Chapter 298: A World Made of Gears - 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 298: A World Made of Gears - 5
Historia exhaled a deep plume of smoke, her expression momentarily hazy.
“Ah, this is nice… My arm doesn’t hurt, and my head feels clear. I feel my energy returning…”
“Mroww~. Feels nice, mroww~.”
As if in response, Nabi’s satisfied cry echoed. Maximilien’s brow furrowed as he spotted Nabi rolling around in a pile of Mana herbs in a narrow space behind them.
The way to counteract a drug. Take it beforehand. It had worked.
Although, the fact that Historia had smoked quite a bit was bothering me. Just how much did she smoke to make her eyes lose focus like that?
“That’s just an illusion. Your arm doesn’t hurt because you can’t feel the pain, and your head feels clear because you’re addicted to mana herbs.”
Despite my point, Historia just giggled and waved the mana herb.
“I’m serious. It feels much better than the first time I smoked. Why is that?”
“Mana herbs are just like the little match girl’s fire, making you recall your happiest moments. If you feel happy when you light one, it just means your current situation is that much more miserable, so don’t let your guard down.”
“But that’s your fault, isn’t it? The fact that I’m smoking mana herbs, the fact that I’m in this miserable state. It’s all because I got tangled up with you.”
“Huh?”
That’s strange. Am I reading her mind right now? Words she had only ever kept in her heart were now spilling from her lips.
My dumbfounded expression seemed to please her. Historia smirked and brought the mana herb to her lips. She drew the decadent smoke into her body before exhaling deeply, letting out a sweet sigh.
“Haaah… Want a puff?”
“Don’t act all generous with something I gave you. Give the rest back, now.”
“Pfft. So mean. What’s mine or yours when it comes to mana herbs? They’re meant to be shared.”
Her sly smile felt incredibly out of place. How many locks on her heart had just flown off? It was frightening how much a drug could change a person.
While I was at a loss for words, Maximilien examined the mana herb in Historia’s hand and his eyes widened in shock.
“…Is that a World Tree leaf? How do you possess such a thing? No, who gave it to you?”
Historia answered with a foolish grin.
“I dunno… Why should the one smoking it care? You just smoke it.”
“Impossible! There is nothing among the Kings of Plants and Trees that The Human Regime does not possess! By what route could a leaf of the World Tree have possibly gotten out? It’s impossible!”
“Then I guess The Human Regime gave it to me. Oh, wait, Huey gave me this, didn’t he? Heh. Huey, are you The Human Regime?”
Her answer was still that of someone with a screw loose. Even Maximilien gave up on getting a straight answer and just shook his head.
“In the end, it seems even that answer lies with the King of Humans. Another reason to secure him has just emerged.”
“I won’t allow that.”
Historia, who had been cheerfully smoking, suddenly wiped the smile from her face. Though she had only changed her expression, the temperature of the air seemed to drop by several degrees.
The mana herb between her lips bobbed up and down as she mumbled.
“That damn bastard… he’s a son of a bitch who started all this and then ran away irresponsibly… but still, that was the best time of my life.”
Immediately after saying so, Historia kicked off the ground. She needed no running start. Landing lightly atop the six-meter-tall Steel Beetle, she stood up, taking a deep breath.
Maximilien spoke.
“A sentiment that will not be returned. He is the King of Humans. He is not bound to any single individual.”
“King of Humans, whatever, none of that matters. It’s my memory. I won’t let you ruin it as you please, Director!”
…This is why you should always try to be a good person. See? Because I lived a faithful life, a connection from the past is now here to help me.
Though it feels like I’m getting a bit more help than I deserve for what I did. I suppose I should live up to it, right? As a decent human being.
I stopped what I was doing, stood up, and climbed back onto the Steel Beetle. Walking slowly, I stood as if to support Historia from behind. Azzy, who had been chasing gears, saw me, hesitated for a moment, then puffed out her chest and sat beside me.
The situation was now completely different from before. Faced with this new arrangement, Maximilien looked troubled and folded his fingers.
“Three on that side. One on this side… Even excluding the Dog King, this will not be easy.”
Historia’s condition was still not perfect, and I was at half-strength at best. The two of us combined would barely add up to one person’s worth.
But our chances of winning were higher than at any other moment so far. I lifted my head stiffly and spoke.
“You’re well aware of the situation. This is your last chance. I’ll let you go if you run.”
Maximilien considered it seriously. He was a man who, like his gears, moved with logic and reason. He was earnestly weighing the choice between fighting a dangerous battle here and retreating safely.
‘The King of Humans can break my body with a single touch. I must not let him get close, but the problem is the Gunmaster, who excels at close combat. Without the Steel Beetle, it’s hard to gain an advantage. There are too many variables. Retreating now is the rational choice, but…'
The decision was clear. But one final, lingering attachment held him back. Maximilien opened his mouth.
“You said I was ordinary.”
I nodded readily, but added a word to console him.
“Don’t be discouraged. It’s not just you; all humans are ordinary. With the exception of a very, very small few, that is.”
“I know. In the beginning, humans themselves were just one of many ordinary beasts. Until they made themselves special…”
Maximilien looked down at his prosthetic arm, clenching and unclenching his fingers. Though not visible from the outside, the gears within the prosthesis meshed in complex patterns, mimicking human movement.
How much trial and error must he have gone through for it to move so naturally? That discovery was surely the fruit of outstanding talent blossoming after countless efforts in a suitable environment. It was, without a doubt, a brilliant technology.
But it wasn't 'special.' It was, after all, merely a replication of something that already existed, realized through gears.
At best, it was a substitute. Maximilien knew better than anyone in the world that no matter how intricate the gears, they were merely a drastic simplification of the world's principles.
“Perhaps I already knew. Objectively and subjectively, I am a brilliant man, having reached a level far beyond ordinary people… but I lack something to reach the Divine. I sought the King of Humans to fill that void.”
“You came to the right place. It’s impressive you figured out I was the King of Humans. Now, be satisfied with your audience and go home. It’ll make for a fine story to share with the folks back home over a beer.”
“But if I were to give up here, wouldn’t that be the end of me?”
Maximilien muttered, placing both hands on the back of the Steel Beetle. The moment he poured a massive amount of mana into them, his prosthetic hands resonated with the alchemic steel and glowed white. The fingertips, where the mana was concentrated, melted like lava.
He moved his molten fingers to draw a picture. A circle, a triangle, and a single straight line. A symbol that seemed to represent a scale.
The beginning of alchemy: a transmutation circle.
Maximilien poured even more mana into it and muttered.
“Humans can do anything. No matter how insane.”
A moment later, his hands sank into the steel. Ripples spread out. It looked as if he were playfully dipping his hands into the surface of water.
Alchemy. A human art that manipulates matter, transforming it within the realm of possibility. It has numerous limits and constraints, and things that are impossible remain so no matter the alchemist’s skill, which is why it is not considered an Arcane. Compared to complex and mystical Unique Magic, it is quite plain.
But the essence of alchemy is not power. Alchemy is an asset. Just as one saves up loose change over years to buy something they could never dream of, the power gathered through alchemy can be unleashed in a single moment to achieve a feat that would normally be impossible.
Even I was currently performing beyond my normal capabilities through alchemy.
What if Maximilien were to do it?
I immediately shouted to Azzy.
“Azzy, jump!”
“Woof? Jump? Jump!”
Azzy tilted her head, but did as I said and hopped in place. I was grateful she was so obedient, but the problem was that it wasn't what I meant.
“No, not in place!”
“Woof? A different jump?”
While Azzy was expressing her confusion, Maximilien poured an enormous amount of mana through his hands.
The Steel Beetle was a creation he had painstakingly assembled from alchemic steel he had refined himself. It was a weapon in itself, but at the same time, it was also a material for alchemy. Just like my cards!
“Combat Alchemy. Mercury Dealke.”
Maximilien’s hands tore apart the Steel Beetle.
It wasn't Unique Magic. He simply used his own mana to alchemize the entire Steel Beetle, deconstructing and splitting its components.
Alchemy. A universal art that I, too, could use freely, and therefore, a human ability that couldn't be stolen.
The ground shook. The Steel Beetle cracked open as if it were molting. My body floated up. Just as I was about to slip, Historia quickly grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, stopping my fall. My breath caught in my throat.
I was safe thanks to Historia’s quick reaction, but Maximilien hadn't been aiming for me in the first place.
“Woof! Woofwoofwoofwoofwoof!”
Azzy, who had jumped into the air, fell right into the fissure. Landing inside the Steel Beetle, she dug her claws in, struggling to get out.
“We are The Human Regime…”
Muttering, Maximilien forcefully brought his hands together again. As his palms met, a sharp clang of striking metal rang out.
At his gesture, the sundered steel surged like a wave. Before Azzy could escape, the fissure in the Steel Beetle closed. The sound of her barking grew distant, as if heard from beyond a wall.
Having isolated Azzy in an instant, Maximilien raised his arm. The steel that had melted onto his prosthesis was now stuck to it in clumps.
There was no longer any trace of functional beauty or intricacy. All that remained was madness and aggression. Aiming the hideously shaped lump of metal at us, Maximilien shouted.
“A beast that became special by killing a king with its own hands! There is nothing we cannot do!”