Mu Catches Up

Murrue did not say a single unnecessary word. She merely nodded with a smile, her gaze bright and deep, as though she possessed some power that could see straight into a person's heart and easily perceive every ripple within Mu.

She did not hesitate for long. She simply gave Mu's shoulder a light yet firm push forward.

That faint, almost invisible force was filled with powerful support and expectation, as if giving Mu's heart one final, most effective push: go where he needed to go.

At that moment, Mu stopped wavering. His thoughts suddenly became clear. Murrue's consideration was like a beam of light, illuminating the direction his heart should take.

He gave a soft "Mm," then silently turned his back to Murrue. Without lingering another moment, he set off with firm, heavy steps.

Under Murrue's nearly wordless gaze, filled with gentleness and trust, Mu knew his path. He no longer needed to seek guidance or resonance from anyone else.

The deadlock in his heart over "how to choose in the Battle of Orb" had already been broken the moment the Earth Forces ruthlessly abandoned them. The "justice of the Earth Alliance" had collapsed.

Natarle's question had merely externalized and confirmed a judgment that had long since become his own resolve.

Mu had already thought deeply about it all and made a decision without the slightest hesitation. Yet his innate gentleness, and his inability to cast aside concern for the "pitiful" person before him—

The old-fashioned warmth in his bones meant that even though his heart was now filled with the resolve to fight, he could not turn a blind eye to people who had lost their bearings and stood on the verge of collapse amid such a monumental upheaval. Much less Natarle, a colleague and subordinate who had remained