What moved people most was not personal happiness, but great love for one's people.
At first thought, wasn't this the most likely answer?
Enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, unafraid of power and privilege, wholeheartedly devoted to the entire race... Behemoth had endured far too much, so much that it had even willingly allowed itself to be locked inside a cramped, narrow mouse cage, all so it could glimpse the dawn of freedom through the gaps in that prison!
The deeper Angel thought, the more convinced he became that this answer was the truth!
Angel drew a deep breath and said to Laplace, "Wait a moment. I'll try Behemoth again."
With that, Angel looked once more at the little Behemoth curled up in the corner of the cage.
It appeared to have closed its eyes and fallen asleep, but through the fluctuations of its emotions, Angel could tell that it had not truly drifted off. Its heart was far from as calm as it looked.
"Perhaps my earlier thinking was too narrow-minded." Angel sent to Behemoth, "What people call an 'other self' does not necessarily refer to one particular person. Sometimes, it may also refer to a group."
Behemoth's ears perked up... It wanted to hear what Angel was going to say.
"Throughout human history, there have always been people like this. In times of danger, they stepped forward, casting aside their own interests and struggling purely for all humanity. We call such people heroes."
"Humans can have heroes, so why can't Invention Mice have heroes?" Angel's tone was calm as he stared straight at Behemoth. "So your 'other self' does not actually refer to one person, but to the entire race... right? You refuse to leave because you want to liberate all Invention Mice."
Angel sounded utterly certain, but—