I stared blankly at them and asked, ''H-how am I supposed to fix that?'' Gwenddydd met my gaze, sighed, and replied, ''I don't know. I've just never experienced boredom; my body ( sub processors ) usually suppresses all unnecessary chemical reactions in my brain. So, I have no idea how to deal with a situation like this.'
This made Nathaniel briefly think, 'Lucky' Before he opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as he racked his brain for an answer. Finally, he asked, ''Have you ever heard of the Clavicle of Solomon?'' Gwenddydd immediately responded, ''No.'' without needing to think twice.
I smirked, thinking, Ah, my delving into the occult to spite my friend might actually pay off. Clearing his throat, Nathaniel began, ''The Clavicle of Solomon is an ancient grimoire attributed to King Solomon himself. It's said to contain powerful spells and summoning rituals, along with instructions for harnessing the forces of nature and the spirit world.''
He continued, ''The book's origins are steeped in mystery, believed to have been compiled in the 16th century, drawing from various sources of occult knowledge. Interestingly, some scholars suggest that its themes and rituals may have influenced later writers, including H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft often explored the idea of ancient, forbidden knowledge and the summoning of otherworldly beings—concepts that resonate with the powers described in the Clavicle''
Nathaniel's enthusiasm in explaining the subject waned as he realized he didn't have much more knowledge on the subject. He decided to finish off his explanation quickly, hastily detailing the spells he could remember, each one more fascinating than the last. ''Many practitioners claim it holds secrets to gaining wisdom and control over supernatural entities, reflecting Lovecraft's own fascination with the arcane and the unknown yanda yanda you get it''
After a brief moment to catch his breath, Nathaniel said, ''Though I could really care less about mysticism. Science is more interesting, and with enough time, it could answer all questions about the mostly fictional craft.'' Gwenddydd, immersed in his explanation, frowned slightly before saying, ''Magic... is more appealing to me than the dullness of science.''
I scoffed at that. ''Science—dull, impossible science—is the liberation from ignorance to civilization. Science represents our evolution from ignorant beings who think sweat is an aphrodisiac to a somewhat more civilized race that understands better. It can prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that truth exists.
Science is the rejection of any so-called god and the embrace of a truth that will never let you down, unlike some 'sky daddy' who claims to be all-loving and professes to care for the world and its children.
Yet, this so-called god allows children to be raped, starve to death, suffer from cancer, and endure slow, painful deaths. If you wanted to, you could even make a case for animals being the children of God as well, since we were all created by God, right?''
With another sneer, Nathaniel spoke again, his voice dripping with disdain for magic. ''We know this because we have evolved. We've even seen walking fish—that's how we can assert, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are not creations of gods. We understand some truths of the universe.
We may not know all of them yet, but in due time, you will see that so-called magic will be taken off its pedestal and labeled as a fundamental force of the universe. It will become nothing more or less than that''
''And consider the animals,'' he continued, leaning forward with intensity. ''They exist primarily to satisfy human hunger and the hunger of other animals. If a benevolent god truly cared for creation, wouldn't he have devised a world where living beings didn't have to prey on one another for survival?
Instead, we have a system where life is a cruel cycle of consumption and suffering. If gods existed, they could have created a paradise where all creatures coexist in harmony, free from pain and death. But no, we see the stark reality: nature is red in tooth and claw—a brutal ballet of life and death.
This is why science is paramount. It shows us that the universe operates on laws and principles, not whims of deities. It reveals the natural order and allows us to unravel the mysteries of existence.
Magic and gods are mere illusions, distractions from the profound truths we can uncover. All of this knowledge, all of this power, can be achieved through science—the grand book of the universe, the key to understanding the natural order of all things.'' Nearly out of breath after barely pausing between sentences, Nathaniel spoke once more, ''Now do you see the supreme grandness of science—the ever-expanding knowledge that can never fully be grasped?''
Gwenddydd let out a *tsk before saying, ''And in the end, I will obtain that knowledge. You may have forgotten, but even though I have an artificial brain, it's not the same as yours or any other creature's. I have a brain that can operate like a quantum computer for at least five minutes. I can obtain literally any knowledge related to the science I want.
However, magic is magic. It simply doesn't belong in the realm of science, which is why I can't find its answers. That's why science is dull to me, while magic and gods—though I didn't bring that up—are not.''
After answering Nathaniel's question, Gwenddydd rolled her eyes upward to make eye contact with him and asked, ''Why did you even bring up gods in the first place?''
Slipping out of English and into Prestelanyion, which Nathaniel unwittingly followed, he replied, ''That answer is simple: I hate gods and everything associated with them'' Gwenddydd, now more curious, asked, ''Can you explain why you hate gods?''
Nathaniel didn't bother to answer that. Instead, he asked, ''So, sleepy girl, are you going to get food or not?'' Jibrīl barely opened her eyes before answering him, ''Opening my mouth and chewing is too much work... I—I will have to—ᶻᶻᶻ'' Jibrīl couldn't even finish her sentence before passing out.
This made Nathaniel grumble a little as he started eating the food the red-haired wom-man brought over. ''Wow, you got her to speak more than one syllable. She must really like you. Congrats, you might not die on this mission, slave- intern~☆'' Nearly jumping out of his skin at the mention of death, Nathaniel asked, ''Umm, what do you mean, die?''