"We choose the second option—remain silent and let him linger on under the Oak Family's pursuit until he is brought to justice."
Since they could not reach a unified opinion, they went with majority rule. In the end, with a 3-to-1 vote, Stelle gave Sunday the second answer.
"As expected, you all chose the same second method as I did to solve this problem. However, given the situation at the time, if the second option had been chosen, that Dreamchaser's ending would only have been even more miserable."
Stelle: "…Even so, I would still choose the second option. Because I have always believed that evildoers must be punished and justice will ultimately be carried out."
Stelle's words were resounding and powerful. Sunday first fell silent for a moment, but soon his voice rang in everyone's ears again. This time, it carried a hint of sneer and sarcasm.
"Justice? Where in this world can one speak of true justice? So-called justice and evil are nothing more than the victors' definitions of the defeated."
"Just like the strong and the weak. The weak envy and even resent the strong, so in their mouths, the strong become evil. The weak believe they themselves are justice, and defeating these strong ones and seizing everything they have is an act of justice. Heh."
Stelle: "No, that's not right. Justice is…"
Stelle naturally did not agree with Sunday's understanding and cognition. She immediately wanted to open her mouth to refute him. However, the moment the girl started speaking, she felt as if her throat had been seized by something. The words that reached her lips were forcibly swallowed back down.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Everyone, let us return to the original topic."
Sunday had no intention of continuing to entangle with Stelle on the question of justice. In his view, arguing with a young girl about what justice was would purely be a waste of time.
"Back to the main topic. If we had simply left him alone and allowed the Bloodhound Family to capture him, his ending would have been even worse."
"Assume he was captured by the Bloodhound Family. The family would not let him off. At that time, he might face forced expulsion, and after that, he would still face several charges. After all, in Penacony's laws, human trafficking is a serious crime."
"And if he was not caught, he would live forever in flight, eventually dying from mental derangement. You must know that the methods stowaways use to enter the dreamscape are not as complete as those of the hotels."
As his voice fell, the images on the light screen gradually faded. What followed was a new story.
"I deeply regret your choice. Then, this shall be the final decision."
The light screen lit up. The figures of Sunday and Dreammaster Gopher Wood appeared in the frame.
This was what happened on the day Sunday assumed the position of head of the Oak Family. At that time, Gopher Wood had already become Penacony's Dreammaster.
"This is the private meeting I had with the Dreammaster on the day I took office. What puzzled me was that the Dreammaster that day had only come to deliver a letter—a letter from my sister, Robin."
"I opened the letter. The content was no different from usual—nothing more than daily greetings and the sights and experiences Robin encountered during her travels."
"Just as I was wondering what this letter had to do with this meeting, the Dreammaster told me a piece of information."
At this moment, Robin's figure appeared on the screen. However, unlike the Robin they had seen before, Robin at this moment was lying on a hospital bed. Her beautiful swan-like neck was wrapped in thick gauze, and one could faintly see bloodstains seeping through.
"Kasbeliat-VIII. War broke out there. In order to spread the Harmony and save the lives on the planet, my foolish sister personally rushed to the front lines and was hit by a stray bullet."
"She hoped to soothe people's pain with her singing and was even willing to use her own flesh and blood to protect the people there. It is a pity, however, that war is cruel and merciless…"
"The stray bullet mercilessly struck deep into Robin's neck. Fortunately, the bullet did not damage her vital arteries. Robin survived, but as a price, she permanently lost her ability to sing."
After hearing that Robin had been shot in the neck, March 7th's pupils widened. She couldn't help reaching out to cover her mouth.
"How could this happen… Miss Robin…"
"Kasbeliat…"
Himeko also furrowed her brows. She had heard about the war on Kasbeliat. She never expected that Miss Robin had nearly lost her life there.
It was just that… that planet no longer seemed to exist now, right? Although it had not been destroyed in the war, in the end, that planet had been destroyed under the mandibles of the Swarm.
"That planet… was destroyed by you, wasn't it?" Just as everyone was feeling sorrow for Robin's tragic experience, the usually silent Misha, who had been like a little transparent, suddenly stepped forward and abruptly asked.
"Eh?" March 7th blinked, seemingly not reacting in time.
Stelle had a face full of surprise. So that planet had already been destroyed? And it was destroyed by the hand of this Oak Family head.
"That planet was destroyed by you, right?" Misha slightly clenched her fist and repeated her question once more.
"Correct… That planet was indeed destroyed by my hand."
Sunday admitted it very straightforwardly, as if what he had destroyed was not a planet, but an ant that could be crushed at will.
"Why did you destroy that—" Just as Misha was about to open her mouth to question him, Sunday spoke first and interrupted her.
"Mr. Watchmaker, I think you should have understood long ago, haven't you?"
Sunday's tone was extremely calm. However, it was not difficult to hear a faint, looming killing intent mixed within it.
"Just for your sister…?"
Misha pursed her lips and spoke with a slightly bitter expression.
"Is that not enough?"
Misha: "I…"
"In order to take revenge on those barbarians, I orchestrated a retaliation. Heh, thinking about it this way, if I were not a follower of the Order, perhaps I would have already set foot on the Path of the Hunt long ago?"
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