Chapter 276: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men - Finale
Before S could object just for the sake of objecting, I made the first move.
“Well? If you’re so sure, can you tell me what trick I used?”
“…This officer has an obligation to prove…”
“Of course, you do! Anyone can claim it’s a trick. But you’re all talk, while I’ve actually changed the color of this card! You have to at least point out how I did it for your claim to have any meaning!”
The biggest problem with the Signallers was that they were, by necessity, rational. They couldn't stubbornly avert their gaze; they had to answer my question.
“…It is alchemy. You changed the color using alchemy!”
Wrong. A complete miss.
The guess was so off the mark that I didn’t even have to say anything. Another Signaller, D, who was more knowledgeable in alchemy, pointed it out herself.
“Negative. Alchemy requires an incantation, a transmutation circle, and alchemic materials. A moment ago, none of the three were present.”
“If not that, then the card must be of a special type that allowed it to turn red!”
Even as she addressed her colleague, D spoke with cold logic.
“Signaller I.S., that logic is identical to your previous point. Such an argument is futile.”
“I.D.! If that is not a trick, then what is it! Are you suggesting it is an Arcane?”
“This officer did not say that. I merely pointed out the flaw in I.S.’s argument.”
“Then does I.S. have a way to explain it?”
“This officer has witnessed a similar act through the ‘window.’ It is called a shell game, an act of hiding an identical object somewhere and concealing the original. He must have swapped it with another card hidden in his hand, sleeve, or somewhere in his clothes.”
This one’s at least got a brain in her head. Far from the right answer, but a very admirable attempt.
I spread my arms wide and shrugged.
“I’ll give you a chance to prove it! Well? Would you like to check?”
“There is no reason to refuse.”
“Give me the card! I will inspect it myself!”
S, D, and a few other Signallers approached me. Their gazes were so intense it was as if they were about to dissect me alive.
Haha. Unless you have an incredibly sharp eye, you'll never notice. The thing filling the 9 of Hearts right now is none other than my own blood.
I had lightly cut my finger on the edge of the card. A skilled magician can even get cut at will. I squeezed out some blood without being obvious, pretending to blow on the card as I let the blood flow into it. The narrow gap was the perfect environment for liquid to seep in. My blood instantly permeated the inside of the card.
A tiny bit of Tyr’s Bloodcraft was used here, just enough to make the droplet roll… but there’s no one here who could notice that right now.
It was worth investing my precious blood. Look at them, these innocent Signallers, approaching a stranger with their bare bodies, driven by pure intellectual curiosity.
D rummaged through my sleeves. S examined my card with alchemy. M crept closer and fiddled with my hands. Every one of them was engrossed in uncovering the secret.
‘Stop…! That kind of contact is… dangerous…!’
Only IA, restrained by Historia, realized the danger.
‘He intends to mentally contaminate all the Signallers! By arousing their curiosity with a trick, he’s making them think for themselves!’
IA urgently deployed her Unique Magic. Spiderweb, a Unique Magic that could ensnare multiple nearby Signallers at once. She intended to use it to calm their excited emotions and instill a sense of caution toward me.
‘Signaller I.D.! I.S.! Withdraw your attention from him and create distance! Acknowledge if you have heard this officer’s voice!’
But even though the spiderweb shook violently, there was no response. Faced with this unprecedented situation, IA’s mind raced with urgency.
‘Listen! Why can you not hear this officer’s voice…!’
Because most of your power is currently being used to bind Captain Abbey.
IA soon realized that fact as well. Startled, she re-examined her Unique Magic. And she was horrified.
The Morning Glory was pulling at her Spiderweb. The delicate vine, unable to rise without something to lean on, had latched onto the tough spider silk.
‘Ivy! How are you—!’
The face of Captain Abbey, who had been standing like a statue, turned. The two of them conversed without a single word, through the spiderweb that connected them.
‘IA You have used even the strength you should have reserved for binding the Module to restrain this officer. This officer has become a body that cannot even speak a single word properly without your permission.’
While Captain Abbey’s Unique Magic was a versatile one that could cover both long and short ranges, IA’s was specialized for binding multiple targets at close range. That was why she had become A of Module I. The most powerful synchronizer in this module.
But Captain Abbey had been A from the very beginning.
‘However, because of that, your voice cannot reach the other Signallers. Not as long as this officer holds out.’
‘Hold out…! How are you—! A Morning Glory is bound to fall if it has nothing to lean on!’
‘I do not need anything to lean on.’
Captain Abbey straightened her posture. As she did, IA groaned, feeling a shock as if her mind was being sucked away. Not that it mattered; with Historia’s hand over her mouth, she couldn’t even make a proper sound.
‘That’s not a Morning Glory…! You are not—no, you are!’
The stalk of a sunflower stood tall, holding its ground. Mere spiderwebs could not bend the sturdy flower that gazed at the sun.
‘This officer can stand alone. I exist in my own right. It has weakened my interference with the other Signallers, but this officer can defy you.’
‘The one closest to being A… you’ve already been mentally contaminated!’
IA thrashed. She struggled both mentally and physically, but with Captain Abbey holding her mind and Historia holding her body, she couldn’t affect either.
An immense fear suddenly washed over IA. A sense of alienation, as if she were truly alone. And a feeling of powerlessness, as if the situation was slipping out of her control.
‘This cannot happen! If this continues, my purpose in taking charge of Module I will be lost…! The Module must be disposed of before he contaminates the other Signallers…!’
Cornered, IA took a gamble. She planned to release the binding on Captain Abbey and issue a command to the other Signallers.
‘This officer will not permit that!’
Just then, something caught the spiderweb as it tried to retreat.
Normally, this would be impossible. The spiderweb, too, was an unstable thing that couldn’t maintain its form without latching onto something.
All the Signallers’ Unique Magics were like that. They were structured to collapse if they couldn’t connect with each other, which was why Signallers always had to be linked.
But now, the vine of a Morning Glory had caught the end of that fragile spiderweb.
‘Let go, Ivy!’
‘These individuals are not at fault. Therefore, there is no reason for them to be disposed of!’
‘It is better to commit suicide than to be mentally contaminated! That is the protocol! To protect the Military State!’
‘Then who will protect them?’
IA shouted back in a fit of anger.
‘The Military State takes precedence over the Signallers! Abbey! Do you intend to endanger the Military State!’
‘This officer does not know what the Military State is! If I am to protect, I wish to protect them both!’
‘Such convenient words! Since when could you decide what to protect?! We have neither the authority nor the ability! The only thing we can protect is the protocol, and that alone is what protects this nation! Let go, Abbey!’
No matter how much she shouted, no matter how she pressed with her powerful will, Captain Abbey was unshaken. The steadfast sunflower still did not bow its head, nor did it close its eyes.
‘This officer believes it can be done.’
‘Belief. An uncertain and foolish belief! That is proof that you have been mentally contaminated!!’
Meanwhile, the Signallers fell into even greater confusion upon seeing the other card I produced from my palm. Some tried hard to deny it, but others couldn’t overcome their curiosity and began asking what it was.
Their rigid, inhuman demeanor had faded considerably. Now, there were only girls full of curiosity.
Finally realizing that the disaster she had desperately tried to avoid was now at her doorstep, IA screamed in helplessness.
‘Ah, ah…! Please, someone, give an order! Someone do something about this place…!’
But the Military State has no god. Even its angels are artificial Arcanes summoned by sacrificing Signallers. Who would answer her call…?
[I have heard your prayer.]
…Just then.
[The day has finally come. The day of destiny, on which our fate hangs.]
Something ‘emerged’ from IA’s body.
Her Unique Magic, the Spiderweb. The manifestation of her inner world, which should have been invisible and intangible to others… suddenly wrapped itself around IA’s body, eventually draping over her like a pure white dress. Immediately after, IA moved.
“Ugh…!”
Despite Historia holding her from behind.
A white hand gripped Historia’s wrist. Crack. A sound that should never come from a hand rang out. The sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh, the sound of a human body rupturing, came from Historia’s hand.
“What is this power…!”
A power that far surpassed Historia’s grip, which could crush even steel and reshape it into something else.
A miracle that should have been impossible for IA’s frail body had now manifested within this small building, accompanied by a white halo of light. Even IA was startled by what she had done.
‘The Voice of the Military State…!’
『That is right, Signaller. You who are more diligent and faithful than any other. I have ascended in response to your call.』
‘This officer has failed. I failed to manage the Module properly and allowed a hostile entity to inflict mental contamination. The current situation is…’
『I know.』
‘…!’
『You are all connected to me. It was my will that you accept them. Now, leave it to me and rest.』
Someone’s voice echoed in IA’s head. I couldn’t read the speaker’s thoughts. I could only indirectly grasp its meaning by reading IA’s thoughts.
Haha. Look at this. It’s one thing after another.
I knew it. There was one more besides the Signallers.
‘I will comply…. Please.’
IA accepted the unknown energy’s attempt to dominate her entire being without resistance. Immediately after her consciousness vanished behind the veil…
The ‘real’ Eimeder unfurled six pairs of brilliant wings and threw Historia aside.