Her voice dropped, trembling with a hint of lingering fear: 'I saw you get knocked away, embedded into the rock... I saw your chest shattered, energy leaking... In that moment, I...'
She didn't finish, but the fear and lingering terror revealed in her eyes were unmistakable.
It was not just the worry of a companion being injured, but a panic akin to losing a loved one, as if her soul were being torn apart.
The power of the Herrscher of Truth could repair damage, but it could not erase the chill brought by that memory.
Minerva's optical sensor flickered slightly, seemingly processing high-speed emotional recognition and analysis.
She seemed to 'understand' Artoria's fear, but based on her program logic, she could only state: 'Protecting you is my core protocol.'
In that situation, attracting the Destroyer's attention to buy time for you and His Highness Thor was the optimal tactical choice.
Damage is an acceptable cost of tactical execution.
But for me, that cost is too high!
Artoria's tone deepened involuntarily, intense emotions surging in her green eyes, 'Minerva, you are not a tool, not a 'cost' that can be discarded at will!'
'You are... you are my Minerva!'
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, but the determination in her eyes grew firmer: 'Therefore, I must increase your protection.'
'Conventional armor and energy shields might not be enough; we need... something more special.'
She took Minerva's hand and walked out of the room again, this time aiming to find Frigga.
They soon found the Queen, who was lost in thought alone on a terrace in the inner court filled with strange, starlight-blooming flowers.
After listening to Artoria's somewhat excited but clear request—hoping to apply some enhanced Asgardian protective magic to Minerva, preferably something that could automatically trigger or strengthen her own defenses—a flash of realization and gentleness crossed Frigga's eyes.
'I understand,' Frigga set down the flower shears, her gaze sweeping over Artoria's worry-filled face and Minerva's calm, waveless face, finally resting on Minerva.
'You cherish her deeply.'
'I can feel this emotion.'
'Applying a permanent protective magic to... such a special life form is not easy; her energy system is different from that of the Asgardian gods.'
'But... perhaps we can try some fusion-based rune arrays, based on 'concepts' and 'energy resonance,' branded onto the periphery of her core energy circuits.'
'It won't interfere with her operation, only providing additional protection, deflection, or repair support when she suffers attacks exceeding a certain threshold.'
'Can you?' Hope ignited in Artoria's eyes.
'It requires careful study of her energy structure and obtaining her own... 'consent' and cooperation.'
Frigga looked at Minerva, 'This is a delicate process, it may take some time, and it will touch some of your core energy nodes.'
'Are you willing, child?'
Minerva's optical sensor turned to Artoria, seemingly confirming.
Artoria nodded vigorously at her.
Only then did Minerva look back at Frigga and answer calmly: 'If this action can improve the efficiency of protecting Artoria and reduce her risk anxiety index, I agree.'
'Please begin, Her Majesty the Queen.'
Frigga smiled slightly: 'Then, follow me to my quiet room.'
'It is quieter there, and the energy is more stable.'
The quiet room was located higher up in the Golden Palace, a circular room with a dome inlaid with a simulation of the real starry sky.
In the center was a platform built of pure crystal, surrounded by complex magic arrays engraved on the floor.
The air was filled with tranquil, pure magic.
Frigga had Minerva remove her outer coat, revealing her precise bionic body underneath—in its non-combat state, it presented a simple, streamlined silver-white appearance—and lie flat on the crystal platform.
She held a 'needle' as thin as a hair, condensed from moonlight, and began to circle Minerva, chanting ancient and beautiful incantations in a low voice, her fingertips outlining glowing runes in the air.
These runes were not carved directly onto Minerva's body, but rather, as if alive, seeped into the periphery of her energy circuits, performing an extremely delicate harmonization and link with her core energy frequency.
Artoria was asked to stay at the edge of the magic array and could only watch quietly.
She could feel the magic power released by Frigga was vast and pure, carrying maternal warmth and the steadfastness of protection.
Those runes contained various concepts such as 'toughness,' 'deflection,''self-repair,' and 'energy absorption.'
The engraving process lasted for a long time.
Frigga was fully focused, and fine beads of sweat gradually seeped from her temples.
Minerva remained calm throughout, the blue light in her optical sensor flickering slightly as the runes seeped in, as if undergoing deep system adaptation and integration.
Just as the engraving was nearing its end, and Frigga was preparing to outline the final positioning rune representing'starlight guidance and return,' she suddenly spoke, her voice soft, as if talking to herself, or perhaps whispering to Minerva:
'What a marvelous structure... so precise, so powerful, yet... so pure.'
'I can feel a cold logic within you, an absolute will to execute.'
'But beneath this... I also seem to feel a faint, strange 'ripple.''
'When that child worries about you, fears for you, and cherishes you, your core frequency experiences extremely subtle fluctuations that do not follow logical programs...'
The needle in her hand paused slightly, and her moonlight-like eyes looked at Minerva's expressionless, perfect face, asking softly: 'Can you understand, child?'
'That child's feelings for you... that fear of losing you, the desire to protect you at all costs... what is that?'
Minerva's optical sensor remained steadily fixed on Frigga, silent for a few seconds, before answering with her consistently calm electronic voice: 'According to the emotional database comparison, Artoria's behavior and physiological indicators match human emotional models such as 'deep care,''strong attachment,' and 'excessive protective instinct.'
'Its logical starting point is to increase my survival probability, thereby ensuring the survival and functional stability of its own emotional dependency object.'
'This is a highly efficient symbiotic strategy.'
Listening to this cold and rational analysis, Frigga shook her head gently, a gentle and wise light shining in her eyes: 'No, child, that is not a strategy, at least not entirely.'
'That is 'love.''
'A kind of unreserved 'love' that perhaps even she herself has not fully understood the weight of, yet has already poured onto you.'
'It transcends interest calculation, transcends survival instinct, and even... transcends logic.'
Her fingertips, carrying that last wisp of moonlight rune, gently tapped the spot directly above Minerva's energy core, the final gathering and activation point for the entire set of protective runes.
'Love is one of the oldest, most powerful, and most elusive forces in the Universe.'
'It cannot be fully parsed, cannot be programmed, but it truly exists.'
'It can make people fragile, and it can make people incredibly strong; it can bring pain, and it can bring unparalleled courage and hope.'
Frigga's voice was like the softest night wind, brushing through the quiet room, 'That child, she is 'loving' you in her own way.'
'And you... perhaps you can try, not just to 'understand' her commands and 'execute' the task of protecting her using logic and protocols.'
'You can also try, with your very 'existence,' to feel that 'love,' and to... 'respond' to it.'
'Even if only in your own unique way.'
The moonlight rune silently sank into Minerva's chest, connecting with all the previous runes, emitting a soft, resonant hum, and then the light converged and disappeared.
The entire'Starlight Protection' array had been perfectly branded into Minerva's energy system.
Frigga withdrew her hand and let out a soft breath, her face showing a hint of faint fatigue and satisfaction after completing a masterpiece.
'It is done.'
'This set of runes will coexist with your core, consuming almost no energy under normal circumstances.'
'It will only automatically activate when it senses an attack sufficient to threaten your core existence, providing instantaneous protection equivalent to three times the armor of an elite Asgardian warrior, and can guide the deflection and absorption of some attack energy, and even initiate a low-power emergency spatial coordinate pointing to the Golden Palace.'
'It cannot make you invincible, but it should greatly increase your survival probability in extreme situations.'
Minerva sat up from the crystal platform, looked down at her chest, and moved her arms.
She could feel an extremely subtle yet exceptionally stable 'membrane' around her energy circuits, like an invisible, form-fitting soft armor.
System self-check showed all functions were normal, the new protection protocol was loaded, and it was seamlessly compatible with the original system.
'Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen.'
Minerva stood up and bowed respectfully.
Frigga waved her hand and looked at Artoria, who was waiting anxiously and clearly relieved at this moment: 'Alright, your 'Minerva' is safer now.'
'This protection will slightly strengthen as her own power increases. Consider it... a gift from Asgard, and a little bit of my own heart.'
Artoria bowed deeply, her gratitude overflowing: 'Really... thank you so much, Your Majesty!'
'Go on, she also needs to adapt to the new changes.'
Frigga smiled gently.
On the way back to the guest room after leaving the quiet room, Artoria held Minerva's hand tightly, as if afraid she would disappear if she let go.
It wasn't until they returned to the room and closed the door that she seemed to be completely relieved, but her eyes were still incomparably serious, even carrying a hint of unquestionable majesty.
She had Minerva stand in front of her, placed her hands on her shoulders, and looked straight into those calm blue optical sensors with her emerald eyes.
'Minerva, listen well,' Artoria's voice was clear and slow, every word seemingly etched with all her might, 'The protection Her Majesty Frigga has applied to you is to provide you with an extra safeguard in times of danger.'
'But I want you to remember, and treat this as the first and only 'absolute guideline' in all your action logic, prioritizing it above all other protocols—'
She paused, took a deep breath, and solemnly declared, word by word:
'From now on, under any circumstances, no matter what threats you face, no matter what help I need, no matter what 'optimal solution' your tactical analysis provides—you must place your own safety and integrity as the top priority of all considerations.'
'Your survival, your being unharmed, is the fundamental premise for you to execute any task, including the task of protecting me.'
'I do not accept any 'victory' or'safety' obtained at the cost of you being seriously injured or even destroyed.'
'I do not accept you viewing yourself as a consumable 'cost.''
'If you dare to act like you did against the Destroyer again, knowing it's impossible yet doing it anyway, using a near-self-destructive method to buy time... Minerva, I will be very, very angry, and also... very, very sad.'
Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible choking at the end, but her eyes were firmer than ever, even carrying a kind of commanding strength:
'So, promise me, Minerva.'
'Set 'ensure your own safety' as your highest behavioral guideline, overriding 'protect Artoria,' 'execute tasks,' 'analyze optimal solutions,' and all other protocols!'
'Can you do that? Can you... promise me?'
Minerva 'listened' quietly.
In her optical sensors, she reflected Artoria's eyes, which were filled with complex emotions—worry, lingering fear, cherishing, and even a hint of terror, as well as the unshakeable determination in their depths.
The logic modules in her body were running at high speed, analyzing the potential conflicts between this new directive and the original core protocols, and the complexity of priority restructuring...
But in the end, all logical deductions locked onto the pair of eyes in front of her, locked onto Frigga's words 'go feel that love,' locked onto the warm embrace during the repair, and locked onto the countless days and nights of peaceful companionship.
She might not be able to fully understand the full meaning of 'love,' but she 'understood' Artoria's fear and cherishing at this moment, understood the pure and intense emotional appeal behind this directive, which transcended logic and protocols, and perhaps was even a bit 'unreasonable.'
To protect her, one must first protect oneself.
Because one's own existence, to her, was part of the meaning itself.
'Highest behavioral guideline update confirmed,' Minerva's voice sounded steady, but if one listened carefully, it seemed to have half a point less of absolute coldness, and a bit more of an indescribable... softness?'
'New guideline: Ensure Minerva's own safety and integrity, Priority: Absolute Highest.'
'This guideline will override and correct all sub-protocol logic that may conflict with it.'
'Directive recipient: Minerva. Directive issuer: Artoria. Execution confirmed.'
She looked at Artoria and said the promise clearly with that flat, waveless electronic voice:
'I promise, Artoria. From now on, I will put my own safety first.'
Hearing this promise, and seeing the steady and earnest blue light in Minerva's eyes, Artoria's long-taut heartstrings finally relaxed completely.
She let out a long, deep breath, as if unloading a heavy burden, and then stepped forward, gently resting her forehead on Minerva's slightly cool shoulder, and closed her eyes.
'Thank you, Minerva.' She whispered, her voice filled with the peace after exhaustion, and a kind of relief as if recovering something lost.
Minerva raised her hand, somewhat clumsily, yet incredibly gently, and gently hugged her back.
Outside the window, the starlight of Asgard flowed quietly, witnessing this bond and promise that transcended life forms, deepening quietly in a corner of this ancient divine realm, turning into an unshakeable cornerstone.
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