred, there will no longer be anything that I can do . But before the transfer completes, it’s a different story . For the sake of humanity’s continued survival, I’ll have you all perish here . ”
Alongside TAIM’s words, the chimaeras screeched their war cries .
As they stepped forward with a thud, the entire server room shook .
They did appear to be declaring our end .
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? It doesn’t really appear that they’ll just let us escape, Pope . ”
“S-so, are we going to fight? Against that?”
“Our chances seem slim . ”
Though the four of us had our own reactions, broadly speaking they were all the same―there was no way we could take on something like that .
Even with conservative estimates, the chimaera were all at least 5, if not 6 meters tall .
I tried casting Judecca, but that didn’t even leave a single scratch .
“Of course I have no intention of letting you escape . ”
The door to the server room closed behind us .
It appeared the time we bought by using a hole in the decisionary council to stall the defense system had expired .
We should’ve realized when the chimaera began popping out, but it was all too late .
“… How unbearably noisy . ”
“Claire-sama! You’ve woken up!”
“It was quite the rude awakening . What is up with those ugly clamoring monsters…”
“Well you see…”
I gave a quick explanation of the situation .
Claire-sama simply let out an uninterested yawn,
“So, simply put, we must defeat those beasts, right? Isn’t that rather trivial?”
“Defeat them… you mean those…?”
“But of course?”
I wanted to ask, how? But Claire-sama’s expression was brimming with confidence .
“I can’t make any definitive claims, but I do believe there’s something I’d like to try . ”
“What’s that?”
“Come now, there’s something that TAIM went out of her way to teach us, isn’t there? For quite a while now I’ve wanted to use it, but because the opportunity never presented itself, I’ve become rather eager . ”
“Ah…”
That’s right, come to think of it, we did have that .
In the end, because we never had the opportunity to use it during our fight with the Demon Queen, and since Claire-sama had been missing for the past while, it had slipped my mind .
“! I won’t let you! Burn them to the ground!”
In accordance with TAIM’s panicked words, the chimaera all opened their mouths .
From deep within their throats, a light seemed to pour outward .
I was certain it was an attack appropriate for an enemy that would appear at this stage .
If it were to land, there was no way we were getting off easy .
However―
“Then… shall we let loose?”
“Yes, I believe we shall . ”
I no longer felt that it was possible for us to lose .
Claire-sama and I held hands, interlocking fingers, while pointing our magic wands at the chimaera with our other hands
As we held hands, I could feel power overflowing from them .
“I’ll be using Magic Ray . ”
“Then, I’ll use Absolute Zero . ”
At this stage of the game, what we were going to release was of course―our Chorus .
“Disappear, Rei Taylor, Claire François!”
“The one who’ll disappear―”
“Will be none other than you!!”
As a burning rapture enveloped us both, I felt my magic melting together with Claire-sama’s .
The mixed magical energy coursed through our bodies, through our fingers, and then converged all onto our wands .
Fire and water, these two elements that are normally opposite to each other had come together . They were just like Claire-sama and I, rife with contradictions and yet had come together, forming a harmonious light that gushed forth .
The server room was filled by this light .
“… It can’t be…?”
Once the dazzling brilliance settled, TAIM’s voice, overcome by shock, echoed .
The torrent of light that resulted from my Chorus with Claire-sama had erased all of the Chimaera without a trace .
“Have you had enough? I can’t seem to place why, but I’m at my peak . If you intend to continue, I’ll be your opponent as many times as it takes . ”
“If Claire-sama’s up for it, there’s no way I’d sit out . I mean, she’s my wife after all !”
“W-wife…?”
“Oh nothing . Come on, what will it be, TAIM?”
Though we provoked her, TAIM did not show any more signs of aggression .
“Really… this is why humans are…”
“Should I take those as the grumbles of a sore loser?”
“Yes, that’s right, Rei Taylor . The transfer of administrator privileges also appears to be complete . I am no longer able to harm Claire François . ”
“Fufu… fufufu… so then we’ve won! Ohーho, ho, ho!”
Claire-sama’s shrill laughter too, sounded much more comforting than it usually did .
Perhaps now, it would be okay to truly believe that things were over .
“So I lost… In the end, perhaps humans simply aren’t something that can be perfectly managed…”
“My, it appears that you’ve come to understand humans quite well yourself . ”
“Even if I come to understand at this point, it’s already too late…”
“That’s not at all true . From now on, we must have you become humanity’s good friend that shall walk alongside us . ”
“Friend…?”
TAIM’s expression was filled with surprise .
“Is that so strange? Have you not already spent an absurd amount of time with us? Humanity can’t so easily come by a friend greater than you . ”
“I’m a… friend…”
TAIM repeated the words, chewing through them, she appeared to be taken aback .
That Claire-sama, discontent with humans, she was even seducing an AI .
This was why I could never put out all of the fires .
“TAIM . ”
“What is it, Rei Taylor?”
“I have no intention of giving Claire-sama to you, got it?”
“… I wonder about that . Though I may have given up on the administrator privileges, I am a high spec AI that tends to fixate myself on a variety of things after all . ”
“Is that so? Fu, fu, fu…”
“Fufufu…”
“You two, you’re giving off quite a scary look, you know?”
““And who’s fault do you think that is!””
“Eeeh…”
Claire-sama appeared to be saying, ‘What are you blaming me for?’ .
This was why oblivious womanizers―or rather, womanAIzers were…
“I don’t really get it, but is it okay to assume things have been settled? If so, let’s get back up . I just can’t seem to settle down here . ”
“A-agreed . ”
Irie’s suggestion was a very appropriate one .
Lily-sama expressed agreement, and the Pope nodded as well .
“TAIM, for the time being, I ask that you entrust the loop system to me . I’ll make sure things are handled properly . ”
“You’re willing to take it over?”
“Not me, specifically . The responsibilities are simply too heavy for any individual to bear alone . We’ll enlist cooperators and decide on a proper procedure, we’ll have humanity decide . ”
“…”
“The more important something is, the more dangerous it is that a sole person makes the decision . We must share the responsibility and the risks .
“… How very human . ”
“Yes . ”
With those words, Claire-sama turned her heel .
“Now, Rei . ”
“Yes, Claire-sama . ”
“Let’s return… to our home . ”
“Yes!”
Leaping into an embrace with Claire-sama, I embraced her with all of my might .