Yuki Kaizuka pressed the accelerator down harder, forcing the car to pick up even more speed.
There were now three other people in the vehicle with her.
One was a princess of the Vers Empire. Barring any unexpected developments, she would eventually become its empress.
Yet this princess had just revealed information so horrifying that it sent a chill through Yuki's entire body.
The Martian princess's supposed peace mission was actually part of a conspiracy.
The Orbital Knights intended to engineer an incident. Agents they had planted on Earth would launch a terrorist attack against the princess's ceremonial motorcade and assassinate her, making it appear to be an act of Terran terrorism.
The Orbital Knights would then use avenging the princess as their justification for launching a full-scale war.
"If you knew you were being targeted, why did you still come down here?"
Time was short. Yuki could not wait until she had heard the entire explanation before making her report, so they continued talking while she drove.
If Asseylum had already uncovered the conspiracy, descending to Earth anyway was the same as deliberately placing herself in danger.
"Because I intend to stop this war."
The answer did not surprise Yuki.
She studied the princess closely and saw no deception in her expression. Asseylum truly had come to Earth seeking peace.
That meant their immediate priority was protecting her life.
As long as the princess remained alive, the Orbital Knights would have no justification for starting a war.
No, that was wrong.
It would only delay them.
If the Orbital Knights were willing to sacrifice their own princess to achieve their goals, then even if this particular scheme failed, they would simply find another excuse.
Stopping the war would require far more than words.
The princess had clearly taken real action. She even commanded a military force willing to obey her orders. The enormous objects that had surfaced from beneath the ocean were most likely warships concealed by optical camouflage.
Earth was about to be invaded by Martian forces while simultaneously receiving protection from other Martian forces.
The situation was difficult to put into words.
"My apologies, Miss Yuki Kaizuka, but the motorcade will be leaving the embassy shortly. Eddelrittuo and I must take direct control of our doubles. Mr. Kain, I'll leave Eddelrittuo and myself in your care."
The devices they carried for remotely controlling the androids had already begun displaying notifications.
If they did not assume direct control, the androids' limited intelligence could easily expose the deception.
Asseylum called Eddelrittuo over, and the two of them immediately logged in.
"Huh?"
Yuki did not fully understand what they were doing.
The princess and her maid put on a pair of futuristic-looking goggles. Three seconds later, their bodies suddenly went limp, as though they had fallen asleep.
The young man they had entrusted themselves to caught them both.
There was definitely more to him than met the eye.
He appeared to be the princess's bodyguard, yet Asseylum treated him with far too much courtesy. Even the young maid seemed timid around him.
That probably meant the stern young man was one of the Orbital Knights, most likely a count who had refused to join the conspiracy.
Half an hour later...
"Damn it!"
Yuki glared at the completely congested road ahead.
She had no choice but to turn around.
The road had been clear only moments earlier. It was now blocked because the Martian princess's motorcade would soon pass nearby, drawing crowds of spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
"Kaizuka, what's going on? This communicator has been flashing nonstop..."
"You bastard! Where the hell have you been? Why are you only answering now?"
Yuki cut him off and nearly screamed into the radio.
She had been using the car's military radio to contact her superior, Captain Koichiro Marito, but he had not answered any of her calls.
She had not used a phone because it was an unreliable means of communication, and she had not brought hers with her in the first place.
"What's gotten you so worked up?"
"Shut up. First, confirm whether there's anyone else with you."
"I can confirm that I'm alone. In fact, I'm nearby. Look to your right. You should be able to see me."
Marito clearly realized that she had critical information to report, and his tone immediately became serious.
Following his directions, Yuki looked to the right and spotted him nearby.
She immediately turned the car around and drove toward him.
"What happened? You look furious."
"Shut up and don't interrupt me. The Martian princess's goodwill visit is a conspiracy. It's part of a Martian plan to start a war..."
Yuki delivered the information as clearly and concisely as possible.
Captain Marito's expression grew darker with every word.
"Understood. I'll immediately..."
"My recommendation is that you contact no one and issue no evacuation warning."
Kain, who had not intended to interfere, interrupted him with a warning of his own.
"Can you guarantee that this information won't reach the Martian agents hiding on Earth? If they realize Princess Asseylum has already uncovered their plan, prepared a double, and will survive the attack, they may abandon the assassination. But their preparations for war will not stop."
Asseylum was simply too kindhearted to consider the problem that deeply.
If she knew the consequences that could arise from leaking the information, she would be forced into a painful decision resembling the trolley problem.
That was why Kain had waited until her consciousness had transferred into the android before warning the other two. He was effectively shifting responsibility for the worst possible outcome onto them.
His original choice had been Yuki, but now a second candidate had appeared, one who seemed willing to assume the burden voluntarily.
"Wouldn't stopping the assassination be a good thing?"
Yuki could not understand his reasoning.
"No."
Marito understood what the man meant.
"The Orbital Knights' invasion of Earth is clearly all but inevitable. The princess's death is only an excuse, a spark to ignite the war. Even if she isn't killed, they'll eventually find another justification. We would have no idea what their next move might be, which means we wouldn't be able to prepare for it."
His expression hardened as the full implications became clear.
"But the princess already knows about this attack and has prepared to counter their scheme. All we need to do now is wait for them to fire the first shot and reveal themselves. That will expose their conspiracy. We can't issue an evacuation warning."
"But..."
"I know what you're about to say, Warrant Officer. If the Orbital Knights launch a sudden attack later, when we know nothing about their plans, the casualties could be far worse. Our best option is to pretend we know nothing and wait for them to strike first."
Marito looked toward Kain.
"Once they do, this gentleman will have both the evidence and justification he needs to take military action against the Orbital Knights responsible for the attack. Isn't that right?"
For the Vers Empire, this would also be an opportunity to purge its traitors.
They might never receive another chance like this.
Earth's military strength alone could never defeat Mars.
Koichiro Marito had personally witnessed the overwhelming technological power of Mars fifteen years ago. He understood better than most just how enormous the gap between the two sides truly was.
"Warrant Officer Kaizuka, I am ordering you not to report this information to anyone else. I will handle the matter myself."
"Captain Marito, but..."
"That is an order!"
"I... Understood!"
Yuki knew the true purpose behind her superior's order.
Marito intended to assume full responsibility for whatever happened.
If the information were disclosed, they could begin evacuations and take precautions. That might reduce the number of casualties or perhaps even prevent the war.
If they deliberately suppressed the warning, however, then every resulting death would be blamed on the man who had stopped the information from spreading.
Marito would bear responsibility for everyone who died.
That burden was far too heavy.
The next second...
"Captain, you... Mm!"
A dull impact sounded.
Before Yuki could react, Marito struck her and knocked her unconscious.
"I'm sorry."
Koichiro apologized with a weary sigh.
He would feel more confident that Yuki could neither reveal the information nor share his responsibility if he rendered her unconscious and physically prevented her from acting.
This way, she would not have to bear such overwhelming guilt.
He had knocked her unconscious, leaving her incapable of relaying the warning. Whatever happened next would not be her fault.
"By the way, sir, which of the thirty-seven Martian clans do you belong to?"
Marito asked the question with mild curiosity.
Of course, he did not expect an answer. The man would probably consider the question beneath him.
Martians were notoriously arrogant.
To his surprise, Kain actually answered.
The answer left Marito momentarily speechless.
Apparently, Martians could tell jokes too.
Kain might as well have claimed to be an alien or a surviving descendant of the ancient civilization that created Aldnoah.
Instead, he said he belonged to something called the Parallel World Human Rescue Organization.
(End of Chapter)
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