Moss clutches his throbbing forehead.
As if hoping it was all a dream, he closed and opened his eyes several times, shifted his gaze elsewhere, and even looked back again, but the figure on the screen remained unchanged.
“Is it that hard for you to accept?”
Simonia’s voice, laced with mockery.
The moment he heard those words, the suppressed emotions inside Moss exploded in an instant.
“Simonia! What exactly are you doing over there?! Why are you there when you’re supposed to be commanding the troops?!”
[Nothing, just following Father’s teachings faithfully.]
“What did you say?”
Bang!
“You’re conspiring with those filthy rebels! What is this nonsense?!”
[Your words are harsh.]
Simonia frowns.
[Instead of using ugly words like rebellion, why don’t we use something nicer, like a revolution to restore justice?]
“This is not the time for wordplay with you! Are you betraying our kind, your own people?!”
[What do you mean by ‘betraying the people’-]
Simonia flicks her tongue.
[It’s rather amusing hearing you say that, Father. And what should I do then? Should I just keep making jokes because I find this situation utterly laughable?]
Contrary to her words, her face hardens.
She places her sunglasses atop her head, revealing vertically slit, golden eyes.
They resemble Moss’s but are much colder.
“How is it funny? A person who shouts ‘our kind’ at every opportunity yet feels not a jot of concern for them compared to someone like me who’s here for the welfare of our kind—this is quite a comical paradox, isn’t it?”
For a brief moment, Moss’s expression twists in response to Simonia’s cutting remark.
[Once again, let me clarify—I’m merely putting Father’s words into practice. I’m here because I’ve considered the prosperity of our kind.]
“…What? Do you think that spouting empty words will suffice?!”
[Are you denying my words?]
“Of course! How does participating in a rebellion contribute to the prosperity of our kind?!”
[It’s the reality.]
She shrugs.
[Father, why do you keep turning away from the reality? Do you really think the 1st Legion alone can stop Colonel Ryuje and the Ground Reclamation Forces?]
“…Of course we can.”
His delayed response.
Simonia’s face lights up with mockery.
[Lies.]
She dismisses his words with certainty.
[You sure know how to spew such nonsense, Father. Stop pretending. What’s so frightening to you?]
The questions keep coming.
[Is it the small amount of power you hold? The connections you’ve made within the government? If not, have you truly decided to become a pawn for the government?]
Moss bristles in anger.
“Are you insulting me?! I have always worked tirelessly for the prosperity of our kind, both in the past and now! No one has the right to say such things to me!!!”
Moss rebukes her severely.
Upon hearing this, the last thread of patience snaps inside Simonia.
“Hmph, I can’t do this anymore.”
She takes a deep breath.
Her gaze, hard and cold, doesn’t befit someone looking at family—it’s directed straight at Moss.
“Insults!!”
Simonia’s shout reverberates through the command room.
“Probably the many lies you’ve been feeding me from that day onwards!”
Her voice is filled with tumultuous emotions: affection, hatred, anger, despair, sadness, regret—one utterance couldn’t possibly contain all of them.
A chaotic mix of emotions swirled inside Simonia, creating a powerful undertow.
“… Father, Father! Let me ask you one simple question.”
She struggles to continue, speaking slowly.
“Father… Since when were the friend you killed and buried, and my own mother, no longer part of our people?”
“Wha…?”
“What the…?”
The bombshell dropped by Simonia stirs up murmurs throughout the command room.
The majority of the members of the 1st Legion, most of whom are beastkin, see Moss Hallett’s popularity soar as he tirelessly stresses the importance of the same race.
Naturally, this boosts the attention towards his only daughter, Simonia.
Therefore, most members of the 1st Legion were well aware of Simonia’s wounds.
A pitiful girl who lost her only mother at a young age and then her closest friend—her only emotional pillar.
However, Simonia’s revelation was not just a simple accusation of past lies and actions of Moss, but a story that shook the foundation of loyalty and trust.
“Could it be…?”
“Commander, could he possibly have done such a thing?”
Voices filled with unease rise throughout the command room, verifying the impact of the shock.
But Moss remains silent, his gaze fixed on her.
“To be honest, I’ve waited, Father, because you’re my only family. I thought that someday, whether through confession or repentance, you’d say something.”
Simonia’s voice echoes hollowly.
Her eyes slowly close.
“I believed in you, Father. Because you’re family, I trusted you. That’s why I followed your words and orders without complaint.”
Her eyes slowly open again.
The golden irises have faded, and her now hazy pupils carry no hope.
“But you—while claiming to care for the people, you never mentioned a word about the girl you killed and erased, or about my mother. Not even now, after I’ve brought it up.”
Simonia continues unrelenting, pouring out her pent-up grievances.
“I have one more question for you. Have you ever considered me as your daughter? Or am I merely a tool for you to achieve your dreams?”
The wounded girl extends her last hand.
“Nonsense! I don’t know where you heard such strange talk, but you only have to follow my commands as your father.”
Her plea is coldly rejected.
“… So it’s like that, then.”
Heavy silence.
Simonia’s eyes close once more before reopening.
“But you said I have no right to insult you, didn’t you?”
The gaze of a merciless predator staring down its prey, devoid of all emotion.
“Is that really true?”
At the moment Simonia smiles ominously,
BOOM!!
A massive explosion rocks the headquarters building.
“Ugh!?”
Moss instinctively reaches for the nearest equipment and grabs it to steady himself.
“Aaaah!?”
“Ugh!”
Soldiers and officers who reacted too late tumble to the floor.
The tremors subside after a short while, and upon realizing the communication lines are down, Moss raises his voice.
“What’s happening? Assess the situation!”
“Sir!! Big trouble!”
The commanding officer of the headquarters guard enters the command room.
“Report!”
“B, there’s an intruder outside…!”
“An intruder?!”
A chilling sensation washes over Moss.
Heavy footsteps echo down the hallway.
A smoothly curved blade comes into view through the open door, followed by a small girl in a black uniform.
“Ryuje, Erhaqnen!”
“Moss Hallett, it’s been a while.”
“How…? The fleet just arrived, yet why are you here!?”
“Do you not understand?”
Ryuje counters Moss’s question with another.
After briefly contemplating, Moss quickly realizes something and his eyes widen.
“Could it be that all of this was part of your plan? How did you deceive Simonia into betraying us?”
“That is a bitter thing to say.”
Ryuje frowns.
“That child came of her own volition. It seemed she and Edu developed a little camaraderie, but given her character, I doubt anyone pressured Simonia.”
“Don’t lie! That masterpiece I created would never betray me unless you tricked her!”
“…A masterpiece, huh. To see one’s own daughter as an object—how cruel.”
Clang.
Ryuje lifts his great scythe and points it at Moss.
“It seems we did well coming here with Freya.”
Swish—
The great scythe slices through the air, and a silver slash grazes Moss’s neck in an instant.
“Guh…!”
Moss clutches at his falling neck before collapsing.
Ryuje looks down coldly at Moss’s fallen head lying beneath his feet and loudly proclaims.
“Commander of the 1st Legion, Moss Hallett, is dead! If you don’t want to make any more meaningless sacrifices, you’d do well to surrender peacefully!”
The soldiers and officers of the 1st Legion exchange glances, but their deliberation doesn’t last long.
Numerous footsteps echo down the hallway.
Soldiers from the Ground Reclamation Force clad in enhanced exosuits rush into the room and take their positions behind Ryuje.
Guns are aimed at the 1st Legion members.
“Choose quickly!”
“H, we surrender!”
The deputy commander raises his voice in response to Ryuje’s pressure.
It was the moment the brain of the 1st Legion leadership, the government’s enforcer and pawn, had been paralyzed.
…
“Hmph.”
Simonia leans back heavily into a chair after ending the communication.
Perhaps because we’ve never seen Simonia display such intense emotions, it feels both curious and heartrending.
There’s nothing left for me to do but comfort her.
Stretching out my arms toward Simonia, I call her name.
“Sister Simonia.”
“Huh? Edu?”
“For today, just today, I’ll allow it as a special favor.”
“? ??”
Simonia tilts her head.
“What?”
“To hold me. They say it helps with healing. Come on.”
“…”
Perhaps caught off-guard by the unexpected offer, Simonia stares blankly at me before bursting into laughter.
“Aahaha—”
“Sister Simonia?”
“No, no Edu. Could I lean on you for a little while then?”
“Of course.”
Simonia pulls me into her arms and holds me tightly.
Our skins touch, conveying our warmth, and a peaceful moment passes.
“How does that feel? Any better?”
“Yeah, quite impressive.”
“I’m relieved.”
I place my hand on top of hers and gently pat it as a sign of comfort.
Simonia buries her head atop my crown.
“…Thank you, Edu.”
“It’s nothing. You’re allowed to stay like this for today.”
“Yeah, really, thank you.”
I rest my hand on her head as she cuddles closer and the quiet moment continues.
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