MTLNOVEL Chapter 2 - What can I help with? (2)
Chapter 2 – What can I help with? (2)
Nob AI.
The artificial intelligence I frequently used before getting caught up in a nuclear bomb.
In truth, Nob AI wasn’t equipped with grandiose functions like those from sci-fi movies.
It was a program that could generate lewd images of anime characters I liked, fix awkward grammar when asked, and neatly organize and output information when I had questions.
When it first came out, I remember being so amazed that I sat in front of my computer playing with it all day.
If I hadn’t died and continued living, would I have seen a pretty maid robot taking care of me every day while saying ‘Welcome home, master’ when I was around 70?
I became aware of Nob AI’s existence around the same time I became conscious of my past life.
Honestly, I was very confused at first.
The flood of memories rushing in and the hologram appearing like augmented reality before my eyes were experiences I’d never had even in 21st century South Korea.
I typed text into the hologram.
『Display my current specs like a status window.』
『…』
『…』
─────────────◆
Name – Esther Tristida
Rank – Insignificant
Trait – [Nob AI]
The youngest of the Tristida family. Unlike
other siblings, did not inherit the family’s
talent, resulting in a very poor reputation.
Currently aware of past life……
…
…
I can use it roughly like this.
‘Young master?’
Dalfi called out to me.
I was so absorbed in Nob AI that I forgot there was someone beside me.
‘If you’re feeling dizzy from such a great shock, I can carry you to your room.’
‘I’m perfectly fine right now.’
‘Is that so?’
I helped Dalfi up, who was about to carry me.
On the contrary, I’m excited with anticipation.
Until now, it was ambiguous how to use this Nob AI in real life, but now it’s a different story.
‘Damn it, I’m absolutely not going to the military.’
If you could avoid it, the military was something to avoid.
Do I have to go to the military even in my second life?
No way. No!
I had no intention of becoming the head of the family anyway.
I want to grow old and die while consuming the Tristida family’s wealth and food.
The library in this mansion had many interesting mass-produced novels.
I hadn’t even properly read ten books yet.
I had no intention of leaving this mansion until I finished reading all the kindling!
‘Dalfi.’
I stopped at the doorway.
‘Yes, young master.’
‘From now on, don’t come into my room until I say it’s okay. I’ll take care of cleaning and meals myself.’
Dalfi looked at me with incredulous eyes.
‘Are you planning some kind of hunger strike?’
‘It’s because I need to focus on the successor test.’
She seemed worried about me.
She was Dalfi who knew very well how I had lived like an unprecedented failure.
‘You should consider other methods instead. What’s impossible is impossible. If you, young master, who lacks magical aptitude, stare at the test paper for two weeks, there’s no way the problems will solve themselves…’
I gave Dalfi a thumbs up.
‘Trust me.’
Dalfi sighed.
‘…Understood.’
And so I entered the room.
Now then, let’s try using Nob AI.
***
I sat at the desk.
I commanded Nob AI.
『…』
『…』
Artificial intelligence was a system equipped with functions of human intelligence such as learning, reasoning, adaptation, and argumentation.
To properly operate artificial intelligence, vast amounts of data are needed.
Nob AI wasn’t satisfied despite having already accumulated enormous data on Earth.
It had acquired information about this world while staying by Esther Tristida’s side for 15 years, and I thought it would be able to utilize that sufficiently.
The reason Nob AI could accumulate knowledge about this other world was because Esther Tristida, before becoming aware of his past life, had frequented the library without missing a single day.
Unlike his siblings, the physically weak and intellectually lacking boy could only boast of his diligence.
‘Do you even understand what you’re looking at?’
‘Reading intermediate magic theory books when you can’t even use simple magic is a waste of time. Why don’t you close that right now and grab a fairy tale from the bookshelf over there?’
Tristida’s siblings saw each other as competitors.
Having inherited their father’s talent, they each had one strength to boast about, and they honed it hoping to become the family head.
Esther Tristida was different.
Tristida’s siblings saw Esther only as a tool to boost their self-esteem.
They mocked the ordinary person who couldn’t use magic for his lack of talent.
When he practiced swordsmanship alone, they often beat him up under the pretext of guidance, and at social gatherings, they embarrassed him by pointing out flaws in Esther’s etiquette.
Esther Tristida’s pillow was always wet with tears.
No matter how much Dalfi washed it, those stains never disappeared.
It was the same now that I had become aware of my past life.
“Adjust the mana concentration to 5.23153 on the 321st right line to create a mana environment identical to hell……”
Esther Tristida’s efforts were not in vain.
The young boy’s attempt to read difficult books to somehow catch up with his siblings had ultimately trained the Nob AI, which was now producing results.
Well, to be fair, the credit for training the Nob AI largely goes to my current self who input the contents of all the books in the library over two weeks.
I don’t think this is unfair.
As described in my status window, Nob AI was my legitimate talent.
If you’re jealous, try reincarnating yourself.
***
Aria leaned back in her creaking chair.
The mountain of papers piled on her desk made her head throb.
For someone who had to handle lectures, magical research, financial planning for retirement, and the social activities necessary for a professorship, reviewing the academy’s financial approval documents was nothing but a nuisance.
‘At least I was fortunate to have clear instructions from Porto regarding the succession test.’
The selection of the Tristida family heir.
This was quite a significant matter for Aria as someone working at Tristida Academy.
For her, the absolute authority was not the king but the head of the Tristida family.
In an autonomous territory, a lord gains almost unlimited power similar to a king.
The longer the history of the territory, the stronger the authority of the lord becomes within it, and in some territories, the lord wields greater power than the king—which was precisely the case with Tristida.
The lord of Tristida could exert pressure and provide support to all institutions established in the autonomous territory.
‘If I were to get on the bad side of the child selected as heir…’
That would be the end of her professorial career.
In severe cases, her assets within the territory could be seized, and she might have to return to the Red Tower penniless.
‘Porto is quite strange. Assigning the ‘Millennium Problem’ that even historical Tower Masters couldn’t solve as a succession test…’
The possibilities of magic were infinite, but human possibilities were not.
Since the number of spells a human could research in a lifetime was limited, schools of magic were created to research and develop magic more efficiently.
The Flame School, where Aria currently belonged, was a faction of those who researched flame magic.
With the Red Tower as their residence, they were an elite faction that combined both legitimacy and skill, ranking third in influence within the kingdom’s magical community.
The Millennium Problems referred to seven difficult challenges managed by the Flame School that could contribute to the kingdom’s magical community.
The ‘Hellfire Reproduction’ assigned for this succession test was one of these Millennium Problems.
‘I understand the intention, but it’s still too extreme.’
Porto probably asked her to set this problem to see how the heirs would handle an impossible task.
‘The heir candidates who have just come of age must be bewildered. I saw a sickly but seemingly knowledgeable genius among them, but I’m not sure.’
Just reading and understanding the problem would have been difficult.
Among them was even a 15-year-old kid.
Aria didn’t expect any of the heir candidates to bring an answer.
It was a problem that neither she nor her master could solve.
Just being able to read and comprehend the formulas and text in the problem would demonstrate remarkable talent.
‘Professor Aria, a letter for you.’
Aria’s assistant, with dark circles under her eyes, opened the door and entered.
‘Where is it from?’
‘This is a letter from the Tristida estate. Young Master Esther Tristida has solved all the test problems….’
‘Already?’
Only two days had passed.
Esther was the youngest son of the Tristida family.
Unlike his siblings, he was the ugly duckling with no talent whatsoever.
The reputation surrounding him was poor, which is why Aria had little interest in Esther.
His chances of becoming the family head converged to zero.
‘Is he giving up.’
Aria sighed.
She thought he would at least pretend to try.
‘You may leave.’
‘Yes.’
Aria didn’t read the letter until she had finished all her work.
Only late at night could she finally get up from her chair.
As she grabbed her coat and was about to leave, the letter caught her eye.
If the paper inside the letter was blank, she planned to reprimand him directly, despite the rudeness, that having a mindset that gives up so easily wasn’t good.
That would be helpful for the rest of Esther’s life.
Aria read the letter.
‘……???’
Her expression froze.
For a long while, Aria stared at the letter, her eyes rolling in her professor’s private office.
‘Professor… is something wrong?’
Concerned about her, the teaching assistant carefully knocked on the door and entered.
Aria spoke to the assistant in a serious voice.
‘Call all the professors remaining at the academy right now.’
‘What?’
‘Call them right now!!’
‘Yes, yes sir!!’
Startled by Aria’s command, the assistant hurriedly ran out.
She put down the letter with trembling hands.
She looked in the mirror.
Had she ever been this flustered since taking up her professorship?
‘The Millennium Problem has been solved…?’
What on earth was she looking at?
What was written in the letter.
Was like text meticulously handwritten by a magical demon to mock ignorant humans.
It was a beautiful and perfect answer beyond compare.