Conclusion
“...Ha, Captain?!”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
After about an hour since the unknown woman had left the room, I had been lost in the dazzling spectacle of space beyond the window, when a group of similar humans suddenly burst into the cabin.
> [Crew roster loaded]
> [=Assault Destroyer Obelisk=]
> [Rora Estelt / Commander / Vice-Captain]
> [Erika Lewis / Lieutenant / Special Operations Officer]
> [Kori Ingrid / Ensign / Maintenance Officer]
F.A.C.T.S spoke in that calm, almost maternal tone.
“The elves before your eyes are all your subordinates.”
“Heh, shall I test by giving a command?”
“Vice-Captain Rora, explain the situation.”
“Eh? W-wait a minute…”
“The effect is too good. You didn’t even make me kneel…?”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Captain, I have committed a crime worthy of death!”
“D-Duke?! If this happens, I’ll be reported for insubordination!”
“Stand up at once!”
“Stand up.”
“It’s my fault for not being able to keep up with the situation…!”
“Why would that be your fault?”
“I was the one who rushed in first, after all.”
“I ordered you to explain the situation.”
“Captain, the entire responsibility lies with me!”
“She’s really tenacious, isn’t she?”
“Is this some kind of silent pressure to make me apologize?”
“Is that it? Really?”
“Damn it, Lieutenant Erika. You explain.”
“Ria, it’s fine to accept an apology—”
“—There’s no time for such trivial things.”
“Why do you keep getting apologies that aren’t even asked for?”
“This isn’t the kind of room where that happens!”
“Ensign Kori, you answer.”
“Huh?! W-what did you say? Ah, um, I heard that while ignoring the Commodore’s summons to the Valkyrie, an unexpected accident occurred.”
“W-what did you say? Pause for a second!”
“Who’s summons did I ignore?”
“Commodore? Commodore, you mean… Star One?”
“You got crushed by Star One?”
“How long has it been since I fell?”
“A whole week has passed, Ria.”
“A week?! A week and a half?!”
“I slept for a week after waking up?”
“Is solitary confinement confirmed? No, it probably is.”
“This is X’d. What now?”
“A week?”
“Y-yes. It has been exactly one week and a half since you stayed in the Commodore’s room.”
The fox-eared girl answered precisely.
“This isn’t whose room are we in?”
“Return to the Obelisk immediately.”
“Absolutely not! The Captain is still—”
“Silence, Vice-Captain Rora. That is a Captain’s order.”
Warning: Mana circulation unstable. Treatment recommended.
Even F.A.C.T.S is saying that?
“Treatment? Get back to your ship now!”
“Ria, I disagree. You’re doing this knowing your body’s condition?”
“Yes! Chloe’s return was smooth. Don’t worry and rest!”
“Again? Why don’t they listen to me, F.A.C.T.S?”
“What should I do, F.A.C.T.S?”
Warning: Crush those who resist the will of the Unknown.
Even F.A.C.T.S thinks that?
“Crush those who resist.”
“I am the usurper of the throne.”
“The reaper of death.”
“I will give you ten minutes. Prepare to return.”
“Impossible. If we return to the Obelisk, we won’t get the treatment we need here.”
“Spill blood.”
“Kill and be killed.”
“Swallow light and harbor darkness.”
“I ordered you to prepare. Are you defying me?”
“Then kill these people before your eyes.”
“Then hide loneliness in black light.”
“Then entrust your body to overwhelming evolution.”
“I will obey, even if I die this time!”
“What are you going to do with that body? Lie down quietly.”
“Heh heh, you’re not listening.”
“Should I kill you? I should.”
“Where did my gun go?”
“I and you are no one. Without ever being anyone, just wandering selfishly on the far side of the galaxy. There was no way to know what my existence was or who taught me. But the Queen’s rule was incomplete. The pain and fear of living things fleeing from death. To hide that chaos, the Queen built a false order of love. And living beings who find solace in distorted order and love, and throw death at each other.”
“It seems you want to see blood. All of you.”
“Usurp the throne and become the new Queen.”
“Rule. Rule. Rule. Rule.”
“Yes, if you don’t listen, I have to kill you.”
The Chainstalkers seemed eager to execute the similar human brats.
Kori Ingrid’s holstered pistol caught my eye.
“Ensign Kori, hand that over to me—”
At that moment the door opened. The instant it opened, something rushed in and pulled me into a tight embrace, and I collapsed onto the bed with the force of it.
“-S-Seasil!”
Seasil leaned forward, staring into my eyes. From the look in her eyes, I could “read” that she was trying to convey something I couldn’t understand.
“Rule—.”
“Rule—.”
“Rule—.”
The voice that had been ringing in my ears gradually faded. Cold air surged in like waves, sweeping away the things that had been gnawing at me. When the tension released, my mouth went dry.
“I… what was I…?”
I tried not to let my voice shake, but I failed. I touched my forehead with a trembling hand; it was soaked with cold sweat. Wait, what was I looking for just now? Grabbing that gun, what was I going to do with it?
“……”
Seasil’s lips moved slightly.
It seemed like she was saying something.
“...Remember the precious things?”
Inside Seasil’s pupils—
A swarm of light particles flickered.
Like fireflies.
I was sucked into that light.