The moment I feinted a thrust, the tip of the blade turned pitch black before crumbling into dust. In an instant, the dagger made from a beast's fang vanished, leaving only the leather hilt.
"Huh?"
My money turned into a pile of dust? Jannok's power can even crumble beast fangs? What in the... How did someone with such an ability emerge from Yeolguk?
Fearing anything else might crumble, I threw the leather hilt and hastily retreated. At that moment, the Regressor, who had been watching this way, issued a sharp warning.
"Jannok Hoeju. Don't use your ability carelessly. You could die."
She's serious. Her killing intent is aimed at Peru's throat. Since Cheon-aeng and Ji-jan don't rust from authority, even Peru wouldn't be able to block the Regressor's attack.
However, Peru remained calm even with the killing intent before her.
"...Kill me. Anyway, I am... *cough*. Better off not existing."
'...If I use my power, it means the materials the Golden Mirror could use will disappear... Even if a war breaks out, I can't participate. An ability that only destroys has no value...'
She's stubborn even while in the middle of enemy lines. It's a feeling closer to resignation than loyalty, which makes it even harder to change.
The Regressor clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Hughs. Even threatening her with a knife won't work."
"Then how about threatening her with money? Peru, if you cooperate with us, I'll give you half of Yeolguk. You'll be rich."
"...*Cough*! Not, necessary."
Come to think of it, even if she had money, it would crumble so she can't really use it, right? Hmm, this is difficult. They say those who possess nothing are the most frightening. For Peru, who practices acquired non-ownership, neither knives nor money work.
No matter how much I read her mind, there's no answer. If she's human, her heart should waver at either knives or money. I grumbled to my heart's content.
"Knives don't work. Money doesn't work. What did the Golden Mirror do to make her so loyal? Looking at you, it seems like he doesn't even pay you a salary."
"...It's not a matter of good or bad. This land, I am food. The truth called alchemy. Everything in Yeolguk originates from the Golden Mirror. That person is everything in Yeolguk... You wouldn't understand, but."
The Golden Mirror himself seems to live in Geumguk, but anyway, that's included in Yeolguk. Having hit a wall, I scratched my head.
Peru has no greed. The problem is that unlike faith or belief, this is a rationally logical outcome.
For Peru, who crumbles everything, the concept of possession is faint. Rather than keeping things for herself, it's unconditionally more beneficial to bestow them upon others and gain their support. If she accidentally uses her Goyumado, everything she owns becomes scraps of paper.
It's a valid and rational survival method relying on human sociability. Therefore, I cannot deny or correct that way. In other words, in the current situation, I have no ability to persuade Peru.
"The Golden Mirror, really."
I was grumbling when I clearly felt a suspicious presence from above ground. We all fell silent as if we had made an agreement, but the presence lingered around for no reason before heading toward the entrance.
The Regressor gripped Cheon-aeng and stood up.
"Tch! It seems we got caught because you were making noise!"
"This is all because Peru coughed! Ah, could it be! She even coughed on purpose to leave a clue that we're here!"
"...*Cough*. The coughing is because of you..."
"Didn't all three of you raise your voices?"
Everyone clamored as they glared at the hole leading to the surface. The entrance was covered with dirt and grass, but if one looked closely, it wasn't impossible to discover. As we exchanged opinions with stiff faces, a familiar voice leaked through the gap of the entrance.
"Knock knock knock~. Anyone home~? Peace envoys from Gunguk~?"
It was Hilde.
Well, I knew it because I read her thoughts.
Hilde naturally slipped in through the gap of the entrance. Seeing her carefree face, the Regressor asked with displeasure.
"How did you find us?"
"The corn you all pushed through was pointing here like a compass! Visible enough even with 'my' basic tracking skills! It was so blatant, I was actually anxious wondering if it might be fake tracks!"
"Truly skilled at useless tricks."
"You could just say amazing. Shei is so dishonest!"
"I've never thought that!"
Hilde chuckled and spun around before speaking in a theatrical tone.
"More importantly everyone, big trouble~. The Golden Mirror is making weapons! It seems like he's seriously preparing for war!"
"Weapons?"
"Yes! For example, something like this!"
Hilde smiled softly and reached her hand toward the entrance. Grabbing something she had left outside, she pulled it down with all her might. The dirt pile crumbled as armor with a rough metallic texture was dragged down.
Greaves, helmet, breastplate, and gauntlets. Armor made separately for each body part rolled on the ground in pieces. The clanking sound was loud.
"It's plate armor."
"Yes! Full plate armor! It's so hard that even with 'my' strength, denting it was the best I could do! Could there be more of such incredible armor!"
In a fight between armor and bare hands, armor winning is human nature, but it's different if the opponent is a master of Gigong. When you surround yourself with Gigong, your body becomes as hard as steel, and there are techniques to destroy it by infiltrating Gigong inside the iron.
So if it only dents even after receiving the attack of Yukjangseong, who is a master who has reached that realm and Gunguk's strongest combat force, calling this armor a treasure of the century would be insufficient.
Still, there's no way such armor is common. Considering high-quality alchemy steel and refining technology, building a single castle would cost as much as making one suit... but.
"This kind of armor was lined up like corn in a cornfield!"
To the demon of alchemy, the Golden Mirror, it's merely an item equivalent to corn. No, perhaps it's even easier than corn.
"That's not all. Weapons, mounts. All sorts of vicious things were laying on the ground. It seems the Golden Mirror intends to build a massive armory beyond this cornfield. In any case... there must be a reason to use weapons, right?"
It goes without saying. Elik declared he would start a war.
Hilde picked up a gauntlet and dropped it before pressing the Regressor.
"Hey, weren't 'we' going to negotiate peace? What is going on here? As Gunguk's peace envoy, could you briefly explain?"
"I'll explain that."
The Regressor wasn't with us from the beginning, so she wouldn't know the whole story. Instead, I briefly explained what happened at the Golden Palace. Elik continuing the war. The Golden Mirror sympathizing with him. The homunculi popping out one after another. And the escape act I pulled off at the very end.
After hearing everything, Hilde scratched her head and smiled as if troubled.
"Ahaha~. I suppose a ceasefire was impossible after all~. This is big trouble. If the Golden Mirror prepares for war from now on, the operation we've formulated will fall apart?"
"Operation?"
"Yees~. A mobile war utilizing Gunguk's signal soldiers. Infiltrating the shallow unity among the Hoeju to sever and cause confusion, occupying various regions, and ultimately marching all the way to Claudia~."
Hilde let out a sigh and twirled her hair while lamenting.
"This is big trouble~. If the Golden Mirror gathers the Hoeju, Yeolguk's stance won't be easy. If war breaks out like this, it'll be an all-out war. Both Gunguk and Yeolguk will suffer enormous losses. Sigh. What should we do?"
Hilde's words represented Gunguk's position. They sent her as a peace envoy and even missed the golden time. And planted vigilance. It sounds cute when Hilde says it, but if you calculate this loss in numbers, it would be enormous.
The Regressor, suddenly finding herself on the receiving end of criticism, trailed off.
"Ugh... That's..."
"It's okay. Don't blame yourselves too much, everyone! Because you all have a way to smooth over this massive failure!"
As if she knew it would come to this from the start, Hilde smiled and answered.
"If war breaks out, it must end someday, right? Naturally, ending it quickly with overwhelming force would be better. That way, fewer people will die and less will be consumed. But, Gunguk's military strength, you all have been gradually whittling it down starting with Shei. Even the few advantages like mobility were lost because you pointed a knife at the command post and threatened them."
The Regressor's attack on Gunguk was strictly to prevent the war that would be the starting point of chaos. However, if she fails to persuade Yeolguk, it would be the same as taking Yeolguk's side even if unintentionally.
This is clearly the Regressor's fault for threatening Gunguk under the pretext of a ceasefire.
Hilde emphasized that point and continued.
"However, if you participate in the war, the balance will be restored!"
Take responsibility for the trouble you caused. Hilde pressured the Regressor with a smiling face.
"Please participate on Gunguk's side. You don't need to do miscellaneous tasks, just defeat the enemy commanders! That's not an unreasonable request, is it? You've already won over the Commander and defeated the Flag Officers in Gunguk, so it's rather a fair act! In Yeolguk's terms, should I say balancing the scales!"
Hilde demanded confidently, as if she were a debt collector.
Even so, she's the Regressor who pointed a knife at the heart of the command post. Even if she had a bigger goal, if she had no personal hostility toward Gunguk, she wouldn't have chosen the method of attacking. The Regressor felt a sense of rejection and retorted.
"You want me to become a soldier of Gunguk?"
"I'm not telling you to enlist, just join temporarily as mercenaries! If your strength and Gunguk's strategy combine, we can easily defeat the corps led by the Golden Mirror! A swift end to the war achieved through overwhelming force, isn't that true peace?"
Once she revealed her true colors, she was incredibly eloquent. It was completely different from the passive attitude she had maintained until now.
Hilde had been with us to represent Gunguk's interests from the start. She even came along to the peace talks because she was worried the Regressor might make a disadvantageous agreement for Gunguk under the guise of a ceasefire. However, the person who should have been more sensitive to Gunguk's interests than anyone was taking an attitude like a bystander.
The reason for that was finally revealed now that the ceasefire agreement had returned to a blank slate.
"Were you aiming for that from the beginning?"
"It's a bit much to say I was aiming for it? As a diplomatic envoy, shouldn't you anticipate even the possibility of failure? 'I' merely fulfilled 'my duty'!"
'I was totally aiming for it! From Gunguk's perspective, a certain victory is better than an ambiguous peace! Moreover, if you win over the King of Humans, the Vampire Queen will follow, right? It's a complete bundle deal!'
The King of Humans is being treated as a bundle deal. Well, since he's lost all his power, he's just an ordinary citizen 1.
She's speaking indirectly, but the intention beneath it is blatant. The Regressor had also figured out Hilde's true intentions by now.
"You think I'll move according to your wishes?"
"There is a way to not take responsibility and run away! You can just not care if tens of thousands die. I tried with good intentions but failed, so it's a shame. You can deal with the aftermath yourselves! You can just shamelessly leave everything behind!"
She frames it as just presenting a method, but it's essentially criticizing her as an irresponsible and shameless person. The Regressor's face crumpled with every word Hilde added.
Having sarcasm pushed to the brink, Hilde narrowed her eyes and asked back.
"But Shei, is that really okay with you? 'You' have to stop the war, don't you?"
Their gazes clashed. The Regressor glared fiercely as if she would lunge at any moment, but Hilde accepted that gaze with a brazen smile.
'A sane person wouldn't thrash around trying to stop a war. Unless she's a purely crazy peace fool, Shei must be bound to some mission. Just like the old 'me'. If so, she wouldn't cause trouble and leave irresponsibly, right?'
Not bad, Hilde. Is the lesson that to play a character, you must first interpret them?
See. I told you mind-reading isn't that useful? Just spending a few days together lets you read someone's mind to some extent.
If we spend a little more time together, I'll figure out the Regressor's other secrets too. Be careful.
'Now. What will you do? Please tell me more. Will you abandon your mission, or will you join under Gunguk even if you hate it for the sake of your mission. I'm quite curious!'
While Hilde watched with eyes full of expectation, the Regressor crossed her arms and deliberated.
'I hate Gunguk. Joining under Gunguk and waging war, I absolutely don't want to do it. At best, it's just slaughtering ordinary soldiers. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.'
'Still, I don't want to throw everything away and run away like Yeong-gwi said. For the next iteration too, I need to see this conclusion through. If I go all the way to the end, which way would be better.'
Not deliberating for long is the Regressor's trait. Once she decides, she pushes forward until she breaks. This is possible because she's been given another chance.
This time was no different. The Regressor spoke before her thoughts were even fully organized.
"It's not over yet."
"Pardon?"
"The ceasefire negotiation. I said it's not over yet."
'I know this is stubbornness. It won't be easy. I might even die. But... I could also succeed. If I succeed, it means I take one step forward.'
All that's needed now is resolve. The Regressor tightly gripped Cheon-aeng and Ji-jan and told herself.
"Just like I did to Gunguk, with a knife to the throat."
Kya.
Only admiration comes out. The fact that she's pushing forward with that crazy act calmly and sincerely is respectable. It makes me look up to her.