Chapter 307: Be Wary of Those Who Ask, "Do You Believe in God?"
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: Be Wary of Those Who Ask, "Do You Believe in God?"
The Crusaders. The Saintess's personal guard.
Nominally her guard, they were in fact a combat, intelligence, and assassination unit that swore absolute loyalty to the Sanctum. At the Saintess's command, they would do anything from procuring a toy from a distant foreign land to wiping an entire nation off the map.
To think that the Chief of the Military State's Public Safety, a woman said to be able to silence a crying child, was actually one of the Sanctum's holy swords, a Crusader. The confession was so far beyond anything Historia could have imagined that she could only stand there, mouth agape.
Seeing her reaction, Hilde’s eyes widened.
“Father? Historia, she's making an unbelievably stupid face right now. What on earth is going on?”
“Ah. Historia doesn’t know about the Saintess.”
“How strange. I’m sure the Saintess gave me permission to reveal it. Could it be that Historia is the only one being left out?”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know what Ria would think. These things always depend on how the person involved takes it. Ria, are you being left out?”
“…Yes. As usual.”
Since when have I ever left you out? Is this an age where the one being left out becomes a general in the capital, while the one doing the leaving scrapes by as a pickpocket in the back alleys? If you think about it, I’m the one being ostracized by society!
In any case, a simple explanation seemed necessary.
“In that case, ‘I,’ Hilde, Chief of Public Safety and handler of all the Military State’s secrets, will give you a brief explanation.”
Hilde, who had put on a pair of glasses at some point, pushed them up the bridge of her nose. What the hell? Did she just pick up some gears and whip those up in this short amount of time? She was certainly talented.
“The Military State was, in fact, created by the Saintess. That is all!”
It was brief, indeed. So brief that it explained nothing at all. Historia’s expression only grew more vacant.
“Wait, you cut that way too short. Isn’t there more to it?”
“More to it…? Ah! Our Saintess has abandoned her faith! Which means that even though we’re the Saintess and the Chief Crusader, we’re like kites with their strings cut! In fact, we’re in a position where we have to worry about when a prophet from the Sanctum might show up and destroy the Military State, so every day is just thrilling!”
“That’s a bit self-centered.”
“Really, what can I do? To ‘me,’ ‘my’ own circumstances are the most important!”
“I’ll give you that.”
“Hee hee. I’ve been acknowledged!”
Hilde broke off mid-sentence and burst into laughter. Seemingly dizzy from the disjointed conversation, Historia pressed her fingers to her temples and spoke.
“Ugh. Wait, Zigrund…”
“No, no! Please call me Hilde, with respect and reverence! Zigrund isn’t ‘me,’ you see. If you keep calling me by the wrong name, my sense of self will get all twisted!”
She said it with a cute expression, but the words were too terrifying to be dismissed as a joke. Historia tried to comply with the request, but couldn’t bring herself to do it and settled for a slight compromise.
“…Chief of Public Safety. Whose side are you on?”
“Me? Right now, I’m on Father’s side!”
As if to demonstrate her words, she spread her arms and approached me. It was a bit much, so I tried to stop her, but her body suddenly seemed to sink before she wrapped her arms around my waist.
…Right. This woman was one of the Six Generals.
Historia looked at Hilde, who was now clinging to my side, with a displeased expression.
“I’ve always known the Crusaders to be a fanatical unit that follows only the orders of the Sanctum. So why are you clinging to… no, why are you trying to follow Huey?”
“Hmm. There’s something you need to understand about that. Historia, do you know how the Crusaders are made?”
“Aren’t they appointed by the Sanctum?”
Hilde covered her mouth with her hand, feigning shock.
“Wow. You only know the surface-level stuff! You don’t know a single thing that’s even slightly hidden! How will you ever survive in this harsh world, Father!”
“I know. To be honest, that part of Ria has worried me quite a bit.”
“Huey, you shut your mouth!”
She only ever snapped at me. After shooting me a sharp glare, Historia fixed her gaze on Hilde.
“…Chief. Your demeanor is quite different. You were so rigid when I saw you as the Chief of Public Safety.”
“How can a rigid person act? Only someone soft like jelly can squeeze their body into a different mold! So soft!”
“Wait, Hilde, that’s muscle, not fat. It’s not that I’m soft, it’s that your hands are strong, so stop kneading me. I feel like I’m going to burst.”
If you’re going to use Holy Power, just touching me is enough. Why do you have to knead me? I’m being healed and tormented at the same time!
“When you hear Crusaders, you probably picture shining paladins. However, not everyone becomes a Crusader that way. In fact, most are chosen, like ‘me.’”
After laughing it off, Hilde continued her explanation, her eyes vacant as she recalled the past.
“When you can’t believe in anything, when you don’t know where to go, when you don’t even know who ‘you’ are. An angel descends from the heavens. You’re hiding, having concealed your identity and changed your face. But somehow, they know, and they point directly at ‘you.’ They say this is your path, and you must follow it.”
Because the Saintess can see everything in the world. No matter how one hides their identity or changes their appearance, if the Saintess is watching, she will find them.
And those abandoned by fate become bound by the fact that someone is watching over them.
“And then, well, you just fall for it, hook, line, and sinker. The heavens have been watching over ‘me’ all along, and they’re offering a lifeline to give ‘me’ a chance at a new life… Faith is born where there was none, right? And if you were already a devout believer like ‘me,’ even more so.”
“Is that what the Crusaders are?”
“Yes. Fate saves a weary and exhausted ‘me,’ and affirms ‘my’ life. Do you know what happens then? You fall into a fanaticism like a drug. And what’s more, the Saintess called for ‘me’ personally. Then there’s no way it could be wrong. My broken life is being restored. In life, and in death!”
For a brief moment, a mad light shone in her eyes. As Historia flinched at the chillingly blind gaze, Hilde regained her senses and let out a deep sigh.
“However, ‘I’ am… a little special. Hmm, this is. It’s a unique trait of ‘mine.’ And the Saintess of Foresight who chose ‘me’ abandoned her faith so spectacularly. So I’ve become relatively rational, you see.”
Then she started shaking my body again, laughing brightly.
“And that’s when he appeared! The King of Humans! As expected, he helped me reclaim my true self! I can’t go back now! I’m sorry, Saintess, but like you, ‘I’ will also make a rational choice!”
Then she suddenly stopped. Hilde abruptly stared into empty space. Mouth agape, as if she had ‘heard’ something, Hilde let out a small groan.
“Hmm. The Saintess says to stop this ridiculousness and get ready. What should I do, Father?”
I hadn't heard a thing, but Hilde had clearly heard something and reacted. She looked at me, as if at a loss.
Was this the ‘Call of the Saintess’? They said the Saintess could send her call to her followers no matter how far away they were.
But I couldn't read the ‘Call’ itself with my mind-reading. Well, I knew what it was about from reading Hilde’s thoughts.
I feigned ignorance and asked.
“You have to tell me what we’re preparing for if you want me to know what to do.”
Hilde’s smile deepened.
“A peace treaty!”
*
At that same moment, the Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka, was entering the command center with a golem perched on her shoulder.
Vampires do not tire. Perhaps for that reason, their movement speed was not particularly fast. Even when the vampires' power was at its peak, they could not cross the Blessed Enver Great Plains. The sunlight that came once a day, running water, food that was difficult to preserve… these weaknesses pointed out by others would not have been so pronounced if their advance had been faster.
That was why Shei had already wrapped herself in wind and dashed ahead. Chun-aeng's wind was not strong enough to carry someone with as much presence as Tyrkanzyaka, so she had taken on a different role instead. It was a much simpler, cleaner job.
Though she herself was not particularly keen on it.
“And what reason have I to obey your words?”
Tyrkanzyaka asked the golem on her shoulder. Her displeasure seemed to make the darkness around her roil ominously, but the golem, not being her true body, did not notice.
[Cooperation is beneficial to both our state and to you. At present, the Military State's Inner Circle Command is in great chaos due to an invasion by an external force. The Inner Circle Command has not yet been informed of the agreement made between my master and yourself. This chaos must be quickly brought under control to reduce the danger to your other companions.]
“Can you not use those puppets you are so proud of?”
[Due to Maximilien’s ability, all golems within the command center have malfunctioned. This unit is currently the only one capable of remote communication within the command center.]
Tyrkanzyaka recalled the name Maximilien and spoke.
“You mean that fellow I saw on the road before, the one who reeked of rust? He is on your side, is he not? How can this be?”
[Maximilien has deserted the Military State. He is no longer working for the State.]
“Hmph. To be unable to even control one's own kindred. It seemed to have some semblance of order, but this nation will not last long, I see.”
[Partially affirmed. However, Maximilien had his own agenda from the beginning. The current situation was, to some extent, foreseen… Our response was simply inadequate. We did not anticipate that the communication golems he designed would contain self-destruct gears….]
Tyrkanzyaka was intrigued by the curious term ‘self-destruct gears,’ but a sudden thought overshadowed her curiosity. She covered her mouth with her hand and murmured.
“Yes. I heard it before. He certainly said he was looking for the King of Humans… Hmmm. The King of Humans…”
Tyrkanzyaka was lost in thought. The King of Humans, the noble Beast King who represented all humanity back when they were still beasts.
It was said that the Saintess of Origin, the most powerful prophet, had driven him out and brought civilization and order to this land.
And the one the Sanctum, an entity she loathed just thinking about, revered as a god was none other than the Saintess of Origin. Tyrkanzyaka’s rage towards the Sanctum was retroactive, making the Saintess of Origin her sworn enemy by default. It was a pity she could not have her revenge.
“…The enemy of my enemy. Yes, that is what one would call it. Hmmm.”
As her thoughts began to wander, the golem interrupted her leisurely contemplation.
[Tyrkanzyaka. You stated that you would comply with my master's request. Are your preparations not yet complete?]
“Do not rush me. This is why those with short lifespans are so….”
After a small rebuke to the golem, Tyrkanzyaka grasped the darkness with her hand.
The Sanctum wielded light. Tyrkanzyaka, who had fought them her entire life, had learned how to hide from it. If she shrouded herself in darkness, not even the Saintess could ‘see’ her. It was a power the Progenitor had gained through her historic opposition to the Sanctum.
And through her long battles with the Sanctum, Tyrkanzyaka had learned other tricks using the darkness.
“…Wait. The sun is rising, so it will take a little more time…”
Darkness shot out through the grid-like roads. The Inner Circle Command was too vast and its interior too bright, so there wasn't enough darkness.
Still, it was more than enough to carry a voice. Tyrkanzyaka spoke in a deep, sunken tone.
“It is done. Speak. The darkness will carry your voice and spread it everywhere.”
The golem immediately spoke. The voice emerging from the speaker flowed through the darkness.
[To all personnel present in the Inner Circle Command, this is Signaller Captain Abbey, broadcasting on behalf of all Signallers.]
A stir went through the ranks, but it wasn't a large one. Announcements using Signallers were common, and the soldiers listened attentively, accustomed to the voice echoing from all directions.
A few soldiers were shocked to realize the sound was originating from the darkness itself, but it had little effect on the overall situation.
[At this time, the Military State's Chief Command has decided to hold a conference with the group that has launched an attack on the Military State. The Chief of the Military State's Public Safety, General Zigrund, will be observing this conference. All forces stationed at the command center are to cease combat and focus on post-battle recovery. This has been a broadcast from Signaller Abbey. Over.]
The golem’s command was short and concise. After it finished, Tyrkanzyaka released her hold on the darkness and glanced at the golem, muttering.
“Your manner of speech has grown more impudent than before.”
[…? Unclear. The meaning is difficult to comprehend.]
“You no longer prattle on about regulations and principles. When you were in the Abyss, you seemed to need something to lean on. There is no longer a trace of that.”
The golem, too, seemed to fall into thought for a moment. Unlike the golem, Tyrkanzyaka was not in a hurry. She walked on, leisurely awaiting its response.
[Partially… affirmed.]
The voice that finally came out was, uncharacteristically for a golem, laden with a great deal of emotion. Tyrkanzyaka smiled faintly and said.
“Good. Now, show me the way. Where must I go?”
[To the Joint Headquarters. I will guide you. Please follow.]
Following the golem's guidance, the vampire's shadow stretched long behind her, like a footprint.