Editing Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 10 (section)

===Robot=106\Human=34===

“Miss Amaryllis, may we have a moment with you?”

I receive a sudden request.

I turn around, and find Miss Ceolaria speaking to me. She once sang the ‘Spearmint Genesis’ at the Prayer Festival, and has the appearance of an old lady in her eighties.

“What is it?”

I turn around to face Miss Celorira. It’s rest time, and Viscaria’s doing diagnosis for malfunctions.

“I want to hand this over to you.”

She hands over a large bag.

“This is?”

“Batteries.”

“Eh?”

I open the bag, and see lots of portable batteries inside it. There’s more than fifty of them.

“These are, issued to everyone? Why…?”

“There’s no need for them.” She silently notes, “I’ll wait here until my body is wasted.”

“Eh?”

At first, I don’t know what she’s talking about.

With a steady voice, Miss Ceolaria explains,

“There aren’t many batteries left, but we’re far from the surface. At this rate, everyone will surely be wiped out. In that case, we should at least end ourselves before the remaining batteries are depleted.”

“We, as in, there are others?”

“Four senators, and the children, thirty in all. Besides them, there are another seventy-two. These seventy-two robots shall remain here and let their bodies be wasted.”

“B-but, if you abandon your bodies here…you’ll just be left with the Mind Circuits, right? Then there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your bodies again, that you’ll recover, right?”

I continue to ask Miss Ceolaria.

“We have prepared ourselves mentally. I have lived long enough, so please use the batteries on our masters and the children.”

“B-but.”

I look at the large number of batteries in my hands, and hoplessly mutter,

“I can’t accept these…”

At that moment,

<i>“It’s fine, Miss Amaryllis.”</i>

Cattleya’s voice enters the wireless.

<i>“Miss Ceolaria’s right, everyone will fall if this keeps up. Also, given the reduction in cradles till this point, the remainder has become a burden. Please use these batteries.”</i>

“Cattleya.”

I look over, and find Cattleya leaning on the ice wall, looking completely lethargic. Also, the villagers next to her are all leaning there, like some form of ritual going on.

<i>“It’s fine! Don’t mind!” “We beg of you!” “We’ll leave them to you!” “Don’t worry, just use them!”</i>

The villagers’ voices enter the wireless.

<i>“Miss Amaryllis, everyone else has the same opinion.”</i>

Miss Ceoloria extends her deep, aged wrinkles, smiling earnestly,

“Without us around, you can save enough battery power to save our masters. It is a selfish request, but we shall leave the rest to you.”

She lowers her head deeply,

“B-but, if that happens, everyone…”

I can’t hide the faltering look on my face.

Miss Ceolaria in turn looks rather peaceful,

“Please think of it this way. Us ‘adult robots’ have gone through lots of extractions due to our massive bodies. In other words, we’re more likely to malfunctioning, and waste more electricity. The child robots in comparison have done fewer ‘extractions’, and not much electricity depleted. Looking at the conservation of electricity, the chances of the child robots surviving are obviously higher.”

“Th-then I’m doing the same. I’m taking out my batteries.”

“You can’t.”

Miss Ceolaria shakes her head.

“Why not?”

“Without you around, who is going to lead these children? All the senators are indispensable for the following journey, so please take these batteries. P-please…”

And at this moment.

Her knees crumble, and she kneels.

“Miss Ceolaria…!”

I hastily carry her, but her body’s lying prone without any strength. It seems her remaining electricity’s depleted. Once the electricity from the Cradle is cut off, the emergency battery of a robot won’t last for long.

And by the time I realize this, there’s no other voices on the wireless. It isn’t just Miss Ceolaria; Cattleya and the others are all lying on the floor, remaining still.

Right when I’m feeling completely befuddled, Viscaria’s voice echoes through the wireless.

“Everyone entrusted their lives to you.”

“Did…” I lower my eyes, asking, “Did you know about this, Viscaria?”

She nods slightly.

“Sorry for keeping this quiet. You would have definitely refused this, I felt. When Ceoloria came to discuss this with me, I went about convincing everyone. I was communicating privately to each other to avoid you detecting. If I didn’t do so, no matter what, we wouldn’t be able to return to the surface with the batteries on hand.”

I clench my fist, and weakly let out.

“Sorry. I-I’m the Chief…but I got in your way.”

“It’s true that such a cruel way to solve this wouldn’t be acceptable to you. However, it’s because of your personality that everyone willingly gave up their lives for you.”

“…”

Seventy-two villagers cease to operate with peaceful expressions on their faces. “What’s wrong?” “Are they sleeping…?” The children poke their heads out in curiosity.

—I have lived long enough.

Miss Ceolaria’s voice again echoes. I look down at the batteries in my hands.

—Everyone, I’m sorry.

I bite my lips hard, feeling utterly painful within.

—I’m really sorry to everyone, for being such a useless Chief.

I continue to apologize profusely, and I grit my teeth, gripping the batteries in my hands hard.