EP.291 2 Is Greater Than 1
'Impossible. Him, who has recklessly ravaged the Military Nation and caused tremendous damage, they want to make him a diplomat and send him? He has no qualifications. He cannot be trusted. Judging by his words and actions, he must be ignorant of diplomatic knowledge and information as well. The type of person who acts as he pleases and sows chaos. Exactly the kind of human figure he would like.'
No, not particularly. I do favor him, but I've never thought he was good? The regressor is something beyond mere chaos.
'Against the ideology of the Military Nation. Irrational. But... that is a king. One who moves the nation by caprice. Whether it's right or wrong, the king's judgment invites anxiety. If they accept Eibi, eventually this nation will shake...'
I don't know when or how it will happen, but it is an inevitable certainty that it will occur.
'But, already.'
However, those who cannot overcome the present must accept even a future promised to ruin. Yuel, enveloped in disillusionment, lacks the will to overcome this situation.
Like other prophets, Yuel quickly resigned himself before the approaching fate.
"...I curse you, Eibi. I hope you are consumed by as much regret as possible, and feel the greatest sense of self-reproach you can possibly feel."
Humans do not curse objects they can do something about. In the time it takes to curse, they would fix or change them; they curse only when the only action they can take is to express resentment.
In other words, Yuel's curse was tantamount to accepting the proposal. A bit pathetic, but.
"...Fine. You've succeeded after all. You've made the Military Nation no longer the Military Nation. Siáhti. When you couldn't contain your anger, you found an object of revenge. And the Grandiomor Princess found someone to demand kindness from. A perfect conclusion! You'll perish in the near future, but you who can't see an inch ahead will be satisfied!"
They say I can't see an inch ahead just because it doesn't suit my will. But I am a person of kind heart who diligently listens to the screams of losers. Under my observation, Yuel continued speaking.
"Eibi, someday Siáhti, unable to overcome his anger, will try to tear your body to shreds. The Princess will hollow out your heart and use that blood to moisten the throats of others! Those two know what you are and where you are. They will come find you whenever they want!"
Compared to Yuel who violently poured out his emotions, Captain Eibi was relatively calm. Captain Eibi asked about Yuel's intentions.
"Does that mean this one may take your words to mean you will cooperate with this one?"
"It means I won't interfere. I have no reason to cooperate with you, nor the will to do so."
"There is a need for you to cooperate. Your power is..."
"Ah, I forgot one thing. I must not exist either. I am the only being who can replace you. Should a king have a replacement?"
Yuel, who had been sneering, raised his hand and pointed outside the door. It's a non-verbal expression meaning get out right now. With a face showing he didn't even want Eibi in his sight, Yuel said.
"I'll watch, Eibi. There's no need to go out of my way. Those who want to kill you will overflow in the Military Nation. I'll watch with a sneer when you die, so you just go find your grave."
Suddenly given the order to leave, Captain Eibi looked around. The dark burial chamber built underground has a solemn atmosphere fitting for a burial chamber.
There were many ornaments to assert that this place was a burial chamber, but there were only two stone sarcophagi to actually hold corpses. Both were empty, but their owners were clear. One was for the Military Hegemon, and the other would be Yuel's.
Yuel has no intention of leaving this place. He would stay here until he died, intending to be buried together with him. With that, the Military Nation's secrets would be buried underground forever.
Yuel seems to have made that judgment purely out of despair... but it gave Captain Eibi some inspiration.
"This one will not leave."
Captain Eibi said as if enchanted.
"This one must become a 'special' communications officer. This one must be their liberator. This one must not be liberated like them. Like the Command Headquarters... this one too must exist without revealing itself."
"Not reveal yourself? Then what's different from before?"
Hiding in a secret place and issuing orders pretending to be the Command Headquarters would be no different at all from before Captain Eibi existed.
Yuel pointed that out with a sneer, but Captain Eibi had an answer.
"The other communications officers excluding this one will no longer be confined."
"...What?"
The Military Nation's secrets were protected by confining communications officers in windowless rooms. Also, communications officers were isolated from the world to preserve their purity. Communications officers gained objectivity and security at the price of freedom.
Captain Eibi's declaration meant abandoning all of that.
Captain Eibi raised her head and looked up at the ceiling. From each strand of her hair, tiny flower buds opened. The purple buds of morning glories all raised their heads at once and began to transmit Captain Eibi's will upward.
Captain Eibi put her voice to convey into the flower buds.
『Communications Officer Eibi reports to Module Ai. A powerful armed conflict has occurred inside Module Ai. High probability of considerable problems occurring hereafter. If not evacuated, loss of Module Ai's function is expected, and a large communication vacuum would follow.』
"Eibi..."
『According to Emergency Situation Evacuation Manual Level 2 and Disaster Avoidance Manual, all personnel evacuate to a safe location. Rebuttals will not be accepted. End.』
The arbitrary and unilateral command ended. Captain Eibi steadied her breathing. After a brief silence, Captain Eibi's morning glories fluttered as if buried in a whirlwind. Communication requests toward Captain Eibi were repeated several times, but Captain Eibi firmly repeated the command she had given.
A soft thread can wrap around a hard stick, but the reverse does not hold. The network that communications officers had built until now was based on the strict objectivity of communications officers with faint egos. Captain Eibi's will, possessing a firm subjectivity, swallowed up all the communications officers' objective reports.
The communications that seemed to be in confusion soon died down. It seems they accepted Captain Eibi's proposal. From the communications officers' perspective, there would be no reason to particularly object. Well, after two Six-Star Generals engaged in fierce combat, the secret must have already been revealed; evacuating an unstable building is natural.
When the communication ended, the morning glories that had been fluttering intensely to convey opinions all settled down at once. Captain Eibi took a deep breath while controlling her magical power.
"...With this. This one liberates all communications officers existing in the Military Nation. This one orders them to step outside on their own feet. Without missing a single one."
That was simultaneously an explanation of the plan and an expression of great resolve. Captain Eibi, having finished the communication, spoke in this place.
"The communications officers' identities have been revealed. Now that Module Ai's communications officers are liberated, communications officers are no longer the Military Nation's secret. Now the only secret is... this one alone."
The duty that the Military Nation's communications officers held. Not revealing themselves, monitoring all places, and conveying information and orders only through communication.
Now communications officers will no longer be forced to take responsibility in dark rooms. They will have life and leisure. They won't need to become lonely to become objective parts, and they won't have to suffer to hide their identities.
Instead, Captain Eibi will have to bear much more than that.
Duty is authority. Captain Eibi made the other communications officers forsake their duty and shouldered all that authority herself. An invisible but heavy crown was placed on Captain Eibi's head.
The morning glory vines wrapped around Captain Eibi's head will now never wither for even a moment.
A claiming of kingship was achieved in the lowest and darkest place.
There were no applause or congratulations. Instead, only Yuel's barren prayer welcomed the birth of the new king.
"O First Saintess who blessed me... Is this too a fate you ordained?"
It was a prayer closer to lamentation than blessing, but a prayer imbued with the Saintess's sincere feelings nonetheless. What a blessed succession to the throne. I approached the newly born king welcomingly.
"Captain Eibi, congratulations! Or wait, are you no longer a captain?"
I was going to call her Your Majesty if necessary, but Eibi firmly refused.
"This one's rank or title is not important. What role this one has taken on and what mission this one carries out is what matters."
"Hmm. That is truly a valid point. Eibi, but what about us?"
I shrugged and pointed at myself, Siáhti, and the Princess in turn. Three people who have no particular attachment to the Military Nation and therefore no loyalty to keep their secret.
"Eibi intends to protect herself with secrecy instead of guards. But doesn't secrecy end up isolating even yourself? Especially for Eibi who lacks personal martial power, maintaining secrecy is more important than anything. To maintain confidentiality, you'd need to shut our mouths, wouldn't you?"
The way to shut mouths is naturally murder to silence the witnesses. The dead cannot speak. An eminently rational method.
Naturally, I have no intention of dying, but contrary to everyone's expectations, the matter of my life or death is not a problem I decide alone. I probed Eibi's intentions a little.
"This one..."
Then Eibi smiled transparently and said.
"This one believes in you."
"In me?"
Eibi did not answer in the affirmative. She just nodded.
It's stifling, like wearing ill-fitting clothes. Trust—isn't that the most unfitting word in my life, which is filled with fraud and falsehood? With all the things I've done, what makes her say such a thing?
"You don't know what might happen later, do you? How do you know how I'll change in the future?"
"Including that, this one believes in you. However you may change, you will not abandon this one."
What an irresponsible statement. Now that the other communications officers' identities have been revealed, Eibi's life is not hers alone. If she were to disappear, even Yuel would find it difficult to restore this country to its original state.
It truly is a sandcastle. A crude work of loosely piled sand grains. But...
"Let's say that's true for me. What about the Princess or Siáhti? Eibi, you've only seen them for the first time today, haven't you? They both hate the Military Nation; can you trust them?"
"This one will trust them."
"Even so?"
"Their actions occurred because the Military Nation did not repay their trust. No, they occurred because the Military Nation could not trust them. This one will trust them first, so this one hopes they will trust this one in return."
Even if that isn't necessarily beautiful, or even if it isn't elaborate or meticulous.
A sandcastle built with care, a stone tower precariously stacked, a bud that has just bloomed—it's right to watch over them rather than destroy them. I'm not the kind of person who takes pleasure in trampling such things.
Well, it would be pitiful to let them keep at something that won't work. Should I kindly give some advice?
"It will be difficult. I don't particularly recommend it. If you want to give up, give up anytime. No one will blame you."
Then Eibi looked at me steadily and answered.
"Rebuttal. This one has you."
"Me? I'm allowed to disappoint you, you know. I'm leaving this country soon anyway."
I'm someone who doesn't really care what happens to this country. I can just go somewhere else. To me, a homeland is something easier to discard than worn-out shoes.
"That is a reasonable decision. The current Military Nation has many problems for you to reside in. Your choice is rational."
Even at my declaration of fleeing abroad, Eibi did not show disappointment or reproach. Accepting my words as they were, she firmed her resolve and said.
"This one will make a place where you can be. Not now, but someday, this one will build a place where you can stay with peace of mind for when you return here. Therefore, when you someday return, please evaluate this one."