Gundam: From Piece to Player

"it is good."

After confirming its origin, Karma tore open the envelope.

Upon opening it... it was a wedding invitation.

Kalmar frowned slightly. Dozru was getting married to his classmate Serna and would then have a niece, Mineva Zabi, who was pregnant out of wedlock.

The reason he frowned was because his relationship with Dozru had soured and had not yet been restored.

Dozru found him after attending a weapons development meeting in Zum City before visiting Side 6.

"Kalma, what does Sally Stride have to do with you?"

"Friendship".

“Don’t treat me like a fool,” Dozru said coldly. “A roommate?”

“Stalking people is not a good habit, brother.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Dozru said seriously. “What is its gender?”

"Girls."

Dozru was clearly prepared; he picked up a copy of "Anthropology of the Superior Race"—published by Zeon—and threw it in front of Kalmar.

I've read about Kalmar in this book.

They talked about which genes produced more intelligent people, which genes produced more stupid people, and even mixed-race people... They used this as a reference for the citizens of Zeon to choose a spouse.

—In order to give birth to a more perfect citizen of Zeon, Gihren left these words on the title page of the book.

While Kirian is skilled in political maneuvering, he is also quite abstract in areas outside his expertise.

"The eldest brother's theory has been widely accepted by the people. As a member of the Zabi family, if it were exposed by someone with ulterior motives and put on the spot, what do you plan to do?"

"What kind of treatment?"

"Living partner".

Dozru's words weren't malicious; he was just afraid that potential enemies would use public opinion to target him.

However, discussing this matter has exceeded the limit of what Kalmar can tolerate.

“Brother, please respect me, and respect Sally as well.”

"Didn't you tell me to treat you like an adult? That's how I strictly demand of my officers. Or do you want me to treat you differently and like a child who hasn't grown up?"

Kalmar knew that arguing was pointless, so he offered a solution he had prepared long ago.

"I'll make an appointment with the doctor to resolve this in the future, is that alright?"

"...It's not something that can be solved with surgery. It's about genes, genes! Don't you plan to have offspring?"

Karma's rebuttal only fueled Dozru's anger, and he uttered even more vicious words.

"His parents are idiots. If I were them, I would have strangled him in his infancy so he wouldn't have to face the malice of others and live a sad and painful life!"

Chapter 48 At the Wedding Banquet

Zeon was already immersed in Gihren's theories.

Even if Kira himself may have used it as a tool, it took root in the hearts of the people due to the constant reinforcement of the state propaganda machine.

Dozru was not a supporter of the superior race anthropology, but he was aware of the current public opinion in the Principality of Zeon.

Kalmar is currently very popular among the people of Zeon.

But when his supporters discovered that he actually wanted to marry a woman of questionable gender... it was tantamount to his idol's downfall.

I might stab him a few times.

Even if Kirian were willing to protect her, he could only handle it quietly. He couldn't possibly undermine himself on this issue for the sake of Kalmar—that would be tantamount to political suicide.

Karma quickly realized that he would definitely lose if he fought against this.

So he gave in.

“Alright, I will break up with Sally.” Karma looked up at Dozru. “In the future, I will marry a pure-blood noblewoman, just as you, Third Brother, have hoped.”

It's absurd that a country with less than 20 years of history would have such a so-called bloodline theory.

Kalmar emphasized the word "pureblood" in particular, as if afraid Dozru wouldn't understand his sarcasm.

"Kalma Zabi, how dare you speak to me like that!" Dozru, still furious, called him by his full name.

Karma, equally annoyed, ignored them and got up to leave.

Only now, after calming down and reviewing the whole incident, has he discovered many suspicious points.

How did Dozru know about his relationship with Sally?

It was no secret that he was close to Sally at the military academy; many other students knew about it.

But those who snitch to Dozru get nothing out of it.

Is it something that ordinary people can criticize about the Zabi family's affairs?

Is it because you think life is too comfortable?

Besides, Dozru isn't the type to pry into other people's private lives, so it can only mean that someone... deliberately put the information where he can see it.

According to the theory that the beneficiary is the most likely suspect, Kalmar should find the beneficiary of this matter to trace back to the instigator.

But if they sow discord between him and Dozru, who will benefit the most?

Gihren only gave him the resources in February to work on the Ragnarok project.

Kycilia didn't want him to be close to Dozru... but her motives weren't strong enough.

If this happened after he became the commander of the Earth Suppression Army, then the motive would be sufficient, but in February he wasn't a big shot.

Although it was somewhat awkward to meet Dozru after their falling out, he still prepared a gift and attended the wedding banquet.

I met some unexpected people at the banquet.

"Xia, you've been invited too."

Char was still wearing his military uniform. Zeon's military uniforms were modified from dress uniforms, so they didn't look out of place in this setting.

"During the lunar operation a few days ago, I successfully lured a Swordfish fighter following behind me into crashing into a lunar crater, causing the Federation forces to lose face quite a bit. Lord Dozru was so pleased that I was promoted to captain."

Congratulations.

This is the only way to get promoted in a non-hot war situation, and Char is quite astute in this regard.

Knowing the two were close friends, the master of ceremonies arranged for Char to sit next to Karma during the meal. Soft music was playing in the hall, and most of the invited guests were officers and generals familiar to Dozle.

Kirlian and Kycilia, along with their SS troops and key members of Kycilia's organization, also came to offer their congratulations with gifts.

They left shortly afterward, and the staggered arrival times of the two groups prevented the banquet from becoming a new battleground.

There's always something to talk about at a banquet, and when the officers came to find Karma, they couldn't help but discuss his military achievements—the rebellion he had recently quelled.

"You've acted swiftly and decisively, Your Excellency. The rebellion was quelled in just two days."

“The rebellion was organized by local opposition forces and the Federal Intelligence Service because Giannik was working overtime at the local factory all night without being paid enough, and the local government failed to handle the situation properly.” Kalma swirled his glass. “It caused public opinion to escalate. The citizens are innocent; their emotions were manipulated by the rebel leaders.”

"The feeling of suppression must be unpleasant."

"It's tough, but we have to do it no matter how tough it is. Do you know how many shops and houses have been damaged, and how many serious crimes have occurred during this operation?"

"...That's a question for us."

“According to statistics, 410 shops were destroyed, 85 buildings were damaged, and there were 3245 serious incidents. The damage to infrastructure is too numerous to record,” Kalmar said. “If they could have an orderly protest, or simply attack the military and police, I would think more highly of them.”

When Kalmar announced the numbers, the officers who came to toast him couldn't help but praise his tactful handling of the situation.

"As expected of Lady Karma."

"Finally, justice has been served against the rebels."

“Thugs need to be dealt a heavy blow.”

After the officers had all left, Xia Ya, who had been listening to the story from the corner, walked up to him.

“Karma, if I were you, I wouldn’t do it myself.” Char shook his head. “It could be a stain on my reputation later, and it’s not worth damaging my honor. The 101st Division wasn’t even required for this mission, was it? Could it be that Gihren deliberately sent you?”

"I applied for it myself."

"what?"

Karma gazed into the distance. "This situation may occur in the future. This is a good 'rehearsal'."

Could the experience of suppressing colonies be applied to Zum City?

Char recalled the topic he had discussed with Karma, but before he could say anything, a group of people surrounded Dozle and his wife as they walked over.

"Kalma, I received your gift, and I love it."

Dozle, dressed in a sharp suit, didn't have his usual fierce demeanor. Even the scars on his face were cleverly concealed by the makeup artist, and he had a smile on his face. Beside him was Sena, the most beautiful girl in the military academy, who was in the same class as Karma and Char.

"Wishing you a happy marriage, brother," Karma said, raising her glass.

"I hope you won't mind what happened before; I was very rude back then."

Upon hearing Karma's words, Dozru's eyes showed apology.

"It's nothing, it's all in the past." Karma forced a smile and turned her glass toward Serena. "Serena, please take care of my brother for me. He usually focuses on his work, so you'll have to worry about taking care of the family."

"...Lord Dozru is a kind-hearted person, and I will do my best." Serena looked at Dozru with eyes full of love.

The two are more than ten years apart in age, and Karma can only guess that a strange teacher-student romance has taken place between them. Serena is not from a prestigious family, but her father became a general before retiring, which added a lot of points and made this marriage possible.

"General, congratulations on your marriage." Xia Ya, who was also to Karma's left, raised his glass at the opportune moment. "Miss Serena, congratulations to you as well."

"It's Xia. This kid's piloting skills are unmatched. You'd better do a good job."

Dozle patted Char on the shoulder while offering a toast, clearly switching into the role of a good superior in the army, while Sena smiled and greeted Char in return.

Xia smiled and responded, not giving a perfunctory answer; clearly, the scene had touched him as well.

The sound of a cane tapping lightly came from the ground.

"Dozru! Come here." The microphone on the stage rang out, and Dejin had somehow appeared on the platform, with a priest standing beside him. It was clear that the ceremony was about to begin.

Although Dejin was still not entirely satisfied with Dozru's past performance, he was quite happy that his son was getting married, and the high-ranking officials and officers in the audience applauded.