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Agatha arrived in front of Noel, dragging her armored body. The rebels who had been escorting Noel had long since been torn to pieces by Scylla and turned into a pile of scrap metal.
It was a golden opportunity to drive the rebels out of the empire. If Noel died, the rebels would also fall apart.
Card grab!
Agatha struck Noel’s side with a large halberd. The ground shattered and a large cloud of dust rose. Scylla’s right arm in full armor was larger than her left. It was probably modified to allow her to swing the heavy halberd with one hand.
From the dust heap, Noel stared blankly at Agatha.
“You touched the armored body.”
-Because you killed Katrin.
“He took his own life. He didn’t intend to kill me.”
– Are you… … kidding me? You drove Catherine to her death! You killed her! You piece of trash!
Agatha’s mechanical voice was filled with intense emotions.
“Agatha, don’t use the armored body. Even if you don’t know it now, you’ll be eaten by the machines soon.”
Noel spoke to Agatha as if trying to persuade her.
Dismissed!
Agatha swung her axe upward from below. Noel’s left arm was brutally broken.
Noel only stumbled for a moment. He smiled bitterly.
“I can’t collapse here yet. Please. Let me go.”
-You call that talking? Why on earth are you doing this, Noel? You’re not this kind of person. Why on earth… … .
If Agatha could shed tears, she would have shed them. But the armored Scylla could neither frown nor cry.
“I haven’t changed. What has changed is the circumstances around me. Trust me.”
-How can I trust you? You betrayed Katrin. Then why did you marry her? Why did you go to Katrin?
“I’ve betrayed countless people… … but I will never betray you. Because you are special to me.”
Even if it wasn’t Noel’s point of view, I could tell.
‘Noel is using Agatha’s mind.’
Noel delved into Agatha’s emotional weaknesses and turmoil. It was a psychological control that was possible because he knew that her feelings for him were love and hate.
“When I’m done with my work, then I’ll tell you… … everything.”
-Shut up! You don’t have to say anything! I’ll forget you. Don’t show up in front of me again. The Noel I knew is now dead.
And Agatha swung her axe.
Kwajik!
Noel’s upper and lower body were torn apart. Since he was a full-body prosthetic, he wouldn’t die from this.
-Wait for your skilled subordinates to come and rescue you. If you’re lucky, you won’t be captured by the Imperial Army. This is my choice.
* * *
Agatha retired from the military. Nominally, it was due to the side effects of the full-body armor that prevented her from returning to service. Given her many achievements, her superiors must have had no choice but to accept it.
As time passed, Noel’s rebel army grew in size. The private armies of nobles who clashed with the rebel army suffered near-annihilation one after another.
So the emperor, who could no longer bear it any longer, led his army and went on a personal campaign. The rebels who clashed with the emperor’s army were defeated and quickly declined thereafter.
This was the external trend. In conclusion, the imperial family became rich and the aristocracy became weak.
‘Noel and the Emperor’s plan is moving to the next stage.’
After a war of attrition, the rebels spread throughout the planet Ark in guerrilla form. They took refuge in major cities and carried out terrorism and assassinations. Sometimes they even formed groups and attacked major facilities of the Empire. Each time, many influential nobles were killed.
It was not surprising that so many nobles died, since one of the rebels’ banners was to destroy the class society.
However, Noel’s power was on the verge of collapse.
“Kosova and Hinden are dead too. It seems the information has leaked out.”
“We need to reorganize. We can no longer function as an army.”
“Let’s be honest. We are falling apart. The internal turmoil is growing, and there will be more traitors.”
The executives continued to give advice. Noel remained silent while sitting at the head of the table.
Noel couldn’t stop. There were too many deaths that had already piled up. If he stopped here, all the hardships he had endured would be meaningless.
“… … I will come up with the reorganization plan.”
According to Noel’s intention, the rebels were divided into small-scale cells. Only a few key members knew the outline of the organization.
‘The goal is not to win. It is a form of reorganization where the goal is to resist persistently.’
Even if the tail is caught, it is the extremities that are cut off. The body will continue the tenacious, unwinnable struggle.
It was also at this time that the Akiess Victory began to spread externally. The rebel leader gathered locals and taught them Akiess fighting techniques. The Akiess fighting techniques learned by the idiots quickly spread through the back alleys.
“Noel, are you leaving at this time?”
“Two days will be enough. Please, Ube.”
Noel left the organization to his close associates and left. No one could trace Noel’s whereabouts as he disappeared like the wind.
‘The Emperor’s Watcher.’
That authority also belongs to Noel at this time.
Noel entered the city as a wanted criminal. He attended a wedding under false pretenses. It was not for terrorism.
‘Agatha’s Wedding.’
It was the wedding of retired Agatha. It was not a grand ceremony, but it was cozy and warm.
Agatha’s spouse was not a soldier. He was an imperial official, a man of good reputation and integrity. In many ways, he was an ideal spouse.
Noel watched Agatha’s wedding from afar.
I don’t know what Noel is thinking and feeling right now, but I can guess. He must have sincerely wished for Agatha’s happiness.
… … And ten more years passed.
The empire monitored and oppressed the people under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion. Because they were afraid of the damage and terrorism caused by the rebellion, the people accepted the oppressive rule voluntarily.
Noel and the Emperor’s plan has reached its final stage.
Large-scale immigration ships were being built throughout the empire.
‘Planetary Immigration Plan.’
It was a massive plan that invested the majority of the empire’s national power. The intention was to leave the barren planet of Ark and find a utopia where people could live comfortably.
The stable aristocratic society would not welcome the immigration plan. The aristocrats had adapted to the planet Ark and monopolized industry, enjoying wealth and honor. If immigration caused new interests and chaos, a new power would emerge and the privileges enjoyed by the existing aristocracy would have to be shared.
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‘And building planetary colonies and colony fleets is a huge drain on the Empire, too.’
The majority of the current generation of imperial citizens will not enjoy the wealth that comes from immigration and development. They will be exploited and die for the sake of future generations. Even if things go well, it will be their descendants in the second or third generation who will enjoy the benefits.
There is no force, either noble or commoner, that welcomes the massive investment in an uncertain future and the suffering of the present.
‘The only thing that can put an end to all these complaints is the power of the emperor.’
Noel’s rebellion led to the centralization of power in the imperial court, which was able to enforce the immigration plan.
‘All this was for the sake of the immigrant fleet. Later, the Empire would settle on the planet Novas through this immigrant fleet.’
Noel’s fierce aura, which did not distinguish between front and back, also subsided.
“It will all be over soon.”
In the dark room, Noel muttered alone. He betrayed those he loved. He left those who believed in him and followed him to die. His mind must already be in shambles.
Noel endured a painful life marked by infamy. Even those with cold blood and an iron mind could not stop the soul from being torn apart.
“Agatha, this is a record for you. Perhaps when we meet again, I won’t even have a chance to explain it to you.”
Noel suddenly looked up at the ceiling and spoke. His gaze was fixed on me. This was a letter Noel left behind in the simulation.
“This was the only way to save everyone. I’m sorry for hurting you. No words can ever make up for it. It wasn’t just you. I did something to Catherine that even death would not forgive.”
Noel plugged a thick cable into the back of his neck. The circuits engraved on the cable and the light flowing from the grooves were sucked into the computer. The light blinked as if breathing, and Noel’s pupils also glowed in sync.
Noel was converting his memories into simulation data.
“If I had been wiser, if I had been a better person… … would I have made a better decision? I thought about it every night, but the conclusion never changed.”
Noel slowly sorted out his memories.
“If I had told you everything, you would have gladly died with me, bearing my stigma. That is not what I wish.”
Noel was talking to Agatha. He was sure that Agatha would be the first to see this record.
“Please survive, Agatha. I know this is cruel to you. But I can’t tell anyone about this. You are the only one I can trust. If only you could remember what kind of person I was, I could be saved.”
The room I was sitting in shook. There was a loud noise downstairs. There was a battle going on.
“I don’t need anyone’s approval. Just remembering you is enough. And how the evil I committed saved people… … You confirm that my life was not meaningless.”
Noel’s eyelids blinked rapidly. The simulation conversion of memories was nearing its end.
‘To save Agatha… … .’
The plan ends with Noel’s death, and the one chosen to execute it is Agatha.
Agatha, whose brain and consciousness had been transferred to the armored body, was coming here. A terrible scream was coming from the lower floor. Just by listening, you could tell that the inside of her hand was fierce.
Noel kept hearing the news over and over again through the hologram. It was a list of deaths from the rebels’ terrorist attack.
‘Agatha’s husband and daughter were killed in the attack.’
That hatred and anger brought Agatha to the battlefield.
‘Perhaps it was the royal family’s doing… … .’
Noel’s reasoning resonated with me too.
Not all of the rebels’ terrorist acts are under Noel’s control, but he would have been careful to keep Agatha out of it.
But when Agatha finds out about Noel’s reasoning, she too dies.
‘If you don’t tell, Agatha can kill Noel and take his wealth and fame.’
It is unclear whether this situation was the Emperor’s consideration or his bad taste.
Although they had been working together for a long time, Noel did not know the Emperor’s human side. He did not know if the Emperor truly cared for the people of the Empire. He simply joined hands because he believed that the Emperor’s judgment was right.
Kkwadduk!
As the floor shattered, the fully armored Scylla appeared.
The fierce glare was filled with murderous intent. Agatha must be out of her mind due to extreme hatred and anger, the overload of her armored body, and the sudden return to the battlefield.
“Agatha, it wasn’t intentional. Save me… … .”
Noel’s last words were an excuse for a hideously corrupted person, which would have further aroused Agatha’s murderous intent.
Agatha didn’t hesitate. She might have been anxious that if she continued to listen to Noel, she might be persuaded like before. After all, Agatha liked Noel so much that she even suppressed her desire for revenge.
-We must capture her, Agatha!
The cries below were also meaningless. Agatha’s arms did not stop.
Kwajik!
Noel’s head exploded. That was the end of the simulation conversion.
Crackle! Crackle!
There was a terrible noise in my head. It was the emotional signal of death.
Dismissed!
Returning to reality, I grabbed the virtual simulation device as if I was going to break it. The outer surface of the device broke, revealing its internal components.
In the latter half of the virtual simulation, the identity score between me and Noel was low, so Harry’s disability did not occur.
‘What happened after that?’
The accident of Akes Victima started automatic reasoning.
‘Agatha was given the name Custoria for her accomplishments in defeating Noel. She was killed, not captured… … but it must have been the Emperor’s consideration.’
However, Noel was recorded as being captured and secretly executed. The most realistic reason would be to eliminate the ‘rebel forces that gathered to rescue the captured Noel’.
‘Because they had to get rid of the unstable forces before interplanetary immigration.’
The royal family used Noel until the end.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. Giselle waited without touching me.
“… … Ah, that was a fun memory, Luca.”
After a while, Barbara woke up too. She looked at me and smiled faintly.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“Do you know why we left the planet Ark and came to Novas? The real reason, not the external reasons.”
I frowned and kept silent. My nerves were on edge due to the virtual simulation immersion and the continuous causal inference. It was annoying to answer each question one by one.
“Well, since you showed me something good, I’ll give you some information too. I like you. Look, Korra and Bellato, who were on different planets, and our empire immigrated to the same planet at about the same time. There’s a conspiracy theory that’s been floating around for a long time. It’s a rumor that the entire three nations of humanity were driven out to the planet Novas because of some ‘incident’.”
A scene flashed through my mind.
A grotesque organic ship made of blood-red flesh. Engine thrusters that emit darkness instead of light… … .
Maybe Barbara didn’t see this. Only I did. Agatha probably doesn’t know either.
Barbara raised her index finger and continued to spout off her guesses.
“If the rumor is true, then the Emperor used Noel’s rebellion to build a large fleet in preparation for the coming disaster. It means that there was a threat that would require the entire nation to emigrate.”
What Barbara said is certainly interesting, but it’s not information that’s important to me right now. Let’s just keep it in our memory.
… … I wanted to make a different judgment than Noel. But no matter how many times I thought about it, it was the same. It was best to comply with the Empire.
The Imperial Family is vile and cruel, but they are clearly acting for the benefit and survival of the entire Empire.
