Nike’s grip was so tight that Erna’s whole body shuddered, and she was afraid that her arm might snap off. Even as her expression contorted in pain, though, she did her best to return Nike’s glare. “Was it…all a trap…?”
“Hm?”
“Chloe Perche was a Genesis Army agent. Her job was to slip in among the coal miners and report back about anyone who came to investigate the strike.”
It was time to change tactics. If Nike knew who she was really was, then there was no benefit to keeping her mouth shut.
Erna’s new goal was to lure Nike into letting some information—any information—slip.
“That’s your go-to move—fishing expeditions.”
The fact that Erna had known that in advance made it sting that much worse.
That whole time, she’d been playing directly into Nike’s hands.
The mine itself had been one giant trap. Anyone like Jean who had beef with the government could have noticed that they were covering the Bertram Mines explosion up, and when they did, what choice would they have but to look into it?
Nike had left bait too juicy for any activist to resist.
“You wanted to lure secret society members out, so you intentionally—”
“Ugh, that’s itchy.”
All of a sudden, Nike began scratching herself.
A red line rose on the underside of her arm. The rest of her skin was as smooth as silk, but that one section alone was puffy and swollen.
Nike let out a masochistic sigh. “Do stop making such a nuisance of yourself, won’t you? When you get to be my age, taking care of your skin just gets harder and harder.”
“What?”
“I’m allergic to mites, you see. It’s not serious, so that information isn’t confidential or anything.”
Nike looked away from Erna and swept her gaze across the lecture hall to where the Knights of Valor members were.
The way she glared, it was like she was utterly repulsed by everything she saw.
“But no matter how much I crush them and crush them and crush them and crush them, there’s never any end to them.”
She dug her nails back into her arm.
For a brief moment, Erna had gotten a glimpse of the real Nike. She didn’t even think of Erna and the others as human. To her, anyone who belonged to a secret society that detested the government was nothing more than vermin.
Erna couldn’t abide such a perspective. She herself was one thing, but Jean and the Knights of Valor were Lylat citizens. How could Nike hold such contempt for the very people that a spy was supposed to be protecting?
“You and your Genesis Army teamed up with the Royal Guard to massacre those miners!!” After seeing those blast marks, Erna knew that was an indisputable fact. “You’re a monster. You don’t care one bit about defending this country! All you’re doing is killing the people who oppose you so you can protect your own power!”
“You got any proof of that?” Nike snapped. “If not, I’d appreciate it if you could keep your delusions to yourself.”
“I saw it with my own two eyes!” Erna yelled back. “With the state that mine was in, there’s no way—!”
“I already told you, that was the work of Galgad spies.”
The new rebuttal came from Chloe, behind her.
Chloe gave her a pitying frown and shook her head. “I’ve worked in those mines for three years, so I know what I’m talking about. There are more spies than I can count who’ve tried to rile the miners up. Once they armed the workers, the Royal Guard had no choice but to use firearms to suppress them.”
“I can back that up.”
That time, it was Gilbert who spoke up.
He sneered and resignedly gave his head a similar shake. “I was part of the Knights of Valor, and I agree with everything she said. All the workers who took part in the strike did it because they were manipulated by Galgad spies. And don’t worry, not a single one of the miners died.”
They’d shut down all of Erna’s arguments.
She shot a desperate look over at the officers. However, not a single person spoke up in her defense. They all just stared at the floor. The bravery she’d witnessed in their eyes when they worked together was nowhere to be seen.
They may have had big dreams, but at the end of the day, they were nothing more than a group of left-wing college students.
Erna could feel the strength draining from her legs.
Why had she bothered putting her hopes in them? Even with a secret society like that on her side, revolution was nothing more than a distant dream. She should just give up on everything and go home to the Republic. She must have been out of her mind to think that she could do anything for the starving in Lylat.
“Ha-ha-ha.”
Someone—one of the Genesis Army agents—broke out into laughter.
Erna had been shouting with all her might, and they were laughing at her.
“Heh-heh-heh.” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!”
Aion and Circe clutched their sides as they joined in the laughter as well.
“Ha-ha-ha.” “Ha-ha-ha!” “Hee-hee-hee!” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!” “Heh- heh-heh!”
Thanatos started laughing, too, as did Chloe and Gilbert. The Genesis Army’s mockery filled the entire hall.
Each and every one of their voices sent pain shooting through Erna like part of her had just been gouged out. She was ashamed of how conceitedly immature she’d been. She wanted to crawl into a hole.
There was no way for her to win. She’d once been an academy washout, and there was a reason for that.
As a bitter chill took hold of her heart, she felt something warm in her hand.
Annette had taken Erna’s trembling hands and squeezed them. “It’s gonna be okay, Erna.”
“Annette…”
Erna hadn’t even noticed her come over.
That innocent smile on Annette’s face was the most reassuring thing Erna had ever seen.
“I’ve got a plan for every contingency, even this one, yo!”
Erna had been curious about why Annette had been keeping her head down during the whole ordeal, but it sounded like she had something in mind.
Annette hadn’t trusted the Knights of Valor, not from the very start. She’d seen right through them.
“You’re a lifesaver, An—”
“I’m code name Forgetter—and it’s time to put it all together, yo!”
Annette spread her arms, and an explosion boomed out from behind them.
Screams echoed through the hall.
An ominous feeling welled up in Erna, and she turned around just in time to see a man collapse to the ground. A fountain of blood gushed from his abdomen. It was clear at a glance that the wound was fatal. The injured party was the former Knights of Valor member who’d attacked Erna and was the first one to betray the others. It was Deck.