Chapter 309: Who Is the Hostage?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: Who Is the Hostage?
Her shrunken body made her clothes hang loosely. Purple hair spilled over her exposed shoulders. Hilde grabbed her trailing sleeves and crept across the round table.
The Regressor muttered, displeased by Hilde's transformation.
"She should have done this in front of those old geezers..."
"I sent them away because I didn't want to show them! How else am I supposed to play the part of 'Zigrund'?"
The art of disguise involved manipulating the body itself. Even if her Gam Qi Art was so masterful it bordered on touching the very principles of the world, it was still mentally exhausting. With a weary sigh, Hilde flopped comfortably onto the round table.
As if she were in her own home, Hilde lay sprawled out, kicking her legs idly as she spoke.
"Anyway, you get it, right? We're going to exchange hostages."
"Hostages?"
"Yes, hostages. An excellent method of insurance with a deep and storied tradition!"
Hilde spoke cheerfully, but the Regressor did not share the sentiment. Her stern expression grew even colder as she said...
"You'd better choose your words carefully. I don't much care for hostages."
"Hm? Why is that?"
"Why, you ask?"
'Every time I tried to get something done, they'd grab people who had nothing to do with me, call them hostages, and make me feel like shit. Dammit. Just thinking about it pisses me off again... From a kid I spoke to briefly at an inn to a merchant I made a quick trade with... Tsk.'
The Regressor ended the brief recollection. It seemed she'd had a hard time with hostage situations in a previous timeline. Shaking off the unpleasantness welling up from the memory, she spoke.
"It's disgusting."
"Hmm. Sounds like someone precious to you was taken hostage once?"
"The exact opposite. I hate it when they take people who aren't even that important and try to manipulate me with them."
"That's a statement that denies the very value of a hostage. They're taken to be used as leverage, but you refuse to be swayed."
"Hmph. I don't need that crap. Besides, I don't have anyone who could even be used as a hostage."
"Really?"
With an exaggerated gesture, Hilde looked around before pointing at me.
"Then what about your Father?"
"...I don't know why he's your 'Father,' but frankly, I'd be relieved if you took him."
Haha, you don't mean that, Regressor...
'I'm serious. He's quite helpful in certain situations, but he's not reliable enough to depend on. I wonder if someone could take him, make good use of him, and then return him when I need him.'
Huh? She's serious? Hey! You ungrateful Regressor! Do I have to spell out just how much I've contributed for you to get it?
"Shei! That's too harsh. After all the hard work I put in, you're just going to sell me off... Even a pimp isn't this crooked!"
"First of all, I'm not a pimp, but setting aside why you'd even call me that—what did you contribute? You just suddenly vanished with the Princess and the Gunmaster!"
"Really, you don't know why I did that? These negotiations with the Military State are happening thanks to me!"
"What?"
"What Father says is true!"
Hilde leaped into my arms. She settled primly on my lap, adjusted herself into a comfortable position, and spoke.
"Um, I'm sorry to say this, but Father, you're a bit of a step down from the others, aren't you? You're weak, and there's nothing particularly special about you. But then Historia, a proud general of the Military State, suddenly joins your side, and things start getting weird. I mean, it looks like a single poke would be enough to kill you!"
"It might be true, but did you have to say it like that?"
"Did he seduce them all with that slick face of his...? I considered that, but there was a man in the group, so I discarded that hypothesis. Though, seeing Shei's preferences, maybe I was wrong to discard it!"
"I can't deny it. That's a clear fact."
"Deny it! It's clearly not a fact!"
'Those two... they get along freakishly well! Now I know why I felt so annoyed looking at the Camarilla! It's because she's just like him!'
Indeed. We've barely met, and she's already full of mischief. Giggling happily, Hilde tapped her head against my chest and continued.
"When something can't be explained by logic, that's usually the key. Naturally, 'I' and the Military State assumed that Father was the one leading you all. There was the Pied Piper of Hamelin incident, and more importantly, his actions resembled the earlier prison break of Colonel Lankart!"
That was true. It was why Hilde had targeted me at the alchemic steel refinery. A completely misguided assumption, of course.
Even if I played a significant role, the one leading this group was the Regressor.
"Naturally? Hmph. Why would we follow that guy?"
"Huh? You don't?"
"Of course not..."
The Regressor trailed off, then hesitated.
'Wait a minute. Azzy, Tyrkanzyaka, and even the Gunmaster followed Hughes, didn't they? Besides them, the only ones who followed me are Nabi and the Princess, who aren't exactly reliable... Huh? Could it be... that guy might be this timeline's fated opportunity...?'
You're only just realizing that now, Regressor? How much I've helped you?
Feeling my confidence surge, I immediately pressed the Regressor.
"Shei. Do you realize my value now? From now on, you will express your gratitude to me once a month. Along with a small financial reward."
"...Gah! What I mean is, regardless of the truth, there was no reason for you to conclude we'd follow him! Like you said, he's just a slick-faced guy with nothing else going for him!"
Oh-ho. So that's how you're going to get out of this? You hate the idea of thanking me that much?
As the Regressor pressed her, Hilde wagged a finger back and forth.
"Oh no, there was a reason~. If Father is a prophet, or a man chosen by prophecy, it's entirely possible! A person who receives a divine oracle travels, joins forces with companions they meet, and defeats a great evil. It's a common scene in epic poems, isn't it!"
That was the unvarnished truth. After I exposed Hilde's identity, she had called me a 'prophet' and whatnot. At the time, Hilde genuinely believed I was a prophet or something of the sort.
To correct that misunderstanding, I had to subtly hint at the King of Humans. It was a shame to play that card, but I don't regret it. An ace in the hole is meaningless until you use it. Thanks to that, I learned the Military State's secrets... and protected 'humanity'.
"A prophet? From the Sanctum?"
"Yes! The Military State is on the Sanctum's bad side! It wouldn't be strange if they invaded at any moment!"
"True. I did get that impression."
'That's right. The Sanctum was always watching the Military State. In previous timelines, whenever the State started a major war, the Sanctum would intervene aggressively.'
That was probably because of Yuel, but let's just skip over that part for now.
"But! Father stayed behind alone, showing that there was room for dialogue! He came to talk by himself, leaving you and the Progenitor behind. Thanks to that, the Military State felt reassured enough to agree to talks, and after a whole lot of noisy back-and-forth and running around in circles, this meeting was arranged!"
"What do you mean, 'noisy back-and-forth and running around in circles'? You just glossed over it!"
"Sorry. It's too much trouble to explain everything."
"Don't be lazy about the most important part..."
Was it because she'd received too much information in a short time? Or was it because the combination of me and Hilde was just that exhausting? The Regressor clutched her throbbing head, looked at me, and was about to ask a question...
'No. It'd be better to ask someone else.'
I couldn't understand her thought process, but she whipped her head around and asked the person who seemed the most reliable: Historia.
"Gunmaster. Is that true?"
"Ah..."
'Not at all. Huey may have gone to talk... but it wasn't for a peace treaty. They probably summoned him because he's the King of Humans...'
But, Regressor, I hate to break it to you, but Historia is on my side, too. She might not follow me completely, but she'll keep the information I haven't revealed a secret.
Historia said something completely different from what she was thinking.
"That's right. Maximilien tried to interfere, but Huey and I stopped him. We barely managed to defeat him, but then..."
"Ah, I see. So that's why Nevida showed up?"
She had conveniently left out the fact that I was the King of Humans and the existence of Yuel, but other than that, it was extremely close to the truth. The logical story succeeded in convincing the Regressor.
"I understand. So what? You're going to take Hughes hostage because he was so helpful to me?"
"Ahaha. Of course not. How could I dare demand someone like Father as a hostage? It's not possible, and even if I did, you wouldn't accept."
'Tsk. Kind of a shame...'
Were you really planning to hand me over if you could?
Dammit. It would've been better not to know, but thanks to my mind-reading, I know she's serious, and it pisses me off. I'll get my revenge someday. If you're ever taken hostage, I'll make you sweat for a good long while before I rescue you!
While I was seething internally, Hilde giggled and revealed the hostages.
"Don't worry! Shei's hostages are the Princess and her maid!"
"The Princess?"
The Regressor asked in surprise. The choice of hostage was completely unexpected.
'The Princess and I don't have much of a connection in this timeline, do we? Besides, if they take the leader of the Resistance hostage, they'll have to leave the Resistance alone, won't they? They can't harm the hostage, directly or indirectly, until the contract is over.'
If anything, she should be grateful. From a purely practical standpoint, it was a perfect deal. The Regressor was about to nod her head.
'I haven't had much to do with the Princess in this timeline anyway. It might have been different in a past life, but now, I don't really care what happens to her...'
But despite the offer she should have obviously accepted, the Regressor did not nod. A past that didn't exist in this timeline flashed through her mind. It wasn't a full recollection... more like pulling out specific memories tied to a certain person, but it was a pretty good clue, so I read her thoughts as best I could.
In her second timeline, the Regressor had tried to flee the Military State's conscription order. She'd met the Princess while trying to escape to the Fallen Dominion through the Resistance. The Princess, a seasoned leader at the time, had suggested she join them, but the Regressor, afraid of fighting, refused and headed for the Fallen Dominion. She was ambushed and killed along the way.
In her third timeline, she realized the necessity of power and threw herself into the Resistance. The Princess, less experienced than in the second timeline, was suspicious and tested the Regressor, but they soon came to trust each other deeply. With the Princess's full support, she learned the forgotten Qi Art from the Kingdom and steadily built her strength. Thanks to the Standard Qi Art she'd learned in her first and second timelines and the real-world combat experience she'd gained through countless brushes with death, she was able to grow strong quickly.
After that, as she became embroiled in larger and larger incidents, she had less to do with the Resistance... but for a very long time, the Princess had been the Regressor's friend.
Even if it wasn't so in this timeline.
The Regressor spoke what was in her heart.
"I refuse."