EP.234 The Die is Cast
Yerien Grandiomor was born a princess but grew up as an ordinary citizen of the military nation. During the time when the military nation was fervently hunting down remnants and lords across the land continued sporadic resistance, the princess was too young to become their focal point.
The young guardian knight and the indomitable nurse wandered the kingdom searching for those who would help them, but audaciously, the local lord-knights only thought of using the royal bloodline. Even more audaciously, there were attempts to arrange political marriages with the princess, who was still a mere infant.
Unlike the central nobles, local lords were beings who ruled their own territories like kings. As such, their blind loyalty to the royal family was thin.
The guardian knight shuddered with disgust and fled with the princess. Without the help and devotion of a few loyal knights who hadn't forgotten chivalry, the still-young guardian knight alone would not have been able to protect the princess....
Having become wanderers, the princess and the guardian knight defied all impiety and returned to the land ruled by the legion, disguising themselves as brother and sister. At that time, the military nation was a collection of soldiers who had accidentally succeeded in a revolution, and had virtually no administrative capability. Amidst the chaos, the guardian knight and the princess lived pretending to be ordinary citizens of the military nation.
Those who knew their identity appeared, but most of them were people who wouldn't open their mouths even if it cost them their lives. In a precarious peace, the princess grew vigorously.
The princess grew up under the rule of the military nation. With an older brother who seemed like he would even pull out his heart for his younger sister, an old nurse who occasionally teared up, and surrounded by suspiciously kind adults. She grew up receiving abundant love and attention, without lacking anything.
However, at some point, the princess realized.
That this kind world surrounding her was not given without any price.
At first, she wandered. She agonized within her harsh fate. Knowing that she had to risk her life fighting for an already fallen kingdom, she wanted to run away.
Even if she ran away... the guardian knight would respect her. Some vassals might also accept it.
But there is only one reason they are generous to her. Because she is a princess. Even if she runs away, the shackles of being a princess would continue.
The princess accepted her duty out of a sense of obligation. Wearing the crown of thorns given to her since birth, she offered her body on the altar. So that the remnants could burn even more fiercely with her as their sacrifice.
Then.
While investigating a bizarre incident that occurred in Hameln as the representative of the Resistance. The Resistance received a strange visit. Boys and girls around her age. Facing children her age who were somehow broken and burning with hatred.
The offered sacrifice took the hand of an abandoned friend and stood up, walking on her own.
A brief moment of wavering occurred, but the princess had a firm enough mindset to hide her inner thoughts tightly. The princess straightened her expression and posture and looked at the regressor.
"Then, since we've finished the formal greetings, shall we have a conversation...?"
Her inner heart was shaking endlessly, but I suppose she's somewhat of a princess. Despite her clumsy mindset, the attitude she shows is upright.
However, our regressor... well, her mindset is quite good, but....
"There's nothing in particular to discuss. I'll just quickly get to the point. Listen well."
The attitude she shows... sigh. I'm at a loss for words....
"We didn't contact you to entrust ourselves to you, or to find an escape route."
"Then?"
"We're going to strike the headquarters. Frankly speaking, there's almost nothing you can do to help with that."
The regressor cut straight to the point, only stating the business. She cut it so short that question marks filled the princess's face, but the regressor continued speaking as if even that explanation was a waste.
"Our forces are overflowing. On our side, there's the Progenitor, there's me, and there's the Pied Piper of Hameln. Even the King of Beasts is following us for a while."
Why am I included?
"We're going to strike fast and pull out, so it'd be troublesome if weaklings needlessly bustle about, and if they just hold us back, it's only awkward. I'd like you to select only the elite if possible."
"Wait a moment, my lord. The conversation is going a bit fast."
'What is she talking about? A strike? No matter how strong they are, with these people, against the military nation's headquarters...?'
I understand. Even when the regressor proposed attacking the headquarters, for a moment we didn't understand why we had to smash the headquarters. We even thought it was absurd.
But when I read her thoughts, surprisingly, the regressor had it all planned out.
"You chased our tracks, so you should know. We didn't encounter any interference on our way to Amitengrad. The other side only repeatedly and actively avoided engagement."
"Yes. Our spy reported that fact."
'Active avoidance of engagement. Effectively fleeing. We do that a lot too, so we know well...'
"But when we left Amitengrad, the loose encirclement gradually tightened and the enemies kept increasing. They tied the southern legion together and pursued us. And after engaging in sporadic battles, they gathered in the east."
"That's impressive. I heard the Six Generals gathered, but I didn't expect you to have faced the entire southern legion..."
The princess naturally praised the regressor, but it didn't reach the regressor who was a rebel by nature.
"At first, I thought it was because of the Pied Piper of Hameln... but actually, it's strange. An enemy who even avoided engagement to avoid losses, now fights head-on just because the Pied Piper was added? It doesn't make sense."
Raising an army costs money. The military nation in particular. From the bullets and alchemy steel they use, to clothing packets and even food. Every single one consumes considerable alchemy costs or resources.
Unless the regressor or the Progenitor committed irreversible acts of destruction, they hadn't caused any harm other than lightly touching a few bases. The military nation had little reason to consume that many resources.
But they consumed them. An inefficiently large legion was mobilized to capture the few of them.
The princess asked with a serious expression.
"If what you say is true... does that mean the reason the legion moved was not to attack you, my lord?"
"That's what I think."
"Huh, then why."
'The reason the military nation raised its army was not to capture them...? Then, for what reason did they move the southern army?'
To hunt, one needs extensive knowledge of the prey. Having once been a member of the military nation and now become a hunter, the princess understood the military nation more deeply than anyone else among the kingdom's remnants.
'No, I need to change my perspective. The military nation is not ruled by a king. There is a headquarters, but I've never heard of them moving the army based on personal emotions. Rather than guessing intentions to explain actions, I must deduce intentions from actions.
Now, the simplest is the answer. What's the reason to put the southern army on the Meta Conveyor Belt?'
Obviously, movement. Because the Meta Conveyor Belt is a means of transportation. Then a new question arises. To where?
The princess's head spun rapidly. And in an instant, all the pieces of the puzzle clicked together. The princess who gained enlightenment let out an exclamation.
"...It's a war toward the north! It must be the Allied Nations!"
The regressor nodded.
"That's right. They didn't organize an army to chase us. They put on an act of chasing us in order to organize an army."
"Good heavens...!"
"Well, they probably did actually want to restrain or expel us. The existence of the Progenitor Tir-kanjaka would be an excuse for the Mist Duchy to intervene. If you leave the King of Dogs alone, the King of Wolves will come."
Strategic objectives aren't just one. And probably, that won't be the end.
Having realized the grave problem, the princess forgot her dignity and sprang up from her seat.
"Wait a moment. Our stronghold is near the northern border! If war breaks out, we'll be the first to undergo 'stabilization' operations! We need to inform everyone quickly...! Kyaa!"
Flustered, the princess caught her foot on the chair leg and almost fell. The guardian knight hurriedly tried to catch her, but the regressor was much faster.
The regressor had mastered Cheonbangyeong, and regardless of others' gazes, had no psychological hesitation since they were both women. Having become familiar with the princess in past iterations also played a part.
The regressor caught the princess smoothly and naturally, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand. Inadvertently gripping the regressor tightly to support herself, the princess's body momentarily froze as if electrified before she jumped back. Because of her pale pink hair color it wasn't very noticeable, but the princess's face turned slightly red.
"Uh, um! Thank you, my lord...! I-I was so startled I made a fool of myself!"
"Be careful."
Actually, the regressor had no thoughts about it since she just caught her reflexively.
Perhaps startled by the contact with an unfamiliar person, the princess grabbed a handful of her own hair, covered her mouth, and mumbled.
"Sir. Inform everyone. Tell them to prepare for evacuation immediately."
"Understood."
The guardian knight took out a pure white stone tablet fragment hidden inside his clothes.
Lakion Great White Wall. One of the miracles of the Holy Imperial Court, and a part of the pure white wall surrounding the holy land.
The inner wall of a temple built using a part of that wall is intact. Even if it's a broken fragment, that's the case. If someone writes on the stone tablet, the same writing appears on the inner wall of the temple.
Therefore, the temple served as a bulletin board that conveyed not only the will of the gods but also the king's orders. This was also a factor that allowed the Holy Imperial Court to spread widely throughout the world by being closely tied to power.
...However, the military nation, which had created the moving Great White Wall and signal soldiers, had no need for it.
It was when the guardian knight was about to reveal the Great White Wall fragment. The princess urgently stopped him.
"Sir! Not here!"
'This is a space where the Progenitor is! You mustn't reveal the Great White Wall!'
The guardian knight, recalling why the Great White Wall fragment was so tightly wrapped, asked for a moment's understanding and went outside the container.
Of course, Tir, who had recognized its identity, became displeased, but he wasn't petty enough to get angry over something not even revealed in front of him. Since the princess had shown at least the minimum courtesy.
"Sigh. My mood has become a bit displeased. Come to my side for a while to lighten the mood."
Or is it? Using the excuse of being displeased to use me.
Deeply relieved, the princess now looked at the regressor with a gaze of admiration.
"A-Amazing... You seem younger than me, yet you have martial prowess comparable to the Absolute Spear, and this level of insight... If you had led the rebellion, we wouldn't have even needed the Absolute Spear to bring down the kingdom!"
It was truly lavish praise, but considering she was the last princess, it was an ambiguous compliment that made it unclear what attitude to take.
However, the regressor felt awkward in a different sense.
'What insight... I came from seeing the future, so of course I should know. No, I should have known a little earlier than now.'
The Abyssal Pit collapses.
Earthly power returns to the land where the curse disappeared.
Multiple nations compete over the fertile land.
War breaks out. The Seven-Day War, where all battles end in just seven days.
The regressor had long known this fact. Because that's how it was in the previous iterations.
She didn't know whether the military nation had tried to eliminate the Abyssal Pit with that in mind, but anyway, the war itself was already a foreseen situation.
But she forgot in the midst of the fierce pursuit. She thought the military nation was really chasing them and responded seriously.
'Come to think of it, even the Absolute Spear and the Demon General fought with reduced power until they captured the General Commander. The only one who had a reason to fight us was the General Commander. In the case of the General Commander, he was originally targeting that guy Hughes... It seems the headquarters doesn't even tell the Six Generals the original operation. Tch, these headquarters bastards, what the hell are they?'
Anyway, since we kept running along the south, the southern legion gathered in the Far East along the Meta Conveyor Belt. If they just move north like this... the deployment will be completed in an instant.
War breaks out starting with the military nation's occupation of the wasteland.
'Anyway, let's stop it while we can. There's no reason not to. If we escape to the Allied Nations, it would only become an excuse for war.'
War is not what the regressor desires. To be precise, it's better if the human world doesn't fall into chaos from war before stopping the King of Sins.
Therefore, strike the headquarters.
"My... lord?"
Though unintentional, the regressor was lost in thought with incredibly complex and settled eyes. Seriously, as if examining a much further future and the bigger picture.
How that must have looked in the princess's eyes, ugh, I don't even want to imagine because it gives me chills.
'...Isn't she too perfect of a person! Outstanding skill, deep insight! Able to read the political situation, and on top of that, a noble appearance that rivals a woman's...! How was such a person born!'
I didn't want to, but I read it. Ah, if it were up to me, I'd turn off my mind-reading. Won't someone knock me out.
The regressor, hearing the princess's call, responded.
"Uh... um, it's nothing. We even fought the military nation and accessed a lot of information. It's only natural we know more."
"Even modesty becomes poison when excessive."
"It's not particularly modesty, though..."
It was the literal meaning, but it didn't reach the princess. The princess only looked at the regressor with eyes full of admiration. Good heavens, to think there would be a day when the regressor receives such reverence.
It must be the end of times. Or maybe regression is just that much of a cheat.
As I nodded, suddenly Xyati sent me a smile full of ecstasy. The story conveyed so far had given her great inspiration.
Xyati spun around and knelt before the princess. Thud, her knee struck the floor of the container.
"Your Highness. Give the order."
"Xyati? You never usually do this, why are you kneeling so burdensomely...?"
As the princess looked puzzled, Xyati lowered her head even more and pleaded.
"Please give the order for an all-out attack. There is no time but now."
"What? Xyati. What do you mean."
Xyati quickly and briefly continued her explanation.
"If the military nation is preparing for war, they'll first tighten domestic control. Staying in the north where the legion is gathering would be a death sentence. We need to evacuate. But with forces already gathered in the Far East, if we start leisurely including civilians, we'll just be pursued and defeated one by one. We'd suffer near-annihilating casualties."
The princess was sharp enough to deduce the war from just a few clues. As Xyati continued speaking, what her proposal was gradually became clear.
"To prevent that, we also need to attack the headquarters and throw them into confusion. Making them unable to afford to look elsewhere is the only possibility for them to survive. Your Highness, make the decision."
The princess closed her mouth.
This opinion was presented by Xyati. It's an operation proposed by an avenger who would be satisfied and die if she burned herself to inflict burns on the military nation. It's full of selfish motives.
The problem is, that's the right method.
They would have to fight an unprepared all-out war that came suddenly. Biting her lip, the princess asked the regressor with a faint hope.
"Surely, my lord. You were aiming for this from the beginning...?"
"Huh? I was just thinking of borrowing some of your spies."
Even the regressor, who hadn't actually expected things to go this far, waved her hand, but the die was already cast.