20 Companions on the Path 1

"Edelweiss"

As Jin pressed his frame close to Edelweiss, having thoroughly dismantled the cybernetic squad of the Harold Fleet.

Distance: barely one kilometer.

At three kilometers per second, the assault frame was close enough for communication—literally within arm’s reach.

Only now, at this proximity, did the connection stabilize.

"Damn it—jamming’s severe."

『No… this is…』

A faint hesitation in the voice.

Unusual for Edelweiss, Jin thought, after their month-long partnership.

She was either decisive or indecisive—no middle ground.

Yet she hesitated now.

『Likely… her.』

"...Mio?"

『Stalt’s Reactor is already active.』

Ether is not yet being produced at full capacity.

Yet even that slight reaction seemed to be disrupting the faint etheric communication.

Typically, every Reactor would implement protective measures to prevent such a scenario.

Either the lack of protection stemmed from mere convenience—or from deliberate preparation for this exact contingency.

"Does that mean it'll only get worse from here?"

『That interpretation is reasonable.』

Jin considers the implications. Unfavorable.

Communication with rear elements will be impossible.

If that persists, command operations aboard the flagship *Gay Bolk* will be compromised.

The concern is a tendency toward impulsive actions.

To prevent that, they must enter the secluded Lombardia-class—*Rea*—as early as possible.

"The defense systems aboard the ship Mio is on are troublesome. Assist in breaking through."

『No issue.』

Speaking thus, Edelweiss surveys the surroundings.

She looks at the warrior squad charging forward, weapons in hand, exhilarated—then at Jin and the others.

‘There’s nothing I can do but step forward, including myself.’

A remark laced with self-deprecation.

Indeed, none of them could manage long-range combat—except for one.

‘There’s one. The one who smashed our ship eight years ago.’

‘…There is. There is.’

Edelweiss hesitates, realizing the opponent is a Unicorn.

She had just witnessed their uncooperative stance.

Whether such a being would obediently accept help from a human—this remained uncertain.

Mid-conversation, the cybernetic squad’s Gryphon cuts in.

It must have breached the defensive line with suicidal resolve.

The unit is already heavily damaged—limbs missing, systems compromised.

The reactor reaction intensifies further—intending to self-destruct.

Even if he dies here, it would be a trivial cost if he could bring down the commander of the humanoid ASID and the man known as Jin Tōgō.

Facing that opponent.

‘You’re in the way.’

‘Wait until later.’

A single glance—then immediate action.

Without drawing the blade, the Ether Dagger slices through only the reactor-located abdomen of the Gryphon in an instant, splitting it into three parts.

Where had it been?

So seamlessly, as though it had always been there, Edelweiss’s Long Sword pierces the reactor.

A wave of vibration rises instantly—reducing it to atomic dust. Yet Jin’s Gryphon feels no effect.

‘Hm. Faster than before.’

‘The machine’s doing. You’ve gotten quite precise yourself.’

They exchange obvious compliments, silently thinking otherwise.

(Thankful there’s no fourth round. Having you as an ally is reassuring.)

—Should one rejoice at not facing this opponent again, or lament the lost chance?

For now, agreement was clear: having you as an ally was the most reassuring factor.

The unicorn in question had charged forward at the onset of the assault, as if ignoring Edelweiss’s words entirely.

‘Likely… yes, it’s excited.’

‘Does it enjoy fighting?’

‘It enjoys striking.’

‘…But it’s a long-range type.’

Yet, recalling the cannon’s use, it had functioned as a ram as well.

That wasn’t necessity alone… perhaps it was personal preference.

‘We’ll have to force it back, no matter what, before it’ll listen.’

‘Then there’s no choice. Push it back once, reset the field.’

As swiftly as possible.

Without that capability, Jin’s plan to breach the enemy line cannot proceed.

As Jin turned to move forward, Edelweiss restrained him.

‘Wait, Tōgō Jin.’

‘Hm?’

‘I have something to say.’

‘Now, here?’

‘Now, here.’

The implication—this is no time for such talk—went unheeded. Or perhaps she already knew.

Edelweiss demanded immediate conversation.

‘…Sasamori, Lieutenant. Can I trust you with this?’

‘Me?’

Jin’s choice—bypassing veterans, entrusting command to the younger Kou—elicited Kou’s own astonishment.

‘You’re the one who’d handle this best.’

The unspoken ‘What?’ was omitted. But Kou understood clearly.

‘W-well, I’ve known you longer than anyone else…’

‘That’s enough. You’re the one who sees them as comrades. That’s why you’re best suited.’

Few humans could form a genuine bond with the Terminans.

Kou was among that rare few.

Other humans, no matter what, could not aid the Terminans without bias.

But Kou could.

Without prejudice, without distortion—truly, sincerely, he could support them.

Jin believed this.

"Second Lieutenant Nastin. Assist him. The others agree, yes?"

"Yes, but... really? Kou's quite foolish, isn't he?"

"Yuria."

"That's why I'm asking for your assistance."

As Jin, still the military's top ace, spoke, the others could not object.

More than that, Kou himself was regarded as the next top ace.

Perhaps others simply saw it as a chance to elevate their protégé.

Either way, no one present dared oppose Jin's decision.

After seeing his subordinate depart toward the front lines, Jin turns back to Edelweiss.

So, what’s the conversation about?

...That person.

What’s wrong with Mio?

Are you not the most important to you?

An unexpected question.

The question had come from Shirley, and from herself, too—many times over.

I hadn’t expected to hear it from Edelweiss either.

Mio is definitely important.

You asked the queen. Who exactly was she modeled after?

That question and the wailing from the transport vessel.

And the words left behind for her, as Mio tried to stop her.

Edelweiss seemed to have noticed the problem Jin was carrying, just from that.

They likely do not notice the existence of Rei.

Jin weighing someone against Mio on a scale.

Jin’s hesitation, beyond the act of rescuing Mio.

"Are you truly unbothered by the fact that she is no longer who she was?"

"...That applies to you all just as well."

Jin, still without an answer, evaded it.

Instead, he posed another question.

For the people of Therminas, what matters is the child who will become the next queen.

Mio is the child—but the child is not necessarily Mio.

Regardless of whose soul originally formed her, she is still the child.

Knowing it was a cowardly evasion, Jin still retreated behind the question, unwilling to answer.

"...I have listened to her voice for a long time. Every day, the voice of her who taught me so many things."

He recalled those days.

There were moments of sorrow.

Yet, Edelweiss said, the days of Mio's fleet were filled with joy.

"Because of that, I believed I could work with you all."

"What of it?"

Jin thought the other was evading as he had. But no. It was different.

"Indeed, as you say, the others likely care little who the next Child is. At worst, they may believe the Emperor could simply bear another Child should the need arise."

That was one truth.

Mio did not necessarily have to be the next Queen.

To the people of Terminus, she was a stranger—someone they had seen scarcely since birth.

Most would find no greater value in her being the Child than that.

"But I believe she is better. I wish for the Child born of the Emperor, raised among people by you, to guide us."

Edelweiss spoke plainly: it must be Mio. Not anyone else.

Only Mio—the one she had watched over as the next ruler—could fulfill this role.

Only Mio, for whom serving the Child was the very purpose of her existence, could say this.

I've wanted to say this for a long time—there just never was the chance... Mio. I don't know what meaning you've given it, but... it's a very beautiful sequence of sounds. That's what I think.