Behind the door were family and friends.
At the forefront was Flay, her face full of urgency and eyes red-rimmed.
The girl spotted Fred in the crowd at first glance, pressed her small hand firmly against the doorframe for leverage, and rushed toward him.
With a soft thud, Flay collided squarely into Fred's chest.
The impact from his sister wasn't painful, but it vividly conveyed her worry.
"You fool! Why did you have to charge so far ahead!"
"You idiot! Stupid brother! Are you out of your mind!"
Flay's voice, choked with tears, resonated against Fred's chest.
"If I didn't, how could I protect my foolish little sister?"
Fred chuckled softly, gently smoothing Flay's disheveled red hair that had flown wildly in her panic.
"You're not even pretty anymore."
"That's not true... hic..."
Flay, who had been crying too hard, let out a hiccup, burying her face even deeper into Fred's chest out of embarrassment.
Like a little raccoon.
Fred didn't push his sister away but skillfully took the hair tie from her wrist and tied her hair into a ponytail.
"Little Fred..."
Heather had just floated over after he finished.
The three mothers, though having learned the news in advance, weren't as emotional as Flay, but they were all communicating with their own children.
"Mom."
Fred naturally moved to meet Heather.
Heather now lacked her usual soft demeanor, her eyebrows raised high in a somewhat intimidating expression.
It made Fred feel inexplicably guilty.
However, Heather remained silent for a long while before ultimately saying nothing.
What could she say?
She already knew her son would risk everything to save them. While worried, she couldn't deny being deeply moved.
After all, they were family.
No matter what she said, it wouldn't change her son's determination—just as no matter what Fred said, she would willingly sacrifice everything to save her two children.
So in the end, she said nothing, nor did she ask about Fred's abilities. Instead, she floated forward and enveloped both siblings in a larger embrace.
"It's good that you're safe... it's good that you're safe..."
Heather's murmurs were incredibly gentle, like the lullabies she used to sing to them when they were young.
The commander, witnessing this warm scene, tactfully slipped away unnoticed.
...
While the family shared their tender moment, Halberton was learning the full story from the commander's account.
"You're saying a thirteen-year-old boy named Fred saved all of Copernicus?"
Halberton repeated the question.
Despite considering himself well-traveled and experienced, he couldn't help but reiterate the statement upon hearing it.
This simply didn't seem normal by any measure.
Among the crew around Halberton, some shared his astonishment upon hearing this account.
However, a few others narrowed their eyes slightly, concealing a hint of malice.
Such a powerful Coordinator—if possible, he should be eliminated in his infancy.
Although, as members of Blue Cosmos, they didn't endorse the rash actions of the earlier individuals, eliminating a future threat to Naturals posed no moral dilemma for them.
Of course, the specifics might need to be reported upward.
At that time, everyone would need to negotiate and devise an assassination plan.
Just as the few of them were thinking this, Halberton continued asking.
"Is he a Coordinator? Whose son is he?"
Halberton shared similar views with the other crew members here. In his opinion, such an impressive young man should be a Second-Generation Coordinator.
Moreover, he must be the child of a very famous Coordinator.
After all, that's how Coordinators are.
The previous generation is powerful, and the next generation becomes even more powerful.
So he should have heard of the name of the boy's father.
However, the commander's words surprised him once again.
"No, he's a Natural!"
"He's the child of a staff member from your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"???"
Hearing the commander's proud and seemingly genuine tone, Halberton fell silent for a moment.
What had he just heard?
After all this, that young man turned out to be one of their own?
Why hadn't he heard of such a person in the Atlantic Federation?
But if what the other party said was true, then with Fred achieving so much at such a young age, how far would he grow in the Atlantic Federation in the future?
Beside Halberton, the surrounding crew members were equally astonished.
The crew members who had just formulated several assassination plans in their minds were now mentally stuck, their faces rigid.
Logically, upon hearing this news, their sinister thoughts should have transformed into fervor.
After all, he was a Natural.
Such a powerful Natural was destined to lead them in defeating those disgusting Coordinators in the future.
But the news had changed too quickly, leaving them struggling to adjust.
The other ordinary crew members felt much the same.
Although they hadn't considered killing Fred, they found it hard to believe that the boy who saved Copernicus at thirteen was actually a Natural.
If not for their disciplined training, they would have wanted to confirm with the person on the other end of the communication whether there had been some mistake.
"Foreign affairs staff?"
After a moment of silence, Halberton asked.
"Yes, if I recall correctly, his name should be George Allster."
"I know him!!!"
As soon as the commander finished speaking, someone on the Bridge couldn't maintain decorum and shouted out loud.
"...Ahem"
Seeing himself surrounded by his superiors and colleagues, the older crew member coughed awkwardly.
"You know him? Who is he?"
Halberton didn't mind and simply asked the crew member.
"Yes!"
Excited to be questioned by Halberton, the crew member nodded enthusiastically.
"I previously served as a crew member on the diplomatic ship where Mr. George was stationed."
"He is indeed an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He seemed quite honest—I never expected he would have such a son..."
The crew member spoke, his face still filled with disbelief.
"I see."
After confirming Fred's identity, Halberton felt even more complex emotions.
Meanwhile, the other crew members who had gradually processed the news now wore expressions of fervent excitement.
This was the achievement of a Natural—a Natural had protected all of Copernicus.
And he was a Natural from their Atlantic Federation.
Just imagine if this news were to spread back home.
Fred would instantly become a hero throughout the Atlantic Federation.
In the future, he might even become their leader, their protector.
Just like this time protecting Copernicus.
Facing such possibilities, it was impossible to remain calm.
Amid everyone's astonishment, this Agamemnon-class vessel also docked steadily at Copernicus' port.
"Please arrange a meeting for me with Fred."
Halberton reconnected the communication with the control tower, his tone and attitude having quickly returned to their original state.
"Of course, no problem!"
The commander was quite pleased.
The other party was a rear admiral after all.
And he wanted to meet Fred.
This was absolutely an honor that would bring glory to their ancestors.
There would probably be substantial benefits too.
Just thinking about it made him happy for Fred.
Of course, he was happy for himself too.
After all, if Fred benefited, wouldn't he benefit as well?
No matter how you looked at it, his support had been quite effective.
Later, he could secure more benefits for his subordinates - his position would be completely secure, and he could coast all the way to retirement.
In any case, Copernicus hadn't been destroyed, and everyone was happy.