EP.248 Rainbow Bridge
The battle was over, but apart from successfully repelling the enemy, the gains were minimal.
They had wounded Gwabyeong but failed to subdue him, and though they had destroyed Cheontong, it wasn't the main body to begin with. The real issue was that Tir, enraged upon seeing Cheontong, had consumed too much darkness.
The hard-saved darkness was a waste, but Tir remained indifferent about it.
[It was inevitable. If I hadn't hunted the angel, I would have collapsed from suppressed anger.]
"What suppressed anger? Just don't send blood to your head and it'll calm down on its own."
Regardless of my grumbling, Seonghwangcheong is Tir's trigger. Like a cat chasing a mouse, Tir flies into a rage upon seeing Seonghwangcheong, losing all reason.
I understand that much, so I don't say anything more. I pressed the now-meaningless pedal and turned the steering wheel.
"Anyway, the losses are significant. With the Six Generals on their side, each one being a national-level military asset, even a surprise attack would inevitably incur casualties."
In a world where a single strong individual possesses the power to match a thousand, what is the most troublesome existence as an enemy to a nation?
Naturally, it's guerrillas.
A single person with immense power utilizes their mobility, roaming the land committing acts of destruction. Without someone of equal strength, they can't even be opposed. Like a parasite inside the body, they steadily eat away at the entire nation, inflicting massive damage.
Of course, sending such a powerful individual to die in another country is a loss, but historically, stories of great figures who infiltrated enemy nations during their own country's crisis to buy time have been passed down through generations.
That's what we're doing now, but the same applies to the enemy. The moment we separate even a little, the weaker ones get hunted first.
I glanced at the biggest victim of this attack.
"Selphi..."
The princess sat hugging her knees in one corner of the cargo area, grieving over the death of her beloved horse.
They couldn't carry a horse's corpse in the cramped cargo area, so the regressor used Jizan's power to create a grave for Selphi. After finishing a brief memorial at the grave, the princess boarded the autom carriage with reddened eyes, glancing back.
Before Selphi died, all of Selphi was within Selphi, but after Selphi died, most of Selphi seemed to have moved inside the princess.
The princess recalled Selphi's warmth while feeling the autom carriage's vibrations, thought of Selphi when seeing passing scenery, and instinctively prepared Selphi's food when eating something, only to become depressed.
"Woof. Woof woof."
Aji silently stayed by the princess's side. It was to comfort her after sensing the princess's emotions.
The regressor also glanced that way.
She had feelings of pity for her former loop's comrade, but that was strictly a thing of the past. The regressor, with her disconnected experiences, didn't approach the princess despite her feelings.
Because she lacked eloquence? That too. Because of her personality? That's also correct.
But the most important reason was a sense of alienation.
'...Her way of speaking and appearance are similar to back then, but she's definitely different from the princess I knew. Back then, she wasn't weak enough to show tears outwardly even when a comrade died.'
The regressor doesn't grieve over someone's death. She feels regret or disappointment, but has neither the luxury to grieve nor the need to.
One could say her heart had worn thin, but more than that, the fact that she could simply regress no matter what tragedy occurred was the bigger factor.
'True, it's still early at this point. The princess can still be tender.'
Just as the regressor nodded to her own conclusion that such wounds had accumulated to make the princess of that time—
I lowered my voice and suggested to the regressor.
"Ms. Shea, this is your chance. Go say a word of comfort at least."
"How do I comfort her? Comforting her won't change anything."
'It only changes if I regress. But I can't regress for the sake of a mere horse. Originally, if I've come this far, I wouldn't regress even if the princess died.'
"It eases the heart, you know. The heart."
"What good does easing the heart do? Selphi still won't come back."
'I have the ability to erase the princess's sorrow, the ability to bring Selphi back... but I'm not doing it. Having the power to reverse all of this yet keeping my mouth shut and only offering comfort is nothing but hypocrisy. So, whatever others may be, I have no right to comfort her.'
Well now, that's negative.
I can understand the way of thinking. No, I have telepathy to begin with, so there's no one I can't understand.
Like the signal soldier conversing through a golem, or Maximilian who planted gears in her head and only connected them when needed, I can't understand them... but the regressor only placed her memories and experiences somewhere I can't see, her thoughts themselves can still be read.
That's why it's even more frustrating. I let out a sigh.
"That's why you're unpopular."
"What? Wanna die?"
Her ears are sharp for this kind of thing. I subtly raised my voice and changed the subject.
"Ms. Shea, no matter how I look at it, the princess isn't suited for combat. Was there really a need to bring her into this fight?"
"We've come this far, we can't send her back, can we?"
"That's true too, but shouldn't you have refused when the princess said she wanted to come along in the first place? With just Siati, we can sufficiently contact the spy who infiltrated the military nation."
"...That's certainly true as you say."
'Why ask at this timing of all times, when the horse just died? Wait, could it be? Because the horse died?'
The regressor looked at me with a "surely not" feeling.
"You don't think the princess has outlived her usefulness just because the horse died, do you?"
"Huh? Did you learn telepathy, Ms. Shea?"
"Do you have no blood or tears?!"
"Of course not. I'm a normal person who bleeds and sheds tears. It's just that I have none to shed for a beast."
"That's really too much! And this guy was preaching about easing the heart?!"
'To Aji and to Nabi too. This guy is really cruel to beasts! Even the lord of all creation doesn't treat them this roughly!'
Treating them roughly. Treating beasts like beasts is enough, what more do they expect?
The regressor scolded me and let out a sigh.
"I haven't explained it properly to you yet, have I? About the princess's bloodline, the power bestowed upon the Grandiomor royal family."
"Well, I know roughly."
"If you know, it'll be easier to explain. The Grandiomor royal family, the power that flows in that bloodline... its essence, simply explained as the ability to not kill hostility, is peace."
The regressor began to carefully explain the knowledge she possessed.
"The belief that the other person won't harm me. The promise that we won't view each other as appetizing prey. The power that forms society. We need that power."
"Why? Perhaps to end everything peacefully?"
"Correct. My goal is... to prevent war, not to start a new one."
The regressor's power is immense. With Cheonaeng and Jizan in both hands now, the regressor could actually cause a tremendous disaster all alone.
To begin with, Jizan is a relic left by the Grand Master who single-handedly created the Bottomless Pit. Combined with Cheonaeng, the regressor who possesses personal combat capability could cause even greater casualties, if not something as mystical as the Bottomless Pit.
But she doesn't.
Because her goal can never be achieved through killing.
"If we take down the communications headquarters and crush only their war-fighting capability, the military nation, suffering from communication disruptions, will fall into great chaos. We'll have to stop fighting and pull out at the right time anyway. In that situation, the princess's power of peace will shine."
'It's a bit forced, but with the King of Beasts secured and Tirkanjaka also present. And... with the Commander having joined as well, we have enough power. We can do it.'
Oho. So the regressor had plans too. I feel almost apologetic for thinking she lived without plans just because she could rewrite her life.
While at it, I asked what I was curious about.
"But a coup d'état happened against the royal family in the end, didn't it?"
"Of course it did. The royal family roughly knew the power of their bloodline but didn't even show their faces to the citizens. How could there be peace when there's no opportunity to use their ability?"
"But General Maximilian tried to kill the princess openly?"
When Maximilian's name came up, the regressor made a very displeased expression.
"That guy is a different matter. That guy... tampered with his own cognition as a scheme to resist mystery. I don't know how, and I don't want to know, but... still, rest assured."
The regressor tapped Cheonaeng and Jizan with her fingers, showing a very reliable smile.
"Next time we meet, he won't be able to escape. He won't even have time to glance at the princess."
It was a strategic statement through and through, but the regressor, engrossed in the conversation, overlooked one important fact.
Just because the front seats and the rear cargo area were separated didn't mean her voice couldn't be heard by the princess.
The way to overcome the grief of loss is not through mourning, but by leaving it behind and moving forward. There's a reason why time that continues to flow forward is considered a panacea.
The princess, biting her lip tightly and clenching her fists, raised her head. The regressor, who had just been talking about the princess, flinched but brushed it off as nothing significant.
'Huh? Did she hear? Well, I didn't say anything I shouldn't have.'
But regressor, you still don't know. How you appear to others.
The princess moved from the cramped cargo area and approached the front seats. The princess, having drawn close to the front seats, brought both hands to her chest and then spoke.
"...Gong."
"Huh? Me?"
When the regressor pointed at herself, the princess smiled slightly and nodded.
"Thank you. Though my power is meager, and even I'm not sure how to use it. I'll use all my abilities to help Gong. For my sake, and... for Gong's sake."
"Uh, um? Thank you."
'...? What on earth is going on? The one who saved the princess back then wasn't me but this guy...?'
Exactly. I've been helping the princess recently, so why are you receiving the thanks?
But I'm still focusing on the front so I can't send a cold glare. Meanwhile, the regressor collected the reward for my trickery.
"And, if... when all this is over."
The princess, who was thinking of something, shook her head and swallowed her words.
"It's probably too early to discuss that. For now, I'll be preparing to contact the informant."
"Huh? Yeah."
The princess bowed her head and withdrew. The regressor, still unable to grasp what had happened, widened her eyes and lowered her voice.
"She's motivated? I thought she'd be depressed because her horse died."
"Seems like it. Until a little while ago."
"It's a bit better if she's cheered up."
You're really naive. No, actually, since this would be the regressor's first time in this kind of situation, I can't call her naive. You were actually more popular when you were a man, you know?
No, even when she was a woman, she might have been decent. If only she hadn't done that unconvincing cross-dressing.
Tir, who had been watching this situation from the shadow of my back seat, couldn't hold back and said something.
[...Sigh. Isn't your craftiness too outstanding?]
"Craftiness? I don't know what you're talking about."
[Deny it all you want. If you think I'm as dense as Shea, you're mistaken.]
'Comforting the princess in this brief moment and subtly suggesting what she needs to do going forward. You're no ordinary person. Must be the skill of someone who made many women cry in the old days.'
That's unfair. I'm a magician. I've made smiles appear on people's faces, but I've never made them cry.
With a few exceptions.
"Ugh..."
At that moment, Siati, who had been sleeping due to the aftermath of dark magic and injuries, woke up. As she grabbed her bruised chest and sat up, she startled and looked around.
Historia, who had been quiet until now, raised her body. Though still bound by the precious rope called Cheonsamsa, Historia appeared not the slightest bit uncomfortable, just as she had been all along.
How did that compare? Siati wasn't bound but looked much smaller than Historia.
"...Ugh, what. Do you... have business with me?"
As injured humans commonly do, Siati instinctively regarded Historia with caution. Not because it was Historia, but anyone would have done the same.
Historia, having sufficiently perceived that sign, reaffirmed her resolve and... as if refusing to allow any objection, declared boldly.
"Siati. You're dropping out here."