Chapter 355: Extended Maintenance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 355: Extended Maintenance
“Join the Military State’s cause. You won’t have to do any menial work, just defeat the enemy commander! It’s not an unreasonable request, is it? You infiltrated the State and took down the Gunmaster and the Warforger, so this is only fair! It’s what the Fallen Dominion would call balancing the scales!”
Hilde demanded as brazenly as a debt collector.
No matter how you looked at it, this was the Regressor who had pointed a sword at the very heart of the Chief Command. Even if she had a greater purpose, she wouldn't have chosen to attack if she didn't harbor some personal animosity toward the Military State. The Regressor replied, a sense of revulsion in her voice.
“You want me to become a soldier for the Military State?”
“I’m not asking you to enlist, just join us as a mercenary for a short while! If we combine your power with the State’s strategy, we can easily crush the legion led by the Golden Lord! Isn't a swift end to the war, achieved through overwhelming power, the truest form of peace?”
Once she revealed her true colors, her words flowed like a river. It was a complete change from the passive attitude she had maintained until now.
From the very beginning, Hilde had been with us to represent the interests of the Military State. She had followed us to the peace talks out of fear that the Regressor would forge a truce that was disadvantageous to her nation. And yet, the one person who should have been most sensitive to the State’s interests had acted like a mere bystander.
The reason for that was only now becoming clear, with the truce agreement torn to shreds.
“You were aiming for this from the start?”
“It’s a bit much to say I was aiming for it, don’t you think? Shouldn’t any diplomat worth their salt consider the possibility of failure? ‘I’ was simply fulfilling ‘my duty’!”
‘Of course, I was! From the State’s perspective, a decisive victory is much better than some ambiguous peace! Besides, if we get the King of Humans, the Vampire Queen will follow, right? It’s a total bargain!’
So the King of Humans is being treated like a bargain item. Well, having lost all my power, I suppose I am just another ordinary citizen.
Though she spoke indirectly, the intent beneath her words was blatant. The Regressor now understood Hilde’s true objective.
“And you think I’ll just do as you wish?”
“There’s always the option of running away from your responsibilities! Just ignore the tens of thousands who will die. It’s a shame, you can say, that you tried with good intentions but failed. Let others deal with the aftermath! Just turn a blind eye and walk away!”
She called it an option, but she was really accusing her of being an irresponsible and shameless person. With every word Hilde added, the Regressor’s expression soured.
Having pushed her right to the edge with her taunts, Hilde narrowed her eyes and asked again.
“But Shei, can you really do that? Aren’t ‘you’ supposed to stop the war?”
Their gazes clashed. The Regressor glared fiercely, as if ready to pounce at any moment, but Hilde met her gaze with a sly smile, deflecting it effortlessly.
‘No sane person would run around trying to stop a war. Unless she’s a pure, peace-loving lunatic, Shei must be bound by some mission, right? Just like ‘I’ used to be. If that’s the case, she wouldn’t start something and then abandon it irresponsibly, would she?’
Not bad, Hilde. I guess to play a character, you first have to understand them.
See? Mind-reading isn’t all that useful. Just by spending a few days together, you can already read someone’s mind to a certain extent.
If you spend a little more time with her, you might figure out the Regressor’s other secrets. You should be careful.
‘Now. What will you do? Tell me more. Will you forsake your mission, or will you join the Military State, even if you hate it, for the sake of that mission? I’m quite curious!’
As Hilde watched with eyes full of anticipation, the Regressor crossed her arms and pondered.
‘I hate the Military State. The idea of fighting a war under their command… I never want to do that. It would just be a massacre of ordinary soldiers. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.’
‘Still, I don't want to just throw everything away and run, like the Camarilla said. I need to see this ending, if only for the sake of the next timeline. If I’m going to see it through to the end, what’s the best way to do it?’
The Regressor’s deliberations were never long. Once she made a decision, she would push forward until she broke. It was a luxury afforded to her by the promise of another chance.
This time was no different. Before her thoughts were even fully formed, she spoke.
“It’s not over yet.”
“Pardon?”
“The truce negotiation. It’s not over yet.”
‘I know this is a long shot. It won’t be easy. I might even die. But… I could succeed. And if I do, I’ll have taken another step forward.’
All that was needed now was resolve. The Regressor gripped Chun-aeng and Jizan tightly and said to herself.
“Just like we did with the Military State, we’ll hold a sword to his neck.”
Damn.
I was speechless. I had to admire her for pursuing such a crazy plan so calmly and earnestly. It was inspiring.
Hilde, feeling something similar, blinked.
“Um, Shei? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“It’s not impossible. I don’t know if that Golden Lord is the real one, but there must be a core that serves as the medium for the Golden Palace. Otherwise, there’s no way it could maintain a constant area while moving the Fallen Dominion.”
“And you’re going to destroy it?”
“Even if I can’t, I at least have to show that I have the power to do so. Only then will he face us seriously.”
The Regressor’s eyes were sincere. Hilde stood there dumbfounded, like a cat that had got its tongue.
‘How strange. She’s an apostle trying to fulfill her mission, yet she has no regard for her own life? Was ‘my’ prediction wrong? The Golden Lord is a Divine. What happens ‘inside’ the Golden Palace… even foresight can’t see that, can it?’
She regresses when she dies. That’s why she can charge in at full power without a single worry. That’s the Regressor for you.
But that’s her story. I can’t do that. No matter how many times the world resets, I can’t just stick my head into a place where death is certain. Even if she fights the Golden Lord, I can’t participate.
Just in case she got the wrong idea, I decided to speak up.
“Excuse me, Shei-ssi. I hate to look like I’m backing out at this stage, but I have to say this. I don’t have to fight the Golden Lord, right?”
“Huh?”
‘Why? We’re comrades… ah. Right. He wouldn’t be any help. In fact, trying to protect him would just be a burden. Bringing him along would be a net loss.’
Exactly. What would I do besides hold you back? Still, it’s a little unpleasant to be proven right by hearing it in someone else’s thoughts.
The Regressor suppressed a flicker of disappointment with logic and answered as if it were nothing.
“Of course. I wasn’t expecting you to.”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s true that I value my life. But separate from that, someone like me who relies on cheap tricks would be completely unable to harm the Golden Lord.”
“I know. We need someone in the rear anyway. Take the Witherarch and Azzy and fall back for a bit.”
A sound judgment. If it weren’t the Golden Lord, I would have casually watched the fight from the back while munching on some corn, petting Azzy with my other hand.
However, it was hard for me to pass up this opportunity as well.
Who but the Regressor would even think of holding a sword to the Golden Lord’s throat? The more power and status one has, the more cautious they become. And their opponent was the Golden Lord, a being more akin to a natural phenomenon than someone you could feel a sense of rivalry with. The only person crazy enough to endure such a suicidal charge was the Regressor.
Alone, I could never approach the Golden Lord’s essence. That’s why I wouldn’t even try. I can’t, and if I did, I would die.
But if the Regressor creates an opening… a possibility emerges. A chance to get close to the Golden Lord’s essence and find out what has become of the king.
“However, if it’s not a suicide charge, I might be able to lend a small hand.”
The Regressor’s eyes widened in surprise. Seriously, I’m making a grand gesture to help, and she’s just staring at me. I can’t be the one to bow my head while offering my assistance.
“I said I’d help. Your answer?”
“Answer what? How could you possibly help?”
“Do you happen to remember? In the depths of the Abyss, when I captured Jizan.”
“I remember, but… Ah!”
I nodded and replied.
“I’m not properly acknowledged by the relics. Even if I obtain them, I don’t have the power to change the world. However, if it’s just a matter of stealing… that, I can do.”
I am the King of Humans. Human technology, human knowledge, human weapons. Even human faith. If it is something possessed by humans, I can wield it.
Though I lost all of that when I lost my power, the potential to reach for it was never taken from me. I simply lack the energy. I lack the strength. I may be unable to reach it due to the many conditions that bind me, but nothing is impossible for me. If you can do it, so can I. The scale will be much smaller than the original, of course.
The same goes for a Divine. If it originated from humanity, then I, too…
“If you can draw his attention, Shei-ssi, I’ll sneak in and steal the heart of the Golden Palace. That much, I might be able to do.”
“Do you know what the heart of the Golden Palace is?”
“I have a rough idea. It’s just my speculation, but if the Golden Palace has a core, it can only be one thing.”
The golden bell that hung from the young Golden Lord’s waist. A brass bell transformed by alchemy, the very first piece of gold to exist since the discovery of the art.
The relic of the Divine is undoubtedly that golden bell. The first is unique until the next appears. Therefore, the first holds the value of representing the whole.
“Let’s try a little pickpocketing.”