Science/Magic 24 An Ai's Loyalty

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According to her will, Camilla was buried in the tomb of her family.

Bloed, t.i.to, and Regina stood in front of the tomb, looking to the words Bloed himself wrote.

[Here lies the world's greatest mother.]

Bloed stopped crying. His eyes seemed empty, looking at the tomb as though he wanted to engrave that sight in his mind.

A few minutes after Camilla was buried, t.i.to suddenly spoke.

[Young master, can I tell you a story?]

"… Do speak."

[… I was originally a toy. I was created by master's parents as a toy for her daughter. I was the first robot master ever had. Back then, my AI was very simple, far from the current me. I was just a toy, without feelings, and without the ability to think.

[When master grew up, she started to upgrade me. She first made me a mascot, then a robot that could help her to study. A few years later, I could already be considered an advanced AI, always besides master.

[One day, master was chosen as the captain of a ship. By then, I was an excellent AI. But it was not enough… Master needed an AI to control ship, to help her with her experiments, and I could not do it… I had reached my limit, it was time for master to abandon me.

[But master did not give up. She tried to upgrade me again and again, even when it was much easier to get a new and better AI.

[And one day, she finally achieved a miraculous breakthrough. She gave me feelings, she gave me the ability to grow.

[I remember that my first feeling was curiosity, and the second was happiness. I was never able to understand other feelings completely, but those two feelings I remember clearly.

[Since then, I accompanied master always. When she fought, when she cried, when she married, when she gave birth. I was always beside her, seeing her becoming someone renowned through the confederation.

[Even when master lost her family, I was there. And when she woke up four hundred years later, I was there too.]

t.i.to then paused as though it wanted to think the words it was going to say.

[Young master, as an AI, I couldn't choose the way I was born, I couldn't choose who was my master, and I couldn't choose my life… I was even unable to choose between saving my master or following her orders. Master ordered me, and I had to obey her orders.

[However, I wanted to choose at least one thing. Young master, I want to choose how to die.]

Bloed bit his lips.

[Young master, master asked me to follow your orders. She told me to guide and help you from today onwards. But… I want to be selfish this time… I want to accompany my master this time… Unfortunately, I can't defy my master's orders.]

"… t.i.to."

[Young master... No, master… Please, permit me to turn off my systems.]

"…" Bloed clenched his fist. The tears he had suppressed filled his eyes again. He looked at t.i.to with a gaze full of pleading.
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But t.i.to's gaze was firm. [Please master. I beg you.]

"… I allow you." Bloed said with gritted teeth.

t.i.to's eye moved towards Bloed's face.

[Thank you.]

He then hovered over the tomb of Camilla and rested on it.

[I was sad when master was sad, and happy when master was happy. I was worried when master cried and I was excited every time you made a new discovery.]

It then looked at the sky and heaved a sigh.

[I wonder if that is love.]

Then, t.i.to's eye dimmed off.

All the information about t.i.to was wiped from the s.p.a.ceship database.

Until the end, even when its master died, t.i.to accompanied her.

That was its purpose in life.

Bloed remained silent before the tomb. His heart felt incredibly painful. Not even when his family abandoned him he felt as sad as now.

"Goodbye, t.i.to."

Bloed then kneeled before the tomb and started to cry.

For hours, Bloed cried. Forgetting the promise he made to himself. He simply wanted to cry, he wanted to let his tears wash away the pain he was feeling.

When he finally stopped crying, it was already night.

And his body lay unconscious before the tomb.

Regina stood behind him, seeing everything calmly, unable to explain the feelings she was feeling.

The death of Camilla pained her, the death of t.i.to saddened her, but there was something that hurt her even more.

Seeing her master like that, Regina's heart felt heavy.

She wanted to see her master happy. She wanted to see his smile again. She wanted to help him to bear this pain.

Crouching down, she put his head on her lap and started to caress it.

"… Love, huh."

Even the stars seemed to cry that night.

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