Story Reader / Main Story / 22 Renaissance du Fantastique / Story

To Michele Vasari, my friend and "foe" for a lifetime,

I have already left this world when you receive this letter.

Based on my understanding of you, you will probably rip apart the envelope and toss it into the bin—that is, if you still have the strength to do so.

I still wrote down these words, but not for reconciliation. At our age, being right or wrong doesn't matter anymore; neither does success or failure.

We chose different paths, and I believe we both gained more than what our friendship could possibly bring to us.

You often compare me to "Carrasco" and yourself to "Don Quixote". You are a knight charging toward his dream, while I am just a stubborn old man.

I knew you were right, because I never had any sublime yet impractical ideals like you did. I only want to protect the World Government Association of Art.

Not all artists can be as strong and resilient as you. Not everybody can go against the storm alone.

But perhaps everyone is hoping that you can succeed. Only those who are sensitive to this world can become an artist.

We know too well that the world is never as simply as our painting, but we lack the power to change it.

That's why when there is finally a knight to challenge the giants, all the poets in the world have written an epic for him deep in their hearts.

Even the knight himself knows he will fail eventually—because "Don Quixote" also lost to the reality in the end.

You never compared yourself to Hercules, who performed twelve Labors, to David, who defeated Goliath, or to Arash or Siegfried.

Instead, you saw yourself as a lunatic, skinny old man in battered armor with a weary workhorse, traversing the world only to return home empty-handed.

You saw your ending before setting off, but still decided to give up everything you could possible have to chase after a drifting illusion.

I could not understand you, until a young "knight" stood in front of me.

He "seized" this place that I spent so much time running, in a way that I could never have imagined.

When I furiously questioned his intentions, he gave me an even more absurd answer.

In his eyes was the same light that I saw in yours. I tried to impersonate the Knight of the White Moon, only to lose to a novice.

That's why I asked him to bring this letter to you.

In the end, allow me to imagine the moment when you finally step out of your time, for I need to give an ending to my poem—

The knight failed to complete his grand quest. He was devastated by remorse. There was no glory to be found.

But until his dying breath, he would never admit that he was "Alonso Quijano".

"Don Quixote de la Mancha" he will forever be.

—Your "Carrasco"

What about you? Aren't you going to do something?

This memory will become my motivation, guiding me to the direction I should listen to in the future.

You are the same, aren't you?

Yet, she was trying to prove that fighting for a goal without an answer was not meaningless.

Honestly, I don't know what I should do right now.

But I still have a lot of time to think about this question.

Master didn't give me a deadline, so I just extended the due date of my graduation project to forever.

Besides, I quite miss the days spent with those weirdos.

This will be an opportunity for me to start all over again.

You and her... I don't know what kind of connection exists between you.

But don't you want to return to her?

She said she would come to me "when everything is over."

But it's not "over" yet, whether to her or to myself.

There are many things I have yet to recover. I cannot respond to the expectation in her words yet.

More poems in this world are waiting for me to discover and trace back.

So I can't stop yet.

Still, she reminded me of one thing that I had forgotten—

It turns out that I—Selena...

Always have a place... That I can go back to.

Director Vesalius left us the spare parts for your frame. I just followed her instructions to replace the damaged ones.

As for the M.I.N.D... The problem was there long ago. Sorry, I can't help about that.

Why is Vesalius not here?

Mr. Norman.

Well, I never thought that arrogant little brat would turn into such a carefree playboy one day.

Back then, Mr. Norman was still a little rug rat who couldn't even wipe his own nose. His favorite activity was to bully his one-year-old little sister.

Oh hi, Researcher Yarha. It's been so long. How have you been after coming back from the lunar base?

I'll cut to the chase. Were you the one who got me in here in the name of "protective surveillance"?

We are in the same boat, of course we need a good place to talk.

Collins and I have different views. To me, a "trump card" should never be played too early. One must hold onto it until the last moment.

Her escape also gave us a chance to seize the "trump card" ourselves.

...But if I pick your side, I won't be able to go back to Iris Warbler.

We have been through a lot together and formed a great friendship.

—The message came from Collins. I can never use the carrot-and-stick trick like he does.

I said it in the beginning.

...I may look the same, but inside I'm all worn out since long ago.

They completed the investigation of Constellia and recovered the city, which would have a tremendous positive impact on mankind's project to rebuild the ground surface.

But on the other hand, Lena had gone missing, and Trojan was also transferred away for the sake of "protective surveillance."

Thanks to this mission, several hidden currents that had been lurking for years converged in Constellia. When various forces within Babylonia had conflicting opinions, Iris Warbler naturally became the focus amidst the controversies.

In the end, Iris Warbler was "suspended indefinitely" to avoid greater unrest. The squad itself was not decommissioned thanks to Allen's efforts, but its name will not be listed in any surface missions at least for a long time to come.

Besides, even if we can't move as a squad, there are still many things we can do.

He left us Constellia to see if we could create something that could surpass Michele's work.

Of course I'm up to the challenge!

I want WGAA to ensure their safety. Haicma and Spooner also have the same wish.

Allen and I will take care of them until the end.

The Golden Age has already passed. The future of Constellia is still unknown.

I am quite curious about what Constellia will become under WGAA. After all, it is his legacy.

You put your thinking, confusion and questions all in the museum. Each visitor may engage in a different conversation with you.

There is a part of Constellia that belongs to you. I'm sure Michele would love to see that happen!

Alright. I will consider this a continuation of the incomplete challenge.

I have given my answer.

And I'd like to see your response to the topic of "Constellia".

We may face the same challenge that haunted Michele... Maybe we will never get what we want.

Still, we will move on to the next generation no matter what.

I can't guarantee that Constellia will live up to all the expectations placed on it, but there's one thing I know for certain.

When humans and mechanoids finally get to witness this city upon its completion—

They will be able to witness what the "new age" is like.

Now that Iris Warbler is suspended, it could be very difficult to find her just by ourselves.

But I won't give up—not only on Lena, but also Trojan.

And your friend too. We didn't get to make her stay, but there's always a next time.

But it doesn't mean that I will give up looking for her. She must also want me to see what she had witnessed, I believe.

We both need to work hard, Miss... No, Ayla.

Goodbye, Iris Warbler Commandant.

The brief time they spent together feels like a dream. Everything seems to have returned to what they once were.

But this encounter has also changed their life paths slightly.

Instead of reducing the problems, more problems have arisen.

But it also means that their own stories have just begun.

Just like how characters of a long manga series always go on separate paths at the end of a chapter, and regroup again when a new one starts.

For now, they only have to walk on the paths they have chosen.

One day, everyone will return to this place.

And they will become better versions of themselves.

You wanted to make Iris Warbler the key to the surface reconstruction project, but you underestimated the potential resistance.

This alliance was formed to contain our greatest common enemy. Once the enemy starts to show signs of decline, the alliance can no longer be trusted.

"The post-war new world" is probably the largest cake that humans can slice up since the world war two hundred years ago.

Those who have remained silent during the war will also begin to take action. Given the context, the power of WGAA is far from enough.

Iris Warbler is too early for humans now.

The Parliament can only offer limited support. The entire reconstruction project will be nothing but another large-scale zero-sum game.

Only the best player can be the last to laugh and win the "greatest prize" in their regard.

But Wells, do you like this set of rules?

If I have to say it, I hate anything that gets in the way of my plan.

I'm not going to be naive and expect Iris Warbler to succeed right now. I just hope it can become a signal, a seed planted in the more distant future.

One day, it will sprout under the efforts of those who hold the same vision as us.

There's only so much a commandant can do.

Gray Raven... To a certain extent, you marked the beginning of everything we have today.

I look forward to what you are up to next, Gray Raven Commandant.