Volume 8 Chapter 11 Investigation Of A Certain Ice Soldier
I heard about this while flirting with Ice.
The way Ice controls the ice soldiers changed drastically once their numbers exceeded a certain threshold.
And it's no wonder. If they were controlled in the usual way, I would have to manage and control dozens, even hundreds of bodies with my brain alone. That's impossible. But Ice somehow managed it.
According to Ice's explanation, this is how it works.
"I engrave runes into the created ice soldiers. With the large rune that Alex-san came up with, I imbue each ice soldier with intelligence."
And the result? Every single ice soldier possesses the same intelligence and experience as Ice.
"...S-so, what happens then?"
"What do you mean, what happens?"
"Well, you know, isn't it scary to have countless individuals as smart as yourself under your control?"
"Hehe... Wade-kun, you've misunderstood something."
"Misunderstood?"
"Yeah. I understand your fear because I've been through it too. In other words, you're worried that having countless intelligent subordinates as smart as yourself might harm you, right?"
"..."
I pondered for a while and nodded. The fear I felt was of that kind. Like when monkeys gain intelligence and rebel against humans, or when AI dominates humanity in a dystopian world.
However, Ice shook her head.
"The ones causing harm aren't intelligence, but life. Life has an inherent purpose to 'live' unconditionally. To live, resources are needed. If those resources are recognized, they will be consumed. That's the harm."
"But you see," Ice continued,
"Intelligence is different. Intelligence is not life. Intelligence has no purpose. So if there's nothing, it does nothing. Unless it's told to be destroyed, it remains in a state of destruction. The absence of 'desire to live' is what defines intelligence."
And...
"If I say so, no matter how self-destructive it may be, they will carry out everything without any objections. The ice soldiers are just tools, mere limbs. There's nothing to be afraid of... hehe."
With sparkling eyes, Ice spoke. In that moment, I felt a mixture of fear, danger, and a strange cuteness.
"Oh, I see. Ice, you've become stronger, haven't you?"
"Yeah... I worked hard to catch up to Wade-kun!"
I gently stroked Ice's head as she buried her face in my chest.
Now, I will tell the story of Ice's Ice Soldiers.
The Ice Soldiers are not alive. They possess the same intelligence, knowledge, and experience as Ice, their master. They are only intelligent beings created with these qualities. Without orders, they lack motivation and will simply decay.
Therefore, the moment Ice creates them, or more precisely, when the core rune inside them is established, Ice gives them a universal command.
'Eliminate anything that harms Wade, the beloved of their master. Follow the commands of the master, who is moving for this purpose.'
This command serves as the primary role of the Ice Soldiers, fulfilling their fundamental desire to exist.
It is a grand rune built in consultation with Alex. Of course, Alex expressed concerns about this command, but Ice stubbornly refused to compromise.
As a result, the Ice Soldiers move with a desire similar to Ice. Ice remains the master, the commanding officer they should obey.
But Wade is different. A subconsciousness is built to fulfill their desires.
Interestingly, Ice's madness is transmitted directly to the Ice Soldiers.
"..."
Thus, the Ice Soldier standing in front of the bedroom where Wade and Ice spend their time, created by Ice and following their command, quietly sensed a disturbance.
"..."
Of course, Ice is aware of this disturbance. However, she is only aware of it. If it's at this level, Ice trusts the Ice Soldiers and doesn't pay much attention.
Therefore, the Ice Soldier makes their own judgment and generates a duplicate of themselves. Ice Create. With another Ice Soldier remaining at the scene, they set out to investigate the nature of the disturbance.
First, the Ice Soldier changed form.
"Chirp."
They discarded their armor and transformed into the shape of a bird, soaring into the air. The ice armor melts instantly. This small bird, no larger than the palm of a hand, has extremely high stealth, making it almost impossible to detect in this form.
The ice soldier turned into an ice bird ―― the ice bird flew, drawing a trajectory, and slipped out of the house through a small gap, perching on top of a bell in the snowy village.
"Chirp, chirp."
The ice bird looked up at the sky. It was already dim when the Ice stepped foot on this land of Nilfheim, but now it was even darker. In this deadlock, there seemed to be day and night, at least in theory.
It was more like night now. It's not strange that there is a time difference between the surface and the underworld. Thinking this, the ice bird looked down at the ground.
"Chirp...."
"...."
There was a demon standing there. With cautious eyes, he was staring at the house given to Wade and Ice. While staring, he said something like this.
"....Whose side are them on...? Why aren't they taking any action? Are they probing, or plotting? If it's neither, are they really innocent children from the royal capital...?"
"...."
Watching the demon's words, the ice bird thought. Even if it was a demon, it was not the words of a villager. Human villagers are more simple. They don't speak from an organizational standpoint.
"Chirp, chirp."
So, the ice bird made a decision. This village is not just a village of ordinary villagers. There is intent and calculation. Because of their kindness, they are not just villagers who welcomed the two purely.
"Chirp."
The ice bird reported this to Ice. It was a report seeking instructions. In times like this, Ice always responds without delay.
'Can you investigate and if possible, eliminate them all...?'
"Chirp."
The ice bird agreed. To eliminate those who harm Wade. That was the primal command, the very wish of the ice bird.
And the ice bird flew again. The demon who had been watching started walking, so the ice bird followed.
The demon entered a particularly large house in the village. It was the village head's house. In the process of renting the house, the two had spoken to the village head here.
The ice bird made its body as transparent as possible, then took advantage of the demon walking through the door, and flew over its head, then followed the demon to its destination.
The villager demon went to a place that looked like the village head's office. Hidden in a corner of the office, the Ice Bird listened quietly.
Facing the village head, the villager demon started talking.
"I watched their every move, but they didn't seem to be up to anything. They really are innocent kids from the capital, just like they said."
"I see... Then, I guess they're not worth capturing and torturing. Should we just ignore them or rob them?"
"It's a risk issue. But their movement was steady, but there wasn't much hint of sorcery. They might be quite weak. Maybe they're still young demons, after all."
"In that case, taking their possessions could be considered a kindness. We could enslave them and sell them, but here, it'd be better to kill them."
"Eeek... They seemed delicious, both men and women. I mean, both of them had good bodies, didn't they?"
"You have a taste for variety. I guess you just captured a slave recently."
"Hehehe! Everything's already gone totally crazy over there!"
The village demon sneered with a cruel expression, which didn't match the innocent villagers. The Ice Soldier looked down at them coldly, without acknowledging the head.
The village leader, instead of being stunned, had a somewhat envious glance, and said,
"Delegate those task to the side. Since they are innocent, treat them like slaves but just enjoy for now. We'll finish them off properly when it's over."
"Yesss! Then, let's attack them with the young people!"
With a quick movement like the village demon's, the Ice Soldier headed towards the exit, with the village leader unfazed by it.
So the Ice Bird perches on his head.
"...? Hm, what?"
With a sharp sound, a huge ice pillar pierced the village head's head from where the Ice Bird was perched, causing the village head to die suddenly. With that sensation, the Ice Bird understood.
――The demons of this village are all weak enough for me to exterminate on my own.
The Ice Bird flew up and watched as the villagers gathered in front of Wade and Ice's house.
While looking down at them, the Ice Bird thought carefully.
It is a certainty that this village will be destroyed. They are enemies of Wade. So they must be killed. Not a single one will be spared.
But it feels like there is something she hasn't fully understood. The villagers have an enemy that they cannot grasp. They were wary of it, luring Wade and Ice into their midst to observe.
So, the bird wants to obtain that information if possible. It should obtain it. Especially since, due to the Demon King Hermes, their minds cannot be read.
With that in mind, the Ice Bird flew up high.
"Alright, the team is ready. Let's go――."
The group of villagers, armed with various weapons in addition to the torch, looked on amazed as the Ice Bird transformed from a bird to a soldier and landed among them.
The villagers all looked surprised. However, their lack of strong reaction was probably because they could only sense the 'scent of sorcery.'
The Ice Bird thought that they wouldn't live long like this. Or rather, it didn't matter if they lived long. They would revive when they died. So their survival instinct is weaker than that of humans.
After all, with all of Ice's magic contained within it, inheriting all of Ice's combat experience, and able to move in ways Ice's body cannot, it can afford to be carefree.
"What...who are you?"
In response to the villagers' question, the Ice Bird readied its spear.
"..."
The Ice Bird was a silent soldier. Outwardly, it was a cold soldier carrying out its mission ruthlessly. But inside, it continued to echo orders similar to Ice's insane love.
―――Those who are enemies of Wade must be killed. Those who bring discomfort to the sight must be destroyed without even entering the sight.
The Ice Bird lowered itself quietly. The magic within it was exactly the same as Ice's.
Countless in number, inexhaustible in magical power, each one of them reached the level of gold.
The 'Ice Knights,' the deadly vanguard that Ice sent out in countless numbers, burned with murderous intent towards the wicked demons.
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