Origin (29)

We roughly filled our hungry stomachs with store-brand food we'd brought from the town. Even if it was dry and bland, if we alternated bites with some water, it went down well enough.

The tent had more features than I expected. Except for the optional small stove, it was a mechanical tent that didn't run on blue crystal.

I didn't know what kind of material it was made of, but there was no chill rising from the ground, and there was a function to automatically purify the air inside. On one side, there was even a hose that melted snow with the internal temperature and let purified water trickle out.

It was impressive—for a tent, at least. However much I thought about it, I still felt it was just an overpriced and inefficient product.

It wasn't just because I'd heard that getting something like this from Celestia would cost at least several million credits. What could be so expensive about a slightly special piece of fabric? I just couldn't understand the minds of the rich.

'Still, well.'

There was a certain charm. Just seeing Nadia squeal in delight made me think it was worth it.

We decided to set an alarm, sleep for a bit, and wake up in the deepest part of the night.

"Hyun-woo, are we really sleeping now?"

"Yeah. Just relax and sleep."

Nadia glanced back and forth between me and Celestia, then crawled into a corner of the tent and curled up. She fell asleep in that state. She must have been exhausted.

"Celestia, aren't you going to sleep?"

"... I can't seem to fall asleep."

Celestia's eyes were full of fatigue. She closed her eyes and zoned out, appearing to try to sleep, but she couldn't seem to.

"Insomnia?"

"... Something like that."

Usually, insomnia was caused by stress rather than physical factors. She was currently being tormented by that very thing. Until she solved it, this state would probably continue.

"Hyun-woo, can you talk with me for a bit? I think it'll help if someone is beside me."

It was a time when the artificial light hadn't fully faded yet. But outside, it was already growing dark. That was partly because the light coming into the tent was reduced, but also because the falling snow was intensifying.

From beyond the tent, I heard a whistling wind. The caprice of Titan had arrived.

Normally, I'd have told her to just close her eyes even if she couldn't sleep, but tonight, I decided to indulge myself just a little. There were things I wanted to ask.

When I nodded, saying okay, Celestia smiled faintly and shakily sat up, hugging her knees. Her tousled blonde hair fell between her arms.

Celestia looked around with tired eyes.

"When I was little, I often played by pitching tents with my brother like this."

It hadn't been under harsh weather or dangerous missions like this, so the tents weren't this fancy, but at the time, watching her brother set up the tent made him seem amazing to her.

She chuckled softly, saying there were times she'd tried to help but only ended up ruining the tent.

One by one, she took out childhood memories like hidden treasures. I quietly listened. What she needed now wasn't just someone to talk to.

She needed a brief gap in which she could let her heart rest enough to fall asleep. When she reminisced about the past, it seemed like she could forget the pressure of reality if only for a moment.

In the end, we have to live in reality and face it. But at least for now, shouldn't she be able to dream? That's what I thought.

But it seemed the past weighing down on Celestia was even darker and heavier than I'd thought. After chattering for a while, she slumped her head.

"... Sorry for following you without permission. I just missed my brother so much. That's all I have left now."

"You'll be able to see him. That's why you came yourself, isn't it?"

To be honest, when Celestia said she would follow us, I wondered what she was thinking. I doubted she understood how dangerous this was.

But when Eric silently nodded, I found myself accepting it.

It didn't matter how dangerous the outside world was; she valued finding her family more than her own life. For that one goal, she wouldn't hesitate to confront the pureblood supremacists directly.

'... I envy that.'

It was sad, in a way, for someone to desperately search for a person they'd been parted from. Yet, I envied it, too. It meant there was somewhere to return to.

My heart beat quietly. The steady thump, thump filled my body. It was the sound of routine pumping without agitation. Celestia scooted a little closer to me, almost hypnotized by the comforting sound.

Celestia mumbled self-deprecatingly, as though she herself found it strange or ridiculous.

"... Did you know? When I first saw you, I kept glancing at you for some reason. I even wished, just a little, that you were him instead."

"..."

"If only you really were... But...."

Celestia's voice grew smaller and smaller, ending with her head resting against my shoulder. Speaking softly, she'd eventually fallen asleep.

You can't take back time once it's gone. There comes a moment when you're forced to face what you've avoided. If, at that moment, you're unprepared, the price is never light.

It was something Celestia once said to me. The words asking me not to walk the same path as her, those were hers, too.

'How ironic—for both of us.'

There was no such thing as choice. We didn't have the right to choose. Our lives were destroyed in an instant by others.

"..."

I didn't try to reposition her or lay her down, pretending I was making her more comfortable. I just stayed still.

It was clear she'd only barely managed to fall asleep—I couldn't risk waking her. And at the corner of Celestia's eyes, caught in a light sleep, tears had formed, contrasting with the peaceful expression of someone dreaming happily.

Actually, there was something I wanted to clarify.

Before its fall, Myosotis was connected to the pureblood supremacists, and there was a high chance those supremacists had meddled with my past.

Ten years ago, Celestia resurrected the fallen Myosotis in order to find her brother, who she believes is still alive.

I don't know my own past. So sometimes, I wondered—especially when I understood those strange characters, that thought rose to the surface again.

'But, as I thought...'

I wasn't the person Celestia was looking for. Not the one she saw. My ideas were just wild speculation upon wild speculation, with no way to confirm they were true.

No, I didn't need to look far. When I first arrived in town, I failed the authentication terminal that supposedly only Myosotis members could pass.

That kind of mechanical authentication was far more convincing and certain than my wild imaginings.

So I just needed to stay by her side and help Celestia achieve her wish—no need for foolish meddling. The fact that I, at my age, still indulged in these delusions embarrassed me.

Making unchecked promises or stepping forward without cause would only reopen old wounds.

Whooooo...

The blizzard gradually died down. Just a moment ago it had raged so fiercely.

With both Nadia and then Celestia asleep, only quiet breathing filled my ears.

The light weight on my shoulder, the fluffy tail sweeping the floor like a wiper as if dreaming, the gentle warmth from the tiny stove—

It all felt so silent and peaceful, as if we weren't about to embark on a dangerous mission. It made me wish time would stop right here and now.

As that tail kept tapping me, Carry, who had been on standby, opened its eyes.

- Lee Hyun-woo, are you awake?

A communication came from Licorice. I started to reply aloud but caught myself and responded by text.

- I'm awake.

- Can you talk for a minute? I want to tell you what I couldn't say earlier.

- I can. But I can't speak out loud. Both of them are sleeping.

There wasn't an immediate reply. After a brief pause, Licorice responded.

- That actually works better. No one can interrupt us.

What was there to interrupt? I wondered, but Licorice continued.

- I went over the missing cargo list from the warehouse. Had to compare the basic data item by item, so sorry I'm late telling you. I also forgot a bit with so many other things going on.

- Should I be worried? Nothing crucial went missing, right?

- Nothing.

- What?

- Nothing's missing. Not according to the data.

- But the container clearly—wait, according to the data?

I frowned at the unsettling implication.

- Yes, according to the data. Something went missing, but on the surface, there's no sign of a problem. Those items weren't even officially registered as cargo. Which means they smuggled them in. Though 'smuggling' might be too generous, since they pretty much brought them in openly.

- ......

- Ha, for Titan to pull something like that behind my back... Guess they got me this time.

Licorice muttered in displeasure.

- It's not normal cargo, right?

- Most likely not.

I didn't know how far the pureblood supremacists had planned ahead. I always thought we were doing our best, but they were always one step ahead.

It might not seem like much of a gap, but even us being here right now was a result of being pushed by them. The difference at the start had snowballed into something huge.

- Can't be helped. We prepared for various scenarios and packed thoroughly, right? You checked your gear?

- Of course. I already finished equipment checks.

That went without saying. The state of my equipment meant life or death. I couldn't afford to be careless.

Suddenly, I remembered what Kyle said when he handed me the plasma cutter.

'Mr. Hyun-woo, I can't even tell you to use it freely anymore. Every time, you bring it back broken.'

'Haha... I'll be careful this time.'

'No, you don't have to. Use it however you need. If it breaks, I'll fix it. The shaft is made of a special alloy, so it'll hold up better.'

Kyle had made a similar joke last time, then paused with a look that he didn't quite understand.

'But, it's odd. When you use the plasma cutter, it always produces more output than normal.'

'What do you mean?'

'Just what I said. When Nadia uses it, the nozzle is perfectly fine, but when you use it, the nozzle ends up almost melted. The output difference is too clear to be due to simple usage time...'

'Is that bad?'

'Not exactly. I don't know why it overshoots the output limit, but if that keeps happening, the circuitry might not withstand it. That's why I told you to use it normally. I want to find out what's causing this. Just remember, the weapon might suddenly fail. It probably won't, but, haha.'

Even though the tool was supposed to have identical specs, I somehow made it exceed its performance limits. Kyle wanted to know why, but I had nothing to tell him—I didn't know either. How could I explain what I didn't know?

I exchanged a bit more small talk with Licorice—how preparations in town were almost complete, how they'd mounted replicated laser cannons on the medium shuttle, and so forth.

When the alarm finally sounded, Celestia woke with a start. Still dazed, she realized she'd drooled all over my shoulder, and her face turned bright red.

She covered her flushed face with her hands, but her ears couldn't be hidden.

"S-sorry..."

"Did you get some sleep at least?"

"Yes..."

"That's all that matters."

I chuckled, seeing Celestia's reddened cheeks, pressed from where she'd slept against me. Nadia and Carry huddled together whispering. Celestia ducked her head in embarrassment.

While we packed up the tent, Licorice gave me a warning.

- Remember. This time, our enemy isn't a monster, it's other humans. Honestly, I don't even want to consider the pureblood supremacists as human, but I'm telling you not to get emotional, no matter how they react. I know you'll handle it, Lee Hyun-woo.

I replied that I understood, then rapidly erased any traces that we'd been here. We had to disappear as thoroughly as possible. Who knew if the pureblood supremacists would come by and notice something suspicious?

Cloaked in camouflage, we gazed down through the darkness at the massive robot production facility, glowing blue.

It looked like some giant marine creature luring prey in the depths.

At last, we melted into the darkness.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=The plasma cutter producing more output than normal when Hyun-woo uses it is probably a sign that he emits energy similar to the energy blue crystals produce.I'm guessing he'd be immune to blue crystal effects in the future as well.What other abilities will Hyun-woo have?【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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