episode_0108

The day I retired.

The day when everyone else was discouraged from retiring.

The sky was clear.

Although it was the colony’s sky, not Earth’s, the display was brighter than ever.

“Do you feel relieved?”

the girl asked.

On the platform where I was waiting to board the space shuttle, the girl who had come out of the assembly hall to see me off asked me.

“I no longer ride in AS.”

The girl who probably had more regrets than anyone else asked me.

“Isn’t the true intention of that question different?”

Because I had walked through countless battlefields with the girl, I knew her true feelings better than anyone else.

“You’re worried that I might run an AS other than yours.”

“…….”

“I said I was retiring because of my health, but I was worried that I would fly a different aircraft later.”

“To be exact, it is the control AI.”

The girl was an AI, not a human.

“You can ride on as many new aircraft as you want. The colony you are staying in is suddenly attacked by an enemy, and there is a just-rolled-out aircraft in front of you.”

“Harkon, standing on the ground?”

“Are you sure it won’t happen?”

“We will do our best to prevent terrorism from occurring, but if it is an unavoidable situation, we will have to hold on to the steering wheel.”

“I knew so.”

The girl laughs.

Although it is an AI, not a human, a being that understands human emotions better than anyone else smiles.

“Still, I cannot understand your existence. I’ve seen so many people so far, but I still can’t understand your choice.”

“Among the countless humans in the universe, there may be at least one human like me. Wouldn’t just knowing that be of great help to you?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

The girl tried to understand humans, but she couldn’t understand me until the end.

“Of course, don’t you want to live?”

“No.”

All humans want to live.

“You don’t have a fatal disease yet. You can do whatever you want for treatment. If you insert an ether replacement organ, you will be able to continue living.”

“I still have regrets until the end. Didn’t you come to see me off?”

“I will see you off. I know you’re leaving too. I’m thinking about hacking the shuttle waiting to depart and delaying its departure, or canceling the flight altogether.”

“Don’t say horrible things.”

“From my perspective, it is a terrible thing for you to retire and become an individual.”

The girl puffed out her cheeks.

“That doesn’t work anymore either.”

“They once said that a pretty girl’s charm would work on any man.”

“If a man falls for cuteness even at the cost of breaking his beliefs, wouldn’t it be shameful to even claim that his beliefs are beliefs?”

“It’s a belief.”

The girl saw many people break their beliefs.

I have seen beliefs disrupt the universe and lead the world to destruction.

“Is that your belief too?”

“To become dust and die on Mother Earth.”

I looked up and down my body.

“I was born on Earth and did my best for the universe. Maybe it’s because I’m Korean, but when I die, my body will be buried intact, with no ether.”

If I had faith.

“I know that ether is good. But at least for this body, I want to become the soil of the earth in its entirety, without the influence of the ether.”

Dying on Earth.

“Just, there’s nothing else. AI may not understand, but surprisingly, I am a person who believes in superstitions.”

Even if I die in space, my remains will be buried in my hometown on Earth.

“I just want to be buried together in the land where my family is buried.”

“…….”

“You can’t lie down next to people who passed away in the ether with a lot of ether, right?”

“…….”

The girl closes her eyes as if she still doesn’t understand.

“…I can’t help it.”

The girl is an artificial intelligence, but she learned something called resignation.

“I never thought a paladin would be this helpful. Even we have not discovered anything about the afterlife, so who can believe if a paladin retires and tries to end his life quietly because of his belief in the afterlife?”

“Surprisingly, everyone who knew me would believe me? Especially ace pilots.”

“Jinx, is it?”

“Okay. And my jinx is…you know?”

I stretched out my hand towards the girl.

“If I put an AI other than you on my aircraft, I’ll be in trouble.”

“It’s not a jinx, it’s a combination of my incredible support and your skills.”

“Don’t you understand what I mean?”

“I understand, but I’m embarrassed so I can’t answer.”

The girl held my hand.

“I hope the day comes when I become your control AI again.”

“You shouldn’t do that. Before I left, I was going to make a promise.”

“Promise?”

“Okay. It is nothing else but the last gift left by the old man to the person who is willing to become a mediator for humanity as the chairman of the Zodiac Union.”

I made a pinky promise with the girl.

“If a war breaks out in our universe that destroys peace. When it is impossible to overcome with the strength of those deployed to the battlefield. I will help you at that time.”

“……Do you know what that means?”

“You know. If I want to do my best, of course I have to accept your kindness into my body.”

“You could become the etheric person you hate so much. Ether flows through the body instead of blood, and ether settles in each cell. …Even if you’re buried next to your parents’ graves, your parents might hate you because you’re an ethereal person?”

“It’s okay. You will understand.”

I don’t know anything else.

“Willingly sacrificing this one body for the sake of the Earth, the universe, and peace. Just like you two did, I just do the same.”

“…I will do my best to avoid calling you out.”

The girl pressed her thumb against mine.

“If that day comes, then-”

“Of course, at full power.”

I promised.

“Even if my body is broken and crumbles.”

As always, do your best to defeat your enemies.

* * *

Pa–ah.

If this is the case, sooner or later I will die.

But this feeling flowing through my body right now is not the feeling of death.

I can feel the flow of everything I see before my eyes.

Scorpy Dokdo aims the shoulder cannon despite being embarrassed.

Even though the pilot was half-damaged, he opened the cockpit and tried to escape, but his body stiffened when he saw me.

In the midst of a battle, Lavender is looking at me while stabbing the enemy with her claw.

“Focus on the battle.”

[Instructor?! The body is-]

[I will provide support to the instructor, so you can focus on your battle.]

Lavender was about to say something, but her words were immediately cut off by a voice coming from behind me.

[I adjusted the control stick and pilot seat as much as possible to suit my current body. What do you think?]

“Not bad.”

[It’s not bad?]

“Don’t you have to drive a new car to know it?”

I immediately pulled the control stick and pressed the booster button.

The engine panel on the left instantly broke through the red critical point, and the aircraft sped forward as if bouncing forward in an instant.

“It’s a bit slow.”

[I can not help it. I didn’t make this.]

“That’s right.”

I’m sorry to the after-sales service creators of Sagittarius Colony, but the Paladin Mk.2 they created was very subtly slow to follow my response.

It’s not that annoying.

It’s just a minor discomfort, as if the response keeps being delayed by 0.1 seconds.

[Shall we adjust?]

“No. If the aircraft is slow to respond, I can set it one time later.”

A red dot approaches ahead.

It was a red trajectory that flew precisely in anticipation of the speed at which I was racing through space, and my hand was already pointing towards the shield to manipulate the panel glowing with ether.

However, not now.

If the enemy is what I expect, then the timing is definitely-

‘now.’

Click.

Ahead, a blue barrier unfolds.

Aether erupts from the cavalry that extends from the front of the aircraft, and the ether draws a spiral to create a barrier.

Kwa-euang!

The enemy’s attack has arrived.

The blow was aimed precisely at the cockpit area, but I continued straight ahead, deflecting the tip of the enemy’s ‘arrow’ with the tip of my cavalry spear.

“From Paladin 01 to Electric.”

In front of me, I pass by the shrine that I went to first.

“Sagittarius Colony Enemy SS-Class Special, Beware of Black Storm.”

Kwaaah!

As soon as I spoke, an explosion occurred in the direction of the Sagittarius Colony.

And at the same time, along with the black storm that exploded, a huge war horse leapt out as if running through space.

[Um, that is…!]

“It appears to have been hijacked, so we will respond here.”

It is the final weapon of the Sagittarius Colony and was the exclusive use of the Divine Palace.

An extra-large AS that can destroy dozens of large ships in a short period of time.

black storm.

“Raymond.”

[Uh, huh…?]

“It may be vicarious satisfaction, but let me show you now.”

Flashing.

A mane began to sprout from the upper body of the black storm and the back of the humanoid.

“If you fight against a paladin, who will win? Surely they won’t say it’s invalid because it’s AI?”

[AI…. No way….]

“Battle data, always be careful.”

The opponent is a black storm.

And, the shrine.

“Sapphire. What is the opponent’s main weapon?”

[The main one is the Great Palace. But before using the great bow, on the mane…]

“There was no time to hear the report.”

Pa–ah.

A small weapon that extends from the black storm mane driven by the AI shrine.

“I’ve never heard of Shingung having a talent for panel weapons.”

[To respond to all weather conditions, AI must have been set up separately for each panel. Total number, 12.]

12 panels.

And the black storm, a huge etheric bow held by the main body.

[What are you going to do?]

“Of course, as always.”

Hold on to the control stick and pull the booster.

“Charge. Dodge, stab.”

at the same time.

“Shield lance, deployed.”

From the cavalry spears extending forward, ether began to gush out again.

“From Paladin 01 to Electric. I’ll mark the black storm here, and the rest will go towards the Sagittarius colony.”

Pa–ah.

An AI panel containing the battle data of the shrine sniped at me.

Pajik.

However, before I could shoot, I-‘we’ were already poking at the panel.

Kwa-eu-ang.

The panel explodes and the debris and explosion covers the entire body, but it only flows backwards through the ether barrier placed in front and scatters.

“One.”

There are 11 left.

“Let’s try to lightly blow up the whole panel first.”

[Let me show you which side is being hunted.]

I’ll have to tell Lavender later.

How to deal with enemies that use a large number of panels.

[left.]

“Is it.”

Pa-ang.

Before the panel attacks, approach the panel first and destroy it.

“Two.”