Ateia looked into NSLICE-00P’s eyes, her organic eye quivering slightly while NSLICE-00P’s didn’t change at all. Ateia took a deep breath.

“Seero…your commander already set you free, right?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia furrowed her brow.

“But, you’ve called the people you’re searching for ‘command personnel,’ right? As in…you want them to take control of you again?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia frowned at that.

“Why?”

“Explanation: It is this unit’s primary directive.”

Ateia tilted her head.

“It sounded more like a suggestion to me? And it sounded more like your commander just wanted you to have someone to rely on, not to order you around.”

“Statement: Prior primary directives have been completed or deleted. This unit requires command personnel to specify directives and issue orders.”

Ateia’s face scrunched up.

“Seero…that’s…”

Colleöne had been watching in silence, but now she stepped forward and placed a hand on Ateia’s shoulder. She motioned to the girl and then whispered to her.

“Ateia…from what I can tell, this girl is like a child at the moment. She does not understand what you are trying to tell her, and this mission is something she’s clinging onto. If you want her to see what you see, you will have to take it slow, and teach her through actions, and not just words.”

Ateia looked down.

“But how?”

Colleöne smiled at her.

“Be her friend. The kind you’ve always wanted for yourself.”

Ateia narrowed her eyes into the distance and rubbed her chin for a few moments before shaking her head. She took a deep breath.

“Ok…we’ll talk about this later, then. I guess…let’s continue for now?”

Colleöne nodded and Ateia turned back to NSLICE-00P.

“Um, Seero, it seems like this armor does a lot more than just act like arms and legs? Could you show me how it works?”

“Affirmative. Compiling NSLICE UI tutorials…”

A short while later, NSLICE-00P slowly guided Ateia through her cybernetic components. NSLICE-00P had learned from Rattingtale and Lilussees and adjusted her approach with Ateia, a necessity given that the normal NSLICE protocols could cause her harm. So, rather than linking to Ateia’s components and commanding them as per the Loyal Wingman protocol, she slowly activated Ateia’s systems one by one, demonstrating their uses and location in the UI to Ateia. In Ateia’s case, NSLICE-00P decided to swap the intelligence leashing, indicating that the cybernetic components should follow Ateia’s organic half, hoping that this would avoid the incompatibilities that had been displayed.

There would be a loss of efficiency for Ateia…but Colleöne’s example and lessons indicated Ateia’s organic half had a great deal of potential. NSLICE-00P decided that if Ateia could potentially match the readings she had from Colleöne, then the most efficient course of action was to maximize Ateia’s organic capabilities.

“Activating NSLICE Ateia’s visual sensors. Tutorial Explanation: NSLICE visual sensors are noticeably more powerful than a baseline human’s. They can detect a much wider spectrum of the electromagnetic spectrum, have low-light and thermal modes, have filters to avoid blinding, and have both telescopic and microscopic modes. Please select the following UI buttons to trial example settings.”

Ateia nodded her head as buttons appeared in her vision. NSLICE-00P had designed these buttons so that Ateia could try the different options before she learned how to adjust her vision manually. NSLICE-00P also designed the buttons to resemble upgrade choices from the foreign system, which allowed Ateia to utilize the techno-organic interface much like her previous foreign system status.

And she was not the only one.

All of NSLICE-00P’s monsters now stood on the beach, following along with the tutorial. NSLICE-00P had noted that, with the exception of monsters who had been summoned as cyborgs from the beginning like 00B, most of her monsters were not making full use of their cybernetic capabilities. She decided to include them all here, to ensure any gaps in their knowledge were covered.

Even Melion was observing. While the metal slime had no cybernetic components of their own, they were deeply interested in the concept. NSLICE-00P had considered attempting to keep the knowledge confidential to the NSLICE units, but her analysis indicated including Melion in these tutorials was worth the risk for two reasons.

First of all, Melion lacking cybernetic components did not mean there would be no opportunities for them to interact with information technology, and it was both NSLICE-00P’s and Melion’s intention to add them to the NSLICE network as soon as possible in any case. As a result, NSLICE-00P concluded it was desirable to give them some foundational knowledge at this stage.

The second was that NSLICE-00P had reviewed her confidentiality protocols, particularly the ones strictly forbidding dispensing any knowledge regarding NSLICE specifications and capabilities. These protocols were put in place by her original organization, and NSLICE-00P had just determined that some of that organization’s protocols were contradictory, and potentially inefficient with damaging side effects in the worst cases. She had, as a result, loosened any restrictions that originated from the original organization. She determined that while classifying information regarding her capabilities was still desirable, consideration should be given to improving coordination with allied forces. In this case, Melion was a subordinate by the foreign system and no Contracted subordinate had broken the terms of their agreement as of yet. NSLICE-00P judged that they could be trusted.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

And so, Ateia and a line of monsters all stood staring out across the cove. Their robotic eyes flickered, narrowed, opened wide, changed colors, and spun around as they cycled through the different settings. Taog stood a bit behind with Colleöne, frowning at the sight.

“…it still feels weird, seeing all these monsters like this. I’m still wrapping my head around Seero being a dungeon master…”

Colleöne barely stopped her eye from twitching. She whispered to herself.

“…you are not the only one.”

But then she smiled.

“The Aesdes believe that the circumstances of one’s birth are less important than the choices they make. NSLICE-00P and her monsters began as a dungeon master and its army. But in the end, she has protected the world with her might. We honor that, regardless of who or what she is.”

Colleöne turned to Taog.

“That goes for you as well, son of the Empire and the Wulver both. I know that others have seen and judged you for your parentage. But that matters not to the Aesdes. All we will see is what you choose to do with what you have been given.”

Taog fell silent as he continued watching the practice.

After the training had concluded, Ateia rummaged through the rations given to them by Consul Hiberius’s people. She smiled to herself.

“As expected of a Consul’s house!”

The rations included some delicacies that even Ateia had rarely had access to, including sweet rolls coated with honey. She grabbed them and brought them over to Taog.

“Taog check this out!”

Taog’s eyes widened and then he grinned.

“That’s a rich Consul for you.”

Ateia handed one to him.

“I know, right?!”

And then her smile turned soft as she looked at the rolls.

“And…I think this could be a good start.”

Taog tilted his head at that, but Ateia just turned around and walked over to NSLICE-00P.

“Seero, look! The Consul gave us sweet rolls! Want to try one with me?”

“Negative Response: This unit is not scheduled for organic refueling for another 13.56 hours.”

Ateia tilted her head.

“Are you saying…you’re not hungry?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia grinned.

“That’s fine! These are more for enjoyment anyways! Here, let’s see how it tastes!”

“Statement: This unit has no data to analyze ‘taste’, as that organic sense has been disabled.”

Ateia froze, blinking.

“You…don’t taste anything, Seero?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia frowned.

“Because of the cybernetic components?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia grit her teeth for a moment before she paused, and tilted her head.

“But…I can still taste things?”

“Explanation: NSLICE Ateia has not had the corresponding protocols activated at this time.”

Ateia’s eyes widened.

“Wait…you’re saying you can turn taste on and off?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia grimaced as she remembered some of her and Taog’s first attempts at cooking for themselves. Disabling taste on demand could have been…helpful.

But she shook her head. The important point was that she could apparently choose to do so. Which likely went for NSLICE-00P as well.

“In that case, why don’t you just turn your taste back on?”

NSLICE-00P was about to respond when her robotic eye started flickering. Dr. Ottosen had specified for the sense of taste to be disabled, stating his opinion that it hogged too many processing resources for insufficient tactical advantage. But…she was not in a tactical situation where her processing resources were in high demand. And Dr. Ottosen’s opinions had proven not necessarily optimal, even to the NSLICE program’s own goals.

NSLICE-00P analyzed the data and her protocols and found there was no particular reason she couldn’t re-enable her sense of taste. No, in fact, taste was connected to the sense of smell, which she had recorded Taog and many of her other monsters utilizing for situational awareness in tactical settings. Disabling taste might actually be inefficient.

NSLICE-00P decided the best course of action was to re-enable the sense and gather data, so that she could compare and determine which case would maximize her effectiveness.

“Analysis complete. Response: This unit has determined more data is necessary to calculate the cost-benefit analysis of dedicating processing resources to taste. This unit is re-enabling the sense on a trial basis to gather data.”

Ateia blinked for a bit as she parsed the statement and then smiled.

“Then…for your first taste, why don’t you try this?”

She held out the roll, and NSLICE-00P took it.

“Affirmative. Gratitude: This unit thanks NSLICE-Ateia for a first test subject.”

NSLICE-00P was about to pound the roll into mush, as she did with most of her other food when Ateia jumped.

“Wait, Seero! Don’t just smash it!”

“Statement: This unit is improving the ingestion efficiency of the organic fuel.”

Ateia shook her head.

“That’s not the point, Seero! You’re supposed to savor a sweet roll like this! Here, try taking a bite like this!”

Ateia took a small bite, and then hummed with a smile at the taste.

“See? You have to go slowly if you want to fully taste it!”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered.

“Query: The inefficient ingestion method is intended to maximize taste data gathering?”

Ateia pondered for a second before slowly nodding.

“Um, I think so?”

“Acknowledged.”

NSLICE-00P looked at the sweet roll. She determined that since she was in a data-gathering trial, did not require organic refueling at this time in the first place, and was not in an urgent setting that maximizing the data gathered would be more beneficial than maximizing ingestion efficiency.

So she took a small bite, replicating Ateia’s ingestion method. Ateia smiled at her.

“How is it, Seero?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered as data flooded her mind.

“Uncertain Answer: This unit…has no relevant data…sensations unclear…”

Ateia’s smile dropped. She thought for a moment, rubbing her chin.

“Well, I guess you have nothing to compare it to. Um…well…how about this? If you had to decide, would you want more of it?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered again. Her cybernetic components analyzed the data. The roll seemed not to be a balanced nutritional source, but the high caloric content could be useful in situations where high metabolic rates are expected in the near future. If she had been with her original organization and had access to highly efficient nutrient paste, she would not requisition such a fuel source. But in her current circumstances, she judged that there might be some niche situations where it would be useful.

But that was a tactical analysis, and the majority of the data on this nutritional source was coming from her organic sensors, so she decided to query her organic components as well.

And she found, to her surprise, that this nutritional source had produced an emotional reaction. Her organic components indicated that they would, in fact, requisition this nutrition source in the future. In fact, they were doing so right now, despite the lack of nutritional deficits that would generate a refueling request.

“Answer: Organic components are requesting additional refueling. Reason is unclear, no nutritional deficit detected. The base cause appears to be an emotional reaction to the data received.”

Ateia made a soft smile at that.

“That’s because it tastes good, Seero. And good food makes us feel happy. Let’s get you lots of tasty things, ok?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered. Extraneous refueling was not particularly necessary to her.

But…there was also no reason not to accept additional fueling, so long as the intake was not excessive. Her cybernetic half ultimately had no opinion either way on the proposal.

So the organic half made the call on her response.

“...affirmative.”