Colin was returning from his space patrol. As a level 8, he conducted regular patrols a few hours searching for sources of trouble like Shadow Order, gangs and others.
Or he used to.
Now, his patrol was just a guise for a vile scheme.
As his space shuttle was a few thousand miles away from Valos, a small space pod reached the ship.
Colin took the shipment in the space pod and destroyed the pod itself.
He carefully stored the blue spheres suspended in transparent white boxes and resumed his journey.
According to the instructions he received, he'd need to enter the city kernel and place these bombs.
Of course, he was also given a few jammers to disrupt the monitoring.
The bombs would explode after 12 hours. By then, Betty would have already left the Valos city.
Colin already used his connections and created proof that Betty was suffering from a rare medical issue.
So, she'd be taken to Uranus for treatment.
Even if Valos was destroyed, she'd be safe. He was also going to send her bodyguards with her along with his personal wealth.
"I hope you can be safe." Colin prayed.
He didn't know the future, but he did know he wouldn't be able to see it.
He decided to stay in Valos and die with it. Yes. It was a stupid and foolish decision.
If he was willing to kill millions for the sake of his daughter, why not escape and live with her?
…He couldn't do it.
He lived all his life as an upright person. He tried his best to cultivate as many talents as he could. He never hesitated to take risks for humanity.
That's why he had such a high standing in Valos. The military trusted him.
"And I'm going to break that trust." He clenched his fists so hard this nails dug into his palm and bloodied his hand.
He knew what he was doing was wrong. It was a sin that couldn't be a forgiven.
But he couldn't bear to let her die. But with the sin he was going to commit, he couldn't live either.
Prince Abrax knew this perfectly well, so he proposed a condition that convinced the hesitant Colin.
'If the plan is successful, I, Prince Abrax swear on my personal and abyssal honor to provide the cure to your daughter and never harm her in any form.'
"Princes value their honor…I hope they do." He muttered. No. He prayed.
In a daze, he reached his home and greeted the pale Betty.
Compared to the past, she was visibly thinner and looked a lot less like a noble girl and more like a frail kitten.
Now, she was sitting on the couch, browsing through the things she had done in the past few years.
The people she insulted. The harm she caused. The mistakes she did.
Everything was recorded in her journal. It was her source of pride in the past. But now, it was a source of shame and guilt.
From time to time, she'd choke up and cry.
As if her self-remorse wasn't enough, she never had a good sleep since that day.
She was haunted by nightmares every time she tried to sleep and in the end. The referee would try to kill, Liluh would betray her and Vinar would die, every single time.
It got so bad that he had to call a telepath nurse to help her have a proper sleep.
"Dad." Betty stood up and greeted him with a weak smile.
"Sweety…" Colin felt like a lump was stuck in his throat.
She changed. She no longer had the sense of pride nor did she look down on people.
The one who wanted to harm her was the rich Liluh. And the one who tried to save her was the poor and socially lower Vinar.
Her beliefs and prejudices were rudely shattered that day.
Betty realized that she was living in a world far more complex than simple rich and poor.
Not all poor were bad. Not all rich were good.
In fact, people could choose to be good or bad, despite their economic status.
She wanted to apologize to Vinar and take revenge on Liluh. But after learning of the poison, she could only give up.
"Dad, I'm…sorry for the trouble." She said, biting her lip.
"It's alright." Colin stepped forward and caressed her cheek before hugging her and whispered in a choking voice.
"I-It's…It's going to be alright."
Betty hugged her trembling father. It was the first time in her life that she saw him so vulnerable.
"I'm sorry…it's all because of me. I'm really sorry. I'm…really, really, really sorry." Betty closed her eyes and said.
Colin patted her lightly and got out of the hug. His eyes were lightly red, but he now had a look of conviction.
"Betty, I found a doctor on Uranus. He can get rid of the poison. Then, we'll take revenge on Liluh, ok?" He asked in a gentle voice.
"Hm." Betty nodded.
She wanted revenge, but more than revenge, she wanted redemption. A second chance.
"I'll be a good girl from now. I will train hard. I won't treat others badly. I promise." Betty lowered her head and clenched her long skirt tightly.
"Yes. That's my daughter. Now get going. It's already too late." Colin said and yelled. "Roth, Moss, get going!"
"Yes, master!"
"We're prepared long ago. The young miss is waiting for you."
The two women in black suit and trousers saluted him.
"Drive my private space shuttle. It's more safe and fast. I won't need it anyway." He passed the space ring to Roth and turned around.
"Won't you need it for your patrol, father?"
Colins stopped in his tracks, and closed his eyes painfully. Then with a voice as cheerful as he could muster, he replied.
"I have some duty in the core region for today. By then, you'll return. See you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye, dad. Stay safe. You are the best"
'No, sweety. I am the worst. I can't even think of myself as a human anymore.. But if I've to be a monster to save you, then monster I'll be."