“Ye-yes!! I am deeply moved by your kind words . I shall remind them that they are to pay the utmost attention to avoiding any loss of lives . Do not worry on that account!!”
“Good . I eagerly await a positive report . ”
She said, and then the transmission ended .
The screen blinked off and Michelle let out a deep sigh .
Now that she had said that, they would focus on the mystery enemy rather than the destruction of the resistance .
Unfortunately, for this mystery enemy, it would have to be used to buy them some time .
Now she would just have to contact her informants and give orders and somehow use the situation to help them recover .
Jegyll smiled wryly as she appreciated the work her friend was doing .
“You must be tired, Michelle . I cannot imagine what it is like, keeping your subordinates happy while helping the resistance…”
“Yes… But it cannot be helped . What they say is right, and in terms of fairness, we are not without fault . The truth is, we do not have enough resources for everyone, and we make them suffer a little…”
Michelle answered with a small smile of her own .
The Mechanized Empire of Almsbine had no real intention of annihilating the resistance–thought none actually knew this .
Only a few of the top people in each city were aware .
The first great war would never have even occurred if there had been enough resources .
If people cared too much about themselves, it became easier to grow discontent when others made profits .
Even more so when your life was on the line .
In reality, it was just not possible for the Empire’s food processing plants to make enough food for all of humanity .
It was even less realistic to provide clothing and shelter . And so there was no avoiding having people bear their situation .
It was clear, since a city had already been destroyed .
That was the reason that Michelle’s father, the Emperor of Almsbine, had abandoned those who lived outside of the city .
–Reconciliation was not to be wished for .
They would not destroy them, but they would not save them either .
They would be given scraps from the city, without even knowing it…
Those were the words of the Emperor .
No one knew about this .
This was because it would not gain any support .
“Well then, I will send word . ”
“Yes, thank you . Jegyll . ”
Jegyll bowed and left the room .
Michelle was now left alone .
“…Destruction . In this situation, we are probably just delaying our last days… But having an enemy to fight against might…”
She closed her eyes and thought .
Even if the world was headed for destruction, Michelle was determined to fight it .
To that cause, she was willing to be merciless and cold .
The resistance was not a threat now . If anything, as enemies, they provided her men with a reason to live .
Michelle wished that things could just stay as they were .
And yet–
(…This mystery enemy . )
Then a thought came to her .
From what she had heard, it was incredibly strong .
As long as they did not know where it was from, it could not be ignored .
In any case…while they were problem cases, the subordinates who were sent were good .
So everything should become clear soon .
(…However, I hope that the resistance don’t become arrogant through this…)
If their existence became a threat to the city…
Michelle thought about this dark possibility .
(…A storm might as well come and just wipe us all away…)
The fear of annihilation, suspicions and doubts . This was a world where people only felt a reason to live through finding enemies .
The atmosphere was polluted and you could not even see the sun during the day .
While it seemed childish to want help from god, you could not help it .
Michelle sighed again, as if to mock herself .
The sound of something sizzling on the grill filled the air .
The smell of something delicious wafted as several children gathered around with bright eyes .
“Kaahahaha! It is almost ready . You should all wait in line . And do not forget to bring the parts!”
It was Veldora .
Veldora was cooking okonomiyaki on a grill .
Where did the grill come from? What about the heat? Such things were of no concern .
It was Veldora . And anything was possible .
“Oh, it’s ready . So, you want to be first? Where are the parts?”
When the okonomiyaki was ready, Veldora called to the child who was first in line .
“Here it is! It is a drill arm with a powerful electric motor inside!”
“A drill arm!? That sounds very cool! Alright, let’s trade!!”
“Thank you!!”
“Who is next?”
“Me! Can I trade this?”
“Oh, a caterpillar . Hmm, very well . It’s hot, so don’t burn yourself . ”
“Yes! Thank you, mister!!”
“Yes, yes!”
These transactions continued as Veldora gained more parts and passed out okonomiyaki to the children .
He looked very satisfied and his smile widened as he looked at the increasing amount of parts he was getting .
The children happily ate the okonomiyaki and let out cries of overwhelming delight .
“It’s delicious! This is so good!!”
“What is this!? It’s hot . My tongue hurts . But I can’t stop eating it!!”
While the taste changed so you would not get bored, the children still ate the same thing everyday .
And it was of course, neither cold nor hot, and the taste did not spread .
It was clear what the difference was between artificial and natural .
And so the taste and heat of Veldora’s okonomiyaki practically exploded in the mouths of the children .
In spite of his warnings, some of them got burns in their mouths .
“Kahahahaha! How is it? Good? Don’t fret, there is plenty more!!”
The children gathered around Veldora .
He had become their hero in no time .
While he was just luring them with food, Veldora was on top of the world .
Just how had this happened…
The adults lived as always in this claustrophobic space, with no hope for the future .
But among all of this, the children tried to find some fun in their days .
And so they thought of a game–robot wrestling .
This involved gathering discarded parts and creating robots to fight each other .
Robots that were especially well-made would be made part of the Remote Robot force and sent out into the field .
This was considered to be the highest honor for the children .
They looked through the mountain of junk that the adults brought back and searched for promising parts .
They would then learn how they worked on their own and install them into the robots .
This was to make the best possible machine they could .