The investigation mission had come to an end. What remained was no longer something Silas and the others needed to be involved in. As combat personnel, their duty was only to investigate the specifics of this small-scale Honkai incident. Once Fire Moth's logistics division arrived to take over, they would be free to return.
If even the follow-up arrangements required combatants to manage, then what would be the point of Fire Moth's existence? To have frontline soldiers handle such things? Ridiculous.
Of course, in the previous timeline, things had spiraled so far out of control that even someone like Mobius—a pure researcher—had been forced onto the battlefield. That had been unavoidable. Compared to most, Mobius still counted as one of the few remaining viable fighting forces.
Before boarding the transport plane back, Silas sought out Kosma.
"Kosma, about you and Dystopia…"
"Silas, I think I've already made my stance clear," Kosma replied.
Silas glanced at Pardofelis, who was still trying to comfort the tearful Dystopia, and said, "No—you're just running away. 'If paths diverge, they cannot walk together'—that saying isn't wrong, but it isn't always true either. Have you ever truly tried to understand Dystopia?"
"I…" Kosma almost said he had grown up alongside her, that of course he understood her. But then he remembered—last time, he had failed to see the turmoil and unease hidden in her heart. The words caught in his throat.
"I had my conflicts with Elysia as well," Silas continued. "The Eleventh Herrscher incident remains a wall between us. But now, we understand each other. We know why we each acted the way we did. I don't know if that wall will ever vanish, or if it will always remain… but at the very least, she and I are still friends."
Perhaps even more than friends, though he did not say it aloud.
The tragedy with the Herrscher of Binding—had he hated Elysia for it? Of course. He had admitted as much during that vacation. Yet when he looked from her perspective, she had not been wrong.
Her judgment had come from human rationality.
After all, the plan to push the Herrscher's authority to its limit by feeding it countless external lifeforms—outside of him, for everyone else, it was nothing more than a possibility, a theory.
If it failed, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
His own decision at that time could hardly be called rational from a human standpoint. It had been the arrogance of an observer—he was, after all, a being from beyond this world. That detachment freed him from taboos others could not ignore.
After their honest exchange, their relationship had drawn closer than in the previous timeline. Though he had not revealed his greatest secret—that he was an outsider observer—at least Elysia now understood why he had acted as he did.
Kosma fell silent.
(Silas is right. I… yes, I really am just avoiding this. I've kept dodging the subject, but ever since admitting to him that I harbor special feelings for Dystopia, I've been more honest with myself… and also more afraid. If I confess, then the shadow of the Eighth Herrscher will always hang over us. I'm afraid of that future—afraid of something I might not be able to endure. Saying 'our paths are different' isn't the whole truth… in the end, the bigger reason is that I'm just running away.)
Silas turned and stepped aboard the transport plane. "Anyway, that's all I'll say. Whatever you decide, remember this—you're still a few years away from being an adult. Fire Moth doesn't exactly encourage puppy love."
From Kosma's expression, he could already tell he'd struck the mark. He had spoken from experience, after all. Kosma's predicament was one he had once shared. The empathy was real.
He no longer tried to avoid things—but neither did he confront them. In truth, he had chosen to simply… muddle through.
The difference between them lay here: Silas had seen and felt both Lilith's and Elysia's feelings for him. And because he could not choose between them, he opted to surrender to indecision.
Kosma, however, still had to find his own way forward. All Silas could do was give advice. Whether Kosma continued to flee, tried to face it, or chose—like him—to stumble along aimlessly, that was Kosma's own decision to make.
Kosma: "…"
That last part was unnecessary, wasn't it? Puppy love? Really?
He was being so serious, and then suddenly he veers off track… Still, I suppose I've once again seen a side of Silas that's different from the version I remember in my past life.
If the leader was like this… then what about those fallen angels he led? Were they the same?
With complicated feelings, Kosma boarded the return transport.
The journey back was quiet. With two moody, emotional adolescents in their group, no one else found it easy to start a conversation.
At some point, Silas—having retrieved his phone with Elysia's permission—created a group chat and began messaging.
Silas typed into the group chat:
Silas: "@Pardofelis, Pardofelis, about what you and Sakura handled today—did it cause you any discomfort?"
Pardofelis stared at the message on her phone, then carefully tapped out a reply, her typing slow and clumsy:
Pardofelis: "I'm fine, Brother Silas. Uh… I think I'm fine. Things like that… well, in Sundown Alley they're not exactly rare."
She had never received much proper schooling as a child, so her literacy was limited. If not for that, she wouldn't have accidentally signed the consent form that made her a MANTIS in the first place. Later, she picked up bits and pieces, and recently Dystopia had been teaching her more. She could at least follow the general meaning of most texts, though many characters still confused her. That was why she typed so slowly.
Sakura added her own message:
Sakura: "Pardofelis is stronger than I thought. Although she was startled when that woman suddenly turned into a Zombie, she didn't falter. It proves your decision was right, Silas—had we been a step late, the Zombie might have caused far greater damage."
Silas: "Don't tell Dystopia about this matter yet."
Kevin's name lit up next.
Kevin: "@Silas, what do you plan to do next?"
Silas: "This is something only the two of them can resolve. Until they figure it out themselves, none of us can really help."
Kevin: "I'm not only asking about that. What about Lilith? You still have no plan?"
Silas: "…"
Kevin: "In terms of force, Kalpas can assist us. All we need is a specific date for action."
Su chimed in:
Su: "Kevin, when did you contact Kalpas?"
Elysia: "@Kevin, I'm still in this chat, you know."
Silas: "After the Fourth Herrscher incident, I'll make arrangements to bring Lilith back."
Elysia: "???"
Kevin's intentions might have been to push them into a pairing, but Lilith's intellect truly was essential for the plans ahead. This time, Silas chose to answer him head-on.
Kosma, meanwhile, could feel the silence pressing on him. Everyone was subdued because of his situation with Dystopia. He looked around: Sakura, Pardofelis, Silas, and Elysia sat opposite, while Kevin and Su were between him and Dystopia.
Su seemed to be communicating with the director of the research institute, but his expression looked… off. Was there a problem?
Kevin was also bent over his phone, fingers moving quickly.
(Probably messaging Mei… I've heard lovers are fond of that sort of thing.)
Kosma glanced again at the opposite side, where three women and one man all had their heads lowered over their phones. He was left a little dazed.
Silas and Elysia he could understand. Elysia was most likely teasing Mobius, while Silas was probably confirming some experiment progress with Vill-V.
But what about Sakura and Pardofelis?
Was Sakura messaging her little sister?
And Pardofelis? Surely she wasn't just practicing her typing… right?
Then Kosma noticed Elysia suddenly puff her cheeks in irritation, glaring at Silas, before snatching his phone right out of his hands.
Kosma: "…"
(Don't tell me… they actually created a separate group chat without me…?)
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