Chapter 238: Dark Zone
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: Dark Zone
The inside of the Meta Conveyor Belt is also known as the Dark Zone. Unlike the Duchy of Mist, this name was given for purely symbolic reasons. The Dark Zone isn't dark at all. In fact, it's much brighter than other regions.
Lights that allow work to continue through the night.
Searchlights that track those who try to flee.
Beacons atop high spires that watch over the laborers.
It’s bright enough to see clearly even at night, yet paradoxically, this land is a dark zone. The people of the Inner Circle cannot leave the belt until their sentences are complete. Therefore, whatever happens inside never reaches the outside.
Hence, the Dark Zone. A void created by the absence of information.
Unlike the pastoral world outside the belt, the inside is a land of laborers, dragged here for breaking rules or committing crimes. It is filled with those who continue their penal labor, unable to enjoy even the slightest freedom.
“Huff, huff.”
In the collective farm, one of the Military State’s Seven Major Inventions, the Chimera Bean, was growing vigorously. The large, plump beans were so luscious that any farmer who grew them would feel full just by looking at them.
But the laborer was no farmer, and he felt no satisfaction in tilling the fields and harvesting the crops. This field was not his, and it had been forced upon him against his will.
Chimera Beans grow fast and yield a large harvest, but they require massive amounts of water and tremendous labor. If their offshoots aren't regularly trimmed, the vines grow wild until they collapse under their own weight. His job was to chase away the birds and insects that targeted the lushly grown beans.
A prisoner and a laborer, he desperately broke off the branches of the Chimera Beans, even in his exhaustion. As he performed the simple labor, he recalled how he had ended up here.
He’d beaten a supervisor who used his speck of power to demand bribes. Full of vigor, he couldn't stand to see it. Even as his firm fist struck the supervisor’s jaw, he felt not a single shred of regret.
But now, a year later, he regretted that day with every passing moment.
If only he hadn't raised a hand back then, he wouldn't be in this mess.
Now, he couldn't find even a fragment of the anger that had led him to this point. All he wished for was for the day to pass quickly, for this arduous labor to end sooner.
The moment the word ‘escape’ crossed his mind, fear washed over him. He couldn't even think about it. Aside from the searchlights that monitored every corner, he had seen time and again what happened to those who disobeyed orders—they were dragged deeper inside.
He didn't know what lay further in, but one thing was certain… in the year that had passed, no one had ever returned. That fact terrified him even more.
If there was one small comfort… it was that the supervisor he had beaten, the one who had dared to take bribes in the Military State, had been dragged deep inside and had vanished. That was his only minor consolation.
In the Military State, the only one allowed to exploit anyone is the Military State itself. He thought this with a hazy mind as he cut through the undergrowth with a blunt sickle.
It was then.
『This is Military State Signaller Io, addressing all laborers. All laborers are to cease their work and return to their quarters immediately. I repeat. All laborers currently at work are to return to their quarters immediately. This is an order. Over.』
He couldn't believe his ears. For a laborer in the Military State, an early end to the workday was like a god—something you always prayed for but never arrived. And now, he was suddenly having a divine encounter.
Did I hear that wrong? He looked up at the sky. It was still bright. There was still a long time to go before the end of the workday.
A supervisor bellowed. The sight of him shouting that there would be consequences if they didn't go rest immediately was enough to cause cognitive dissonance in an ordinary laborer. He grabbed his tools and moved to take his break with all his might.
“Well, I’ll be. Never thought I’d see a day like this.”
It was a truly unexpected stroke of luck that had come by pure chance. It was only that, but for some reason, he felt that life was a little more worth living.
*
Gunners without a Gunmaster are powerless. They can’t even serve as a check against the enemy. The intermittent hail of bullets hammered the automaton carriage’s exterior, but the chassis, already difficult to pierce, was now under Tyr’s control. The bullets that struck the alchemic steel, now reinforced with sinister mana, simply ricocheted away uselessly.
As I gripped the wheel and sped forward, I spotted an obstacle blocking the road ahead. It was a grid of alchemic steel caltrops and a large barricade.
I shouted immediately.
“Shei! The road is blocked!”
“I know.”
The Regressor immediately kicked off her seat, leaped up, and landed on the automaton’s front hood. Holding Jizan out to her side, she waited until the carriage was close enough to the barricade, then extended her arm and threw the weapon.
Terra Firma Arts, Earth Scythe.
Jizan flew, spinning, and collided with the barricade.
The moment it hit, the barricade and caltrops went flying in every direction with a metallic shriek. The sword, light only for those it acknowledged, felt heavier than a large automaton to any other being. And what happens when something that heavy comes flying at you, spinning?
Barricade or not, it was nothing but a scarecrow before the rotating Jizan. The heaviest thresher born of the earth furiously harvested the crop of steel.
A deafening roar, an explosion, and scattering fragments of steel. Amidst the scene of brutal destruction, I pressed the pedal harder.
“Breaking through! Everyone, brace yoursel—Oof!”
The vehicle lurched violently, and I hit my head. It was because some debris remained even after the Regressor had cleared the way.
Even the smallest bump felt like a kick to the rear… Was this thing even made for people to ride? No, the Military State doesn't see its people as human in the first place.
“This damn automaton…! Shei! Isn't there some better way to travel than this piece of junk? Something awesome that can carry all of us!”
“As if something like that exists.”
The Regressor planted her feet on the side of the carriage, stretched her body out, and snatched Jizan from where it lay on the ground. It was a feat of acrobatics.
Having retrieved her weapon, she returned to the passenger seat. I grumbled as I held the wheel.
“Or a tool that lets us fly! You were flying on the wind just fine earlier!”
“There are too many people now. The heavier it is, the harder it is to ride the wind.”
“Then just use more power!”
“Easy for you to say when it’s not your power…”
The Regressor, who had been scoffing, widened her eyes. She immediately reached out and pushed my body back.
“Watch out!”
Shoving me out of the line of fire, the Regressor thrust Chun-aeng into the space I’d just occupied.
Skyblade Art, Daybreak.
An invisible blade of Qi shot from Chun-aeng and grazed past my nose. My vision blurred for a moment, and I heard a massive explosion in the distance. A shell that had been flying toward us had detonated in mid-air. I felt a flash of searing heat on my left cheek.
“Those bastards, looks like they were planning to pin us down with the barricade and snipe us! Hmph, not a chance! Who do they think would fall for something like that!”
The Regressor, speaking so confidently with a scoff, looked a little cool today. I shared my honest impression.
“Shei, that was pretty cool. I think I might be falling for you.”
“Huh?! D-don't say such stupid things at a time like this! Just focus on driving!”
Her words made me glance over, and I saw a mobile cannon, a cannon mounted on an automaton, aiming its barrel at us. Just as the Regressor had said, their plan must have been to isolate us on the road and fire on us unopposed.
I pressed the pedal down further.
“They’re not on the road. I don’t think they can follow us far. How about we keep intercepting them like this and get away?”
“I’d rather not.”
“You can’t? Was what you just did a fluke?”
“Of course not! It’s the art of a nullity in interpretation. You’ve explained it before, so you know, right? Using it makes it easy to hit something in empty space. That’s also why we can’t just fly—we’d get intercepted…”
The Regressor muttered, sounding disappointed.
So you would have flown if there wasn't a risk of being shot down. You're not a cheapskate after all. I guess I misjudged you.
“But it consumes Qi and concentration, so I don’t want to knock them down one by one. How about we trust Tyrkanzyaka and just tank it with our bodies?”
“My body?”
“I was talking about the car’s body, but if your body can take it too, all the better.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a fragile creature, you know. I can’t survive a cannonball, and even if the car gets hit, the shock will mess up my driving! Treat me with care!”
“Tsk, so that’s a no-go.”
“Obviously! Hurry up and go take care of them!”
Hearing my urging, the Regressor looked like she wanted to, but something seemed to bother her as she stared ahead worriedly.
“I’d like to, but if I leave my post here…”
“Oh, right! We won’t be able to break through the next barricade! Then I’ll be in danger! Please stay by my side forever! Don’t you go anywhere!”
“I mean… why do you always have to say things like that… Tsk, whatever. I don’t want to use mana, so maybe I’ll just summon some lightning…”
Just as the Regressor was about to call down a bolt, a horse neighed. The white horse that had been running alongside our automaton broke from the formation and began to gallop toward the enemy. The Princess and Shiati were riding on its back.
The Regressor spoke as if she’d just remembered.
“That’s right. The resistance is here too, right? Let’s leave it to them.”
“Can those two handle it? The Princess doesn’t seem that strong…” I said, unconvinced.
It was only natural. Shiati seemed to have gained some new abilities since joining the resistance, but the pink-haired princess had no particular martial prowess and had a habit of throwing herself into danger as if her head was in the clouds. I had to be skeptical; anyone who trusted her was a fool.
Seeing my doubt, the Regressor reacted with amusement.
“So there’s something you don’t know, huh? Hehe. Well, this isn’t something you could easily find out. The princess herself probably doesn’t even know.”
“What is it?”
“Should I tell you? I might, if you ask nicely.”
Her smugness was annoying, so I just read her thoughts.
Knowledge from previous timelines was invisible to my mind-reading, but because the Regressor was currently recalling the memory, I could read it too.
‘The Princess is the last of the Grandiomor royal family. The Grandiomors were one of the five sovereigns who drove out the King of Humans. As the last of her line, the Princess has the ability to evade human hostility.’
The ability to evade hostility? I looked again at the white horse charging straight toward the enemy.
The artillery unit seemed to hesitate. Should they intercept the white horse charging them, or should they attack the automaton speeding toward their command?
In the automaton, the Regressor, who had just detonated a shell in mid-air, was still watching with gleaming eyes. For their own protection, intercepting the white horse would be the logical choice.
But the artillery unit didn't change its aim. They stubbornly kept their sights on us and prepared their next shot.
Noticing this from the corner of my eye, I said, “Is it an ability that prevents her from being targeted?”
“That’s pretty close. How did you know?”
“Because even though she’s riding right at them, that cannon is still aimed at us!”
Artillerymen, like gunners, weren't held in high regard. Loud, slow-moving shells were only useful when the enemy was clustered together, and even then, anyone with a bit of strength could deflect or even catch them.
Still, they were better than gunners. At least a cannon had the power to demolish a castle wall or a passing carriage.
Just like now!
“To be precise, it’s the ability to evade hostility. She’s less likely to be betrayed, she’s perceived as the least dangerous target in an attack, and everyone becomes more lenient toward her. It’s an ability only possessed by those who carry the lineage of the ancient kings. It’s also the reason the Grandiomor bloodline has survived for so long…”
“That’s not what’s important right now! The hostility that’s evading them is directed at us! We’re the ones in danger!” I yelled.
Just then, Shiati, who was clinging to the Princess’s back, took off her left glove. Not her right hand with the prosthetic, but her left hand, covered in all sorts of scars, was revealed.
What stood out most were the twisted knuckles of her left hand.
Ugly fingers, noticeable even from a distance. As everyone watched her,
Shiati raised her hand for all to see and bent her left pinky finger ‘upward.’
Simultaneously, the main cannon’s barrel bent. With a loud crack, it twisted upward, mimicking the shape of Shiati’s finger.
A roar erupted. The steel-forged barrel, designed to withstand the force of an explosion, was now hideously bent upward, pointing at the sky like Shiati’s finger. A shell must have detonated inside, as crimson flames and smoke billowed out.
Shiati put her glove back on. She said something to the Princess, who then turned the horse and rode back toward us. Though they had vanquished the enemy’s weapon, the Princess’s expression didn't look too pleased.