Concept: World - Chapter 17: A New Dawn

Oenone awoke in an unfamiliar room.

It took her a moment to remember where she was.

"Right..."

"Tia's orphanage."

The previous night, while searching for the missing Tia, she had followed the directions Ethel had given her and arrived at the orphanage he had seen in Tia's memories.

"I saw it in her memories."

"Back then, Leon opened the first crack in Captain Tia's closed heart by saving the orphanage where she grew up."

Oenone had never truly known Tia's past.

Even back when they had been inseparable friends who shared almost everything, Tia had rarely spoken about her childhood.

That was why Oenone had never even known this orphanage existed.

Stretching lazily, she picked up her phone.

The screen was flooded with missed calls.

"...Ah."

"I forgot to tell everyone I'd found her."

She immediately called Cypher back.

"Oenone, what's going on? You disappeared without a word all night. We were worried sick."

"Sorry. I completely forgot to let everyone know."

"I found Tia."

"...Really?"

"Thank goodness."

"Yeah."

"I'll bring her back later."

"Alright."

"We're still on standby duty today, so there's no need to rush."

"Huh?"

"Didn't the Second Squad go on a subjugation yesterday?"

"We did."

"But... something happened."

"Anyway, we're still able to remain on standby."

"I see."

"I'll check on things here first."

"Oenone..."

"How's Tia?"

It was Cypher again.

"I'm... not sure."

"A lot happened last night."

"I don't know how she's doing after sleeping on it."

Silence answered from the other end.

Oenone had the feeling Cypher wanted to rush over immediately.

In the end, however...

...he chose not to.

Perhaps he believed it was better to leave Tia entirely in Oenone's hands.

"Let me know before you head back."

"We're finally going to get some sleep."

Only then did Cypher's voice reveal just how exhausted he truly was.

It sounded as though none of them had slept the entire night.

"...When we get back..."

"...I'd better apologize to everyone."

Oenone hung up, opened the door, and headed downstairs.

She wanted to see how Tia was doing.

The sight before her stopped her in her tracks.

"Tia, big sis!"

"Big Sis Tia!"

Children's cheerful voices filled the room.

Tia sat on the floor, completely surrounded by a crowd of excited children.

"Big Sis Tia!"

"Look! I drew this!"

"It's beautiful."

"This was during Cookie Day, wasn't it?"

"Big Sis!"

"Look!"

"I built a robot!"

"Wow!"

"That's amazing."

"You'll become a wonderful engineer someday."

"Big Sis Tia!"

"Big Sister!"

Tia patiently responded to every single child with gentle warmth.

It was an expression Oenone had never seen in all the years she'd known her.

"Back then..."

"The younger children always crowded around her like this."

"They absolutely adored her."

The matron appeared behind Oenone, wiping her hands with a dishcloth.

"Are you two leaving today?"

"Actually..."

"We're not in a hurry."

"Then stay for lunch before you go."

Lunchtime was livelier than ever.

Every child wanted to sit beside Tia.

Throughout the meal...

...the smile on her face never faded.

Oenone watched everything with quiet relief.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Tia smile so much.

"She's always been such a kind child."

"Please continue looking after her."

"I will."

Nearby, Tia was patiently trying to persuade a picky little boy to eat his carrots.

"You know..."

"Big Sis absolutely loves carrots."

"If you're a good boy and eat them..."

"...you'll grow up big and strong just like me."

She held out the spoon toward the hesitant boy.

Seeing Tia nod encouragingly...

...he finally opened his mouth.

"That's a good boy."

"Big Sis likes children who don't pick at their food."

The moment she said that, every child around the table who disliked vegetables hurriedly stuffed them into their mouths...

...all hoping to earn Tia's praise.

Lunchtime came to an end...

...accompanied by Tia's gentle compliments and the children's joyful laughter.

Chapter 17: A New Dawn

"Are all the children asleep?"

"They are."

Tia stepped into the room after putting every child down for their afternoon nap.

Her eyes met Oenone's.

They both understood that it was time to leave.

"Tia."

Just before they departed, the matron called out to her.

"Remember to come home."

"I will, Mom."

"Travel safely."

"I'll carry you back."

Following Eporeau's instructions, Tia was to avoid using Force whenever possible.

Walking all the way back would take several hours. They could have called for a ride, but Oenone decided the quickest solution was simply to carry Tia herself.

"Oenone..."

"How am I supposed to face everyone?"

As they leaped across the rooftops, Oenone thought for a moment before answering.

"First..."

"You owe everyone an apology."

"You made them worry."

"...And then?"

"Nothing."

"That's enough."

"But I..."

"...got Michael and Tier killed."

"Yeah."

"Have you ever thought about the fact that they survived until now precisely because you kept them away from the battlefield?"

"We never agreed with your methods."

"But you protected them for three and a half years."

"That's also the truth."

"They were veterans."

"For soldiers like them..."

"...dying on the battlefield wasn't the worst ending."

"Do you know what their last words were?"

In the final moments of their lives, both men had left Cypher a final message.

Neither knew what the other had said.

Yet both had spoken the exact same words.

"Tia..."

"It's our turn to protect you."

Tia rested her forehead against Oenone's back, gripping her clothes tightly.

Even until their final breath...

...her teammates had never blamed her.

As long as she survived...

...that alone was enough.

When they returned to the Central Building, the members of the First Squad had already gathered despite having been asleep only moments earlier.

"They're all here."

Tia lowered her head.

"I'm sorry..."

"I've made all of you worry these past few years."

There were countless things they wanted to say.

They had complaints.

Frustrations.

Feelings they had kept bottled up for years.

Yet as they looked at Tia sincerely apologizing before them...

...not one of them voiced a single complaint.

"...Alright."

"We understand."

"Welcome home."

Their plan to change Tia had only been halfway complete.

Perhaps...

...it no longer needed to continue.

From that day onward...

Sunblaze City finally returned to the way it was always meant to be.

Half a month later...

The Third Squad was traveling toward another subjugation mission in the wilderness.

This was the last unit whose members had never experienced real combat.

Oddly enough...

...none of them looked nervous.

The reason was simple.

Sitting at the back of the transport vehicle...

...was a blonde woman.

"I'll only accompany you when I'm available."

"You still need to learn how to fight demons on your own."

Tia spoke calmly.

She was currently supposed to be recovering.

In truth, her body had already been pushed far beyond its limits.

She simply hadn't realized it herself.

Originally, she'd argued that merely reducing the number of missions would be enough.

But after receiving identical glares from Oenone and the entire First Squad...

...she wisely kept quiet and accepted their decision.

The only point she refused to compromise on...

...was accompanying newly formed squads during their first subjugation missions.

That had originally been part of a captain's normal duties.

It simply hadn't happened in a very long time.

The others agreed to treat it as part of her rehabilitation.

Even so...

...they had sternly warned her not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.

That was why Tia was here today.

"Yes, Captain!"

The squad answered energetically.

Tia still worried constantly about her teammates' safety.

The difference was...

...she no longer tried to shoulder everything alone.

Instead...

...she chose to trust them.

Someday...

...the sun over Sunblaze City would inevitably set.

When that day came...

...she hoped the city would continue moving forward even without its sunlight.

No one knew what the future held.

But for now...

...she finally felt at ease.

She looked toward the front of the vehicle.

Ethel was happily chatting with Yinbing.

Posius's old joke had come true...

...though in a completely different way.

"If only I had the ability to foresee incoming attacks."

With Ethel present...

...the Third Squad had completed three subjugation missions over the past two weeks.

Not a single casualty.

I'm glad he's here.

Tia smiled quietly to herself.

"So..."

"What should we have for dinner?"

"The mission hasn't even started yet and you're already thinking about food?"

"Hey, having something delicious to look forward to gives you extra motivation to survive."

Ethel rolled his eyes at Yinbing's absurd logic.

After opening up to her...

...he still hadn't completely escaped the nightmares of his past.

But strangely...

...speaking about them had made him feel much lighter.

The past hadn't changed.

It never would.

Yet somehow...

...he now had the strength to confront it instead of running from it.

After that night...

...he and Yinbing had become incredibly close friends.

Perhaps because she had seen him at his absolute worst...

...being with her felt surprisingly natural.

Almost like having an older sister.

Knowing someone truly understood the deepest darkness inside him...

...felt like having a safety rope tied around his waist.

No matter how deep he fell...

...someone would always be there to pull him back.

"Should we go back to that bar on the corner?"

"I really liked the owner's burgers."

"See?"

"I told you he was an amazing cook."

"...Don't tell me you picked that place that night because of the food."

"Of course not!"

"...Wait."

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"The owner is Hughes."

"The captain before Leon."

"His Concept was Intoxication."

"..."

"Hm?"

"..."

"...What?"

"...Huh?!"

Ethel stared at Yinbing in complete disbelief.

She merely blinked back at him innocently.

"Hey!"

"I was honestly terrified you'd suddenly snap halfway through our conversation and kill me!"

"And I couldn't exactly ask someone from the Combat Division to stand guard."

"So I asked Hughes for help."

"...That actually makes sense."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize."

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"So..."

"That old man was actually someone that important."

"Yep."

"But he'd much rather people think of him as nothing more than an ordinary old man."

The vehicle slowly came to a stop.

Their conversation ended there.

Under Oenone's command, the Third Squad quietly advanced toward their target.

Standing before them was a demon that closely resembled one with Concept: Devour.

Its entire body was covered with mouths.

The difference...

...was that every mouth contained an unnaturally long tongue hanging outside.

"Concept: Tongue."

"We'll prioritize destroying its tongues first."

"If they regenerate too quickly, switch to attacking the main body."

"And above all..."

"Listen to Ethel's instructions."

"Abby."

"You'll lead the sniper team as usual."

"Aim for the tongues."

"Try throwing explosives into its mouths and see what happens."

"And stay alert."

"The tongues may suddenly extend toward your position."

"Lyle."

"Yinbing."

"Stay with the main force."

"Your Concepts probably aren't the best match for this opponent."

"Ethel."

"Same as always."

"Any questions?"

No one answered.

"Then..."

"Let's move."

The Third Squad's wilderness subjugation mission...

...had officially begun.

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