EP.262 Half Success
It's half a success.
I made Sieggrunnd reveal his identity and abilities himself. Convinced that I possessed some mystery, he judged that hiding his identity was meaningless and revealed himself before us.
The problem is, he had the exact same thought.
'A mystery becomes easier to deal with once you uncover it. Origin, abilities, weaknesses, limits. If you can grasp those, you can prepare countermeasures. Just like the Progenitor Tirkanjaka.'
Mysteries come from outside humanity. As such, mysteries have weaknesses as distinct as their strengths. Even the mighty Progenitor Tirkanjaka was temporarily bound by a trap made of light.
The Blood Ancestral Art is her own ability, but the darkness she wields is a mystery born of history and karma.
'Not knowing about the mystery hidden within the Progenitor's darkness, it's no wonder the Military Empire kept losing. Pied Piper. I will dismantle your mystery.'
Hmm. But... my mystery doesn't come from outside humanity.
I looked around. Tir and the Regressor aren't here. While rescuing the dying forced laborers, they're probably sneaking them out little by little.
The people here... telling them that fact wouldn't cause much harm.
Hmm. Alright. It'll be difficult, but this time I have to manage without the Regressor and Tir's help.
'Mystery? To Huey?'
She hesitated briefly, but Historia's agitation was short-lived. She was a seasoned soldier and didn't confuse her objectives.
'He's had a lot of trivial knowledge since before. When you asked him something, he usually had an answer. It might be true what he says. But what does that matter? Right now, the identity of the being before me is more urgent than Huey's identity. Probably, that thing's identity is...'
Just a little thinking leads to the answer.
It's someone who copied Historia's face and body. Whatever ability they possess, if they transformed, they can't be in perfect condition.
Matching Historia evenly for a time while not in perfect condition? In the Military Empire, only six beings possess such ability. Among them, unlike the others whose abilities are fully revealed, only one person has much veiled in mystery.
"Director of Public Security Sieggrunnd. It's you."
Sieggrunnd smiled.
"You were slow to figure it out, Historia. You should have noticed from the moment we exchanged blows. As expected, you're completely hopeless at intelligence warfare."
"You were introduced as someone specializing in espionage and infiltration, skilled in stealth and close combat. The stealth part was a lie."
"There's a saying that to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies, isn't there? The fact that I use transformation is top secret. The surveillance target mustn't know that. What I want is—"
"Then what about now?"
"There's no meaning in hiding."
Sieggrunnd pointed at me beyond Historia.
"With a mystery-seer right there before my eyes. What meaning would there be in hiding?"
"Are you trying to sow discord? It's pointless. I'm not incompetent enough to ruin things with unconfirmable suspicions in this situation."
"You might be that way."
This time Sieggrunnd pointed over his own shoulder. Historia looked that way and widened her eyes.
"But would everyone else be the same?"
There stood Siati.
Siati was more confused right now than anyone else. While she was debating whether to destroy the refinery or not, suddenly Carapald had betrayed them and activated the trap. Immediately after, the world was enveloped in light.
When her vision returned, Carapald had vanished somewhere, and the Military Empire's forces were rushing in from the other side. While everyone else was doing something, all Siati could do was protect the princess from a safe position.
However, even Siati who couldn't fully grasp the situation realized one thing when Sieggrunnd transformed into Carapald.
That the mastermind behind all this was Sieggrunnd.
"You...!"
Siati raised her finger. Dark magical power wrapped around her finger.
There was no strategy or anything. With the single-minded determination to make her hateful enemy feel the same pain, Siati gripped the index finger of her left hand.
It was then. For a brief moment, Sieggrunnd spoke with 'Carapald's' tone and gaze.
"Siati. Dark magic isn't omnipotent. I don't want you to use dark magic..."
Humans are bound by what they see. Even knowing in her head that the opponent was an enemy, Siati, who hadn't fully accustomed herself yet, hesitated.
It was a split second, but it was long enough for Sieggrunnd. Historia, seeing the direction Sieggrunnd was rushing toward, cried out urgently.
"Siati! Fall back!"
But by the time she finished speaking, Sieggrunnd was already within arm's reach of Siati.
It was a bizarre martial art. As if having matched rhythms with the opponent beforehand, with movements as natural as flowing water. Before Siati could notice, Sieggrunnd slipped behind her back.
Before Siati could react, Sieggrunnd instantly twisted her arm and subdued her. Before a Six-Star General's qi, even a steel prosthetic arm was no different from straw. Bone and iron framework creaked together, gripped in one hand.
"Grrrrgh...!"
Sieggrunnd whispered to the struggling Siati.
"Calm down, Siati."
"Let... go! Don't say my name with that face...!"
"Calm down, and you can save Carapald's life. Aren't your few friends precious to you?"
Siati choked up and tried to say something. That she doesn't cling to her friends' deaths. That the children who sank in Hameln swore they'd rather cut off their own wrists than drag each other down.
But the words wouldn't easily leave her mouth. She shouldn't be having tender conversations with the enemy, but her body stopped involuntarily at the thought of "what if."
Because she truly is an ordinary human.
"How did I copy his appearance? Your name, his way of speaking, even the code phrases. How did I find out all of that?"
"Ugh..."
"Naturally, it's the result obtained after capturing and interrogating him. In other words, his life is in my hands."
Chuckling briefly, Sieggrunnd patted Siati and cast his gaze toward me and Historia.
"Now then, Historia. Huey. To save your precious friends, would you please follow my instructions."
It was clear that "precious friends" included not only Siati but also Carapald. Historia gritted her teeth.
"You intend to take hostages..."
"It's the most efficient method. But we're also cornered, so we don't have the luxury of choosing our means."
"It's useless. We're nothing more than extras."
"But there's no harm in removing even extras. Besides, you might be able to persuade them."
It was a remark seemingly aimed at Historia. However, I know. That his attention is now entirely directed at me.
Wow. Now it's overt containment? He really intends to strip me bare. I can't pretend to be more incompetent anymore.
Because...
"Siati, Historia. Don't be fooled. You mustn't believe those words."
"Huey. Think coldly. This might be an opportunity. Now that we've followed the Military Empire right to their jaws, this is the chance to guarantee our safety...!"
"Carapald is already dead. He's running a hostage play with a corpse."
Sieggrunnd smiled broadly. It was a refreshing smile shown when untangling a tangled skein, when capturing prey pursued for a long time.
In contrast to him, Siati's face crumbled miserably. With Sieggrunnd's face right behind her, the contrast made it even more striking.
It was as if the total amount of happiness was fixed, and Sieggrunnd had taken two people's share.
Sorry. But I can't let any more time be dragged out here.
"The Military Empire has no reason to keep the Resistance alive. The Resistance isn't locked in the labor camps. There's a possibility they could incite the forced laborers to riot. So the Military Empire would have killed him immediately after interrogation was finished."
Carapald was dead. After all manner of torture and interrogation, after extracting all the desired information, they disposed of him when he became useless.
The timeframe is relatively recent. By date, it was when Ji-seon visited Tantalos. The command center, claiming to prepare for war, ordered Public Security to inspect military facilities, and in that process, the Public Security Bureau arrested Carapald. He received Sieggrunnd's 'interrogation'...
That was the last image of Carapald in Sieggrunnd's memory. Carapald was definitely dead.
Siati glared at me as if I had killed him and cried out.
"He could still be alive...!"
"No. He's dead. Facilities purely for 'imprisoning' humans are inefficient. If they can't put them to forced labor, killing them is the Military Empire's way."
At my definitive words, Siati snapped and cried out.
"Huey, why are you so certain about that?! Do you want Carapald to be dead?!"
"I'm telling you the reality. Even if he were alive, there's no way he'd be fine after Public Security's interrogation."
Siati clamped her mouth shut.
The Resistance are people who each came with their own stories. They don't easily sell out their comrades.
In other words, if Sieggrunnd personally interrogated Carapald and extracted a confession, Carapald's condition would be far from fine.
"...How do you know that?! How can you be so certain?!"
"Because! I told you, didn't I! He has a mystery!"
Even with the hostage play failing, Sieggrunnd didn't mind at all. Satisfied with the fact that he had snared me with this much information, he laughed loudly.
"Hahahahahahahaha! You do know after all! Yes, there's no way you wouldn't! Is it foresight? Did a future that will eventually be revealed whisper the truth to you?"
Now he's virtually certain. Tch. That's not it. If I were a real prophet, would I have been caught by the likes of you?
"I'm not a prophet, and even if I were, I have no obligation to tell you."
"It doesn't matter if you don't tell me. The more you don't, the more disadvantageous it becomes for you!"
Ah, right. There was that story too.
In the Military Empire with its short history, there's only one department that handles mysteries. Mystery dismantlers who investigate historical sources and analyze and disassemble them. The department I might have been assigned to if I had stayed in the Military Empire.
The head of that place was Sieggrunnd. In the Military Empire, which is vulnerable to mysteries, the only Six-Star General with the power to use and fight against mysteries.
He knew exactly how to counter prophecies.
Sieggrunnd, instead of me, spoke to Historia and Siati.
"Siati. Historia. You're pouring your resentment in the wrong direction. Why should this nation bear your anger? When right before you is the mastermind who drove you into this predicament?"