Sunday, "..."
Brother Sunday's mood at this moment could not be considered good. It could only be said to be unusually complicated.
The reason, of course, was Nero's answer, which showed no concern at all for the question he had asked.
But he could not say that Nero was wrong, because he had indeed already thought about what kind of words he would use to refute them when everyone chose a certain answer.
He realized his mistake. He still knew far too little about this miraculous child who had attracted everyone's attention.
Simply knowing about the Pure Beauty might make one hope for and yearn for peace and tranquility, but he had forgotten that the abstract concepts of Paths encompassed everything.
How had he failed to think of the fact that this child's train of thought was so unconventional and his perspective so direct?
No, he should have realized this long ago. When he pointed out that Mr. Welt and Robin had already been imprisoned, he should have realized it...
This young man's way of thinking meant that he would not care about whatever principles, ideals, passions, or aspirations other people talked about...
The moment he opened his mouth, he would only make his words pierce straight toward the essence of the contradiction before him like sharp spears.
It could not be said that the question Sunday had raised was completely meaningless to think about.
But for the Astral Express crew right now, this was not a problem that needed to be dealt with first, nor was it a problem they had to make a choice about.
What the Astral Express crew truly needed to resolve urgently was the problem Penacony was facing, the problem of Order created by Sunday.
And Nero had pointed this out without the slightest hesitation.
That was to say, if what Sunday truly had in mind was exactly what his actions suggested, then if all this thinking was merely a smokescreen he had casually created to accomplish his goals and plans, Nero's words were equivalent to pulling off his fig leaf without the slightest regard for his feelings, then tearing it into pieces and leaving him standing naked before everyone like someone who had just come out of the bath and had their towel stolen.
In any case, because of what Nero had said, everyone no longer had much desire to think deeply about or discuss the question Sunday had raised.
Just as Nero had said, everyone simply picked an answer and continued.
To be honest, this whole turn of events left Sunday somewhat suffocated.
But he had genuinely thought very seriously about the question he had raised, and it was through that process of thinking that he had gradually become the person he was now.
So even though Nero and the others had shown this attitude, Sunday, who hoped to convince them, still calmly began another narration after seeing the answer they had casually chosen, "I'm glad to see that all of you made the same choice we did back then. Since you have made up your minds, let me reveal the result of this choice."
"We carefully raised it until it grew up. Every day, we prepared fine food for it and brushed its feathers. Later, on the day Robin left Penacony, we opened the cage door and let it return to the sky."
"I watched it from the window for a long time, about three days or so. During those long three days, the little Halovian bird tried again and again to spread its wings and fly into the sky, only to fall back to the ground, repeating the cycle."
"Finally, on its one hundred and thirty-seventh attempt, it succeeded. But this attempt was not perfect... After flying unsteadily for a while, it fell to the ground because it could not accurately grasp the direction of the air currents."
"That fall completely broke its wings. It struggled desperately in my arms, but there was nothing I could do, and in the end it suffered a painful death."
"Our careful care, the love we gave it, and the high hopes we placed in it all became the forces that pushed it toward its death in that instant."
"As for the choice we made... I deeply regret it."
"So you just watched it die without even giving it emergency treatment or anything, just standing there regretting it?" Nero suddenly asked.
"And since you were watching it the whole time and didn't want it to die, why didn't you save it when it fell? There's no way you, a Pathstrider, couldn't even do that, right?"
"Also, you only raised it properly, but since you still wanted it to fly, did you never try to teach it? Or find other Halovian birds to teach it? Could it be that because they aren't humans, Harmony rejects other animals?"
"You're a human being, Brother Sunday. You have greater subjective agency. You can't stupidly stand there like those birds that lack enough intelligence of their own, only knowing how to teach a bird to fly by pushing their offspring off a cliff."
"And most importantly, aren't you a Pathstrider? You're not an ordinary person. The things I mentioned might be a little difficult for an ordinary person, but for a Pathstrider, they shouldn't be difficult, right?"
"From this perspective, didn't you have many chances to save it? Yet you didn't seize a single one."
"Fine, let's put that aside. You've reflected on it now, but not a single part of your reflection considered the key points..."
Sunday, "..."
'Wh... What a sharp tongue. Once this kid finds an opportunity, he just won't stop. He keeps going at me!'
Listening to Nero's nonstop barrage, Sunday's mood became even worse.
Originally, his purpose was, of course, to use this question-and-answer session to create a clash of ideas and convince everyone through it.
However...
Now, after listening to this child's whole string of words, why did it feel as though everything was his own fault?
Brother Sunday's mindset underwent a small change.
After Nero finished his barrage, silence became the dominant atmosphere in the area. It felt like more than thirty seconds had passed before Sunday's voice sounded again, "Next, let us move on to the second choice. This time... it is the story of a dream chaser."
"See? As long as we question him instead of choosing an answer according to Brother Sunday's explanation, he has nothing to say."
"This is much easier than a real debate, because all you have to do is keep finding faults and arguing against him. Look, he's ignoring me now."
The moment Sunday spoke, Nero put his hands on his hips and proudly said this to his companions beside him.
For a moment, the others' feelings also became complicated.
At the same time, Sunday was once again left speechless... He fell silent for more than ten seconds before continuing, "This story took place during the time I served as a Chordmaster."
"The Chordmaster is a position unique to the Oak Family, responsible for listening to the confusion and uncertainty of the residents of the dreamscape and giving them corresponding guidance."
"It was also during that period that I was able to hear voices from all corners of the dreamscape, joy, sorrow, arrogance, regret... Complex human nature weaves the world together, and I was fortunate enough to glimpse a small part of it."