Chapter 47: I think that girl needs a chance
"No way… You're telling me that all I can do is to watch…" Jack clenched his hands and gritted his teeth. "Isn't that too cruel…?"
"…"
Without offering him a word back, Iberis cast her gaze down to Raffi.
"The five cores which you and I possess are 'The Hatter', 'The White Knight', 'The White Queen'… and 'The Twins'. Is that correct?"
"Yeah. But therefore, the threat level of the Original Nightmare is considered to be incredibly high for this shelter right now."
Iberis put her hand on her chin and contemplated as Raffi answered.
"If something were to happen and the cores were taken back, it would be hell. Can't we just destroy it…?"
At her words, Raffi shook his head.
"It's impossible. You know better than anyone why."
"…"
Iberis fell silent and drew in a breath.
"The only thing we can do is hold on to it…"
When Jack mentioned this, Raffi raised his face and looked at him.
"Unfortunately, yes. There is no utility value in the cores at present. But if we don't retain it, the Original Nightmare will regenerate, as I previously stated."
"There have been many 'angels'… our Alice's doppelgangers, who have fought the Nightmare. Even some of them have even successfully defeated them. But…"
"…"
Iberis informed Jack, who gulped. "Each time they've recaptured it back; they've resurrected them. In the first place, this is a hopeless death game between us and them."
"What can we do? According to your theory, the next Nightmare will strike this place soon."
Jack asked, and the bishop voiced out.
"… It seems we have no choice but to abandon this shelter."
"What…?"
When Jack was shocked, Iberis continued saying.
"We're going to evacuate to another shelter by train with the survivors here. The Nightmare's assault will be shaken off."
"But do we even have a definite destination…? Besides, even if we escape, we'll still be hunted."
The bishop listened, and after a brief moment of silence, she said, "We do have a definite destination. There is a place called the Nineteenth Shelter that still exists. There's another angel there."
"What…?"
Raffi looked up at the bishop and spoke up.
"The third Alice, I see. I didn't expect to find a third one still alive…"
"At least I think it's a more constructive idea than staying here and awaiting the assault. I doubt I can defend them all by myself…" Iberis then turned over with a bitter expression on her face. Her hands were trembling slightly. "Unfortunately, I have no confidence."
"…"
Taking his eyes off Iberis, Jack glanced up at the bishop.
"What about you?"
"I'm moving to the Nineteenth Shelter as well. I am the jurisdictional system for this shelter, and my absence means that this place will cease to function altogether."
"Then… I have an idea. If this shelter is going to be attacked and discarded anyway, there's something I'd like to try."
At his words, Iberis and the others looked up and regarded him.
"Something you want to try?"
Iberis asked, and Jack nodded.
"Yeah. I believe we have a couple of trains."
"Yes… There are three of them in storage."
"We need to evacuate everyone who can't engage in battle, including the bishop, urgently. We have to start preparations immediately."
"That's great, but… what are you going to do?"
"You know, when we fought the White Queen," Jack said and held up a finger. "That monster was damaged by the mines we planted."
"… You mean…?"
He nodded to Iberis, who opened her eyes wide, and kept going.
"There is one conclusion that can be drawn from this. You can't recognize a nightmare unless they're suffering from the collapse disease, but 'it's certainly there'… which indicates that regardless of your ability, you can still inflict damage with a normal attack."
"I see…"
"Therefore, we must first vacate this shelter and then lure the incoming Nightmare inside."
Jack looked directly at Iberis and the others.
"And then we'll bury the whole shelter underground with explosives. Unless they're really competent, we can prevent them from engaging us unnecessarily, and there's a chance we can defeat them."
"So you're saying we can stage this as a trap?"
"Yes. The enemy will move cautiously. So the sooner we get ready, the better. How about it?"
The bishop pondered for a while, then answered quietly, "Certainly, it will be difficult to come up with any further measures. I understand. I'll call the people in charge of each area as soon as possible for a more detailed discussion."
"What about the girl?"
Then Iberis questioned.
The bishop turned to Jack and addressed him. "Jack, could you try to talk to… her for a moment?"
"Bishop… but that's…"
As if to overshadow Iberis's attempt to remain calm, the bishop added.
"I think that girl needs a chance."
"…"
"You may be the only one who can make that happen."
Raffi contorted his face painfully in Iberis' lap.
Jack nodded, catching his breath. "Okay. I'll take care of it."
"The Nightmare assault may be imminent. Let's act swiftly."
Iberis nodded and maneuvered her wheelchair. Raffi was staring at Jack, his face distorted in distress.
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