Lacus was not at all surprised by the boy's focus.
After all, this was just like Fred. If he suddenly stopped watching, that would be when she should worry.
Now, seeing Fred's serious expression, she felt a sense of reassurance instead.
These days, there weren't many people as determined to move forward as Fred was.
Or perhaps, there never were many, regardless of the era.
And even fewer could turn such effort into genuine strength.
Yet Fred had managed to do just that.
Although her mentor still hadn't given her a clear answer, in her eyes, Fred was undoubtedly the key to future peace.
Not long after the room had quieted down, just as Lacus had predicted, Irene and Durandal soon appeared one after another in the adjacent room.
...
"You want me to lead the effort to break the restrictions on reproduction?"
Durandal repeated Irene's words once more.
"Yes."
Listening to Durandal, Irene's expression was sincere, without the slightest hint of deception.
This was only natural, as Irene truly had no knowledge of Fred's plans.
She genuinely believed she was here to invite Durandal.
Meanwhile, in the nearby room, Fred felt a rare tension as he listened to their conversation.
It was no less intense than the tension he had felt when sniping Creuset.
Though they were merely in an ordinary high-end restaurant, Durandal's response would determine the course of the world's future.
If Durandal agreed, Fred would have no need to take action against him for the time being.
But if Durandal refused, Fred could not simply let it go.
In truth, there were many variables at play.
After all, Fred wasn't sure whether Durandal's desire to carry out the Destiny Plan stemmed from a sense of injustice or was more a result of his obsession with Talia.
In any case, everything depended on Durandal's own answer.
Amidst the tense silence in Fred's room, Durandal finally broke the prolonged quiet.
"I understand. I will do my best."
Durandal lowered his gaze, his eyes unreadable as he spoke.
Of course, perhaps even if one looked directly at him, it would be impossible to discern his true intentions.
Watching this scene, Fred sighed inwardly.
Hearing the response, the boy's tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly.
It was good that he agreed.
Although there would undoubtedly be other issues in the future, now that Durandal had agreed, the Clyne Faction's control and surveillance over him would naturally intensify. Even if he had other plans, there was no need to worry too much.
Durandal was indeed cunning and treacherous, but Fred had a general understanding of his connections and methods. As long as they remained vigilant, the situation should be manageable.
On the other side, Lacus, who had been observing Fred and Durandal, blinked her eyes.
She sensed that Fred knew far more than she did, but now was not the time to discuss it.
"With this matter settled, you can now focus on your research with peace of mind, brother."
Watching Irene on the monitor still discussing the establishment of the research institute with Durandal, Lacus muted the audio and smiled.
"Perhaps so."
Fred didn't celebrate too early either.
After all, it was now year 67, and according to the original setting, Mendel would collapse next year.
He didn't plan to save it, but the Clyne Faction had considerable influence there, so giving them advance notice was still necessary.
It was just too early now—Blue Cosmos might not even have formulated their plans yet, so he couldn't take action.
In the end, he still needed to return to his research first.
Only three years remained until the prelude to the war.
He didn't want to waste a single moment.
With that thought, Fred didn't delay any further.
He stood up, bid farewell to Lacus, and left.
...
After Durandal's matter was temporarily settled, Fred's life returned to its usual rhythm.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and year 67 seemed to be slipping away just as quickly.
However, Fred's life remained as diligent as ever.
Today, just like usual, Fred brought Athrun and the others outside Julius to maintain this familiar space colony.
Everything was as it had always been, but unlike before, Fred's face showed a faint excitement.
After continuous training over this period, his Mobile Armor piloting skills were finally on the verge of a breakthrough.
Thinking this, Fred wasted no time and immediately followed up.
"Your progress is all quite good. Now, let's split up and work separately."
"Understood."
Everyone was accustomed to Fred's arrangements.
After all, ever since they became proficient at piloting the Mobile Armor, Fred often had them work separately.
He only stepped in to help when they encountered difficulties in their operations.
However, as Elite Coordinators, they truly didn't need constant supervision.
"Can training like this really improve our operational skills?"
Yzak couldn't help but mutter as he watched Fred diligently working not far away.
It was no wonder he complained—over the past few years, their daily routine had been maintaining the space colony here, with no other courses.
Even combat simulations were few and far between.
"Brother says it's fine."
Athrun spoke while focusing intently on his own work, causing Yzak to roll his eyes again.
After knowing him for so long, this was the phrase he'd heard most often from Athrun.
"Aside from Fred, I've never heard of any maintenance worker becoming a hero."
Yzak snorted lightly as he spoke.
Hearing this, Athrun's smooth movements paused momentarily, startled by Yzak's words.
"As long as there's progress, that's enough. It's not about becoming a hero."
Athrun replied, calming down inwardly.
His rival was straightforward and outspoken—if he knew Fred's identity, he would have said it outright.
There was no need for any probing.
"Progress?"
Well, his maintenance speed had certainly improved.
While Yzak continued to grumble, Fred gradually immersed himself in the maintenance work before him.
Of course, they didn't know that as long as Fred piloted the Mobile Armor, his abilities would improve.
However, Fred wasn't intentionally holding back their progress. This kind of maintenance work was actually beneficial for Athrun and the others as well.
It could hone their fine control skills. Once they became familiar with such meticulous repair work, it would be similar to precisely striking an opponent's vital points with a Light Speed Blade in the future.
Moreover, operating actual Mobile Suits was more conducive to improvement than fighting in Simulation Pods.
After all, real operations involved many influencing factors, including the physical feedback from the Mobile Suit and the actual response of the Mobile Suit to their maneuvers.
These were things that Simulation Pods couldn't replicate.
At the very least, Fred gained no advantage in Simulation Pods.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to bring them out for training—staying home and playing games would have been much better.