Epilogue

Rhodes has many people.

Combat operators, engineers, office workers, external collaborators, transporters, VIPs, dangerous individuals. Sometimes it feels like there are people who shouldn't be here, and sometimes it feels like there are people renowned as leaders of nations. To top it off, newly hired operators increase day by day.

The Human Resources department seems on the verge of going crazy.

Rhodes not only has a large number of staff members but also way too many people coming and going, so information about who was doing what where and why they came to Rhodes becomes confused.

Because of this, there was quite a commotion when mercenary W came to Rhodes as an operator, people from Yelah fainted upon seeing SilverAsh, and Siracusans abandoned their work upon seeing Lappland's name.

Recently, there's been a rumor going around.

They say a beautiful woman who seems familiar has been wandering around the dormitory as if it were perfectly normal.

She's an energetic and friendly woman who greets everyone with a beaming smile, but who is she? Since neither Doctor nor Kal'tsit have said anything, she must be an operator, but was there ever such a person?

Sharp-eyed operators say, doesn't she look like Specter? Huh? That nun whose words sometimes make no sense?

But the other day I saw her on the deck looking up at the sky and muttering something to herself, so she might be different from Specter.

After all this back and forth, the story became "she's a female relative of Specter," and until the Doctor revealed that this woman was actually Specter's original personality, but sometimes she just goes into nun mode, people thought they were different people.

That's why "her" visit was also regarded as something similar.

She in the red clothes. She with the long silver hair.

A man who arrived at Rhodes around the same time familiarly calls her "Skadi."

Yes, the same name as that Catastrophe-class bounty hunter.

Moreover, her quiet demeanor remains unchanged, and the way she happily sings on the Rhodes deck at midnight is also the same.

According to the impression of a certain operator who mustered the courage to talk to her, she was a bit softer than the usual Skadi but even less comprehensible than usual.

Everyone thought:

Oh, Skadi got a makeover.

After all, Skadi has recently developed some communication skills thanks to the dedicated persuasion of the Doctor and others, so the good people of Rhodes thought it might make for a bit of gossip.

That's why everyone at Rhodes was utterly shocked by the scene they witnessed one day.

"You, you keep singing endlessly until late at night, don't you? I got scolded by the medical department because of you, so stop it."

"Why? We don't need sleep. Besides, my voice seeps into the dry air and guides our former comrades."

"That's beside the point. Why should I have to be lectured about 'getting proper sleep at night'?"

"Don't worry, he taught me the necessity of sleep. You should also cherish your time of slumber, my other self."

"I sleep properly, you know."

Skadi and Skadi are arguing with each other!

The moment everyone found two Skadis in the dormitory, they suspected an Arts illusion or anticipated an attack from an unknown enemy and went into battle mode.

Blaze jumped up with her fur standing on end, Surt dropped her ice cream, and Elysium wondered if he had inhaled the neurotoxin that Thorns accidentally volatilized during an experiment.

"Also, stop suddenly appearing and disappearing. For some reason, the complaints come to me."

"I heard that you don't care about others' evaluations, my other self."

"...I was told I should learn how to socialize."

"You learn too, my other self. That's wonderful."

"Thanks. But please don't change the subject."

"What do you mean? I've never taken dialogue lightly. After all, that's what you need."

"...Is this how I've been perceived?"

"Don't be afraid, my other self. We are never wrong."

After many twists and turns, the confusion somewhat subsided with the Doctor's statement that "she is Skadi's lookalike," but now her name became an issue.

After all, no one knows her name.

The suspicious man calls the red Skadi "Skadi" and the black Skadi "Orca."

The red Skadi calls the black Skadi "my other self," and the black Skadi seems to reluctantly accept it.

Let's ask her directly.

"Individual names have no meaning, as we will eventually become one. Just because that person called me by this name, I'm only taking this form."

Hmm, I don't understand!

Having two people with identical appearances bearing the same name causes problems not just in operations but in daily life too. Troubled operators sought advice from Kal'tsit, but she dismissed them with the offhand remark, "Ask him."

With no choice but to go to the suspicious man, the man smiled in a troubled way.

"You want to distinguish them by name?"

Wiggling his tentacles and with a life form that is definitely not an Originium Slug on his knee, the man—who, along with the red Skadi, has been issued a contact prohibition order from Amiya CEO—answers.

"Then how about 'Skadi the Corrupting Heart'?"

Thus, the red Skadi came to be called Skadi the Corrupting Heart, or Corrupting Skadi for short, and correspondingly, the black Skadi came to be called "Pure Skadi" or something like that.

Skadi was furious.

To be honest.

Frankly speaking, I barely grasped how things progressed.

It was my idea to head to Rhodes. But that's all I did; the rest was either Skadi making trouble, or Orca making trouble, or Gladiia or Specter making trouble.

Those guys seriously...

So, I have no idea how Kal'tsit persuaded the ferocious man-eating shark and the murderous swordfish.

"...how humiliating."

"Hehehe... the sea, I can see the path to the edge of the sea... those who subjugate the sea will eventually become one..."

So I don't know what Gladiia, who spat out a single word after a looooong silence with an extremely bitter expression and her brows deeply furrowed, saw, nor do I know what Specter, who somehow entered nun mode, saw or learned.

Is Specter... going to be okay? Can't she escape from that state?

No matter how much she tried to kill me with all her might, this situation is... well, Orca seemed fine so I guess it's okay.

Because of that, I just sat there nonchalantly even during Kal'tsit's direct questioning with Gladiia in attendance.

I receive a question and answer it. Another question comes, and I answer it. Yet another question comes, and as I try to answer, Skadi appears and talks about various things instead. Then Gladiia whispers something to Kal'tsit with a serious face, and Kal'tsit nods with an extremely serious expression. This repeats.

Kal'tsit talks about this and that with her typical Kal-Kal manner, but in the end, I couldn't fully grasp the situation.

Excerpt below:

Kal'tsit: "So you are the one dwelling in his blood?"

Gladiia: "I wonder how this could grow so large after obtaining a core."

Skadi: "The distinction between dream and reality has no meaning. I knew that, but now I know its true meaning."

Skadi: "I won't leave his side, and he can't leave mine either. After all, we've shared a single pale blood."

Gladiia: "If Orca's testimony is correct, you've reconstructed yourself based on this man, isn't that right?"

Kal'tsit: "Still not taking flight, still not released... is it because he's holding you back? But the glimpses of ability you once showed are clearly nothing but a mutation. And the cause is clearer than daylight. It's clearly premature to make a judgment focusing solely on the suppressive effect..."

Sometimes questions fly at me too, but naturally, I don't quite understand.

Or rather, Mon3tr lurking behind and glaring at me is too scary, so my attention is drawn there, and I think I just nodded along.

Gladiia: "Orca, Shark, and me. After being swallowed by you, the disgusting blood frenzy of these monsters is suppressed. Do you have any idea why?"

Skadi: "Our evolution is competitive. Through several processes, the strongest and most promising pillar remains. And for me to evolve, I need to assimilate and become one with all of us who are incompatible."

Kal'tsit: "...Just like you, multiple entities harboring what could be called 'divine' blood have been confirmed. Our view is that the sea monsters appoint these as spokespersons for their collective will, determining the direction of evolution through asymmetric evolutionary arms races within the species. And if that's correct, is your goal to incorporate sea monsters of the same species and integrate their blood to win at evolution? Abyssal Hunters harbor your blood due to Aegir's modifications, thus counting as 'comrades' to you. Then, the method of forcibly taking the pale blood from them would be the first step to achieving your goal—"

Kal'tsit: "I broadly understand your views. Your ultimate goal at this point is largely incompatible with ours, but the process to get there seems to have commonalities. Moreover, releasing you into the world of Terra would be a bad move, to say the least, and keeping you confined in Rhodes seems to be the best option. ...Personally, I don't prefer this overly optimistic choice, but I'll expect you to undergo deeper 'learning' with us, and I'll place my hope in his ability as a chain that you cling to."

Gladiia: "I don't want you to forget that once we acquire the ability to harm you, there will be no reason to hesitate in exterminating the pests that have come into the light."

Skadi: "Yes, of course. Because you will never do that."

See? You don't understand, right?

In the end, all I grasp is that we, belonging to sea monsters, are being detained as subjects for cautionary observation.

It seems we're treated as dangerous individuals, similar to or even higher risk than that Mizuki guy, and we've been provided with a prison-like room with surveillance equipment like Talulah. Plus, we're banned from contacting sensitives like Amiya, and individuals related to the "sea" like Mizuki because we're too dangerous.

Even outdoor restrictions have been imposed, which is discouraging.

On top of that, Skadi—despite being the main reason we're treated as dangerous factors—escapes from the prison room as a spiritual entity.

Apparently, she goes around meddling with the medical department, research department, and database, pretending to be Orca, and each time Rhodes' important people burst in and scold me. Me.

They say, keep a tight rein on her!

Even if they tell me that, well... as I tap the Seaborn lightly, Skadi comes back somehow.

That's how it is, listening to Skadi's singing voice, and that's how the days at Rhodes go.

There was one time Mon3tr came flying in, and I really thought I was going to die. Having the tip of my tentacle gnawed on by the furious Mon3tr was truly sad, but that was an irregularity.

You might think it's just like a prison, but surprisingly, it's quite comfortable.

First, the food is delicious.

Whether it's Gummy or Matterhorn or someone else, I don't know who makes it, but warm meals are delivered. It's so good that I wrote a thank-you note with those tentacle pens and returned it with the dishes, but Kal'tsit got extremely angry. Something about not using sea-derived powers.

Next, the futon is soft.

The built-in bed has a fluffy mattress, the air-conditioned room is warm, and there's no need to lay seaweed as a substitute for a futon anymore. I sleep well, and waking up is comfortable. Plus, there's nothing I need to do when I wake up. It's very nice. It's just a shame that when I was sleeping using a tentacle as a body pillow, Gladiia burst into the room and said, "I'd appreciate it if you could stop bringing that out as it's unsettling (paraphrased)."

Furthermore, there's entertainment.

Even I would contemplate an escape or two if I were confined to a room with nothing to do out of boredom, but the wise Dr. Kal'tsit anticipated this and guaranteed the provision of some entertainment and pastimes. She made it possible for me to view electronic data of magazines, books, and research papers compiled at Rhodes that circulate in Terra.

Skadi is particularly interested in research papers about Originium, and we both eagerly read through various materials.

Until we finish browsing through everything, the word "boredom" doesn't exist for us. Rhodes, what a wonderful world.

I can look at the starry sky from the window, and there are operators who come to visit me, circumventing the lockdown to see the strange newcomer who, despite having just arrived, is confined to a room.

Isn't it wonderful?

It's incomparable to when I was half in despair in a corner of Iberia.

Every morning, I wake up as the sun begins to rise.

With sleepy eyes, I look up at the sky, gaze at the vast wilderness and the dazzling sun, and remember that this is Terra.

—When I wake up, I'm in Terra

Suddenly, sensing a presence, I turn to the front, and somehow Skadi was standing before me.

I let out a small scream in surprise, but somehow composed myself.

She's always unpredictable, but no matter how much time passes, I never get used to it. It's terrible for my heart.

"Gwoo, good morning."

Don't sleep on top of me.

And the woman in red clothes opens her mouth as if singing.

"Shall we go to meet our comrades?"

"...?"

—Skadi the Corrupting Heart was in front of me

Something I found out after I was allowed to move somewhat freely around Rhodes, whether because we gained their trust or they devised countermeasures, is that apparently Skadi wishes to head to the battlefront with her former comrades, the sea monsters, and Kal'tsit has approved it. Or perhaps that was the condition for allowing her stay at Rhodes.

Whether it's about meeting comrades or accepting blood or guiding the horde, I don't really mind.

The problem is that Skadi a-p-p-a-r-e-n-t-l-y c-a-n-n-o-t s-t-a-y t-o-o f-a-r a-w-a-y f-r-o-m m-e.

"While this premise requires the caveat that it's only a hypothesis we've formed after observing, investigating, and analyzing your condition, you must have, somewhere, incorporated the blood of what's called a First Seaborn into your body. ...This is merely a prediction without any certainty because you remain silent about your own background, but anyway, regardless of how it happened, you incorporated that pale blood within you, and yet unlike many monsters, you weren't swallowed up and mutated, and similarly maintained your sense of self. Even after the First Seaborn's will manifested in her form. And even after you obtained the First Seaborn's core from somewhere and she gained a pseudo-physical body based on it, the relationship between host and parasite never changes. No matter how much her physical body grows, her pale blood is supplied from you, which means her range of activity is greatly limited by you. It could be said that you are restraining her. ...If you are not suffering from memory loss like the Doctor, I would like you to honestly talk about your background, testify where you obtained the extremely dangerous object known as the Seaborn core, and explain with what intention you chose the extremely unstable, uncertain, and highly risky method of incorporating the shark and Seaborn, which forced you to bear such a significant risk, and let her grow to that extent. According to the examination results, although some mutations are recognized, you are still human. Though, like the Doctor, you seem to be a somewhat special existence—"

Kal continues on.

It's incomprehensible, but it seems that because Skadi desires an encounter with the comrades she left behind in the sea in order to assimilate with them, both Skadi and I will be sent into battle with dangerous monsters.

So, what does that mean?

"The time for evolution is right here."

It means that even though I've finally made it to Rhodes, I have to return to the sea again!

"...Oh come on."

"I'm screwed."