08 Heretic Monster

"Come to think of it," Yuriya began, as if recalling something.

"Why is an Instructor from the Training Division here?"

"I volunteered."

Yes. It was rare for an order to deploy even the Training Division.

Even if they had remained silent, the order would have come eventually—given the nature of the opponent. Still, Jin had volunteered.

"Why again…?"

"Couldn't you stop her, Mio?"

"There's a grudge—Mio probably held back, I think."

Jin understood that Mio had not truly seen him off with her heart.

He knew she had swallowed the words meant to keep him behind.

If she had said not to go—

Jin wondered what he would have done.

Perhaps he would have given up.

If Mio had truly said not to go, he might have swallowed the resentment of the past ten years and focused only on this moment.

But at that time, he would surely have carried the weight of Lieutenant's memory for the rest of his life.

"Still, I plan to celebrate your birthday properly this time."

"Obvious flattery... that's all."

"No, I think it's better than nothing... I don't care if Mio gets angry. Isn't she entering her rebellious phase, now?"

"Mio's rebellious phase... can't picture that at all."

The image of Mio clinging to Jin in the training academy cafeteria remains the strongest.

It's difficult to imagine her in a defiant state.

"Are you coming to visit on my birthday? You'll get leave once this operation ends, right?"

"True. May probably wants to see you too."

"Oh, I want to see Junpei. She's so cute, you wouldn't believe she's your child."

"Shut up."

The two began arguing again, as usual.

There is no trace of tension, even as they face a formidable enemy.

Jin has no intention of dying here.

He means to settle the score precisely, bring closure to ten years of resentment.

And if he returns safely—

Then my reason for fighting will vanish.

This time, he will withdraw from battle.

That was his decision.

"Captain! I'm checking the unit... Ah, ah. It's been a while. Both of you. You've grown quite impressive..."

Sharon, kicking her way along the catwalk from deep within the hangar, holding a toolbox, exaggeratedly covers her mouth.

She seems to be seeing the two of them, now commissioned, for the first time.

Her expression softens, like an auntie recognizing her relatives.

"Long time, Sergeant!"

"Always a pleasure to have you around."

Recognizing that Sharon has returned to maintain the unit after several years, the two salute.

Seemed to have realized the value of a skilled mechanic only after entering active combat, despite not paying much attention during training days.

Even with the higher rank, respect toward her former mentor appeared more pronounced than before.

“By the way, Captain Sasamori has been the talk of the unit, you know?”

“Talk?”

“Someone who pushes a machine like a Captain’s to its limits.”

“Ah… that’s quite the compliment.”

“A compliment, yes.”

“No, no… Kou. You’re being treated like an outsider now, aren’t you?”

Julia spoke casually to her longtime partner and teacher, then bristled at the next words from Shirley.

“Captain Nastin’s been the talk too. She demands incredibly precise adjustments.”

“Hmph. You’re called obsessive, you know.”

“Unlike you, I actually need to feel every nuance—down to the fingertip!”

As a squad commander during training academy days, Yuria had often operated in frontline roles, but since her commissioning, her duties had increasingly shifted toward sniper support from the rear.

Her proficiency in that role had grown steadily as a result.

Meanwhile, Kou continued on his path toward becoming something beyond human, just as he had before.

"Still, it's good that your attention to detail has sharpened. It's not acceptable to blame the machine, though."

"Yes, sir."

"Understood, Instructor."

They instinctively echoed the tone of their training academy days, responding with mock-seriousness, as if still cadets.

Shirley watched them with a faint smile.

"Then we'd just need that short one to complete a proper reunion. I know she succeeded Captain as Instructor—still doing it, I assume?"

"May’s married to this guy now."

"Really. She had a child last year."

"Wha—!?"

Sharon freezes, struck by shock.

And just as that thought crossed the mind, trembling began to set in.

So that’s how it is… Yes, that’s right. It’s been five years since I transferred to the Instructional Corps… It wouldn’t be strange if I were married and had a child by now…

"Ah"

Yuria's expression shifted, as if she had sensed something.

Congratulations, Lieutenant Sasamori.

Thank you...

Kou, bewildered by Shirley's trembling voice offering congratulations, returned the greeting and moved closer to Jin.

"Um, I know it's odd to ask someone older than me this... but you're still not married, are you?"

Don't say something like Mio.

As two men whispered to each other, Yuria encouraged Shirley.

Not that marriage is everything, they say.

Perhaps it is speaking to itself as well.

No, I think that even Mio, who’s closest to me, feels that way...

There are things to sort out. Various things... Once this operation ends, we'll address those matters.

Yes.

Everything must wait until Jin’s仇 is avenged.

Otherwise, a part of Jin’s mind will never move forward from that day ten years ago.

“S-sure! Right—Captain, wasn’t it during that long-range training exercise when we first encountered a Queen-type, and he analyzed it? Has he analyzed this one too?”

Yuria, sensing the atmosphere shifting into something increasingly awkward, snapped her fingers and changed the subject.

The pivot was obvious, but she seized the opportunity without hesitation.

“Yeah. I’m curious about your analysis too. As the original ASID analysis family, what’s your take on this one?”

“That’s true. This is purely my personal analysis, but…”

A single cough.

She launched into her explanation with full enthusiasm.

“First, there’s no doubt this specimen is a Queen-type. But there’s a decisive difference from other Queen-types.”

“A difference?”

“Was there something?”

“Not having a hive, perhaps?”

The two, likely aboard a battleship during the previous assault, turn their heads.

"Captain is correct. That colossal specimen, 'Stalt,' is an ASID without a hive."

"Such a thing exists..."

"No, Lieutenant Nastin. Normally impossible. The ecology of an ASID integrates planetary ecosystems, expands its own colony, and eventually divides into new nests."

Even if the scale is considerable, it remains within the natural flow of life's proliferation.

"But that individual is complete in isolation. This is speculation, but... it has likely never produced a Queen-type."

In other words, there is no lineage connected to that ASID, Sharon says.

That would be an unfavorable outcome for humanity.

Destroying a Queen halts all ASID spawned by that Queen.

This holds true even for Queens that have already split their nests.

Given its immense size, it was presumed to be an exceptionally old Queen.

Thus, the range of ASID that can be halted is correspondingly broad.

But if 'Starter' has not produced a single queen, the overall damage inflicted on the ASID collective is negligible.

"Originally, resources meant for spawning colonies or new queens are being redirected toward self-enhancement."

"What's your basis for that?"

"Check the visual records. There's no trace of a factory-like structure exposed. That's clear evidence it hasn't maintained a colony for an extended period."

"Come to think of it, you're right—there's nothing."

"But if it's using even the resources meant for a colony on itself… I mean, could it actually be incredibly strong?"

Kou's expression turned incredulous at Yuria's words.

"What are you talking about now…?"

"No, no. That's not it. The enemy we're facing is worse than we imagined!"

"Frankly, I think we're dealing with a dangerous opponent. The sheer length—three hundred kilometers—already implies extreme armor thickness."

Worse still, it's reinforced with ether coating.

"Estimated reactor output based on observational data is at least ten thousand lammy. Might be even higher."

"Ten thousand… that's a different scale entirely…"

The previous record holder, Melze's Queen, had a maximum output of four thousand lammy. This is more than double that.

"Yes. An entity possessing such an amount of ether is truly a Type Zero—oh."

Sharon nearly said something inappropriate and clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Almost said something that could get the listener assassinated."

"Assassinated? That'd be us!"

"Scary! Commanding officer, scary!"

"Don't go spilling dangerous information like that!"

Sharon said it as a joke—but Jin didn't hear it as one.