As Charlotte sat there taut with nerves, Zhao Chen's gaze fell instead upon that pair of torn, broken ears of hers. Though, as for the old scars upon Charlotte's body, Zhao Chen had long grown used to the sight of them, and had no thought of distaste whatsoever — still, looking at these scars, there was ever a certain bitter something in Zhao Chen's heart.
"Charlotte, we have a medical ship of our own now too; won't you consider having a body restoration done?" Zhao Chen proposed.
Charlotte was taken aback a moment; she hung her head and murmured, "In truth… I keep these scars because I want them to warn me not to forget the things that happened before…"
Zhao Chen raised a hand and stroked Charlotte's head. "The things of the past we won't forget; but neither can we go on forever sunk in the things of the past. We have a future; we have more things yet to do. The beast-folk of the former rebel army who drifted into the Starlight Empire have nearly all been gathered up by you — some settled on Dragon Star One, some joined our Owl Dragon Fleet. Everyone is now taken with the life they have; you, too, ought to lay down these shackles upon you. If you feel the failure of the rebel army over at Warhammer back then was through some fault of yours, then you might as well ask those comrades-in-arms who followed you — have they ever once resented you?"
At this speech of Zhao Chen's, Charlotte's head hung lower still, and her tail drooped limp toward the floor.
"General Charlotte, the Commander is right; to see you always in this state you're in now… to speak the truth, though we don't say it with our mouths, our hearts ache over it too." A beast-folk woman-soldier walked out and spoke, unable to bear it. Zhao Chen's words a moment ago had been heard by the whole bridge. And that action of Zhao Chen's a moment before had, of course, drawn the attention of every woman-soldier on the bridge; how could they let slip a melon[1] this close before their eyes?
"General Charlotte, we once saw a you of matchless splendor and dazzling brilliance; and we hope, too, that you can lead us on through the Owl Dragon Fleet in your very finest state!"
"It can't be only that we've come to good lives, while you, General, are left mired in the painful old days!"
"The Commander's right; we've never once blamed you, General, over the matter of the rebel army's defeat before!"
Hearing the words of these beast-folk women-soldiers around her, Charlotte's gaze was complex, her feelings stirred deeply.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and stroked Charlotte's head, and said in a gentle voice, "Captain Charlotte, I have an order here. In a little while, over the stretch that I'm away at the Owl Dragon main planet, I need you to make a trip to the T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship to receive full-body restoration treatment. All costs to be borne by the Owl Dragon Fleet. This is an order! And if you won't agree to it, then when the time comes I'll haul you there in person!"
Charlotte bit gently at her lip, and in the end gave a nod.
After that, T3 Blizzard No.1 arrived at the Owl Dragon main planet.
To conjure a bit of atmosphere and set off the aura of the thing, T3 Blizzard No.1 slowly entered the Owl Dragon main planet's atmosphere, with 10 Black Rhinos accompanying it besides. As this interstellar fleet appeared in the sky above the Zhao family estate on the Owl Dragon main planet, the whole of the Zhao family gathered in urgent assembly; only now did they learn that their lord, unreturned for over a year, had descended upon them.
The Zhao family estate.
A dense, dark mass of Zhao family members gathered outside the berth-plaza built within the estate specially for the docking of shuttles, and they lifted their heads to watch the interstellar fleet overhead. Though there were only 11 interstellar warships, they dared not slight it in the least. For that T3 Blizzard was an existence called a legendary ship.
The legendary ship's hangar opened; a shuttle sailed out, and at the same time 15 T2 Black Knight mecha were deployed down, landing first around the Zhao family estate.
"Black Knight First Squad has reached the designated position."
"Black Knight Second…"
"……"
The 15 Black Knights, for all the world like sentries, welcomed upon the ground the descent of the sovereign.
The shuttle settled slowly at the center of the plaza, and its gate opened. The first to appear was a squad of the Commander's guard, women-soldiers one and all. They held laser pistols, wore portable single-soldier armor, and the weapons in their hands had single-soldier energy shields besides. When necessary, they could protect the Commander's safety.
"Without permission, no one is to approach within five meters!" the guard captain barked sternly. The Zhao family thereupon withdrew, one after another, beyond five meters. For the scene, once, of this Owl Dragon Fleet at the Zhao family estate blood-washing the whole crowd of the Owl Dragon System's nobles was still vivid before their eyes.
At this point, a figure, too, walked out from within the shuttle. He was dressed in the Owl Dragon Fleet's style of military uniform, a crisp, straight military greatcoat draped over him. Zhao Chen cast his eyes around; the Zhao family descendants his gaze swept over each nervously lowered their heads. Unlike a year ago, Baron Zhao Chen — Viscount Zhao Chen, it should now be said — gave one the feeling of a giant dragon coiled atop a mountain peak, his whole aura a great deal more drawn inward. But the pressure of him, set against a year ago, had, far from lessening, increased — dignified without anger, commanding awe without wrath! A single stroke of his gaze alone left them with a feeling of bearing a whole mountain upon their heads.
"The Owl Dragon System's acting lord, Jiang Hong, pays respects to the Viscount." Jiang Hong was one of the few among all the Zhao family present just now to be granted leave to walk up before Zhao Chen. Jiang Hong knelt on one knee, respect in her words — an attitude wholly different from that of a year ago.
"Zhao family descendant [redacted], pays respects to the lord."
There was no telling which among the Zhao family had spoken first, but one after another, a whole stretch of them knelt down all around.
"All of you, rise. I've only come home to have a look; there's no need for so grand a show of pomp. Save for Jiang Hong, all of you disperse," Zhao Chen said.
At Zhao Chen's order, the whole plaza all at once seemed a great deal more empty and open.
"First let me go pay my respects to my Second Grandma." Zhao Chen strode forward. Jiang Hong and the others followed close behind.
A most tranquil, secluded rear-courtyard old house of the Zhao family.
"All of you remain outside." Zhao Chen halted at the gateway, left this one word behind, and walked into the courtyard alone. The courtyard was still of that simple, old-world style; within it were pillars, and a few small animals besides. Second Grandma was, just now, lying on a rocking chair with her eyes closed, seeming as though she'd fallen asleep. A maidservant beside her was kneading Second Grandma's shoulders. When the maidservant saw Lord Zhao Chen appear, she was dumbstruck with astonishment in an instant. Zhao Chen laid a finger before his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and then had her withdraw to one side. Zhao Chen himself kneaded Second Grandma's shoulders.
By all estimates, those enemies of Zhao Chen's would find it very hard to believe that the man who could, in the space of a finger's snap, turn them all to ash and scattered smoke, was here at this moment so very quiet — for all the world like an ordinary junior of a household.
"It's tiring out there, isn't it." Second Grandma laid her hand upon Zhao Chen's palm.
Zhao Chen felt a sting in his nose. Those Zhao family members, Jiang Hong included, at the first moment of seeing him, had for him only awe and dread; in their eyes there was only envy and jealousy. They feared his strength; they envied all that he possessed. They saw only his bright and dazzling splendor, his awe-inspiring might — with no notion of the heavy load he bore as he pressed forward behind it all.
"If you're tired, then rest a while." Second Grandma patted the back of Zhao Chen's hand.
"Mm," Zhao Chen answered quietly.