Chapter 271: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - 12
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 271: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - 12
The princess, who followed him in, let out a small gasp at the sight. The scene of tiny golems struggling with equipment suited to their small size tickled her whimsical sensibilities.
But the feeling was fleeting. She soon noticed that the golems were handling countless documents. The princess's expression changed. As a leader of the Resistance, she realized what those papers represented.
"Is this... the true nature of the Headquarters? Are these countless golems what it really is...?"
"Of course not. There must be someone who controls the golems."
Shiati had no sentimentality for such a fairytale-like scene. Only a sharply honed hostility.
"And that person... is the true mastermind. The one who made me—and this Military State—what we are."
Shiati's voice trembled. She was shivering with the thrill of having found the treasure—or prey—she had been searching for so long.
Sensing danger from Shiati, who looked ready to pounce at any moment, the princess cautiously pointed out,
"Um, Shiati. We didn't come here for a bloodbath. We're here to accompany Mr. Huey in his negotiations..."
"Don't be ridiculous. Do you know what kind of opportunity this is? Are you saying we should just leave without digging deeper?"
Shiati grabbed a stationary golem with her bare hands. She squeezed with all her might, as if wanting to tear it apart, but with her broken fingers, she couldn't even snap one of the steel golem's digits.
But Shiati wasn't disappointed. She still had her thumb.
The finger of black magic, capable of breaking anyone it touched.
"The Headquarters needs to know pain. You, who decide everything in the Military State as if you were gods, you need to know the agony of those who are abandoned and left to die!"
"Shiati..."
"I can't let this chance slip away. I will make them feel the same pain I have. That's why I came all this way!"
Shaking off the princess's attempts to stop her, Shiati shouted, her voice echoing throughout the headquarters.
"If you called for us, then come out! You said you wanted to talk, didn't you?! Surely you didn't bring us here just to talk through a golem!"
Surprisingly, the Military State, which had never once answered a call in its entire existence, responded to Shiati's.
A door opened. A second door. From a doorway with noticeably fewer documents piled in front of it, as if someone used it often, a woman walked out.
Shiati's eyes flashed as she asked,
"Finally decided to show yourself. Are you the commander of the Military State?"
『Negative. This one is not such a being.』
Her reply, delivered after appearing in the most ordinary, mundane way—by opening a door and walking out—was as businesslike as a clerk with no passion for their job. She answered in a dry, monotonous voice, as if simply processing a given task.
Shiati scowled.
"Not the commander, then. What should I call you? The Generalissimo? The Grand General? Or perhaps, the President?"
『Negative. Such positions do not exist in the Military State, and this one does not hold such a rank.』
"Then what are you..."
Shiati's voice trailed off.
The Military State had a system of ranks. Every soldier was assigned a position according to their duties. Those of higher rank made their rank known to everyone and gained the authority to command their subordinates.
The being before them was clearly part of the Military State's system. She wore a uniform with a captain's epaulets. However, it wasn't the expensive uniform of a general officer... just a standard one.
Having confirmed the woman's rank, Shiati asked again in disbelief.
"A captain?"
It wasn't a low rank. It was high enough to hold one's head high and act important in any city.
But that was all. The rank of captain was far too low for a member of the Headquarters that ran the entire country.
You could fill a village with all the captains in the country. If every one of them were a member of the ruling Headquarters, the Military State would have been torn to pieces, drawn and quartered.
"Just a captain?"
Shiati had asked with the implication of, 'How could a mere captain be part of the Headquarters?' But the captain before her took the words literally.
『Affirmative. I am Captain Ivy, a Signaller of the Military State. I have appeared in person to convey a message to you.』
And then, my eyes met the captain's. After seeing her face and reading her thoughts, I scratched my chin, a strange feeling coming over me.
How strange.
Normally, when people speak, they've already formed the thought in their head. The mouth is merely a means of delivery; the intent is formed in the mind.
But with the person in front of me, the two were different.
'It's been a while. I hope you've been well during the few days we were apart. As a signaller, I've heard everything that's happened. It seems you've been just as busy as I have.'
What in the world had happened to Captain Abbey?
This was different from lying to hide one's true feelings. Liars intensely recall the truth, making truth and falsehood two sides of the same coin.
In contrast, she was different. What she wanted to say and what actually came out of her mouth were completely separate. It was as if someone else had taken control of her body and was forcing her to move.
This... was less like a person and more like a golem.
"No. Who you are, or what you're called, doesn't matter at all. From the beginning, there was only one thing I wanted to ask."
While I was lost in my brief confusion, Shiati collected herself and surveyed her surroundings. The scattered documents, the golems huddled among them, the contents written on the papers, the fact that a signaller relays orders—the information clicked into place one by one inside her mind.
Was it her natural intuition, or her sharply honed aggression? In an instant, Shiati arrived at the answer.
"In the Military State, all orders from the Headquarters are relayed through the signallers. Isn't that right?"
Captain Abbey faced Shiati and nodded.
『Affirmative.』
"And this communications headquarters handles classified information from all over the Military State."
『Affirmative. The information processed at this headquarters is assigned different security levels depending on its content.』
"That includes information about the Anathemas, I assume?"
『Affirmative.』
"Yes. Of course it does."
Muttering calmly, Shiati ominously raised her prosthetic arm. Click. She cranked a device built into the prosthesis and glared at Captain Abbey.
"The incident in Hamelin. Do you remember it?"
This wasn't a normal interrogation. It was the final gateway to branding her opponent. This was the moment to deny it, but Captain Abbey answered with foolish honesty.
『Affirmative. The signallers remember, or record, all information, large and small, within the Military State.』
"Then you must know. You're the ones who gave Nicholas permission to use an Anathema, aren't you?"
『Negative.』
Shiati's hand, which had been preparing something, paused for a moment. But only for a moment.
『The decision to use an Anathema is at the discretion of the responsible party. The signallers merely provided the relevant information.』
"Ha!"
Any lingering hesitation was now completely gone. Shiati scoffed and glared at the captain again.
"Right. Of course. Nicholas wouldn't have found out on his own. Instead, someone gave him the information, gave him the authority to use it at his own discretion, and when things went south, they controlled the information and deleted all the records."
The captain didn't answer. Shiati didn't demand one. She just twisted her lips into a smirk.
"Yes. The signallers. It was you. The Headquarters that sits here, knows everything, and issues orders to countless soldiers at once. It was the signallers all along. Am I wrong?"
『...That is.』
"Don't answer. It doesn't matter if I'm wrong. What's clear is that you are the very core of the Military State!"
"Shiati!"
Before the princess could stop her, Shiati charged, hiding her left hand inside her prosthetic arm. If her opponent resisted, she planned to break her fingers to neutralize her, then plunge a blade into her defenseless chest.
Faced with this attack, Captain Abbey stood perfectly still and silent. Her entire body was wrapped in morning glory vines, unable to move, about to receive the full force of Shiati's hatred.
"Stop!"
Of course, I didn't let it happen. I swept Shiati's legs out from under her with a magnificent tackle.
Shiati fell ungracefully. Fortunately, thanks to the piles of documents, she just slid without getting hurt. Instead, she glared at me with eyes full of malice.
"Huey!"
"I said stop."
"Are you going to spout more sophistry?! How much longer do I have to endure this!"
"Don't endure it. I hate holding back, too. But before you use your last finger, you need to make full use of this opportunity."
"This is enough! The signallers are another target for my revenge! If you're going to stop me, then—!"
Shiati suddenly kicked off the ground and swung a fist at me. She must have been training consistently, because the attack was quite sharp. Sharp enough to be worthy of the Resistance.
But the ability to read thoughts helps me deal with sudden attacks like this.
Alchemical transformation. 2 of Diamonds. Multipurpose hook.
While Shiati was muttering, I had already completed the transformation. I threw the card from my fingertips. The hook pierced the paper documents on the floor as I simultaneously hooked her ankle and pulled it aside. The paper, caught on the hook, was yanked away, causing the charging Shiati to lose her footing.
As Shiati lost her balance, I moved to the outside of her prosthetic arm and took her down. I pinned her to the ground, grabbing the back of her head firmly, and spoke to her heaving back.
"Your black magic only works on things in your line of sight, right? If you can't see it, you can't use it. So, please forgive me for holding your head down."
"You... ugh...!"
"Sorry. But I can't just leave you be if I'm going to grant your true wish."
"Your companion said it too! That this place had to be destroyed first! If the signallers are here, then we have to destroy the signallers!"
Ah, the Regressor did say that. That this was one of the Military State's core facilities. Shiati remembered that, even in the midst of all that chaos.
"That's right. But destroying them the way you're thinking won't do any good."
I explained calmly, looking over at the captain. She was just watching the fight between me and Shiati with a blank expression.
'You don't have to save me. In my current state, I'm already half-abandoned... I'm fated to be used up and then disappear.'
All while wrapped tightly in morning glory vines.
Unique Magic is the manifestation of one's inner world. Depending on the type, it can be visible to others or not. The captain's Unique Magic was the invisible kind, as it didn't produce any physical phenomena.
The captain's body was enveloped in morning glory vines. They looked like ropes binding her, or perhaps like tendons moving her body. In any case, the vines grew from her feet, wrapped around her completely, and bloomed into beautiful flower buds.
There were... twenty-five buds in total. And every single one was pointing toward a door. The blooming petals were receiving information and intent from someone inside.
So that's how it works. I chuckled to myself and crumpled a piece of paper into a ball with my other hand.
"Shiati. You wanted revenge on the Military State, right? But you're lost because you don't know what the Military State really is."
"I'm not lost!"
"You are. Instead of feeling anger at the captain, you looked for a reason to be angry and then got angry. Can your wish really be fulfilled that way? Is this what you want? To slap together a bunch of reasons to be mad and then carry out an execution?"
"That's enough, isn't it? What more is there to do!"
"This is the real answer."
I wrapped the crumpled paper tightly with thread, tying it securely to make a makeshift ball. I twirled the paper ball above my head and shouted.
"Azzy!"
"Woof?"
"Fetch!"
"Woof!"
I threw the paper ball, and Azzy took off, running across the sea of paper. Shredded documents scattered like a snowstorm as Azzy charged furiously and caught the ball in her mouth.
—crashing her body right into the door.
The Military State is efficient. They wouldn't bother installing high-grade alchemic steel doors in a communications headquarters that no one could enter without Eimeder. With a loud crash, the door was torn from its hinges, and Azzy disappeared inside, revealing a dark corridor.
A small room. From a room barely large enough for one person, containing only a simple cot and a water dispenser, a voice drifted out.
"Ugh...!"
Shiati sensed another presence and frowned.
"...An officer?"
"This is the communications headquarters. Did you really think there would be only one signaller?"
They're all signallers.
The other twenty-five signallers, who possess the Unique Magic of 'Synchronization' and are controlling Captain Abbey.