EP.112 Aftermath - 1
Tantalus was split in two.
It is a rule that the larger the mass, the more it fails to withstand its own weight and fractures. That is why icicles cannot grow beyond a certain size, and why even the most powerful empire in history shattered into pieces just the same.
Tantalus, which had remained intact even while embracing all sorts of falling debris, was just like everything else, split exactly in half due to an internal problem.
Namely.
"A beast that attacks a person should be beaten to death immediately, why are we talking about keeping it alive!"
"It's already incapacitated! There's no need to go out of our way to kill it!"
By the difference in opinion between me and the Regressor.
Enraged by the opponent's illogical claim, I glared and shouted.
"You cut off human arms so easily, but you absolutely can't wring a cat's neck? It's because people like you exist that cats walk around with their heads held high, not knowing their place!"
The Regressor also shouted back, standing against me.
"Killing it like that won't help at all! Nabi is the King of Cats, and the King of Beasts is a precious fighting force! It's enough as long as we don't hand it over to the enemy!"
Beside the shouting Regressor, was Nabi, lying sprawled on the training room floor, purring faintly.
Struck by Tir's fist, Nabi was on the verge of death. It did bare its fangs out of instinct, but it was no different from a deathbed struggle.
Azi, who rushed in at the last moment, bit Nabi's ankle, and Nabi couldn't shake it off. Azi, still clamping down on Nabi's ankle, shook its head wildly. With a sickening crack, the leg broke, and Nabi's body alternately left bloodstains on the wall and floor. The cat, bitten by the dog, was utterly mangled.
Nabi lost consciousness, but Azi's attack showed no signs of stopping. If the Regressor hadn't stopped it, it would have been the end right there.
Looking at Nabi lying there, having completely entrusted its life and safety to the opponent like a beast facing death.
No thoughts came to me. I cannot read a beast's thoughts.
Nor was there any particular need to.
"Even if the King of Beasts dies, it reappears somewhere in the world, doesn't it! Just kill it! Then raise a clean cat that hasn't been soaked in drugs and tasted blood!"
"We can't even leave the Abyssal Pit right now, and how do you know where the King of Cats will appear? It's a chance that it fell right into our hands. If we tame it like this."
"You just say pretty words but you don't raise them at all! I can clearly see the sight of you half-neglecting it and eventually making me raise it! I told you I don't want to raise a drug-addict cat!"
"T-This time is different! And if it's the King of Cats that can live well on its own, there won't be much to do anyway!"
"From the moment you say that, you're already disqualified!"
Our opinions were parallel lines.
Me, wanting to kill Nabi for immediate peace.
And the Regressor, wanting to keep Nabi alive to prevent a future disaster.
While our sharp confrontation continued, Tir, who had been watching quietly, approached.
A tightly balanced scale. Tir, who came to me and cast a vote on my side, looked at Nabi with a cold face.
"I will add my voice to Hui's opinion. This King of Beasts is unstable in many ways, so it's better to dispose of it. Especially since it has a history of actually attacking us."
"Ugh..."
I rode the line well. With Tir unconditionally taking my side, my words gained power and authority. Look at that. The Regressor, who was yapping at my words, is keeping their mouth shut.
Is this the thrill of a fox borrowing a tiger's majesty? It is sweet.
While I was at it, I called my minion, or rather, my subordinate hound.
"Azi!"
"Woof!"
"Should we let the bad cat that tried to attack humans live, or should we kill it? What do you think?"
"Woof, woof. Grrr."
"Death penalty, death penalty. Immediate execution."
Azi is generally kind to other beasts, but it is incomparably harsh against beasts that attack humans.
Since it even broke its own arm, there was no way it would forgive it. Azi immediately bared its teeth at the cat.
With this, two of Tantalus's maximum fighting force supported me. What are you going to do, Regressor?
'Tch. If the King of Beasts flows into the Lord of All Creation, the likelihood of them running rampant increases! Not just the beasts, but even the beastmen! But how do I explain this!'
It was when the Regressor was having a hard time, unable to explain.
"Excuse me.... Let me speak."
Over there, Callis, with a pale complexion, struggled to her feet. When she lost her balance and staggered, the Immortal, who happened to be nearby, caught her.
"Thank you, Rash..."
"It's nothing. For something like this, even receiving a token of gratitude is embarrassing!"
Callis gave a slight nod and stumbled over towards us.
Pierced by Chloe from behind, Callis survived thanks to Tir's Blood Control Art and Azi's grooming. However, she only barely maintained her life.
She was the second most ordinary person in this Tantalus after me, and having three of Chloe's blades pierce her body was a severe injury for a normal person. To the point where it wouldn't be strange if she collapsed right away.
"...I, no, I am against killing it."
But to say she's against it while enduring with sheer willpower. I scowled and retorted.
"Eh? Pardon? Could you say that again? Lieutenant Colonel Callis, the Lord of All Creation?"
"...That's why I'm saying it. It's an opinion I'm giving because I was affiliated with that place. Please just take it as a reference."
Callis showing me such a respectful attitude. Originally I would have yelled at her, but thinking that I, a Level 0 citizen, was being treated with respect by a Level 3 Lieutenant Colonel made me feel suddenly good.
So this is how sweet a revolution is. Well then, let's hear the story.
"The Lord of All Creation is trying to use the King of Beasts as a weapon.... And they have prepared a way to find the King of Beasts, and a means to control them. Even if a new King of Cats appears, they will soon fall into their hands."
"Do we need to care about that? Whatever the Lord of All Creation does with the cat, wouldn't it be safer to get rid of the crazy cat right in front of us? You're a normal person like me, so if you're not careful, you could be attacked and killed by a drug-addict cat."
'A normal person? The one who calmly strangled a military commander to death is a normal person...?'
That rude thought did not leave her mouth.
She seems to have quite some tact. Callis, who only brought up the bad thought in her mind, answered calmly.
"...It might be. However, the King of Dogs seemed to be some kind of... special existence to them. Perhaps, if their fighting force is replenished..."
"They might come looking for it again? Then it could become even more dangerous?"
"That's, right. Ugh."
Callis, having barely finished her words, leaned into the Immortal's embrace as if collapsing. The Immortal quickly supported her.
"You've worked hard! The Lieutenant Colonel's words have all been conveyed!"
After that, the Immortal immediately added a word to me.
"Ah, for your information, I'm also on the side of letting the cat lady live!"
"Why?"
"It's only fair at 3:3 if I'm here!"
The Immortal, committing the grave error of treating Azi as a headcount, gave a confident thumbs-up. Instead of pointing out that mistake, I said.
"No, don't pretend to be a guardian of balance with such nonsense! It's because of people like you that chaos is added to the world!"
"Haha! Even if that's not the case, isn't it better to be alive than dead!"
For an Immortal, he sure cares a lot about lives.
The Immortal, who laughed heartily, shrugged his shoulders.
"But this is solely the perspective of me, who doesn't die, and since I haven't actually done anything for the cat lady, I can't force it! Just listen to my opinion as an opinion! I'll leave the judgment to you all! Well then, I'll go escort the Lieutenant Colonel for a bit!"
The Immortal immediately slipped his hands under Callis's legs and lifted her up. Callis leaned against his chest, breathing heavily.
"I'm, sorry.... Not yet. My body hasn't fully healed."
"Aha! You must take care of your body. I'm fine even if my body is torn apart, but people who die easily like the Lieutenant Colonel must rest even if they're slightly hurt!"
"Thank you, time and time again..."
"Haha. Spare the thanks for now and focus on your recovery."
"This grace, I will definitely..."
"Aha! It's fine! I'll receive the repayment all at once when you're fully healed, so don't worry. Receiving it little by little is annoying!"
The Immortal lifted her without difficulty, but Callis couldn't keep her balance at all. Callis adjusted her posture on top of the Immortal, eventually ending up in a tightly pressed posture against him.
Right after, the Immortal raised his head and made a sound akin to a cough.
"Ahem. Ahem ahem."
"Rash...? Is there, a problem?"
"Aha! It's nothing!"
'Hmm. We're touching a little, but I'm worried that if I point it out unnecessarily, it'll become awkward for both of us! What should I do about this!'
Holding Callis like that, the Immortal tilted his head for a moment and pondered.
...Without realizing that Callis, held in his arms, was opening her eyes sharply.
'Well, it's unavoidable for our bodies to touch while supporting her! The Lieutenant Colonel doesn't seem to care much either, so as long as I don't make it obvious, it should be fine! I'll consider it a windfall and gratefully partake!'
Fool. You're the one being eaten.
Having read his thoughts. If they go to the room like this, Callis will chatter her teeth, saying she's cold. Then the Immortal will think it's another windfall and embrace her. It's true that her body temperature is low due to blood loss, so the Immortal will earnestly strive to raise her body temperature.
I'm not sure what will happen after that. What will be the fate of the barbarian swept up in the meticulous yet blitzkrieg assault operation devised by the military Lieutenant Colonel?
Since peeping is bad manners, I should vacate the 4th floor for a while later.
After the Immortal and Callis left. I scratched my chin and said.
"Anyway, the headcount is 3:3. With this, the opinions themselves are tied."
I, who slyly used Azi as a headcount to sloppily make it a tie, stated it as if it were a fait accompli and smoothly moved past it. Fortunately, the Regressor failed to realize that grave error and said to me.
"Then it's a temporary reprieve?"
"No. Not a chance."
A temporary reprieve means keeping it alive for now. I can't leave it like that.
Rather than a risk that might or might not come in the future, it's better to remove the certain risk right in front of me. Because, unless you're a prophet, you can't see the future. This has been my long-standing philosophy.
However, I need to overcome the Regressor's opposition... so I have no choice but to use that.
I spun my right arm around and muttered.
"The great sages prepared various methods to resolve conflicts at times like this."
"Are you talking about... a duel?"
'3:3...? Tch. With Tirkanjaka and Azi on that side, there's no chance of winning. Should I suggest a commander's duel? I wanted to spar at least once...'
"What kind of duel? Are you crazy?"
A commander's duel on top of that, she has no conscience. If you have no common sense, you should at least have a conscience.
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Rock-paper-scissors. The most fair match historically proven."
"You're going to decide Nabi's life and death with rock-paper-scissors?"
"Well, is there any other method? Are we going to have a real duel? Just for your information, I'm a Tirkanjaka owner, you know? Come at me if you're confident."
I pointed at Tir confidently.
Then Tir flinched in surprise and brought both hands together, fidgeting.
'I, I am her possession... Sh-She has never permitted me to make such an arrogant declaration, how presumptuous.... But then, why doesn't it feel as bad as I thought...?'
No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I possess an asymmetric force.
Anyway, my meaning was taken as it was by the Regressor. The Regressor reluctantly accepted my proposal.
"Tch, alright. Let's just do it."
"Don't drag it out messily, let's do it in a single match. Nabi's life and death hangs on your fist."
"I said I got it."
Alright, took the bait.
Rock-paper-scissors. A simple match where scissors beat paper, paper beats rock, and rock beats scissors.
It is rare to think while playing rock-paper-scissors. The majority of cases are where you don't think at all until you throw your hand, and reflexively decide the moment you throw it.
However, if certain conditions are met, rock-paper-scissors turns into a fierce psychological warfare rampant with mind games.
And when it becomes a psychological warfare, I, a mind reader, unconditionally win.
"I'm going to throw rock. As expected, a man is rock."
I hid my true intentions and raised my fist.