Rose appears to be afraid of ghosts.
I lay down on the makeshift bed made of parachute fabric.
The ground was quite cold. Just as Kanata said, if the fabric wasn’t thick enough, the chill from the ground would steal my body heat.
It was a bit chilly because there was nothing to cover myself with. I added some firewood to the bonfire to try and get a little warmer.
As the flames grew stronger, it became more comfortable.
Kanata returned after finishing setting up the noisemakers, so I asked him.
“How long do you think it will be before the search party finds us?”
Kanata drank some liquid gum syrup from a plastic bottle, making a sour face.
“At the shortest, two days. After all, all radar is unusable here. If they have to search by sight, they can only do so during daylight.”
“I see. I hope the search party finds us soon…”
Actually, I was worried if they would find us.
“Don’t make such a worried face. It’s certain they’ll find us men.”
“Certain? Do you have a plan?”
“Ah, I can’t tell you the details, but I have an expert searcher among my comrades. The problem is that where that comrade is now is far away. However, once that comrade arrives in the forest, they will definitely find us.”
“Really!?”
“It’s not a comfort or a reassurance, it’s a fact.”
Kanata’s face looked confident as he said that. Hope was rekindled!
“Th-then let’s do our best to survive, okay? So they don’t find our corpses!”
Kanata glanced at me, who was clenching my fists, and then said expressionlessly, “You must try your best. Produce results.”
“R-right.”
“Haha, I’m just kidding. That’s my father’s catchphrase.”
Kanata’s smile made me feel relieved.
“…Your father was a strict man, wasn’t he?”
“If he was just strict, that would be fine, but he was also insensitive to people’s feelings, which made him worse. Telling someone who is trying their best that they must try their best and produce results only discourages them. He didn’t even understand that. His judgment standard was entirely himself, a common trait among truly brilliant people.”
“…Yeah, I understand.”
“Looking at Rose’s face, was the rumor true?”
“What rumor?”
“The rumor that Marshal Godhardt is a stern man. Some of the more extreme rumors even said that Marshal Godhardt was assassinated, and a robot was impersonating him.”
“That’s really terrible. My father is a strict man, but he’s not a robot!”
Kanata looked disbelieving and pointed behind me.
“R-Rose! …Who is that behind you?”
“!!!”
I quickly turned around! A g-ghost appeared!!
…There was no one behind me. Kanata’s suppressed laughter echoed from behind me.
“Boo! You tricked me! That’s terrible, terrible! I’m afraid of ghosts!”
I lightly hit Kanata’s chest with both fists.
“My bad, my bad. So, the Princess is afraid of ghosts, huh?”
“What kind of person isn’t afraid of ghosts! You’re not scared, are you, Kanata!”
“No, I’m not particularly scared.”
“Lies!”
“It’s true. More than ghosts… humans are far scarier.”
“Humans are scarier than ghosts?”
“Of course. Ghosts can only kill four or five people at most. Compared to the number of people humans kill, it’s child’s play. Even as a new recruit, I’ve killed more than I can count on my fingers and toes. My superior said he stopped counting once he passed one hundred.”
Kanata said this with a melancholic expression.
“…I wish this war would end soon. Why won’t the Alliance lay down its arms?”
“Because the Mechanist Army won’t recognize their independence.”
“Are you saying the Mechanist Army is at fault? The Alliance Army started the war!”
“Ten people grew one hundred apples. Two people with guns took fifty, giving forty to four submissive people and only ten to the other four. What do you think?”
“It’s unfair. They should share it all.”
“The four who were excluded said so. However, the two with guns stubbornly refused. They were threatened with guns if they tried to resist. So, the excluded four stole bullets from the guns when they had the chance. What do you think will happen?”
“…A fight would break out, right?”
“It would. Now, are the four who were excluded entirely at fault for this fight? I don’t think dividing everything equally is fair. But to expect them not to be upset when the ones with guns take half the harvest just because they have guns… I think that’s unreasonable.”
I couldn’t answer. The people in this analogy represented the city-states, and the guns represented the orbital bombardment satellites.
“Once the guns were neutralized, the two greedy individuals and the four who stole the bullets could have had a discussion. The four opportunists could have mediated. But no one did. That’s why the fight started. Rose, you may not agree with this, but who caused it? Wasn’t it the two who threatened with guns and enforced unfairness?”
“Maybe, but the four who were excluded also abandoned the path of coexistence and started the fight!”
“Ah, the two with guns lacked fairness, and the four who stole bullets lacked tolerance. The four opportunists likely lacked a sense of responsibility. If everyone had compromised and made an effort, even a little, the fight wouldn’t have happened. Nevertheless, I believe the righteousness of the fight was on the side of the excluded four. They had a claim to rectify blatant unfairness.”
“…………”
“Tragedy began like this, but tragedy turned into comedy. An unsalable comedy.”
Kanata said with a cynical sneer as he fed more wood to the bonfire.
“Unsalable comedy?”
“Yes, the comedy of the Alliance Army, which started the war to break the Mechanist Army’s vested interests, becoming vested interests themselves as the war continued. It’s like the hunter becoming the hunted. Thus, the Alliance Army, having transformed into the Second Mechanist Army, continues to fight under the guise of feigned justice.”
“…If that’s the case, this war should end immediately.”
“I agree. The comedy will continue even if the war ends, though.”
“Why?”
“Because there are bosses who hoard vested interests. The Mechanist Army retains its vested interests, and the Alliance Army, which has become the Second Mechanist Army, also retains them. In essence, when the war ends, you’ll just have one more hyena greedily hoarding vested interests. It’s better to say two nasty amoebas have split.”
“I am also one of the …hyenas who hoard vested interests, according to Kanata.”
“…I’m sorry. I don’t mean to criticize Rose…”
“No. I understand what Kanata is saying. It’s painful to hear, but…”
…I’ve only experienced opinions and education from those in power until now.
“But don’t try to change the current situation.”
“Why! If unfairness is rampant, then someone should…”
“Die?”
“Eh!?”
“According to my father, ‘Breaking down vested interests is a life-or-death struggle. Vested interests are the sweetest fruit in this world, and those who have tasted it will kill without hesitation those who try to take it away. They will do so under the guise of a just cause, in the name of false righteousness.’ I disliked my father, but I think he’s right.”
“…Do you know how indulgences came about, Kanata?”
“Ah, the system where the church sells a certificate that absolves any sinful person? The person who thought of it was a business genius.”
“There was a faction that argued such acts violated the teachings of the Jesdas religion and tried to stop the sale of indulgences.”
“…What happened then?”
“…They were all burned at the stake as heretics.”
“You wouldn’t want that to happen to you, would you?”
“No. …But, indulgences are no longer sold. Even after burning the first people who protested, they couldn’t stop it. Others continued to follow, who refused to give up!”
“…That’s true. Humans aren’t so bad after all.”
“That’s right. I won’t give up on humanity. Because I won’t give up.”
“Then by all means, Rose, become Emperor and change the world. I’m counting on you.”
“E-Emperor! Me!?”
“Aren’t there countless queens and empresses throughout history? If Rose wants to change the world, becoming Emperor is the quickest way. You are in a position to do so.”
I had never even considered such a thing. My older brother, Adel, was already decided as the next Emperor.
“…B-but… to do that…”
“Yes. It would mean pushing aside those who stand in your way to seize power. But you know, how you gain power isn’t the most important thing. What matters is how you use it.”
“…I don’t want to become Emperor by pushing aside my older brother Adel.”
“Power struggles are bloody conflicts. If you want to keep your hands clean, stay away from power. Those who aren’t prepared to dirty their hands cannot possibly change this twisted world.”
“Can’t we resolve it through discussion!”
“If it could be resolved through discussion, would the world be like this! It’s foolish to use force against someone you can talk to, but it’s hopelessly idiotic to talk to someone you can’t!”
Kanata’s words stung. They made me acutely aware of my naivety.
Kanata apologized to me, who had fallen silent, in a gentle voice.
“…Sorry. I went too far. It’s not Rose’s fault at all. What I’m saying is just my opinion. You don’t have to take it seriously. Just dismiss it as the grumbles of a jaded soldier.”
“No, it’s just that with everything that’s happened lately, I haven’t been able to process it all.”
“That’s enough of a young person’s rant. I’ll keep watch, so you can rest assured.”
With that, Kanata leaned against the wall in front of the corridor, sat down, and closed his eyes, still holding his sword.
“Can you really rest like that?”
“No problem. My sword master taught me to train sleeping in this posture. Rose, you should lie down properly.”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Goodnight, Kanata.”
I decided to take advantage of Kanata’s words and lie down.
Sleepiness soon overcame me. My mind and body were at their limit… it seemed…
My favorite stand is Killer Queen.
