EP.254 The Kingdom of Steel and Faceless People – 3
‘If you have a strong enough sense of justice, this smelter will be so hateful that you’ll want to destroy it right away.’
I don’t particularly hate this smelter. Human hatred is directed only towards humans.
People who look at things and get angry are idiots. It’s because I’m pouring my ball into meaningless things. Those who inflame hatred towards their country are fools. It consumes emotions without even knowing what a country is.
In fact, they are all… looking for the Human beyond.
like me.
‘Destroying the facility and freeing the laborers is the most common option.’
My feelings. Anyway, for now I follow Sieghrund’s script. As he thought, I made a request to the regressor and Historia who had led me to this place.
“I’m going to break this place down right now! If this workhouse, which symbolizes the crimes of the military nation itself, is destroyed and the laborers are freed, the military nation will suffer a great blow!”
‘But those who know the truth about this smelter will not agree with that claim.’
Sieghrund’s script continued like water. The stage he chose aroused sympathy from everyone, and all the actors he invited moved according to his thoughts.
“Come on! There is no reason to waste time!”
The regressor was uncomfortable with this space, but expressed his disapproval of my proposal.
“Break it? here? now?”
“Now?”
“At this point, the Alchemy Steel Refinery is a place where vicious criminals are imprisoned. All the guys here are criminals.”
In the future that the regressor saw, other humans besides the vicious criminals might be confined. At that time, the military was at the edge of the precipice.
But right now, only those who have committed the most terrible crimes are in the Alchemy Steel Refinery. Looking at the memories of those who suffer, there are many who doubt whether they dare to pay for their sins even if they go to hell.
An officer who tested a new weapon on an innocent citizen, or a woman who kidnapped a child and took her blood because she wanted to become a vampire. Even the fool who took control of a holding company, hired gangsters, formed a private organization, and reigned like a king.
It is unforgivable, and it is a legal hell that inflicts terrible pain on sinners who are unjust even to give them a chance to rehabilitate.
“still! No matter how heinous he is, it’s not like this!”
“So what? We cannot release them without action.”
-That’s why there are inevitably conflicting opinions with me. This is also according to the script written by Sieghrund.
‘Especially the musketeers can never just free them. Some of them may have been caught by her herself. If so, the action the musketeer will take has been decided.’
“There is one way.”
While me and the regressors couldn’t decide and pondered for a while, Historia, who had made up her mind about something, got lucky.
‘A simple way to solve all your worries. just kill them all These are mortal criminals who have already been sentenced to death, and the musketeers have the authority to punish them immediately.’
“The slave’s actions are controlled by chains pierced through his biological terminals. And I have a device ready in case the laborers rebel.”
“A device created by the military in case the laborers rebel? That doesn’t sound like a very nice device.”
“…It’s a device to execute the delayed death penalty.”
Simply put, he meant to activate the device and kill everyone here.
While everyone was surprised by the enormous scale of the story, Historia took the lead, leaving only those words.
‘The musketeer has a limited self-confidence. It desperately protects the people inside the boundaries it has set, but easily throws away those outside it. The workers at the smelter are clearly out of bounds. To the Musketeer, the workers at the Alchemy Steel Refinery are not worth saving.’
So Historia decided to kill them all.
Just as I was about to react to Sieghrund’s script, the regressor showed signs of discomfort before me.
“You want to kill them all? All these humans?”
“The laborers here are level 5 felons who have already been sentenced to death. There is no room for rehabilitation, and even if there is, I will not tolerate it. They’re just making use of those soon-to-be corpses. Huey, if you knew what they committed, you would want to tear them to death with your own hands right away.”
I don’t think much of it, but I’m sure it’s hard to survive with this kind of crime. If it was a beggar kingdom that was kept alive for use because it was a military state, the wandering knights called enforcement knights would have fought a duel in broad daylight and killed them very brutally in order to enforce justice. And, receiving cheers from the citizens, he would have sacrificed his head in front of him.
I don’t know which one is better.
grumbled the regressor.
“Nevertheless it is. Killing them all is a bit.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to stop the war either. For now, we can survive with the stockpile of Alchemy Steel, but long-term war is impossible without additional supplies. It’s a facility that can be restored somehow… But dead humans can’t be restored.”
“Grunt. It is, but.”
‘No matter what the conclusion is, all of you will eventually head to the deepest control room.’
No sharp conclusions were drawn. Tyr, who had been listening to the story quietly, intervened with them, getting bored with the story that was getting slower and slower.
[The story doesn’t go further. If I had that much time, I could wait a thousand years, ten thousand years, but weren’t you guys in a hurry? Let’s move before thinking about what to do.]
Tyr looked back and sang ‘Carofald’.
[Guide!]
When Tyr called, ‘Carafald’, who had been holding his breath, belatedly realized that he was the guide and answered.
“What is that?”
[Guide us. Because that is your mission.]
“Yes, yes! Then I will escort you to the control room!”
‘These are good actors. The script I edited all night last night didn’t look overshadowed.’
Thanks for the compliment. You wrote the script well too. I have quite a bit of observation about humans.
‘Hmm but. If the role isn’t vacant, I can’t participate in the play, right? so it’s not fun Shall we divide the crowd a little?’
‘Carofald’, who was trying to guide us into the depths, hesitated for a moment and then looked back at the princess and Shiati with concern.
“That princess. Princess, please watch the retreat. I’ll take care of the inside.”
The princess, who had been cowering at the screams coming from all directions, asked again.
“You want to keep the retreat route? Are you asking me to stay here alone?”
“no. You can also see it from outside. Apparently inside… that. A little too much for the princess.”
‘Carofald’ hesitated, not knowing what to say. I didn’t say it, but it’s different from what I said. It meant that the princess should rest outside, as there are more terrible sights inside.
The princess fully understood the meaning.
“Carofald. Are you trying to separate me for fear of shocking me…?”
“Not necessarily! Someone has to guard the retreat. If you have to protect it, because the princess is the right person…”
‘It is better to drop a princess who avoids hostility. An unruly existence that interferes with human emotions itself is not suitable for the role of an actor. The emotion caused by the shouts of an actor performing passionately on a well-directed stage is real. The princess… I’ll have to leave it to the machinery.’
The princess was furious and tried to say that she would follow. But at just the right moment, someone’s horrible scream was heard and the princess cowered in fear.
The regressor also shook his head.
“Destroy this place or whatever. There won’t be anything the princess will do. There are no enemies here, so you won’t have to use your abilities.”
I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. The enemy is probably hiding in the deepest part. That’s why Sieghurund is also trying to get the princess out.
However, Sieghrund’s series of performances are so natural that no one but me suspects them. Even if I reveal his identity, people will not accept it.
It’s strange that I doubt him in the first place. Neither Siati nor the princess, who had been together until recently, didn’t notice, but it’s more irrational for me to notice with a gap of six years.
However, it cannot reveal the existence of mind reading.
“Ugh I am… then I will ask…”
When the princess decides to stay and everyone nods. I also said it with a miserable expression.
“…Mr. Tyr Shay. sorry. Can I stay out for a while?”
Tyr looked at my complexion and said.
[phew. Your complexion is pale. Are you okay?]
“Yes. It’s just a matter of the heart. No matter what the ending is… I think it will be hard to watch.”
A slightly lowered gaze, clenched fists. I looked furious at the blasphemous sight of the smelter to anyone who saw it.
Tyr was momentarily puzzled by my changed attitude. However, he said yes and nodded his head benevolently.
[It deserves to be tired. Haven’t you been running without a break until now? Unlike a vampire who never gets tired, you might need some rest.]
“Thank you, Tyr. Then I and Aji… wait, where did Aji go again?”
The princess pointed back.
“Ms. Aji over there… she stopped right from the moment she entered the door and didn’t come in.”
“For some reason I couldn’t hear the dog barking.”
When I turned my head, Aji glanced inside through the crack in the door, but did not dare to step. It seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier. Whenever a laborer moaned in pain, Aji grunted, baring his teeth as if something was uncomfortable.
To Aji, who is sensitive to human emotions, this place where countless humans are being tortured in real time will look like hell.
“I couldn’t leave Aji alone anyway. That’s great. I’ll be out on the lookout with the kings.”
The regressor readily agreed.
“What is it? I didn’t feel any sign of anything outside. You don’t even need your strength for simple destruction anyway. waiting outside I’ll take care of it and get out.”
Permission from the regressor must have been dropped.
‘Once the two were dropped. princess and maid That’s a good role. If I play that role, there will be plenty of enjoyable scenes.’
i think so too. If you take my place, there will be quite a pleasant scene.
So, I will prepare the stage for you. It’s not fair to have you alone on stage. yes?
clap. The steel door of the alchemy steel smelter was closed. I closed it tightly so that not a single gap could be seen, and I stretched out my arm and stroked Aji. Aji was still grunting as if he was in a bad mood.
“Um… Hughie?”
“yes? why?”
I comforted Aji and smiled. The princess hesitated, then glanced at my expression and asked.
“Your expression seems to have changed abruptly… Do you think of anything pleasant?”
“Have fun? I came here after seeing something like that, how can I enjoy it?!”
“I’m so sorry…! Uh, but your eyes are smiling…”
“What do you know about my expression!”
“Hee!”
even though i’m laughing I must be angry.
They are criminals who deserve to die. Humans have the right to judge other human beings for the sake of a greater cause, so those who have committed sins deserve to be punished in the name of a greater cause.
But there is something called human dignity. Even if it is a criminal, if it has a human form, that alone should be respected. Because that’s dory.
funny.
“Don’t you think it’s funny, Princess? They’re going to die anyway, and they’re going to die. To feel pity for being tied up and moaning in pain.”
“But… if you’re going to kill him, you have to go through the due process and expose your sins in front of everyone and let them meet their end. That’s that’s too much! Being chained and exploited is like… livestock!”
The princess clenched her fists and trembled. It would have been the first time in her life that she had come into contact with the malice of the military.
“Can’t we exploit them like cattle?”
“What are you talking about?! Of course not!”
“Why? The military needs these facilities and has the ability to run them.”
“You can’t do anything you can do! You always have to keep your level. My parents couldn’t keep it…!”
For the princess who couldn’t bear to speak, I continued the conversation.
“Iknow, right. Didn’t your father ruin the country because he was bad at managing the kingdom? It’s not like he screwed it up, but since he’s definitely an experienced person, the impression is different.”
“Yes yes?! You don’t have to say that!”
“But is it true?”
“It is, though! They say they haven’t seen their faces, but they are my parents! Please cover your words at least in front of me!”
I smiled and got on the car with Aji. The princess huffed up and naturally sat down in the carriage after me.
‘You’re talking too much! I’m not arguing about that, but I don’t see any manners or decency at all! It’s not enough to be considerate…!’
“It shouldn’t be said. I can.”
I started the automatic carriage. The wheel spins and breathes life into the entire wagon. The automatic carriage, which had stopped, began to move again with a heartbeat.
The princess was surprised and spoke up.
“Wait a minute Huey? Didn’t you say you were watching? Where are you going?”
“Speech is, in the end, a way of making sounds using my mouth and tongue. Depending on what you pronounce and how you arrange them in order, it becomes something you shouldn’t say.”
Rumble. The automatic carriage, which gradually accelerated, soon reached its maximum speed. I turned the control stick and ran along the outer wall of the huge Alchemy Steel Refinery. What you see on the left is an endless gray concrete wall. No matter how far I went, the same scene was repeated, and soon I was confused as to whether I was moving forward or stopping.
“If you can’t do it, you shouldn’t be able to do it in the first place. But we can say that.”
“…For example, if it’s possible, you’re saying it can be done.”
I understand you well. He’s sharp and has a good head, so he communicates well.
“But it is different. Doing whatever you can is really barbaric and sinful. The reason the kingdom was destroyed was because they couldn’t distinguish between what they could do and what they couldn’t do.”
“He said something to me, but he himself blames his parents.”
“Because they are my parents, I will do anything!”
The hot-headed princess shouted, then opened her eyes straight and answered clearly.
“yes! The kingdom was doomed! So there are do’s and don’ts! Enforcement knights who were in charge of the kingdom’s security in the past. They traveled the world in enforcement duels to slay criminals and set the rules right. But at some point, the execution duel became a more brutal and brutal execution ceremony! Even innocent people are framed and executed!”
“Isn’t that the fault of the corrupt enforcement knights?”
“It was a kingdom of knights! Because the kingdom affirmed them, the king and my parents were finally taken down by everyone!”
Should I say contradiction… or irony? There is a bit of a contradiction in the princess’s words. I pointed there carefully.
“According to what you said, the existence of that smelter would be nice to the princess. Wouldn’t it be better not to break it? Because one day, that smelter will end up in a catastrophe by trapping not only heinous criminals, but also everyone who goes against the will of the military. Long live the Resistance!”
