Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 67: Sayla Learns Everything

"Sayla, you... knew, didn't you?"

In a secluded corner, Sayla stared into Eli's face.

Eli was looking back at her.

For a moment, Sayla reverted to how she had been when they first met, hiding her true feelings behind a façade of cold emotions. Her azure eyes concealed her emotions as she tried to probe into her own heart.

But how could Eli's thoughts be unraveled merely by looking into his eyes?

Yet, since they were both Newtypes, they could vaguely sense each other's thoughts.

Thus, even without any preamble, Eli understood what Sayla was asking—whether he knew about her other side.

Eli turned his head away.

"…You lot really weren't very good at keeping secrets back then, were you?"

He was referring to the time Sayla had tended to Ramba Ral's wounds. Naturally, Eli couldn't reveal the true reason he knew; he could only settle on this somewhat plausible explanation.

However, Sayla wasn't someone who could be so easily fooled. Back then, there had been no foundation of trust between them.

If Eli, who was unfamiliar with her and bore enough hatred for Zeon at the time, had known her identity, he wouldn't have hidden it out of goodwill.

Sayla shifted her stance slightly to look into the eyes Eli was trying to avoid.

In those eyes, there was indeed a hint of deception.

"Did you know my identity from the very beginning?"

Seeing the message conveyed in his eyes, Sayla came to a chilling realization: Had Eli known who she was all along?

"And what about Char being my brother? Did you know about that too…?"

As Eli tried to look away again, Sayla pressed her hands against his face, forcing him to meet her gaze.

Due to their height difference, Sayla had to stand on her tiptoes to ensure his eyes wouldn't evade hers.

Realizing this, Eli bent his knees slightly to make it easier for her.

"Regarding that…"

Eli had thought he came here to listen to Sayla's confession. He hadn't expected to end up being interrogated himself.

Was this just how unreasonable Newtypes were? The slightest intention to convey something would be perceived by the other.

His "system" was incredibly humane, never imposing compulsory tasks or arbitrary punishments. It left everything up to Eli's free will. From this perspective, Eli being from another world was something he could share openly.

But Eli simply didn't want to.

"If possible, could you please stop asking?"

Noticing the unfamiliar tone in Eli's words, even laced with formal politeness, Sayla frowned.

"You know everything about me, yet I can't know what you're thinking…?"

In that instant, Sayla felt as though Eli was worlds away from her.

It wasn't physical distance.

There was a barrier between their hearts, something insurmountable.

Sayla's heart grew heavy with sorrow.

The concerns and fears she had agonized over—Eli had already known them all along.

How did Eli view her, then?

Sayla wanted to uncover the answer.

Looking into her eyes, Eli understood her feelings.

"…Since Zeon Deikun proposed the Newtype theory, the world has been divided into Earth and space, with Earthnoids and Spacenoids artificially separated. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Wha…?"

For a moment, Sayla couldn't comprehend how Eli's words related to her questions.

"This division is wrong."

"You!"

Although Artesia only had a superficial understanding of her father's theories, she couldn't suppress her agitation when she heard Eli denounce them.

"The world being artificially divided, pitting people against each other—this is fundamentally wrong."

"But this…"

"The potential of Newtypes should never have been categorized; it belongs to every individual. On this point, Zeon Deikun made a grave mistake. The theory of Spacenoid supremacy has led to the world we see today."

Ignoring Sayla's confusion, Eli pressed on.

"I aim to change this outcome, to restore this fractured society to the vision of uniting humanity in space exploration—that was the dream of the pioneers of the past."

Who were those pioneers, exactly?

Right now, Eli couldn't say.

"Call it idealism or humanity's romanticism for the stars—I want to reignite humanity's journey toward the cosmos. It's something many I once knew dedicated their lives to achieving, yet never succeeded. But it's within our reach now."

"Eli…"

In that moment, a shiver ran through Sayla's body.

Her hands fell away from Eli's face, only to be gently held by Eli, raised again before his eyes.

The man before her didn't harbor hatred toward Zeon merely because they had destroyed his home.

Sayla, or rather Artesia, began to understand a deeper truth.

His anger stemmed from a higher perspective.

Exaggerating a little, one could say Eli's rage was born from Zeon disrupting the stability of humanity as a whole.

And yet, if there were no Zeon, and the Federation continued to oppress the Spacenoids through taxation, this man would undoubtedly feel the same indignation.

This man's heart embraced the entire world.

With this realization, Sayla arrived at another astonishing conclusion:

This man was not someone born of this world.

Whether from a Federation-oppressed space colony or an Earth-born elite, no one could possess ideals that transcended both regions and classes as he did.

His spirit was like the rising sun on the horizon, dazzling yet gentle, inspiring others to follow.

"Sayla, I don't want to hide anything from you, just as you didn't hide anything from me."

On this point, the two came to a mutual understanding, recognizing each other's feelings.

"I don't care about your past because I know you've never participated in Zeon's atrocities. You've even actively resisted them."

Even though Sayla hadn't explicitly revealed her situation, Eli still said these words.

"Is that so… Then I won't concern myself with your past either… If it's you, maybe you really can change this world."