A rare flash of dark anger crossed Hesta's face.
"She isn't dead," Hesta said.
Kendall gave Hesta a sympathetic glance, then immediately put on a mocking smile.
"For Chiba's whereabouts," Kendall corrected her wording. "Can you accept it if I put it that way?"
"It has nothing to do with you." Hesta withdrew her gaze. "I came here because of a transfer order from Studio No. 5. There were no personal motives involved—I know what you want to say. Yes, ever since I arrived in District 12, I've been applying to review the Fayalar Wasteland files. What do you take that to mean? That I'm abusing my authority to satisfy some personal desire?"
Kendall folded her arms and stared at Hesta without saying a word.
"An inspector's duty is to examine whether various new policies in the Habitable Zone carry fatal risks," Hesta continued. "As a major case that shook the world last year, isn't it only natural that I need to understand the details? What's so hard to understand about that? You, on the other hand—why have you been obstructing me all this time?"
"It's meaningless, Hesta," Kendall said. "All of this will be over soon."
Hesta frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Kendall's gaze was distant. After a long while, she finally spoke. "You know that our workstations in District 12 have mostly been withdrawn. Before long, this place will become a vacuum... In the end, aside from a small number of Quicksilver Needles left to guard the area near Mother City, practically no one will remain stationed here."
"Whose idea was this?" Hesta stared at her. "Yours?"
"Go ask Office No. 2, if they're willing to answer you."
"Have the people who made this decision ever been on a battlefield?" Hesta was growing irritated. "When the Chelated