Chapter 8: A Pleasant Chat
April 27th-28th, 2017
A little while after I finally left the church, still somewhat worried about Asia but mostly content with my current measures, I received a notification from Alice.
Analysis of the spellbook on Transmutation is now complete. While the information contained within is projected to be of limited direct use, it has opened several new avenues of research.
That was fast!
Nice though.
However, "What do you mean? Why would it be of limited direct use?"
Based on the information contained within, Transmutation is a field with limited preexisting research, as it traditionally requires stable environments, large quantities of Mana, and/or impractical levels of information gathering and calculation power.
As a result, the provided information primarily consists of a variety of highly specialized material to material conversions; each of which require both a Clean Room and large quantities of Mana. However, given the capabilities of the Spellcasting Matrix, Scanning Suite, and SCPUs, it should be possible to devise a more general use spellform that partially circumvents these issues.
Ah.
I suppose that made sense.
Even ignoring quantum effects, nuclear physics could be quite complicated. Especially when moving from theory to practice. So, spells dealing with all those variables at once in such a delicate fashion would require quite a few calculations. Not to mention up-to-date information on the specifics of each involved molecule.
I guess without a God-Forged supercomputer to do things in real time, you would have to carefully pre-calculate out all of that information, and then rely on using a sufficiently stable environment to keep the process from leaving your allowed margins of error.
It was a good thing that obscene quantities of real-time processing power seemed to be a specialty of my Sacred Gear.
"Alright, then begin development of such a process immediately. I'm allocating 240 Processor Units to create a viable product; I don't think I can afford more than that right now given my current plans. Afterwards, begin on some sort of telekinesis. I'll give you more specifics when I see what the transmutation spell is capable of."
Hopefully that would actually give me something useful. I would devote more time, but given the potential situation with Asia and the "vision"… I would rather take the risk and get something soon. I needed to be prepared for an actual fight ASAP, even if I ended up mostly on the side-lines.
Acknowledged. Tasks now queued. Reminder: Desired specifications shall be pulled directly from conscious and subconscious thoughts of User Thalex when not otherwise specified.
Right.
That was a thing, wasn't it?
Well, I suppose that was probably a good thing overall. Saved a few minutes of talking to myself.
Still kind of creepy though.
"I hear that you met an interesting person this morning?"
Ah.
I suppose the news already got to her as well. Rias must have told her; I don't think Issei would go out of his way to talk to Sona himself.
"You could say that. Several interesting people, even. Although, I don't think it is something you all need to start worrying about just yet. I'm keeping an eye on things though. I'm sure Issei will too, even with Gremory reminding him about who he can now safely associate with."
On a related note, that had been kind of amusing to hear about; him getting chastised just for taking the risk of being near someone with Church affiliations.
Also slightly disturbing.
I could understand her reasoning given the delicate political situation, and the apparent risks anything vaguely holy seemed to pose to Devils, but it was still disconcerting in a way. Implying that it was best to entirely isolate, and not even try to form positive cross-faction relationships.
That sort of thinking probably played a role in how the peace-talks Sona had mentioned off-hand always seemed to fail.
Anyways, back to the current topic at hand.
Sona arched a brow at my words, before replying with a questioning tone, "Are you certain that you should really be associating with them?"
Leaning back in my chair slightly, and raising my eyes from the board in front of me, I thought that over for a moment before giving an answer.
"Eh. Even if not, I don't really care too much. We have a contract, and so far you've left a fairly positive impression on me, but I'd rather not go intentionally lighting bridges on fire just yet. Better to make as many friends as I can, while I can, yeah? Well, at least in theory. Plus, I don't know if Issei figured it out, but she's not actually part of the Church. Not anymore. She's just joining up with the local Fallen."
For that matter, even if she was part of the Church still, she would be far from the first person I know who either was, or still is.
Slight surprise and relief flashed across her face, before she raised one hand to lightly touch on her glasses; the one arm supported by her other wrist, "I see. How interesting. That is better than the alternative. If all three Factions were moving back in to Kuoh, that could be quite the headache. Still, I believe that makes your association with her more questionable in some ways. The local cell of Fallen have proven to be unusually aggressive thus-far. As Hyoudou can surely attest, no?"
Yeah.
I suppose he certainly could.
"That's a fair point. On the other hand, I personally think that she seems like far too kind of a person for me to just cut off contact with her. Especially given that she doesn't really want to be working with the Fallen. She just didn't see much choice in the matter…" I closed my eyes and sighed slightly as I thought back to our conversation, "Really, I would like to be able to help her out if her situation turns sour. Which I suspect it will, given the apparent clash of personalities. On a more utilitarian note, she may also be a good source of insider information if I ever need to deal with the Fallen myself; one way or another."
Sona locked eyes with me for a moment after I finished my speech, before ultimately shaking her head ever so slightly and relaxing her pose.
"Very well. It is your choice to make. Just be careful. It would be unfortunate for you to die because you were careless."
"I'll at least try; I'm not particularly fond of the idea myself after all. And it's not like I don't have a few aces up my sleeve. Why, I'm looking at one right now," I said with a grin.
It is interesting that she said that though.
I would think that me dying would be useful to her, given our contract. Does she really care about my safety, or was she just saying that because it's the polite thing to do?
Of course, I suppose it could also just be that if I managed to get myself offed because I was an idiot, then it might also show that I wasn't exactly great recruitment material in the first place.
"Quite."
Wanting to change the topic, I decided to bring up something new, "Anyways, on to other matters, there was actually something I wanted to talk about yesterday which I couldn't find a good way to bring up. I was looking at the reported population numbers and fertility rates for Devils, when I noticed something that looked off to me. Namely, the growth rate seemed way too high. Given the fertility rates it stated for Pureblood Devils... Do you guys really, er, procreate that often as a species, or is there something that I'm missing?"
As soon as she fully processed my question, she completely froze up, before her dignified mask cracked and splintered at the edges. Only to be replaced by a creeping blush and a series of rapid coughs into a raised hand.
When she finally answered, she did so in a slightly more off-kilter tone than usual, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the subject matter, "Yes, um, well, you are partially correct. You may not be taking into account the extended lifespans of Devils. We can theoretically continue to have children for thousands of years, and then those children may do the same; thus leading to higher relative growth rates than you might expect from a human population. However, yes…"
She shook her head slightly, staving off a repeat of her last loss of composure, before switching tack slightly.
"Are you familiar with the so-called Seven Deadly Sins? And do you remember what I told you about Devil maturation?"
Nodding slightly, I responded, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it went something like, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, and Envy. I think Apathy was tossed in at one point too. As for the second part, which portion in particular? The one about 100 being considered adult, or the rate of physical and mental change slowing after 20?"
"Both. Simply put, one important difference between Devils and Humans is how our compulsions and impulses affect us more strongly. Especially while we are still developing. In order to gain some degree of control over this, it is strongly encouraged to choose one or a few aspects to limit yourself to; with the Seven Sins being used as broadly descriptive categories for them.
"Although, it is not strictly necessary to use such a broad net. Any sufficiently powerful compulsion or obsession functions well enough. If handled properly, then once fully matured, this leads to a balanced individual with full control over their actions. More often, it leads to each Devil being fully immersed into their chosen obsessions, but at least mostly limiting themselves to those obsessions alone."
Hmm.
I suppose that was thematic, if nothing else.
I wondered if that was why Sona was always so straight-laced, but also seemed to react fairly poorly to more surprising or embarrassing topics. Some kind of internal struggle to continually suppress those parts of herself.
Might have just been reading into it too much though.
"Huh. Then, I suppose that answered my question in a way. I imagine Lust is a commonly chosen Sin to indulge in? Actually, would reincarnated Devils need to do something similar, but maybe not as extreme given they weren't born that way?"
This time I only managed to draw out the barest hint of pink from her cheeks.
"That, would be accurate."
Heh.
Slightly messing with her really was fun, even with her reactions usually being so relatively constrained. Perhaps more so even.
Especially since I got to satisfy my curiosity at the same time.
Truly a win-win.
"I do wonder then, what have you chosen for your own 'aspects'?"
Unfortunately, it would seem that she had had enough of this particular topic for now, and swiftly cut off that direction of conversation.
"That, is not a question which I am currently going to answer."
Oh well.
Another time maybe.
"Fair enough, I suppose it would be a bit personal..." After a few moments of silence, I finally got around to making my next move on the board instead of further delaying the inevitable, and then continued speaking, "On a mostly unrelated note, I am curious. Why is it exactly that Chess is so popular with Devils? Is it just another hold-over from how it was popular with European nobles way back when?"
Seeming grateful for the change of course, she quickly answered, "Partially. The Peerage system also plays a role in its popularity. When our entire society is built around a system that makes reference to a particular game, it only makes sense that said game would be popular, no? In addition, it is quite a useful tool for developing a proper sense of strategic and tactical acumen."
Yeah, I suppose that tracks.
A bit of a self-reinforcing loop there, which only further entrenched itself with every generation as the people who grew up with it then went on to live for who knows how long. Doubly so given how they were apparently predisposed to traditionalist mindsets anyways.
However, I do somewhat take issue with that last part.
"Is it really that great though? I mean, it does teach some useful skills, sure, but not any better than most other strategy games. And with how inflexible it is, I could see that creating a pretty stiff mindset if it's being used as the primary training aid for young nobility. Especially if Devils are already predisposed to getting stuck in their ways.
"Wouldn't it be better to train on games with a bit more chaos and a greater focus on flexibility? Especially if you're trying to learn things that are applicable to real life warfare? I mean, most wars don't exactly have very many perfectly open fields, where you always know the precise location and capabilities of all the combatants involved. Or even who the combatants are for that matter."
She narrowed her eyes at me slightly, her gaze burrowing into my own for several moments before she slowly began to reply, "I... believe I understand what you mean; however, Chess teaches two skills of upmost importance. Predicting the actions of your opponent, and planning both your moves and reactions far in advance. When used properly, if you predict every contingency ahead of time, and already know the proper response, then you will have won before the battle even occurs.
"At that point, it simply becomes a matter of executing. Each piece smoothly flowing from one position to another. That is the essence of Chess, and war. If you need to react in an unplanned fashion, or you encounter unexpected factors, then you have already failed."
Hmm.
That is an interesting way of putting things. Not entirely wrong, but it kind of ignores how chaotic the real world actually is.
"I mean, yeah. It is really useful to have that initial planning bonus for the first big push, but you can't actually plan for or know everything. It's just not practical in the real world unless you have literally infinite quantities of both time and reliable information. And if you don't immediately win by the time your pre-planning runs out, then you need flexible commanders who can quickly react to the new situation.
"If you don't, then you get things like the stalemate in World War One, where no one really knew what to do after the first big knock-out blows fizzled out. The ability for local officers to make their own decisions, and to react to the situation as they saw it from the ground, is one part of what made the Wehrmacht so effective in the early Blitzes. Same with the Americans later on, if I'm remembering correctly."
She paused for a moment, eyebrows slightly furrowing in contemplation, before she adjusted her glasses and replied, "I believe that you just answered your own question. Flexibility, if it is truly necessary, is what field officers are for. The higher level leaders should concern themselves with the larger picture, planning such that reactivity is not necessary. If that fails, then it is up to the lower levels of command to follow through as appropriate, while new plans are made. As such, Chess would be the ideal game for training those at the highest levels of command."
"I can kind of see your point there. However, I still hold by the idea that it's important for the central planners to still be capable of thinking in a more flexible way. Even if most of it is left to the lower level officers. If they are each approaching the situation from entirely different directions, that can lead to miscommunications or friction. Central getting annoyed when the field commander goes off script, or the field commander getting annoyed when they have to follow orders and do something which is obviously a bad idea when viewed from the ground. You need both structure and flexibility at all levels; or at least that's my philosophy. Plus, wouldn't a more flexible high command make it easier to re-factor, and create a new central plan when the old one becomes untenable?"
I held eye contact with her for several long moments as my words hung in the air, waiting for her response.
Eventually, she gave one in the form of a slightly reluctant nod, "That… may be a fair point, I suppose."
Satisfied with getting that much out of her for now, and not really wanting to keep this debate going too much longer for the moment, I decided to pivot slightly.
"In any case, I think the more important point I was trying to make is just that, hyper-focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all others may not be optimal. It could leave you a blind-spot, so that you don't see something that might be better or more interesting. That should actually be an especially bad threat for someone like you, given what you have told me about Devils and their development. And I mean, worst case scenario, you try something new and then are able to definitively confirm that it's inferior. At least then you'll actually know."
At this, she actually leaned back in her chair and sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose, "Ah. I see now. This whole conversation has just been a pretense to convince me to play another game, hasn't it?"
I grin slightly at her exasperated tone of voice.
"Only like 50%. It really is an interesting topic, central planning vs adaptive planning. Like I said, I tend to lean towards the latter, but the former is still useful. Especially if it can secure you an initial knock-out blow. I just think it's bad to rely on it too heavily," I considered stopping there, but pressed onwards with a slightly maudlin note in my voice as I tilted my head to one side, "Plus... it would be kind of sad if you never tried out other things while you were young, and then just spent the next ten thousand years playing nothing but the same static game over and over again."
She simply glared into my somber expression.
Eventually, she finally sighed slightly and shook her head before giving in.
"Very well. I will consider branching out a bit. Since you seem so insistent on the matter."
Finally breaking my steady pose, I smiled broadly and magnanimously replied, "Of course! That's all that I ask for."
The_King_Of_Harems: I'm a fucking pawn! This sucks!
Thalex: Uh. Okay. Context? You mean like the whole thing with your club?
Actually, was this something to be talked about over Discord?
I mean, the app glowed brighter than Chernobyl.
On the other hand, I didn't particularly care about maintaining any Masquerade. Plus, I was sure there must be some kind of magical counter-glowies lurking about and vetting online information considering all this shit wasn't public knowledge already, so fuck it.
Whatever.
The_King_Of_Harems: Yeah. Duh. The hell else would I be talking about?
Thalex: Just checking. So, how did you just now find out about that? I would have figured that would be day one orientation type stuff.
The_King_Of_Harems: Nah. It was actually really cool. Rias said that someone had found a Stray Devil hangin' around eating people or something, so we went to go take it down. She told me all about the pieces and stuff while we were fighting. I even got to show off and block an attack that would of hit her with my Sacred Gear!
Really now? I wonder…
Thalex: Cool. Was it some big snake guy? If so, I hope he fucking died painfully.
He seemed slightly surprised by my vehemence as it took a while before he typed anything in response.
The_King_Of_Harems: Uh?
Thalex: Remember? I nearly got eaten?
The_King_Of_Harems: Oh! Yeah! Uh, no. Not him. It was some big half-spider chick that shot acid lasers from her boobs and had a giant spiky mouth in her chest.
Thalex: …
Thalex: WTF?
The_King_Of_Harems: I know. It was really weird. Nice boobs though, when they weren't trying to melt me.
Sigh.
Thalex: Oh well. I guess the Naga-Devil-Stray-Whatever-The-Fuck lives another day. Maybe I can organize some sort of hunting expedition to go track him down at some point... Anyways, being a pawn ain't so bad. You get promotions, right? That's pretty useful.
The_King_Of_Harems: I guess.
Thalex: Anyway, thanks for the heads-up? I should be heading to bed though. Might miss out on our morning run tomorrow, btw, got some new experiments to do.
The_King_Of_Harems: What kind of experiments?
Thalex: The fun kind.
The_King_Of_Harems: Should I be worried about that, Mr. "Explosive Staircase"?
Thalex: Probably not. Collateral damage should be kept to a minimum. For now.
The_King_Of_Harems: …
The_King_Of_Harems: Not gonna ask.
Thalex: Probably for the best. I'll let you know more if it turns out well.