Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Ch. 291

“Sigh. It’s always the same. Going down is easy, but coming back up is twice as hard.”

I grumbled as I climbed the ladder.

In the darkness where I couldn’t see a thing, I relied only on my sense of touch to ascend one rung at a time. After groping my way up for a while, I lost track of how far I had climbed or where I even was.

It felt like I had been climbing forever.

If I still had my senses, it might have been different, but thanks to the drugs I took earlier, even those were dulled.

If I let my guard down even for a moment, I might let go of the ladder and attempt to fly.

Wait, why am I not flying?

Why am I climbing this ladder one step at a time?

I just need to let go and flap my wings. On the count of three…

“Waitttttttt!”

The sound echoed through the dark passage, jolting me back to reality.

Startled by my own voice, I barely managed to regain my composure.

I spoke aloud on purpose.

“Phew, that was close. I almost threw myself off a ladder. That wouldn’t be cool at all.”

Even though I’ve been high on drugs before, I was always able to maintain some objectivity by reading other people’s thoughts.

By reading others’ perspectives, I could remain somewhat objective.

So, the drugs can’t fully destroy my rationality.

It’s one of the few advantages of Mind Reading.

But now that I’m alone, I’m entirely subjective.

What does that mean?

It means that in my current drugged state, I’m just a crazy guy on drugs.

“It would be better if I had at least one normal person with me, but of course, there’s no one here. Maybe there will be someone when I reach the top.”

I came down with quite a few others, but now I’m alone.

The others decided to stay down there.

Abbey and Yuel I could understand, but Shiati’s choice was unexpected.

Shiati outright declared that she couldn’t trust Abbey and Yuel.

She argued that becoming a king wouldn’t erase their past sins and that she couldn’t trust them without some kind of guarantee.

Only Shiati could pull off such a performance, dampening the mood like that.

However, Shiati didn’t go on a rampage like she used to.

Instead, she decided to stay behind, ready to eliminate them if they ever went astray.

She might not have any special powers, but she was exceptionally good at killing people with just her finger.

Still,I read Shiati’s thoughts at that time and they were peculiar.

I muttered to myself, thinking of Shiati.

“You wanted to become a stern judge, didn’t you, Shiati? The one who judges a king would be the highest authority in the Military State. Maybe you’re the most successful of us all.”

A judge.

What a powerful position.

Instead of ruling or creating, you just watched, and if you were not satisfied, you ‘judge’ them—wielding power without responsibility.

Shiati has taken on that role.

The Princess was horrified and tried to stop Shiati, but you can’t stop someone without understanding them.

And if you understood her, you wouldn’t even think of stopping her.

In any case, Shiati’s resolve was so firm that the Princess couldn’t change her mind.

After some hesitation, the Princess ended up deciding to stay with Shiati, though she kept emphasizing that it was only ‘for a while.’

“Even so, I didn’t expect to be the only one wanting to go outside. It’s easy to fall down, but climbing back up is hard. Maybe that’s why everyone down there just stays put.”

Unlike Yuel or Abbey, I don’t have the ability to see the outside world from where I’m sitting.

I can’t live like that.

As I steeled myself and continued to climb, I eventually reached a point where there was no more ladder.

Who on earth created an unfinished ladder?

Should I just jump down… No, that’s not it.

I shook my head as my thoughts grew more extreme.

The fact that there was no more ladder must mean I’ve reached the surface.

I steadied myself and reached up, feeling something hard.

Instead of ramming into it, I needed to open it and step outside.

I hooked my foot on the top rung of the ladder and used all my strength to push the lid open.

“Ughhhh.”

As I pushed the lid open with all my might, the first thing I saw was a half-destroyed building.

It was the Communication Headquarters that had been destroyed during the fight between the angel and Historia.

As I cautiously peered out like a mole, dust-laden wind hit my face.

The dirt tasted bitter.

The outside air wasn’t much better than the underground.

Maybe it was better to stay down there where it was safer.

Despite the possible danger, I pushed the lid aside with all my strength, and slowly crawled out, dragging my belly along.

Hello, dusty surface!

I’m back, leaving the secrets of the Military State buried underground…

Wait. Dust? Wind?

This was supposed to be indoors.

Was it so destroyed that the wind could blow through…?

A chill ran down my spine.

Not because of the wind, but because my instincts realized something.

I could read thoughts—thoughts that weren’t Historia’s, but someone else’s entirely.

I slowly turned my head.

My eyes met someone else’s.

As if waiting for me to notice their presence, they delayed for a beat before exclaiming,

“Welcome! I was about to die of boredom waiting for you!”

With a broad grin, the man was dressed in a heavy cloak and wore a monocle with a jagged edge.

A friendly face?

No. We’ve only met once before.

Any good memories?

No. We even fought back then.

I even landed a punch on him.

We definitely weren’t on friendly terms, yet he approached me with unwarranted familiarity.

This was not a pleasant situation, but I couldn’t show that.

After all, the man before me was one of the Six Star Generals, supposedly the strongest forces in the Military State.

I greeted him with reluctance.

“Maximilien? It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Well? I’ve been eagerly waiting for the day I’ll see you again! I didn’t expect our reunion to be this fast and easy, though!”

He hadn’t shown up until now, but of all times, he appeared when I was most vulnerable.

He laughed heartily as he spoke.

“It’s truly a mystery! I planned so carefully to meet you. I even planned to beat the one who uses the power of the Divines and the Progenitor herself, but here you are, coming to me on your own! I didn’t even need the backup I called for!”

“I wasn’t exactly trying to meet you.”

“You must have been looking for the Envoy. I know, but what does that matter? The most important thing is that we’ve met without any obstacles!”

Wow, if a woman had said that to me, my heart would have fluttered.

Unfortunately, this crazy guy makes my heart race for all the wrong reasons.

I took a step back, feeling uncomfortable.

This wasn’t good.

The two insurances I relied on were Historia and the Princess.

Naturally, I placed more trust in Historia than in the unpredictable Princess.

Maybe I relied on Historia a bit too much, but I thought that with her as one of the Six Star Generals, she could handle most crises.

What did Maximilien, another Star General, waiting for me in Historia’s stead mean?

“Are you looking for this?”

Maximilien snapped his fingers.

A thunderous noise, as if a giant was crushing the world, echoed through the air.

The building that had been in ruins began to move.

No, it was the thing that had destroyed the building moving, causing the concrete rubble to ripple and crumble.

It was like watching a sandcastle crumble from within.

The pillars that supported the building, and the rebar that formed the concrete’s skeleton, all crumbled like dry sand.

What emerged, flipping over the building in a grand fashion, was a massive carriage made of gears.

At first glance, it looked like the skeleton of an Automaton Carriage, albeit scaled up several times.

But the way it moved was more like a bug than a carriage.

Gears don’t turn alone.

They always move together with interlocking gears.

So when that massive body moved, hundreds of gears rippled like waves.

It was more reminiscent of a caterpillar crawling than a carriage rolling.

The monstrous thing that crushed the building with its approach stopped just a few steps away from me.

I had to crane my neck to take it to its full height.

I swallowed and responded calmly.

“I’m not a scrap dealer.”

“This isn’t scrap. It’s the ‘Steel Beetle,’ a masterpiece I devoted half my life to!”

“Aren’t you upset that you wasted half your life on a toy?”

“Hmm, is that so? We have different perspectives. Isn’t a life wasted on not having fun even more pitiful?”

I tried to provoke him a bit, but Maximilien just laughed it off.

For some reason, his affection for me seemed excessively high.

Why do all the people who like me at first sight have to be men?

Suddenly, I felt kind of sad.

Maximilien spoke with a tone that suggested he was doing me a favor.

“I’ll give you a chance to examine it closely. I’m sure someone like you will quickly understand the structure of the Steel Beetle!”

“I’m not really interested in understanding it. Your hobbies, I mean.”

“You should. Even if you don’t seek it, what you’re looking for will be in there.”

Now he was outright forcing it on me.

I couldn’t pretend to be oblivious any longer.

I cautiously took a step toward him.

The front of the gear-made carriage had a figurehead-like ornament hanging from it.

It was a figure of a woman, her black hair hanging limply and her entire body covered in blood—something more fitting for a ghost ship.

Her arms and legs were buried out of sight, crushed between the teeth of interlocking gears.

It was a horrifying thought, but if those gears started turning…

“Hu… ey.”

Historia’s arms and legs would be crushed between those massive gears.

What happened while I was down there?

Standing in front of the battered Historia, I reached out to touch the gears holding her in place.

“You even learned a new ultimate move… How did you end up getting caught?”

“… Ugh. I wasn’t at my best. If my body had been in better shape…”

“You still have to defend your pride in your condition? Hang on. I’ll try to get you out.”

I grabbed the gears and tried to pull them apart, but they didn’t budge.

It seemed my strength alone wasn’t enough to free her.

It would probably take someone with Historia’s level of power to somehow break through…

｢It’s a pointless effort. That’s a gear knot I designed. The harder you pull, the tighter it will squeeze Major General Historia. Of course, someone like you should be able to figure out its structure easily!｣

So that’s why it was so complicated.

What a nasty device.

Even though using my strength wouldn’t add much burden on Historia, there was no point in wasting effort.

I let go of the gears and said,

“Brute force won’t work. The gears are intricately meshed. If I use too much force, you’ll get hurt.”

“…This isn’t the time to worry about me.”

“Is that so?”

I suppose I’m not really in a position to worry about others.

I’m weak, have no special abilities, and am unprepared to face a Star General.

I can guarantee that I’m more powerless than Historia, who is trapped in those gears.

It seemed that Historia also shared my thoughts.

“Run. No, at least try to stall for time until your ally arrives. The gears he controls are purely physical. If the Progenitor were here, she’d have the advantage against Director Maximilien’s gears. So, do whatever it takes… It seems he likes you, so…”

“Hey, do I really need advice from someone who’s tied up?”

“Do you have a plan? You won’t be able to escape from Director Maximilien. After facing him, I realized… There’s something strange about him.”

Historia spoke with seriousness as if revealing a military secret.

I pondered her words and replied.

“I know. He looks strange, doesn’t he? Did you really need to face him to figure that out?”

“I’m serious! The Director’s Qi is different… Ugh!”

“Don’t move. The gears are turning.”

The pressure on her arms was strong enough to bend steel.

Historia could withstand it because she has reinforced her body with Qi Art, but an ordinary person would have had their limbs torn off.

It seemed harsh, but this was the only way to restrain someone as powerful as Historia without breaking their limbs.

In a way, it was rational and even considerate.

At least it shows he doesn’t want to kill or harm her unnecessarily.

“The Director must be after something. I don’t know why he hasn’t killed me, but… If we can figure that out…”

“I’ll tell you.”

She used to try to solve everything with brute force, but now she started to think things through.

I guess even a general can develop a strategic mind when circumstances demand it.

Naturally, my response also changed depending on the situation.

“What is it?”

“The Warforger knows, and so do I. It wouldn’t make sense if my ally didn’t know in this situation.”

Historia’s judgment was fitting for a general.

So, if I could let her quickly grasp the truth and help her make decisions faster, it would be in my best interest.

So I told her.

“The Warforger isn’t my enemy.”

Of course, this assumes that Historia will remain my ally even after knowing this.

If you can’t trust the cards in your hand, you’re no gambler.

“Not your enemy?”

I nodded and began to explain.

“There are six Star Generals, and if we exclude you, my ally, that leaves three in the Inner Circle: the Camarilla, the Warforger, and the Envoy. The Camarilla left, so only the Warforger and the Envoy are left at this place. Now this is a very simple math problem: a basic inequality that even a child could solve, comparing one with two.”

I raised my hand and extended my fingers.

On my side, there was one Star General; on their side, there were two.

Naturally, two is bigger than one.

Even if there were strength differences between the Six Star Generals, those were merely differences in type.

Once you reached a certain level of strength, it all boiled down to numbers.

Anything below the threshold was discarded as a decimal, leaving only the whole numbers to reign.

“But since Mr. Shei isn’t here, he can freely change sides. So the inequality shifts once more. Like this.”

I slowly folded and unfolded my fingers as I spoke.

Now there were two on my side and one on theirs.

Now I was in the advantageous position.

Of course, the “other side” was the Envoy.

The Envoy, the one who created the Military State and defended it fervently, wouldn’t tolerate changes to keep it going on forever.

But the Warforger, who saw the Military State as merely an amusing toy…

“That’s correct!”

With a broad smile, Maximilien confirmed my words.