Nightingale's Perspective (2)

"Valkyrie! Doing this won't bring your sister back! Please, just calm down—"

"Shut up!!! I trusted you! I looked up to you like an older sister and leaned on you! You knew, didn't you! You knew and still protected those pieces of trash, still worked for those bastards! All while putting on that shameless, friendly act right in front of me!!!"

"I really didn't know they were doing anything like that through Severance! I had no idea about your sister either! It's the truth, please believe me!"

"Shut up... shut up shut up shut up!!! What difference does it make if you didn't know! Eunhwa is dead! My little sister, who could have lived, is dead because of those sons of bitches!!! And I didn't even know—I just assumed it was all Oblivion's doing and kept crawling around as the government's lapdog... Kh-huh-huh... Ahahahahaha! It must have been hilarious to you, right? Watching me scramble for years after some unknown villain who put Eunhwa in the hospital with injuries that kept her from ever walking out... and then after Oblivion for bombing the place! How hard did you laugh at me!"

"That's not true, Valkyrie, please..."

"I'll kill them all... every last one of them with even the slightest connection to the government. I'll tear them apart until there's nothing left of them on this earth!"

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... If only I had made a different choice from the start, it never would have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come to this..."

"Spare me the pathetic pretenses! You think saying that will make me feel any pity for a hypocrite like you!"

"Ah... I see. So I... I've just been playing at hypocrisy from the very beginning... I should have realized sooner... I should have been more honest with myself... Thinking that even a false peace was fine as long as it was peace... So this is all because of me... I'm truly sorry, Valkyrie... for being a fake hypocrite and a coward... If only I had been a better person..."

"Heh... uh-huh-huh... Ahahahat! Kya-hahahahahat! Die... Die!!!"

In the original story, Nightingale died at the hands of a rampaging Dark Valkyrie.

No—it was essentially suicide.

Once she learned the full truth, Dark Valkyrie's mind collapsed at breakneck speed; she went mad and became a murderer who no longer bothered to hide her hostility even toward Nightingale, the woman she had once followed like an older sister.

Nightingale believed that her own past—deliberately blinding herself while telling herself that even a false peace was acceptable so long as it remained peace—had driven Valkyrie to this state. Crushed by guilt, she chose to die by Dark Valkyrie's hand.

If she had fought with everything she had, even Dark Valkyrie would have needed ten lives and still come up short. Instead Nightingale attacked with all the force of someone who wanted to die, leaving openings without end, never dodging or blocking a single strike.

Nightingale was famous for her regeneration, but the ability carried a restriction: she could not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠use it on herself. She could not heal. And even if she could have, she had already lost the will to live.

—I'm truly sorry, Valkyrie... If the life ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a pathetic human like me can ease even a fraction of your grudge...

Even with power and a certain status, she had looked the other way, and that complicity had allowed everything to reach this point. Carrying that guilt, Nightingale lost both arms and one leg to Dark Valkyrie's attacks, a massive hole torn through her abdomen, and met a death that was suicide in all but name.

Yet Nightingale's final wish came to nothing. The fact that she had killed with her own hands the person she had trusted, followed, and relied on like a sister only drove Dark Valkyrie further into madness. She continued her endless rampage until she was finally cut down by the artificial heroes she herself had trained, right on the brink of death.

The emotion that remained in Nightingale's heart until the very end was regret.

If only I had chosen differently back then... if only I had acted differently... That feeling was described throughout her fight with Dark Valkyrie, and even as she drew her last breath she died apologizing to Valkyrie and condemning herself for having done nothing.

"I'm going to topple this rotten government that's worse than dogs."

And now, in this worldline where I had intervened—at a point where there was still time before Valkyrie became that and Nightingale died—Nightingale seemed to be wrestling with a similar torment. Her pupils shook violently at my answer.

Outwardly, though, she gave nothing away and replied with perfect composure.

"You're weak. You couldn't beat Union S-class heroes like me or Dimension Walker, much less the ability users in the government's direct units. They're strong enough that they wouldn't fall far short of S-class heroes like me. Do you really think someone at your level can overturn a government like that?"

"Physical destruction and occupying facilities aren't the only ways to tear something down."

"So that's why you hit this police station?"

"Yes. As you said, I'm weak. I couldn't beat you, and I couldn't beat Jumper or Ironfist who deployed today, or even Valkyrie who normally comes after me. But if I keep hitting places like this and exposing the filthy things the government wants kept buried, will the government still be the same then? What becomes of a government that wants nothing but privilege and rule over the people, with none of the responsibility, once the citizens who prop it up from below are gone?"

"Even if you loot this station and leak every document here, the far greater likelihood is that nothing will change."

"Then I'll just hit somewhere else."

"......"

"If once isn't enough, twice. If twice isn't enough, three times, four times. If the government buries the articles and smothers public opinion, then until they can't anymore—until people open their eyes, until heroes with their heads screwed on straight understand what I'm doing, until the day the government falls—I'll simply keep repeating it. Because..."

I met Nightingale's eyes straight on as I answered.

"Trying until your body breaks leaves less regret later than compromising with reality and looking the other way because you decided it was impossible."

"...!!!"

At that answer Nightingale released the hand she had been holding and pulled back the one she had rested near my heart.

I had struck precisely at the self-doubt she had been carrying all this time, but I pretended not to know a thing and asked,

"Why are you letting me go? I thought Nightingale-nim had come to carry out the extermination order on me as well."

"Compromising with reality and looking the other way because you decided it was impossible... Heh... I never imagined I'd hear words that fit my level so perfectly from a complete stranger—and a villain, no less."

"What do you mean?"

"No, it's nothing. Hah... I simply wanted to meet you at least once out of curiosity about what you were after, and if necessary eliminate you on the spot... but..."

Nightingale lightly slapped both cheeks with her hands, her expression somehow lighter.

"Instead I heard something that cleared my chest. Thanks to you I can finally take a proper look at myself. And I've made up my mind."

"Made up your mind about what?"

"I have no reason to tell you that much, do I?"

Nightingale turned completely around and slowly walked away from me.

"I never had the right to catch someone like you in the first place. I've let you escape. Since I let you go, that means there's nothing I can do about whatever you do with the materials here, or what you use them for."

"And you're fine with that?"

"Yes. It doesn't matter anymore. Ah, though there is one favor I'd like to ask of you. The one I saw earlier... would it be all right if I spoke with Eve for a moment?"

"From Eve's reaction earlier, I don't think she'd like that very much."

Nightingale, who had no idea I had seen Eve's past memories, flinched briefly, then let out a sigh.

"I... see. No, of course she wouldn't... Then would you pass a message along for me? Tell her I'm truly sorry... that I'll never appear in front of her again, so I hope she finds the happiness she lost. I know I have no right to say such things, but..."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Understood. I'll tell Eve exactly that."

Nightingale dipped her head lightly in farewell and gradually faded into the fog.

And just before she vanished completely into the mist, her voice reached me.

"...For some reason I feel like we'll meet again."

"Does that mean you'll be coming after me again?"

"Heh. Who knows."

I knew that wasn't what she meant, but there was nothing to gain from acting like I knew too much, so I simply played dumb.

Her final words echoed slowly through the fog.

"Come to think of it, I heard your name but never gave you mine. My real name is Han Yujin. However we meet next time... when that day comes, I hope you'll look after me again, Lee Yechan-ssi."

Nightingale... Han Yujin still hadn't left the fog.

She had declared that she was treating this as having let me escape.

That meant she had no justification to step outside the fog either unless I made a move of my own.

The moment I understood the situation, I called for Eve.

"Eve. That woman left. You can come out now."

"Is she... really gone? I hate that woman. I don't want to see her."

Hearing that Nightingale had left, Eve's face looked considerably more at ease.

I passed along the message Nightingale had left, but of course Eve showed no emotional reaction whatsoever and simply kept repeating that she hated Nightingale.

Well, one of the three who had subdued her during her rampage—it was only natural she'd dislike her.

"Eve, we have to leave too. You've got all the materials we took, right? Take them and head home first."

"Master, as weak as you are, can you even make it home alone without my help?"

That tongue of hers again.

"I'm not a three-year-old. I can get home just fine. Want me to cancel that Cookies & Cream Blended ice cream I was going to buy you?"

"!!!"

"Ah, and before you go, distract Jumper and Ironfist a bit. You can manage that, right? Don't fight them."

Eve nodded vigorously and shot straight up through the records-room ceiling.

—There! Prototype Eve spotted!

—Kid G has to be nearby, find him!

While Eve did an excellent job of drawing their attention, I burrowed through the ground toward Valkyrie and Kim Sejin outside and quietly poked my head up.

"Kid G-nim!"

"Kid G..."

I approached the two of them, who had been quietly waiting after being scolded by the senior heroes, and spoke with only my head sticking out of the earth.

"Come to think of it, Valkyrie-ssi said something to me earlier, didn't you? That I should show you proof of what this police station has been doing."

"Huh? Uh..."

"As I mentioned before, if you want to see it, turn on any TV channel tonight at midnight... not long now. That should answer you well enough."

"Kid G-nim! What about me! Explain why you stabbed me in the back on our two-person team and partnered up with that prototype instead!"

When Kim Sejin started hopping up and down, I sighed and rebuked her.

"When did I ever say I'd form a two-person team with you? That was just your one-sided claim."

"H-how could you... Do you know how hard I worked so I could be on the same team as Kid G-nim... Y-you were just toying with me..."

"No, I never did that."

"Y-you... you liar! Thief! Free-loader! May you never be able to use anything but paper straws for the rest of your life! May you be cursed so that every sentence you speak ends with the word 'no'—"

"Hey, cut it out! Are you trying to socially destroy a man completely!"

Hearing Eve's voice through the earpiece-mic meant she had already fled and that Jumper and Ironfist would be back this way any second.

Out of time, I gave the two of them a light wave and said goodbye.

"Anyway, it was... quite the strange day meeting you both. Don't forget to watch TV at midnight. Black Friend, thanks for the fun. Let's meet again if we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get the chance."

I fled via teleportation to the location of a clone I had hidden several kilometers away.

After Kid G left, Valkyrie was a nervous wreck, glancing around frantically under the guilt of having simply let the villain she always tried to catch walk free right in front of her.

Kim Sejin, on the other hand, stamped her feet in fury.

"Tch... tch... So because I'm not useful you don't want to team up with me, is that it? Just you wait! Once I'm as famous as you, even if you come crying and begging to form a team I won't give you the time of day!"