The Unseverable, Tangled Karma

Faced with Mu's persuasive arguments, which seemed reasonable from both a public and private standpoint, Kira's friends were shaken, yet Kuzzey still voiced the concern they all shared.

"That may be true, but to risk our lives for this, it really isn't worth it, is it?"

Seeing Kira's friends nod in agreement, Mu seemed, if anything, relieved.

"Then we can make a deal: if Celestial Being catches up to us again, we will surrender directly depending on the situation.

And if things go smoothly, please assist us in reaching our destination. Once the task is complete, there will certainly be a generous reward. How about that?"

With Mu having laid it all out, Captain Murrue nodded in agreement, and Lieutenant Badgiruel, though stern-faced, signaled her tacit approval. Naturally, the group turned their eyes toward the most critical person: Kira.

Kira thought it over carefully and repeatedly, but in the end, he could not come up with a better plan.

So, after a moment of reflection, Kira gave his response.

"I understand. If everyone is willing to provide assistance, I will help as well.

It's just that, aside from Celestial Being, Captain Murrue saw it too—the pilot of the Aegis Gundam, Athrun Zala, is my childhood best friend. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to participate in a battle against him."

Badgiruel was about to object when Murrue kicked her, while Mu focused on a different point.

"You said Zala—is that the Zala of Patrick Zala?"

Kira nodded, confirming Mu's assessment.

"Yes, Athrun is Uncle Patrick's son. He used to be someone who hated war, but I don't know why he ended up in ZAFT."

Hearing Kira's response, Badgiruel, who had been about to say something else, muttered under her breath.

"Could it be... because of Junius Seven?"

Murrue kicked her again, and Mu, with perfect timing, drowned out Badgiruel's slip of the tongue with a topic that interested everyone more.

"Still, honestly, it really is quite interesting when you think about it.

Kira, you yourself are the 'Prince of Orb,' and according to that female pilot, your sister Cagalli should be on the flagship of Celestial Being right now.

Kira, your friend is the son of the head of ZAFT, and this Athrun is in the Creuset Team.

And if we go by what Celestial Being says, Creuset is a clone of my late old man—no wonder I feel something every time I encounter him.

Good grief, I don't know what kind of divine being is writing this play, but these are truly tangled and messy threads of fate."

Considering that if the discussion about Junius Seven were to unfold, it would easily shift into a debate about the morality of war—potentially ruining the agreement he had just coaxed out of Kira and his friends—Mu's change of subject was naturally a wise choice.

However, to capture the attention of everyone present, Mu had to include his own gossip, and the attention, successfully diverted, naturally focused on this new hot topic.

Under the curious gazes of Murrue and Badgiruel, Miriallia asked inquisitively.

"Major La Flaga, since Creuset is a clone of your father, have you never met him before?"

A look that was hard to describe—one that could barely be called a smile—appeared on Mu's face.

"After all, the reason the old man wanted to create a clone was because my relationship with him was bad, right?

And the reason my relationship with him was bad was precisely because I had neither the desire nor the ability to inherit his business; conversely, that was likely his purpose in creating a clone.

Anyway, looking back now, I probably met Creuset when I was a child, but back then I just thought he was a relative's kid.

Later, as soon as I came of age, I joined the military and never returned to my old home. The final news I got was that the house had burned down, and the old man and the others hadn't escaped.

According to what that Mr. Luther said, it seems it was Creuset who set the fire, right?"

"That's too much!"

At first, while listening to Mu's answer, Miriallia had been quite spirited;

But when Mu spoke the final part in a tone of 'unbearable memories,' Miriallia couldn't help but let out such an exclamation.

And while everyone else present shared the sentiment and cast sympathetic looks toward Mu, Mu gave a slightly unexpected reaction.

"Hey, hey, don't look at me with those sympathetic eyes.

After all, that was something that happened over a decade ago; for me, it's already a thing of the past.

Besides, you don't think my old man was a good person, do you?

I dare say that for Creuset to become the big villain who was singled out by Celestial Being, my old man contributed at least seventy percent.

From that perspective, Celestial Being really wasn't wrong.

It's understandable to be cynical because of one's own unfortunate experiences, but it's unacceptable to indiscriminately retaliate against others because of it."

After satisfying everyone's curiosity, Mu shrugged nonchalantly.

However, at this moment, Badgiruel, who had also been listening very carefully, couldn't help but voice her inner doubt.

"But Major La Flaga, although Creuset is indeed ZAFT's ace and a formidable enemy of ours, he hasn't exactly committed any heinous acts.

Why would you agree with Celestial Being's claim that Creuset truly intends to drag all of humanity down with him?"

"Natarle!"

Although Murrue expressed her dissatisfaction with Badgiruel's statement;

Overall, everyone felt the same way about Badgiruel's question, so, with the exception of Kira, they all turned their eyes back to Mu.

Faced with the gazes of the crowd, Mu seemed troubled by how to answer; he rubbed his temples hard with his free left hand before giving a very 'subtle' response.

"Hmm, how should I put it? It's just intuition, I suppose?"

"To use the terminology of Celestial Being, it would be the ability of a Newtype."

"You've felt it too, haven't you, young Yamato?"

Kira nodded as Mu gave his shoulder a firm pat, speaking his feelings with straightforward honesty.

"When I crossed blades with Rau Le Creuset at Heliopolis, I could indeed sense a powerful malice radiating from him."

"That sensation was completely different from the killing intent of a Ginn pilot, or the fighting spirit Haman displays."

Faced with the consensus between Mu and Kira, and amidst Badgiruel's look of disbelief, Sai voiced the collective sentiment of the group.

"Is this what they call a 'Newtype'?"

"Following the Naturals and the Coordinators, this world is certainly becoming more and more chaotic."

In response to Sai's exclamation, Mu's reply drew nods of agreement from everyone present.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"If we only have the binary identities of Naturals and Coordinators, are we really going to fight until one side is driven to extinction?"

"Compared to the claim by Celestial Being that 'Coordinator is a vague concept,' I actually think this 'Newtype' theory might be more helpful in ending this war that seems to have no end in sight."