Chapter 258: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - 7
‘It's over. All over. Ah, and it was such a good play, too.’
'Kerapald' reverted to being Zigrund. He would have liked to stay on this stage a little longer, but unlike 'Kerapald,' Zigrund had a mission.
‘If the refinery evaporates… that's a huge problem. The mission will be a failure. The others won't just stand by and watch.’
This wasn't his original plan.
A trap had been set in the middle of the control room. It was hastily made, but its performance was guaranteed. The trap's trigger was an impressively conspicuous lever with a red handle.
Originally, the Regressor and Historia were supposed to argue, end up activating the trap, and fall right into the snare the Military State had prepared.
But I, having read Zigrund's thoughts, skipped the trap and activated the real annihilation device.
‘Should I have gotten rid of the annihilation device beforehand? No, there wasn't enough time. A trap can be improvised, but the annihilation device was part of this refinery's design from the very beginning.’
Having thought that far, Zigrund looked at me with suspicion.
‘Still, how did the Pied Piper know that was the annihilation device? I even attached an eye-catching red handle, yet he just toyed with it as if to mock me.’
While Zigrund was lamenting his break from character, the Regressor, realizing my transgression, shouted urgently.
"You crazy bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Can't you tell? I've turned the wheel of fate!"
"Turn it back, now!"
"I can't. This is like knocking something off a cliff's edge. Once it's activated, you can't just turn it back!"
"Then what are you going to do?!"
"Why is that something I have to worry about?"
The Regressor seemed dumbfounded by my response. But I was serious.
"The Military State made the law. The Military State sentences people to forced labor for breaking it. The Military State built this refinery, and the Military State built the annihilation device inside it! All I did was press a button that was sitting right in front of me. Is that entirely my fault?"
"That's sophistry! Either way, they'll die. And even if their deaths delay the Military State's plans for a moment, it won't lead to a better outcome!"
"You want to save them? Then go save them. Before this refinery leads them to their deaths, you save them yourself, Shei!"
"What?"
[Enough.]
Tyr cut the Regressor off. She sighed, looked at the Regressor for a moment, then walked toward me with a warm gaze.
[Has Huey not taken on the role of the villain for your sake? Instead of being grateful, you reproach him. You should be ashamed.]
"How am I supposed to be grateful for this?!"
[This is a matter that would not have been easily resolved anyway. Before you wasted your energy on a meaningless debate, Huey took all the blame upon himself and made a decision. Shei, what you must do now is not blame Huey. It is to think of what comes next, and act.]
After sternly rebuking the Regressor, Tyr came to me and took my hand with her cold one, comforting me.
[It is all right. None of us are disappointed in you. Do not blame yourself. Whatever Shei says to you is merely an expression of frustration, not a sign that she thinks you are a bad person.]
"Huh? I'm not really blaming myself, though."
[Yes. Let us leave it at that.]
Tyr maintained her comforting posture with a smile. It's not a matter of 'leaving it at that.' I don't feel any guilt in the first place! Why should I feel responsible for a device the Military State built?
Well, being comforted by an older woman who's only kind to me isn't such a bad feeling. Even if she's much, much older.
"You didn't have to take it upon yourself."
Though she had achieved the strategic objective she herself had proposed, Historia still seemed unsettled as she grumbled at me.
"I should have done it. I never intended to leave it to someone else…"
"You don't have to thank me. I just turned a gear."
"I am one of the Six Generals. I have the authority to operate the Military State's facilities based on my own judgment."
"Does someone giving you a task grant you the right? Whether I have the authority or not, in the end, it's my own will that moves my body."
"Even so."
Ah, it would have looked much better if a device made by the Military State was activated by someone with authority granted by the Military State. But Historia didn't know which one was the annihilation device, so it couldn't be helped.
"By the way, Huey. How did you find the annihilation device—"
Historia couldn't finish her sentence. She had seen someone stride past her.
"Kerapald?"
It wasn't Kerapald. Zigrund had already shed the role.
Striding forward, Zigrund soon stood before the lever with the red handle. His expression was peculiar. With a multidimensional smile that seemed both regretful and detached, he gripped the handle tightly.
As everyone stared quizzically at the man who had appeared at center stage, he let out a deep sigh and lamented.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to go."
"Wait, Kerapald! What are you—!"
The moment he finished speaking, Zigrund yanked the red handle with all his might.
The trap had been improvised, but that only made it more dramatic. There was no time to react. Not because we lacked the ability, but because it was impossible.
Ch-ch-ch-chak.
Strange objects hung on the control room walls. Unseen until now in the dim light, these decorations all moved at once as Zigrund pulled the lever.
It was literally the speed of light. There was no time to resist. The moment we perceived it, the trap that filled the refinery rained down on us.
However, having read his thoughts in advance, I reacted a step faster.
"Tyr! This way!"
[Huey? What's wrong all of a sudden?]
I pulled Tyr toward me and simultaneously drew a card.
Queen of Diamonds. The Queen of Fabric. I unfurled a primitive Clothing Packet, created from a compressed alchemist. Combined with other cards, it becomes the Spirit Robe used by Mage Officers, but there was no time for that now.
A wide sheet of fabric, like armor and silk combined, unfolded. Its size was less than ideal, but it was enough to cover Tyr's body. I shook my hands to spread the cloth wide and wrapped it around her.
One would expect her to be surprised, but Tyr simply stood still and watched me. It was a good thing she had such a relaxed personality. If I'd done the same to the Regressor, she would have sliced me in two.
The instant the cloth enveloped Tyr's entire body.
A flash of light.
A thousand suns flared. The decorations on the walls were searchlights, each one a brilliant source of light. Thousands, tens of thousands of high-output searchlights fired their beams all at once.
The light struck us directly, bounced off the ground, and overlapped, layer upon layer, until it burned white.
An overwhelming amount of light filled my vision. I instinctively closed my eyes, but the explosive brilliance mocked my thin eyelids and invaded the inside of my retinas.
"Ugh! Light?!"
The Military State's trap. It was an enormous number of searchlights they had placed all over the control room. It was for no other reason than to trap Tyr.
The sun is bright enough to illuminate the whole world, but to us on the ground, it's just a small hole in the sky. As long as you don't stare directly at it, it's not harmful.
In contrast, the Military State's searchlights surrounded us, blasting light from every direction. No matter where I looked, the glare was so blinding I couldn't even open my eyes.
[The sun has gone to sleep, yet how can there be such light…!]
"Searchlights! Heated metal gives off light! A refinery that processes metal is also a factory for making searchlights!"
It was a desperate measure designed to deal with Tyr during the sunless night. If I hadn't been here, it would have been quite effective. Her darkness would have been consumed like mad trying to counter the artificial light.
However, unlike the sun, the artificial light from the searchlights was a practical thing that only emitted light visible to the human eye. This light, less mystical and less hot than the sun's, could not pierce my thick cloth.
"Tyr, are you okay?"
[I-I am fine. Being the one protected is not such a bad feeling….]
Tyr's hand tightened on my clothes as she leaned her head against me. What do you mean, not bad? It's plenty bad! You're supposed to be protecting me, not the other way around!
Zigrund is on the move!
‘First, eliminate the variables.’
Zigrund did not miss the opening while everyone was momentarily blinded. He drew a hidden dagger and lunged at me in an instant. Tyr was close, but with the outside world filled with light, she didn't notice the attack.
What should I do? Use Tyr as a shield? No, that's a last resort. If the cloth wrapped around her gets torn, the drain on her darkness would be no joke.
He hasn't recovered his sight either; he's just attacking the spot where he remembers I was. In that case.
"Tyr! Excuse me!"
[…Do as you please.]
"There's nothing to please about!"
I threw myself to the ground, still holding Tyr. Our bodies hit the floor hard. A sharp pain shot through my back, but only for a moment. I desperately rolled over and over so Zigrund couldn't pinpoint my location.
My back was killing me from the hard floor, but it was better than being stabbed. Even Zigrund couldn't track my movements in the waterfall of light and lost me.
Phew, I'm alive. It's a good thing I can read thoughts even with my eyes closed. Now, is Tyr okay…
[I-Is this that custom called bossam…? When I heard of it, I was so dumbfounded I was speechless, but to experience it firsthand… it is a novel feeling….]
Hearing her spout nonsense, she didn't seem to be torn up anywhere. Tyr was more than fine. It's not like a vampire would get hurt just by rolling on the floor.
‘…Did he see through the trap? And to dodge my attack on top of that. This is beyond what intuition or knowledge can explain.’
Tch. I should be more worried about myself. I acted first because the situation was urgent, and now I've made Zigrund suspicious.
‘Suspicious. I need to confirm this. Even if it means revealing my face-changing art.’
The Regressor and Historia, having mastered Gam Qi Art, adapted to the light in an instant. A Qi practitioner who has reached a certain level can infuse their eyes with Qi. Having adjusted to the retina-searing light, the two quickly assessed the situation.
"This light… it's a trap to drain her darkness. A trap to hold Tyrkanzyaka! Huh? Then?"
Realizing something, the Regressor immediately pointed at Zigrund, who was still disguised as 'Kerapald.' He stood in the middle of the light, holding a dagger in one hand, looking unnaturally poised to stab someone.
Historia quickly grasped the situation. Kerapald had pulled the lever, and as a result, countless searchlights had turned on at once.
The conclusion that followed was simple.
"Kerapald activated the trap."
There was no room for doubt.
Historia had a strange attachment to her fellow survivors from Hamelin, but there were limits. Kerapald, who had been an aspiring Mage Officer, was the most emotionally distant from her.
Therefore, suspicion came easily.
"Betrayal? Or, a disguise…?"
"Either way, it means he's an enemy, right? In that case!"
The Regressor charged without a moment's hesitation, raising Chun-aeng. Compared to Historia's brief pause, her attack was so natural it made you wonder if they'd been crossing swords just moments before.
The transparent sword split the haze of light in two and slashed deeply into Zigrund.
"Guaaaargh!"
Zigrund staggered backward, spewing blood. The dagger fell from his limp hand. Having cornered him in a single blow, the Regressor pointed Chun-aeng at him and shouted.
"Stop the trap right n—! Huh? He's dead?"
The Regressor was taken aback. She hadn't even used a killing technique, but he, however weak he was, just trembled violently and died.
"What, a puppet? No, the feeling I got until just now was—"
No, that was an act. The same feigned death Zigrund had performed time and time again.
The Regressor was momentarily confused by the realistic performance, which perfectly mimicked a halt in breathing and the scattering of Qi.
I wanted to tell her he was just playing dead, but that would only draw more of Zigrund's attention to me. For now, I'd just keep my mouth shut.
The only one who hadn't caught up with the situation was Shiati. She was scowling, but her vision had not yet recovered.
"Ugh… Kerapald? Where are you?"
Historia clicked her tongue, grabbed Shiati, and yelled.
"Shiati, listen carefully! Kerapald betrayed us. Because of him, we're in a trap!"
"Historia? Why are you suddenly trying to drive a wedge between us?"
"Listen to me! I don't have time to explain everything to you right now!"
Historia shouted sharply and immediately dragged Shiati to a relatively shaded area. Then, she yelled out.
"Cutie!"
The Regressor reacted instantly.
"What—no, that's not it! I told you not to call me Cutie!"
"There's no way this is the only trap. We have to get out of here, fast! Cut the wall! If I break it, the whole building might collapse!"
"Tch…! If we escape like this, this place will turn into a real hell…!"
"Are you planning to let everyone who followed you here die? Think more about your comrades than the villains trapped here!"
The Regressor conceded to that point. She only worried about such things when she had the luxury to; she wasn't the type to prioritize a minor cause over the danger her comrades were in.
It couldn't be helped. The Regressor wasn't a god. With limits to her abilities, she had to deal with the most pressing matters first.
Like any other ordinary person, the Regressor showed some flexibility.
"Skyblade Art…!"
Just as the Regressor was about to swing Chun-aeng to cut through the wall.
She spotted something, paused, then changed the direction of her sword to parry an incoming object.
Clang!
She had clearly thrust her sword into empty air, but it made the sound of striking steel. And that wasn't the end of it. The Regressor immediately started stepping, unleashing dozens of strikes into the seemingly empty space. Each time she swung her sword, a loud metallic clang rang out.
The glare was everywhere. Just as it's hard to find a bluebell flower floating in the blue sea, it was incredibly difficult to spot a being made of light itself within the dazzling brilliance.
Even the Regressor wouldn't have been able to spot it if not for her mystic eyes. As seven colors flashed in sequence, she barely managed to perceive the being that had attacked her.
And the Regressor's face hardened.
"Ei...meder...! Of all places, here!"
『Control observation complete. Implementation rate: 57%. Artificial light environment. Advantageous.』
The Military State's guardian angel, its entire body wreathed in light, revealed itself amidst the downpour of brilliance.
At the same time, a clamor arose from outside. The forces the Military State had hidden within the refinery were coming to exterminate the rats caught in their trap.