It was merely a speculation, yet even that alone sent a chill down my spine.
'If that's the case… then Isabel's wish was never achievable to begin with.'
Let's say, as Isabel claimed, the sail is completed, and somehow, humanity returns to its birthplace.
But what if that place no longer exists?
If for some reason, the planet had become uninhabitable, or worse, ceased to exist altogether?
'Then… what happens?'
The simplest outcome would be to wander aimlessly through space until death—or perhaps, return here.
But would returning even be possible after leaving this planet?
"..."
Unfortunately, this wasn't something that could be verified at the moment.
Even if Isabel's goal was to return to humanity's origin, there was no way to know what state that place was currently in.
["…Master?"]
'What is it.'
["What were you thinking about so hard?"]
'…Nothing important.'
Strictly speaking, all of this was nothing more than my own speculation.
It's entirely possible that humanity's homeworld is still intact, and Isabel's wish might in fact be the only way to clear The Defense.
'…Even if nothing is certain, there's no harm in finding the sail.'
There's a vast difference between worrying when you have no options, and worrying after you've secured a potential one.
That's why I intended to make use of every clue I had at my disposal.
The sail.
The wish.
The Ark.
The Defense.
The ending.
The Watcher.
Marcus.
All sorts of words swirled chaotically in my head.
Where is the sail?
What lies beyond the dreaded 99th stage, which no one has ever cleared?
Does humanity's origin still exist?
Can Isabel's wish truly be fulfilled?
What fate awaits Carl Marcus and Lania Marcus?
What is the Watcher?
And… what is this world?
Thoughts spiraled endlessly, but of course, no answers came.
"…Tch."
I shook my head.
None of these were things I could resolve just by sitting here and thinking.
'I should focus on what needs to be done.'
Rather than fixating on what I couldn't control—I'd start with what I could.
First on the list: meeting with Maybelle Pilgrim.
* * *
Special Purpose Weapons Laboratory.
This was where Maybelle Pilgrim, one of the most prominent weapons engineers in the Ark, resided.
"Carl Marcus, it's been a while. The Director is in the lab right now."
As always, upon stepping into the Special Purpose Weapons Laboratory, I was greeted by a staff member and made my way to the elevator out of habit.
Just before I boarded the elevator, I caught a familiar face in the corner of the lobby—someone who had been watching me.
"Long time no see, you insufferable Carl Marcus."
Brigadier General Victor.
The defense commander of the Blue Line looked straight at me.
It was a strangely fitting yet unexpected encounter.
"What is it?"
"What, can't we even exchange greetings?"
He hadn't been seen around here for some time, and now that he showed up again—it was clear he had been waiting for me.
At this rate, he might as well be commander of the Red Line, not the Blue.
"Then can I go now?"
"Still rude as ever."
Victor let out a low chuckle.
"I suppose you didn't find my men during your travels."
"No. Not a trace."
"That's unfortunate. I thought if anyone could, it would be you."
He added quietly,
"I trust you didn't take our request lightly."
"I simply didn't find them."
"Is that so? Well… if you say so."
Whether or not he believed me, I couldn't tell.
Strictly speaking, I hadn't made much effort to pursue his request in earnest either.
"Odd, though. You don't even ask what my soldiers were doing outside the Ark. Aren't you curious?"
"I figured you had your reasons for not saying."
"That's why I like you. No manners, but still likable."
Honestly, I was curious about what kind of operation his team had been running, but with so many other priorities, that curiosity had taken a back seat.
Still, the fact that Victor had gone out of his way to find me now meant this was no ordinary matter.
"Want to know?"
"Not really."
"Hah! Most would've humored me by now, but not you. Just as difficult as ever, Carl Marcus."
"No reason to humor you."
"Exactly. Reason. That's what matters."
Victor looked at me.
"Reason is another word for justification. Cause and effect—they're not always that important. Sometimes, they switch places on their own."
"What are you getting at?"
"Do you know what my soldiers were searching for?"
He continued,
"It's something that could—if misused—cause a fracture across the entire Ark. A truly dangerous object."
"And what exactly is it?"
"That's not the point. What matters is that, in the wrong hands, it would lead to irreversible consequences."
Even now, after coming this far, he still didn't reveal what it was.
It was unclear if he simply didn't trust me, or if it was a matter of security—but it was evident Victor held this object in deep suspicion.
"What do you plan to do once you find it?"
"Destroy it. No matter what."
Victor still didn't say exactly what it was.
But for some reason, I had a strong hunch.
"That so."
"Such a bland reaction. That's part of your charm."
"So?"
"I've told you how important it is. Now it's your turn to answer."
"You want me to find it?"
He gave a small nod.
"Yes. That's what I'm asking."
"And why should I?"
"You're a highly capable asset. Your actions so far prove that. You may be rude, but if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish almost anything. If you truly care about the Ark, you'll find that object—and destroy it."
"You won't even tell me what it is, or what it's for?"
"That's… precisely why it's dangerous. The fewer people who know about it, the better."
I didn't know for certain what this object was.
But given the circumstances, there was a high probability it was the sail.
And if not the sail—then something equally monumental.
'If it really is the sail… why now? And how does Victor even know about it?'
To my knowledge, Möbius had never openly searched for the sail.
Möbius, like the Shadow Order, was a revolutionary force in the Ark—but the sail seemed unrelated to their goals.
'…Something's definitely happening, both inside and outside the Ark.'
The alliance between the Ark and the Kronos Union had led the Union to wipe out the local Mote cult, which in turn had unearthed the sail fragment hidden there.
Now, as if on cue, Möbius was seeking the sail as well.
'That's no coincidence.'
This entire chain of events—this flow—I'd never seen it before in any of my 488 runs of The Defense.
No player ever had.
"Carl Marcus."
Victor's voice cracked faintly.
"I know how much you care for the Ark. That's why we need your help with this."
"Blue Line has plenty of capable people. Soldiers who'd die on command."
"This isn't something I can handle openly."
If Victor really was after the sail, then yes—its existence needed to remain secret.
No one could predict what would happen if the Ark found out.
Chaos would follow.
"I'll take my leave now. I hope you make the right choice."
With that, Victor walked away.
I watched his retreating figure for a moment before turning my gaze.
* * *
My encounter with Brigadier General Victor had been unexpected, but it was an extension of the very questions I'd been struggling with.
Though I didn't have solid proof, all signs pointed to the sail.
'With Möbius chasing the sail, following the Shadow Order's lead… other factions will inevitably get involved too.'
Whatever their intentions, if the Shadow Order and Möbius were moving, the rest of the Ark's powers would have no choice but to take notice.
That meant—even if the sail's existence wasn't public yet, it soon would be.
'The sail, and Isabel's wish… it's no longer just a matter of choice.'
Regardless of how things unfolded, my next move was clear: secure the sail fragments.
'Tch.'
I used to think protecting the Ark was all there was to it.
But the more I learned about this world, the clearer it became—simply defending it would never be enough.
'Still… I do what I must.'
My mind was still tangled with thoughts.
But sitting and brooding wouldn't solve anything.
As I rode the elevator in silence, I finally arrived at Maybelle Pilgrim's lab.
"You're here. It's been a while."
Surprisingly, Maybelle Pilgrim was seated at her desk, quietly enjoying tea.
Normally, she would've been buried in her research—this was an unusual sight.
"There's something I'd like you to look at."
"Yes, I've heard. You received a Zeus-444 Railgun from the Rose Line, didn't you?"
"You knew?"
"A weapon like that getting deployed? Of course I knew."
Apparently, Maybelle hadn't been relaxing—she'd been waiting for me.
"But the Zeus-444 Railgun is a pinnacle of Ark engineering. Even if I take a look at it, there won't be much to improve."
I already knew that.
If the Zeus-444 had room for improvement, the Ark would've upgraded it long ago.
Still, that didn't mean there was no way to enhance it.
"There's no need to worry about that."
From beneath my cloak, I pulled out the item I had prepared.
Specifically, a part of a monster.
"That's…"
The scale of Ouroboros.
As soon as she saw it, Maybelle Pilgrim's eyes widened in pure shock.