"No! This is too reckless!"
Immediately after the meeting, Kisara met with Rentaro privately.
"Kisara... but besides me, who else can do it?"
Rentaro smiled reassuringly, but Kisara became even more distressed. She tightly gripped his shirt, as if that was the only way to express her feelings.
Because she could not refute him, nor could she reverse his decision.
"Besides, don't be too pessimistic, because our troops will share a lot of the pressure. Over time, the Gastrea guards around Aldebaran will thin out, and that's when I'll strike. That large thing, apart from regeneration, is slow and has no special abilities in direct combat. What can it do to me?"
Hearing Rentaro's lengthy analysis, Kisara was momentarily stunned, then smiled. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, and she gently said.
"Promise me... you'll survive..."
"Yes, I promise."
Kisara left.
Rentaro's expression returned to one of heaviness. There was nothing as easy as he had made it sound.
"I just hope... it doesn't come to that step..."
Rentaro murmured. Just then, he sensed someone running toward him.
"Rentaro!"
It was Enju's voice.
Seeing Enju running towards him, Rentaro's demeanor softened. Before Enju could say anything, he reached out and gently rubbed her head.
Enju didn't understand why. She quickly said.
"Rentaro, let me go with you. I run very fast! If it's urgent, I can carry you and run away!"
Enju wasn't wrong. With her rabbit genes, Enju was very strong in terms of speed. Even though Rentaro could temporarily burst out with a speed that surpassed Enju's in the short term, that could only be used in combat. For long-distance movement, Enju would quickly catch up and surpass him.
But, Rentaro still shook his head.
"No."
"Why? Do you not need me anymore? Do you not want to fight beside me anymore?!"
Enju's eyes welled up with tears, and she lowered her head.
At this moment, Rentaro suddenly understood.
He had been too self-righteous and hadn't paid attention to the little girl's feelings.
Though all this was truly for the best, was it truly seen that way in Enju's eyes?
For a Cursed Child, an Initiator, fighting was the only way to prove their worth. No matter how close they were, Enju always unconsciously thought that only when she could fight would she be valuable to Rentaro; only then could she be Rentaro's family. In fact, it wasn't just Cursed Children; many people shared this kind of mentality. When they receive but cannot give back, these people begin to feel inferior, begin to fear, because they inherently feel they have no value in the other person's eyes.
For family, simply existing is the most valuable thing.
Rentaro sat down, reaching out to wipe away Enju's tears. He spoke gently.
"You silly girl..."
"Enju Aihara, no matter what happens, you will always be my family. Not because you are an Initiator, but because you are Enju."
Enju froze. Then she bowed her head even lower, tears flowing even more heavily.
"So, listen to me, okay?"
"Yes..."
Enju left.
Rentaro sighed. Once again, he sensed people approaching, and this time there were two.
"It's really lively tonight..."
Rentaro gave a wry smile. Just then, two figures, one tall and one short, appeared before him. He was familiar with both of them: Kagetane Hiruko and his young daughter, Kohina Hiruko.
"We meet again, Mr. Satomi."
"To be honest, I'm still very surprised to see you here."
"Seitenshi told me that if this battle concludes, Kohina and I can have a one-year exemption from the warrant."
"But if Tokyo is destroyed, my warrant exemption is no different from being permanent. Don't you agree?"
"..."
Rentaro slightly narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous atmosphere began to spread around him. Suddenly, Kagetane laughed.
"You really don't have a sense of humor, Mr. Satomi."
Compared to their previous fateful confrontation. Kagetane sensed that Satomi Rentaro was much more dangerous. If last time Rentaro could only win by the skin of his teeth, and even needed Enju to distract Kohina, now, Kagetane felt that even if both he and Kohina attacked together, they couldn't win.
Kohina beside him was also trembling intensely; clearly, her feeling was no less.
"Speak, what do you want? I don't believe you came here just to tell a joke."
"That's right, Mr. Satomi. You defeated me, but there is something standing behind me that you must know."
"Something standing behind?"
Rentaro frowned. Hearing the way he spoke, Kagetane wasn't just alone, but also part of an organization?
"Don't worry, Kohina and I have escaped it. But it is always omnipresent, Mr. Satomi. Be careful of the... Five-Wing Syndicate (Ngũ Dực Công Đoàn)."
After Kagetane finished speaking, without waiting for Rentaro's reaction, he decisively turned and left, quickly disappearing from sight. Rentaro remained in the same spot, slowly retrieving information from his memory.
"Five-Wing Syndicate..."
Ultimately, he realized he had never heard or known this name. However, he didn't think Kagetane was lying.
In this world, there were many unseen demons and monsters (ngưu quỷ xà thần) beneath the surface. He could only take note.
The most important thing was still the campaign.
Just when Rentaro thought no one else would come, he heard another set of footsteps. This made Rentaro's face twitch.
However, the identity of this person was beyond Rentaro's prediction.
Luke, the current lord of the Territory.
The two had never really been acquainted before, only having one brief, friction-filled encounter at the Territory. But he had long forgotten that minor incident.
So, the two walked to a step and sat down together.
Luke did not talk about the campaign, nor about Rentaro's survival. Mainly because the two had no personal relationship. So, their conversation turned towards the Silver King.
"He is actually misunderstood by the world, even though he intentionally acts that way."
"Always pretending not to care, but actually caring more than anyone else, and bearing more than anyone else."
"Satomi Rentaro, I once asked him if it wasn't painful to bear all this. And he replied that..."
"He chose it himself, and choice is happiness. Because much despair stems from the inability to choose."
"Even if he must endure thousands of hardships, he said he is still the happiest person in this world."
Luke choked up.
As the earliest person to follow the Silver King, he was seen by Luke as very different from how outsiders viewed him.
Outsiders thought the Silver King was a tyrant, an autocrat, an arrogant existence. But they could not see the times when the Silver King put Cursed Children into the cryogenic chambers? Could they not see the Silver King staring blankly at the constantly increasing number of frozen shuttles? Could they not see the Silver King's hand trembling and his breath becoming heavy?
All were unseen, because the Silver King was unwilling to let the world see his weak side, and he would not allow it to happen. Because once he had a weakness, he would certainly be targeted without limit.
Only as that proud and overbearing tyrant could the Silver King protect everyone. Thus, he hid all his compassion, leaving only the most hard-hearted facade to deal with everyone.
Rentaro remained silent, listening from beginning to end. Luke eventually fell silent too.
Finally, Luke stood up and patted Rentaro's shoulder.
"Take care."
He had sought out Rentaro tonight only to express a few things buried in his heart. There was no other meaning.