Chapter 190: The Lonely One (2)
Tolle paused for a moment, then looked at St. Lady's slightly panicked eyes and continued speaking:
"If there's no war and no weapon production, how would they make money? As long as there's war, they'll profit from it.
And since they have the power, they can take advantage of wartime to swallow up those seemingly weak families that refuse to bow to their influence, seizing all their wealth one by one.
Would they dare to do that during peacetime, when the world is stable? If the world were at peace, they'd lose the chance to profit from others' suffering like this."
Lady's eyes suddenly grew resolute, and Tolle felt as if she had switched into her soldier's mindset.
"Then if we eliminate the Romefeller Foundation and all the manipulators behind the scenes, won't Lord Treize finally be free of any worries?"
Tolle shook his head, denying her assumption, and explained patiently:
"Treize isn't that kind of cold-hearted man. Otherwise, he wouldn't grieve over the soldiers who died in battle.
After all, there are also his own relatives and friends within the Romefeller Foundation. He could never bring himself to destroy them personally. If he and his subordinates did such a thing themselves, it would only push him onto a dead-end path.
That's why we can't act rashly. We need to rely on the Gundam pilots and Zechs's group to eliminate those who truly stand in the way of global peace and stability.
For example—the ones who came up with this plan to deploy the MD drones to Earth for total annihilation operations."
Tolle switched the main monitor display to the chart outlining the Earth descent operation.
"These mobile dolls—MDs—shouldn't exist. A war without pain only makes the flames of war spread even further. A war without pain also makes people numb and indifferent.
Think about it: if you fight using the MD system, your family and friends won't be harmed by war. That seems like a good thing, right?
But the ones dying will be your most hated enemies—and their families and friends. For most people, that's painless, maybe even something to be happy about.
When a person grows completely numb and finishes killing all their enemies, who's next? Those who disagree with them? Those who oppose them? Or perhaps simply those they find unpleasant?"
Tolle paused again, looking at Lady, who was deep in thought, before continuing:
"Besides, those MDs won't show mercy to anyone. As long as something is designated as a target, they'll destroy it without hesitation.
How many lives will have to be sacrificed before one completely numb person feels satisfied? That's… hard to say."
St. Lady, looking confused and shaken, murmured, "That won't happen… it won't."
Tolle didn't want to push her too far. If she broke down now, Nami might refuse to take responsibility, and that would leave him in a bad spot. So he tried to comfort her:
"Alright, don't overthink it. I was just describing the worst-case scenario. It doesn't mean things will really turn out that way."
Just then, the door to the main control room suddenly opened, and the dazed Nichol stepped inside. When he saw Lady and Tolle sitting in front of the main display studying the operation plan, he froze.
"Lieutenant Colonel!" He suddenly realized he'd entered without knocking—and had even seen classified military data. Flustered, Nichol stammered, "Ah—sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Lady, I'll leave right away."
But as he turned to leave, St. Lady stopped him:
"It's alright. You don't have to go. This is the plan from the Romefeller Foundation—they're deploying MDs built in space to descend on Earth."
Nichol looked at the giant display, his eyes bright with excitement. "Lieutenant Colonel, this is the operation meant to eliminate all conflicts on Earth in one stroke, right?"
Lady answered with a look of helplessness: "That's what most people think. But I have no intention of letting the MDs descend to Earth."
Nichol stared at her in shock. He hadn't expected her to say that—it was outright defying Duke Dermail's orders.
What's worse, the Duke had just ordered him to monitor Zechs and Lady's actions. Now he was caught in a real dilemma.
Lady continued, gazing at the large screen as she spoke: "According to the Romefeller Foundation's logic, they believe that letting the strong rule the world will bring peace. But Lord Treize refuses to rule the world that way."
"Lord Treize…"
St. Lady lowered her head, her voice filled with sorrow. "If Lord Treize doesn't return from space, this world's order will never be corrected. Then my work will have no meaning, and space will no longer need me."
Seeing her so dejected, Nichol completely forgot about the Duke's instructions.
He knelt on one knee before Lady, lowering his gaze below hers in the posture of a knight, and said solemnly:
"No, Lieutenant Colonel Lady. You still have your duty as an OZ soldier."
"As an OZ soldier?" she repeated blankly.
"In the end, that means supporting Lord Treize. As soldiers, our only duty is to remain loyal to our mission—nothing else matters.
Lieutenant Colonel, you have the qualities of a true leader. Even as a soldier, your remarkable talents can still shine."
Tolle, standing nearby, couldn't help smirking. If it weren't for the fact that this guy was still useful—and that Lady's "saint mode" needed to be kept in check—he would've kicked him out already.
Still, this shameless bootlicker really had no idea—Lady Une was a woman he could never hope to have.
Putting on a deliberately furious expression, Tolle shouted, "Lieutenant Nichol! Watch your words! Are you trying to sway your superior's judgment? If someone with ill intent overheard you, what do you think they'd assume?"
"No, that's not what I meant!"
"And next time you want to say something like that, make sure the door is closed so no outsiders can eavesdrop!"
Nichol looked embarrassed at first, but when he heard the second half of Tolle's sentence, he relaxed slightly. "Thank you, Darks."
He quickly shut the control room door, took a deep breath, and mustered his courage to speak again:
"I'm not trying to sway or manipulate you, Lieutenant Colonel—I'm supporting you. So please, put on your uniform and act as a soldier of OZ once more."
St. Lady asked numbly, "As a soldier supporting Lord Treize?"
Nichol nodded firmly. "Yes. That's what Lord Treize would expect."
"Lord Treize… is expecting that of me?"
"Yes, that's right."
Tolle glanced at Lady, who seemed lost and uncertain. From here on, she would have to rely on herself. He could only hope her two personalities would finally merge into one.
"Alright, let's step out for now," Tolle said, pulling Nichol toward the door. "We'll have the attendants come and help Lieutenant Colonel Lady change into her uniform."