Chapter 34: The True Man
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Suddenly, Galvin stopped walking.
Sean took a few more steps before realizing Galvin had not followed. He turned back. “Why did you stop?”
Galvin’s gaze passed over Sean and settled on the lawn in the distance. They were standing on the semi-open bridgeway on the third floor of the library, with an unobstructed view of the green expanse below.
Sean faintly heard the sound of an accordion. He followed Galvin’s gaze and saw several girls sitting together on the grass.
Liz was the one holding the accordion in the middle of the group, but Sean immediately spotted Hesta as well. The red-haired girl sat quietly beside Liz, arms empty and knees drawn up to her chest. He did not recognize the others at a glance, but he was certain they were not the other two girls from 403.
Liz was teaching them to sing the Mercury Needle’s battle hymn.
The corners of Sean’s mouth lifted slightly. He rested both elbows on the low wall along the walkway and listened for a while. “No matter what the song is, once you play it on an accordion, it reeks of Askia… Really pungent.”
Galvin said nothing. He listened too, watching the girls as the harmony of their voices drifted toward them on the wind.
After a while, Galvin suddenly spoke. “Why Hesta?”
Sean did not understand. “Why what?”
“I wanted to ask you that morning, but Liz rushed in.” Galvin shifted his gaze from the distant lawn to Sean. “Why have you been giving her such a hard time ever since Hesta arrived at the base? Do you like her?”
Sean hunched his neck, forcing out an extra fold of chin.
Galvin tilted his head. “No?”
“I like them like this.” Sean gestured at his chest, indicating two round mounds. “Does she have those?”
“Then why…”
“I don’t know if you remember,” Sean said, propping his cheek in his hand as he looked back toward the girls. “Back in ’19, someone sent word to Hecla that there were people in the habitable zones willing to pay a fortune for the red hair of Hesta women.”
Galvin’s brows drew together. “Did that really happen?”
Sean shook his head. “Your memory is hopeless… You had long hair back then too. One day I got hold of some dye and said we should see whether we could produce the kind of red hair they wanted. Instead, I accidentally bleached your hair orange-red… Do you remember now?”
“Oh. I think so.”
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Sean smiled. “At the time, I kept wondering what a woman born with hair as red as flames would be like.”
“So that’s why you stole her records a while ago?”
“Yes. That was the reason at first.” Sean gazed into the distance. “But after I saw her basic information, I became even more curious. She was born in 4612 and entered Saint Anne Convent in 4620, which means she spent eight whole years in Short Cry Alley… How did she manage that? She says she lived alone the entire time before entering the convent. Do you believe her?”
A burst of laughter rose from the girls in the distance. Galvin remained silent.
“And have you seen the recent reports? The ones from outside?” Sean asked.
“I’ve seen some.”
“Don’t you find it ironic?” Sean’s voice was gentle. “Everyone is desperate to praise Hesta to the heavens. They might as well come right out and say she’s the Virgin Mother reborn. To seize a single Mercury Needle candidate, they would rather invent a saint who never existed.”
“How do you know it’s invented?”
“Isn’t it exactly the same as when we first came here?” Sean countered. “As long as someone decides a person is bad, that person must be rotten to the core. If they decide someone is good, then that person has to be perfect in every respect. How many rumors did those newspapers spread about us back then? Short Cry Alley is no different from Hecla. What kind of people could come from places like ours? They certainly wouldn’t be harmless.”
“…People are different.”
“They only look different.” Sean gave a soft laugh and tapped his temple. “Carl, fundamentally, everyone is more or less the same—as long as you’ve seen enough of them, and looked deeply enough.”
Galvin glanced sideways at Sean. He had felt this more than once: he could not say when it had begun, but Sean seemed to have retreated behind a shell no one could reach.
From that place, he quietly watched everyone, keeping people out while isolating himself from them as well.
“So what exactly are you trying to do?” Galvin asked, his voice flat.
“Nothing much. I just think she’s interesting.” Sean stretched lazily. “Just wait. I’m going to uncover the truest side of Hesta…”
Sean turned toward him, his expression teasing. “What do you think the citizens outside will do when that happens?”
In the distance, Liz began singing again. Her voice was smooth and winding, but the language was unfamiliar to both Sean and Galvin. After listening for a few lines, Sean recognized it as Askian.
“Come on. I’m tired of standing.” Sean yawned and turned to walk ahead. “Let’s find somewhere to sit. I need to catch up on sleep.”
“Sean.”
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“Hmm?” Sean turned around and saw Galvin standing where he was, his expression complicated. Sean suddenly felt that something was wrong with his brother today. “What’s the matter with you?”
“If you keep behaving recklessly, you may eventually be stripped of your combat eligibility.” Galvin frowned. “Does that not matter to you?”
Sean smiled and deliberately lowered his voice. “I don’t care, Carl. I never intended to go into battle.”
Galvin froze, then clenched his fists. “What?”
“I’ve been thinking about finding a chance to tell you what I want as well. The truth is, once we’ve finished learning what we’re supposed to learn here, there’s no reason for us to keep giving our lives to them.”
“…How long has it been?” Anger flickered in Galvin’s voice. “You’ve already forgotten everything that happened in Hecla.”
“No, Carl. I haven’t forgotten.” Sean’s expression turned solemn. “I never will—”
“Then what kind of damn nonsense are you talking?”
“All right. Let me put it this way, Carl.” Sean drew a deep breath. He thought for a moment before continuing. “I simply don’t want to give my life to AHgAs. But we can still use these abilities to do other things. There’s no need to risk our lives. We should live for ourselves.”
Galvin’s voice rose. “Like cowards?”
“No. Like human beings.” Sean cut him off. “Like real human beings.”
“I don’t want to hear these excuses of yours—”
“You have to hear them!” Sean’s voice rose as well, but he quickly composed himself and glanced both ways. Fortunately, on a Sunday morning, hardly anyone would be passing through here.
“Carl, Carl…” Sean took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and stepped closer to Galvin. “I may be a coward, a bastard, a liar who spouts nothing but nonsense, but I have never lied to you—”
The moment the words left his mouth, Sean sensed that something was wrong with them. He immediately amended, “I mean, at least not about anything important. I have always been honest with you.”
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