Apocalypse Survival Guide Chapter 202 : Evolve (5)

Evolve (5)

A mory flickered past in an instant. What shimred on my retinas was a third-person view of young Celestia and a boy playing and splashing in the water.

A panorama of a grand mansion and a beautiful lakeside unfolded before reality quickly ca back into focus. These shimring afterimages led to three realizations.

First, that the boy was Celestia's older brother, Ian; second, that the place was the sa as the one I had seen in the vision in the underground laboratory; and third, that I had just made a slip of the tongue.

To be precise, this wasn't the first ti things had gotten tangled up.

I had been able to find Celestia, who had disappeared sowhere in the vision, because I was certain that the place in the mory was the sa place depicted in my sole remaining mory—it was more than just similar.

Up to that point, there was nothing problematic. There had been no lie. The issue was what ca after.

I rembered what I had said to Celestia when I had barely managed to find her—that I'd been able to find her because I faintly rembered that place.

That was where the trouble started. That particular scene from the vision wasn't sothing only I knew about.

Rather, Celestia should know it far better than I did.

Unlike , whose mory was incomplete, Celestia could never forget that mory no matter how hard she tried.

In fact, hadn't she found the basent I didn't know about in an instant?

'No wonder there was a sudden bombardnt.'

Up until now, I had thought it was just a ploy to kill us. It never occurred to that it was the mont Myosotis had fallen.

'... But she didn't say much at the ti, did she? Why?'

If it was Celestia, she would surely have noticed sothing strange about my words, but she hadn't said a thing.

I didn't think she was holding back on purpose. Really, what reason would she have to do that?

She'd been in a panicked state and totally out of it, so perhaps it made sense to think she just hadn't rembered.

My mind was spinning with unusual speed. I snapped myself back to reality under Celestia's gaze.

For now, I decided to smooth over the situation and carry on as naturally as possible.

I didn't want to gloss over my worries with a thoughtless slip like that.

"Hyun-woo, what did you just say?"

"What?"

"When you called . Didn't you say, 'Celly...'?"

"I said 'Celestia.'"

"It sounded like 'Celly'."

"Did it? Maybe I stuttered because I was in a hurry. More importantly, why'd you co in here without a helt? You could've gotten hurt when that thing shot up out of nowhere."

Feigning ignorance, I shrugged my shoulders, then, putting on a stern voice, pointed at a small pebble on the floor.

It hadn't really flown with much force, and it was only about the size of a fingernail.

Even if it had hit, it would have just stung a little. I had unwittingly overreacted, but in this situation, it was an excellent excuse.

Kyle showed no particular reaction. He had clearly been startled at first, but since I'd blocked it and because of its small size, he must've decided it was nothing.

Celestia narrowed her eyes. She stared at quietly, and for a mont, there was inexplicable tension.

That only lasted for a second; soon, she gave a remorseful look, as if to echo my stern tone belatedly.

"Sorry. I was careless."

"Looks like Kyle needs to give you a safety lesson."

"You're not wearing a helt either, Hyun-woo."

"I'm fine. Didn't you see just now? I caught that thing midair."

Celestia looked dumbfounded at my answer.

She knew it wasn't normal, but since I'd proved it myself, she just opened and closed her mouth, unable to refute it.

When I lifted the fallen pebble with my telekinesis, Celestia's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I drew on all the strength I could muster to put on a bit of a show in hopes of changing the subject.

It was just a pebble floating, but she let out a little "Wow."

Her childlike reaction made snicker. And then, with a soft plop, the pebble fell.

"Already finished?"

"... Yes."

Even though I knew there was nothing to be done, my pride was oddly wounded. I wanted to show off sothing more spectacular, but the reality wasn't so easy.

Maybe sensing sothing, Kyle chuckled to himself, glancing between Celestia and .

"You two aren't wearing any safety gear, so please step out. Hyun-woo, I know you're tough enough not to need it, but rules are rules. If I let things slide once, there's no end to it, so I'll have to enforce this and ask you to leave."

"Huh? All of a sudden? It was fine just now."

"Well, Celestia wasn't here before. If I keep bending the rules after the employer catches on, it'll damage my credibility. My reputation would take a hit."

"I'll just put on a helt, then. Problem solved."

"Co on, why even bother staying here? You're just going to zone out anyway. Besides, you're not in great shape; if you don't get proper rest, you'll just get worse. Even your supernatural power, you finished so quickly earlier—it startled . If you'd only used quickdraw and not telekinesis, I doubt I could've even said anything."

"I still have things to—!"

I resisted, not wanting to leave, but Kyle just kept nudging out, oblivious to how I felt.

"At most, you're probably going to ask to make sothing for you, right? With that rare tal you gave last ti. I'll take care of it. Opportunities like this are rare. Are you going to make Celestia go alone?"

Kyle winked at behind Celestia's back. It was like he was hinting at sothing, but I couldn't quite figure out what.

I was certain, however, that it wasn't what I wanted. If it had been, he wouldn't be trying to chase out like this.

'What's wrong with going alone? It's not like there's so dangerous monster taking humans as hosts running loose in the ship.'

But I couldn't say that out loud. If I kept resisting, things would get suspicious, so in the end, I had no choice but to leave the manufacturing room. Celestia ca with .

Just before leaving, Celestia turned back and said,

"Kyle, I ant it when I said to be frank. If there's anything you want or need, just tell right away."

"In that case, please give a raise."

Kyle responded without a mont's hesitation, looking rather serious. Celestia seed a little flustered, as if she hadn't expected him to just co out and say it right there.

"Oh? Uh... Sure. I'll tell Eric, so you can receive it as soon as we get to Earth."

"Is there any way to not go through the boss? If she finds out, she'll probably work even harder under the pretense of 'work for what you're paid.'"

Celestia, well aware that Kyle worked overti more often than not, couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Hmm... I was going to raise Eric's, too, but just take a bonus instead. Once we get back, I'll check our finances and take care of it."

"Thank you!"

Kyle brightened up instantly. People say life isn't all about credits, but a lot of credits sure do make people happy. It was just the way it had to be for people who are part of society.

Celestia and I left the workshop, escorted by Kyle's enthusiastic sendoff.

"I've never seen Kyle that happy before. Up until now, he always looked like he was on the verge of death."

"He's pretending to be happy. He probably just said that about the raise, too. He already gets a lot of credits."

"But more is always better, isn't it?"

"Even if you get a lot of credits, without ti to spend them, the joy is halved. Still, I'm grateful he continues working hard. He must be exhausted."

Maybe I felt that way because my own balance never left satisfied, but on reflection, I think that's exactly what it is.

"Well, that probably ans he likes Celestia that much."

"... They're all good people. Not just Kyle, but everyone in Myosotis. Even the people here and now."

Celestia smiled faintly. It was good to see how much she had distanced herself from the shadows of the past. I was relieved, too.

If Celestia had still been shackled by her past and in her worst state, I'd considered seriously whether I had to pretend to be her brother.

But it seed I didn't have to. Besides, I didn't really want to go that route myself.

"Hyun-woo, where's the sprout?"

"It was just here... Oh, there it is, resting. Must be tired."

I found the sprout's sample vessel, which it used as its ho, tucked behind my back.

No wonder it had disappeared from sight; it seed too tired to even fly and had strapped itself onto my belt.

"Can you sense its location? Like, are you and the sprout linked or sothing?"

I looked at Celestia in surprise. She was the first one to notice. Everyone else was too absorbed with my telekinesis to realize.

"How did you know?"

"I'm always watching."

Unfazed, Celestia responded. Her eyes, the color of a clear sky, were filled entirely with .

"Ah..."

Not knowing what to do or say, I settled for pulling an awkward face. My chest tingled for so reason.

With my mind constantly going in circles about Celestia, I felt like I was overreacting to everything.

There was no escape from her gaze, so I just stuffed the sample vessel into my belt pouch. I knew it wouldn't really fall, but I couldn't help but act fidgety.

Luckily, my discomfort didn't last long. Whether by chance or by her design, Celestia turned her head and the topic naturally shifted.

"I wanted to see more, but I guess I'll have to wait until next ti."

"It might be hard next ti, too. Maybe because it's still little, it gets embarrassed really easily."

"It's young?"

"Of course. Strictly speaking, it's just two days old."

I wasn't sure if the word 'days old' was right for the situation.

It felt odd to use the term for a plant, but this wasn't exactly a plant, so it might be fine.

Celestia seed to have judged it by more than just appearance, too.

"Only two days? Even calling it 'young' is an understatent. Can it talk?"

"I'm not sure if it can't, or just hasn't learned yet. For now, it only communicates emotions—like boredom, tiredness, things like that."

"I see..."

Celestia nodded in understanding. I expected her to ask more questions, but she didn't. So I asked her.

"You're not going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"Whether it's dangerous. Honestly, none of this is exactly normal. The situation, or the sprout."

Since I was ntally linked, I knew for sure it wasn't a threat to us, but others couldn't know that.

It made sense to be cautious. The unfamiliar tends to invite suspicion.

And besides, everyone, even if they weren't saying it out loud, probably suspected this sprout was closely tied to the Holy Tree worshipped by the pureblood supremacists.

We know very little about the Holy Tree. We know their groups are crazy fanatics, but anything beyond that is a complete mystery. And mystery breeds fear. The unknown invites wild delusions.

Celestia just laughed softly.

"I just trust you. The Hyun-woo I know wouldn't hide sothing if he thought it was strange, and he's not soone who'd be fooled like an idiot, either."

"Aren't you giving too much credit?"

"I trust my own eyes."

It was definitely nice to be seen in such a good light. At the sa ti, I felt a bit guilty, because I *had* been hiding it even though I sensed sothing was off.

"Don't put on a pedestal. I ss up plenty, you know."

"What do you an by mistake?"

"A wrong judgnt is a mistake."

I'm human, not a machine; sotis my judgnt is off. What I believed to be the best choice at the ti can turn out, in hindsight, to be the less desirable option.

It was inevitable—as long as I wasn't omniscient or omnipotent, how could I make the right call every ti?

"The way I see it, that's not a mistake. If you made a decision and gave up right after, that's a mistake. But if you take responsibility and keep pushing in a better direction, that's not a mistake. It's just a choice."

Celestia said it was too soon to call such a choice a mistake—because the path that cos afterward remains.

Maybe it was because she was the head of Myosotis, but her thinking was open. While I was mulling over that, Celestia turned to and spoke.

"Hyun-woo, you taught that."

"... ?"

"Yes. In the underground lab, rember? You told I had to move forward, no matter how hard or painful the present was. I rember every word you said that day. Not a single one is missing."

"..."

Looking at Celestia, who said she would never completely sink into the past, I felt a complicated mix of emotions.

She gave a faint smile, saying she didn't want to make any more mistakes, and I couldn't say a word back.

'If you give up it's a mistake, but if you move forward it's just a choice...'

Many thoughts filled my head. It was like she'd sumd up my entire situation. No, she'd pierced right through it.

It almost seed as if she'd said it on purpose.

We strolled through the ship as if taking a walk. Kyle had decided where we were headed, but we didn't go there straight away.

To be exact, Celestia made a couple of detours. Even though it was already getting dark, she asked if I could keep her company a bit longer since it was still too early to go to bed.

I wasn't sleepy either, so I walked with her. I couldn't quite resist the wistful look in her eyes.

'I should talk about that, too.'

I suddenly recalled the conversation I'd had with Licorice earlier. Myosotis would play an important role in the plans going forward.

They'd find out by tomorrow anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to ntion it now. Actually, it might be better.

On the off-chance Licorice was thinking sothing different, I ssaged her.

- Licorice.

- What?

Just calling her na got an instant reply, faster than a blink. She must not be asleep yet.

- Is it okay if I tell Celestia what we talked about earlier?

- Are you with her?

- Yes.

- Why?

- Huh?

As I was about to type the rest, Licorice's ssage popped up first at the bottom of the hologram window.

- Never mind, it's nothing. Just impressed you're still working even when you're unwell. Anyway, it's fine. It's not like we said anything secret.

- Got it.

With Licorice's okay, I glanced at Celestia, walking beside . Sensing my gaze, she turned her head.

"I had a conversation with Licorice this afternoon. Want to hear it? It's about our plans going forward."

"I'd love to!"

I retraced my mory and shared what we'd discussed. It wasn't like we'd hamred out all the details, so it didn't take long.

"Hmm..."

After listening, Celestia paused to think for a mont before resuming her walk, looking like she'd sorted out her thoughts.

"Linking the purification protocol with Myosotis' support... It's not impossible. Actually, I'd say this gives us a better chance of escaping. The Reformist or pureblood supremacist forces may not have noticed, but Myosotis must still be in Titan's orbit. Just because we haven't seen it doesn't an it isn't there, right?"

I recalled what Licorice had said—that Myosotis was a leader in optical camouflage tech.

"I heard your stealth tech is top-notch."

"Of course. No company can match our active camouflage. We haven't released the technology to the military, either, so even among the traitor-ridden pureblood supremacists, they won't easily find us if we're determined to hide."

A strong voice, not even "They probably can't," but "They can't."

She was brimming with pride and conviction. It was impressive, but there was also a tinge of bitterness.

It wasn't hard to guess why a company that had once specialized in terraforming had shifted to military tech after being brought down.

Without realizing it, I stared at her, and Celestia's ears turned red. She seed a bit embarrassed to have boasted. With a clearing of her throat, she smoothed down her pride.

"Anyway, just in case, we also have an ergency warp gate construction kit. As long as we can break communications jamming, contacting them will be easy."

Celestia explained that she had a device capable of connecting directly to Myosotis, though she didn't look very happy about it.

"But the risks are too high, especially with installing the ergency warp gate. Even though it's 'ergency', it isn't small. The mont its presence is revealed, we'll be under barrage."

"That's extrely risky—no, so risky that failure is highly likely, considering we're surrounded by pureblood supremacist forces."

"That's the problem. Unless the Earth governnt sends additional fleets, it'll be tough to act for now. Still, I don't think it's entirely impossible. We don't know what the purification protocol is like, after all."

"True, but it's hard to just blindly rely on that. If Titan gets wiped out like Europa..."

"I doubt things will go that way from the start. Like how the security protocol transitioned into the purification protocol, I bet the process unfolds in stages."

Celestia said the real priority was to find a way to control those stages. She wasn't wrong. If we couldn't control the stages, there was basically nothing else we could do.

"I'll talk to Licorice. Actually, she might already know; she's always ahead of ."

"If you need my help, let know anyti. I do know my way around systems."

Before I knew it, just walking and talking had brought to the door of Celestia's quarters. We arrived just as the conversation reached a close.

Celestia glanced at her door with a trace of disappointnt, then looked out at the now-darkened corridor.

"We're here. Thanks for walking back."

"There's no need to thank ."

Though I'd tried to avoid Celestia all day, I'd ended up having a fairly long conversation with her. What I'd feared hadn't happened.

Maybe it was coincidence, but it felt like Celestia had been considerate of .

"See you tomorrow, then."

"Yes."

Celestia waved her hand as she opened the door. Just before the door fully closed, her voice reached through the crack.

"Hyun-woo, if you want, you can call Celly. That's my nickna."

Hearing that she'd actually prefer it, I couldn't bring myself to respond.

Celestia, too, didn't seem to expect an answer, closing the door with that final statent.

For a while, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from her door.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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