Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Seekvaira Agares. Heirs of the Agares Clan. A Pillar clan whose lineage could control time. She was one of the young devil heirs and a huge fan of mecha, specifically Gundam. Apparently, enough to send me a letter.
"I suppose... it's about the letter." I said gently before gesturing for us to move aside. Then I placed a muffliato around us. Seekvaira looked at me curiously. "It'll prevent people from overhearing us." I explained easily. Seekvaira nodded.
"And yes, it's about the letter. Since I haven't received a response yet, I was hoping to make the offer again in person if it's not too much trouble," Seekvaira said seriously. I smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry about that. I've been very busy these past few weeks. With the opening of Distracted Globe, there was so much to manage and maintain; I didn't have time to catch up on my correspondence." I lied with a smile. Seekvaira just nodded.
"I understand. Distracted Globe is a huge project," Seekvaira said, nodding. I just nodded in confirmation. "So, technology. Specifically robots. I want access to your robots," Seekvaira said, and I could hear the excitement starting to come out of her voice. "I must admit, although animal-shaped machines are extraordinary."
"My interest is strongly focused on the Models, Adam and David. The biblical names of both models are quite striking, especially since they are the only humanoid ones. And as a mecha enthusiast, it would seem that both were designed to be used by a person, or at least, a version of those models should be capable of doing so."
"So I wanted to exchange information: who was able to build these robots, whether one person can actually operate them, whether they can be made larger or even built into a robot several meters high. I also want the blueprints and instructions on how to create them, maybe someone who can teach me about it, and some samples of both, whether they are automatically piloted like the current versions, or a version that allows someone to pilot them manually."
"I am willing to pay the value of all my personal possessions, that is, none of my Agares family's belongings, as well as my future title of Archduke, but other than that, anything is acceptable; I will even accept paying with my body. We can come to an agreement on how long my service will be required for full payment."
"But it could go on for years, maybe decades, until I have to marry someone. During that time, my body will be available." Seekvaira said confidently. I just blinked.
"Wow, that's quite an offer," I said playfully. I chuckled to myself. I had actually read the letter she'd sent, and I almost expected her to be exaggerating, writing it simply out of excitement. But right now, I was absolutely certain that Seekvaira would agree to sell her body just to get her hands on the robots.
Adam and David. Monsters and robots needed names. And those were the names chosen for the Dragoon armor Adam Smasher used, and Arasaka's cyber-skeleton. I hadn't even intended for the names to be taken as if I'd pulled them from the Bible—just a coincidence—but apparently, the entire supernatural world made that connection.
"Can I ask why the interest?" I asked playfully. Seekvaira's eyes sparkled brightly.
"To create a mecha! A real Gundam!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've been working for years and have been able to animate mecha figures with demonic power, magic, and technology, and then work on something bigger for years. It's still not quite finished, and it might take me many more years."
"And most importantly, it's not real! It's all done through magic and demonic power, which is a poor substitute for reality! I mean, I have nothing against magimecha; in fact, I'm still a fan of the genre. There are some Gundam series whose continuity includes some magical intervention, so it's still quite appealing, but there's a huge difference from reality!"
"Classic Gundams don't use magic! Without the technology necessary for a real Mecha to exist, it wouldn't be a Gundam! Trying to do everything with magic and demonic power would, at best, create golems, only in the shape of Gundams! It's unacceptable! I thought it wasn't possible, but that was until I saw the robots and machines in their arena, Lady Prince!
"Robots! Real robots and machines! I've been inside that arena several times to look at them closely, and I've concluded that none of those machines have a single ounce of magic in their bodies!
"Technology so advanced it seemed to be made with magic disguised as machines! But no! Motors, actuators, control systems, computers, reactors capable of powering those machines and bringing them to life! That's a mecha! A real robot! Not a spell that moves a giant suit of armor!
"And those same purely technological robots, both the animal robots and the Adam and David models, especially the latter two, are capable of fighting against middle-class devils and high-class devils when they work together!"
"The Adams and Davids are fast, very fast, so fast that they frighten and catch any devil who fights them for the first time completely off guard. They are ridiculously strong, armed to the teeth, and very resilient. While the Adams models are more flexible than the Davids and are capable of very effective and terrifying close-quarters combat, the Davids are just as dangerous! "
"The David Models can create super gravity fields! And all without magic! No magic! Do you know how outrageous that is?! It's inconceivable! Technology alone, from both the human and supernatural worlds, is decades, if not centuries, away from creating something like that!
"But now there are hundreds of those robots used for entertainment in an arena! I want to meet the person who created something like that! I want to be able to access that technology, implement it in my mechs, and create something better!"
"Your robots changed everything for me, Lady Prince! They proved there's another way. If someone could build machines that run solely on technology... then it means building a real Gundam isn't an impossible dream. Just... incredibly difficult. And I have to have access to it," Seekvaira said excitedly, almost breathless and half-crazed, like... literally, her eyes almost glazed over with that crazed glint I usually see in Bella. I just blinked in disbelief before snorting and laughing.
"Wow. You sound really excited." I said playfully. Seekvaira stopped before clearing her throat, slightly embarrassed and with a blush on her cheeks, finally realizing what she had just done.
"My apologies for losing my composure," Seekvaira said quickly. I chuckled and shook my head.
"Don't worry, it's... refreshing to see it from the other side. Usually, I'm the one who loses my composure when I talk about potions or magic." I chuckled. "My Peerage says I sound crazy, though I'd call it enthusiastic." I snorted dryly.
"Even so, I'm sorry, I should keep my composure," Seekvaira said, regaining her composure. "You mentioned potions and magic; does that mean you weren't the one who created those machines? Was it someone from your Peerage? " Seekvaira asked curiously. I hummed softly.
"I am capable of creating those things." I said honestly, and Seekvaira's eyes widened slightly. "I understand all about it, but the one who truly excels in technology and creates things is my rook, GLaDOS." I said honestly, and Seekvaira's eyes sparkled.
"Then... my offer-" Seekvaira said slowly once again.
"You don't have to go that far to sell your body," I said playfully. I mean, Seekvaira was beautiful and sexy, like any devil; basically, there was no doubt about that. But I had something better to ask for. Seekvaira didn't seem bothered by my rejection; she just nodded. "I just want some of the highest quality crystals that grow in Agares territory," I said directly. Agares stopped.
"I refuse," Seekvaira said immediately, without even thinking, with all the resolve she could muster as she straightened up. I raised an eyebrow. "I apologize, Lady Prince, but I cannot accept this exchange. The crystals are essential for the survival of the devil race. I cannot accept a shipment of that caliber, not even with all the technology I possess," Seekvaira said. I could see sadness in her eyes, but an unwavering resolve. That… wow, I was surprised. She had her priorities straight. I was truly impressed.
"I'm glad you're taking your responsibility so seriously. But I don't need a shipment. Just a few small samples," I said honestly. Seekvaira looked at me, confused.
"Small... samples?" she asked, confused. "How... small are we talking about?" Seekvaira asked, frowning.
"One, or half a dozen, pieces, each about the size of an Evil Piece," I said easily. "And I would accept that as full payment for our exchange," I added. Seekvaira's eyes widened.
"Would that... be the full payment?" she asked cautiously.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"No... actually, quite the opposite. And excuse me for saying so, but that makes it even more suspicious," Seekvaira said honestly. I hummed and chuckled.
"You heard my dream about the Satans. I enjoy uncovering all kinds of magic and mysteries, including magical artifacts. And the Evil Pieces have really piqued my curiosity. It's not like I'm trying to modify my pieces or anything. I just have some hunches I'd like to test. Nothing dangerous; I've even talked to Ajuka about it a couple of times, but he's not allowed to distribute the crystals." I told her honestly. Seekvaira seemed surprised, though I appreciated her relaxed demeanor.
"Oh, I see, so you've spoken with Lord Beelzebub," Seekvaira said slowly. I raised an eyebrow at that. Wouldn't she even check?
Although I certainly wouldn't complain. I really wanted to have those crystals in my hand.
The Evil Pieces, as magical objects, could be scanned with my Reality Marble almost instantly, but whatever Ajuka had done with them was practically unrecognizable to my Reality Marble. Or at least, some of the parts I was sure were related to the crystals.
Only a few magical objects came to mind that provoked the same reaction in Emiya's UBW, and one of them, the most prominent, was Zelretch 's Jeweled Sword. It wasn't a divine construct, but it was very similar. Even with all the information available from multiple sources about the sword, Shirou hadn't been able to decipher it. And in fact, if I remembered correctly, Shirou's brain had practically been turned to mush trying to understand Zelretch 's Sword.
UBW doesn't exist independently of Shirou; his UBW had a human limit corresponding to what Shirou's brain could understand. But like divine constructs, such artifacts are incomprehensible to the human mind, beyond normal comprehension and only partially replicable. Or sometimes they are completely impossible.
I possessed an extremely enhanced brain, capable of registering an almost infinite amount of information thanks to my Six Eyes, yet even so, the Divine Constructs eluded me. Authorities and deities remained beyond my comprehension.
And to my eternal frustration, whatever Ajuka did with the Evil Pieces made it just as incomprehensible as a divine construct. I had gained a better understanding of them by seeing the Principles of Life and Death through the Grails and learning how souls were molded and modified to a certain extent, but there was still a limit that somehow eluded me.
In fact, I had enormous respect for Ajuka for being able to create that with ease, in large quantities, and then simply give them away to devils and angels.
Even so, it was frustrating not being able to understand those kinds of things. I wasn't even able to properly replicate the divine constructs that Cia could absorb. Her Assimilation ability simply allowed her to absorb, incorporate, and integrate the object into herself, but not to inherently understand it.
Cia didn't need to understand things to assimilate them. The time it took her to assimilate was simply the time she needed to incorporate the essence of the objects and then merge it with everything else inside. There were parts she managed to understand, partly thanks to my Reality Marble, but it was never perfect enough for me to recreate perfect copies of anything.
So, I needed the crystals. My own Evil Pieces were too tainted by my essence and Ajuka's magic, which I couldn't properly study. If necessary, I could acquire those crystals on the black market, something Ravel let me know, because apparently, yes, the Phenex had connections there.
But the crystals obtainable there were of low quality. These crystals were rare, but not so rare that they didn't exist outside the Agares' territory. The difference was that it would take at least a crystal the size of a house to create something resembling an Evil Piece. That's how terrible the difference in purity and quality of the crystals the Agares possessed compared to the rest of the underworld was.
But getting back to the conversation.
"It's a small project of mine really, if you want we can go talk to Ajuka." I said honestly. Her eyes widened.
" Are you sure? I... I don't want to interfere with Lord Beelzebub," she said uncertainly. I just smiled.
"Don't worry, it'll be fun. Besides, I suppose you wanted to meet my Rook; she's talking to Ajuka right now. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we joined them," I told Seekvaira. Seekvaira's eyes sparkled with excitement. I chuckled. And that way, if I stayed close to Ajuka, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone else.
I don't want to work.
We met with both of them. Ajuka basically went along with it and endorsed my idea regarding the Crystals, which was good because she enthusiastically agreed afterward. We would have to work out the details, something I would leave to Lucius and Ravel, but the deal was practically done.
After that, Seekvaira easily joined the conversation with both of them while GLaDOS and Ajuka resumed talking about the robots. I initially joined in, but almost immediately, I was pulled away from them by Rias, who had appeared out of nowhere, and I was taken from my safe spot. After that, I couldn't get back.
I just hoped that Riveria and Bella were taking care of Bikou and Kuroka.