Chapter 23
“How can we even know what you’re saying is true?”
“……”
“You’re just the same as them after all!!”
Anschel seemed unaware of what he was saying. He was rambling nonsensically, claiming that Harriet, an artificial merman and experiment subject, was the same as the merpeople living in the sea.
As Anschel’s barriers piled up layer upon layer in the narrow military base, growing so tight they threatened those inside, Harriet stroked his chin with his characteristic troubled expression. His white eyebrows curved downward dramatically.
At that moment, the sofa beside where he was sitting burst with a thud, tufts of cotton protruding sharply. Although Anschel’s ability was creating barriers, he could also make them as hard as glass to attack people.
“Oh my… it seems he’s under mind control?”
Harriet mumbled as if perplexed, but that was all. As always, his slight smile was the same one he showed even when Angela was being cute.
Harriet raised his head and met Ender’s gaze as he looked down at him. Ender didn’t seem particularly concerned about the situation. He was only looking at Harriet. More precisely, he was looking at Alcita Maxim’s letter that Harriet was holding.
“Right? Ender.”
Harriet whispered in Ender’s ear, trying not to provoke Anschel. The cute junior smiled deeply at his senior’s whisper. His face, softly laughing, was so beautiful and handsome.
“Yes.”
“Gently, be gentle.”
He whispered into Ender’s ear again. The method to break free from mind control was quite simple. Either don’t hear the voice of the person with the ability for a certain period of time, or receive a very strong shock. Since there’s no place in this world untouched by media, naturally there was only one method to choose for releasing mind control.
Anschel, with his bloodshot eyes, seeming unable to see clearly, was definitely acting strange. Though they hadn’t been together for a long time, Harriet knew that Anschel didn’t have such an aggressive personality.
“Merpeople, merpeople…”
Ender raised his hand and grabbed Anschel by the collar as he mumbled, repeating that merpeople were bad, as if brainwashed. There was no light in Anschel’s eyes; they had become cloudy. He was indeed under the influence of mind control. The eyes that had lost their color were proof of that.
A loud slap echoed through the narrow room. It was such a fierce sound that even Ann, who had been quietly observing the situation, flinched. Ender tilted his head sideways while still holding Anschel by the collar.
“Still haven’t come to your senses?”
The color had not returned to his eyes. This is why Ender disliked the president. That old man was good at vile acts, manipulating others’ weaknesses.
And he used his mind control ability on those whose hearts had weakened. Most people would recover after a short time, but it seemed he had touched upon a deep wound in Anschel’s heart.
Ender slapped Anschel’s cheeks a few more times. The crisp slapping sound echoed several more times. Anschel’s wild eyes gradually began to return to normal from the pain and shock.
Seeing this, Ender murmured lowly.
“Am I not too kind a superior? Even when you talk nonsense, I’m this generous and let it slide.”
‘Kind my ass, damn… have all generous people died out?’
Anschel swallowed the curse that was about to escape like a groan. Light was gradually returning to his eyes. He felt his reason returning, which had been clouded by anger and a boiling body. He hurriedly spoke before Ender could raise his hand again.
“I… I’ve come to my senses.”
“You still don’t seem fully back.”
Anschel quickly stepped back before Ender could slap him once more. He tasted a salty metallic flavor in his mouth. His head was still spinning, and it seemed he had lost a molar.
But without that much of a shock, Anschel might still be struggling under mind control, spouting nonsense. Having personally experienced the terror of mind control ability, Anschel staggered and bowed his head to Harriet.
“I’m sorry… I spoke out of turn.”
Anschel squeezed his eyes shut. Harriet shook his head as he put Alcita’s letter back in the bottle. There was not a hint of anger in his expression.
“I…”
As Angela nudged his side, Ryan carefully raised his arm, unable to contain himself. Both still looked confused about the situation and asked what they were most curious about first.
“Is the Captain a merman??”
“Ah.”
Anschel covered his mouth with his hand at the mistake he had made. He looked unwell. But Harriet nodded calmly, as if it wasn’t much of a secret.
“Yes.”
Anschel almost instinctively pointed out how classified his information was considered by the military. But because he had sinned, he couldn’t speak and bowed his head deeply. No matter that he was under mind control, it was Anschel himself who had said those words.
“I’m a merman. An artificial one created by the military.”
Harriet narrowed his eyes and whispered as if sharing an intimate secret, like having shaved his leg hair today. Returning to his original expression, he smiled slightly as if troubled.
‘Ah, so our Captain was a merman.’
‘But aren’t merpeople creatures that live in water?’
The two were lost in thought for a moment, then chirped like sparrows in unison a few seconds later. They spoke like children who didn’t know what to say first, mixing hand and foot gestures.
“Th-th-then!! Captain, do you also grow a tail like a merman!?”
“A fish tail!”
‘Fish…’
Anschel’s expression worsened as he recalled the atrocities Harriet had committed in the past.
“I do.”
“Then!! C-Captain, also, water?!”
“Do you drink water?”
Humans drink water too…
Harriet nodded.
“Were you comrades?!”
Even Ann, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, joined in the noisy discussion. Angela nodded as if she had just realized something.
“So that’s why the Captain, like a water-drinking hippo…”
As Anschel watched the three people asking excitedly like those living in a flower garden with mixed feelings, he quietly asked Ender.
“What… what are we becoming?”
Instead of answering, Ender just looked down at Anschel. Looking up at those eerie red eyes, Anschel spoke again.
“Everything we’ve done until now.”
People had babbled that the wind god must have loved Ender to have given him such abilities. But that wasn’t love from a god. The military, coveting Ender’s abilities, had used the powerful Ender to shed countless amounts of blood.
“Because I thought it was the truth.”
Yes. He had thought it was all true.
He never even thought to question military orders. Now that his senses had returned, the questions that had filled his mind were being answered one by one. Ender McGuire seemed completely uninterested in honor, wealth, or power. Why would such a person join the military and be on the front lines?
“…Is it because of Mr. Harriet?”
Ender neither agreed nor denied. His red eyes stared intently at Harriet’s profile.
The president had once casually said to Ender, “So you’ve hidden it there.” At the time, Anschel didn’t know what that meant. The next day, when Ender was stationed at the sea front line, he just thought there had been some kind of deal between him and the president.
“Colonel… what should we do now?”
Ender’s unit was still on the front lines. It was just that when Ender announced his retirement, the president had sent him here to cool his head and monitor Harriet; it wouldn’t be strange if they were called out when the war with the Northern merpeople began.
But now knowing all the truth, they couldn’t wage war against the Northern merpeople.
“What else? If the president is the cause, we just push the old man out.”
The noisy commotion suddenly stopped. Angela and Ryan raised their heads with trembling eyes, wondering if what they heard was real. Anschel also shouted in shock.
“Are you suggesting a coup?!”
That would be insane even for a hero like Ender McGuire. But Ender did not turn his gaze from Harriet.
“Don’t say stupid things. There’s an event coming soon where we can legally take the presidency.”
‘Damn, this superior with his suspicious tendencies.’
But soon Anschel realized the meaning of Ender’s words and opened his eyes wide.
“The presidential election.”
Yes, the president’s speech had just begun, and the election was approaching soon. If no candidate appeared, a yes-or-no vote would begin with Dante Maxim as the sole candidate.
But what if, what if… the war hero Ender McGuire put his name forward as a candidate? There might be a chance of winning. Perhaps, perhaps Ender could become president.
He was from an old prestigious family and currently the most trusted hero among the people. But his only flaw was that he was too young.
Anschel pledged to follow and support the man before him, even if it wasn’t enough for revenge for his parents or atonement for what he had done… In the room cold enough to freeze ice, someone gulped. Anschel raised his head with a serious face and met the red eyes.
“So you should run as a presidential candidate, Anschel.”
“…Yes.”
Anschel who had answered looked around. He had thought Ender was clearly saying that he himself would run in the presidential election and had responded accordingly, but it seemed his ears were bad and he had misheard.
Gulp-
Confirming that everyone’s serious expression was directed at him, Anschel closed and opened his eyes. Still, the situation remained unchanged.
Only Harriet waved his hand with a troubled expression. Anschel’s eyes grew very large as he made the stupidest expression in the world.
…Ah …me?
Anschel tried to quickly regain his senses before his stupid expression became even more foolish. But his mind, which had momentarily flown to a planet far from Earth, was refusing to return to his body.
Anschel’s complexion was extremely pale as he tried to control his expression that kept wanting to loosen stupidly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
