Talia Gladys was a mature and strikingly beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes.
She was also a captain, one who had nearly become a formidable enemy of the Archangel.
The reason was that she had once placed great faith in a certain man, Gilbert Durandal, who had also been her lover.
However, PLANT's former marriage regulations had prevented them from remaining together. Their genes were deemed incompatible, so Talia eventually had no choice but to marry someone else.
Coordinators had never been entirely free to choose whom they loved and married.
Now that the Coordinators' genetic defects had been exposed, PLANT's old marriage regulations would clearly have to change.
Coordinators would finally gain some freedom to pursue love, provided their chosen partner was a Natural.
If both partners were Coordinators, they would be strongly advised against having children.
Talia had ultimately chosen to side with the Clyne faction, which was why she never became an enemy of the Archangel.
The revelation of her former lover's conspiracy had also caused her tremendous pain.
"Miss Natarle, where is Miss Murrue?"
"She should have gone to see Lacus."
Natarle remained extremely tense as she answered.
Something was threatening to leak, and she was terrified that the woman standing before her would notice.
If not for that physical evidence, Natarle might still have believed the entire experience had been an indescribable dream.
That evidence forced her to accept that everything had truly happened.
Her head was still spinning. She could not imagine how she had done something like that.
She had barely drunk anything at the banquet the night before. She had been completely sober.
"I see. In that case, could you please give this document to Miss Murrue?"
"Of course."
Natarle accepted the document.
Once Talia left the room, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even so, she had noticed the meaningful expression on Talia's face.
Natarle was resting in Murrue's room rather than her own, and her behavior differed considerably from her usual stern and cold demeanor.
She appeared flustered, as though desperately afraid that someone might discover a secret hidden inside the room.
Talia had undoubtedly misunderstood the situation.
During the previous night's banquet, Talia had attempted to introduce Natarle to several outstanding men from PLANT.
Natarle had used Murrue as a shield, pretending that her romantic interests lay elsewhere and that she was attracted to Murrue.
Now Talia had visited early in the morning and found Natarle inside Murrue's room, visibly struggling to maintain her usual calm and decisive composure.
Naturally, the misunderstanding had only deepened.
Natarle decided to let her believe it.
At least this way, Talia would stop recommending supposedly excellent men to her.
Besides, the truth was not something she could ever explain.
The night before, Natarle had mistakenly believed Murrue was being held hostage. She had accidentally pushed open the door and disturbed the two people inside.
Everything that happened afterward made her wonder whether her mind had stopped functioning properly.
After being discovered, Murrue had suddenly called out to her and asked whether she had feelings for a certain man.
If she did, Murrue told her, then she should seize the opportunity now.
He would soon leave this world, and any future visits would probably be brief and infrequent.
In other words, Murrue had invited her to join them.
It had been completely absurd.
Natarle had given her no answer because she did not know how to respond.
Murrue eventually stopped waiting. She simply ignored Natarle's presence and continued what she had been doing.
Natarle remained frozen where she stood, unable to decide whether to look or turn away.
She wanted to leave, yet for some inexplicable reason, she could not make herself stand.
Murrue's actions had genuinely shaken something inside her, but Natarle's upbringing and sense of propriety prevented her from abandoning all restraint.
Eventually, when Murrue appeared close to her limit, she reached out and tugged Natarle toward her.
Natarle could still have refused.
Instead, dazed and unable to explain her own decision, she allowed Murrue to draw her in.
...
A massive arena stood in Aprilius City, the capital of PLANT.
In addition to hosting athletic competitions, it also served as a concert venue.
PLANT's foremost songstress, their beloved princess, had performed there many times. Her goddess-like voice had carried into every corner of the arena.
It was also one of the best places to see her radiant smile, a smile that filled countless people with happiness.
Today, however, their princess was holding a concert in a very different style.
She was wearing an adorable Mobile Suit-themed mascot costume.
The costume did not completely conceal her. Its large, rounded head could be lifted backward like a lid, allowing Lacus's entire face and twin tails to remain visible.
With the rounded head folded behind her, it looked as though Lacus were wearing an enormous and adorable hat.
"Our princess is even cuter like this!"
"Right? Right?"
Countless people screamed with delight, especially the members of the fan club established specifically for Lacus.
Calling them devoted would have been an understatement. Many of them were practically fanatics.
Every member of that particular fan club was a woman, and male members were not accepted.
Of course, Lacus also had a separate fan club exclusively for men.
The primary themes of today's concert were opposition to war, the pursuit of peace, and humanity joining hands to explore the stars and move toward a brighter future.
"Fields of Hope..."
Her voice, capable of filling everyone who heard it with happiness, flowed throughout the arena.
The songstress had already stepped down from the stage and entered the crowd.
No one rushed toward her in a frenzy. Instead, everyone moved aside, creating enough room for her to walk freely.
When Lacus spotted several children, she approached them and seemingly produced a collection of small mascot dolls through magic before handing them out.
Naturally, it was not genuine stage magic.
She was simply retrieving toys she had prepared in advance from her personal storage space.
When the song ended, Lacus closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as though praying.
"Like sunlight piercing the night..."
A different melody and unfamiliar lyrics flowed from her lips.
The expression of the man serving as her exoskeleton changed. His normally absolute rationality faltered, and his emotional side stirred violently.
Those lyrics were far too familiar.
"A new storm has arisen.
How can we remain where we are?
Crossing time and space with all my strength,
I will come to your side."
By that point, Kain was completely certain.
It was that song.
Yet he could not understand how Lacus knew it.
Only three thin layers of fabric separated them, allowing him to feel each of her movements clearly, but that offered no explanation for how she had learned a song from his memories.
Versions of the Ultraman franchise existed in both Asuna's and Kuroneko's worlds, but neither included Ultraman Tiga.
The song did not exist in those worlds either.
That left only one possibility.
Had this princess somehow looked into his memories and read his mind?
No.
Kain was certain that nothing like that had happened.
Lacus would never invade his mind without permission.
Had she composed the song entirely by herself?
Could the similarity truly be a coincidence?
"Smile when facing danger.
The day our dreams come true is not far away...
Gather your courage and stride ahead.
A miracle is certain to appear."
As Lacus reached those lines, her smile became more radiant than ever before.
Through their connection, she could clearly feel the change in Kain's heartbeat.
She had shaken him.
In truth, Lacus had only learned the song two hours earlier through Tifa.
More precisely, Alice, who was in Tifa's world, had told her about it.
Lacus had approached Alice because Murrue requested a private conversation early that morning.
The conversation needed to remain hidden from Kain, so Lacus used her Mediator ability to establish a mental link with Murrue.
Murrue explained Kain's true emotional state to her.
The decision of whether to widen the fracture in his emotions was left entirely to Lacus.
Doing so might have dangerous consequences.
Kain might truly begin to fear death because he would finally possess people he could not bear to lose.
Lacus had not known what to do.
If she made him fear death, would he become weaker?
Would he stop moving forward?
That was the true reason Kain was "afraid" of her, and it was the truth Lacus had been trying to understand.
Unable to decide, she sought help from Alice, the person who probably understood Kain better than anyone else.
Alice's answer was simple.
Lacus should act boldly.
She should make Kain afraid of death.
A person who truly felt no fear of death was like someone who could no longer feel pain. It was an incredibly dangerous condition that would gradually distort their emotions.
Eventually, they would lose their humanity and cease to be human at all.
Humanity required powerful emotions, and the fear of death was one of the most essential.
Only because people feared death and desperately wanted to survive could they summon even greater courage, travel farther, and become stronger.
Without that fear, Kain would continue treating life like a numb game.
Sooner or later, he would grow bored and stop moving forward.
Finally, Alice gave Lacus this song and told her to use it as a confession.
Once Kain answered that confession, Lacus would have her answer.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]