The regressor chose her words carefully, recalling the previous iteration. In her mind, the figure of the Golden Mirror seen from afar resurfaced.
Before the King of Sins appeared. Facing the world's crisis, the guardians of the Golden Palace gave the regressor a chance to meet the Golden Mirror alone. Ascending the palace, entering the empty great hall, the regressor shouted toward the Golden Mirror, explaining the situation from beginning to end and begging for help.
But the Golden Mirror did not even look at her. Did not even listen to her voice. Deep in thought, he only ceaselessly created something with alchemy. Behind him, useless toys that would never be used tumbled down endlessly.
The regressor tried to strike the Golden Mirror to divert his attention. However, as she approached a certain distance, an intangible force pushed her away. The Golden Mirror's force field was powerful enough to push back even the regressor who had strengthened herself with all sorts of treasures at the end of the era.
A wall of severance. The Golden Mirror continued his alchemy beyond the force field.
As if the impending destruction had nothing to do with him.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, the regressor swung Jizan at him... but the moment she broke through the force field and reached the Golden Mirror's domain, the world moved to eliminate her.
The Golden Mirror's authority was alchemy. Alchemy reaching the ultimate realm creates all things. The all things created to kill humans attacked the regressor. Even the regressor who had reached that realm nearly died then.
After that, being attacked by the guardians who followed in, the regressor was chased out without even being able to attempt anything more....
In any case, for the regressor who could return even after dying, it was precious information.
"The Golden Mirror is crazy."
Ah. So... if I speak to him wrongly, he'll erase me from the world, right? Mm-hmm, understood.
I stood up again.
"I'm going back after all."
"Wait! I don't mean he's a mad tyrant. It's just that he's focused only on making something like he's lost his mind. As if he'll fill the entire Yeolguk with trinkets!"
"Why would you shove a ceasefire agreement at a crazy person like that? It's not realistic."
"I said no! The ceasefire agreement wasn't prepared to show the Golden Mirror. If we can just persuade the guardians of the Golden Palace, we can stop the war! The Golden Mirror is indifferent to how the country fares, and ultimately the ones who move Yeolguk are the guardians!"
Now I understood. The Golden Mirror is powerful but merely a wandering dementia patient? The guardians are the real power? Then she should have said so from the start.
Reading the regressor's thoughts is seriously exhausting. Information obtained from past iterations beyond time cannot be read, so I have to make the regressor recall those memories each time, which is quite tiresome.
"What is this, Miss Shay. If you just said that from the start it would've been fine, why hide it?"
"...It's publicly known that the Golden Mirror rules Yeolguk. The guardians are also loyal to the Golden Mirror. Since it's similar, I didn't bother to correct it."
The regressor made excuses while hemming and hawing, but I read the thoughts hidden behind them clearly.
'This is the Golden Palace's secret. Information that cannot be known without meeting the Golden Mirror directly. If I reveal this information, I can't avoid suspicion of being a saintess. If I answer too much, I'll have to explain even the regression.... Fortunately, it doesn't seem like I'm suspected yet.'
Well. I wonder? Isn't it getting dangerous soon?
Anyway, fine. If the Golden Palace's guardians are there, they'll be in the Golden Palace, and the Golden Mirror will be there too. As a foreign national, I'll rarely have the chance to walk in boldly and read the Golden Mirror's thoughts, so I have to go.
That way I'll read the Golden Mirror's thoughts and find out how Elik, the king of Geumguk, one of the descendants of the five lords, fell.
No, I explained that wrong. To put it a bit more clearly.
I must find out with my own power why the five lords who stole the power of the human king were abandoned by humans.
That way... I'll regain representation.
Grandimor, king of the kingdom.
The lord who possessed the authority to not receive hostility from fellow humans was swept away by massive public sentiment and died.
A death without doubt. Even though the military nation maintained its lifeline through the saintess, the catalyst for the king's death occurred purely by human hands. The authority to not receive hostility also couldn't overcome the corruption and chaos of a society grown much larger than before.
Though the princess of lord's bloodline is alive, it doesn't matter now.
It has been proven that merely not receiving hostility from others, merely being "a good person," is insufficient to become a king.
Tch, if it weren't for the saintess, it would've been easier. Because she insisted on maintaining the future where the military nation barely survives... Everything stays shrouded in secrecy, making things complicated.
Anyway, only four remain now.
The next in order is Elik, king of Geumguk. The king of technology and metallurgy who grasped and understood all structures at once was consumed by the Golden Mirror. What happened... is what I need to find out from now on.
Fortunately, it seems the saintess couldn't intervene in this case, so if I go and read his thoughts just a little, how he fell will be revealed.
Ah, come to think of it, I'm getting heated up again. I thought I luckily found traces of the Conqueror and the Grand Master in the Bottomless Abyss, but... the saintess insisted on maintaining the future where the Conqueror survives there too....
The human king is trying to learn a bit about humans, and she keeps interfering at every turn. As expected, the problem is the Celestial God. Watching over everything—sounds fancy, but isn't she basically a stalker of all people? Someone arrest her already.
At this point, the regressor's appearance is fortunate. On my own, I wouldn't have been able to find the traces of the five lords while breaking through the Holy Imperial Court's interference. Actually, in the past where the regressor existed, it seems they failed starting from the Bottomless Abyss.
Phew. Without the regressor, it would've been a disaster....
Oh, or maybe not.
Even if I find them, if I regress, everything becomes as if it never happened. I might end up just handing information to the enemy.
Who knows, maybe the regressor is also a saintess.
"Ahem. I think we're here~."
Hilde's voice was heard. I raised my head and looked in the direction the cataphract was heading. At the end of a path formed purely from many people coming and going, an impressive sight unfolded before my eyes.
"We've arrived."
A widely spread pasture came into view. On a carpet roughly woven by nature, horses and sheep were pulling out tufts of grass with their mouths. People mounted on vehicles watched with sharp eyes so the horses and sheep wouldn't disappear. Their gazes were mainly directed outward, seemingly judging that external causes were greater than internal ones for the animals' disappearance.
And beyond that. On a plain surrounded by barbed wire, hundreds of tents formed a massive encampment. The sound of cloth fluttering in the wind was loud. The passionate vitality created by the crowd could be felt even here.
The regressor muttered.
"It's a camp."
It was distinctly different from the ghost city seen before. Far messier and dirtier than that, but dirtiness was originally the dregs left behind by living. The city of tents was more vibrant than expected.
"Entering now!"
Hilde headed toward the entrance between the barbed wire.
The camp had gatekeepers too. A not particularly diligent-looking gatekeeper stopped us and asked our intentions.
"Halt there. What's your purpose? Staying long, or leaving soon?"
"We'll stay for just one day and leave!"
"Leaving, huh? Then there's no fee. Instead, park your vehicles at the fence and enter on foot."
The gatekeeper said only that much and waved his hand as if he had nothing more to say. Perhaps tired from long duty, his tone was slightly quarrelsome. But Hilde, who couldn't care less about his circumstances, sought my opinion with a glance.
'For a mere camp gatekeeper, he's insolent to a diplomatic envoy~. Father. What should we do? Cut off his head and force our way through?'
What force our way through. Is this person really an envoy? Doesn't she know the difference between a ceasefire and escalating war? If you're going to harass someone, do it when no one's watching.
"Let's just follow instructions for now."
"Too bad~. Yees~."
Hilde drove the cataphract toward the outer fence.
At the outer fence, wanderers' vehicles stood in a row. Lest their vehicles be stolen, the owners leaned against the fence dozing off, each holding a weapon. Even though just crossing one barbed wire would put them in the camp.
"Everyone's staying by their vehicles lest they get stolen. The camp has thought this through quite a bit. They must want people who'll leave soon to divide their forces."
"Right. We'll get robbed too if we don't leave someone here."
As the saying goes, in Yeolguk, ownerless property belongs to whoever picks it up first. Every passerby is a potential thief. Leaving things unattended would be dangerous.
Tir stepped forward.
"No problem. I'll leave my black knight."
"No, the black knight is a bit untrustworthy. Besides, the sun hasn't even set yet?"
"...Do you find it that untrustworthy?"
'Since regaining my heart, I can't properly control my subordinates and suffer all kinds of mistreatment. I must find a solution quickly. Otherwise, the mistreatment won't end...'
No, this isn't mistreatment. It's a serious situational judgment.
A guard's role is not to prevent theft but to discourage the intent to steal. But the black knight, black from head to toe, runs the risk of being seen as something like an obsidian statue. It would encourage theft.
Plus, there's something more suitable than the black knight. A good sucker for humans... no, friend. Not exactly trustworthy, but that's what Aji is there for.
"Aji."
"Woof? What?"
"Will you guard this vehicle while we're gone?"
"Woof woof? Guard?"
Yes. Aji has the instinct to protect his territory. It's not for nothing that humans keep dogs as guard dogs.
Whether Aji would actually be wary of strangers... I'm not sure. But even having Aji there might make them give up on theft. Since Aji is the king of dogs but only has the appearance of a human with animal ears.
"No need to attack. If someone lingers around this cataphract or touches it carelessly, bark loudly. Loud enough to be heard. That's enough."
"Woof! Leave it to me!"
"Good boy! Then I'm counting on you. Don't follow even if someone gives you food. Don't get distracted even if something passes by."
"Food? Passes by? Where? Where?"
"No, food isn't passing by. I mean, for example, like that horse over there..."
Right on cue, a clattering sound was heard. A moment later, a horse running along the fence passed right by us. Its golden mane nearly touching the ground fluttered in the wind it created.
A good example is passing by right now. Aji has hunting instincts too. I can't have him getting tempted by something like that and running off.
"Like that horse, even if something runs by, don't just leap after it because you feel like it..."
"Woof."
Oops. Aji's eyes are sparkling.
The horse's tail swaying side to side had stimulated Aji's hunting instinct. Aji's head moved like a pendulum following the horse's tail. Then at some point, Aji leapt to the ground and shouted loudly.
"Woof woof! Stop right there!"
"Heyaaaah! I told you not to!"
But Aji is the king of dogs. In the blink of an eye, he caught up behind the horse. Having no intention to attack, he just barked while lightly poking at the horse's tail, but the terrified horse shook its head wildly and galloped frantically.
Tch. He'll catch a horse at this rate. Do you know how expensive that is?
"This won't do! I'll go catch Aji, so you guys decide who's going inside!"
"Can you catch up?"
"Do I follow because I can catch up? I follow because I have to!"
"Well, alright. I'll be meeting the camp leader, so bring Aji back."
Gathering the necessary things, I quickly chased after Aji's shadow. The regressor watched my back and belatedly recalled something.
'Why is she taking rope to go fetch Aji?'
Because in Yeolguk, the finder is the owner. It looks like quite a fine horse, but with Aji, we can corner it.
I won't have any need for a horse while riding the cataphract, but humans have the concept of barter. If unnecessary, just trade it at a pawnshop. We could get quite a hefty sum.
Whoever's it is, thanks for the meal.
"Woof woof! Woof woof! Don't move, woof!"
*Puhiihihihiing.*
There was no need to search for long. Aji was circling around inside the low fence, glaring at the horse. Unfortunately for the horse targeted by the king of beasts, it was whinnying pitifully, utterly terrified.
I hurriedly approached the scene.
"Aji, you good boy! Well done!"