Chapter 228: I'm Safe Now (Revised, Final Version)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: I'm Safe Now (Revised, Final Version)
Opening the lid of the pitch-black coffin, I emerged into a land brimming with peace.
It was as if I'd only spent a moment in a fairy-tale wardrobe leading to another world. Just moments before, I had been groaning in a cramped space after a bloody chase, but now, the turbulent air had vanished, replaced by a peaceful, gentle breeze.
Certain of our safety, I shouted.
“Alright! We're safe now!”
So this is the taste of peace. How sweet. I feel great—it's as if even the air is welcoming me.
Unlike the south, which is lush with forests and trees, the north is a land of wastelands and plateaus. Of course, the Military State's territory isn't that vast, so moving this far north doesn't result in any dramatic changes.
But there is a clear dividing line. The ever-changing climate and vegetation shift abruptly at the Abyssal Wastelands. As if crossing a national border drawn along a single line, beyond the wastelands lie desolate plains dotted with artificial structures.
A nation that barely deserves the name.
The Fallen Dominion, once a land of alchemy, now torn to shreds by that very same art.
But a nation torn to shreds is the perfect place for a wanderer like me to slip into.
“Now that we've come this far, the Military State won't be able to chase us. Even if they belatedly figure out our trick and somehow manage to pursue us, by then we'll already be far away. From here, if we follow the Meta Conveyor Belt a little further, we'll reach the Northeast Terminal. Then, we cross the Abyssal Wastelands beyond it and escape into the Fallen Dominion… Unless the Military State has the ability to cross another country's borders without restriction, catching us will be impossible!”
I was overcome with emotion. Has anyone else ever evaded the Military State's pursuit for this long? This feat will go down in their history.
A record of escaping from the Military State. With this on my resume, I won't be turned away at the door anywhere else.
The Regressor, who had crawled out of the coffin after me, stretched widely.
“Ugh. So persistent. What the hell is with these Military State guys? We were just quietly going on our way, and they suddenly started chasing us.”
“Shei-ssi, I think the Military State would feel wronged by that. You caused all sorts of trouble in the capital; you weren't exactly 'quietly going on your way'.”
“What? I'm better than you, Mr. Pied Piper of Hamelin! If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have chased us like bloodhounds!”
“What did I do? I was living quietly in seclusion, you know? There were no alarms whatsoever until you all showed up. Compared to that, Shei-ssi, what? You messed with the Capital Headquarters? You know that's another word for war, right?”
“But you played the flute!”
“Whee-lee-lee, whee-lee-lee. When you put it like that, I sound like a wholesome person involved in the arts. In any case, you could say I committed no crimes in Amitengrad. No matter how I think about it, this isn't my fault.”
“Same goes for us! Until we met you, the Military State was practicing Active Engagement Avoidance! So why did they suddenly lead their entire army to chase us?”
How should I know?
Of course, I tend to gather information through indiscriminate mind-reading. My ability allows me to briefly synchronize with a person... no, to read their memories in their entirety.
But I still don't know why the Military State is acting this way. Because the Military State isn't a person.
The two Six Generals who tried to capture us, Sunderspear and the Mage Marshal.
Sunderspear was puzzled as to why the orders had suddenly changed, but he just went along with it. He enjoys fighting the strong. Though he's gotten older and a bit less reckless, if an order comes down, he has no reason not to follow it.
The Mage Marshal is loyal to the Military State's orders. She makes up for her lack of talent with systems and resources. She is a perfect example of the Military State's ideals realized, and to the Mage Marshal, who was on the verge of growing old and dying as a mediocre mage, the Military State is a benefactor. The Military State and the Mage Marshal have a mutually affirming relationship.
And the other generals and soldiers were simply following orders. So, I don't know the Military State's true intentions.
No, in the first place, I don't even know if this country has true intentions.
The Regressor called out to Historia, the person here who was closest to the Military State.
“Gunmaster! You're a Six General, so you must know. Who was the Military State chasing? Me, or him?”
“I don't know either.”
To commemorate being outside for the first time in a while, Historia was puffing away on a mana herb. Seeing the chainsmoker shamelessly demand a light even while tied up, the Regressor, who had been hoping for a clear answer, scowled.
“You should know! You're a Six General!”
“It's a prejudice to think a Six General should know everything. I'm a Six General in name only; I'm still just a Major General.”
“You… Huu, fine. Then why were you chasing us?”
“Is there any soldier who questions the reason for an order?”
“No, but still! There must be a reason you chased us so passionately…! Ah, right.”
'She said she had lingering feelings for her ex-lover, and that she had something to ask about Hamelin, right? So that's why she chased us...?'
The Regressor glanced at me and nodded, humming in understanding. To understand all of Historia's actions with that one phrase, 'ex-lover,' I don't know if she's delusional or just naive.
In the end, unable to get a clear answer, she grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"This Military State country doesn't even tell its own soldiers why they're fighting?”
Historia showed interest in the Regressor's words.
"What a strange perspective. So if the reason is convincing, you fight, and if not, you disobey?”
"That's not it, but! Someone has to be giving the orders! If even you, a Six General and one of the people who chased us directly, don't know, then who the hell does?”
“Well, of course, the Headquarters would know, wouldn't they?”
"The Headquarters?"
As soon as the Headquarters was mentioned, a look of distaste appeared on the Regressor's face. It wasn't hopelessness, but the lingering discomfort of an unresolved problem. The kind of vexation you'd feel after finding a small spot you missed in a corner after you've finished cleaning.
Huh? Didn't she say she'd wrecked the Military State before? What's with that expression, when she's won against the Headquarters before?
'I've watched the Military State fall many times, and even destroyed it myself... but I've never seen the Headquarters in person. Those bastards, whenever the Military State falls, they vanish without a trace. As if they never existed in the first place.'
Regressor! You've been fighting with the Military State for thirteen timelines and you still don't know what the Headquarters is?! You little...!
What a relief. I thought I was the only one who didn't know.
I've lived in the Military State for nearly twenty-five years, reading the minds of countless people. Soldiers, wardens, remnants of the old kingdom—I read the minds of anyone I came across. It wasn't something I did on purpose, but with an ability like mine, I pride myself on knowing quite a lot.
Yet even I don't know what the Headquarters is, or what its true identity is.
When a mind-reader like me says 'I don't know,' it means I truly have no clue whatsoever.
Amitengrad. The most populous and largest city in the Military State. Even while residing there, I've never encountered anyone who belonged to or had contact with the Headquarters. It seems the higher-ups in the Headquarters don't show their faces on the streets.
…Thanks to a Signaller I met recently, I did get a small clue... but even the Signallers who communicate with them directly are nothing more than the limbs of the Headquarters.
'The Gunmaster probably doesn't know the Headquarters' identity either. If she did, she would have shown some sign in a past timeline. Still, it's worth a shot. I've never been this close to the Gunmaster before, so I might as well probe her.'
Right. If even the Regressor, who has traveled back in time uncovering all the world's secrets and collecting its treasures, doesn't know, how could a mere mind-reader like me possibly know?
While I was nodding to myself in satisfaction, the Regressor decided to make the most of this opportunity. She asked point-blank.
"That thing you guys call the Headquarters, does it even really exist?"
Contrary to the Regressor's worries, Historia answered readily.
"I suppose so. Orders do come down through the Signallers."
"I'm asking if it really exists. The Signallers relay the orders, but no one has ever seen the Headquarters itself.”
However, what was easily obtained was of little value. Even Historia knew as little about the Headquarters' identity as I did.
"What's so surprising? It's been quite a while since I became a general, but most people probably still don't know my face. Who would salute my face? They salute the stars on my chest."
As if to show off the rank insignia on her chest, Historia puffed out her chest. Her silhouette was accentuated between the tightly bound Sky Silk threads.
But Historia had forgotten something. Her uniform was currently racing in the opposite direction, serving as bait to lure the Military State.
Sigh, I can't with her. Still so careless. A true friend would help out at a time like this, right?
Let's see. They say it's rude to mention it directly in these situations, so I'll refer to our previous conversation and hint at it indirectly. That's what they call good manners these days.
I saluted Historia's chest.
"Loyalty."
My non-verbal expression effectively carried out its duty. Historia narrowed her eyes and slowly lowered her gaze.
Only then did Historia remember that she was wearing only a thin shirt. And that she was bound by the legendary thread called Sky Silk.
Blushing for a moment, Historia clenched the mana herb in her teeth and kicked me. Her leg shot up without any warning, striking my thigh with incredible speed and precision.
"Agh, agh! Use your words, your words! Not your feet!"
"..."
"Ow, ow! Who's the one who didn't tie the prisoner's feet?! Don't you know that for someone at the Six General level, their whole body is a weapon?!”
Damn it, my body was staggering. No matter how I tried to run or subdue her, her leg moved in a bizarre arc, relentlessly targeting my thigh.
While I was being tormented by Historia's foot, the Regressor watched me with a look that said, 'Serves you right.'
"Hmph. Look at you, drooling after the one you abandoned. It's too late for regrets. She's too good for the likes of you."
"Can you please get rid of that baseless ex-girlfriend filter in your head?! And you're the one who tied these knots! You were so determined to tie them tight, but then you thought, 'Huh? Is this too much?' and neglected her legs!”
'Huh? How did he know that?'
"Wh-what are you talking about! Against a Six General, even this level of restraint isn't enough!"
"Yes! It's not enough! My own body is proving it right now! Ow, ow!"
In any case, it became clear that Historia didn't know much about the Headquarters either. The Regressor grumbled in disappointment.
"A Headquarters whose identity is unknown even to a Six General—that's blatantly suspicious! Why doesn't anyone question it?"
"Well, maybe it's because they don't know its identity that they can't question it?"
"If you don't know its identity, it's even more suspicious!"
"That's because you're a powerhouse on a national level, Shei-ssi. You're someone who could overturn the country if things go south, so your perspective is different. For ordinary people, concepts like the Military State or the Headquarters are just too big."
The Headquarters is a general term for the high command that governs the Military State. When announcements, orders, or directives are issued by the Military State, everyone just says, 'The Military State ordered it,' or 'The Headquarters gave the command,' and follows without question.
So, are they like a tyrant wielding absolute power? Not exactly. Well, they are a tyrant, but a slightly different kind.
A tyrant exists plainly before your eyes. They wield their innate power and ferocity, instilling fear in people.
Since no one but me can know what's in a person's heart, people try to escape the malice of a violent and capricious tyrant. They flatter him to win his favor, amass wealth when he's not looking, and slowly rot the nation from within through luxury and pleasure. The filth and oil from the top seep down, gradually corrupting the entire body of water.
But the Headquarters is invisible.
It only issues commands through Signallers, and even then, through communication magic golems, not the Signallers themselves. A Signaller, who is merely a captain, is not violent and has no power to wield or authority to enjoy.
In fact, it's something I only learned recently... but they are deprived of everything worldly in a windowless room, relaying the Headquarters' commands in a dry, monotonous voice. It's a life of asceticism that goes beyond mere integrity.
The officers despise the Signallers for giving clear-cut orders despite their low rank, but even that doesn't last long. Because the Signallers only appear in the form of golems, and it is exceedingly difficult to hate something that isn't human.
If that's the case for the Signallers and their golems, how much more so for the Headquarters?
"The more something deviates from your common sense, the larger, more powerful, and more complex it is to comprehend, the different the emotions you feel. Ordinary people call beings beyond their sight 'gods' and worship them. Even if a god takes lives and destroys property, they feel sorrow, but not anger. You wouldn't think of attacking a storm or a bolt of lightning, would you, Shei-ssi?”
"Huh?"
'No? I've even caught lightning before.'
Ah, right. She's the worst existence in history, one who would blaspheme even a god—the Regressor. I shouldn't apply common sense to her.
A titan who has the power to fight the Military State and can genuinely treat an entire nation as an 'enemy'.
She is a titan, right? Not just childish?
What does it matter? If you're childish but powerful, that makes you a titan. If something doesn't work out, I should probably reconsider if it's because I lack power.
"So, for ordinary people, the Military State is like one of those natural disasters. The officers, at most, complain about the Signallers, but they don't blame the Headquarters. People can only hate what they can see with their own eyes….”
Huh, wait a minute. I mulled over the words I had just spoken.
God. And religion.
The Military State has no god. The Sanctum was ostracized, and the Order of Gaia came to this land as a civil engineering company. Other folk beliefs were relegated to demons or fairies long ago.
In that case... this country's religion is...
Just as my thoughts began to deepen, the Regressor's grumbling interrupted my reverie.
"...But this Six General is a national-level power, so why doesn't she know? She's in a position to know. She doesn't know about the Headquarters, she doesn't know about Hamelin. What the hell do you even know?"
The Regressor's careless grumble struck a nerve with Historia.
It was the usual Regressor with her usual words. If she had said that to me or Tyr, we would have just laughed it off. But conversations take different shapes depending on who you're talking to. Historia did not hold back.
"Then, what am I supposed to do?"
"Huh?"
"Should I interrogate the Signallers? Grab those poor souls by the collar, drag them out, and threaten them to spit out the truth? Or should I hunt down the Headquarters like rats, turn everything upside down, and kill them all to find out the truth?"
"Why, why are you getting so angry...?”
She's asking an angry person why they're angry. I had a feeling, but still. Amazing.
"Do you think everyone can just shake it all off and leave like you, like Huey?! They can't! It's the ones who leave without any lingering attachments who are strange! How can you just abandon all the memories and bonds you've made... and just leave?"
She was speaking to the Regressor, but her words felt as if they were directed at me. If the Regressor was at fault, it was only for provoking her until the depths of those emotions were exposed.
Which was quite a lot.
After pouring out her feelings on the poor Regressor, Historia recalibrated her emotional zero point. Her sunken eyes turned to me.
"I knew that a few of you, including you, were still alive! But, even knowing, I didn't say anything. If anyone asked, I said you were all dead, that I tried to save you but only found corpses. That there were no survivors. I repeated it like a parrot! Even when suspicious gazes turned my way, I kept my mouth shut and faithfully followed the orders I was given...! Because I had to pay, however belatedly, for the truth of my testimony!”
After her classmates disappeared in a manner akin to suicide, she was left isolated and went on to the military academy, where she silently followed the Military State's orders. Her talent was exceptional, but it was her willingness to throw herself into missions that earned her the name 'Daughter of the Military State' and made her a model for all soldiers.
But up until secondary school, Historia hadn't been such a diligent person. She was a typical delinquent genius who acted high and mighty, looked down on other kids, and skipped class as if it were a meal. I was the diligent model student.
The reason she became a model general was...
"I thought someone would come looking for me once things quieted down...! I struggled desperately to be recognized as a Six General, just in case you didn't know where I was! But you, you showed no sign of ever looking for me...! The only ones who come looking for me are...!"
'I kept... waiting... And ever since we met again, this idiot has just been running away, pushing me away...!'
It was hard to tell if Historia was biting down on her mana herb or her own lip. The ropes bound her arms, but her emotions flowed out, unbridled.
I scratched my chin, receiving her gaze.
"...To be honest, I've been pretty busy myself. But somehow, this makes me feel like a really bad person."
"You are. You'll face divine punishment."
The Regressor nodded hatefully, adding her two cents. Like a meddling sister-in-law.