Iska seems to be busy with military strategy and intrigue.
*This chapter is from Iska’s point of view.*
The exclusive helicopter carrying me lands at the midnight heliport, and its rotors come to a halt.
I have finished the secret meeting with my uncle at a certain location. It is finally time to act.
The large-scale invasion operation “Storm of Destruction” has been declared, for the first time in a year.
“Kurando, it’s going to be busy from now on.”
“Indeed. Shall I summon all unit commanders for tomorrow morning?”
“Evening is fine. I don’t think Tozen or Todd will be awake in the morning.”
“Besides, there’s not much point in summoning Tozen.”
That’s true. That inhuman killer doesn’t think at all.
He just goes to the battlefield I assign and piles up corpses. I just need to prepare a suitable stage for him.
“I’ve flown around a lot and I’m a bit tired. Kurando, keep me company for a drink before I sleep.”
“I would be honored to join you.”
…A little fatigue can be seen on Kurando’s face too. Come to think of it, Kurando has been through a lot of hardship since I was a child.
He is a veteran of the Alliance and was called a Divine Soldier, who could have easily achieved promotion if he wished, yet he chose the path of misfortune out of loyalty to the Mido family, or rather, to my father and myself.
No matter what, I want to show this old servant the new world I am creating. I have an obligation to do so.
Returning to the living room of my private quarters in the Commander’s Building, I sit down on the sofa, and Kurando brings me brandy and salami.
Shuramarū… is he already asleep? Hawks are early risers.
I take a sip of the rock he made for me and savor it slowly. …The fatigue has lessened a bit.
“Phew, I feel alive again. Kurando, have a drink too.”
“Yes. What score would you give this large-scale invasion operation, Iska-sama?”
“Eighty points, I’d say.”
“Oh, that’s quite a high evaluation. Does that mean Marshal Zarazov has incorporated your advice, conveyed through Lieutenant General Shinonome, Iska-sama?”
“It seems so. Zarazov isn’t a complete idiot. Among the three marshals, Zarazov understands strategy the best.”
Though the other two aren’t worth talking about either.
“That’s good to hear. I hope this can at least cast a stone into the current state of comparing incompetents between the Alliance Army and the Mechanist Army.”
“Don’t joke, Kurando. The soldiers dying in this comparison of incompetents have no say in the matter. …If even Father were alive, it wouldn’t have come to this…”
“You say that. You have inherited Marshal Asura’s ideals, Iska-sama. You will change this world in his stead. The Marshal in the netherworld must also wish for it.”
“That’s right. And though Father may not have wished for it… I must also get revenge.”
Kurando drains his brandy glass and replies, “Indeed. However, even with this investigation, we couldn’t determine which marshal betrayed him. It’s certain that one of those three marshals betrayed Marshal Asura, but…”
Kurando’s gaze is not due to the alcohol, but likely from the desire for revenge. I feel the same.
“I suspect the traitor may not have been just one person.”
“…Are you saying the three marshals conspired?”
“It’s not far-fetched. When my father was alive, they were generals, and he kept them in check. The basic principle of murder investigation is, who benefited from the victim’s death?”
“Marshals Zarazov and Toga might do it, but would the opportunist Marshal Kaplan also participate?”
As I put a cigarette in my mouth, Kurando lights it for me as usual.
Indeed, a cigarette lit by Kurando is the most delicious.
“Perhaps precisely because it seems impossible, he might be the ringleader. Once this large-scale invasion operation is over, we will investigate the possibility of a conspiracy. If they were assigned roles, the path of investigation will change.”
I exhale smoke and words, and take a sip of brandy.
“Yes. What will you do if it’s revealed that the three marshals conspired?”
“I will kill them by any means necessary. All three of them. In the first place, those old fools are unnecessary in the world I will create.”
“Even if you are to kill them, we must consider the means and timing. It would be meaningless to have avenged him only to be defeated by the Mechanist Army.”
“That’s the difficult part. If we get caught up in internal strife, it will only benefit the Mechanist Army. It’s an extremely troublesome situation. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us first. Kurando, what do you think the Last Legion will do in the large-scale invasion operation?”
“Based on past tendencies, wouldn’t they try to counter-invade if they saw an opportunity? The young master of the Roogetsu family will want to earn points.”
“Likely. Shall we leave the Last Legion be for now?”
“Is that acceptable, even if our forces might suffer immense damage?”
“We will inflict damage on the Mechanist Army that surpasses that. It’s a competition for points, Kurando. We need to make them suffer a little, even if just to owe us a favor.”
“It’s customary for the cavalry to appear at the end, so shall we leave the Last Legion until the middle?”
“Oborozuki Setsuna would likely understand my intentions and agree to an unspoken truce. He is too sharp to be left in the Mechanist Army.”
“You seem to trust him greatly. The Last Legion is the sworn enemy of the Asura Unit, you know.”
“Precisely. Having fought them several times, I understand them better than any half-hearted ally. ‘Purgatory’ Setsuna is also one of the few men who can fight me head-on.”
“Indeed, he is terrifyingly skilled. It is no wonder he defeated Agito. I wish he were one of your subordinates, Iska-sama.”
“He might be saying the same thing about you, you know. That he wishes you were his subordinate. But even if he can defeat Agito, what about Kanata?”
“Kanata would stand no chance against Oborozuki Setsuna. They are on different levels.”
“For now. But if Kanata grows into a perfect compatibility candidate, it’s hard to say? Kanata has unfathomable depths. Just who is he…”
Perhaps “unfathomable” is not the right word; perhaps “unidentifiable” is more fitting…
“Who is he? Isn’t he a clone of Agito, created through clever experimentation?”
“Cloning was only successful by the Doctor, even if imperfectly. You heard Kanata say that in the helicopter returning from the Laboratory, didn’t you, Kurando?”
“I did, but what about it?”
“Think about it carefully. Kanata stated that all the experiments had failed.”
“Huh? How could he possibly know that?”
“Because there’s something missing from the calculation.”
“…Ah! You mean that Kanata himself, the supposed success, wasn’t included in the count?”
“Precisely. Why would someone who is supposed to be a success exclude himself? Furthermore, Kanata is so human-like for a clone, no, he possesses the individuality of a true human. I can’t believe that personality was artificially created.”
“Indeed, even within the Garden, which is full of unique individuals, he stands out for his distinctiveness…”
“Afterward, I deliberately made a slip of the tongue to test him. As expected, he had an indescribable, sad look in his eyes.”
That sad, sorrowful gaze. Yes, that was undoubtedly… a human’s eyes.
Kanata, what are you hiding? If your consciousness is that of an ordinary human… I would be happy, you know?
“Was that deliberate? I never would have thought of that.”
“I thought it was the kind of thing I would say, so Kanata probably didn’t find it unnatural. There are still other strange points. I noticed them after bringing him to the Garden.”
“And what are they?”
“He is too knowledgeable. Kanata has only been manufactured for about six months, yet he is surprisingly worldly-wise and frequently uses proverbs. I checked his library usage history at the Garden, and he does use it frequently, so he must like reading. However, even so, it’s hard to believe he learned so much knowledge in just a few months. He’s just like someone who grew up normally and loves to read. And do you remember the proverb-like words Kanata spoke when you brought him out of the Laboratory?”
“I remember them because they were good words. They were, ‘Humans are castles, humans are stone walls,’ weren’t they? I’d like to make it my motto.”
“I checked the catalog list of the Laboratory’s library, but there was no book containing such words. A clone who spoke such lines voluntarily, less than three months after manufacturing? It makes one want to be skeptical.”
“…I understand what you mean. Shall we summon Kanata and interrogate him?”
“It’s futile. Kanata is quick-witted and eloquent. He’ll talk his way out of it and won’t show any cracks.”
“He’s someone who could talk the horns off a bull, as they say.”
“There’s no doubt that Kanata’s body was created as a clone in the Laboratory. However, my conclusion is that Kanata’s consciousness is not the result of Shijima’s experiment.”
“Iska-sama, then what do you intend to do with Kanata?”
“I won’t do anything. Kanata is not a man who pledges loyalty to anyone, but he values bonds with his comrades above all else. You can see this from the examples of Natsume, Shion, and Lilith.”
Kurando’s rough hand brings the brandy glass to my lips, and I smile.
“He also appears to be indecisive and weak-willed towards women.”
“The reason doesn’t matter. As long as Kanata values bonds, he will fight for his comrades. As a result, he will be useful to me.”
“…I see. Whether he can win against Oborozuki Setsuna or not, Kanata has the potential to become an Asura Unit commander if he continues to grow. We shouldn’t provoke him unnecessarily.”
“Do you think so too, Kurando? That Kanata has the makings of a unit commander?”
“He’s still half-baked now, but his talent is on par with Agito’s. Moreover, he’s a man far from betrayal; as long as we don’t betray him, he will fight for the Asura Unit.”
On the latter point, I agree. As long as I don’t betray him, Kanata will never betray me.
However, on the former point, I disagree. Kanata is not on par with Agito. He is a superior talent.
In both strength and wisdom. If he gains experience, he will become my trump card, second only to Marika and Tozen. My judgment is not mistaken.
“Ah, that’s why I won’t probe or pry into Kanata. He’s an excellent and promising soldier, and that’s enough.”
“Yes. I will keep this conversation to myself.”
“Hmm. Don’t speak of this to anyone. Not even Hibiki, who knows about the cloning experiments.”
“Understood.”
Personally, I am interested. But personal curiosity can be saved for after I have created the new world.
I wonder if I could ask him after creating a new world. Kanata, just who are you?
