"Has there been any contact with Count Mazuurek since then?" "No." "However, his Landing Castle is still functional." "If its Aldnoah is still active, that means that Count Mazuurek is alive." "Perhaps he is lying low and waiting for an opening." "Or perhaps..." "Or perhaps he has been taken prisoner by the Terrans." "Either way, it would be prudent to assume that Count Mazuurek will not return." "In which case, there is but one course of action." "What are you...?" "I cannot allow that Earthborn stray to run loose any longer." "Resupplying and inspection operations are on schedule." "No delays reported." "As for Kataphrakt repairs, we are working in concert with the base's repair depot to get back on schedule." "Very good." "Carry on." "Yes, ma'am." "And our Mars Knight guest?" "Not a word." "He appears to be the silent type." "Mizusaki, do you know why men who are the silent type are so attractive?" "Is it because they always seem calm and collected?" "It's because they sit quietly and listen to what you have to say." "And our replacement crew?" "Y-Yes, ma'am." "They're already aboard, and station shifts have been revised." "A few of them were members of our previous crew." "Warrant Officer Kaizuka and Lt. Marito." "As well as Dr. Yagarai, who is now serving as an official medical officer with the rank of ensign." "Also, there has been a request from Ensign Kaizuka to interrogate the Mars Knight." "From Kaizuka Junior?" "He says he wants to use his analytical engine." "You programmed this yourself, Inaho?" "All I did was customize the firmware that it was already running." "The area it's tied into has been expanded, too." "How's it feel?" "Not all that different." "Try not to expand it any further, okay?" "By the time you notice it's affecting your brain, it'll already be too late." "I won't." "I'm aware of the risks." "Oh, this is where you are." "Yuki." "Got a minute?" "Nao, why did you decide to serve aboard this ship?" "What do you mean, why?" "There's no reason for you to fight, right?" "You should have packed up and left once your injuries were healed." "It's the same for you, Yuki." "No, it's not." "I'm a soldier." "There was no reason for you to become a soldier, so it is the same." "It is not!" "I regret it every day..." "That I made you into a soldier." "When I saw you that day, unconscious and covered in blood," "I asked myself, "Why didn't I stop you?"" "I became a soldier because I wanted to protect you and the world you live in." "But you still..." "I'm sorry." "But I can't stand around doing nothing." "It's because of the princess, then?" "That girl's not the Princess Asseylum you used to know." "She's now an enemy who's trying to conquer the Earth." "That person is a fake." "The real one is still alive somewhere." "How could you possibly know that?" "That's what my left eye determined." "Judging from the situation, I think she's being held against her will." "So I want to rescue Seylum." "That's impossible!" "Yuki, she was shot right in front of me." "I was hurt, and she was shot as she was trying to help me." "That's why I have to save her." "Nao..." "It's been a long time." "What is the Kataphrakt's status?" "When they ran diagnostics, they found even the sub-frame had been warped by the gravity waves." "Looks like it basically needs an overhaul." "I hear you quit drinking." "My primary physician is a real nag." "I guess a toast is out of the question, then." "There's always room for toasts." "You're unbelievable." "It was doctor's orders." "Medicinal." "How are you feeling?" "Not very well, looks like." "I heard you were subjected to a full body search." "I never imagined I would be subjected to such primitive questioning." "We can't have you using a poison tooth." "What an outdated notion..." "That does seem to be your national character." "From a Terran's point of view, I suppose Vers' feudal system would seem just as anachronistic." "If it's a problem, change it yourselves." "Spoken like someone born into a land of plenty." "You're like pigs who are about to die." "Once you are too cold to move, it is too late." "You know quite a bit." "You admit I'm right?" "No, about pigs." "Even though Princess Asseylum had never seen birds before." "You have spoken to Princess Asseylum?" "She spent time aboard this ship." "I see." "You are one of those who sought to exploit her, then." "It wasn't exploitation." "It was cooperation." "Cooperation, you say?" "Can you tell me one thing?" "Do I look like a man who would sell out his country lightly?" "You don't look that way." "Or sound that way." "Which makes you the perfect man to ask." "Have you sworn loyalty to Princess Asseylum?" "Aren't you going to eat, Rayet?" "If you don't eat a little, you won't have any energy when we go into battle." "I'm not hungry." "With fasting diets, the weight starts coming off at your boobs." "I've never gone on a diet before." "You've never dieted before, Rayet?" "That's amazing!" "How do you keep that figure?" "Would you tell me, too?" "Commander." "Having lunch, ma'am?" "I thought it would be nice to eat somewhere besides the ship while we're in port." "Right, we don't get to eat out very often, do we?" "That reminds me, has anyone seen Inaho?" "I was going to ask him to join us for lunch, but I haven't seen him." "Ensign Kaizuka is interrogating the Mars Knight at the moment." "Inaho's interrogating him?" "I'm heading back." "Hey, wait..." "Rayet?" "She didn't tell us the secret to her figure." "So, you are saying that the Princess Asseylum currently at our moon base is an impostor?" "Yes." "If that is true, where is the real one?" "Is she being held prisoner somewhere?" "Or is there a reason she cannot show herself?" "Possibly both." "That left eye of yours saw through that, as well?" "It's an analytical engine." "Impossible!" "I am not so foolish that I would believe such a preposterous tale!" "We've retrieved your Kataphrakt." "Its Aldnoah Drive was knocked offline by the force of the explosion." "It will never work again." "You powered it down yourself, didn't you?" "Out of fear that Terrans would steal it." "Weren't you listening?" "It stopped working after the explosion." "Did it, now?" "Just as I thought, you shut it down intentionally." "I will say it again." "Princess Asseylum is an impostor." "There are many species of birds, as well." "Large birds." "Small birds." "And brilliantly-colored birds." "They're beautiful..." "This is how birds fly through Earth's skies." "Most birds fly, but there are some species of flightless birds." "Flightless birds?" "I suspect that Princess Asseylum might say that she finds it sad that they cannot fly even though they have wings." "She is a kindhearted person." "But their inability to fly does not trouble them in the least." "On the contrary, perhaps the ones to be pitied are the birds who can fly, but are kept in a cage." "Why would someone lock them in a cage?" "Because they are so very beautiful." "Princess Asseylum was shot right in front of me." "Shot by Count Saazbaum." "Preposterous!" "Who then left with Slaine Troyard." "They took Princess Asseylum, who was on the verge of death, with them." "Count Saazbaum was celebrated as the hero who rescued Princess Asseylum!" "He's no hero." "He's the mastermind behind the plot to assassinate her." "Count Saazbaum is?" "Those bastards tricked my father and used him as much as they could and then they killed him like some lowly insect." "You are Vers-born?" "I see..." "In any event, your father would have died sooner or later." "Consider it a blessing that he wasn't branded a traitor and lynched." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Are you saying my father deserved to be killed?" "Let's go." "I'm not done with him!" "Come on." "Let go!" "You must think I'm an idiot." "That I'll always be bound by the past." "Always be a prisoner to it." "You're right." "I'm just like them." "All I can do is blame others." "Hate them, envy them, and fight them." "A stupid Martian!" "You're different." " I am not." " You are." " I am not!" " You are." "I'm no different!" "I hate Martians!" "And I hate myself most of all!" "Count Marylcian, you say?" " Yes, sir." " He has been calling repeatedly, insisting that he be put through to Princess Asseylum." "What does Milord Slaine say?" "There is no sign of him, sir." "What is all this commotion?" " Leave us." " Yes, sir." "Oh, dear." "You can't have your discussion with me in the room?" "Unfortunately not, Highness." "Knowledge of your existence is limited, even here at the moon base." "I must ask that you avoid public areas." "Shall I speak to him?" "It's Count Marylcian, isn't it?" "But, Highness..." "Is there a problem?" "Patch him through to the throne room." "Her Highness Asseylum is most gracious." "Please forgive this sudden disturbance." "It is a pleasure to see you, Count Marylcian." "Now, what did you wish to discuss with me?" "It must be urgent indeed for you to contact me without first obtaining Count Troyard's permission." "Ah." "One cannot speak to you in private?" "I must say, Count Troyard is being rather overprotective to keep you under guard thus." "Perhaps "under guard" was a poor choice of words." "He is more a knight who seeks to protect his princess imprisoned in her ivory tower." "Oh, my apologies if I have given offense." "I compared Your Highness to a bird in a cage." "A bird in a cage?" "Apparently, that is the expression used on Earth to describe one who has been deprived of her freedom." "Message from base command!" "They report that the prisoner has escaped!" "Put the ship on alert!" "Inform all duty stations!" "Yes, ma'am!" "These late-night alarms are killing me..." "Rayet, we have to get out there!" "Rayet?" "So, it's you." "Come with me." "Hurry." "Why are you doing this?" "I want you to go back to your Landing Castle and find out where the real Princess Asseylum is." "Why me?" "Because you want the same thing as Princess Asseylum." "I don't think that you ever had any desire to attack Earth." "Your left eye also told you that?" "I can tell that much even without using my left eye." "You were very familiar with Earth." "Your interest in Earth goes beyond its value as an invasion target." "So you do see everything." "There's one other thing that I want you to find out for me." "What Slaine Troyard's objective is." "Keep going north and you'll reach the Martian Landing Castle." "You'll need to walk from here." "Here." "Food and water." "We can't have you dying of thirst before you get away." "I wouldn't mind at all if you did, though." "If it comes down to it, I need you to keep Princess Asseylum safe." "Before I go, may I ask you one thing?" "What is your name?" "I am Mazuurek, member of the Vers Empire Orbital Knights' 37 Clans." "Mazuurek..." "There's a type of folk music on Earth with a similar name." "Yes." "As I researched my name's meaning, I became fascinated with Earth." "And your name?" "Inaho." "Inaho Kaizuka." "Mr. Mazuurek." "Take good care of Princess Asseylum." "I shall do so, Inaho Kaizuka." "Tell me, why did you ask me to help with this?" "What do you mean?" "Didn't you think that I would kill that Martian?" "Just like that time with Princess Asseylum?" "In the end, you didn't actually kill her back then." " I failed to kill her." " You're different." " I am not." " You are." "Give it a rest, I am not–." "You are." "You're not the same person you were then." "Mustang Leader to Mustang 11." "What's your status?" "Mustang 11, nothing to report." "Stay on alert." "Roger." "Inaho..." "Why?" "What's the meaning of this?" "!" "Who gave those Landing Castles authorization to dock?" "!" "Milord, it was..." "I did." "Highness?" "Count Marylcian requested a personal audience with Princess Asseylum." "And so, I gave them permission to dock." "As Princess Asseylum." "Rather, a princess of Vers." "Why would you do such a thing?" "!" "Let's be off." "It would be poor manners to keep our visitors waiting." "We are both humbled and delighted that Your Highness has granted us an audience on such short notice." "Count Marylcian, Count Barouhcruz," "I am most grateful to you both for bolstering our orbital defenses." "Under normal circumstances," "I expect that you would wish to go down to Earth and expand your domains." "We shall leave the conquest of Earth in the hands of our like-minded brethren." "Your Highness needn't worry." "I see." "That is good to hear." "However, there is a matter of even greater import to discuss." "With the previous Count Saazbaum dead, who will succeed to the post of Royal Guard, who is charged with safeguarding the moon base and Your Highness?" "There is no cause for concern." "I have taken over those duties." "Princess Asseylum, I have come to beg you to consider giving me the honor of serving at your side." "But Count Marylcian, I have–" "I will thank you to keep your comments to yourself, Terran!" "This is a fortress that flies the flag of the Vers Empire." "If that post were bestowed upon the previous Count Saazbaum, a man of great merit who rescued Her Highness," "I would be disappointed, but would nonetheless approve." "Yet you, an Earthborn even if you are his adopted son, dare to think you can inherit that post using this turmoil as a pretext?" "To have one of low blood set foot inside the castle where a member of the venerable Vers imperial family dwells is a fact that cannot be tolerated!" "One who does not possess a Landing Castle is unfit to call himself count." "You are not qualified to protect this place, not in the least!" "What are you suggesting, then?" "That we determine which is more fit to protect Her Highness, my Herschel or your Tharsis." "Count Troyard, I hereby challenge you to a duel!" "Dawn of Intrigue"