Kude fell silent for a moment and then nodded slightly, "This situation is very difficult, really difficult. I can't even imagine how you managed to get through it. But now, you seem to be able to confirm... It wasn't you who lost your sanity, right? I'm actually very curious about how you confirmed this."
Gerard also fell silent, and then Kude saw Gerard's left eyebrow suddenly twitch, which made Kude a bit stunned. But when he looked carefully, the left eyebrow had returned to normal, as if it had just involuntarily twitched.
"I can't answer that question," Gerard slowly shook his head.
"Alright," Kude nodded, "I can understand."
Gerard looked at Kude again, "But I don't understand how you can be so sure that the problem lies not with yourself but with Lyra? It took me ten years to confirm this, but it seems you've only taken a day or two. Do you have some special talent? Of course, there's no problem if you don't want to answer, after all, I didn't answer your question just now."
"No, this isn't a question I can't answer," Kude shook his head and spoke, "My certainty that the problem isn't with me isn't because of any special talent. It's just that I've been luckier than you, I haven't been abandoned by this world yet... You know there is a department within Lyra located outside of Lyra City, right?"
"You mean..." Gerard pondered for a moment and then said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a very special department within Lyra. As the name implies, it is the department used by Lyra to conduct diplomacy with the territories of other Churches.
But the peculiar aspect lies with Lyra itself.
To this world, Lyra itself is quite unique. Everything in this city—be it metal prosthetics, gear trains, or various tools—is one of a kind and simply could not exist anywhere else. Moreover, these things wouldn't function outside of Lyra, which is why the people of Lyra don't like interacting with the outside world much; eighty percent of what they possess turns to scrap metal once they leave the city for an extended period.
That's why such a special department for foreign affairs is needed, to interact with the outside world using the world's items.
For example, the carriages they use for travel back and forth to Rhein are kept outside the city by the Ministry, and many other items from the outside that cannot be brought into Lyra are stored there.
However, few within Lyra City are aware of this department's existence.
"My father is a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Kude said. "So I understand a bit more about this department than the average person. It isn't really that special; the work there is quite relaxed because Lyra's foreign affairs are not extensive. My father joined that department purely because he's allergic to machine oil and can't undergo extensive mechanical modifications. Most of the people in the Ministry are like my father, old men who don't pursue mechanics too much and prefer the simple life of the outside world. They spend their days tending to horses, planting vegetables."
Indeed, this department was at odds with the usual style of Lyra, yet it was still an integral part of it.
That was the peculiarity.
"Did you go see your father?" Gerard asked.
"Yes," Kude nodded, speaking softly. "To be honest, I haven't had a proper conversation with my father for a long time. Our relationship is like that between Lyra City and the Ministry, only reaching out to him when I need something for a diplomatic mission, like a carriage, and he only sees me when there's an order from above... Normally, we have no connection. So when I instinctively went to talk to him like I used to when I was a kid because I was confused about yesterday's case, I discovered something... quite terrifying."
"What?" Gerard asked instinctively.
"...Lyra has changed, without any of us noticing," Kude said. "My father was assigned to the Ministry twelve years ago and has never returned to Lyra City since. So, his memory of Lyra is that of twelve years ago, but the current Lyra is not the same entity at all."
As he spoke, Gerard could clearly see the change in Kude's expression, becoming so... horrified.
This captain of the skeleton squad, even when facing Gerard, had never shown such an expression. His forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his breaths became heavier as he spoke.
He seemed excessively nervous, so much so that when he tried to light another cigarette to calm himself, his shaking hands prevented him from lighting the match.
In the end, it was Gerard who steadied his hands.
"Don't be nervous," Gerard said in a deep voice.
With Gerard's calming presence, Kude gradually collected himself, and his hands stopped trembling.
He looked at Gerard, smiled lightly, and said, "No wonder you're called 'Night Star'," before swiftly lighting the match.
The cigarette was re-lit, and the billowing white smoke seemed to carry away Kude's nervousness, restoring his composure.
"You've been looking for Affairs Officer 44 for all these years," Kude said. "In your eyes, this person who should exist has suddenly disappeared, right?"