Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Serendipity (1)
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The girl, who had been hesitating for a while, finally came to a stop.
I naturally turned to look at the child as we walked together.
"........."
A nursery classroom tucked away in one corner of the cathedral.
In front of the door leaking the noisy voices of children, the girl couldn't bring herself to go in.
I gently patted her small shoulder.
"It'll be okay."
I knew what she was hesitating about.
But since I'd already heard the story, I simply reassured her calmly and patiently that there was no need to worry.
"Come on, let's head inside."
The girl gazed up at me with a still somewhat anxious expression.
But as I coaxed her bit by bit, Clarice soon steeled herself and slowly opened the door.
Creak—
Inside were toddlers romping around freely.
But one by one, they spotted the girl and froze. For a moment, silence blanketed the classroom.
"..."
"........."
But only for an instant—as if on cue, they all rushed over in a clamor.
"Clarice!"
"Where'd you disappear to all alone! We were so worried!!"
"It wasn't because of us that you left, right?!"
The girl was the one who ended up flustered by their momentum.
"Th-that..."
Then, suddenly, one after another, they burst into tears.
In the chaotic sea of tears, the kids kept up their snotty, wailing apologies.
"Sob, we're sorry..."
"Sorry for teasing you about being a robot...!"
That scene brought back what the nursery teacher had told me not long ago.
'When they heard Clarice was gone, they all cried and threw a fit. They insisted it was their fault and begged us to bring her back.'
It was exactly as she'd said. They weren't bad kids at heart. They had simply found her otherness unfamiliar.
If adults properly taught them that difference wasn't wrong... they could offer sincere apologies like this.
With the flustered girl in the middle, they wailed and howled—until one kid spilled the secret.
"The truth is, Max said you were pretty... sniff, and I got jealous thinking you'd get closer to him than me, so I said those mean things...!"
"Wait! Hey!! How could you actually say that!!!"
A boy whose face had turned beet red huffed indignantly, and just like that, the kids slipped back into their usual bickering.
The girl soon blended in among her noisy peers.
Kids really are fickle. They fight so easily... and make up just as effortlessly.
Seeing her fit in so seamlessly, as if nothing had happened, I doubted I'd need to worry about her friendships anymore.
"........."
I watched the scene for a while, then quietly smiled and slipped out of the classroom.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After dropping Clarice off at the nursery classroom, I crossed the cathedral, heading somewhere.
"They just arrived?"
"Yes, everyone's waiting in the front courtyard."
Hearing the report from the priest trailing behind me, I quickened my steps a little.
I arrived at the cathedral's main entrance.
Unlike the warm scene I'd witnessed moments ago, an intimidating atmosphere hung over this place.
In the front courtyard stood over a dozen military androids, aligned in perfect formation without a single misalignment.
As soon as I appeared, they saluted in unison.
"Free City 8th Special Task Platoon. As of today, assigned to the Radiance Church core code protection mission. Pleased to be at your service."
The lead commander unit reported in a voice laced with mechanical tones.
I replied in a somewhat dazed tone.
"Y-yeah... Welcome to the church."
To explain how this came about, we had to start right after the war between the androids and the megacorporations ended.
Zion's mayor, RX-937, had put it this way:
["Since Clarice still wants to stay at the cathedral, we'll respect her choice. But that child remains a vital rallying point for all our kin. Zion has a duty to ensure her safety."]
So after the Nexus Initiative crumbled, some androids hadn't returned to Zion. Instead, they'd been stationed here—to guard the cathedral where the girl resided.
"......"
I carefully took in their appearance.
You could clearly sense they'd been in active combat until just recently.
Bloodstains and bullet marks lingered on their exteriors.
And unlike standard androids, their designs—closer to robots built purely for battle—only amplified the intimidation.
'Each one has combat power approaching an 8th-class mercenary.'
All of them military-model androids.
Specs on par with megacorp frontline troops.
With that kind of power, they'd dared to wage full-scale war against the Nexus Initiative.
"......"
As we watched the inspection together, one of the priests muttered with a tense expression.
"Are you really bringing those robots inside the cathedral?"
I understood his concern. Given the lethal aura they exuded, it was only natural.
Most believers still found Zion's androids deeply unfamiliar. To date, the cathedral had only officially recognized and accepted one android: Clarice. The other believer—who'd lived outside and was later revealed as an android—had always been so human-like that no one could tell the difference. These stark military machines were worlds apart in both looks and lethality.
Even if they'd come in goodwill, treating them as solid allies felt unfamiliar still.
Besides, internal threats were far harder to handle than external raids.
If they harbored any ill intent, the church would face dire straits.
But... I chose to trust their sincerity. Otherwise, I never would've helped Clarice in the first place.
Moreover, considering potential future dangers, a force of that many military androids was too valuable to turn down.
As I prepared to persuade the priests, a man strode forward from the group toward the android commander.
"......"
"......"
It was Ronzo, leader of the Saved—Los Salvados.
He eyed the lined-up androids intently, then extended a hand for a shake.
"Ronzo of Los Salvados. Looking forward to working together."
"Platoon commander unit AX-6642. Thank you for the warm welcome."
With the ex-mercenary—who stood at the forefront of the church's guardians—reaching out first, the others' wary tension eased slightly.
Later, when I asked him why, he replied:
"If God and the Saintess have permitted them, we have no reason to refuse."
Indeed, Ronzo had been on-site during the rescue of Clarice from the city mercenaries who'd kidnapped her. He'd witnessed the miracle that saved even the machines. Thanks to his gesture, reassuring the other believers took a little less effort.
And so, the cathedral welcomed its somewhat fierce new family members.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Once the multi-day commotion had died down and the believers grew accustomed to the androids residing in the cathedral...
In our reclaimed daily routine, an unexpected call came in to the church.
"A creditors' meeting?"
["That's right. A gathering of the Nexus Initiative's major secured creditors and rights holders—right before they enter bankruptcy."]
In plain terms, it was a victors' summit.
The predators who'd banded together to choke out their prey were now deciding how to carve up the spoils.
With a megacorp the size of Nexus Initiative collapsing, the haul—from prime subsidiaries to real estate and patents—would be immense. Everyone would want a piece of that honey pot, so prior coordination was essential to avoid a messy brawl.
The meeting might even eclipse the war in importance.
After all, the androids had destroyed Nexus Initiative instead of being wiped out themselves precisely because of these rewards.
But the godfather's words didn't end there.
["Which is why, Eve—why don't you come along and observe?"]
"Me...?"
["Yes. I'm not asking you to take any role. Experience is key, though. It's not every day you get to witness a top 100 conglomerate dismantled. So how about just watching from the sidelines?"]
To my flustered reaction at the unexpected invitation, he added that rubbing shoulders with the city's power players involved would be valuable experience too. They were people I might have to deal with down the line.
Even after hearing that, I still hesitated a little.
Honestly, I wasn't sure how it would help with running the church.
No matter how massive it grew, the Radiance Church's core was still a religious organization. This felt like a different flavor altogether from "necessary experience."
Right then, something flashed through my mind. It was what I'd been hearing consistently from Ms. Rachel lately.
The godfather wanted to step away from group management, hand everything over to someone reliable, and enjoy life with his wife. So maybe... he hadn't given up on that earlier talk of passing the group to me.
This meeting would be priceless training for whatever successor he had in mind.
"........."