EP.267 The One Mediating Reconciliation is the Traitor
Ziekhrund the Sixth General is our enemy. He actually was, so we fought to the death.
However, at the last moment, I erased his ego and designated a new ego named Hilde. Instead of 'Her' who led Hilde to the Military Nation, they chose to become an observer of existence. Thanks to that, we were able to successfully repel Ziekhrund the Sixth General....
But to an ordinary person like Siati, it must have looked a bit different.
"Why did you let him live?"
"Let him live? That's a strange way to put it. He's the one who let us live. He was on par with Historia who had a gun, so how could we kill him?"
"Liar! You handled him freely. You could have definitely killed him!"
"It's true that I changed Hilde quite significantly, but he doesn't die just because I tell him to. Strictly speaking, I'm like the parent of that ego. A child doesn't commit suicide just because a parent orders it, right?"
"Could you kill him or not? Say it clearly from your own mouth!"
Oh boy. If she puts it that way, I have nothing to say.
One cannot go against the instinct of life. Just because I order him to die doesn't mean he'll commit suicide.
Still, I could have led him to his death. I have Tyr and the Regressor. I could use them to kill with a borrowed knife, or weaken him and somehow trap him to kill him.
But I didn't.
"Why did you just let him go? He killed Carpalde, and until now he has tortured and interrogated countless people. He's the core of this Military Nation... the person closest to the Military Nation!"
"Well, maybe so."
"But you acted nonchalant. Even saying goodbye to him! What does a friend mean to you? Have you already forgotten what happened in Hameln?"
"No. I remember that clearly."
That time hit me pretty hard too.
"Then why!"
Siati shouted, her face distorting.
"You said you'd grant my wish?! Aren't you going to take revenge on our enemy, which includes you?! Then why. Why are you leaving the enemy who killed Carpalde alone?! Do you even have the will to take revenge on the Military Nation in the first place?"
"Of course. And right now, there's no one who takes revenge as certainly as I do."
"You? You, who just let the enemy you barely caught go, will take revenge on the Military Nation? You should know what my wish is!"
I know. Siati, your wish is to destroy the Military Nation.
I don't blindly trust the information gained from prophecy, but according to the Regressor's recollection, the country built by the Resistance just became a gutter. Well, that can happen. Originally, you want to ruin the Military Nation, you don't particularly want to build a country.
Even the princess next to me would rather the Military Nation be maintained... Sigh, reading other people's minds is a terrible thing to do.
I said.
"Siati. Do you know what's the first thing you need to take revenge on the Military Nation?"
Siati answered immediately.
"Will."
"Wrong."
"Then? Are you going to say power? That's obvious! But even if you have power, if you don't have the will...!"
"Wrong, it's not power either. The first thing you need to take revenge on the Military Nation is the Military Nation itself."
It was an extremely common and obvious statement. To take revenge on the Military Nation, you need the Military Nation. Because if there's no target for revenge, revenge cannot be established in the first place.
Siati lost her words for a moment at my answer. I continued.
"But you don't have a Military Nation yet. You don't even know what the Military Nation is. How are you going to find it and take revenge if you don't know what it is?"
Having regained her anger, Siati retorted in a low voice.
"Why wouldn't I know the Military Nation? We are standing right in the center of the Military Nation right now!"
"So? Is this refinery the Military Nation? Are you going to take revenge on this refinery? Will you only be satisfied if you smash it piece by piece and return it to the ground?"
Saying that, I picked up a broken piece of rebar. Level 2, alchemical steel for furniture. It's heavy, but due to its low cost and sturdiness, it's frequently used. I tossed the rebar slightly and caught it.
"The products from this refinery flow to all parts of the Military Nation. Whether it's furniture used by citizens, or weapons used by soldiers to kill people. They all process the products from this labor camp. If so, are all humans who use Military Nation-made alchemical steel sinners?"
"...Stop it. If you're going to say revenge is meaningless!"
"Not at all. I'm actually trying to help you with your revenge."
The Military Nation's system is simple and easy to understand. However, only a very specific part is strictly hidden, and not only the people on the outside but even the Six Generals do not know the full details.
However, while reading Hilde's thoughts, I found exactly one clue. 'Her'. The one who created... or established... this Military Nation. Some kind of existence.
The problem is whether I can ultimately find 'Her' or not. That's all that's left now.
I won't know until I try. Because I am not a prophet.
That is why I must do it.
"I'm planning to go see the 'Military Nation' now. If you want, follow me. I will show you this country. After that, you will be able to take revenge in the true sense of the word. As you wish."
For a moment, only glances were exchanged without words. Siati is glaring at me. There remains only the gaze of a victim looking for a place to hate.
Siati, who used to pour out futile resentment at Historia, newly discovered an even more vicious bystander than Historia. Looking at my figure, who had not a single ounce of guilt, Siati suddenly asked once.
"Just tell me one thing. Don't hide it."
"I am always honest. What?"
"Did you know that Nicholas was trying to kill us?"
Ah, that. Actually, yes.
Hmm. Still, if I nod here, the atmosphere will get a bit weird, right? So.
"Yeah. I knew."
"I see."
Siati, who muttered calmly, stared at me for a moment without speaking... and then instantly pulled out her hand.
I knew the atmosphere had turned hostile, but Historia, who hadn't thought she would actually use her hand, was appalled.
"Siati, stop...!"
But I am reading her thoughts. I know in advance that Siati is trying to use black magic, and that the target is my arm.
I moved along with Siati's movement. The sight of her grabbing her left index finger with her prosthetic hand and bending it upward without a single ounce of hesitation reflected on my retina. The steel prosthetic hand, which had a Nutcracker-like device built into it, easily broke the finger made of flesh and bone as if out of jealousy.
Crack. Dark magical power swirls around my finger. But my arm wasn't broken.
Because.
"Ugh, damn. That hurts like hell."
"Hui! Your finger!"
Before my arm was broken. It was because I broke my own finger first.
Black magic is the power that forces the same to be the same. However, Siati is one-armed. A one-armed person's finger and a two-armed person's finger cannot be exactly the same.
Using that attribute, Siati gave greater meaning to her own finger. Thanks to that, Siati became able to break larger and longer things like a cannon barrel or an arm with just her finger.
But the essence of black magic is, after all, making the same things the same. Before Siati's black magic was executed, I broke my own finger and tricked the black magic into thinking 'the same thing' had already happened.
It hurts so much that tears well up in my eyes. Damn it, even if it's to keep my arm from being broken, to think I have to break my own finger.
I muttered as I snapped my finger, whose joint was glowing red, back into place.
"Everyone who uses black magic is out of their mind. How can you break your own finger without any hesitation? I almost missed the timing."
"...Monster bastard. You even use black magic?"
"Monster? My black magic is really weak. My black magic is weaker than punching. What's monster-like about it?"
If I had mastered Qigong, I would have endured it with my body and wouldn't have needed to do this. It's lamentable that if a person isn't sturdy, they have to rely on all sorts of petty tricks. A sigh escapes me.
Ah, wait. Siati. You aren't perhaps trying to go for another round, are you?
"Save the last shot, Siati. A bullet that hasn't been fired is what's scary, the leftover debris after firing is just pathetic. If you lose even the last one, you will have no rights left from here on out."
"Don't make me laugh! You stood by and watched all of that! You have no right to say anything to me!"
Siati fumed and pulled out her next finger. However, this time there were many eyes watching.
Historia jumped in at once and snatched Siati's hand. Interrupted at the last moment, Siati said with her voice full of resentment.
"...Historia. Don't stop me. I'm sure. That guy is the mastermind who made us like this."
"Calm down. You're too excited."
"Too excited? I'll say the opposite! Does that look normal to you?!"
Siati pointed at me with her broken finger. The finger, bruised and mottled with blood, waved weakly. It must hurt, but she still condemned me, fueled by malice.
"He is neither afraid nor sad! Not when we were stranded in Hameln, not when we learned Carpalde had died! He let the Sixth General go without anger, so nonchalantly! Is that normal?!"
Even so, Historia did not let go of her finger. Lest she break it again, she held the finger tighter. Siati shouted like a child throwing a tantrum.
"No matter how much you protect Hui, it won't be rewarding at all. Because he has no feelings for you. Because he won't return anything!"
A message varies depending on the messenger. Siati's words were clear facts and sharp enough to gouge out Historia's heart. But of all people, the one holding and wielding that weapon was Siati.
"The one who doesn't return anything..."
While she was the Sixth General, the existence she cared for the most, compared to me who didn't show myself, was Siati. But looking at Siati, who kept going astray, Historia also suffered.
Therefore, it was Siati who lacked reciprocation, if not more.
"You're the same, Siati."
Perhaps some conscience remained even without her right arm, as Siati closed her mouth. Historia drove her into a corner with a detached face. Eventually, Siati turned her head away.
But she was enduring this only because of Historia. Siati still harbored intense hostility towards me.
Hmm. She has good qualities. When things go wrong, she immediately tries to break an arm, whether it's the Sixth General's or mine.
This is it.
"It's hard to call it a substitute, but it's a gift. If you follow me, I'll give you the Military Nation."
I looked around the room. The princess, Siati, Historia, and even the two beasts. Just the right members. I'm a bit anxious about our combat power, but if Tyr or the Regressor finds out that they will be revealed here, it might become troublesome.
Tyr and the Regressor surprisingly get along in some ways, but they have opposing opinions on exactly one topic.
I can't give them the Military Nation only for it to disappear.
Alright. Decision made. We go like this.
"Everyone. I will now go to the headquarters. There is no guarantee of safety, and I will not force you. However, upon success, I will give you the Military Nation. Perhaps, that could be the target of revenge you've been desperately seeking."
Siati's wish. To achieve revenge, you must know what the Military Nation is. At the end of this journey, the Military Nation will reveal its true form.
"Perhaps, it could become an ideal nation with a warm heart within an iron-blooded system."
This time, the princess flinched. To the princess who was conflicted in an ambiguous position between the Kingdom and the Military Nation, the Military Nation could be one answer.
"Or, it could become a space to stay for someone."
There was no reaction from Historia. Well. Historia had already become a Sixth General once and prepared a space. It was just that I and Siati didn't try to go in there.
"I will not force you. However, those who will go with me, please come to my side."
Everyone here has a reason to go. Everyone solidified their resolve in their hearts. And the first one to approach was.
It was Aji, who approached stealthily as always.
"Woof!"
"I told you I'm a person, Aji."