EP.260 The Country of Steel and Faceless Men – 9
Like all countries that have reflected on numerous failures, the military respects the judgment of field commanders. Although there are signalmen, they provide information and present strategic objectives, but do not intervene in command.
There are clues that can only be obtained in the field. No matter how quickly the signalman judges, he cannot overcome his intuition.
In that sense, Captain Thoruk was a great commander. It was because the judgment was over the moment Aimeder disappeared in the pincer attack of Tyr, the butterfly regressor.
“I will accept your offer. But we also need trust in you.”
It was a declaration of quasi-surrender that the other side would never admit. I didn’t point that out for smooth negotiations.
“You want a hostage? However, we are not fools either, so we cannot send hostages, but instead we promise full cooperation.”
“What is it?”
“I will stop advancing for a while and focus on rescue activities until everyone here is saved.”
‘Stop the advance? If that’s the case, as a result, it’s like tying their feet, so there’s nothing better. Will they accept this?’
Probably. Regressors have a negative stance on killing all laborers, and Historia’s purpose is to evade battle, not destroy the smelter.
Tir, I’m just hanging out with you.
Just in time, the regressor who had successfully annihilated Aimeder was approaching. She patted me on the shoulder without hesitation.
“What are you talking about on your own?”
“It is a negotiation. Anyway, this is a military facility, and even one hand is precious to save the laborers.”
“What? You activated the annihilation device!”
“I didn’t mean to kill them, did I? It was just a means for us to be safe. look. If I hadn’t activated the device, would they have pretended to listen to us?”
The regressor saw Captain Thoruk and the troops they were leading. It wasn’t a great number. As a good commander, he had already divided up his forces and scattered them throughout the smelter the moment he felt that things had gone wrong. This is because once the battle is over, you have to start repairing the damage right away.
‘…table? No, it’s a little more dramatic than being called a schemer… but he looks like a con artist.’
I said softly.
“In the face of a sudden disaster, join forces with the enemy to save people. It’s a beautiful and human ending. Shall we cheer up for our happy ending?”
“Chit, in the end, it’s like helping the military.”
“no. It’s a little different. Shay, in order to save the slaves, you have to break the device that drives the workers to their deaths? As Shay wished.”
The regressor realized what I meant and made a stupid noise.
“uh?”
“yes! This is your chance to destroy the facilities of the smelter to your heart’s content. Even receiving careful guidance from the military!”
In a word, it means that the act of destruction without human casualties that the returnees wanted was tolerated. If the facilities of the smelter were destroyed one by one, the workers would not be able to operate the smelter right away.
Things fit perfectly.
Unlike cogs, humans are so different that they can never fit together. Since everyone has different ideologies, purposes, and abilities, it is inevitable that they will diverge somewhere.
However, this situation that I have orchestrated is suitable for all human beings. The regressor felt a half-shudder.
‘Hughes. How far are you predicting…?’
what. It’s not a prediction.
‘They realized it was a trap and outwitted us. I’ve also devised plans to sabotage prepared traps and completely destroy the smelter. In the meantime… As I wished, unnecessary sacrifices were avoided, and as the musketeer wished, the battle with the military was also eliminated. This is… something that even a prophet cannot do…’
It would be great if we accurately pinpointed the intentions of the military, predicted their actions, and concocted a strategy to defeat each plan one by one while being sure of it. It is a talent comparable to a famous bookmaker in history.
However, in reality, he read the thoughts of Yeong-Gwe, who created all these strategies, and eliminated them one by one as if solving problems.
I’m not a genius, I’m a scammer who came to see the answers in advance. It’s a pity.
‘…Maybe really.’
The regressor’s thoughts were cut off there. It was because I realized that time was urgent. From now on, the time of hesitation will soon lead to someone’s death.
Picking up the Jizan that had been dropped on the ground, the regressor left a small word for me.
“Anyway, it was helpful. thank you.”
The regressor strode towards Captain Thoruk and his troops. As the regressor approached, the troops tensed up and moved as if to surround her. The regressor responded angrily, brandishing his sword.
“Stop doing useless things and take the lead! There is no time!”
Seeing the regressor’s confident demeanor, one of the officers grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“damn. If something like this is around, it’s like we’re hostages.”
“Move quickly before treating them as real hostages!”
As the regressor led them on foot, I sneaked back and called Tyr. Tyr saw my gesture and approached me leisurely.
[Thanks to that, you avoided tanning your skin. If it wasn’t for your base, I would have shown a charred face. Isn’t it a rather sensuous gift?]
Pretentious. While I was quite surprised by the artificial lighting of the military that pushed me to the limit.
Compared to sunlight, it is lacking in many ways, but the density of light exceeds that of the sun. If he had received that light head-on, even Tyr would have been unable to fight for a while.
A vampire in the light can be compared to a human drowning. Every time I move, I get tremendous pressure and I don’t even have strength.
Well, I could have escaped somehow. You can resist light with darkness, and you can break through walls by moving only 30 meters to one side. But by then we’d all be dead.
what. In fact, I was protecting myself rather than Tyr.
I got embarrassed and scratched my head.
“What. Oh, if you’re done using it, could you return the cloth?”
In response to my legitimate request for return, Tyr, who was still wearing my diamond queen on his shoulder, staggered and adjusted his collar.
[…Wasn’t it a gift?]
“You didn’t say you were giving it, did you? It’s expensive. Give it back.”
[I can’t find a single word of romance. How could a man who had become a man take away the handkerchief he once handed over?]
“When are you talking about the enemy? These days, many people ask me to present the gift they gave me when we parted ways.”
[The end of the world!]
“I don’t think the end of the world will happen because of the demand to return my things.”
Tyr is too gentle, so when I persistently asked for it, he reluctantly gave me the cloth queen he was wearing. How much is this and I just can’t give it to you. I changed the cloth queen into a card again and put it in my bosom.
But Tyr also had an afterthought. I couldn’t bear it, so I continued to grumble in the middle of it.
[I really don’t understand! How can it be without losing face!]
“Ahaha. Yes, I have something to write about. and Tyr. I have a favor.”
[Your face isn’t thick, so even if you poke it with a needle, it won’t show. These days, is it the attitude of a person asking for someone to steal something they once gave without even realizing it
? But in the first place, the Queen of Heaven is a precious tool to me too. You can’t afford expensive items that cost you a whole house when you sell them.
And I keep taking it for granted that I give something.
“Tyr is older than me and has more money. I even made a country! But isn’t it too much to try to take away even the few remaining possessions of me living a difficult life as a petit bourgeois? You should eat the flea’s liver!”
[Will you regret what I have given you? I have to show sincerity first so that I can give you treasure or gold in return.]
“Oh, that’s right. In the past, you said you were giving gold or treasures for lecture fees or massage fees, but didn’t you give me anything useful? I believed in the value of the name of the founder, Tirkanjaka, and waited. When will I receive it?”
[…We’ll talk about this later, but since the matter is urgent, let’s listen to your request.] Sheesh
. it’s quite Taking advantage of the rush to avoid unfavorable answers. Maybe because he has a history of building a country, he speaks better than a regressor somewhere.
I looked around, then lowered my voice and whispered to Tyr.
“If they save the laborers, then the laborers will surely be released from restraint for a while. When the slaves were freed, Tyr pretended to help them.”
[Then?]
“Please cover your eyes with darkness and secretly take them outside the smelter. Scattered in all directions, so that the troops of the armed forces that will arrive in the future will think anew.”
Realizing how important my request was, Tyr also lowered his voice and replied.
[Is that okay? I heard that all humans here are heinous sinners. If we send them out into the world, there will be many problems.]
“Welcome to know? I don’t care if you didn’t do it to me.”
[Law and justice. The attitude of not caring even the slightest bit is very bad.]
“Are you disappointed?”
Tyr shook his head and smiled softly. The red lips drew an arc. It was a smile that felt a sense of kinship, as if seeing an accomplice soaking in the same mud.
[at all. No, I liked it even more.]
To Tyr, this smelter is not a terrible place that tramples on human dignity. It is just the most advanced method of efficiently consuming humans, which has been common throughout history.
Nothing is as meaningless as discussing modern morality to the vampire queen who has lived for a thousand years.
[Wait a minute. Then what are you going to do in the meantime?]
“Me? Even if I worked, it wouldn’t be of any help, and if I became a hostage for nothing, I’d get in the way of Lyana and Tyr. I’ll be watching you here.”
[okay. That looks good.]
“Good. Tyr Then go and free that slave. Not for justice, but for me.”
Tyr accepted my words with a smile.
[I’ll do you a favor.]
And Tyr also left the control room driving the darkness. Dozens of black knights abruptly rose from her receding shadow.
Vampires save people… It’s a common thing. The race that killed the most humans in the world is the same humans, but the race that saved the most humans is, surprisingly, humans who became vampires.
what. The preparations are now complete. I stretched all the way and turned around. On one side, Aji was struggling with the barbed wire, and the butterfly was excitedly checking and killing each and every falling light. The lights with afterglow shining like shards of glass were to become the footprints of butterflies in the near future.
On the other side, Historia briefly explained what had happened to Shiati and the princess.
Shiati gritted her teeth while the princess couldn’t adapt to the sudden change and raised a question mark on her face.
“yes? yes? Wait. Carofald… betrayed? He activated the trap and Shay Gong cut him…?”
“I don’t know the inside story. Is he the real Carafald or someone in disguise? Anyway, it’s clear that something is wrong with him.”
“I can’t believe it. He’s definitely not the kind of person who would betray us…”
“Because he’s a human, you don’t know how he’ll change.”
The princess looked around, frowning. The lights were broken, but they were still bright, so the control room was still clearly visible.
“…however.”
Looking around the control room, the princess immediately asked curiously.
“Where is Carafald?”
Historia flinched and turned her head away. The place she looked at was the place where Carafald had just collapsed, spilling blood.
But no one was there. Not even dried bloodstains were visible. Historia stretched out her arms, raising her tension.
“…It seems Carafald wasn’t real after all.”
“Oh, I’m glad then! Carafald didn’t betray us either!”
Towards the princess who answered immaturely, Historia glared with contempt in her eyes.
“Unfortunate. Disguised as him means that his identity has already been discovered, and if that’s the case, then Carafald would have been tortured, vomited up all the information, and then executed.”
“Yes yes?”
“But fooling my senses and that kid’s senses. How could that be?”
Oh that. It was an amazing performance.
Sieghrund’s performance is not something mysterious. He is a real performer and has honed his craft for one human being to show another human being. Since it was a realm of pure technology, both the regressor and the Historia were fooled.
Among them, the greatest ability is wind qigong, which blows qigong into the body. His Qigong, which barely reached the tip of Ichi, can manipulate the body’s reaction as desired, and it is also possible to transform into another being.
“what?”
dismissal.
The butterfly, which was looking for pleasure in breaking the lights, felt a strange reaction and lifted its front paw. There must have been something wrong with the lighting, but the moment the butterfly lifted its paw, a loud explosion was heard.
“Nyahahaha!”
Light like a firecracker exploded and glittering dust scattered. Historia, who reacted momentarily, exploded the wind with her pore to offset it, and Aji and Butterfly barked in all directions in surprise.
Historia’s voice echoed in the chaos that erupted in an instant.
“Everybody unite! Do not scatter!”
Historia stopped talking. It was because someone walked right in front of her eyes. A tall female general with languid eyes and braided hair was glaring at him with her eyes wide open.
It seemed like someone who looked just like Historia, or rather Historia herself. Shiati and the princess, who had known each other for some time, were astonished when they saw the two who looked alike like a mirror.
“The Musketeer… Two?!”
Discovering someone just like her, Historia wasted no time in her astonishment. With very short intervals, they moved simultaneously. One Historia stretched out her long legs. ‘Historia’ was gently let go and lifted to break her legs, wrapped around her knees and elbows. The kick takes a sharp turn in the air, and the arms and legs move dizzy in response.
Kwakwang. Historia’s pore blaster exploded, and the two models were pushed back. ‘Historia’ exclaimed, hastily reaching out to me.
“day off! Dangerous! Hide behind me…!”
“You can’t hide. you’re fake.”
Leaving the princess alone, I quickly ran away to the side close to Historia. As I moved away, the hand that was held out in vain was squeezed and opened several times.
This time, the face of ‘Historia’ was stained with despair toward me who rejected herself and ran away.
“Uh, how…”
Even if you try to act on your face, you won’t even begin. The easiest way to get out of acting is, paradoxically, to remember that all of this is acting.
‘Historia’ made me realize that I didn’t just read it, I really saw through it. ‘Historia”s expression changed in an instant. Sieghrund, who had the face of ‘Historia’, tilted his head with pure curiosity and doubt, expressed his doubts.
“Did you know I was fake?”
