Lu Xun was just the beginning. Liu A'dou brought a series of books, putting Mazkaru through a mental storm, triggering his transformation from the exploiting class to the revolutionary class. From today onward, Mazkaru was no longer Count Mazkaru—he was Comrade Mazkaru.
"The old world has nothing left to be nostalgic about. It's exactly the existence of the Vers monarchy that has shackled Mars's productivity. What you need is a revolution—a bloody revolution to rescue the people of Vers from the hands of the Queen," Liu A'dou declared passionately.
This wasn't the first time Mazkaru had seen Liu A'dou so fired up. Even though Liu A'dou was the Earth hero and the one responsible for nuking Vers, Mazkaru still agreed with his views. This young man had realized his past mistakes. His arrogance was just like every other noble's, which is why Vers ended up like this.
The nobles and the royal family had never considered what the people truly needed. Mazkaru reflected on this. He didn't blame the Queen or the Second Princess. All of it was feudalism's fault. Now that he'd seen Earth's many different systems, his perspective had widened. Only by overthrowing feudalism could Vers be saved. He was no longer a noble but a pure revolutionary fighter.
Liu A'dou realized he had a knack for this—at least he'd successfully reformed this feudal noble.
"Looks like you've already made up your mind. You're not afraid of sacrifice or hardship. Revolution isn't like hosting a dinner party—it's dangerous," Liu A'dou said. "You can return to Vers now. Just remember, revolution isn't accomplished overnight. You must stay close to the serf class and the working class. Unite all viable revolutionary forces."
"Even though you bombed Vers, I know it was to end the war. I don't hate you. I'm grateful you saved me and let me come here to read the distilled knowledge of all humanity. It helped me understand that the Vers Empire itself is a mistake. I no longer serve the royal family—I serve Vers. I serve the belief in my heart," Mazkaru said seriously. He was just one step away from paying party dues.
"No need to thank me," Liu A'dou thought, 'If you knew this was about splitting the Vers Empire, I wonder if you'd still be so thankful.' "I've already prepared a false identity for you. You're now a captain in the United Government Forces. Having an Earth ID on Mars will make things easier. If needed, you can even send some kids to Earth for advanced education. Let them learn that serving the royal family isn't the only path. Earth has no emperor, and it's doing just fine."
Mazkaru felt complicated. Just over a month ago, he'd been proud of his identity as a Vers noble, even willing to die for the royal family. Now he was pretending to be the kind of Earthling that Martians hated the most, returning home to rally the people against their Queen. The world was full of twists.
He didn't have much to worry about on Earth, just one final concern: "The Second Princess—is she safe?" It wasn't about her status, just that she was a disabled girl.
Liu A'dou smiled. "She's doing fine. A bit stubborn in personality, but don't worry. We Earthlings won't make things hard for her. The war was started by the old emperor—she's just a poor young lady caught in the middle."
To get Martians to stop resisting, brute force alone wasn't enough. A bit of a soft approach was needed too. The Second Princess made a good example—to show Earth's goodwill.
The Second Princess had long been captured by the United Government, but it was never made public. Of course, she was doing just fine. Still able to throw tantrums and break stuff.
Today Liu A'dou brought Zhan Jun and Inaho to visit the Second Princess. Earth didn't recognize her as a queen, but as royalty from Vers, she received the most luxurious treatment—though her freedom was restricted. Not that it mattered. Even without restrictions, she couldn't go far. Her legs were disabled.
Liu A'dou didn't need to knock to enter her room. Princess Lemrina, with her pink hair, had nothing left but her temper. Naturally, she didn't greet Liu A'dou with a pleasant face.
Zhan Jun and Inaho, as the students who stood by Liu A'dou through the final battle, were respected and nurtured by the hero. He brought them here to broaden their horizons. Inaho had seen the First Princess before, but not the Second.
Looking at the carpet covered in burn marks, slashes, drink stains, and grease spots, it was obvious this princess had been throwing quite a lot of things.
"Your complexion looks good, so I guess you've been eating and drinking well. Seems you've also gotten used to Earth's gravity, Princess Lemrina."
"You won't get away with this," she spat. It was this man in front of her who'd caused her to end up like this.
Liu A'dou was helpless. He hadn't even bullied this girl, but she resented him so deeply. He felt wronged. "Don't look at me like that. You're still treated like a princess here. Look at this castle—did you have anything this luxurious on Mars or the Moon? Only a princess gets to live in a place like this. On Earth, princesses live in castles. Haven't you read fairy tales?"
"…" As a prisoner, no matter how good the treatment, there was no mood to enjoy it.
"You can buy a lot of pretty clothes, you know. That outfit you're wearing—looks like you've been in it from the first episode to the last. Is Mars really that low on resources? Even a princess doesn't get a wardrobe change?" Liu A'dou said something that might've gone too far.
"I like this outfit," the Second Princess finally replied.
"I heard Mars has this optical mimicry tech that can make someone look like a completely different person?" Liu A'dou had always found this odd while watching the anime. If it was like optical camouflage, then only the appearance would change, not the physical structure. But the main girl wore this bulky long skirt, and when she changed into slim athletic shorts, people walked by her like nothing happened. Shouldn't the long skirt still be physically there, just invisible? So Liu A'dou tested it himself—and as expected, it was just a visual alteration. The people around the princess must have been either incredibly slow or chose to ignore the oddities.
"So what if we do?"
"Nothing, just making conversation. We're just here to talk today, nothing more," Liu A'dou said. "Isn't that nice? We're all human. No need to hate each other."
"Despicable Earthlings. You spy on our Martian tech. Thieves." Yep, a total education problem. Good thing they went straight for the nukes. Even if peace talks had happened, Martians wouldn't have shown any goodwill. Now at least they knew Earth wasn't to be messed with.
"See, that attitude? It's not right. Makes me really wanna hit you. But we Earth gentlemen don't beat up disabled people," Liu A'dou said. "And let me correct one thing—Earth discovered the Martian ruins first. It was your stroke-addled grandpa who stole them. You gotta admit that. And don't resent me too much. I became a hero not because I bombed Mars, but because I ended a war that the Martians started."
"Aldnoah is a gift from the heavens to our family. We are the chosen ones. My grandfather was the greatest emperor of Vers."
"The greatest? I don't think so. Princess, my country has 5,000 years of history. Pick any random emperor, and they were more accomplished than your grandfather. Ignorance isn't a virtue. And don't mistake ignorance for personality. You really should read more and daydream less," Liu A'dou said. "Zhan Jun, give our gift to the princess."
Zhan Jun walked in carrying a paper box. The Second Princess heard something moving inside—a soft rustling, like something alive trying to claw its way out.
Too bad Martians didn't know what animals were. Other than cockroaches and rats, Mars had nothing—no mosquitoes, no birds, no beasts. So Liu A'dou had prepared the perfect gift: a pet. The ultimate weapon against all women.
The box opened. Inside was a round, fluffy, black-and-white panda. Small and cuddly, its innocent eyes scanned the room. Lying on its back, belly up, it clutched a bamboo shoot tightly, pretending to enjoy the view, but its mouth never stopped chewing.
"What is this?" The moment she saw the panda, the Second Princess's expression changed. Her hostility melted away. Her heart skipped. She was smitten.
Heh. Liu A'dou thought, 'No one escapes the panda's charm—not even a princess.' Even poker-faced Inaho's eyes softened. That showed just how lethal a panda's cuteness could be.
"This is a panda. A unique species on Earth. You won't find them on Mars."
The Second Princess wanted to hug it but hesitated. Her glance darted back and forth. For once, she actually looked her age. The chubby panda stared at her while munching, unfazed. Not even royalty could stop it from eating.
"For the sake of Earth–Vers friendship, you can hug it. Don't worry—it won't bite."
Summoning her courage, she gently touched the panda's furry belly. Her entire demeanor softened. It was warm and plush—so comfortable.
Liu A'dou watched her and thought, 'Panda diplomacy wins again.'