Chapter 46: A Lie is Always a Lie…
『 "Tsk, so this lie about 'sleeping' couldn't be kept up after all… Who would've thought her mechanical knowledge had reached the point she can accurately diagnose an Intelligent Construct?" Magus sighed after hearing Belle's account.
"No wonder she asked me to buy books about Intelligent Constructs with her a while back… I was careless," Trigger said, covering her head and sighing.
"Compared to that… what about Seed Sr.'s 'Knock-Knock' replying to her messages?" Orpheus pointed out the crucial detail.
"Seed Sr.'s phone has been in our squad's common room ever since he died… Has anyone used it?"
"I thought about it... But a dormant Intelligent Construct that still responds? That's just suspicious, so I didn't go through with it." Trigger said.
"…It wasn't me either, but that's not important—anyway, her suspicion isn't because of the Knock-Knock messages. On the contrary, Seed Sr.'s account replying to her only makes her more convinced that he's still alive," Magus said.
"The urgent priority is to fabricate another lie, to make her believe that even if Seed Sr. isn't in deep sleep, he is absolutely not dead—we can't let her carry out that mysterious plan, whatever it is, and we can't let her get stuck in a dead end!" 』
『 ....』
〘Elysia〙: But♪ one lie requires countless other lies to maintain♪.
〘Magus〙: This is my comrade's dying wish! I must do this!
〘March 7th〙: I suppose this is what they call a 'white lie'.
〘Aglaea〙: A lie is always a lie, just that sometimes… it can be nobler than the truth.
〘Cipher〙: …
....
『 After saying this, Magus pondered for a moment, then looked up with some hesitation and asked Belle.
"Proxy… how's your hacking? Something like hacking into the Defense Force radio station… You can do that, right?"
"Are you serious? That's illegal… Is it really okay for a Defense Force sergeant like you to propose something like this?" Belle looked at Magus, shocked.
Magus turned her gun barrel away, not looking at Belle: "People in the gray industry don't have the right to lecture me! And I'm already working with you, is there any need to worry about this? As long as we don't get exposed, it'll be fine!"
"Big Sis Magus, I feel like we're getting less and less law-abiding…" Orpheus poked her fingers.
"Understood. Please don't worry about that aspect. I have Fairy's help, and my brother is assisting me, so I'm confident I can complete the mission brilliantly!"
Seeing Magus say this, Belle had no choice but to agree.
Afterward, Magus laid out her plan: Belle would hack into the official Defense Force broadcast to relay to Seed that Seed Sr. was on a long-term mission, making external communication difficult.
Orpheus raised a question: Seed Sr.'s body was still with Seed, so how could he be on a mission?
Magus decided to shoot the arrow after drawing the target; she would follow Seed's line of thinking and say that Seed Sr. had been re-equipped with a new body by the higher-ups, which would round everything out.
Then she asked Belle to hack into the radio station to set the plan in motion. Belle nodded, indicating the plan seemed fine, but…
"Hmm? Do you still have concerns, Proxy?" Magus asked, looking at Belle, who was hesitating.
"Using a lie to cover up another lie… is this right? If Seed knew the truth, she'd be really sad…" Belle voiced her thoughts. 』
『 ....』
〘Seed〙: I would be really sad, but it was Seed Sr.'s dying wish, so I understand why the Captain is doing this. It's just… I'm still a bit frustrated…
〘Magus〙: Sorry, Seed. I…
〘Orpheus〙: What do we do, what do we do? Big Sis Trigger, think of something!
〘Soldier 11〙: Let's go eat ramen. Extra spicy.
〘Trigger〙: That's a great idea. It's a good chance to catch up with the shop owner.
....
『 "Do you have any issues with my decision? Accepting this commission means being prepared to be the villain, to deceive that girl… Don't you know that?" Magus's eyes turned red, furious.
"Captain, the Proxy didn't mean to criticize you. I can understand your difficult position… but the Proxy's concern is not unreasonable," Trigger said.
"I know. Proxy, if you want to blame me for not being the 'good guy,' then go ahead… I am the Captain of the Obol Squad, and I have an obligation to be responsible for all members." Magus calmed down and looked at Belle.
"I will carry out Seed Sr.'s dying wish to the end. You just go ahead and do it… I will bear the consequences of anything that happens."
Just as everyone was discussing the plan, Seed's safehouse welcomed a new guest.
Veronica, with her yellow hair, sighed: "Phew… this place is really… full of twists and turns… and suffocating…"
"Yah-hoh~, are you the old friend of Seed Sr. who contacted me on Knock-Knock a week ago? You didn't get lost on the way, that's impressive," Seed smiled at Veronica.
"You flatter me. My name is Veronica, formerly a military doctor for the Obsidian Division, and also Seed's attending physician and friend."
"Seed?" Seed was confused.
"Sorry, I forgot. You are Seed now… He has become 'Seed Sr'. Anyway, we had a friendship spanning many years… The first time I was trapped in a Hollow, it was he who saved me," Veronica replied.
"Seed, it's actually not our first time meeting. When Seed Sr. brought you out of the Hollow Zero, I was the one who did your physical examination… but you probably don't remember." 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: You don't remember, right? I even held you when you were little.
〘Belle〙: Brought out of the Hollow Zero???
〘Seed〙: Hiss, so spicy, so spicy. That's right, I'm the kid Seed Sr. brought out of the Hollow Zero.
〘Magus〙: If you can't handle the spice, go change to a bowl that isn't spicy!
....
『 Seed sighed after hearing this, thinking about how such things happened, then changed the subject and invited Veronica in to sit.
Veronica nodded, then saw the flowers in Seed's safehouse. She asked: "Seed, what about those flowers?"
Those flowers, after being bathed in both Aether corruption and Seed's engine oil, had mostly lost their vitality.
Seed explained that those children were flowers he had planted himself, and said that if the doctor was a friend of Seed Sr., she should know he liked planting flowers, and that he had started liking them under his influence.
"Is that so? So in your eyes, those things can also be called flowers?" Veronica whispered. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Boo-hoo!
〘Belle〙: Boo-hoo!
〘March 7th〙: This tone, something's not right!
....
『 "Let's get back to the point… Seed, so many years have passed, I believe you miss Seed Sr. just as much as I do. That's why you responded to my contact so actively."
"Yes. Whether he is in a deep sleep using technology I don't understand, or he has awakened, but his consciousness is not in his body… it is time for him to return," Seed nodded.
"I've tried several methods on these flowers that aren't very spirited due to the Hollow's illusions: engine oil, fuel drink, saltwater, plant juice… I intended to do the same regarding Seed Sr."
"Doctor, you are that cup of Nitro-Fuel," Seed said, looking at Veronica.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, but it doesn't matter. As I said in my private message, I have a way to bring him back, but I need your cooperation."
"What do I need to do? From mechanical modification to programming, as long as you give me some study time, I can handle it proficiently," Seed said, patting his chest.
"No… It's not time for that yet." Veronica shook her head, then stared intently at Seed and asked: "Seed… when you see the flowers you planted wither, how do you feel? Do you feel sad?"
"Hmm… a little? After all, those children lost their energy… I used to eat the flowers that lost their energy, but Captain Magus and Trigger don't let me do that anymore…"
Veronica scoffed: "Do you really understand the concept of wither? In your view, is there any difference between this and Seed Sr.'s deep sleep?" 』
『 ....』
〘Magus〙: Dammit! I've been trying every possible way to hide this from Seed, and you just blurted it out right off the bat?
〘Orpheus〙: Ah! Big Sis Trigger! Help! Big Sis Magus is going crazy!
....
『 "Aren't they the same concept? Whether they wither or not, whether they are asleep or not, flowers are flowers, and Seed Sr. is still Seed Sr." Seed answered.
"As expected… just as I thought. You don't understand what Seed Sr. has gone through. I've heard you always perform remarkable feats on your missions… but it seems that all you've grown in these years is your combat power, not your will." Veronica sneered.
"If that's the case, then there's no need for you to be involved in my plan." Seed revealed his usual smile.
"Doctor, did you come all the way to the Hollow Zero just to say this? Are we not going to continue discussing our cooperation?"
"Don't give me that smile devoid of any emotion… If you want this conversation to continue, you must first earn my approval." Veronica said, looking at Seed.
"To tell you the truth, my rank has already been promoted to Junior Lieutenant, and I can designate specific personnel to carry out special missions. There is a mission here; if you're willing, I'll hand it to you to execute."
"A mission? Is the target Ethereals or rebels this time? Ooh, how much time do I have?" Seed asked. 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: Dying of laughter, same mindset as Hotaru.
〘Hotaru〙: What's wrong with that? Efficiency first!
〘Stelle〙: Are all mecha girls like this?
....
『 "...Neither. Just a group of Hollow Raiders who stole military resources. They're trapped in the Hollow. We need to recover those resources... your job isn't to destroy them, but to rescue them." Veronica introduced the mission to Seed.
"Perhaps your gun can easily crush an enemy fortress, but it doesn't necessarily mean it can protect a person. If you can do it, we will continue our cooperation."
"Ooh~ New game rules, huh... okay then, let's get moving!"
"I will accompany you on this mission, but you can only rely on yourself."
"Prove your growth to me, Seed." 』
『 ....』