"Are you a subordinate of the Slow Walker?" (Mile)
Mile asked the "dog-like thing" after putting up a soundproofing shield.
If anyone asked, she would reveal that she was a silly girl who communicated with dogs using ventriloquism.
[Affirmative. I was built at a defense base that was reopened by a repair team from the eastern continent. Currently, the restart of each base is underway. The construction of a communication network for the entire planet has already been completed.]
"Oh, you're much better at conversation than the little bird. ...Ah, maybe it's because your body is different sizes, which allows you to make your electronic brains bigger. There's a huge difference in volume between a bird and a dog, right..." (Mile)
Mile completed it all by herself, but...
[...I'm a wolf.] (Wolf)
"Eh?" (Mile)
[It's W-O-L-F!] (Wolf)
"...Ah, sorry..." (Mile)
It was said that if a wolf beastfolk was mistaken for a dog beastfolk, he would fly into a raging rage.
If that's the case, then a wolf who was mistaken for a dog would surely be even more furious.
…Normally, since they didn't speak the same language, they wouldn't notice that they had been mistaken...
And this wolf (temporary name) also seemed to be quite annoyed.
"...But if you insist on calling you a wolf, at least give a fur..." (Mile)
[When I cover myself with fur, the efficiency of heat dissipation drops dramatically, and there is a risk of overheating.] (Wolf)
"Ah, I see..." (Mile)
[...the reactor.] (Wolf)
"That, That's scary!!" (Mile)
[It's a robot joke.] (Wolf)
"I can't laugh at all! ...But, at least the rivets..." (Mile)
[Don't mention rivets] (Wolf)
The wolf had a blank look on its face, but it was clear that it was in a rather displeased mood.
"...I'm sorry, it was my fault..." (Mile)
So, Mile admitted it and apologized sincerely.
(Is it "I am a ro-bot"!) (Mile's mind)
However, in her head, Mile was thinking something incomprehensible.
"But, you're pretty advanced, right? Are you standalone? Or are you remotely controlled by a large mechanical intelligence like the Slow Walker?" (Mile)
[A standalone, autonomous mechanical intelligence.] (Wold)
The dog... the wolf robot replied with a hint of pride.
Perhaps they were proud to be mistaken for a superior system.
"So, what do you want...? Let's move somewhere else!" (Mile)
Even if she had put up a soundproofing shield, it's probably a good idea to keep talking to a dog...or a wolf for a long period of time on a busy street.
Especially when it's a suspicious wolf with a blocky metal body...
"It's probably okay around here. Could you come over here and sit next to me? Like a dog and its owner taking a break from their walk..." (Mile)
[But, I'm not a dog!] (Wolf)
"Ah, sorry. It’s not that I’m wrong, I just want you to pretend to be a dog and its owner on a walk. I thought that if you’re as good as a dog, you’d be able to act like a dog easily…" (Mile)
[Of course, that's easy!] (Wolf)
...Easy.
Thinking that, Mile stuck out her tongue in her mind.
"...So, what can I do for you?" (Mile)
Mile asked, sounding somewhat happy.
In fact, Mile wanted to make contact with the Scavenger of this continent or something higher.
It might feel a bit like cheating to rely on Nanomachines for everything, but if it's something left behind by a prehistoric civilization, then it was built by Mile's ancestors, and there's no problem with Mile becoming its successor...or rather, she had already taken over as its administrator.
Also, there was a hope that they might be able to teach or make things that Nanomachines and the others wouldn't teach or make as "forbidden things."
However, since she was contacting them for such a nefarious purpose, she probably felt embarrassed to ask Nanomachines to act as an intermediary, so she didn't bring herself to say anything and left it at that.
[We are servants of the Administrator. It is only natural that we should be able to contact you at any time. Therefore, I will always be by your side, with a built-in communications system, combat capabilities as your guard, and the ability to provide intellectual support...] (Wolf)
"Pass!" (Mile)
[...eh?] (Wolf)
"That's a no-go! I want to live my life as a normal girl. Of course, there are some things I would like Scavenger to make, but I don't want you to be stuck with me all the time. That makes me feel like I'm being watched, and it makes me uneasy, you know..." (Mile)
[Huh? Th-That's not possible...] (Wolf)
It reacted somewhat like a human, but even a Slow Walker was not capable of doing so. So, it's probably just programmed to react that way, and it's not actually panicking as a machine intelligence.
Presumably they were specifically programmed to react in this way upon contact with the human species or similar.
"Ah, if you want a way to contact me, could I have a communication device or something? I usually keep it in my item box so I won't know if I'm being called, but I'll take it out and check it before I go to sleep, so if you could come up with a way to let me know when there's something to contact me about... wait, what's wrong?" (Mile)
Mile looked puzzled at the strange looking wolf-like creature, but...
Normally, it would be natural to be shocked if the very meaning of your existence was completely denied.
...Even if it was a mechanical intelligence...
After that, Mile gave various reasons to drive the wolf-like creature away, such as that her friends would become suspicious as it continued to bite at her so desperately, or that the people in the town would be scared if a wolf was around.
…As expected, she refrained from saying things like it didn't look like a wolf or that it looked like a monster.
Mile was always considerate of intelligent beings, no matter how mechanical they were.
However, if the mechanical wolf were to be chased away by the administrator, it would be a complete loss of face.
This was of course only if there was any concept of "face" or "respect" in a society of machines...
"Oh no! I forgot to ask where the nearest base is! …Well, they'll probably bring the communicator soon anyway, so I can just ask them then… For now, I think I'll get a steel ship built, in case it might come in handy someday. Not one with steel plates on the hull, but one made entirely of metal. A small, high-speed boat with no mechanical power and which is both sailed and rowed. When sailing, if you have wind magic, you can accelerate and change course regardless of the natural wind direction or speed. As for rowing, with me and Mavis-san's_ left arm, we won't lose to the large galleys of Greece or Rome! Huahahahaha! Oh, it's not like it's for the old men in the fishing village or anything, you know. I just made it just in case, because it might come in handy someday. Seriously." (Mile)