EP.293 Actually, I am
Historia stuttered for a moment, unable to keep up with the situation. As if to fill her silence, Maximilian's loud voice filled the space.
"Director Historia. Now do you see how troubled I was? You and I had no reason to fight. If only you hadn't tried to wage a guerrilla war against me, I would have ignored you."
"...What, how did this."
A surprised face. Understandably so.
The Military Nation's Director of Weapon Development is actually my ally? Even I didn't know this until I met him in person and read his thoughts.
"This is partly your fault too, Mr. Maximilian. If you had come a little sooner, we could have reduced unnecessary fighting."
Honestly, even as an ally, he wasn't much help. I expected cooperation, but the one he actually fought against was Historia. This is an ally?
When I blamed him, Maximilian made excuses.
"My lateness was due to Cheontong. By the time I finished my urgent business, Cheontong's control had already begun. The signal soldiers didn't respond to my calls, and in the brief moment I stepped away, my loyal subordinates were reassigned elsewhere. Left without any reports, I only moved upon hearing gunshots, so I could only arrive now."
"Are you blaming others?"
"I merely stated the facts! If Cheontong hadn't been cautious out of wariness toward me, would you have been able to reach the center so easily!"
That's true too. Cheontong Eimeder is the Saint of Foresight, Yuel. The owner of a clairvoyance that views the world from her seated position.
Yuel sensed our approach and sent angels to secretly guide us. She even revealed the signal soldiers' identities to try to resolve things quietly. That was partly because our combat power wasn't exceptional, but Maximilian's existence was definitely one of the reasons too....
But thinking about it makes me angry. If you had come earlier, it would have been much more advantageous! Why doesn't the world go according to my plan? Why does it only get this precarious when I've staked my life as the pot!
"You weren't particularly helpful, you know? In the end, Lia did all the hard work. You came late and only attacked an exhausted Historia!"
I can't let this slide. Incompetence beyond a certain level is a crime. I need to get something out of this as reparation!
To my interrogation, Maximilian replied calmly.
"You keep trying to shift the blame, but isn't it actually more your fault? If you had given the Director a heads-up beforehand, there wouldn't have been an unnecessary clash."
"Well, what's past is past, and we should think about the next step now."
"That's what I wanted. Now you're making sense."
"Since we've confirmed each other's positions, please release Lia first."
If we're allies, there's no reason to keep Historia bound. It was a justified request, but Maximilian didn't comply.
"Before releasing her, shouldn't we resolve the Director's curiosity first? Getting attacked again after releasing her is something I'd rather avoid."
He'd rather avoid being attacked. In other words, there's a possibility Historia will attack him again when freed.
Put differently, it means he doesn't completely trust me. Historia attacked him because I hadn't given her a heads-up.
"You're very thorough in your work."
"It's an occupational hazard, isn't it? Don't mind it. I need my own certainty too. The Military Nation is the toy I've put the most effort into making, so it's a shame to bet it on a probability that isn't 100%."
His answer is so logical that there's no opening to exploit.
I need to inform Historia while also convincing Maximilian at the same time. Tch, even in this situation, he won't let go of the initiative. People who properly use their advantageous position are this troublesome....
Then Historia raised her head and looked at Maximilian.
"Director. What is that probability? Why would you become Huey's ally?"
"You lack patience. Just wait a little. He will tell you."
"Please tell me, Director. Huey's words... are difficult to accept at face value."
The glance Historia shot at me contained distrust.
Hey, how much could I have possibly deceived you? When people I've deceived say that, it feels unfair, but Historia doing it makes her audacious. Should I hit her once while she's tied up?
I shot intense killing intent at her, but Historia didn't flinch.
"You are favorable toward Huey. In contrast, Cheontong tried to kill Huey with full force. What does Huey have that makes everyone act like this? Yungwi, why did Public Security Director Sieghrund try to kill him before changing his attitude and showing favor?"
"Public Security Director Sieghrund? That happened too! Haha, I'm getting more and more certain!"
Maximilian wasn't the only one who welcomed this situation. Even Historia took this opportunity to resolve her own curiosity. I couldn't stop this flow of the two Six-Star generals conversing.
"First, let me tell you one thing. Sieghrund and I aren't particularly Cheontong's subordinates. Cheontong brought us to the Military Nation, but there's no clear hierarchy like the Military Nation's chain of command. If anything, it's closer to the relationship between an employer and employees."
"Employees...? I can understand that for you, Director, who was unfaithful, but the Public Security Director..."
"I worked fairly diligently too... But compared to the Public Security Director, I fall short. 'That' is probably because he's a member of the Holy Sword Division."
A word that slipped from Maximilian's mouth. Historia reacted to the name of one of the world's most elite armed groups, countable on one hand.
"...Holy Sword Division...? You mean the Holy Empire's elite...?"
"Elite? No, slaves."
With a brief sneer, Maximilian spilled everything he knew.
"The strong who were abandoned by fate but taken in by a god who took pity on them. They have no lives of their own. All that remains is faith, so they don't even spare their lives. Sieghrund must have been like that. Therefore, Cheontong too must have trusted only that."
"...That means, Cheontong is actually..."
"I've never faced Cheontong directly either, so I can't be certain. But who else but a Saint could command angels like her own limbs? Don't be too surprised by hearing something so obvious."
With a furrowed brow, Maximilian spoke gently as if explaining to a fool. He's actually right. The moment the Military Nation's guardian angels exist, it's bound to be connected to the Holy Empire, whether large or small.
Well, Yuel had turned her back on the Holy Empire both personally and nationally, so it doesn't matter much.
"The Public Security Director is Cheontong's limb. However, faith is bound to shatter before a more solid belief. Even if one deifies a god and forces faith, that which doesn't exist can't give greater belief than what clearly exists before one's eyes. That's why the first Saint had to eliminate the king to create a god."
"...King."
If you're going to turn your back, you should do it completely, but no, you had to cling to that handful of remaining faith.
"Yes. I speculate that he is the king of humans."
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"...The king of, humans?"
Silence descended upon the secret space existing underground.
Even if it's the same stillness, it's different in quality from the silence that comes from the absence of people. They feared that if they carelessly made a sound, the truth they just heard might shift. It was a story they couldn't just laugh off as a joke, nor carelessly accept.
The first person to break the silence was Erien Grandiomor. Was it because she was directly connected to the king, or was it just her personality? Unable to endure the silence, she asked.
"H-how, how? How do you know?"
"I don't know."
"What?"
And Yuel, who had spilled all these secrets, answered irresponsibly.
"I can't know. No one knows whether that is the king of humans or not."
"But, Lady Yuel, you said he was the king of humans!"
"The scent of sheep's blood is best detected by wolves. If those who chase the king of humans made that judgment, there must be evidence I failed to see."
As if it wasn't her concern, a detached and irresponsible reply. Looking at Yuel resentfully, Erien grabbed her head with both hands and trembled.
"Ugh, w-what should we do? Could we have committed some blasphemy...?"
"The blasphemy is that bastard Huey. Princess, do you really believe those words?"
Siati still glared at Yuel with eyes full of distrust.
"He was a guy full of bluster without any standout abilities. Something like that can't be the king of humans."
"But, you can't simply dismiss it as bluster—there's something extraordinary about him!"
"I spent my school days with Huey. If he were truly the king of humans, something should have been different from back then. A king who merely watches tragedy unfold is even more unnecessary!"
"...I'm not defending the king of humans, but."
Yuel, who couldn't bear listening to Siati's words, answered.
"The king of humans has no special power. The first Saint rejected the king of humans throughout all futures with her own power. Even the king of humans is an ordinary human without any power. Therefore, the world belongs entirely to humans without a king... Sin and punishment, good and morality, all belong completely to humans."
Yuel's words gradually transformed into a murmur like a prayer. Her soft voice actually stimulated Siati.
"Belongs to humans? You're the one who did this!"
"...Yes. That sin is mine."
"What's the use of just saying it's yours in words!"
Furious, Siati stormed at Yuel, demanding answers. She demanded how a Saint could create this hell, and that Yuel shouldn't talk about sin when she was the one who committed it. Each cry sharply pierced Yuel's heart.
However, Yuel felt pain in a slightly different aspect.
"If, he is truly the king of humans... the king of humans, no, humans... this country...."
Would not accept it.
Yuel steadied her throbbing heart and leaned over Gunung's corpse. To comfort him who would grieve even in death, or perhaps to comfort herself.