Hey. Try to refute it at least. Why are you just turning your head and staying silent?
Tch. They've completely placed me within their striking range. It seems hard to hide, what should I do? Historia is in a state of total exhaustion, so should I stall for time until Shei arrives?
An affair with the female officer, or deceiving Kigong? I was pondering which piece of information grasped through mind reading to bring up as a topic.
The hesitant signalman Ipi suddenly stepped in front of the general as if possessed by something. Ipi, with an astounded expression, saluted the general and reported.
"Lieutenant General Mexio. This is a direct communication from the superior commanding authority. This headquarters will relay the commanding authority's orders as given, and Lieutenant General Mexio must listen to them."
"What?"
Ipi's Innate Demon Way manifested. A faint magical light enveloped Ipi's entire body, and their hair floated up. Having finished synchronization, Captain Ipi recited the order someone had conveyed through their own mouth.
"I've received the report. What are you doing like a thunder-bare-skin? If you don't know, please just shut up and stay there, Lieutenant General Mexio."
With those final words, the hair abruptly settled back down. Captain Ipi, who had just spewed insults, looked up at the general with a face that clearly didn't understand what had just happened.
Silence fell. A mere captain had just called a general a thunder-bare-skin and told them to shut up to their face. Lieutenant General Mexio's face flushed deep red.
Even Lieutenant General Mexio knew that was just relaying the words of his superiors. He had actually done it himself before. But there was clearly a difference between doing it using a golem as a receiver and hearing it from a human to your face. Lieutenant General Mexio unconsciously reached his hand toward Ipi.
"You're the first captain to ever spout such words at me. You'd better be prepared to..."
It was then. Two streams of sharp ki-surge flowed. Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively took a large step back and looked toward Historia. Historia was already aiming a pistol at Lieutenant General Mexio.
Lieutenant General Mexio, who had drawn his general's weapon, the saw-blade shield, to block the bullet, raised his shield but stopped when he sensed something was off.
'Wait. There are two types of ki-surges. The other one is...?'
"That would be me."
And 'Maximilian' made an entrance.
'Maximilian' wore a distinctive monocle and a large hat, with a cloak covered in gears draped over his body as he slid across the floor. On 'Maximilian's' feet, gear-shaped shoes were spinning as they moved.
Beyond the realm of aesthetic sense, the fashion that showed a strong obsession with gears was unmistakably Maximilian himself to anyone. Lieutenant General Mexio saluted without even thinking of doubting it.
"Loyalty. Director Maximilian, are you safe!"
'Maximilian' spoke with a slightly annoyed expression.
"You. Did I not tell you? I will handle what happened over there, so don't interfere and focus on external defense. I clearly issued a no-approach order through the signalman."
"That is, even though the situation was clearly over, nothing was communicated to us."
"So you were going to touch the signalman who relayed my order?"
Lieutenant General Mexio fell silent. He now understood where the earlier order had come from.
'Maximilian' shook his head slowly.
"Lieutenant General Mexio. Why would someone of your standing do that? A signalman is merely a gear. A part that simply relays control from the center. Not precious, but very important. Because it conveys 'my' orders without any personal opinion attached. Do you not understand what that means? I thought you were somewhat rational."
"I apologize. But, your weapon was completely destroyed, so I thought something might have happened..."
"What?"
Hearing that his masterpiece had been completely destroyed, 'Maximilian' stiffened his expression. A frigid atmosphere swirled again. Much stronger and more menacing than before.
Though he held the rank of general, it was ultimately a rank within the military nation. The difference in power between the Hexagenerals and the generals was unimaginably vast. Even more so if the opponent was a monstrous soldier who had been active since the military nation's founding and was said to have created all of its weapons.
In particular, Maximilian had tremendous confidence and attachment to his works... Lieutenant General Mexio's words were clearly a blunder.
"Say it again. Completely destroyed? What do you know about gears? What do you evaluate them by? Does that look completely destroyed to you? What's important about gears is not their form but their structure! As long as it's in the right place, any gear can be immediately replaced! What's visible on the outside isn't everything, you idiotiiiiiiiiiic foooooool!"
When not angry, he was rational and magnanimous, but the moment he felt a line was crossed, Maximilian would erupt like a switch had been flipped. The anger of that 'Maximilian' crossed the critical point with the general's single remark. The enraged 'Maximilian' crushed a gear in his hand and shouted.
"Do you know who our enemy is! What I was facing! You don't know! You can't even dare to imagine! It's fine to know nothing. Because there's no helping the fact that narrow-minded fools exist in this world! But! Don't act so confident when you don't know anythinggggg! Is that so haaaaaard!"
When a Hexageneral becomes enraged, it rarely ends with just words. As expected, 'Maximilian' raised his finger. A gear floated slightly above his finger and spun fiercely.
It is said that at the pinnacle of Martial Qigong, one can infuse Kigong into objects without directly touching them. Only slightly, but the gear was definitely floating. Spinning in the empty space without friction or resistance, the gear generated a storm-like wind.
Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively raised his saw-blade shield to cover himself. An excellent choice. 'Maximilian' threw it at Lieutenant General Mexio without any hesitation.
Boom, clack, clack, clack, clack.
The rampaging gear collided with the saw-blade shield. After the first impact, the teeth turned consecutively, pouring even its rotational force onto the shield. Lieutenant General Mexio felt his entire body being shaken.
'This impact, this power...! He's serious! Director Maximilian is serious!'
Lieutenant General Mexio gritted his teeth and put strength into his waist, thrusting the shield upward. The halo of flame burning with Kigong glanced off the shield at an angle and flew far away. When Lieutenant General Mexio, having caught his breath, barely managed to shake off the gear and stand up, 'Maximilian' was already spinning two more gears in both hands.
His eyes had already rolled back. He had to run.
Following his survival instinct, Lieutenant General Mexio hastily shouted.
"I-I stand corrected! Everyone! We will focus on post-battle recovery! Let's go!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Fools who stayed near an enraged Hexageneral didn't live long. The soldiers still alive were paragons of survival of the fittest.
Lieutenant General Mexio's unit executed a strategic retreat in perfect order. The crowd withdrew like an ebbing tide. 'Maximilian' kept his gears spinning until they disappeared from sight.
The military nation's soldiers were fast. In less than a minute, the approaching forces had withdrawn. After everyone had disappeared. 'Maximilian' dropped the gears he was holding onto the ground.
"What would happen if someone aimed a gun at your back from behind? Honestly. I was so nervous I almost made a mistake."
Just as those words said, Historia had her gun muzzle aimed at 'Maximilian.'
In fact, from Historia's perspective, it was an obvious action. That was because just moments ago, Historia had fought a battle against Maximilian. She had barely managed to defeat him with all her might, so she couldn't help but be horrified when he returned alive and well.
"Maximilian...? No way. He was clearly just...! No, that's definitely Kigong, but...?"
I answered Historia's question.
"That's right. That's Kigong. Anyone can see it."
"But, Director Maximilian used his Innate Demon Way! Compared to that, this Maximilian used Kigong...!"
"It is Kigong. However, the subject is wrong. That Maximilian is not Maximilian."
You know because you've experienced it too. That thing which looked like Historia to anyone, but wasn't Historia.
"Yees! As expected of Your Majesty! You know right away!"
'Maximilian' spun around. The cloak fluttered stylishly, but perhaps because the finishing was slightly sloppy, the shaking gears fell off in a cascade. He tossed the monocle aside, and slightly shook off the hastily-made gear shoes. With the gears gone from his entire body, the impression of looking like Maximilian faded considerably.
In that state, 'Maximilian' bowed deeply and offered an elegant greeting. As if taking a curtain call after finishing a play.
'Maximilian' spoke.
"How was it? 'My' acting?"
Despite clearly having the appearance of a grown adult male, what reached the ears was a voice as beautiful as a songstress.
Having witnessed the acting before my eyes, I shared my honest impressions.
"Total scam."
"Ahaha! Total scam, you say—getting to hear that from Your Majesty is nothing!"
'Maximilian'—no, it had now become ambiguous to even call them that. Because the gears attached all over the body had all fallen off at some point, and it was just a male wrapped in a thick cloak.
And that person was becoming more like a girl in real-time.
The hand, which had been as pale as a prosthetic, gained color, and the skeleton shrank. The once-fitting clothes gradually grew looser, revealing the neck and shoulders.
The master of disguise, Siegrund... The girl who had now become Hilde approached with a giggle. I quickly stopped her words.
"Don't call me Your Majesty. Are you trying to spread rumors about my identity?"
"Eh? At this point?"
"What do you mean at this point? This is supposed to be a secret."
Hilde widened her slender eyes.
"Eh? Really? Then what is it? Does Shei or Tirkanzaka not know, yet she's with you, Father? How did that happen!"
"There are people like that in the world. And are 'Your Majesty' and 'Father' my only title options?"
Tir was less 'doesn't know' and more 'doesn't care,' but. Well, she probably sensed it roughly. Getting my heart back had to be quite something.
Wow, looking at it this way, the only person who truly doesn't know my identity is one regressor. Is this okay? You're a regressor, you know?
...No. I should think the opposite. Even if the regressor is a fool, she's not stupid.
It's not that she doesn't know, but rather she must know other information that we don't.
Now, what could that be? I was deep in thought when Hilde approached the steel beetle. Historia displayed hostility toward Hilde, who was approaching without hesitation.
"Siegrund..."
"That's not it, Historia. It's Hildegard. Siegrund is, um, something like an illusion... Just a title meaning the light and shadow of the military nation like Eimeder. It's not the essence."
Hilde smiled lightly and hopped nimbly onto the steel beetle. Even though Historia was glaring at her, she unceremoniously pushed her body forward regardless.
Historia may have shown hostility toward Hilde, but she knew at least that Hilde harbored no hostility toward her. The case with Lieutenant General Mexio made it clear. In the brief moment she hesitated to attack, Hilde naturally grabbed Historia's arm and gently brought her down. Historia, being in a state of exhaustion, couldn't even resist.
"'I' envy you, Historia. You probably don't realize what an incredible fortune you've encountered. Ah, what a shame. I wish I had met Father before becoming like this."
"Ugh... How do you... know that Hui is the King of Humans..."
"'I' don't have absolute certainty, but I'm comparatively better off than others. Because there's a way to confirm. And Father told me directly, didn't he?"
Hilde's touch was firm yet gentle. She lightly massaged Historia's arm and channeled Kigong into the acupoints with her fingers. It was the acupoint-striking technique that treated injuries with Kigong.
And... it wasn't just Kigong.
"A doctor from the East. A passing scholar. A wandering mercenary. A hermit sage. An alms-seeking monk. A traveler."
In addition to the acupoint-striking technique, an unfathomable power dwelled in her spread palm. A warm and comfortable... yet somewhat forceful power.
"Those are all professions that the King of Humans once held, and titles he was called. This time it's the Pied Piper, right, Father? The titles keep getting cooler!"
I didn't particularly ask for that, you know. I shrugged, and Hilde smiled with her eyes as she lay down on top of Historia. Their two bodies lay stacked together. Hilde, pressed closely against Historia's back, whispered softly in her ear.
"Hehe. You don't need to be too upset, Historia. It's natural not to know. Even the ones before, they only knew because they met someone like you, too."
Saying that, Hilde closed her eyes and concentrated her mind. In that brief moment between words, she entered meditation. In the dark and dim spiritual world, Hilde cast a suggestion upon herself.
'I am a ascetic monk. My body and mind are not whole, but my faith is more devout than anyone's.'
—And she stepped into the realm reachable only through faith.
A white light graced her touching hand. Hilde clasped Historia's hand and infused that power into the bio-terminal.
The power to restore a human to their former state. The authority of restoration beyond healing. The greatest reason 'gods' could exist.
Historia felt the energy permeating her body and muttered.
"Divine... power."
The body, which had been bound, broken, and twisted by the gears, recalled its original form before deformation. The physical body is like rubber; once freed, it seeks to return to its original form.
For such external injuries limited to this, divine power exerts an absolute healing effect.
Historia's body had 'returned.' Hilde smiled softly and rose to her feet.
"Healing complete! A word of thanks is unnecessary. This means let's get along from now on!"
The pain that the magical herbs had barely been concealing vanished as if washed away.
Though her stamina hadn't returned and her fatigue hadn't faded... still, Historia had recovered. Having witnessed a miracle before her eyes, Historia asked with a trembling voice.
"Siegrund... who... are you?"
Hilde answered with an even more mischievous smile.