studiobondurri Chapter Vol. 2 Ch. 2
Chapter Vol. 2 Ch. 2
The special scouting mission went smoother than expected, and they had advanced far longer than expected.
It might have a good thing to wipe out the enemy on the first day of the mission. After passing through the contested area, they entered the controlled area, where the enemy patrols were less frequent. With Shinn's ability, they knew where the was, and either hid or detoured around, avoid contact as they advanced East.
The season of autumn beckoned, and they began to feel chilly while camping outside, their rations of synthesized food dry and bland, their advance continuing indefinitely. To them however, this was the first trip of freedom in their lives after their hardships.
The areas controlled by the were once resided by people, and though devoid of any, the cities and villages constructed remained. Given the chance, they would enter the relics to scout, and hunt livestock that had regained freedom. If conditions permitted, they would also light a bonfire. The cities they encountered on their differed, and the beautiful natural landscapes brought them great joy on their journey.
It was in mid-autumn that the Republic's landmarks no longer featured in the ruins. Instead, the mark of the Empire remained.
At that point, they had finally arrived.
"Fido."
"You witnessed our journey here—we command you to rest, until you rot away."
Fido was shot in the flank by a cannon, and was silenced forever; Shinn knelt next to it, and slowly got up.
It was unknown if his final order was received by the wrecked "Scavenger". It was unknown if this scrap-picking robot could understand the intent behind those words, given its feeble processing ability.
He turned around, and found that Raiden had returned.
"This should be okay, right?"
After a thought, he remembered something. There were the aluminium graves containing the names of his dead comrades.
Including the grave of his brother, there were five hundred and seventy six of them. He had decided to leave these graves along with Fido and the debris of the "Juggernauts".
"Yeah. We can't hang on for long anyway."
In the previous battle, all the "Juggernauts", aside from the "Undertaker", were wasted, but luckily, the five of them, including Fido, had survived. At this point, they had smallarms to defend themselves, powerless against the mighty strength of the .
They would really be done in during the next battle.
But Shinn could only give a faint smile, and tapped his fingertip on the burned container equipped on Fido.
"This is all I can repay it with...there is no need to bring this guy along."
The loyal scavenger that peeled away the armor of the dead was no longer around.
Raiden too chuckled. At this point, it was too late for them.
The end was right before them.
"So our happy journey is coming to an end?"
He sealed away the smile on his face, and looked to the west–the path they had treaded upon.
Under the blue sky was dry, barren wasteland. The breeze blowing by rolled up the remaining yellow petals, and the eight black rail tracks before them extended into the endless horizon, looking pretty ironic. This was the one proof that people once resided upon these empty plains.
"Never thought there would be that many though."
"...Yeah."@@@@
They barely managed to eke through the deepest of the controlled areas, and there were a lot more than Shinn could deduce from the groans.
Atop the grasslands, from where he could see, there were units of Löwes and Dinosaurias in standby, forming a mosaic of metal without any gaps in between. The recollection units Tausendfüßers formed a pair of flowing rivers, one moving from back to front, and the other vice versa. The Eintagsfliege had its wings concealed as it rested atop the wilted forest, forming silver icicles. From time to time, they would descend upon the barren wasteland of a collapsed mountain, or a crater. It seemed the minerals had been mined completely, and the scenery was akin to the end of this world.
There was also a Weisel, or an Admiral unit, a huge monster lying in wait amidst the thick morning fog. It was so massive, its entire silhouette could not be determined. The moving around them were too clustered, and sometimes, they had to spend entire days, in the cold rain, hiding in there.
How could one fight back against the multitudes of the undead machinery army?
Surely the Republic would be defeated in this war.
Or rather, humanity would surely be defeated.
–One day, if she arrives here...but will that day come?
Angel stored the remaining resources into the last container that was cut away, tied it to the "Undertaker" with wires and winch, and returned to the other two.
"I am done with my job, both of you; it is about time we leave. The other hearing this battle will hurry if we dither for longer."
Krena and Seo too were done with their installation work, and hopped off their "Juggernauts".
The five of them had decided they would take turns piloting the "Juggernaut" as they advanced, and if they were to encounter the , the one piloting would battle, while the others would hide.
Seo stretched his back, cupped his hands behind his head, and pouted,
"But we have Shinn's "Juggernaut", of all things...the OS settings are really sensitive. To be honest, I'm a little scared of piloting it. A few limiters are wrecked."
It was also the reason why the "Undertaker" could move in ways the "Juggernaut" could not. Of course, that was also the reason why Shinn's piloting skills stood out amongst the "codenamed".
At this moment, Krena raised her hand.
"I shall pilot first then. My unit was the first to be destroyed, so I'm not that tired."
They managed to hang on till this point, but the "Undertaker" was pretty aged as it had not been maintained for long, and it was more dangerous to pilot it than it was for a unit a pilot was unused to. Krena moved the machine, and Shinn, sated on the container that was being dragged along, suddenly turned his attention towards them.
For a long time, there was a unit tailing them.
And for some reason, it did not attack them. It might be an Ameise, or it might simply be monitoring their movements. However, it did not call for the other units, instead merely stalking them from behind. If they had tried to ambush it, it too would stop. If they returned where they came from, it would follow suit. The "Juggernaut" weapons were tailored for precision, and had little range, only capable of attacking anything within sight. Since it had no intention to attack, Shinn did not inform the other four.
From the voice, he determined it was a "Shepherd". The voice was hushed, and he could not hear its words, but he did remember hearing this voice before.
When exactly was it–...?
†
Can't die when I should have. Is this karma?
Ray dragged the body that was hard to control, and had such a thought using the nanomachine neural system that was on the verge of collapse.
To preserve and collate battle data, the mission recorder would transmit data from a destroyed unit to the closest unit. If the one destroyed was a "Shepherd", the CPU inside the unit would also be sent to the standby unit.
There could be many 'black sheep' derived from humans, but there had to be one "Shepherd".
A "Shepherd", with its distinct personality, could not sustain other units of the same characteristics. However, the was unwilling to lose these "Shepherds" with better processing ability, and had prepared backup units and a special transfer system as a failure.
Ray itself felt this system was pointless.
The moment they were shot down, it was impossible to transmit the data that was practically destroyed. It was likely most of them could not transmit, and even if they did, it was hard to imagine the standby unit working as normal.
In fact, after it was hit by the shrapnel of the HEAT warhead, Ray's perforated data was barely transferred, but it was on the verge of collapse.
It could not hang on for long.
It understood that, and thus, it decided to stalk Shinn. It wanted to ensure it would not be seen, and tailed from behind...wanting to witness the end of their journey.
The old spare Dinosauria rattled as it advanced forward.
Suddenly, it remembered it was the soul of Shourei Nouzen.
As time transpired, its data was gradually breaking apart, yet it preserved the memory of its final battle. The fighting machine's instincts kicked in with his own madness to protect and kill. He remembered everything, from the illusion of the silver haired girl who stood up to protect, and the voice that tried to kill it several times, and yet called it brother until the very end.
In the controlled area where the kept crossing, Shinn and his comrades darted part them, avoiding combat as they navigated forward.
This is fine. Ray thought. There was no need to fight any hopeless battles, and instead, they should consider how to advance further. Beyond this would be the Federation soil, the largest bastion of humanity that was isolated from the outside world, yet fighting on against the
And once they reached the Federation, surely Shinn and the others would be protected.
Compared to the Republic, the Federation soldiers were a lot more normal. Its soldiers were of different colors, different races, fighting alongside each other, and would never abandon their comrades, even if they had become corpses.
No way would they ignore the five children who escaped from the pits of death.
By then, surely I will vanish. This is fine. Though he barely managed to maintain consciousness, it was a matter of time until he went berserk. All his memories, all his wishes would be 'eradicated'...and then, it would be summoned again.
If summoned, surely he would look for it. The kind little brother who could not leave his killer of an older brother who died away, and ventured the hell called the battlefield for five years.
Sorry, but I have to go this time.
The Dinosauria strode off. It appeared to be praying hoping that the final wish it was protecting could be forgiven.
†
"–Angel, it's my turn."
Angel, piloting the "Undertaker", felt confused as she suddenly heard Shinn's voice through the Para-RAID. It was the second day since they bid farewell to Fido. The clouds were high up in the autumn skies, and the sunlight shone through the creases between the leaves, lighting spots of light, the red maple leaves in the forest fluttering with the window.
"Is it not early? Am I not supposed to continue until noon break?"
"Got sick of it."
Angel grimaced once she heard his simple, sudden answer. Honestly, this was not the time for them to chatter, and it was to be expected that they would feel bored simply looking at the scenery.
"If you had known that you would be so bored, you could have brought a book along on your way there, Shinn."
Angel wryly noted, and reached for the hatch lever.
†
As it watched Shinn and the others approach Federation land, Ray heaved a sigh of relief. Its thought process was starting to break apart, dulled.
If this kept up, they would arrive at the Federation patrol line. The there would only care about the Federation army before them, and not one unit approaching them from behind. If they could use the landscape to hide, passing through it would still be possible.
Ray did not know how long its body could hang on...but they should be fine. He could rest.
–Yes.
It barely managed to connect to the allied forces intel on the data link. Once it saw the positioning, it felt something burning in its mock neural network.
This is bad...!
†
As they descended the treacherous, vertical cliff-like path, the "Undertaker" suddenly stopped. Radien, who had taken a blanket out of his own unit, was lying on the container as he suddenly stood up.
"What is it, Shinn?"
Shinn spoke up. His voice was as aloof as before, but with some poised determination.
"–Whoever pilots this has to fight. We discussed this."
At that moment, Raiden understood.
"Hey! You found out already!?"
They could not avoid the no matter how hard they tried...it was likely he already knew when he took over from Angel.
Angel, agitated with fear, hurriedly jumped off the container.
"No, Shinn! -I never asked you to do so!"
She was about to approach, but Shinn fired a grappling wire right towards her. She dodged, and the "Undertaker" seized the opportunity to scale the slope, up to the top. The steep slope was basically a cliff, impossible for any human to climb. There were no winding paths to be seen, and it was likely he led them here for this reason.
The red optical sensors, with several cracks on it, turned towards the four of them. The "Juggernaut" was completely battered, its combat arms on both sides no longer seen; burn marks were all over its armor, and the propulsion was severely damaged.
"Continue moving in this direction. Once you entered the forest, you probably won't be discovered...not too far away, there won't be any voices of the . If there are any survivors, if possible, ask them for protection."
Those were the news they heard on the battlefield of the Eighty-Sixers.
It was to be expected that they would not be discovered. Given that there was an enemy unit within the controlled area, the "Undertaker", the nearby units would simply focus on it, and not much on anything else.
It was likely he had considered this part too.
"You got to be joking! Doesn't this mean that you're going to be bait here!?"
"Didn't we say that everyone is to go together!? I'm not going to let you die alone at the very end–!"
Ignoring Seo's growls and Krena's wailing, the "Undertaker" cut off contact on the Para-RAID, and vanished into the green.
Raiden smacked the container without thinking.
"Shit...!"
The pilot had to fight when they encountered the . No matter whoever volunteered for the last battle, the others would never agree. Thus, they thought of a plan that seemed more fair, one reliant on luck. However, they forgot something, that Shinn could sense the from afar, and that once they discovered an enemy unit they could not avoid, he could choose who to die.
And to avoid that choice, he chose to sacrifice himself.
"That idiot...!"
Raiden armed himself with the assault rifle to his side, and stood up.
†
The patrol squad was suddenly attacked by an unknown machine, and immediately rewrote its Identification friend or foe (IFF) system, its battle datalink switched to the tactic of engage as it took to the battlefield.
The enemy unit ignored the usual armed forces theory, as it suddenly bombarded a Löwe, taking it down before charging into the enemy. The patrol squads had no records of such an enemy in its local data, but after searching through the vast data, it discovered a unit type that matched the characteristics; the main weapon of the Republic of San Magnolia, identification "Juggernaut". The threat level was low, so much so that it was weaker in firepower and armor compared to an ordinary armored unit. It was basically an armored trrop.
On this flatland without any obstacles, there was no way it could be on par with the Löwe, advantaged with overwhelming firepower and sturdy armor.
But this "Juggernaut" exhibited combat abilities far upon imagination. By inciting chaos in the battlefield, this unit defended itself from the bombardment through the thick armor of the Löwe, and even fired from up close to mitigate the lack of firepower.
The "Juggernaut" used for close ranged combat was no different from the other units in terms. The main difference was the CPU.
Four Löwe patrolling the area were destroyed, and the squad lost 45% of its fighting strength.
However, the machine monsters showed no sense of anxiety at all. They simply escalated the threat level to the main field dress of the Federation, codenamed "Vanargand". It was impossible for them to suppress given their current strength. They requested reinforcements from their main forces and the surrounding squads.
A special request–a recommendation to capture it alive.
Within several milliseconds, the report and request was submitted into the network, and the began movement again.
†
...There was a change in the enemy's movements.
As he destroyed the fourth enemy, Shinn sensed a change in pattern of the , and he quickly scanned his surroundings.
Typically, when surrounding any enemy, the forces and units would space apart to avoid hitting friendlies. It was applicable for the too, as they could blow apart their allies without hesitation if necessary. However, the facing Shinn kept advancing into their friendlies line of fire, trying to get behind him, and cutting his escape route.
A delaying tactic, so Shinn determined. He sensed that the neighboring units was beginning to move. The closest, probably the main forces of this patrol squad, was probably eight thousand meters away. Given the navigation speed of a Löwe, this area would be within firing range in less than a minute.
If reinforcements came, he would really be in danger. He dodged the slash of an oncoming Grauwolf, pointed its cannon back and shot it down, and darted out from the gap that was formed that instant. The heavy machine gun bullets grazed by, and the warning lights indicating the overload of the left hind leg lit up.
The was aiming at,
So he thought, and bitterly narrowed his eyes.
This head, huh?
The "Black Sheep", and the "Shepherds". They were the units that absorbed the brains of dead humans, acting as possessed.
But Shinn, who served the longest amongst the Processors, never thought of this before.
It was to be expected. Till this point, he had only encountered one "Shepherd", and it would be hard to determine its location if it was hidden amongst the "Black Sheep".
Furthermore, Shinn himself had said that the "Shepherd" main objective was to dominate a large area, or to destroy specific targets. It would be hard to imagine one deployed to deal with an armored unit.
He could feel the stare.
There was a strong malice from an area far beyond the range of a Scorpion, and one might even feel a hallucination of black eyes filled with madness.
"I'll kill you."
The words were no different, and the voice seemed strangely similar to that of his brother, whom he should have sent off.
The night he was killed appeared before his eyes, and the hands holding the joysticks froze in the miasma of fear.
I'll kill you.
The imagery kept seeping into his consciousness. It was not Shinn's own memories. It was someone else's he managed to peek into from time to time, as though shared through the Para-RAID, or through the ability he once had.
A cloudy day. Ruins. Shattered stone. In the grey scenery, a hanged sinner appeared to be dangling in the air, and a child's mantle, dyed a crimson red, looked astonishingly bright.
I'll kill you.
Men, women, children, elderly, noble, plebs...everyone who doomed me.
Back in the eighty-sixth area of the Republic, on the first battle zone Spearhead Squadron was in charge of.
During that battle, four died. With one shot beyond the radar detection range, it obliterated the "Juggernauts".
"...!"
Shinn immediately had the "Undertaker" jump back, as his prior experience of that encounter and his warrior instincts kicked in.
The radar immediately showed a warning, followed by a hit.
With an initial velocity of up to four thousand meters and a mass of several tons, the cannon carried a vast amount of kinetic energy as it rained upon the surroundings, ignoring the scouting squads of the
There was a deafening boom, so much so that it could render one deaf, and the dazzling light covered everything white.
The tremendous impact waves engulfed everything, and the scattered high-velocity shrapnel contorted the sturdy armor of the , and blew everything far away. The tremors along the surface gradually formed an expanding round wave, whiffing up a large amount of dust and dirt, forming a crater that appeared to be formed by an asteroid.
A beautiful, serene grassland in autumn was instantly reduced to a massive, barren wasteland.
With the deafening explosions and the wild gales that came right at him, "Undertaker" barely managed to escape from the impact radius, but not unscathed. The shrapnel pierced into the cockpit, and the main screen was shut down. The gyroscope and the cooling system readings had vanished, and all messages on the holographic windows were forced to shut down.
The silver lining was that the propulsion and weapons systems were still functioning. The enemies remained. Subconsciously, he piloted with one hand to control the damage, and sought the enemies while ignoring the obsolete main screen.
At this moment, the left hind leg that was overly stressed broke at the joint.
"!"
With the remaining three legs, he barely managed to hold the machine upright, and prevent it from falling over, but this was all he could do. The cannons and body of the "Juggernaut" was heavier, and mounted on the back. Thus, if one hind leg was lost, then the "Juggernaut", whose center of gravity deviated to the back, would be unable to move at all.
The nostalgic growls of the old chief mechanic echoed at Shinn's ears.
–Its wheels aren’t that stable, how many times have I told you to stop being reckless!?
–One of these days, you’re going to die in some stupid battle!
So now it happens, huh?
A Löwe, having lost half its legs, hurriedly cut through the wall of dirt and sand that arose, darting in.
Shinn could only give an inappropriate, wry smile as he watched the enemy reach its front leg towards him.
The "Undertaker" was blown back, its armor scattered.
Raiden and the others, who had finally managed to scale the slope, darted out of the forest as they followed the noises, having witnessed this.
However, this was no reason to trust.
They were deemed as livestock taking the form of humans by their own country. Even if the other party was human, even if this was the end of their journey, they were not naïve enough to be given unconditional protection and aid.
If they were to be imprisoned here and give all the intel they knew–they would likely be executed.
In any case, he still could not move. Shinn still needed their aid.
Seriously, we'll hate to meet our end like this, at this place. Raiden looked up at the ceiling of the small room without windows or daylight, and gave a long snort.
While the Federation had been overwhelming sympathetic to the youths, as the leader of his country, Ernst could not simply act on compassion and pity.
Once he exited the shelter module and entered the hospital module linked to it, Ernst arrived at the treatment room that had become the temporary meeting room.
"How's the analysis?"
The shelter module could act as an isolation chamber against biohazards, and also as a prison; each room had cameras and various surveillances in them.
The intelligence officers summarized all the data analysis, and showed them on the holographic screens.
"The conclusion is that they are neither spies from the Republic of San Magnolia, nor anywhere else."
While wary, the youths did not show signs of being trained in such aspects. Even in trivial conversations, given the frequency they would talk, the focal points of the questions, and the number of times the names were mentioned, one could deduce the hierarchy in an organization. However, they never realized they were being analyzed.
Even if they were trained to sufficiently fool any analysis, their country had no reason to order them to pass through the controlled area that was assure death. With the Eintagsliege drones jamming the signals, neither the Federation nor the Republic could affirm each other's existence.
"They might be a little too cautious, but if their predicaments are as they had said, it might be normalcy for them. That sub-leader, Raiden, I believe, was tense the entire time, but it's hard not to understand seeing how his leader's like this. Their leader's basically a hostage to us now."
In fact, the Federation had no such intentions. While Raiden was not a pleasant person to begin with, he did answer all questions obediently, and there was no need to take hostages.
Even so, that was not out of trust; it was an unwillingness for pointless extended questioning just because he refused. To them, the Republic was not a country worth protecting.
"And one other thing–is it possible they are carriers of biological weapons from the new models, or something similar?"
"We need to finish all the checks before we can make the final conclusion. Looking at the current data and the scans after they were brought in, there doesn't appear to be any anomalies. Also, the cannot create any weapons that mimick humans or other organisms, right?"
The could not create or use any biological weapons, especially any units with viral and bacterial weapons, or mimicking the appearances of any known organism. There was a code in its process forbidding this.
It was easy to understand, considering that the was originally created by the Empire to suppress their foreign enemies. It would be troublesome to deal with biological weapons that attacked indiscriminately, or androids that made it difficult to differentiate between human and robot. The ugliness of the automated land mines was also due to this reason.
And to add on, given that the definition of any biological weapon was too stringent, even those people deemed as friendlies would be deemed to have broken the rules if a knife was held. Thus, the old Empire could not let the take the battlefield along with the human army, and was reduced to a laughing stock.
However, the control system of the , especially the tactical, combat algorithms were encrypted in an extremely complex manner, and the constructs of the units meant that if they were hit, the explosions caused within would burn the inner structures completely, resulting in analysis of the going basically nowhere. It was ascertained that the had overcome its lifespan issue by duplicating the structure of the deceased's brains, and it was another thing to take note of.
"The devices we caught on the scan is basically a communication device, as they had said. The Pyropes do have some people capable to communicating mentally amongst their kin, and this device does create the same effect in an artificial manner."
"It's pretty advanced."
"Yeah. Given their testimonies and all the data regarding the control area in their mission recorders, this is too much of a gift if they are really spies."
Due to the electronic jamming of the Eintagsliege, the Federation could not communicate on the frontlines through their wireless signals.
"The unit that was collected, I believe that is called the "Juggernaut", right? Leaving aside the specifications of that thing, the battle logs are really amazing. The pilot is probably that young leader. Once he's recovered, we should have a talk with him."
"Oh? We should be priority. We want him to be our test pilot. No way will we let him go to you. The high mobility combat data, and a pilot with actual experience will go well with my prototype. It is a waste to let him go for that lump of a "Vanargand"."
"What, spider girl?"
"What, you drone beetle?"
"If you want to talk, you can ask them once they have calmed down. No way will we let them be pilots though. If we do so, we'll be the same as the Republic, no?"
Ernst flatly noted, and the two bickering commanders quieted down.
"Every cause will beget its results. They risked their lives battling till this point, and should have a steady life now. Since their country was unable to do so, all the more should our Federation should insist on our justice. This are the ideals and convictions humanity should have."
The commander of the Western front spoke up,
"...We should have executed them after all. It is for the Federation's safety."
"Lieutenant General, we're done discussing this matter. You have accepted the resolution, have you not?"
"Yes. But as you have insisted, Your Excellency, it is our priority as soldiers to ensure the safety of our people. We shall abide during the expected isolation period, and proceed with thorough checks and questioning."
"Of course. Just in case, the soldiers protecting them have been sent to the isolation rooms too, right?"
At this point, they could not eliminate the possibility of them being dormant carriers.
And furthermore–
Suddenly, Ernst showed a hearty chuckle.
"Furthermore...what about their immigration? So long we have dealt with the that we have long forgotten about this."
Before him, the one in charge of this matter was hurriedly dealing with the necessary legal procedures.
†
"So, starting today, you are citizens of the Federation."
"...A month since we met, and this is what you start with? 'So'? Don't you find it strange?"
Raiden's voice came from behind the reinforced acrylic walls, still full of spite, but the initial wariness was no longer there. All he was showing was simply discontentment.
Ernst remained unflappable. It was to be expected, so he thought.
They were youths who should be lively and jumpy at their given age, but they were contained for a month, doing various boring checks every day; it was to be expected that they would grumble a little. Seeing the adolescence befitting their age, he was a little relieved.
"In any case, for the next period of time, I shall be taking care of you. Do rest well, observe this country, and think about what you plan to do in the future."
In the future.
In fact, the person in charge had already explained their future prospects, and asked for their wishes. Ernst had already read the reports.
The five of them wished to enter the army.
Did the person in charge not explain clearly, or did they misunderstand something...or did they know anything other than the battlefield?
He had obtained similar reports from the nurses, doctors and consultants.
All of them had felt the five could not remain in their rooms for long.
The anxiety of being imprisoned, the boredom they could not starve off, and more importantly, their curiosity of how the war was going, and the restlessness over the fact that they were not where they should be at.
They escaped the rule of the Republic, fled from the hellish battlefield...but never got rid of the psychological oppression.
Seo sneered.
"You sure? We're kids from regions unknown who escaped from an enemy country, passed through the enemy controlled area, and made it all the way here. Isn't it easier to just execute us?"
"So you wish for us to execute you?"
Ernst answered with a smile. Seo went silent.
He understood. They did not want to be killed. They were trying to grasp this environment using their prior experiences.
It was not something they could alter, and they were not wrong.
Shinn quietly spoke up.
Seeing that his wounds had healed after a month, the weight in Ernst heart broke apart.
"So what benefit is there for you to save us?"
"If there is no benefit, and we are to leave these children before us to die, it will not be beneficial to both of us. A basic ideal of society is co-operation...and furthermore."
Suddenly, Ernst showed a chuckle.
It was so cruel, so grim, and it left the children, who had witnessed the depths of hell, intimidated.
"From regions unknown. If we really do have to kill children just to survive, it is better off for humanity to be wiped out."
The door of the isolation rooms opened, and the youths, ordered to change clothes, came out, still feeling wary. There was no casual clothing prepared on the frontlines, and they could only change into Federation uniform.
Were they to be brought somewhere else to be executed, or would they be brought to some experimental lab, or prison? In any case, they would rather run away and be shot in the back than be facing a mere execution.
Seeing them look for an opportunity, Ernst pretended not to notice as he discreetly ordered for added security. They would not shoot the youths in the back even if they did run away, but if they were hurt accidentally after they were held down, it would be troublesome.
They were brought onto the transport craft, which flew above the city, and they started to doubt.
The aircraft landed at the base in the capital's suburbs, and they boarded a car arranged for them, leaving the youths perturbed.
The car rushed out of the gates of the base, and into the main street of the Geade Federation capital, St. Yedder.
"...Ah."
Krena exclaimed, and leaned at the window. Angel and Seo both followed suit. Shinn and raiden were not reacting as openly, but even they took gasped as they watched the outside intently.
There were many, countless people of different colors, just like them, hustling down the streets.
A young girl was holding the hands of her parents, happily chipping. An elderly couple was seated at the open-aired seat of a café. Students returning from school were joking and laughing. Couples in love were inquiring a floral shop attendant.
Their eyes were damp, their visions blurred. They had nostalgia, reminiscence, and yet felt so foreign.
Outside the windows were the usual, peaceful scenes on the streets, which they had witnessed after nine years.
"–Finally arrived, have you not, pitiful folk expelled from your country."
The car was parked before the house in a quiet residential area. It was the residence of Ernst, who often stayed at his office instead.
In any case, after hearing these words once he entered the hall, Ernst put a hand on his forehead, and the youths tilted their heads in confusion.
There was a young girl with red eyes, probably just ten, speaking with a shrill voice and a mocking, cocky attitude. She stood on a podium, her arms folded as she raised her chin.
"Us Geade Federation welcome you pitiful folk with compassion and sympathy. Be grateful that you plebs have no need to repay us!"
She pointed at Shinn. It was impressive that she was able to determine the hierarchy of the squad in such a short time. However–
"Ehh, red eyes, why are you looking back!!?"
"...Thought there was someone behind."
Naturally, Shinn's voice was as aloof as ever.
"Was it not I who closed the door? Have you thought of I as a fool?"
Shinn did not answer, but it was likely he did.
"...So I say, the plebs of the Republic are...even though I do have the royal blood of the Empire–"
Saying that, the girl's eyes suddenly 'spotted' a certain something.
"...What in the world happened to your neck...?"
"!"
Shinn immediately gasped.
The bloody eyes looking down at the girl cooled off, becoming increasingly frosty, and it left the girl intimidated.
Ernst sighed, and spoke up.
He did notice the scar on Shinn's neck, which was covered by the uniform collar at this point, but he never did ask about it.
"Enough, Frederica. I did explain their situation to you...everyone has wounds they do not want to talk about. You should be the same too."
"...My apologies."
The girl unexpectedly lowered her head apologetically.
Seeing her act obediently, Raiden turned towards Ernst.
"Your daughter? ...Not my place to say, but you should educate her some more, I think."
"Ahh, no, she is not my daughter."
"Who is willing to be the daughter of this chirpy dandy?"
Saying that, the girl lifted her flat chest proudly, only to tumble over, showing some cute innocence.
"I am,"
"Frederica Rosenfort. Due to various circumstances, she is under my temporary care."
Frederica glared at Ernst, and the latter pretended not to answer.
"it's troublesome explaining, so the official documentation has her as my daughter. Oh yes, you are my adopted children for the time being...if you're willing, you can call me papa too."
A pause occurred.
"...Just joking. You don't have to show such unwillingness there..."
Even Shinn gave a cold look.
"Fine then. For the time being, all of you are going to stay together. This child may not know much, but I do hope you can think of her as a little sister and get along well with her."
With a mocking sneer, Frederica curled her lips.
"You pitiful plebs have been oppressed and battling. Surely your hearts are battered. You may think of I as a pet meant to sooth your souls."
Shinn frowned.
Frederica chuckled, having seen through everything.
There is no way any of you can understand. so she leered with a strange sense of solidarity.
"For not only I, every single person had prepared the same for you. A safe, comfortable house, a motherly maid, a guardian-like father, an adorable little sister–all of these have been arrived by the Federation government, having considered your loss of your families and relatives at such an early age...you may dote on I as you please, my siblings. As people to be pitied, we shall love each other and–woah!?"
First off, Shinn wordlessly reached his hand out, and ruffled her hair violently, causing the latter to squeal. She kept shaking her head, trying to shake off Shinn's head, and scaled the slender blond hair, emerald eyed maid behind her, wailing.
"Woahhh–Teresa! They started pulling me so quickly!"
"Yes yes, Lady Frederica. It has been your fault the entire time though."
Teresa continued with the dagger, and her snow queen-like face showed a tender smile.
"It has been a long journey, everyone. First, will you like to have some coffee?"
They had an earlier dinner than usual, and the five of them went to their assigned rooms, quickly falling asleep.
It's to be expected.So Ernst thought as he sat alone at the dining table. This was a luxurious residence in a safe city he was used to living in, but for them, isolated from the outside world for years, they had arrived at a different world altogether, a completely different environment. It was no wonder they would be worn out.
Frederica entered, curling her lips unhappily.
"...They went to sleep. So I wanted to hear them talk about the Republic. How boring."
In her little hands, she was holding a deck of poker cards, clearly intending to play with them while hearing their stories.
"Need some milk, ex-premier?"
"Shush. How incompetent you are. I have no memory of abdicating. Also, who needs milk? I am no longer a child."
"It's not good for a child to drink coffee before bed."
He responded. Teresa was done with cleaning and breakfast for the following morning, and she entered. She brought cups of coffee, one for Frederica, and one for herself.
"Good work, Teresa."
"No worries. Those children are at a growing age, and ate a lot too. I had a lot of enthusiasm cooking."
Her blue eyes glance aside, looking pretty upset. You are hardly at home due to administrative work, so Lady Frederica has been eating alone. She's so lonely The rare grumble she made remained fresh in his mind.
"My apologies...will be causing you more hardships in the future."
The five children knew nothing other than oppression, the battlefield, malice, and death.
For them, it was difficult getting used to the opposite world of comfort and solace.
"You are being too kind, Master. It is my job to take care of you."
"...Do you think I am being too much of a busybody?"
Teresa did not answer, and merely accepted his stare quietly.
She was no different at all from his beloved woman, a splitting image even, but her heart was never moved.
"A foolish compensation...am I letting them replace me?"
"–No, Master."
But unlike her words, Teresa's voice was extremely cold. The snow queen's face was exceptionally frosty.
This is the only way I can act before you, so she once said. It just so happened to be what Ernst had hoped for.
A fleeting forgiveness was really unbefitting of him.
"Nobody can replace another. For us humans, each person is a unique existence.."
Frederica flatly noted.
"But people do choose to redeem others, in various ways."
Ernst took a sip of coffee.
"And who might you be referring to, Your Highness?"
"That..."
Saying this, Frederica kept quietly.
The ripples on the black coffee surface reflected her heart, and she pursed her lips.
Having heard his exploits, and read his information, she was shocked.
She could not hide her astonishment, both when she saw his photo, and when she met the actual person.
But why, why did they resemble each other so much.
If not for him being a different person...a pitiful person trapped in a cage just like her, she would have overlapped his image with the person in her heart.
"...Kiri..."