Gundam, Gravity Elegy

The boy eventually became an excellent pilot, earned his own personal paint scheme, became an elite ace, and was even entrusted with an important mission by his superiors to participate in important military activities on Earth.

Then, he died under the fangs of the 'lion'.

'roar'

The lion-unicorn roared fiercely, its radiance, like a silver river, spreading outwards.

Ultimately, the shimmering light brought with it a sound like a surging wave.

'Splashing'

On that shore, the quietly burning campfire reflected a face:

"I never imagined that the pilot who ultimately defeated me was not even an adult."

A face that was both arrogant and somewhat resentful!

“Malet Sangrin…”

Although he hadn't introduced himself, the name of this guy was deeply imprinted in Gao Ren's mind after he finished painting the scroll.

"Tell me, are you a Gundam 'pilot'?"

"So what?"

Then, he clenched his fist.

How old are you this year?

"14."

Where were you born?

"Earth."

"How long did you train?"

"Two months."

"How long were you a soldier?"

"Six months."

"hateful--"

'boom'

Upon hearing this, Malet slammed his fist on the log beside him, his face, which never seemed to conceal its true feelings, revealing an unyielding sense of humiliation and anger.

"So I was defeated by such a 'little kid'."

"A child? MS is not a weapon that relies on physical strength to decide the outcome. As a new type of weapon, it does not have any long-standing tactical plans. What is so surprising about it?"

Gao Ren sneered:

"If you ask me, you're the one who's more like a 'child,' aren't you?"

"What did you say--"

“I said you’re the one who’s like a ‘child’.”

Meeting Ma Liet's furious gaze, Gao Ren spoke without hesitation:

"Having witnessed injustice, you choose to go along with it. You keep proclaiming that the world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak and you raise your butcher's knife against others, yet in the end, you refuse to accept your own defeat!"

Anger surged forth, but it did not deter Gao Ren.

"In the end, you're unwilling to admit that you've simply chosen an easier lifestyle. Instead, you adopt the attitude of a coerced victim, then treat it as some kind of truth and recklessly harm others..."

On the contrary, he was equally filled with anger.

"They claim to be mature, but in reality, their age has long been stuck at the moment of trauma."

Gao Ren hates this kind of person, the kind of guy who just vents his emotions on others without thinking.

Regardless of the consequences or the reasons:

"Giant baby—maybe right now you just want to run into your mother's arms and cry your heart out."

Of course, these words were purely an expression of emotion.

After all, he just hated this guy, but...

"Maybe."

Suddenly, Marette lowered his head.

He simply reached out and touched his scarlet earring, which looked as if it had been soaked in blood, and the sudden, deflated sound almost made Gao Ren's mind freeze completely.

What do you mean?

Is it the one I understand?

"Is there no one left who can be my mother? Not even Fabert."

"—?"

Immediately afterwards, the tense atmosphere vanished.

At that moment, Gao Ren felt he didn't even have the urge to curse.

That inner bewilderment surged and churned, eventually transforming into a kind of astonishment:

"what?"

Author's message

…………

Official characterization: Marette appears to be crazy and tough on the surface, but in reality, he wants his mother to control him.

He outwardly beats and scolds Lilia, but the novel hints that Lilia and his mother have similar appearances, but the problem is that they are completely different inside.

Before his final mission, Malet asked Lilia to kiss him, but his real intention was for Lilia to kiss his forehead like a mother would, to give him courage.

So Lilia didn't understand, and after giving him her first kiss, Malet broke down.

In short, many people in Zeon are looking for their mothers.

Chapter 113: Not a Hero

To be honest, when he had nothing to do, Gao Ren had considered what kind of person his opponent might be.

Perhaps he should be a rigid, serious soldier, full of aristocratic dogma and blind loyalty.

Or perhaps he was a pure battle maniac, devoid of any morality, who used the banner of the battlefield's lack of rules to commit brutal acts—to be honest, he originally thought that Malet was that kind of person.

The dark blue and black iron shell combined with the scarlet power pipes exudes ferocity, and the fighting style is eccentric and aggressive. The two enlarged heat axes almost completely express the word 'brutal and bloodthirsty' on the machine.

Even through the faint communication during the collision, Gao Ren could sense the overwhelming aura of a battle maniac.

But how should I put it now, a seemingly battle maniac... a giant baby?

Looking at that clearly adult face, Gao Ren felt only a strange sense of absurdity.

"That's why I'm hearing this kind of talk in a place like this..."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

In the firelight, Marette's face, though still sinister and ruthless, had a strangely comical quality to it after a while.

But before this inexplicable thought could linger for long...

"Anyway, as the true 'superior race,' you don't need to listen to the wails of us losers."

"Preferred..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ren's expression instantly darkened.

He was certainly aware of this line of logic—as the prevailing ideology in the Principality of Zeon, it completely deconstructed the side nationalism that Zeon Deikun had once promoted, and simply selected the term "new human" from Deikun's "theory of space exploration" as the keynote of its propaganda.

"This kind of thing should have been discarded in the old century and should have been thrown into the trash heap long ago. There is no such thing as a superior race, let alone a new human."

"Really? But while your Earth Federation outwardly promotes equality, in essence it's nothing more than dividing humanity into different classes."

Marette grinned:

"Our Zeon textbooks state that the first people sent into space by the Earth Federation were people of color and 'natives' of certain lands, followed by environmentalists, and then a special area was designated on Earth to accommodate religions."

Ultimately, if we trace it back to its source, it all comes back to the origins of the space colonization program.

"Besides, you have no right to deny that."

"What--"

"Don't you find it strange that you happened to appear in this place?"

In his astonishment, Gao Ren could clearly see the mockery on Ma Liet's face:

"We've never even met before, have we?"

They were complete strangers, yet in the end, their past and origins were seen through.

Despite their completely opposing stances and camps, they are having their final exchange in a place that doesn't even qualify as reality.

"You are the New Type, the 'preferred race' chosen by the world. Your very existence proves the stark differences between humans!"

Is that the case?

"Since stepping into the universe, countless people have wanted to obtain this chosen power!"

Is this reality?

"It's like an altar, with offerings constantly being thrown into it in hopes of receiving the favor of fate!"

Is that right?

"Trampling on countless remains and blood, they carried out their disgusting atrocities under the guise of charity!"

It roared and howled.

When Gao Ren came to his senses, all he saw was the man foaming at the mouth.

With a ferocious expression and sharp fangs, Malet seemed to have completely abandoned his human form at this moment.

They speak human language, but their behavior is more like that of wild beasts.

"All of this is just to obtain the power possessed by a 'chosen one' like you!!"

It is a monstrous beast that has long been twisted by the fanatical and distorted environment of the Principality of Zeon.

They were also victims of the Zabi family.

Don't look at me like that, I don't need your pity!!!

The fiercer the howl, the more obvious it becomes.

Beneath that fierce exterior lies a deep-seated inferiority complex, usually concealed by an outer shell of ultra-high tensile steel.

"I just wasn't chosen, I wasn't able to fully embark on that path—"

And that's precisely why...

"What does this have to do with me?"

Suddenly, all the complaints and the surging emotions were interrupted. Faced with true astonishment, even a beast driven by its emotions was at a loss.

He seemed completely bewildered as to why someone would say such a thing here, but...

"It was you yourselves who arbitrarily distinguished those who had only taken a step or two forward, and you arbitrarily tore them apart completely, then used high-sounding words to whitewash them and use them as a banner to cover up your own selfish desires."

Ultimately, it boils down to...

"No one should be held responsible for your selfishness and desires, no one should become a sacrifice for 'evolution', let alone a stepping stone for others to prove themselves."

"Then why did you go to the battlefield?"

"For revenge."

Perhaps Gao Ren would hesitate about other things, but this one has remained unchanged from beginning to end:

"The satellite that your Zeon dropped destroyed everything I had."

This should have been the language of a wild beast, but Marette did not sense any surging emotions within it.