EP.271 The Nation of Steel and the Faceless Humans - 12
The princess who followed behind let out a small exclamation upon seeing the interior. The sight of tiny golems wrestling with instruments fitting their size stimulated her quaint sensibilities.
However, that was only for a moment; she soon discovered that what the golems were handling were countless documents. The princess's complexion changed. As someone leading the resistance, she realized what those documents were.
"Is this... the true identity of the headquarters? Countless golems are the true form of the headquarters...?"
"That can't be. There must naturally be someone who rules the golems."
Siati didn't have the sensibility to admire a fairy-tale-like scene. Instead, she only had sharply forged hostility.
"And that person... is the true mastermind. The one who made me, who made this military nation like this."
Siati's voice trembled. She was shuddering at the fact that she had found the treasure, or prey, she had been searching for so long.
Sensing danger from Siati who looked ready to pounce at any moment, the princess carefully pointed out.
"Um, Siati. We didn't come to wage a slaughter, we just came to follow Lord Hui's negotiation..."
"Don't say such nonsense. What kind of opportunity is this. Are you going to leave just like this without digging further?"
Siati grabbed one of the stationary golems with her bare hands. She put all her strength into it as if wanting to tear it apart immediately, but with broken fingers, she couldn't break even a single finger of the steel golem.
However, Siati wasn't disappointed. Because she still had her thumb left.
The finger of black magic that can break anyone, no matter who they are.
"The headquarters must also know pain. You who decided everything in the military nation as if you were gods, you must also know the pain of those who are abandoned and dying!"
"Siati..."
"I can't miss this opportunity. I will definitely make them feel the same pain as me. That's why I came all the way here!"
Shaking off the princess's restraint, Siati shouted so loudly that it echoed throughout the headquarters.
"If you called us, come out! You said you wanted to talk?! Don't tell me you called us here to talk through golems!"
Surprisingly, the military nation that had never responded to a summons in its lifetime responded to Siati's call.
A door opened. It was the second door. From the door where the documents piled in front were notably few, as if someone frequently passed through, she walked out.
Siati asked with her eyes wide.
"You've finally come out. Are you the military nation's commander?"
[Denial. This one is not such an existence.]
Her answer, appearing in the very ordinary and everyday manner of opening a door and walking out, was businesslike like a clerk with no passion for her job. She answered in a dry voice as if processing assigned tasks.
Siati frowned.
"Not a commander. How should I address you? President? Grand General? Or, Supreme Commander?"
[Denial. The military nation has no such position, and this one is not in such a position either.]
"Then what are you..."
Siati trailed off.
The military nation has a rank system. All soldiers are given their status according to their assigned duties. Those with higher ranks announce their rank to everyone and gain the authority to issue orders to those of lower rank.
The being before her eyes was also a person belonging to the military nation's system. She was wearing a uniform with a captain's epaulettes. However, that uniform was not a high-cost uniform that generals would wear... but an ordinary uniform.
Siati, having confirmed the opponent's status, asked again in disbelief.
"Captain?"
It's not a low rank. At that level, one could hold their head high and swagger in any city.
But exactly that much. The rank of captain is too low to be called a member of the headquarters that moves this country.
If they gathered just the captains from the whole country, they could fill a village, and if all of them were members of the headquarters leading the country, the nation called the military nation would have been torn apart in all directions and subjected to dismemberment.
"Just a captain?"
Siati asked with the meaning of whether she, who was merely a captain, was a member of the headquarters. But the captain before her took those words at face value.
[Affirmative. I am Captain Ivy, military nation signal soldier. I have stood before you in person to convey words to you.]
And I met eyes with the captain. After confirming the opponent's face and thoughts, I scratched my chin with a strange feeling.
How peculiar.
Normally, people who speak think ahead in their heads. The mouth is merely a means of conveying, and will is formed in thought.
But the person before me was different in two ways.
'It's been a while. I hope you've been well during the few days we were apart. As a signal soldier, I've heard all the stories. It seems you've been as busy as me.'
What on earth happened to Captain Ivy?
It's different from lying to hide one's true feelings. Those who try to lie intensely recall the truth, so truth and lies are like two sides of the same coin.
Compared to that, she before me was different. What she wanted to say and what came out of her mouth were completely different. As if someone was gripping her body and forcing it to move.
This is... closer to a golem than a person.
"No. Who the opponent is, or what they're called, isn't important at all. There's only one thing I've wanted to ask from the beginning."
While I was briefly in confusion, Siati steadied herself and surveyed her surroundings. The scattered documents, the golems huddled together there. The contents written on those documents, even the story that signal soldiers convey orders. Information stacked up inside Siati.
Is it because of her innate sense, or her sharply forged aggressiveness. Siati instantly derived the correct answer.
"In the military nation, all orders issued by the headquarters are conveyed through signal soldiers. Right?"
Captain Ivy nodded facing Siati.
[Affirmative.]
"What this communication headquarters handles is information containing secrets from all over the military nation."
[Affirmative. The information processed at the current headquarters has different security levels depending on the content.]
"There's also information about taboos there, right?"
[Affirmative.]
"Yeah. That would be right."
Muttering calmly, Siati raised her prosthetic arm ominously. Click. Turning the device built into the prosthetic arm forcefully, Siati glared at Captain Ivy.
"The incident that happened in Hameln. Do you remember it?"
This isn't normal questioning. The final gate to brand the opponent. It was a timing to deny, but Captain Ivy answered with almost foolish honesty.
[Affirmative. Signal soldiers remember, or record, the large and small information of the military nation.]
"Then I understand. You're the ones who allowed Nicholas to use the taboo, right?"
[Denial.]
Siati's hand, which had been preparing something, paused for a moment. But that was only for a very brief moment.
[Whether to use the taboo is the authority of the person in charge. Signal soldiers only passed on the corresponding information.]
"Ha!"
The emotion that had briefly hesitated now completely crossed over to the other side. Fully mocking, Siati glared at the captain again.
"Yeah. That's right. Nicholas wouldn't have found out himself. Instead, someone gave him that information, gave him the authority to use it at his own discretion, and when an unexpected incident broke out, they controlled the information and deleted all records."
The captain didn't answer. Siati didn't demand an answer either. She just smiled with her lips twisted.
"Yeah. Signal soldiers. It's you. The headquarters that grasps everything from where you sit and issues orders to countless soldiers at once. That was actually the signal soldiers. Isn't it?"
["...That is."]
"Don't answer. It doesn't matter even if it's not. Either way, it's clear that you are the core of the military nation!"
"Siati!"
Without even a chance for the princess to stop her, Siati charged with her left hand hidden inside the prosthetic arm. She was thinking of breaking the opponent's fingers to incapacitate them if they resisted, and driving a blade into their undefended chest.
With such her charging at her, Captain Ivy stood silently. With morning glory vines wrapped all over her body, unable to even move, she was right about to take Siati's hatred head-on.
"Stop!"
Of course I didn't leave it like that. I tripped Siati's leg with a stylish tackle.
Siati fell ungracefully. Fortunately, thanks to the pile of documents, she only slid and wasn't hurt. Instead, she glared at me with eyes full of malice.
"Hui!"
"I said stop."
"Are you going to spout sophistry again?! How much more do I have to endure!"
"Don't endure. I also hate enduring. But before using the last finger, make full use of this opportunity."
"It's already enough! The signal soldiers are also targets of my revenge! If you're going to stop me!"
Siati suddenly kicked off the ground and swung a fist at me. She must have trained consistently as it was quite a sharp attack. It would be enough to pass as resistance.
But the ability to read thoughts allows me to handle such sudden attacks.
Alchemical Transmutation. Diamond 2. Multipurpose Hook.
While Siati was muttering, I had already finished the transmutation. I threw the card with my fingertips. As the hook pierced through the paper, it caught her toes and pushed them aside. The paper skewered by the hook was pulled along, slipping the feet of the charging Siati.
As Siati lost her balance, I slipped to the outside of her prosthetic arm and knocked her down. Grabbing the back of her head firmly as she lay face-down to subdue her, I spoke to her heaving back.
"Black magic can only be used within your field of vision, right? If you can't see it, you can't use it. So, forgive me a little for pressing down on the back of your head."
"You, ugh...!"
"Sorry. But to grant your true wish, I can't just leave you be."
"Your comrade said it too! That this place should be destroyed first! If the signal soldiers are here, then we have to destroy the signal soldiers!"
Ah, the regressor said that. That this place was one of the military nation's core facilities. Even during all that chaos, Siati remembered that.
"That's right. But, destroying it in the way you're thinking would be useless."
I explained calmly and looked at the captain. The captain was only watching the fight between me and Siati with a blank expression.
'You don't need to save me. Anyway, the current me is a half-abandoned existence... I'm in a position to be used like this and disappear.'
Wound tightly in morning glory vines.
Inherent magic is the manifestation of mental imagery. Depending on the type, some can be seen by others and some cannot. The captain's inherent magic was the kind that couldn't be seen because it didn't accompany physical phenomena.
The captain's body was wrapped in morning glory vines. It was like ropes binding her body, or like tendons moving her body. Either way, the morning glory vines that grew from her feet wrapped around her in a large circle and bloomed beautiful flower buds.
The flower buds hanging there... totaled twenty-five. And each flower bud was pointing toward a door. The fully bloomed petals were receiving information and will from someone inside there.
So this is how it works. I inwardly smiled wryly and crumpled the paper with my other hand, rolling it into a ball.
"Siati. You wanted to take revenge on the military nation, right? But you're wandering because you don't know what the military nation is."
"I'm not wandering!"
"You are wandering. Rather than feeling anger seeing the captain, you found a reason to be angry and then got angry. Can your wish be fulfilled in such a way? Is the method of plastering on reasons you should be angry and then executing what you want?"
"That's enough. What more do you need!"
"The answer is this."
Tightly wrapping the crumpled paper with thread and tying it strongly, it became a makeshift ball. I spun the paper ball above my head and shouted.
"Azi!"
"Woof?"
"Fetch!"
"Woof!"
I threw the paper ball hard, and Azi ran across the paper. While the cut document pieces scattered like snow fog, the fiercely charging Azi caught the ball in his mouth.
By ramming the door with his body.
The military nation is efficient. They didn't bother to install a high-level alchemical steel door on the communication headquarters that no one could enter without Aiemeder. With a crash, the door was torn off and Azi's figure disappeared, revealing the dark corridor inside.
A small room. Someone's voice flowed out from a small room with a makeshift bed and water dispenser, barely large enough for one person to fit.
"Ugh...!"
Siati sensed another presence and frowned.
"...An officer?"
"This is the communication headquarters. Would there be only one signal soldier?"
They're all signal soldiers.
Those who possess the inherent magic of 'Resonance' and are moving Captain Ivy. The other twenty-five signal soldiers.