Chapter 306: What’s the Principle Behind Healing?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 306: What’s the Principle Behind Healing?
Azzy’s large eyes turned to me. I reached out, stroking her head as I murmured.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Woof? You remember? Then, are you going wolf hunting with me?”
“Yes. Someday.”
Though I made the promise with a trustworthy expression, Azzy tilted her head and pressed on.
“Woof? Someday? When?”
“I said I’ll do it someday.”
“When is someday?”
“When things calm down a bit. We’re busy right now. Look. More people are coming over there.”
I pointed to a crowd approaching in the distance. They were soldiers of the Military State.
Maximilien had ordered them not to interfere when he approached, but with the fight clearly over and no sign of him, they were coming to assess the situation.
Azzy looked somewhat displeased, but even with my excuses, she had no choice but to trust me. That’s the kind of animal a dog has become.
“Woof! Someday, you promise!”
“Yeah. I promise.”
If I can, that is. After soothing Azzy, I stared at the group of soldiers beyond the gears. A general officer, his uniform stained here and there, was leading them.
“…How carefree. Smoking a mana herb in the middle of Command Headquarters!”
Ah, we made eye contact. While I hid the mana herb behind my back, the general shouted with a dignified face.
“Signaller!”
A signaller in uniform appeared at his side. Her face was quite familiar; I’d seen her at the Communications Headquarters, Module I.
The signaller seemed overwhelmed by the general’s aura, glancing around timidly.
“Captain I.P., Signaller of the Military State, reporting.”
“Is the no-entry order still in effect?”
“Please wait a moment…”
Signaller I.P. closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate. After finishing her communication, she relayed the message she had received.
“Yes, sir. Command is maintaining the no-entry order for the current location.”
“What! We’re under attack, and you expect us to stand by and do nothing?!”
“Eek!”
The signaller, hit head-on by the general’s force of will, flinched in fear. I glanced at Historia and said.
“Hey. Ria. You’re one of the Six Generals. Do something about that guy.”
Historia looked toward the signaller and muttered.
“That’s Lieutenant General Mexio. He’s one rank higher than me.”
“Damn it. You’re one of the Six Generals, so why is your rank so low?”
“The Six Generals have sole operational command, but our ranks are assigned separately. The position isn’t given based on rank.”
“But the other five are all full generals.”
“…That’s because they’ve been active since the early days of the Military State.”
Ooh, that seemed to sting a little. Maybe I should poke a little more.
“I heard those people were generals from the very beginning. You’ve been commissioned for a while now, but you’re still just a Major General?”
“I betrayed the State and joined you because I’m just a Major General. If I were a full general, I would’ve captured you and locked you up in Command Headquarters.”
How cowardly, playing the guilt card. Since she used it now, I’ll make sure not to repay that debt later.
“You said you have sole operational command. Try using that.”
“Well. I wonder if he’ll listen.”
Probably not. I nodded in agreement.
Perhaps because we were ignoring him so completely, Lieutenant General Mexio, furious, strode forward despite the no-entry order.
“I can’t stand this anymore! The military provisions explode, a mysterious snake crushes my men, and all the while a traitor is casually smoking a mana herb! And I’m supposed to just watch?! Does that make any sense?!”
“L-Lieutenant General Mexio, sir, this area is currently under a no-entry order…”
“Silence!! Signaller, this is a quasi-wartime situation! Since when does a mere captain question a general’s orders?!”
“Eek, I-I’m sorry, sir…”
The signaller, facing the world directly, seemed to be going through quite an ordeal. She was supposed to be actively warning Lieutenant General Mexio, but the frail girl, armed with nothing but her authority, couldn’t withstand the general’s pressure.
There was a reason signallers usually communicated through golems.
“In the first place, to have someone so unreliable as a signaller…”
The general’s criticism rained down on the bowed head of Captain I.P. Having fled in a daze after the Communications Headquarters was destroyed, Captain I.P. had nothing to say for herself.
“All troops, assemble. Detain the target. Use of force is authorized if they resist. Hey, Historia! Are you listening? If you don’t want to fight the entire Military State, surrender peacefully! If you resist, your boyfriend here might be in danger!”
“…”
Hey. At least deny it. Why are you just turning your head and staying quiet?
Tch. He has us completely in his sights. It’ll be hard to hide, so what should I do? Historia is completely exhausted. Should I try to buy time until Shei-ssi arrives?
I was debating which topic to bring up—his affair with the female officer or the fact that he cheated at Qi Arts, information I’d gleaned through my mind-reading.
Just then, the timid Signaller I.P. suddenly stepped forward as if possessed and blocked the general’s path. With a stunned look on her face, she saluted the general and reported.
“Lieutenant General Mexio. This is a direct communication from a superior commanding officer. I will relay the officer’s orders verbatim, and you, Lieutenant General Mexio, are required to listen.”
“What is it?”
I.P.’s unique magic activated. A faint magical glow enveloped her entire body, and her hair floated gently into the air. Having completed the synchronization, Captain I.P. recited the orders conveyed through her own mouth.
“I’ve received the report. What do you think you’re doing, acting like a blundering fool? If you don’t know what’s going on, then please just shut up and stay put, Lieutenant General Mexio.”
With those words, her hair fell back down. Captain I.P., having just spewed a torrent of insults, stared blankly up at the general, as if she had no idea what had just happened.
Silence fell. A mere captain had just called a general a blundering fool and told him to shut up to his face. Lieutenant General Mexio’s face turned beet red.
He knew she was just relaying orders from a superior. He’d done it himself. But there was a clear difference between hearing it through a golem as a receiver and hearing it from a person to your face. Unconsciously, Lieutenant General Mexio reached a hand toward I.P.
“You’re the first captain to ever dare spew such words to my face. I hope you’re prepared…”
It was then that two sharp waves of killing intent flared. Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively took a large step back and looked toward Historia. She had already drawn her pistol and was aiming it at him.
To block the bullet, he summoned his general’s combat arm, the serrated shield. As he raised it, Lieutenant General Mexio felt a sense of unease.
‘Wait. There are two sources of killing intent. The other one is…?’
“It is I.”
And then, ‘Maximilien’ appeared.
‘Maximilien’ wore a peculiar monocle and a large hat, his body draped in a cloak covered in gears as he slid across the ground. On his feet, gear-soled shoes spun, propelling him forward.
The fashion sense went beyond mere aesthetics, displaying an intense obsession with gears that was unmistakably Maximilien. Lieutenant General Mexio didn’t even think to doubt it and snapped into a salute.
“Sir! Director Maximilien, are you unharmed?!”
‘Maximilien’ spoke, his face slightly annoyed.
“You. Did I not tell you? I said I would handle what happened over there, so you were to focus on external defense and not interfere. I’m certain I issued a no-entry order through the signaller.”
“Well, sir, the situation was clearly over, but we received no word.”
“And so you decided to lay a hand on the signaller who relayed my orders?”
Lieutenant General Mexio fell silent, realizing where the previous order had come from.
‘Maximilien’ shook his head.
“Lieutenant General Mexio, why would a man of your caliber do such a thing? A signaller is but a single gear. A component that relays commands from the center. They are not precious, but they are vital. Because they convey ‘my’ orders without any personal opinion. Do you not understand the meaning of that? I thought you were a rational man.”
“My apologies, sir. However, your weapon was completely destroyed, so I was worried something might have happened…”
“What?”
Hearing that his masterpiece had been completely destroyed, ‘Maximilien’s’ expression hardened. A chilling atmosphere descended again, far stronger and more menacing than before.
A general was still just a rank within the Military State. The difference in power between a general and one of the Six Generals was greater than one could imagine. This was especially true when that opponent was the Warforger, a man who had been active since the nation’s founding and was said to have created all of its weapons.
And Maximilien, in particular, had immense pride and affection for his creations… Lieutenant General Mexio’s words were a clear misstep.
“Say that again. Completely destroyed? What do you know of gears? By what standard do you judge them? Does that look completely destroyed to you? What’s important in a gear is not its form, but its structure. As long as it’s in its proper place, any gear can be immediately replaced! What you see on the surface is not everything, you imbecileeeeeeeee!”
Maximilien was rational and magnanimous when he wasn’t angry, but the moment a line was crossed, he would erupt as if a switch had been flipped. The rage of ‘Maximilien’ had just surpassed its breaking point with the general’s single comment. Enraged, ‘Maximilien’ crushed a gear in his hand and shouted.
“Do you know who our enemy is? Do you know what I was facing?! Of course not! You can’t even begin to imagine! It’s fine to know nothing. The existence of narrow-minded fools in this world is unavoidable! But! Do not be so confident in your ignorance! Is that so difficult?!”
When one of the Six Generals became enraged, it rarely ended with just words. As expected, ‘Maximilien’ raised a finger. A gear floated just above it, spinning furiously.
It was said that those who reached the pinnacle of Geon Qi Art could imbue objects with their Qi without direct contact. The gear was definitely floating, if only slightly. Spinning in the frictionless, resistance-free air, the gear created a wind like a tempest.
Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively raised his serrated shield to cover his body. It was an excellent choice. ‘Maximilien’ threw it at him without a moment’s hesitation.
Clang, grind, grind, grind.
The frenzied gear slammed into the serrated shield. After the initial impact, its teeth caught and spun, pouring all its rotational force onto the shield. Lieutenant General Mexio felt his entire body shake.
‘This impact, this power…! He’s serious! General Maximilien is serious!’
Gritting his teeth, Lieutenant General Mexio put his strength into his core and thrust the shield upward. The gear, a glowing halo of Qi, glanced off the shield and flew far into the distance. As the relieved general finally shook off the gear and stood up, ‘Maximilien’ was already spinning two more gears in his hands.
His eyes had gone wild. I have to run.
Obeying his survival instincts, Lieutenant General Mexio shouted dramatically.
“I-I will correct my actions! Everyone! We will focus on post-battle recovery! Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!!”
No fool who wished to live long would remain near an enraged Six General. The soldiers who had survived this long were paragons of survival of the fittest.
Lieutenant General Mexio’s unit executed a strategic retreat with perfect discipline. The crowd receded like an ebbing tide. ‘Maximilien’ kept the gears spinning until they were out of sight.
The soldiers of the Military State were fast. In less than a minute, the approaching force had withdrawn. After everyone had disappeared, ‘Maximilien’ dropped the gears he was holding.
“What are you doing, aiming a gun at my back? Good grief. It was so distracting I almost made a mistake.”
As he said, Historia was aiming her gun at ‘Maximilien’.
From Historia’s perspective, it was a natural reaction. After all, just a moment ago, she had fought a battle against Maximilien. She had barely managed to defeat him with all her strength, so to see him return completely unharmed was nothing short of shocking.
“Maximilien…? Impossible. A moment ago, he was definitely…! No, that was clearly Qi Art…?”
I answered Historia’s question.
“That’s right. It’s Qi Art. Anyone can see that.”
“But Director Maximilien used unique magic! In contrast, that Maximilien used Qi Art…!”
“It is Qi Art. But you got the subject wrong. That Maximilien isn’t Maximilien.”
You’ve experienced it yourself. That thing that looked just like Historia, but wasn’t.
“Yes! As expected of Your Majesty! You knew right away!”
‘Maximilien’ spun around. The cloak fluttered stylishly, but the finishing seemed a bit shoddy, as the dangling gears clattered to the ground. He tossed the monocle aside and shook off the hastily made gear-shoes. With the gears gone from his body, the impression of Maximilien faded significantly.
In that state, ‘Maximilien’ bowed deeply and offered an elegant greeting, like an actor taking a curtain call after a play.
‘Maximilien’ opened his mouth.
“How was it? My performance?”
Though he had the appearance of a robust adult man, the voice that reached my ears was as beautiful as a songstress’s.
Having witnessed the performance firsthand, I gave my honest opinion.
“That’s just a cheat.”
“Aha! To hear you call it a cheat, Your Majesty, I…!”
‘Maximilien’—no, it was getting awkward to call him that. The gears that had been attached all over his body had all fallen off, leaving just a man wrapped in a thick cloak.
And that person was changing in real-time, becoming more like a young girl.
Blood returned to the pale, prosthetic-like hands, and the bone structure shrank. The once-perfectly fitting clothes began to sag, revealing her neck and shoulders.
The master of disguise, Camarilla Zigrund… now the girl known as Hilde, giggled as she approached. I quickly cut her off.
“Don’t call me Your Majesty. Are you trying to spread my identity to everyone?”
“Pardon? Isn’t it a bit late for that?”
“Late? This is supposed to be a secret, you know.”
Hilde’s slender eyes widened.
“Oh? Really? What is it, then? Do Shei and Tyrkanzyaka not know, yet they still accompany you, Father? How did that happen?!”
“Some people are just like that. And are your only choices for address ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Father’?”
With Tyr, it’s less that she ‘doesn’t know’ and more that she ‘doesn’t care.’ I suspect she has a rough idea. Returning her heart wasn’t exactly a minor event.
Wow, looking at it this way, the only one who truly doesn’t know my identity is the Regressor. Is this really okay? You’re a Regressor, aren’t you?
…No. I should think about it the other way. The Regressor might be a fool, but she’s not an idiot.
It’s not that she doesn’t know; it’s that she knows some other information that we don’t.
Now, what could that be? I was lost in thought when Hilde approached the Steel Beetle. Historia showed her hostility toward the casually approaching Hilde.
“Zigrund…”
“No, Historia. It’s Hildegarde. Zigrund is, well, something like an illusion… Just a title signifying the light and shadow of the Military State, like Eimeder. It’s not my true self.”
Hilde smiled lightly and leaped gracefully onto the Steel Beetle. Though Historia was glaring, Hilde paid her no mind and just pushed her way in.
Historia showed hostility toward Hilde, but she knew that Hilde held no malice toward her. The incident with Lieutenant General Mexio made that clear. In the moment Historia hesitated, unable to attack, Hilde naturally grabbed her arm and gently laid her down. In her exhausted state, Historia couldn’t resist.
“I envy you, Historia. You probably don’t realize what an incredible stroke of fortune you’ve encountered. Ah, what a shame. I wish I had met Father before I became like this.”
“Ugh… How do you know that Huey is the King of Humans…?”
“I’m not certain either, but I’m in a better position than others. I have a way to confirm it. Besides, didn’t Father tell me himself?”
Hilde’s touch was firm yet gentle. She lightly massaged Historia’s arm, channeling Qi into her pressure points with her fingers. It was a Qi Art for healing through acupressure.
And… it wasn’t just Qi Art.
“The Magi From the East. The Passing Scholar. The Wandering Mercenary. The Reclusive Sage. The Mendicant Monk. The Traveler.”
In addition to the healing art, an incomprehensible power gathered in her open palm. A warm and comforting… yet somewhat coercive force.
“Those are all professions the King of Humans once held, and titles he was called by. This time, it’s the Pied Piper, isn’t it, Father? Your titles keep getting cooler!”
It’s not like I aimed for them. I shrugged, and Hilde smiled with her eyes as she leaned over Historia, their bodies pressing together. Pressing close to Historia’s back, Hilde whispered softly in her ear.
“Hehe. You don’t need to be so upset, Historia. It’s natural that you don’t know. The others in the past only found out because they met someone who told them, just like you.”
With that, Hilde closed her eyes and focused her mind. In the brief moment between words, she entered a meditative state. In the dark, murky world of her mind, Hilde gave herself a suggestion.
‘I am a monk. My body and mind are unwell, but my faith is more devout than anyone’s.’
—And she set foot in a domain that could only be reached through faith.
A white light bloomed from her touching hands. Hilde clasped Historia’s hand and poured that power into the bio-receptor.
The power to return a person to their former state. A power of restoration that transcended healing. The greatest reason why ‘Gods’ could exist.
Feeling the energy seep into her body, Historia muttered.
“Holy… Power.”
Her body, bound, broken, and twisted by the gears, remembered its original form before the deformation. The body is like a rubber band; once it’s stretched out of shape, it wants to return to its original form.
Against this kind of physical trauma, Holy Power demonstrated absolute healing prowess.
Historia’s body ‘returned.’ Hilde smiled brightly and sat up.
“Healing complete! No need to thank me. This is a gesture of goodwill for our future together!”
The pain that the mana herb had barely managed to suppress vanished as if washed away.
Her energy hadn’t returned, and her fatigue hadn’t disappeared… but still, Historia was healed. Having witnessed a miracle before her very eyes, Historia asked in a trembling voice.
“Zigrund… who are you…?”
Hilde smiled even more mischievously as she answered.
“Well then, let me introduce myself again! I am the one who received the name Camarilla Zigrund… and was engaged in the duty of assisting the Saintess!”
She gave a half-hearted bow while twisting her arm up. With a thoroughly delinquent-like salute, Hilde grinned.
“I am the Chief Crusader of Foresight, Hildegarde! Ehet, a pleasure to be working with you!”