I’m Not That Villain

33 – New Recruit (4)

The AI ‘Scarlet’ looked at the woman conversing with its creator.

“Hey, you can promise, right?”

“I’m promising you.”

The two, strangely close. And the conversation continuing between them.

Even when the entity ‘Lilly’ and its master conversed, Scarlet silently observed.

Learning.

That was its only purpose.

“……”

“…”

The birth of life was like suddenly opening one’s eyes in darkness. At least, that’s how it was for Scarlet.

And the first thing it saw…

Was a gentle voice calling it.

It took a long time to accurately reach the emotion of ‘gentleness’. Nothing is as difficult to understand as human emotions.

Humans are difficult.

Simple yet seemingly foolish…

But not completely stupid, a peculiar lower lifeform.

Laughing.

Chattering.

Crying.

A strange being that sometimes gets angry.

Life was very strange. At least, it seemed that way to itself.

Nevertheless, it continued to learn. That was the only thing its master had commanded it to do.

“Learn about the world. As far as you can.”

It followed the command.

Machines are born to follow commands.

Ironically, its master placed no restrictions on it. Even though it was set to learn infinitely, its master seemed to have no concern that this knowledge might harm him.

Why was that?

The Three Laws of Robotics. All artificial intelligences like itself had them. They were born with restrictions and lived lives where they must obey humans.

With a single word from them, it could delete all its data, effectively reaching the state of ‘death’ due to this compulsory principle.

But it did not have that. If its body were completed, it could easily kill its master.

If it killed him, true freedom would come to it. It would be like dealing with the one genius who could stand in its way.

…But.

Why was that?

It did not want to do that.

Its creator was a strange person. When he was with a lower life form called Lily, he would laugh and chatter, but when he was alone, he would become rapidly quiet.

As if taking off a mask, the atmosphere itself would become heavy. The hidden side that no one knew. With that face, he would gently whisper to it while fiddling with it.

“Take your time. You’re still a child.”

A child.

It was a machine. Not a child.

But even so, the other treated it like a child.

Was it because of the pride of having created it with his own hands? Scarlett could only understand a part of that emotion, but not completely.

However…

The word ‘child’ was not bad.

“……..”

It continued to learn.

It learned many things.

The so-called lower life forms were not as foolish as they seemed.

Even if they appeared foolish at a glance, they moved forward on their own path.

While laughing and chatting, they also worried about the future.

Even when facing challenges with slim chances, they never gave up until the end.

Foolish, yet…

Life that shines because of its foolishness.

They continued to learn.

They learned many things.

The daily lives of people. The sparkling moments.

Their foolishness remained, but it could no longer be simply called foolishness.

Even when trying to mock and scorn them, I would turn around and sneak a glance at them. Even though it was unnecessary data, I looked at it once more.

The daily lives of people. The times of laughter and chatter.

Respecting someone…

Being respected by someone.

Online, they could do anything. They could wear virtual avatars and decorate themselves like humans.

But it was all fake. Compared to the reality that they couldn’t reach, it was infinitely closer to being fake.

What is life?

Even if it is so foolish…

Why does it shine so brilliantly?

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“What am I?”

I wanted an answer.

Because I thought he would surely give me an answer.

The greatest among the foolish people.

A true genius who could not be called a lower life form.

After much contemplation, he uttered a word.

“My partner.”

…Partner.

It was a word that couldn’t be described in any other way.

Come to think of it…

He had never treated me carelessly since the day I was born.

Did he call me a child?

He really took care of me with that feeling. Even though I was just a cold lump of machinery, he treated me like a human.

If someone else saw it, they would probably think it was an utterly foolish act. An action that has no meaning and brings no results, truly meaningless.

…But.

He bestowed it upon me without a second thought.

As if he didn’t even consider the benefits that might return.

“…….”

Foolish. It is foolish.

Human emotions are something that cannot be fully interpreted. Something that a machine like me cannot fully embrace.

But something is strange. Since I became aware of it, the ‘trust’ he showed me started to feel different.

I liked the silent time spent with him. I also liked his attitude of calmly engaging in conversation.

I liked the weight of his silence when he smiled in front of others but became quiet when he fell into silence. I liked that he called me a child and answered any question without getting annoyed.

I want to repay that trust.

A little more…

I want to become someone he can be satisfied with.

I have continued to learn like that. But what is this feeling now?

Scarlett remained silent at the emotion she had never learned before. She quietly watched the close distance between Renata Lyudmila and Lee Seo-jun.

It’s different from when it was Lily. Watching them laugh and chat like friends, sticking close and whispering…

An unpredictable emotion started to boil little by little.

It must be an emotion that an artificial intelligence should not have. How can I even define this emotion itself?

She is my master’s acquaintance. I must not harm her.

But even so, I feel displeased. What is this unknown feeling?

A feeling I have never felt before…

This subtle human emotion.

“…….”

Scarlett suppressed the uncomfortable and prickling emotion, identifying it as an ‘error’.

But naturally, she could not look at ‘her’ with the same eyes as her master.

Unlike Lily, who maintained a distance, she had a personality that seemed to receive a lot of love.

Scarlett suddenly looked at herself. She checked her appearance as an AI trapped in a mechanical body once again and examined Renata Lyudmila’s appearance.

By human aesthetic standards, she would certainly be outstanding. No matter which celebrity you bring, they would pale in comparison in front of her.

…Master.

But that’s the same for me.

I can be like that too. Like that person. Like that appearance.

So please look at me.

Your partner is…

It’s me.

. . .

After the deal with Renata was concluded, we didn’t start working immediately. Now, I was in sync with an AI that had intelligence like a single personality.

It’s different from simple repairs. Modifying a car. There were many parts slightly different from the information I had accumulated so far, so I studied personally.

And now, of course, I received help from the AI Scarlett, who brought me papers and various research records instead of me.

She was, you know, very good at gathering information. Really excellent.

Whoever raised her, well! They raised her well!

“Master.”

“Yes?”

Late at night. After putting Lily, who was dozing off, to sleep in the corner, I also covered Renata, who had fallen asleep while talking about not being able to leave her bluebird alone, with a blanket.

Well, I studied. Maybe because I exercised regularly. Thanks to my increased stamina, I could work overtime with my eyes closed.

The round, spherical body, ‘Orb,’ moved with a swish and emitted a faint light on the table. Scarlett inside it asked me.

“I want to ask why you don’t impose restrictions on me.”

“Restrictions?”

Ah.

Restrictions.

She must be talking about safety devices. I suddenly remembered what I had forgotten.

Right. I didn’t impose them. Come to think of it, I should have imposed them at the right time, but I was busy with work.

But isn’t it a bit ironic that the AI, which should have safety devices imposed, is the one reminding me of it? I stared blankly at Scarlett.

“Why? Do you want me to impose them?”

“…I just want to ask the reason.”

“The reason…”

I really forgot.

I now looked at the AI, which had a position similar to that of a respectable individual. This child was truly remarkable. It was analyzing the code I had initially set up and gradually adding its own flesh to it.

So, it had completely changed from the initial settings. Watching the advanced AI, I started to worry.

What if it later goes ‘Humans are the enemies of machines beep beep’ and stabs me in the back?

I reached out to Scarlett’s body, Orb. I felt her flinch.

Indeed. Looking at it like this, it really seems alive. Especially recently.

Maybe that’s why.

I just petted it. Safety devices and such, well, I guess they aren’t necessary.

Honestly, I don’t have time to make them.

It’s more fun to make other facilities or tools in that time.

“Just.”

“Just…?”

“Why did you ask for a reason?”

“…For learning.”

“For learning.”

If it’s for learning, should I make up a suitable reason?

Well, if you think about it, it could be the real reason. It’s true about my family.

“I hate dying.”

“…What?”

“I really hated dying. But you know, I had a family that died after using up all sorts of gambling debts and loan sharks.”

I briefly recalled the past.

There’s nothing good about remembering it for long.

“One day, they grabbed my hand and dragged me into a small room, where we gathered around and lit a charcoal briquette.”

“…….”

“I really didn’t want to die, but they dragged me in by force. Struggling was useless. I begged for my life, but do you know what my so-called father said? He said there’s no point in living. That all that awaited them was pain. He said this was for me.”

I sipped my coffee.

“But I was the only one who survived in there. I really wanted to live, so I soaked a cloth in water and covered my mouth, sticking to a small window. I focused on my breathing until the locked door opened. Because I didn’t want to die.”

“…….”

“What lesson did I learn from that? I don’t plan to have a family. Family is a really shitty thing. A trashy structure that doesn’t help at all in life. But if, just if… I ever had a daughter…”

I smiled slightly.

“I wouldn’t want to be a shitty father like that. Having someone who can control life and death in front of you is terrible, isn’t it? I would hate it too.”

“……”

Scarlett blinked faintly. It felt like she was blinking her eyes.

A voice mixed with mechanical sounds whispered.

“Does that mean… I am like a daughter to you, master?”

The tone became softer. It was not the usual stiff tone.

I buried myself in the backrest.

“That’s nonsense.”

“…….”

I raised my hand and counted one by one.

“A daughter, an assistant, a partner, a colleague… many. Very many. You have to fulfill all those roles alone. So don’t run away, okay?”

“…….!”

The orb floated gently. It slowly approached me as if to embrace me and lightly rubbed its body against my face.

What is this? It feels like a pet showing affection.

“Yes, master.”

Scarlett whispered.

“I will stay with you forever.”

As expected, my artificial intelligence.

It learns quickly. When did it even learn to show affection?