Meanwhile, Patrick had quietly arrived at Lenore's home. He watched the surveillance footage before him with an expressionless face, though his heart stirred slightly.
It seemed Fred truly had remarkable composure—he was still diligently working at a time like this.
Logically speaking, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had taken an extra day off today.
Once again, the young man's actions had defied his expectations.
Next to Patrick, Athrun watched his stern father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, with some trepidation.
"Dad..."
"What is it, Athrun?"
As the saying goes, you only appreciate what you have after losing it. At the very least, after his son had experienced danger, Patrick's attitude toward Athrun had softened.
"Brother Fred saved us..."
Though still a child, Athrun was a Coordinator—a fourteen-year-old Coordinator was considered an adult.
He already understood many things.
Including his father's current position and the existence of the Zala Faction.
Pretending not to worry would be false.
Currently, PLANT's forums were filled with numerous discussions about the Decapitation Theory and Swaddling Theory.
Many were calling for the elimination of Fred as a potential threat.
And their numbers were substantial.
"You certainly care about him."
Hearing Athrun refer to a Natural as "brother," Patrick's eyebrows furrowed. He wanted to say something harsh but ultimately held back.
"He's not a bad person!"
Seeing his father's raised eyebrows, Athrun shrank back slightly but still spoke up.
"So he's not a bad person, meaning I am?"
Patrick said with an impassive expression.
"..."
Athrun fell silent.
He wanted to say it seemed that way—after all, his father was the leader of the radical faction, and those decapitation theories online were propagated by the Zala Faction.
By that logic, wouldn't that make his father the ultimate villain?
But he feared saying it aloud might get him punished, so he decided against it.
However, sometimes silence itself is an answer.
Seeing his son's tacit agreement, Patrick's stern expression nearly broke into an exasperated laugh.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to him."
As he spoke these words, Patrick sighed inwardly.
Based on current intelligence, along with feedback from several spies, Andrew, and Lenore, even if he did nothing, it was unlikely Fred would join Blue Cosmos.
But that didn't mean he had no concerns. What if Fred were threatened? His family was in the Atlantic Federation—there were too many vulnerabilities there.
If Fred were to actually join, the consequences would be endless.
Although assessments from the gym indicated Fred's physical abilities were only at the level of an ordinary Coordinator, Patrick valued the young man's organizational skills, research capabilities, perseverance, and determination far more.
If Fred were to join Blue Cosmos, those qualities alone would make him a formidable threat.
Not to mention the Atlantic Federation's apparent efforts to groom him as a national icon.
If that succeeded, Blue Cosmos's influence and operational capabilities would only grow stronger, compounded by the young man's own organizational and research abilities.
In a few years, PLANT would face serious trouble.
Logically, he should eliminate this threat permanently.
But he couldn't ignore the debt of gratitude for saving his son.
So even if negotiations failed, as long as Fred promised not to join Blue Cosmos, that would be acceptable for now.
While Patrick was making his plans, Fred arrived at Lenore's home as promised that evening.
The twinkling stars illuminated the familiar small villa, yet the young man's mind remained anything but calm.
This was the big boss, after all—a man capable of planetary destruction.
Though inwardly turbulent, Fred felt little fear.
Instead, anticipation dominated his emotions.
He wondered what the tragic antagonist from the story would be like now.
If negotiations went well, he would gain access to PLANT and MS research.
Moreover, he might even get to see the princess and Nicol.
Just as he was lost in anticipation, the door before him opened, revealing Athrun's figure.
"Brother!"
This was their first meeting since the incident that day. Seeing Athrun's genuine concern, Fred felt deeply moved.
Surviving life-and-death situations together had its benefits.
After all, the boy before him had never been this affectionate before.
He was even calling him "brother" like Kira did.
His two younger brothers—one an Ultimate Coordinator, the other an Ultimate Warrior.
With such connections, he could practically walk sideways through life.
Of course, that was just a passing thought.
True strength had to be achieved through his own efforts.
But that didn't mean these relationships were useless.
On the contrary, if this world remained plagued by constant warfare, the best path to retirement would be nurturing Kira and the others.
Then he could truly relax.
After all, Kira and Athrun were destined to protect world peace anyway.
The more he thought about it, the more Fred felt he had found his direction, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
He stepped forward and patted Athrun's shoulder.
"Are you doing alright?"
"Yes! Very well!"
"It's just... brother..."
Seeing Fred's primary concern was for him, Athrun felt both touched and increasingly worried.
Setting aside familial bias, Fred was about to meet the leading figure of the Zala Faction.
He wondered how his brother would react upon learning that his father was actually Patrick...
Avoiding Fred's concerned gaze, Athrun felt a growing sense of guilt.
"Fred."
Before Athrun could say more, Lenore appeared.
She smiled warmly at the young man.
"He's waiting for you in the study. You can go in alone. Dinner will be ready soon, so don't talk too long."
"Alright, thank you, teacher."
Observing Fred's attitude, Lenore nodded in approval.
She was quite satisfied with him, especially after their conversation two days earlier.
She didn't believe Fred would lie.
Her current demeanor was meant to reassure him.
Fred naturally understood her intentions.
Even though he had already assumed Patrick wouldn't burn bridges, he still felt slightly more at ease.
There was no helping it—though only two days had passed, the Atlantic Federation's propaganda about him had intensified.
Fred had now regained his composure.
Blue Cosmos—or rather, the deep state of the Atlantic Federation—knew he maintained neutrality.
Their propaganda campaign likely aimed not only to strengthen their own unity but also to cut off any possibility of him aligning with the Coordinators.
Their deliberate omission of Athrun's involvement probably served the same purpose.
All this was to make more Coordinators resent him, even to the point of plotting assassination attempts, completely cutting off any possibility of him approaching PLANT.
If he didn't submit after a long time, who knows if Blue Cosmos would pretend to be Coordinators and attack him.
This wasn't just Fred's speculation—there were historical precedents for such tactics, like the stratagem of sowing discord or driving a tiger to swallow a wolf.
He was thoroughly enraged, but it also clearly disrupted his own plans.