EP.292 My enemy’s enemy is my friend, and my friend’s friend is my enemy
. Always. Going down is easy, but going up is twice as hard.”
I grumbled and climbed the ladder.
In the darkness where you can’t see the front properly, you go up one by one with only your senses. After groping for a long time, I have no realistic sense of how far I have climbed or where I am right now. It feels like climbing a ladder that goes on forever.
It would have been a little different if I had a sense, but my senses are not perfect because of the drug I took earlier. If you lose your mind even for a moment, you might let go of the ladder and try to fly.
how is that? why don’t i fly? Why bother trying to climb the ladder one by one?
Okay, let go of this hand, flap your wings and fly away. If you say one, two, three…
“Sleep!”
The dark hallway was filled with sound. I ring myself an alarm through my eardrum. The head, startled by my voice, managed to regain reason.
I said it out loud on purpose.
“Whoa, it almost got into trouble. I almost committed suicide by throwing myself in some kind of sewer. Don’t be out of shape.”
Even when I was addicted to drugs, I was able to contemplate myself by reading other people’s thoughts. Reading different points of view with mind reading, I am objective. Therefore, even drugs cannot destroy my sanity. What are some of the advantages of mind reading?
But now that there is no one around me, I am extremely subjective.
What do you mean? It means that I am a crazy person who took medicine now that the medicinal effect has not gone away.
“It would be better if there was at least one normal human next to you. Unfortunately, there is no one now. Would you like to go upstairs?”
When I came down, I came with quite a few people. But now I am alone.
Because the others decided to stay down there.
It’s AB and UL. Even so, Siati’s choice was unexpected.
Shiati openly declared that she would not trust UL and AB. He argued that becoming a king does not mean that the karma accumulated until then disappears, and that he cannot be trusted without a guarantee. Pouring cold water on that atmosphere is a performance that only Siati can do.
However, Shiati didn’t run rampant to kill the two like before. Instead, it was decided to leave it so that it could be punished at any time in case they strayed. Although he has no special powers, he has excellent thumbs for killing a human.
However, from what I read, Shiati’s thoughts at the time were strange. I muttered, thinking of Shiati.
“You wanted to be a stern judge, Shiati? Because if someone could judge the king, he would be the highest person in the kingdom. Perhaps you are the most successful among us.”
Judge. what a great position It is a position where you wield unresponsible power to observe and ‘judge’ if you don’t like it instead of managing or making things. Shiati took the position herself.
The princess was frightened and stopped Shiati, but she couldn’t stop her without understanding Shiati. If I had understood in the first place, I wouldn’t even think about stopping it.
In any case, Shiati’s will was so firm that even the princess couldn’t change her mind. The conflicted princess hesitated and chose to remain with Siati. Unlike Shiati, though, he emphasized several times that it was ‘only for a moment’.
“Even so, I thought I was the only one who wanted to go outside. It’s easy to fall, but hard to come up. Is that why everyone below me is pooling?”
Unlike UL and AB, I don’t have the ability to look outside from a seat. Say you can’t live like that.
As I climbed with determination, I came to the point where there was no ladder before I knew it. Who the hell made the ladder? I’m afraid I’ll jump off… No, this isn’t it. I shook my head at the increasingly extreme thought.
The fact that there are no more ladders means that we have reached the ground. Resolving my heart, I reached my hand over my head and touched something hard. Don’t hit it, you can open this and go outside.
I put my foot on the top of the ladder and pushed the lid with all my might.
“Turn it off.”
When I opened the lid with all my might, the half-destroyed building caught my eye first. This is the communication headquarters that was destroyed due to the fight between Angel and Historia. While I was looking around like a mole, the wind mixed with dust hit my face. The earthy taste is bitter.
The air outside is worse than underground. Maybe down there is better than the dirty and dangerous outside. I pushed back the lid as hard as I could and climbed up on my stomach.
Nice to meet you, earthly child who shakes dust. i’m back With secrets buried in the basement of the military…
wait. sand dust? wind?
It must have been indoors, but even if it was half-destroyed earlier, did it collapse to the point where the wind blew…?
chill down the spine Not because the wind blew, but because my instincts realized something.
thoughts are read Not Historia’s, but someone else’s idea entirely.
I slowly turned my head. I made eye contact with someone. As if he was waiting for me to notice his existence, someone shouted a beat late after facing each other.
“Welcome! I thought I was dying from waiting!”
It was a man with a full smile on his face, wearing monocles with sawtooth rims, and covering his entire body with a heavy-looking cloak.
Are you a friendly person? no. The last time we met face to face was all.
Do you have any good memories? no. Even then, they fought with each other. I got punched in the face.
It’s obviously not a friendly greeting, but the other side feels closeness to me one-sidedly and is approaching.
An unpleasant situation. But I can’t make that tee.
That’s because the opponent was one of the six generals, said to be the strongest in the military. I waved goodbye.
“Mr. Maximilien? long time no see. Have you been safe all this time?”
“It’s alright! I thought I was dying waiting for the day to see you again! I didn’t know we would be able to reunite so easily!”
Until now, I hadn’t even seen a nose poke, but it came at the most defenseless moment. He said with a laugh.
“I know, but I don’t know! I made a plan on how to meet you by defeating the founder and the young man who uses the power of the demon god. I never thought you would come to me like this! Doesn’t it make sense to call for support only like this!”
“I didn’t come specifically to see you.”
“You must have come to see Tian Tong. I know! But what does that matter! Wouldn’t the most important thing be the fact that we now met without any obstacles!”
Wow, my heart would have fluttered if I heard it from a woman. It’s because he’s a crazy old man, so I’m excited in a different way. I was disgusted and took a hesitant step back.
Not a good situation.
Two insurances I was counting on. One was Historia and the other was a princess. Like insurance, I put more faith in the stable Historia rather than the variable princess.
There is a sense of overreliance on it, but if it’s Historia, who is a growth sage, it can overcome any crisis… I thought.
What does it mean that another sextet, Maximilien, is waiting for me?
“Are you looking for this?”
Maximilien snapped his fingers.
Then there was a roar as if a giant was holding the whole world and crushing it.
The collapsed building moves. No, something that collapsed the building moves, and the concrete wreckage waves and crumble.
Would it be like this if you went inside a sand castle and watched it break down? The pillars that supported the building and the reinforcing bars that used to be the framework of the concrete are ridiculously crushed like dry sand.
It was a gigantic wagon made of cogwheels that appeared as it flipped over the building grandiosely.
From the outside, it looked as if the car had been enlarged several times after leaving only the skeleton. However, the way it moves resembles a bug rather than a carriage.
A cog wheel does not turn alone. It must move with its neighbors.
As a result, whenever that huge body moves, hundreds of gears move like waves. It was more like a caterpillar crawling than a wagon rolling.
The monster that approached me, crushing the building, stopped a few steps ahead of me. It is so majestic that you have to raise your head to see it.
Swallowing my saliva, I responded calmly.
“I’m not a junk dealer?”
“It’s not junk. This is the ‘steel beetle’. It is a masterpiece that I devoted half my life to!”
“Wouldn’t it be unfair to spend half your life dedicated to toys?”
“Hmm is that so? My point of view is different. Wouldn’t it be much more unfair to live a life that can’t be used for pleasure!”
It was quite provocative, and I scratched it slightly, but Maximilien laughed it off. For some reason, my liking in his heart is too high. Why are all the people who like me based on first impressions are men? suddenly feel sad
Maximilien said in a patronizing manner.
“I will give you a chance to take a closer look. You will probably understand the structure of the steel beetle right away!”
“I don’t really want to understand. Your hobby, not rescue.”
“You have to do it. You may find it, but it will be there to find you.”
Now it’s a power of choice. I can’t pretend I don’t know anymore. I looked at him and walked slowly.
There was something like a statue of a player hanging from the front of the wagon made of cogwheels. It was an ominous, womanly figure, suitable for a ghost ship with her dark hair lethargic and bloody all over her body.
The arms and legs are buried and cannot be seen. Her limbs are crushed between the irregularities of the interlocking gears.
It’s a terrible imagination, but if that cog wheel turns…
“Huh…i.”
Historia’s arms and legs will be crushed between large cogwheels.
Something happened while we were away for a while. He stood in front of Historia, who looked miserable, and fidgeted with the gears that bound her.
“You even learned a new special move, right? How did you get caught?”
“…Kuk. it wasn’t perfect Even if only the body was better…”
“Do you have any pride to take care of? hang on. I’ll solve it.”
I tried to grab the gear and pull it, but it wouldn’t budge. I don’t think I can solve it with my own strength. You must have at least the power of Historia to be able to peel it off somehow…
‘It’s a useless effort. It’s a cogwheel knot I devised. As much as you give it power, that power will pass on and imprison the director of Historia. Of course, if you’re one of us, you’ll find out the structure without difficulty!’
It’s made unnecessarily complicated. You’ve set up a vicious device.
Even if someone like me gave her strength, Historia’s burden wouldn’t increase, but that doesn’t mean she has to spend her energy on futile things. I said about the cogs.
“I can’t do it by force. The cogwheels are meticulously meshed. You will get hurt if you use force too quickly.”
“…It’s not the time to worry about me.”
“is it?”
Well, I’m not in a position to worry about others, right?
With weak strength, no special ability, and less preparation, he encountered Yukjangseong. I’m sure I’ll be more helpless than Historia stuck in the gears.
Besides me, Historia seemed to think so too.
“Run away. no, take your time At least until your colleague comes along. The cogs he handles are pure physical force. If it’s the founder, you’ll have an advantage against Director Maximilien’s cogs. So… I don’t care if it’s a courtesy or whatever. Fortunately, he seems to like you…”
“Hey. No matter how much I do, do I have to listen to the person who is tied up?”
“Is there a solution? You won’t even get away with Director Maximilien. I know it when I hit it once. There is something… strange about that person.”
Historia spoke with a rather serious face, as if leaking military secrets. After pondering Historia’s words, I said,
“I know. It’s strange just looking at it. Are you sure you have to hit it to find out?”
“I’m serious! The director’s qigong is something different… ugh!”
“Don’t move. The gears turn.”
There was enough pressure on his arm that even steel would fold. Because Historia strengthened her body with qigong, she endured. If she were an ordinary person, her limbs would have been cut off.
I want to do it too much, but this is the only way to restrain it without buying a strong person like Historia. In some ways, it’s reasonable, and in other ways, it’s friendly behavior. At least that means I don’t want to kill or hurt any more than necessary.
“There must be something the director is aiming for. I don’t know why they didn’t kill me… but if they figure it out…”
“I’ll let you know.”
Unlike the past when I tried to solve everything by force, now I’m even thinking about this and that. It seems that he is a general and has the ability to read the great powers. As always, circumstances make a person.
Of course, my response also depends on the situation.
“what?”
“I know the disease, and I know it. In the midst of this, if you, my ally, don’t know, the calculations won’t work.”
Historia’s judgment is befitting a general. So if I can let Historia judge more quickly with a trivial truth, that’s to my advantage.
So said.
“Physical disease is not my enemy.”
Of course, I need the premise that Historia will be my ally even after knowing this.
You can’t be called a gambler unless you trust the cards in your hand.
“…not an enemy?”
I nodded and started explaining.
“There are six growth stats, and if you take out you, who is on my side, there are only three left in the Inner Circle: Youngark, Gwabyeong, and Cheontong. At the time of the departure of Yeong-gwe, there were only Gwabyeong and Cheontong in the headquarters. Then we are left with a very simple math problem. An inequality that compares 1 and 2 that even a child would do.”
He raised his hand and spread his fingers. One on my side, two on the other side. Of course, two are better than one. Even if there is a difference in growth, it is still a difference in nature.
When strength reaches a certain level, it becomes a number. Anything that does not meet the standard is discarded to the decimal point and reigns as an integer.
“But if Mr. Shay isn’t in this space, the direction of the inequality sign changes. like this.”
As I said that, I slowly folded and extended my fingers. Now two on my side and one over there. now i have the advantage
Of course, ‘over there’ is Cheon Tong. The Tian Tong, which created and defended the military state and hopes to continue in the future, will not tolerate change.
However, the soldier who made the military state, but regarded it as an interesting toy…
“That’s right!”
With a smile on his face, he affirmed my words.
