Chapter 105: Char of Zeon

Chapter 105: Char of Zeon

No one knew whether Duke Degwin and the Federation Prime Minister, who had been in negotiations for some time, had made any progress toward peace.

Because all of that had already turned to dust in the vastness of space.

The faint hope in Char's heart once again settled into silence.

The Zabi family…

Thanks to the Federation Prime Minister's efforts, the world was aware that he was engaging in peace talks with Duke Degwin.

However, Zeon suddenly launched a hidden secret weapon, shattering all hopes for negotiation.

This scene reminded Char of the moment his father died on the podium.

Even though the negotiations between Degwin and the Federation Prime Minister were not particularly honorable, they were at least leading to a more stable situation.

Yet the Zabis always had a knack for destroying anything that pointed toward progress.

"Colonel Char, Supreme Commander Gihren has issued an explanation regarding the recent activation of the Solar Ray system—the officer in charge, Colonel Asakura, acted independently to sabotage the peace process. He has already been arrested by the military police. Furthermore, traces of Federation spies have been uncovered, including but not limited to ongoing assassination attempts against Zeon's high command."

The captain of the Zanzibar-class ship that Char was aboard reported to him.

But such an explanation was hardly convincing.

Colonel Asakura had always been a loyalist to Gihren's faction. How could he have bypassed Gihren's authority and unilaterally activated the Solar Ray system at such a critical moment?

Yet, Gihren had released a complete set of seemingly irrefutable evidence, and most of the other officers on the ship showed signs of believing it.

"What is Lady Kycilia's reaction?"

Recovering quickly from his initial shock, Char immediately asked the captain.

"Lady Kycilia has acknowledged Supreme Commander Gihren's explanation and is currently heading to the command room at A Baoa Qu."

"…"

Char understood that Kycilia was not one to be easily convinced by such a flawed story.

However, the opportunity for peace had slipped away, and Gihren was not the kind of man who would humbly extend another peace proposal to the Federation.

Meanwhile, the Federation forces, having harbored resentment for so long, had been holding back only due to the Prime Minister's influence. Now, there was nothing left to restrain them.

This war was inevitable.

Thus, Kycilia had no choice but to accept Gihren's explanation—because at this juncture, Zeon could not afford internal division.

Otherwise, facing a Federation army that still retained two-thirds of its forces would mean certain destruction.

There was, however, a small silver lining—the Federation spies' actions had resulted in the Solar Ray wiping out one-third of the Federation fleet.

Char found the entire situation laughable—mocking Gihren's crude methods.

"Solomon Fortress has detected enemy movement—it's the Federation fleet!"

Char's smile faded. He turned and left without a word.

Now, even he had to seriously consider how to survive the battle that was about to unfold.

"Colonel…"

Lalah, who had been silently observing Char's shifting emotions, reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

The Zanzibar-class ship was now docking at A Baoa Qu Fortress.

A new Mobile Armor (MA) had been prepared specifically for Char and Lalah—one bearing the name Zeong.

"It's a humanoid form despite being an MA?"

Char looked up at the machine before him.

"Don't be mistaken, Colonel—this is an MS."

One of the maintenance crew leaned on the railing, correcting Char's assumption.

"If it's an MS, then it should have legs, right? It definitely looks more powerful this way, though."

Char felt as if that technician's line wasn't quite what he was supposed to say, but at this moment, he didn't bother dwelling on it.

After all, back in Jaburo, he had only managed to escape thanks to the leg thrusters.

Legs were, indeed, a crucial component for an MS.

"Is the cockpit ready?"

"Of course, Colonel! We made sure to follow your specifications. The Zeong is now a two-seater combat machine. We're looking forward to seeing what you can do with it."

Char gazed once more at the massive MS bearing his father's name, emotions surging within him.

But the warmth from Lalah's hand in his steadied him.

"What do you think of Supreme Commander Gihren's statement just now?"

On a whim, Char asked the maintenance worker.

The technician, resting his chin on his hand as he admired his handiwork, responded absentmindedly, "Opinion? I don't really know. Haven't thought too much about it. But isn't that exactly the kind of thing the Federation would do?"

He adjusted his military cap, drawing Char's attention to the Zeon insignia upon it.

It was as if the weight of Zeon's ideals pressed down on everyone.

This man might not represent every soldier, but his thoughts likely reflected those of most frontline troops.

Under the Zabi family's propaganda, the Federation had become the embodiment of absolute evil.

And for those caught in the war, they had probably long since stopped contemplating deeper truths.

Only those in the upper ranks had the luxury of questioning the holes in Gihren's narrative and forming their own opinions.

And what of his own thoughts?

Char half-closed his eyes behind his mask, shifting his gaze away from the Zeon insignia on the technician's cap.

Then, he raised his head once more to look at Zeong.

The will of Zeon, the spirit of Zeon—was this truly what they meant?

Char felt he might never find the answer.

Wearing his pilot suit, he entered the cockpit alongside Lalah, feeling a bittersweet realization—he too had become part of the so-called Zeon Spirit.

And he had dragged the girl sitting behind him into it as well.

"It's okay. Being able to help you makes me happy, Colonel."

Warmth spread from his shoulder where Lalah's hand rested.

Now, Char and Lalah sat together like pilots of a twin-seat fighter.

Except Lalah's seat was positioned slightly higher than his.

Naturally, this meant that the Psycommu system's primary feedback was focused on her.

Not only had Zeong been modified for two-seater operation, but all of Elmeth's psycommu-controlled remote weapons, including spare units, had also been incorporated.

Sixteen remote-controlled bits were now mounted on Zeong's rear armor.

As for Char's arsenal, he had Zeong's pair of five-barrel MEGA particle cannons in its hands, as well as its head and torso-mounted MEGA particle cannons.

With this setup, Lalah could focus more on controlling the bits, maximizing combat efficiency.

Her warmth continued to reach him.

A sudden weariness welled up in Char's heart.

"Lalah… after this battle, let's leave the military. We'll find a colony where we can live peacefully."

"Colonel…"

Lalah smiled—a smile of almost pure happiness.

The melancholic noble before her was finally willing to let go of his inner obsession… for her.