Crossroads in Wild Space
After playing around with Eve for a while, Mebi approached slowly and spoke politely.
[Eve. Our mother, Queen Silia, is waiting for you. Would you please follow me?]
I glanced at Nahibi upon hearing that.
"Nahibi. This is the xenoform sage we're supposed to meet, right?"
[That's right. We were planning to summon a legion to head to Queen Silia's domain, but since her guard came to escort us personally, we've saved ourselves the trouble.]
Nahibi seemed quite satisfied with Mebi's arrival.
"Come to think of it, you said before that guards directly under a queen's influence don't react to Eve's waves, right?"
I hoisted Eve up effortlessly, letting her dangle like a pendulum.
"But Mebi sensed Eve's wave and came here."
Eve was lucky, or maybe it was thanks to picking a guard—she'd smashed the Hound main force with ease.
Come to think of it, Nahibi had been drawn in right from the start when she first used that ability...
Is our Eve a genius?!
I shook my arm a bit in excitement, and Eve swung like a clock pendulum. She burst into giggles, clearly having fun.
Mebi answered my question.
[Allow me to explain.]
Mebi took a step closer.
[There has been a revelation of truth.]
"Revelation of truth?"
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term. Mebi stared at me from behind the veil, her voice filled with awe.
[I don't know how a lowly... no, a human like you can wield that great power. But the primordial queen who elevated our once-common species to greatness—the truth that watches over us from beyond dimensions and guides our evolution. It is none other than Lady Elisia.]
Elisia.
The one Eve met on Garcia Planet, the owner of the black stone embedded in my heart. At her name, Mebi's vines trembled with emotion.
[The Truth revealed Eve's existence to our mother, Queen Silia. And when the new queen's waves were felt from the direction of the Federation scum, she bestowed a legion upon me and issued the sacred command to fetch you.]
I looked down at Eve quietly. My heart throbbed.
'Elisia...'
A being of incomprehensible power, who created the object that awakened me as a constellation in an instant to prevent Eve's collapse—and now she'd guided her to a queen who could heal her.
Why?
Pity for a newborn kin? Instinct to protect an immature queen?
I didn't know yet. But one thing was certain.
'Whatever her intentions, saving Eve's body and restoring her balance comes first.'
I nodded.
"Shall we go then, Eve?"
"Yeah! Sounds good!"
Eve replied brightly.
While scavenging usable supplies from the Hound fleet wreckage and the xenoform legion reformed its ranks,
we gathered in the ship's conference room. Lydia and Bani were seated there.
"We've got a lot to talk about too, right?"
"Yes. I've got mountains of things I want to hear~."
Lydia propped her chin on her hand and smiled. Her demeanor was relaxed, but her eyes were serious.
"Outside were nothing but ferocious monsters, but now it feels a bit more comfortable."
Bani bantered, then flinched at the sight of Nahibi floating in the air and added,
"Of course... that's not a bad thing. Haha."
Nahibi snorted and ignored him.
"Alright, let's get started then."
I sat down and began explaining everything that had happened.
The difference from before was that I hid nothing this time.
Nahibi's true nature, the fact that Eve was a xenoform queen, the torment she'd endured as an experimental subject, and the broken state of her body as a result.
"So we're heading deep into xenoform territory now to heal Eve. To meet Queen Silia, the one called the sage."
A brief silence fell after my explanation.
Bani stroked his beard gravely, and Lydia looked at Eve with pitying eyes.
I pulled a white, plate-shaped metal piece from my pocket and handed it to Bani.
"So you don't need to accompany us on this dangerous path anymore, Bani. The contract can end here."
"This is...?"
"A sort of pass that's valid among the xenoforms. Eve made it herself."
I met Bani's eyes squarely.
"And... take the Night Raven ship for your interstellar route exploration."
"What? The Night Raven? You sure that's okay? Isn't it your ship?"
Bani asked in surprise. The Night Raven was my home, my battlefield, an extension of myself. But it was no time to cling to it.
"Yes. Thanks to the mineral Eve created on the hull, the ship itself is a powerful shield and weapon. With this pass and the ship, you won't be threatened by xenoforms, and you can explore safely without losing vessels to natives like before."
It was a gift to help him reclaim his lost dream.
Bani clutched the plate and stared at it for a long time. His hand trembled faintly.
He looked up at me. His eyes held gratitude, regret, and deep trust.
"Thank you, Kal. Truly... thank you."
He gripped my hand firmly with his callused ones.
"No, thank you for guiding us this far, Bani."
We clasped hands wordlessly—a heavy farewell between men.
"Since the mission's complete, I should keep my promise too."
Lydia spoke brightly to lighten the mood. She operated her terminal and transferred the 20 billion credits promised to Bani.
> Deposit Complete
"Check it. Explorer."
"Heh... well, I'll be. Sitting on a fortune now. Thank you, miss."
Bani chuckled awkwardly. I looked at Lydia and asked,
"What about you, Lydia?"
"What, giving me options again? Telling me to take the lifeboat?"
She teased with a grin.
"No. No options."
I smiled.
"You've already chosen."
"Correct."
Lydia stood and approached Eve.
"Even if my homeworld falls or the universe flips, I'm sticking with Eve. Where would I go without my muse?"
"Spider sis~!"
"My Eve!"
Eve ran to Lydia and hugged her tight. The two women embraced, laughing, a heartwarming sight.
Seizing the momentary chaos, Bani asked me quietly,
"So, Kal. I've got one question."
"Yes, go ahead."
"After you heal Eve, what's your next move?"
"After the healing?"
"Yeah. From what you've said, you seem convinced you can fully heal her. Planning to head back to the Federation after?"
A sharp question.
After the treatment. After Eve fully became a queen. Where would we go?
I gazed at Eve's laughing face for a moment.
"Dunno. Haven't thought that far ahead specifically."
I answered calmly.
"But one thing's sure. I'll stay by Eve's side. Federation, xenoform nest, bottom of hell—it doesn't matter."
"Hmm. Figures."
Bani nodded with a wry smile.
"Bani."
"What is it, Kal?"
I hesitated, then spoke.
"You can report us if you want."
"?!"
Bani's eyes widened.
"Frankly, xenoforms are the enemy the Federation's warred against for a century. And I'm trying to heal their apex—a queen. From humanity's view, I'm a clear traitor, aiding a threat to mankind."
I spoke sincerely.
"Even if you return to the Federation and report this, I won't hold it against you. It'd be the natural choice as a Federation citizen—and as a human."
Bani stared at me silently. Countless emotions flickered in his eyes.
But he soon shook his head with a chuckle.
"You see me as some rigid old man."
"......"
"Haven't believed in Federation justice for ages. No reason to swear loyalty to the ones who took my family. Besides..."
He glanced at Eve.
"A kid smiling that innocently an enemy of humanity? Nah. The old geezers in the Federation council look more monstrous to me."
Bani clapped my shoulder.
"Don't worry. My lips are sealed. And I'll pray you all stay safe."
"Thank you."
"But..."
I continued,
"For old times' sake, one warning: Don't head back to the Outer Rim. Go inside 10 sectors... to the safest rear lines possible."
"Why's that?"
"It's coming soon."
My voice dropped low.
"What's coming?"
"The xenoform grand offensive."
"......!"
Bani's face hardened.