Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Ch. 306

Azzy’s big, round eyes turned toward me.

I reached out and patted her head while mumbling.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Woof? Remember? Then, are we going to hunt wolves together?”

“Yeah. Someday.”

Despite the confident expression on my face, Azzy tilted her head and asked more questions.

“Woof? Someday? When?”

“I’ll definitely do it someday.”

“When is someday? Woof?”

“When things settle down. I’m busy right now. Look, those people are coming again.”

I pointed to the crowd approaching from afar.

They were the soldiers from the Military State.

Although it seemed like Maximilien had ordered them not to interfere when he came here, with the battle clearly over and no sign of Maximilien, they approached to assess the situation.

Azzy seemed somewhat displeased.

But she had no choice but to trust me.

Since that’s the kind of beast a dog has become.

“Woof! Someday, for sure!”

“Yeah. For sure.”

If I could, that is.

As I reassured Azzy, I turned my gaze toward the group of soldiers beyond the gears.

Leading them was a general dressed in a stained officer’s uniform.

“…How leisurely. Smoking mana herbs in the middle of Command!”

Ah, we made eye contact.

As I quickly tried to hide the mana herbs behind me, the general shouted with a commanding presence.

“Signallers!”

A Signaller in uniform appeared beside him.

I recognized her face—she was the one I encountered at the Communication Headquarters Module I.

She seemed nervous, intimidated by the general’s intense aura.

“Captain I.P., Signallers of the Military State, reporting.”

“Is the no-approach order still in effect?”

“Please give me a moment….”

Signallers I.P. closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.

After completing the communication, she relayed the message.

“Yes, sir. The no-approach order is still in effect for this location.”

“We were just attacked, and you’re telling me to sit still and do nothing?!”

“Hicc!”

The Signaller flinched under the general’s imposing presence.

I glanced at Historia and muttered.

“Hey, Ria. You’re a Star General. Can you handle that guy?”

Historia looked over at the Signaller and muttered back.

“That’s Lieutenant General Mexio. He’s a rank higher than me.”

“Damn it. How come your rank is so low, even though you’re one of the Six Star Generals?”

“Being a Star General just means you have solo operational authority. It doesn’t automatically give you a higher rank.”

“Still, the other five of the Six Star Generals are all generals.”

“…They’ve been around since the early days of the Military State.”

Oof, that was a bit of a sore spot I see.

Maybe I should prod a little more.

“I heard they were generals since the founding of the Military State, but you’ve been an officer for a long time and you’re still just a major general?”

“Yeah, that’s why I betrayed them and sided with you. If I were a general, I would’ve captured you and brought you to Command.”

Using a guilt trip, huh?

Since she used it here, I won’t bother repaying you later.

“You have solo operational authority, right? Why don’t you use it?”

“Well, let’s see if that’ll work.”

It probably won’t.

I nodded in agreement.

Maybe we ignored the situation for too long.

Lieutenant General Mexio, enraged beyond belief, was now striding toward us despite the no-approach order.

“I can’t take this anymore! We had a food supply explosion, a mysterious snake crushed my subordinates, and here a traitor was casually smoking mana herbs! And I’m supposed to sit back and watch? Is that reasonable?!”

“L-Lieutenant General Mexio, there is currently a no-approach order in place…”

“Silence!! Signaller. This is a semi-war situation! Since when does a mere captain question the orders of a general?!”

“Hic, I-I apologize….”

The Signaller, who had been bravely facing the world head-on, seemed to be going through a tough time.

She should have strongly warned the Lieutenant General, but a frail girl with only authority couldn’t withstand the general’s pressure.

That’s why she communicated via golems in the first place.

“To think we have such unreliable people as Signallers…”

The general’s criticism fell harshly on Captain I.P.’s bowed head.

After the Communication Headquarters was destroyed, and after she had run off in a trance, she had no response to give.

“Attention! Everyone, assemble! Detain the target. If there is any resistance, you are authorized to use force. Hey, Historia! Can you hear me? If you don’t want to fight the entire Military State, just surrender quietly. If you resist, your boyfriend might be in danger!”

“…”

Hey. At least argue back.

Why are you just turning your head and staying quiet?

Tch. They’ve got us completely in their sights.

It’s going to be hard to hide.

What should I do? Historia is totally exhausted, so should I stall until Shei arrives?

Should I bring up his affair with the female officer or the fact that someone in his troops is actually hiding their power?

I was debating which piece of information, gleaned through Mind Reading, would be the most effective to bring up.

Just then, Signaller I.P., who had been fidgeting nervously, suddenly stepped in front of the general, as if in a trance.

Saluting the dumbfounded general, she reported with an ironclad face.

“Lieutenant General Mexio. You are now receiving emergency communication from a superior officer. I will relay their orders exactly as given, and you must listen to them.”

“What is it?”

I.P.’s Unique Magic manifested.

A faint magical light surrounded her body, and her hair floated gently.

After completing the synchronization, Captain I.P. recited the orders she received.

“I received the report. What are you doing, running around like a headless chicken? If you don’t know what’s going on, just shut up and stay put, Lieutenant General Mexio.”

With those words, her hair fell back down.

Captain I.P. looked up at the general with a confused expression, as if she didn’t understand what had just happened.

Silence filled the air.

A mere captain had just called the general a headless chicken and told him to shut up, right to his face.

Lieutenant General Mexio’s face turned bright red.

Of course, Mexio knew that those words had come from a superior officer.

He had even done it before.

But hearing it face-to-face from a human was completely different than hearing it relayed through a golem.

Lieutenant General Mexio, unable to control himself, reached out to I.P..

“How dare you speak to me like that? You’re the first captain who’s ever talked to me this way. Are you prepared for the consequences….”

It was at that moment.

Two sharp bursts of Qi filled the air.

Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively stepped back and looked toward Historia.

At some point, she had drawn a pistol and was aiming it directly at him.

To block the bullets, Lieutenant General Mexio raised his Commander Arm, a serrated shield.

But as he lifted the shield, he felt something was off.

｢Wait. There are two sources of energy. The other one is…?｣

“It’s me.”

And then ‘Maximilien’ appeared.

‘Maximilien’ wore a distinctive monocle and a large hat, with a cloak covered in gears draped over his body as he glided across the floor.

His gear-covered shoes whirled as they moved.

His fashion, which bordered on obsession with gears, left no doubt that this was Maximilien himself.

Lieutenant General Mexio didn’t even question it and immediately saluted.

“Salute! Director Maximilien, are you unharmed?”

‘Maximilien’ spoke with a slightly annoyed expression.

“You! Didn’t I tell you? I’ll handle what happened over here, so focus on guarding the perimeter. I clearly issued a no-approach order through the Signallers.”

“Well, the situation seemed to be over, but we received no further information….”

“So you tried to mess with the Signaller who relayed my order?”

The Lieutenant General fell silent, realizing who had given the order just moments ago.

‘Maximilien’ shook his head.

“Lieutenant General Mexio. Why would someone of your stature act this way? A Signaller is just a gear in the machine. They simply relay orders from Command. While they may not be valuable, they are critical because they transmit my orders without any personal bias. Don’t you understand the significance of that? I thought you were more rational than this.”

“I apologize. However, since your weapon was completely destroyed, I feared something might have gone wrong…”

“What?”

Hearing that his masterpiece had been destroyed, ‘Maximilien’ stiffened.

The atmosphere grew cold again, much harsher than before.

Although Mexio was a general, his rank was within the Military State.

The difference in power between Six Star Generals and a regular general was unimaginable, especially when the opponent was the Warforger, Maximilien, who had designed all of the Military State’s weapons since its founding.

Maximilien had immense confidence and attachment to his creations, so the Lieutenant General’s words were clearly a blunder.

“Say that again. Destroyed? What do you know about gears, huh? What do you base your evaluation on? Does it look destroyed to you? The important thing about a gear is not its form, but its structure. As long as it’s in place, any gear can be replaced instantly! What you see on the outside isn’t everything, you idiot!”

Maximilien, who was usually rational and generous when calm, would flip a switch and explode when pushed too far.

The words of Lieutenant General Mexio had crossed that line.

Enraged, ‘Maximilien’ grabbed a gear and crushed it in his hand as he roared.

“Do you even know who our enemies are, or what we’re up against? Of course you don’t! You couldn’t even imagine! There’s nothing you can do being born as stupid as you are, but don’t act like you’re a genius who knows everything! Is that so hard to understand?!”

When Six Star Generals get angry, things rarely end with just words.

As expected, ‘Maximilien’ raised his hand.

A gear floated just above his finger, spinning furiously.

It is said that those who master Geon Qi Art can imbue objects with their Qi Art without making direct contact.

The gear was definitely floating, albeit slightly.

Spinning in the air with no friction or resistance, the gear whipped up a fierce wind.

Lieutenant General Mexio instinctively raised his serrated shield to protect himself.

It was an excellent decision, as ‘Maximilien’ hurled the gear at him without hesitation.

Thud.

Clink, clink, clink.

The gear, whirling in a frenzy, struck the serrated shield.

With the first impact, the gear kept spinning, pouring its rotational force onto the shield.

Lieutenant General Mexio felt his entire body shake under the intense force.

｢This impact, this power…! He’s serious! Director Maximilien is dead serious!｣

Gritting his teeth, Lieutenant General Mexio pushed up against the shield with all his might.

The flaming circle of Qi traveled along the shield’s surface, bouncing off and flying far away.

Barely managing to shake off the gear, the Lieutenant General stood still, only to see that ‘Maximilien’ was already spinning two more gears in his hands.

His eyes were blazing with fury.

There was only one option left for him—to run.

Driven by survival instinct, Lieutenant General Mexio frantically shouted.

“I-I’ll correct myself! Everyone! We’re focusing on post-battle recovery! Let’s go!”

“Understood, sir!!”

Anyone who stayed near an enraged Star General wouldn’t live long.

The soldiers who had survived until now were the epitome of survival of the fittest.

Lieutenant General Mexio’s unit executed a flawless strategic retreat.

Like a receding tide, the crowd withdrew. ‘Maximilien’ kept spinning the gears until they disappeared from sight.

The Military State’s soldiers were fast.

Less than a minute after they arrived, the troops retreated.

Once everyone was gone, ‘Maximilien’ dropped the gear he was holding to the ground.

“What do you think you’re doing, pointing a gun at me from behind? Seriously, I almost made a mistake because you had me on edge.”

As he said, Historia was aiming her gun at “Maximilien.”

From Historia’s point of view, it was a natural reaction.

After all, she had just fought a fierce battle against Maximilien and barely defeated him.

Now, seeing him alive and well was nothing short of shocking.

“Maximilien…? That’s impossible. He definitely…! No, that’s clearly Qi…?”

I answered Historia’s doubts.

“That’s right. That’s Qi, anyone can tell.”

“But Director Maximilien used his Unique Magic, not Qi Art! This ‘Maximilien’ used Qi…!”

“Yes, it’s Qi. But you’re mistaken about something. That Maximilien isn’t Maximilien.”

You’ve experienced it yourself.

When she looked like Historia, but it wasn’t her.

“Of course, Your Majesty! You figured it out right away!”

‘Maximilien’ spun around.

His cloak fluttered dramatically, but the edges were poorly finished, and the gears dangling from it fell off with a clatter.

He tossed aside the monocle, shook off the makeshift gear shoes, and, with all the gears gone from his body, the impression that he was Maximilien became much weaker.

In that state, ‘Maximilien’ bowed deeply and gracefully, as if giving a curtain call after a performance.

‘Maximilien’ spoke up.

“How was it? How did you like ‘my’ performance?”

Though he still had the appearance of a sturdy adult man, his voice was that of a beautiful songstress.

I gave my honest opinion after witnessing his act.

“It’s a total scam.”

“Ahaha! A total scam, huh? Hearing that from Your Majesty is quite something!”

“Maximilien,” or rather, the person who now seemed inappropriate to call by that name, no longer had any gears attached to him.

He was now just a man in a thick cloak.

But that person was gradually transforming into someone more like a young girl.

The pale, artificial hands that looked like prosthetics regained their color, and his bone structure shrank.

The clothes that had fit perfectly now became loose, revealing his neck and shoulders.

The master of disguise, The Camarilla Zigrund… who had now become Hilde, a girl, approached us with a mischievous grin.

I quickly stopped her from speaking.

“Don’t call me ‘Your Majesty.’ Are you trying to blow my cover?”

“Huh? Now? Why act all shy now?”

“Shy? It’s supposed to be a secret!”

Hilde widened her eyes innocently.

“Huh? Really? How come? So, Shei and Tyrkanzyaka don’t know either, but they’re hanging out with you? Oh dear!”

“Some people are like that, and can you really only choose between calling me ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Father’?”

Tyr isn’t so much unaware as she is indifferent.

She might have a vague idea, considering I helped her regain her heart.

Wow, looking at it like this, the only one who doesn’t know my identity is the Regressor.

Is this really okay? Aren’t you supposed to be a regressor?

No, I should think of it the other way around.

The Regressor might be clueless, but she’s not dumb. It’s not that she doesn’t know. It’s that she must know something else that I don’t.

Now, what could that be?

As I pondered deeply, Hilde approached the Steel Beetle.

Historia glared at Hilde as she approached without hesitation.

“Zigrund….”

“No, no, Historia. It’s Hildegarde. Zigrund is… Umm… more like a phantom, just like Eimeder. It’s just a title representing both the light and shadow of the Military State. It’s not my true ‘essence’.”

Hilde laughed lightly and effortlessly leaped onto the Steel Beetle.

Even though Historia was glaring, Hilde pressed her body forward without hesitation.

Historia, though showing hostility toward Hilde, at least recognized that Hilde had no hostile intent.

Mexio’s case had made that clear.

Hilde casually grabbed Historia’s arm and gently knocked her over.

Historia, already exhausted from the fight, couldn’t put up much resistance.

“I envy you, Historia. You don’t even realize what an incredible stroke of luck you’ve encountered. Ah, what a pity. I wish I had met Father before I became like this.”

“Ugh… How do you know that Huey is the Human King…?”

“I’m not completely sure either, but I’m better off than most. After all, there’s a way to confirm it. Besides, didn’t Father himself tell you?”

Hilde’s touch was firm yet soft.

She lightly massaged Historia’s arm, her fingers channeling Qi into her acupoints.

It was a Qi Art for healing through acupressure.

But that wasn’t all.

“The Magi From the East. The Passing Scholar. The Wandering Mercenary. The Reclusive Sage. The Mendicant Monk. The Traveler.”

Along with the acupressure, an enigmatic power flowed into her open palm.

It was warm and soothing… yet slightly overbearing.

“These are all titles once held by the Human King. Now it’s the Pied Piper, right, Father? Your titles keep getting cooler and cooler!”

Not that I asked for them.

I shrugged, and Hilde smiled warmly as she leaned closer to Historia.

Their bodies were now pressed flush against each other.

With Hilde’s body pressed against her back, she whispered softly into Historia’s ear.

“Hehe. Don’t be too upset, Historia. It’s natural not to know. The people of the past also learned by meeting someone like you.”

With those words, Hilde closed her eyes and focused her mind.

In the brief pause between words, she entered a meditative state.

Within the dark, murky realm of her mind, Hilde placed herself under a suggestion.

｢I am a monk. My body and mind may be damaged, but my faith is stronger than anyone’s.｣

And with that faith, she stepped into a domain that could only be reached by belief alone.

A white light glimmered at her fingertips.

Hilde took Historia’s hand, infusing it with the power from her Bio-receptor.

It was a power that could restore a human to its previous state.

A power that went beyond healing—restoration.

The greatest reason why the idea of “god” could exist.

Historia, feeling the energy seeping into her body, muttered to herself.

“Holy… Power.”

Her body, bent and twisted from being bound to the gears, now began to heal.

The body is like a rubber band; once stretched, it tries to return to its original shape.

In such cases of external injury, Holy Power possesses absolute healing properties.

Historia’s body “returned.”

Hilde smiled sweetly and stood up.

“Healing complete! No need to thank me. This is just a gesture of goodwill for our future cooperation!”

The pain that had been barely masked by the mana herbs disappeared completely.

Though Historia’s strength didn’t return, and the exhaustion didn’t fade, she had recovered.

After witnessing a miracle, Historia asked with a trembling voice.

“Zigrund… Who are you…?”

Hilde smiled even more mischievously as she answered.

“Let me introduce myself again! ‘I’ am the Camarilla, Zigrund… once tasked with assisting the Saintess!”

She gave a sloppy salute, twisting her arm as she bent over.

With a grin plastered across her face, she continued.

“I am Hildegarde, the leader of the Crusaders! Ehehe, nice to meet you!”