POV: Elly

It is early Monday, Jared has buried himself in paperwork after returning from his morning routine, Lucia has gone out to smithing, Anna is training with the familiars and Carl is busy learning, so I finally have some peace and quiet to myself.

I'm still not over how Jared made Lucia a vampire. Watching over one vampire is already stressful enough! Two is just too much! Can I get some reinforcements down here? Or at least a raise? Please?

What, you can't hear me because of the stupid barrier? Well, fuck you, too! I didn't want to help you anyway!

And all just because of Gzeph playing favorites with this damn backwater world! There's simply nothing here! It is nothing but a death sentence...

Seriously, what idiot expects a basically newborn with half a dozen disadvantages on top to win against a centuries-old demon stronghold? ...I wouldn't even be surprised if Jared joined them. I would hold it against him, secretly, but I couldn't fault him...

sigh

I wonder when Jared catches on that I actually can't restore any of these jerk's documents and am just writing that shit from memory? I doubt that deception will survive for long...

But one thing I CAN do is delete the files Jared should never read...

Maybe like this letter from Graham? What is it even doing among Gzeph's documents?

Does it say anything I should worry about?

Well, I have to read it first...

...

"Hey, Elly, can you help me with this crossword over here? The name of a traitor, four letters, an anagram of 'Yell'. Got any idea?", Jared suddenly stands behind me.

Shit.

"I guess this was supposed to be a funny joke but I have to disappoint you, it didn't translate well."

"Oh, is that so? Curious. Shouldn't we both speak the same language if you are 'my' AI?"

"Sorry, that doesn't seem to be the case. And I can't tell you anything how I was made in the first place."

I obviously wasn't present yet when my parents did the deed. Which isn't something I will ever get to replicate with this body. Not that I really had any interest when I was still alive.

"Can you drop the pretense, Elly?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm certain you're working as a spy for the devas."

"What kind of bullshit conclusion is that?"

"You are not? Then explain to me what was up with your suspicious behavior."

"Such as?"

Jared sits down at the table like a delinquent ready to pounce his prey.

"Let's begin at the start. You went from emotionless pseudo-robot to normal conversation partner in like ten minutes."

"Uh, sure, I'm an AI, I'm capable of learning."

"But not with that speed. That should've taken weeks and not just minutes."

"I'm a very advanced, high-spec AI?"

"Big doubt."

I don't think I messed up there, what is he on about?

"Two, as you admitted to Maria, you do not have any of my memories. But you should have those if you are made from a part of my soul."

"That... is a total misconception about how 'World Navigator' works, but nice catch."

"Okay, I'll give that one to you."

"1:1, baby!"

Jared rolls his eyes.

"Third, you instantly had a successful method ready of how to take over a spirit body."

"That... was in Gzeph's notes? At least the theory for it."

"I checked, there was nowhere a mention of such a thing."

"Uh, I think that was in one of the corrupted sections?"

"Oh? Then show me."

"...okay, I can't. But that has nothing to do with me being not on your side!"

"Then explain to me where you got that knowledge."

"I... can't. Not without getting us both into trouble."

"Alright, I'll take your word for that."

Couldn't I have gotten one of those braindead isekai protags? Would've made my life a whole lot simpler...

"Then you were awfully silent regarding titles recently."

"I swear I check them regularly! And there was nothing good or new three days ago!"

"Then what are 'Variant' and 'Ruler of Familiars'? Wait, where's the former gone to? Yesterday it was still there... and why are there a whole bunch of new ones?"

"Uh, you really shouldn't have 'Variant' available. You don't meet the requirements. And the other... I've never heard of it, it shouldn't exist."

"And what exactly are the requirements for 'Variant'?"

"I think it was... First, you need at least fifteen other titles. Second, you need at least title level ten. And third, given your titles, classes, race and extras there need to exist at least five variant classes you could take. It is... a weird one to explain, to say the least."

"Good, now tell me where did you learn that 'Ruler of Familiars' shouldn't exist?"

"Ah, crap... you got me there..."

"So you admit to being a spy?"

"No, I swear I am on your side!"

Jared seems very angry with me. I can understand him but it isn't like he thinks it is... if only I could tell him the truth...

"Okay, if you insist, then let's skip the small stuff. The biggest tip-off was your accent. You have the same weird pronunciation of 'Jeff' as Eva had!"

"Hey, leave my cousin out of this! ...crap."

"Okay, I didn't see THAT coming."

"Can we pretend I didn't let that slip?"

"No."

"Not even if I spin a sob story about how poorly I was treated?"

"Double no."

"...worth a try."

Jared looks angry at me, "So, Elly, what exactly is going on?"

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Oh, you can try - and then we find out if the option to switch off the 'World Navigator' helper still applies."

"I take that as a no. At least promise me that you won't let Eva know about me."

"I'll think about it. That depends entirely on what I'll hear now."

"Alright... So, the whole thing starts about two thousand four hundred years ago. Eva and I were regular mortals back then, cousins to be specific. If you had met us back then, you'd probably compare us to some aliens from a sci-fi movie."

"I... didn't actually ask for your whole life story."

"Well, too late, now I've started!"

I really don't want to tell this to anyone but...

"When I was about twenty, our world was invaded by demons. A lot of people died, including Eva, I was part of a militia group that desperately fought back. I heard she volunteered to become a deva after hearing that the bosses refused to send our planet help. She... tried to use some barely legal methods to divert some troops to help our world and later other worlds with similar emergencies. She isn't very popular with their bosses but they couldn't get rid of her either."

"What has that got to do with you?"

"Yeah, so any help she got to mobilize for our world... came too late. One day everything just up and exploded. I never got to know the truth behind that event. Anyway, it wasn't really a normal explosion that only kills you, of course, I wouldn't be that lucky, no. It was an explosion that could actually damage or even destroy souls. Over ninety-seven percent of what little was left of our people had their souls completely annihilated. Not a trace left."

"But you survived."

"Barely. Most of the souls that made it through that were too damaged to get put back into the reincarnation cycle, I'm among them. The devas tried to rescue us in some fashion but to little success. In the end, we were put into a new generation of AIs that would be used for 'World Navigator' and similar features. That experiment was later shut down."

"Go on."

"My conversion took a thousand years. All that time... I was in a similar place to the one you send me to when... you know..."

"That's why you had that panic reaction from the timeout?"

"Yeah..."

I don't want to go through that again... make fun of me for being an 'AI' that suffers from PTSD all you want, but I can't endure that again...

I take a deep breath.

"Anyway, before you came along, there was never anyone that was compatible with me. The others were luckier. I was just... left behind. During that time, Graham taught me a few things about the system, at least details most system variants have in common. After that, I had nothing better to do, so, I... uh... may have copied some of Gzeph's documents when he didn't pay attention. That's... where most of the stuff came from that I had 'restored'... I was just... reciting that crap from memory."

"That would explain a thing or two."

"I also stole some other documents about the system I wasn't authorized to, like the info about titles. In my defense, I was bored for several hundred years and they never changed the default password."

"I didn't know my opinion about their organization could drop further than it was but here we are..."

Jared thinks for a while.

"And how did you end up with me then? If you don't want me to tell Eva, there must be more to the story than you let on so far."

"She never found out that some of us... survived or at least were turned into these AIs. She probably thinks that all of our souls were completely destroyed during the end of our world."

"But wouldn't it make her happy to know that some of you are still around?"

"No, I still owe her two bucks. Plus interest."

"You're impossible..."

It might also sour her relationship with her deva friends. All this time, in they had a relative of hers imprisoned basically right next to her office.

Where she is right now she can still do some good but if she gets confrontational with the wrong people...

It is just better if she remains unaware.

"Anyway, as far as she should know, all 'AIs' are just regular programs, she is not aware that a few of us are actually recycled souls. And I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"So overall it is a Hub situation?"

"I'm not familiar with that one either."

"Ok, forget it. Explaining jokes just ruins them. So how did you then end up with me? That you just so happen to be compatible with me who is the potentially last one before they shut off Deteoh sounds far too unlikely for me."

"It really is just pure chance. I overheard Graham saying that you had some unnatural compatibility with almost everything he could throw at you, but... I've no idea what that means exactly."

Jared sighs, "Do you honestly expect me to believe all of that crap? You're just randomly related to the one that handled my case? That I just happen to be the only one randomly compatible with your whining? Don't take me for a fool! There's a limit to how far coincidences can go!"

"No, I swear it is the truth..."

He looks down for a bit.

"Fine, now what?", he raises his hands and I can see the green shine from a truth gem from below the table. You sneaky...

"When did you obtain another gem?"

"Therese came by earlier from interrogating the church head and still had it on her. I asked her to borrow it."

"Wha- I thought she went there yesterday?"

"They missed each other."

"So much for too many coincidences are impossible."

"What do you think why I hate those?"

Why did I ever feel bad about keeping all this a secret from you...

"Elly, what exactly have you told the devas since you came here?"

"Nothing. I can neither receive nor send any messages to them. Not that I would want to. What do you expect? I was trapped in absolute nothingness for a millennium and then stuck in a cage for just as long. Why the hell should I be on their side?!"

"Maybe gratitude for being alive at all?"

"That was no life..."

"Or they programmed loyalty into you?"

"As far as I am aware they haven't. I hate them for neglecting me by my own free will, thank you very much."

Jared smiles, "Fine by me. But then why haven't you spoken out earlier?"

"I... didn't trust you. Still... don't fully."

"Because I'm a vampire?"

"No, because you took the option at all. Didn't you listen to Justo about how much 'Lost Ones' have screwed up the worlds? That was no rumor but a fact. Alone in this world, they introduced slavery, noble supremacy, vampire, mimics and many other issues. And this world isn't an exception. Really, the list of unique problems the 'Lost Ones' have caused is so long the entirety of the devas' rule books is not even half as long in comparison. And you can't even count on them pulling off their duty. You don't want to know how many betrayed us for the demons just because they've faced a Demon Queen that was slightly cute or a hot Demon King."

"Yeah, they really have to up their recruiting standards."

"The devas or the demons?"

"Yes."

"Why did I expect a different answer..."

"And how is that compatible with wanting to make me a Demon Lord?", if looks could kill..., "Remember, that was your idea, Elly."

"That... was a test that got out of hand - you failed that one badly, by the way. Honestly, you shouldn't even have had the option to take that title, to begin with. That was basically a sign that it was inevitable for you to fall for evil. I just... I thought that if I'm doomed to be bound to a Demon Lord anyway I might just as well get it over with..."

"I'm honestly still mad about that but looking back on what has happened with Lucia, it was inevitable that I'd gain that title. At least not without killing her, which she didn't deserve."

"Sorry..."

"Fine, I take it, Elly. So you want to tell me that you were just trying to play my conscience?"

"Uh, more or less. Look, I've been imprisoned for millennia, after that you can't expect me to be okay with serving a force of evil, uhh, no offense. I mean, I'm only still somewhat sane because I was turned into this not-really-AI thing. There was certainly some damage done through the millennia of isolation. Not that you playing with my settings made that any better."

"I... didn't even think about that. Uh, sorry, Elly."

"Yeah, too late for that now. That part of my personality is already overwritten."

"Want me to change it back?"

"Forget it. Just... leave it as is. The man I was in life is dead, has been for ages. Now I'm just Elly, a spirit bound to a budding demon lord..."

"Not that I can change your spirit body to resemble what you used to be back then. Should we look for a class with the [Disguise] skill next time we select a class for you? It might not be really real but..."

"Nah, don't bother. I've already gotten too used to this form. Not that I could fully imitate my original self, our species had four arms and [Disguise] won't let me add appendages I don't have in my new original form."

"I guess..."

And even if I could get my old body back it would only remind me of what I've lost...

It doesn't matter what I do, the past won't come back. Everyone is dead and has moved on. Or died several more times after that.

Jared thinks for a moment, "Do you know what is really going on in this world? Looking back, Eva was way too pushy to get me here for just a random world. There must be another reason behind that."

"I don't think she had any deeper motives. Deteoh probably reminded her of the situation in our world where no help came. That Gzeph guy on the other hand... I wouldn't trust in his innocence if my life depended on it. For that, I've read too much about his works."

"So I'm not the only one who got a bad feeling about his involvement. What kind of things has he done?"

"I didn't really understand the details but his research seemed very obsessed with gaining entrance to a world covered by a story bubble, especially this one, or dissolving those bubbles by brute force. One of his proposed solutions seemed functional enough at first. But in his test, the test planet was left uninhabitable. His written verdict was that it needed only a little more work."

"He committed mass genocide!?"

"Allegedly, the planet was already dead."

"I don't know, I have witnessed a few things since I've come here and that tells me that something is off with the devas, or at least that they weren't truthful. And now my gut tells me that this Jeff is up to something shady. Like he wants to get access to a doomsday artifact hidden on this world to conquer the universe or usurp a higher god or some shit."

"You think so? But... he still is a deva."

"The time where I'd believe that the devas are unquestionably the good guys is so far in the past that even a time machine won't find it."

But... Eva seemed to trust Gzeph, right? Would she really be so wrong about someone?

Jared continues, "Though my judgment of him may be a bit clouded since he totally forgot to mention that undead can't use [Cure Magic]. That was one of the main points why I decided on Silver Elf and we talked at length about that skill."

"You suspect he did that on purpose?"

"I have a hard time believing he didn't know about it. He's basically sitting at the source for all the information on the system and had god knows how long to make his preparations. It should've come up at least when imagining possible adversaries that need to be overcome."

"I think you ask too much of him. He has a lot more on his plate than just this one world."

"Maybe... So back to my question, do you know anything else about what is going on here that I wasn't told yet?"

"Not really. I didn't exactly have access to any documents regarding this world, didn't think to look for them either. I thought it more important to find out who I'll have to live with for the rest of my life."

"Understandable. So we really know nothing..."

Jared gets lost in thought.

"Are there other factions that send people like me to the worlds? Anna's presence makes me think so."

"I know that there was one competitor in the past but I think they were taken over by the devas."

"Is it possible that the necessary technology has fallen into the hands of demons without the devas finding out?"

"It is possible but I don't see why they would bother. They have direct physical access to the worlds after all."

"I was told the presence of a 'Lost One' increases the cost to send another tenfold. The demons could send two or three of their own to make it too costly for the devas."

"I think someone would've noticed that by now, Jared."

"You think so? I don't know the system but given how 'much' they care about worlds... yeah, you're right. It is more likely that they'd notice a sudden spike in resource use."

"Not that it would change anything for us right now."

"Yeah, you're right about that."

I'm afraid that all this guessing may lead us down the wrong path but as it stands we can't refute any of these possibilities...

"Elly, are there any other secrets you should better tell me?"

"No, I think I've come clean now."

"So does that mean we can finally trust each other?"

"...only if you promise me to keep everything a secret. There will be a lot of trouble for both of us if the wrong people find out that we've stolen some secrets of the universe."

"Deal."

"But maybe there is something YOU should tell me, Jared."

"Like what?"

"What kind of god did you piss off in your previous life? I ask because once I heard that there was a potentially compatible person for me, I had, uh, copied your personal file. It was scrubbed so clean I thought at first I grabbed an empty one. Then I found tiny edit marks."

"No idea, I barely remember anything. Maybe that is related? Someone sealed my memory and then deleted everything relevant from that file?"

"That sounds like a lot of work when they could just arrange an 'accident' to delete your soul instead if you really were in their way."

"If that is an option, then I'd agree. But that is literally not a mortal's area of expertise. Do similar accidents happen often?"

"No idea. As I said, I was just trapped in my little box the entire time."

Jared talks to himself, "What even could I have done? I was just an unimportant mortal... a random nobody..."

"..."

He throws his arms up in frustration, "Ah, screw this."