26 The End of the Conspiracy?

On a day in November.

"Wait, are you really going back, Harold-sama?"

"Is that such a surprise, Shirley? I've been here for four months already. Perhaps a bit too long."

"That's true, but..."

Shirley had come over willingly when invited to join her brother for a meal.

The news that she would return to the Second Fleet came as a great surprise.

After all, according to Jin and Shirley's assessment, Harold was undeniably entangled in the conspiracy involving the Second Fleet.

And even now, the full picture remained unclear.

If one believed their claim that it was for humanity's sake, something should have changed.

Yet nothing had.

Today was no different.

Since the incident on Planet Mercury, nothing notable had occurred.

Encounters with ASID happened as always.

And as always, the Defense Fleet’s escort squadron repelled them.

There is no room for irregularities here.

No mistakes in training cadets being drawn into combat.

This is routine for the migrant convoy.

"Something must have brought you here, I assume."

"Of course there was a purpose. That’s done now. Time to return."

"Huh... if it’s not too much trouble, could I hear it?"

"Sure. Yeah, I suppose you’re safe to know. But no repeating it, understood?"

He says this, then pulls out a photograph—printed on paper, not digital.

The rarity of a physical print draws even Shirley’s full attention.

"Is this an ASID?"

"Yes. You’ve heard of Youmei’s Notebook, right?"

"Sort of. Rumors, anyway. Something like... generations back—how many, I’ve forgotten—was a memoir written by my grandmother."

"Probably quite a few. Do you know its contents?"

"Not at all. Rumor has it, it either mentions or doesn’t mention ASID’s origins."

"Hard to dismiss rumors like this one."

Harold lets out a wry smile, the truth of the rumor pressing on him.

Having gone to such lengths to obtain the manuscript, he can only laugh.

"I’ve heard this too... tracing back the lineage of the Queens leads to nine Queen-types."

"Ah. Quite intriguing. So defeating those nine would mean the complete annihilation of ASID."

"That’s the claim. And one of them was discovered two years ago."

"Huh?"

Sharon’s voice cracks with disbelief at the coincidence of the timeline.

No, he’d like to believe it’s mere chance—but Jin had said it.

That he encountered an ASID of unimaginable scale.

"This individual in the photograph... its length is approximately three hundred kilometers. Six times the size of the main ship."

"Is this the first of the nine?"

"Highly likely. The Third Fleet reportedly encountered it. Information has only just been disclosed this time."

Sharon recalls—Jin must have said something like this.

The black box was damaged. There was no evidence other than Jin’s testimony.

Therefore, that incident had been treated as an unfortunate accident.

But no! Sharon feels like screaming.

The convoy has obtained this information.

In other words, it was concealed. A single entity of this magnitude should not exist.

Or perhaps they feared panic.

Either way, Jin’s testimony was suppressed.

“Sharon? Is something wrong?”

“No… I was just surprised. Didn’t expect something like this.”

Harold notices Sharon’s pallor.

Sharon begins to consider how she might explain this to Jin.

“As you said just now, if we eliminate these nine—this one included—ASID will be eradicated from this universe. Then the migration journey will be safer.”

“Yes… that’s right.”

"That’s why I’m here this time—to assess combat strength."

"Combat strength?"

"Yes. The capacity to match this unit. A calculation."

"Are you planning to fight it? This monster?"

"Ah. Eventually... though it was accidental, the battle at Melce the other day yielded useful data."

Sharon visibly grimaced at those words.

As someone who had been dragged into it, hearing that it had produced “good data” was not comforting.

"I don’t want to go through anything like that again."

"You were there too, weren’t you? Glad you’re safe."

Saying he didn’t care if she was abandoned, yet expressing relief at her survival.

Neither statement contradicted Harold.

They were both genuine—precisely because they were so alien.

Fundamentally inhuman.

"Honestly, I nearly lost my nerve. You’re past your prime—why not get married already?"

Why not have your older siblings marry before the youngest?

The Byron family’s seven siblings. All unmarried.

The eldest brother is likely nearing forty.

Marriage is always an option if one desires it—but since the individual shows no interest, it is a matter of concern.

Then, suddenly, Shirley realizes.

The Byron lineage loves machinery. And when they find something to love beyond machines, they become somewhat human.

So what, precisely, does this relatively stable second brother love that has shaped him thus?

The question dissolves into Harold’s next words.

“It’s a matter of compatibility, Shirley. You’re the only one who seems willing to marry.”

“I’d like to see more of that determination from my respected older siblings…”

“Then let me know if the mood strikes. I can introduce you to someone suitable.”

“No, thank you!”

No, could that even be used to unsettle Jin…? Harold exhaled as Shirley considered whether to use it as leverage.

“Yet… incredible. The Third Fleet’s ace…”

“What’s that for no reason?”

“That Melce data. Our carefully crafted cybernetic squad—like children’s play before him.”

“Is that not a bit too modest? From a layperson’s view, the movements were superb.”

Harold shook his head at Shirley’s words.

“Certainly, the cybernetic squad is well-engineered. But… no natural-born entity can be beaten. He’s not quite ordinary.”

“Well, Jin’s always been eccentric….”

“…Ah?”

“Ah.”

A slip of the tongue.

Harold seized on the name Shirley had inadvertently spoken.

"Ah, I see… So the tuning of the Tōgō Jin’s机体 was your work, Shirley?"

"Ugh. It’s annoying how fast relatives can catch on."

"And you’re on first-name terms. I see. It’s beginning to make sense."

"No, no. Definitely a misunderstanding… Let’s drop this topic. Yes, let’s stop. Stop it."

"No need to be shy, Shirley. Right. That introduction really isn’t necessary."

"Ah… that might be asking a bit much. As a decoy, perhaps."

Suppressing the urge to retort that if she had time to meddle in other people’s romances, she should just get married already, Shirley held her ground against Harold’s advance.

"Jin’s different… He lost his fiancée, and he has a daughter too."

"…Daughter?"

Why, exactly.

Harold latched onto that detail.

"Yes. Thanks to that, there’s no opening for someone like me… Brother?"

"Daughter...? Daughter? There’s a daughter of Jin Tōgō…? Namiki Rei is dead. That can’t be."

Muttering in a small voice, clearly shaken.

The words did not reach Shirley’s ears.

"Um… is that really something to be surprised about?"

"Yeah, no… I just worry a little about him as a brother-in-law."

"Ah, you’re overstepping. You should be worrying about yourself, really."

"What are you saying, Shirley! With my brother like that, and my parents like that—there’s no one else to hold things together!"

"Please don’t say ‘that’ like that. I know what you mean."

The unspoken understanding between them was clear in that single word.

They continued eating, and the dinner concluded when Harold escorted Shirley back to her home.

……The Reactor of Melse’s Queen lacks sufficient output. The fleet’s strength remains insufficient to defeat the Original Queen. Most importantly, the successor has yet to awaken.

Laitera Project. Melse’s Queen was expected to be the first step, but the results fell short of ideal.

That leaves the destruction of the Original Queen. At this stage, the fleet’s combat power is inadequate. The conclusion is unavoidable.

At least five years—possibly ten—must pass before sufficient readiness is achieved.

And the most critical element of the project: the successor, and the entity they call.

Their general location has been determined, but awakening remains far off.

Several more years of waiting are still required.

Yet, identifying their location this early is a significant advantage for the project.

After all, locating them was predicted to be the most difficult task.

Still, the process of narrowing down from nearly a thousand humans remains.

The power balance with the Third Fleet has shifted again because of this incident. They’ll likely be unable to act as freely as before.

Yet time is not the enemy of the plan.

"Ten years. I’ll endure. Compared to the hopelessness we’ve known until now, this is easy."

That endurance resonates with Shirley—or perhaps it is Byron’s nature.

As if grasping at something from the chest, clutching it tightly.

"If I am to meet her once more—then I will—"