Odysseus gave the puppy robot the name 'Argos.' It was identical to the name of the dog Odysseus had kept in the past.
"All right, Argos. If anyone besides us comes in, bark."
After that he switched the robot's power on, synchronized it with the device he had originally owned, and imprinted their scents on it as well. It was the minimum of clues by which to distinguish them from outsiders.
"Does that thing have combat functions on it?"
"No?"
"Then isn't barking meaningless?"
"Instead a notification comes to my device."
"Ah, I see."
Even if someone broke in, Argos would not do anything grand. As he had just said, this palm-sized robot had no antipersonnel combat function on it.
Instead Argos had built-in functions to bark loudly upon recognizing an intruder and to send a notification to the synchronized device. It sent a message when damaged as well, and being a genuine product it had a serial number, so the trick of breaking it and setting down a new one would not work either.
Which meant it was an item optimized for keeping Pluto's hands off their baggage.
"Just in case, I should tell Sis Migo to bring her baggage here too."
"That's a good idea."
Furthermore, Argos was cute in appearance. Cute enough that a twelve-year-old child carrying it around like a comfort doll would not raise suspicion.
"But why Argos, of all names?"
"Just because. Why?"
"No......."
Flag scratched his cheek.
"In the myth, Argos is the first to recognize his master when he returns home after twenty years, but because of his age he dies right away, without even properly enjoying the joy of the reunion."
"...That's a myth."
"That's true enough."
Odysseus stroked Argos gently over Flag's remark. In truth, that very episode had had a great deal of influence on his giving the robot the name 'Argos' in the first place.
"And besides, what lifespan does a robot have?"
"It can break down."
"If it breaks down it can be fixed."
Would a day come when he threw this robot away? That he did not know. He did not ordinarily cast aside beings that had become his, but if a situation arose with more than his own life at stake, there was no telling.
"At the very least, this one won't die waiting."
But it was a robot. This Argos was a robot that might grow old or break down but would not die.
It would be different from the 'Argos' who had gone without receiving even a reward for his waiting. Odysseus wished only for that much.
May Hermes, god of the dogs who guard the house, grant his protection.
Knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
"I saw the message."
"Oh, Sis."
Odysseus went to open the door with Argos held in his arms.
[Woof!]
And Argos, catching the presence and scent beyond the door, showed movement for the first time. Following the behavioral principles that had been entered, it barked at a being it recognized as an outsider.
"Oh, it reacts well."
"That sound of a dog barking just now... did you bring that with you?"
"It's cute, isn't it."
Odysseus went into the scent recognition tab on his device and added Migo's scent. At that Argos immediately shut its mouth, and the message that had been chiming every minute cut off.
"Now, Argos, say hello."
Odysseus added 'behave like an ordinary dog' to Argos' behavioral principles and set the robot down. After a little loading, Argos began circling around Migo's legs. A tail wagging back and forth came as a bonus.
"It is cute, at least."
"Right? I wondered why anyone bought these, but seeing it, it seems worth buying."
"I will put my baggage here."
Migo walked carefully around the tiny robot and set her bag down in a corner. Perhaps because weapons were inside, the bag was sizeable.
"Is your room all right?"
"It is fine. A little cramped, but not bad for something that was not a Kentauros room converted. I did not expect them to knock down two Teeming Folk rooms and merge them into one."
"That's a relief."
The height of an adult Kentauri ranged from 180cm to 240cm depending on region of origin, and in the case of the transverse body, meaning the length from breastbone to tailbone, it tended to boast at least 2m.
Which meant that if a room was not wide, movement could not help being extremely inconvenient. It was why, as with the Harpyies, rooms meant for Kentauros existed separately.
"Ah, right. Sis Migo, is it true your cousin does hacker work?"
"Hm? It is. Why are you curious about that?"
"I was wondering whether you could introduce me, if it's all right."
"Is there information you want to find?"
"It isn't that there's information I want; I want to learn hacking itself."
"Hmm."
At Odysseus' words Migo wore an expression of brief deliberation.
"Introducing you is not difficult, but... I do not know whether the fellow will welcome it. I will ask, at least."
"Thank you, Sis. Is there anything you want?"
"I do not intend to take an introduction fee right away. When something I want comes up later, I will say so then."
"Yeees."
What Migo had given him was an uncertain answer, but for now this much was enough. Odysseus sorted through the things he would newly learn once the Ironstick hunt was over and tapped at Pluto's device.
「🔍 torture methods」
「🔍 most painful torture」
Odysseus left records in words nicely refined for Pluto to see as he researched information. It was half for show and half an act of necessity.
"...Wait, kid. Why are you looking at something that gruesome."
"To do it for the Ironstick head."
Had he been a member of Pluto, he would try to find the reason the boy had gone out of his way to join this hunt. Only then could the unnecessary behavior be made sense of, and the coaxing become easier as well.
In that respect this act was essential. It could explain the boy's behavioral principles while at the same time putting the bait of room for persuasion in Pluto's mouth.
"...The Ironstick boss is an outstanding biomancer. Capturing him alive will be difficult."
"I know, but I mean to try."
"Yul. That is too danger—"
"Don't tell me it's dangerous."
Odysseus set a finger to the empty air and drew lines of magic power.
The boardwork produced on the basis of the data he had obtained, and the magic array whose form was fixed to match that boardwork, raised a combustion-explosion the instant it was completed. It was a detonation small and slight enough to be used only for firing a bullet.
"If you're going to say that, there's no need for either of you to be here."
The speed it had taken to get this far was roughly some ten seconds. All of it time delayed by drawing every part of the magic array by hand.
"...Yul."
But what if he did not use his hands, and clumped magic power into the shape of a magic array in one stroke? If he could do that alone, activation would not take some ten seconds, and it would gain sufficient practicality in real combat.
It amounted to finally taking his first step into 'high-speed drafting,' the basic of a combat practitioner. Even if putting a fixed equation to use in a situation that changed every time would require a great deal of experience and firsthand practice.
"Were my words too harsh? But give me a break. At the least, I didn't say I'd fight him directly."
"You really are... haaah."
"Hoo, fine. If that is what you want, then it must be done that way."
Whether or not they knew that was exactly what Odysseus was aiming for, Flag and Migo gave in to his stubbornness in the end. Half of it was in the manner of being dragged along. Not that there had been many times it was otherwise on the way here.
"It's good that the discussion finished quickly."
"You like this? For me it's the worst."
"Haha."
At Flag's grumbling Odysseus only showed a laugh. The irritation particular to people who got swung about was no business of his.
"More to the point, if there's nothing to do, let's go look around Pluto. I'm curious how different it is from Freedom."
"Yes, yes. If our precious magician lordship wishes it, then so it must be."
"I will escort you."
"Good! Argos, guard the room well."
Odysseus stroked the robot's head once and then stepped outside with the two of them in tow. A long corridor came into view.
"We've been to the cafeteria already, so skip that... shall we go to the training ground?"
Pluto had kindly provided an internal map. The map even marked the places one could and could not go, which made it good for planning a route.
For drug peddlers, it was truly excellent sense.
"I'm inclined toward the training ground too."
"I am curious how a place like Pluto does it."
"Then let's go straight there."
Odysseus held Pluto's device in his hand and headed in the direction of the training ground. It was not far from the quarters they had been assigned, so going there was easy.
"It's big."
"It is big."
"It is big indeed."
Because of the island's inherently limited land, the union city of Thesenia had considerable land prices even in its outermost districts. And yet Pluto provided a training ground of fairly considerable breadth. Considering that Freedom's training room was a little under 20 pyeong, it was truly formidable wealth.
"They use good equipment too."
"Unexpected. Upper districts I could understand, but I thought a branch on the lower-district side wouldn't invest in a place like this."
Considering that lower-district branches mainly handled crimes such as drug sales, smuggling, and human trafficking, Flag's judgment was fair enough. Close to prejudice it might be, but it was indeed hard to imagine criminal sons of bitches engaging in self-improvement.
"Judging by the wear on the equipment and the fact that there are kids using it, at least it isn't a hastily assembled fake......."
"Hmm. So this is why they go on about Pluto, Pluto."
"Oh, Magician?"
Just then someone came walking over from another entrance to the training ground. It was the Ray-Ban sunglasses, in a suit yet strangely flashy about it.
"Ah, from the planning office......."
"Zex Luwi. Call me however is comfortable for you."
The Ray-Ban sunglasses, Zex, laughed heartily and offered a handshake. Since there was no reason to refuse, Odysseus gladly clasped his hand. Skin with a little callus but no scars met his touch.
'Not a warrior.'
It was a point he could have guessed from the man's bearing as he walked and the feel of his magic power alone, but with this it was certain. Zex was a person of a line distant from combat.
"Come to look around, have you?"
"Yeees. It is my first time seeing another expedition team, after all."
"Haha. Then it is well worth being curious about."
Was his temperament similar to Flag's? In hiding his expression with a smile and, on a foundation of brazenness, latching on to people easily.
"But there aren't many people here. The facilities are tremendous, though."
"Ah, yes. Everyone is hard at work at this hour. It will get a bit lively after dinner."
"I seeee."
Not a lie, but not entirely correct either. Odysseus recalled the crowd that had been slipping away even before they entered, and looked up at Zex.
Had they deliberately cleared the people out, knowing they were coming here? For what? There was no information to leak from the exercise equipment here.
"Are there any other questions? Having come out of the planning office, I can answer most things."
Or was it that he had simply wanted to lay a foundation for conversation?
Odysseus looked once more around the training ground, which had nothing left to see, and grinned. In that case he could not help going elsewhere.
"Um, in that case there is something I want to ask."
"Oh, what is it?"
"The information written here. I'm curious about the person who researched it."
A thin little ploy, but there was no reason not to play along.
Odysseus naturally brought Ironstick's information up on the device screen. Zex's sunglasses reflected the light of the fluorescent lamps and flashed white.
"Oh... is there a reason you are curious?"
"The research is well done and the organization is clean... I wondered whether there was some special knack to it."
Odysseus chattered on, feigning a child full of curiosity. Since his interest in hacking was genuine, there was no need to fabricate much.
The more the words continued, the more Zex slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
"Well now, it feels good to be praised this much by the Magician."
"...Did you do it, Zex?"
"Haha, I am a man who rose as far as the planning office on this field alone. From what I hear you have taken an interest in hacking... shall I teach you a little?"
Odysseus' eyes sparkled for a moment. Because the very knowledge he had needed was about to come rolling in, vine and all.
"Yes, please!"
Of course, Zex had not stepped forward out of a pure heart with no intent whatsoever. Their treating him well was ultimately for the sake of recruiting Odysseus.
"Then let us move. It is a little uncomfortable to talk here."
"Yeees."
But even accounting for that point, this was something he absolutely had to take.
Odysseus fabricated an excited expression and trotted along after Zex. Flag and Migo, who knew what he was after, followed without a word of complaint.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Grape juice is enough for me."
"Yes. And the other two?"
"Coffee will do for me."
"Cold water, if you please."
"Understood."
Zex, who had shown them to a lounge, took out drinks with his own hands. Perhaps he made frequent use of this lounge in ordinary times; his motions in mixing instant coffee and finding and opening the refrigerator were fairly natural.
Clack, glug-glug.
But the inside of the refrigerator, glimpsed as he took out the water and the juice, was full of cheap synthetic drinks. It was a sight in contrast to the proper grape juice drink Zex brought out for Odysseus' portion.
"I hear this is expensive. Does Pluto always keep this sort of thing stocked?"
Having confirmed where Odysseus' gaze was fixed, Zex laughed awkwardly. It was because he too was fully aware of how empty a claim it would be to say such an expensive thing was kept on hand at all times.
"To be honest, no. However good Pluto's benefits, providing genuine juice drinks even to ordinary employees does not add up in unit cost."
So he answered candidly. It was certainly a wiser judgment than forcibly hiding what could not be hidden.
"Of course, for precious persons like the Magician the circumstances are somewhat different... here, like this. Drink as much as you like. It was prepared for the Magician to begin with."
In any case, a juice bottle with its cap opened was set before Odysseus. The fragrance rising from the plastic bottle was not the artificial scent particular to cheap drinks but the smell of real grapes.
"I see... thank you."
Before an adult's special treatment, what reaction would a curious and shrewd but arrogant child show?
Odysseus gauged that suitably and shaped a smiling face. His thin eyes curved into a cunning form and his mouth became that of a person unable to hold back a smile.
"You treat me so well that I don't know where to put myself."
"Haha, I believe the Magician is fully deserving of treatment like this. Is it not so at Freedom as well?"
Well now, a remark that subtly raised this side and struck at Freedom. Odysseus readily saw through Zex's intent and changed his laugh into an awkward form. It was the laugh of an unsophisticated child who could neither affirm nor bring himself to deny.
"Oh, I have asked something pointless."
"It's all right. More to the point, about what you said you'd teach me......."
"Ah. I will teach you right away. First, what you need to know at a basic level is......."
This much should have given them room enough. Odysseus gauged the timing suitably and turned the topic. It was a truly shallow move whose thinking would be plain to see, but Zex complied obediently.
It was a case of same bed, different dreams: two moron idiots, each confident he was reading the other. Fortunately, the less stupid of the two was Odysseus.