Chapter 19
Leaving the underwater exploration to Emotion, Kait flew at low altitude toward the densely populated human zone. He planned to switch to walking once the population increased. As for the Queen Bee, he had a feeling that if he called it, it would come immediately even from the other side of Earth.
Upon descending to the surface, it became clear that the reddish-brown areas contrasted beautifully with the parts retaining their natural colors. It looked as if only the reddish-brown areas had been drained of vitality by something.
The reddish-brown areas, whether plant life or man-made structures, appeared completely desiccated and starting to weather. In several places he passed through, the remnants of concrete buildings had already begun to crumble in the wind. Even in the areas where some vitality remained, there was no sign of people in the urban zones.
Once the lifelines are cut off, the only lives left in the city are on par with the products left on shelves. There was no sign that electricity or water—or anything like that—was functioning.
"Damn, maybe I should've come with Emotion."
Ninety percent of humanity had perished from Earth. What had happened to the non-human creatures? Since he could still breathe, the plants must be stubbornly surviving. It had been six months since the collapse of society, so surely many had died from starvation or disease during that time, but still.
Times like this are exactly when Emotion's sensors would be useful.
From the sky, the mottled pattern of red and green was visible. Occasionally, abandoned human bones rolled along in the wind. It seemed no one was left in this area.
Maybe it was okay to hurry a bit. Kait focused his attention on the coordinates where Divin and Gilbert Jane had been observed.
"Fly!"
Not just his hair—lightning arced from his entire body.
In the next moment, Kait's body shot up into the sky like a bullet.
***
Relief.
What Emotion first felt was the relief of not having provoked Terapolapaneshio's displeasure.
Compared to the surface, the underwater environment appeared surprisingly unaffected. She wondered if perhaps the Federation had already intervened, but it wasn't likely that a dead ecosystem could recover so quickly. It made more sense to assume the ratio of destruction differed between land and sea.
"Well, since the Captain's concerns were resolved, let's call it a win."
Emotion herself didn't have psychic power like Kait, but her body and mind had almost entirely been replaced with Federation-made mechanical intelligence. When it came to Earth-made constructs, processing them in any way was easy. She could quickly retrofit a derelict ship drifting on the sea into whatever was needed.
An impromptu aquarium exclusively for Earth jellyfish.
There was a risk it might cause discomfort in a different sense, being confined in such a small space, but if that happened, she could simply return it quietly to the ocean.
"I don't think we'll need to wait that long, anyway."
She looked up at the sky.
From the surface, the movement of space couldn't be observed, but Emotion could understand it.
The representative growing impatient in Zodogia. And the massive swarm of Terapolapaneshio rushing toward that Zodogia.
Seeing a swarm of space jellyfish descending to Earth, wouldn't the humans think it was the end of the world?
"Surely, they won't descend in the flesh... probably."
Even Emotion trusted Terapolapaneshio's eccentricities less than Kait did. In this case, was it strange that Kait, who could be compared to the space jellyfish with completely different values, became the benchmark? Or was it that Emotion's own perspective was too narrow, since the only samples for comparison were those two?
She decided not to think about the answer.
***
Port of Ark.
Apparently, that settlement had been given such a grandiose name.
They said if you went there, you wouldn't have trouble finding food. They said if you went there, you'd be welcomed by heavenly emissaries. The few survivors she had seen were all clinging to those rumors and heading toward the settlement.
More and more people were collapsing along the way, having exhausted their strength. No one offered help to the fallen. After six months, everyone had come to understand that they were in no condition to help others.
Half a day passed avoiding human eyes. Finally, the townscape came into view.
Indeed, there were many people. They had probably drifted into a city that had suffered relatively little damage. Even if the lifelines weren't restored, it felt nostalgic to see a familiar city again.
He descended to the surface and headed toward the city on foot. Compared to the others walking, he seemed oddly energetic, but further disguise didn't seem necessary.
"Welcome to the last hope of humanity—Port of Ark!"
"You made it here alive. Congratulations."
The ones who greeted him at the city's perimeter were two men dressed decently enough. Perhaps they were acting as gatekeepers. They looked healthy, but water must still be scarce. The smell of dust and dirt lingered faintly in the air.
They carried tools that looked neither like guns nor staffs, and their design didn't match anything from Kait's memory three years ago. Rather than Earth-made weapons from before the collapse, they seemed more likely to have been provided by Divin.
Surprisingly, Kait was let in without issue. Looking around, he saw that he wasn't the only one. It seemed they intended to accept everyone.
"The last hope, huh."
He vaguely sensed Divin's intentions behind them. To the aliens, Earthlings were all merchandise. Even if they caused a ruckus, they could just be subdued and made obedient.
If one could abandon the ruined surface and escape to space, then it could indeed be called hope. With survival on the line, some might not mind being sold to aliens as long as they could eat.
But if they could eat, then some degree of freedom would be better. Unless there were no other options, if there was a path to become a Federation citizen, they ought to be given that choice.
"Well then, the more arrogant they are, the more they want to live in the center..."
In the center of the city stood a giant object that looked like a Y or T shape. Judging by its form, it was probably a port for ships descending from the sky.
Some people were kneeling toward the object. The Divin people seen in Federation footage looked like winged humans. Kait thought they looked surprisingly similar, but by Federation standards, Divin had six functional limbs—arms, legs, and wings—while Earthlings had only four, so they were considered completely different. By their standards, Earthlings resembled the Gimi people, the same race as Ritimiele, far more than the Divin. With so many species, even the standards vary, Kait mused.
Even so, many Earthlings would probably see the Divin as savior angels. If the comparison was with Terapolapaneshio, even Kait, who was from the same planet, wouldn't be confident in persuading them to join the Federation. In that sense, it was truly fortunate that he had first met Ritimiele.
Perhaps because he was lost in thought, Kait failed to notice the presence nearby.
"Halt. Beyond this point is restricted to those close to Representative Damos or recognized by the Ark."
At the voice, he turned around, about to apologize.
"...Rebecca?"
"Kait? Kait Crouch?"
Realizing it was someone he knew, Kait involuntarily called her name.
Rebecca Luthiano. Like Kait, she had been raised by the organization as a candidate for Leader, and had competed with him for the position until the very end.
It seemed he wasn't the only one surprised. Rebecca widened her already large eyes and walked toward him, grabbing his arm.
"You're alive...!"
"Yeah, somehow."
Seeing Rebecca so moved, a warmth spread in Kait's chest as well.
Unlike the adults who had tried to use him, she had been a companion who shared the same time. Though they had been rivals, emotionally, she was probably the closest to him.
Rebecca stood still for a moment, then shook her head and tugged his arm.
"Come with me. I'll introduce you to Representative Damos. Let's go to space together."
"What?"
"I'm scheduled to board the next ship. The first one took a hundred thousand people. The next will take two hundred thousand. To lead those heading to an unknown world, people like us—capable ones—are needed. Don't you agree?"
"So you're close to Representative Damos?"
"Yes. Because you weren't there. After that, I received intensive training as the next Leader's right-hand. I'm an excellent assistant, you know."
"I know you're capable."
She had competed with him for the position of next Leader to the very end. Kait had actually thought she would be chosen. She had the strongest ambition of all. But she had received training as an aide. She even seemed proud of it. Had she accepted that Kait would stand above her?
Rebecca didn't seem to realize that Damos was actually Gilbert Jane. She seemed to believe he was a saint who had negotiated with the Divin and was guiding humanity to their next home. As they walked, she continued praising Representative Damos.
"Representative Damos is a wonderful person. Nearly as amazing as you. I'm sure the Divin approached him because they recognized his outstanding character."
People only believe what they want to believe. That phrase suddenly came to mind. Whose words were they? He didn't want to say her eyes were clouded, but knowing the truth made her seem a little pitiful.
But there was no point in saying that now.
"So? How did you survive? It must have been tough."
"Not really. It was more comfortable than I expected."
"Did you find an intact plant or something? Well, knowing you, you probably overcame everything with that calm face of yours."
"You give me too much credit."
Rebecca began crafting a survival story for him on her own. There was no need to deny it, so he just went along with it.
Then Rebecca came to a stop. Her gaze was fixed on a fairly large building within the city. It was no match for the central object, but as a residence for someone in power, it was sizable.
Standing before the imposing guards at the entrance, they all saluted Rebecca in unison.
"Lady Luthiano. And this is?"
"A talented individual. Far more than I am."
"No way! There couldn't be anyone more capable than Lady Luthiano!"
"Will you let us through? I need to introduce him to Representative Damos."
"...The representative is currently in a meeting with the angels, but—"
"All the more reason. With his help, the plan will accelerate."
"Understood. Please proceed."
It seemed Rebecca truly was a close aide to Damos. Kait was able to enter the building without even being asked his name.
He had been wondering how to sneak in if things went badly. This was a pleasant surprise.
He walked through a slightly dusty but well-maintained hallway.
He knocked twice on the door labeled "Conference Room." A raspy voice called out, telling them to enter.
"Pardon us, Representative."
"Luthiano. Is this urgent... who is that?"
"Angels, forgive the interruption. I'd like to introduce him."
"...A Federation citizen?"
Kait didn't miss the murmur from one of the Divin, who had large, feathered wings sprouting from their back.
There were four Divin in total. Their faces looked no different from humans, but it was probably a disguise. In the footage, Divin didn't have noses. Their wing shapes varied, but that was likely a matter of individual traits.
Taking a small step away from Rebecca, Kait addressed Damos first, not the Divin. He didn't plan to expose Damos's identity here, but first, he had to awaken Rebecca to the truth.
"You've gotten pretty skinny. Your beard and hair are all over the place—no wonder no one recognized you unless they'd seen an old photo."
Damos spun around with force. His sharp gaze locked onto Kait, glaring intensely.
Rebecca looked between Damos and Kait, seemingly not understanding the tension running between the two.
"What's wrong, Kait? Do you know the Representative?"
"I'm not the only one. There's no way you wouldn't know him either. His appearance has changed a lot, and if I hadn't seen an old photo, I wouldn't have recognized him either."
"Tch."
"Representative?"
"Was it 'Human lives and war bring profit'? And now you're trying to pull that off with aliens? You've got some nerve, Gilbert Jane."
"Eh—"
Damos didn't deny it.
He wasn't fast, but without hesitation, he pulled a gun from his coat and pointed it at them. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, one of the Divin sharply stopped him.
"Wait, Damos!"
"Why? Letting him live will only cause problems. Rebecca, you've brought trouble with you."
"No way, Kait? Representative? Gilbert Jane...?"
"It's real. Slave trader, warmonger, the Devil of Gamjin. That's who Damos really is."
"Lies, lies... Ugh!"
Rebecca couldn't hold it back and vomited. Judging from her reaction, she may have even given her body to him out of admiration. How pitiful.
Gilbert was interrogating the Divin and paid no attention to Rebecca. The Divin didn't respond to Gilbert, instead speaking to them in a polite tone.
"S-So. Why would a Federation citizen be on such a primitive planet? Isn't the impregnable fortress Zodogia being withdrawn?"
"You figured out I'm a Federation citizen pretty quickly."
"Huh? Yes. The fabric of your clothing gave it away. Is this your first time encountering a civilization outside the Federation, perhaps? We Divin, too, once—"
"I know the Divin were originally Federation citizens. I also know why you were exiled."
"I-I see."
The Divin's cheek twitched.
Their scheming ends here. It's time for a quiet final warning.
"I'm Kait Crouch. An Earthling."
"Wha—!?"
"Earth has recently been placed under the Federation's control. Your actions are considered hostile against the Federation. I suggest you stop immediately."
The Divin's face visibly turned pale.
It might have been a disguise, but their emotional expressions were very similar to humans.
It was nauseatingly unpleasant.