Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Ch. 307
The Crusaders.
The Saintess’ personal escort.
Though they were called escorts, they were, in reality, a combat, intelligence, and assassination unit that served the Sanctum with absolute loyalty.
They executed the Saintess’ orders, from transporting exotic toys from faraway lands to erasing entire countries from the map without exception.
The chief of the Military State’s Public Safety, known to stop even the cries of weeping children with just her name, was actually a member of the Sanctum’s Crusaders.
This revelation was so far from what Historia had imagined that she could only open and close her mouth, unable to speak.
Hilde, noticing her reaction, raised her eyebrows.
“Father, is she okay? Historia, your face looks unbelievably dumb right now. What’s going on?”
“Ah. Historia doesn’t know about the Saintess.”
“That’s strange. The Saintess gave me permission to reveal it. Is she being left out on purpose?”
“I don’t think so, but it’s always important to consider how the person involved interprets it. Ria, do you feel left out?”
“…Yeah. As usual.”
When did I ever leave you out?
So, the one who gets left out becomes one of the Six Star Generals of the State, while the one who leaves others out is struggling as a pickpocket in the back alleys?!
How is that fair?!
If anything, society has left me out!
Anyway, it seemed like a brief explanation was necessary.
“Well then, allow me to explain briefly as Chief of Public Safety and the one who handles all the Military State’s secrets.”
Hilde, now wearing glasses, adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Where did she get those glasses?
Did she pick up some gear and make those glasses in such a short time?
Impressive.
“The Military State was actually created by a Saintess. That’s it!”
That was really brief. So brief, it didn’t explain anything!
Historia’s face grew even more blank.
“Wait a minute, that’s way too short! Isn’t there anymore to explain?”
“More to explain…? Ah! Our Saintess abandoned her faith! So, even though I’m the Saintess’ Chief Crusader, we’re completely excommunicated by the Sanctum! In fact, we have to worry about when the Sanctum’s prophet might come to destroy the Military State. Every day is so exciting! My heart is racing with the very thought that we might get attacked by the Sanctum any day!”
“That’s way too personal.”
“Well, I can’t help it, can I? My personal circumstances are the most important to me!”
“Fair enough.”
“Hehe. I’ve been acknowledged!”
Hilde paused mid-sentence, then burst into laughter.
The conversation was so disconnected that Historia rubbed her temples and spoke.
“Ugh. Hold on, Zigrund….”
“No, no! Please call me Hilde with respect and admiration! Zigrund isn’t ‘me.’ If you keep calling me that, I might lose my sense of self again!”
Though her words were delivered with a cute expression, they were too eerie to dismiss as a mere joke.
Historia hesitated before compromising slightly.
“Then… Chief of Public Safety. Whose side are you on?”
“Me? I’m on Father’s side now!”
Hilde opened her arms and flung herself at me.
I was about to push her away when she suddenly dropped down and hugged my waist.
…That’s right. She’s a Star General.
Historia looked displeased as Hilde clung to me and spoke.
“The Crusaders are known for their fanatical loyalty, following only the orders of the Sanctum. So why are you clinging to… no, why are you trying to follow Huey?”
“Hmm… That requires some understanding of the inner workings of the Crusaders. Historia, do you know how the Crusaders were formed?”
“Weren’t they appointed by the Sanctum?”
Hilde covered her mouth with her hand, feigning shock.
“Wow, you only know the surface-level information! You don’t know any of the hidden parts! How are you going to survive in this harsh world like that? Father, how can she be so ignorant?”
“I know, right? I’ve been worried about that part of Ria as well.”
“Huey, shut up!”
Why is she only yelling at me?
Historia sharply scolded me before staring intently at Hilde.
“…Chief of Public Safety. You’re behaving very differently. You seemed so rigid before when you were acting as the chief.”
“How could a rigid person act? Only someone as flexible as jelly can squeeze into another person’s mold! All squishy-squishy, like me!”
“Wait a minute, Hilde! I’m not jelly! Don’t squeeze me like that! It feels like I’m going to burst!”
If you’re using Holy Power, just touching would be enough.
Why are you massaging me like this?
Despite its healing properties, it’s painful!
“When people think of the Crusaders, they picture flashy paladins. But not everyone in the battalion becomes one in that way. Most, like ‘me,’ are chosen.”
Hilde laughed off her earlier words before continuing her explanation.
Her gaze grew distant as she recalled the past.
“When I couldn’t trust anyone, when I didn’t know where to go, and when I didn’t even know who ‘I’ was, an angel descended from the sky. Even though I was hiding my identity and had changed my appearance, they pointed directly at ‘me’ and said, ‘This is your path, and you must follow it.’”
The Saintess sees all.
No matter how much one hides their identity or changes their appearance, the Saintess will find them.
And those abandoned by fate are bound to the fact that someone is watching.
“And that’s how you get hooked. The heavens have been watching ‘me’ all along and offer a lifeline to give me a new chance at life… Even someone like me starts to believe in faith. Especially when ‘I’ was already a devout believer.”
“Is that the true nature of the Crusaders?”
“Yes. The Crusaders are saved by fate, and my life is affirmed. Do you know what happens after that? You become addicted to fanatical faith, like a drug. Especially when the Saintess herself calls upon ‘me.’ How could things go wrong then? My broken life is restored, both in life and death!”
For a brief moment, her eyes gleamed with madness.
Historia shuddered at the sight of that unnerving, blind devotion. But as quickly as it appeared, Hilde regained her composure and sighed deeply.
“However, ‘I’ am a bit special. You see, there are unique traits to ‘me.’ And the Saintess who chose ‘me’—the Saintess of Foresight—has completely forsaken her faith. That’s why I’ve become relatively more rational.”
Then she cheerfully shook me, laughing brightly.
“Then, just like that! The Human King appeared! Of course, the Human King helped me regain my true self! Now I can never go back! I’m sorry to the Saintess, but like her, I’ll also make the rational choice!”
Suddenly, Hilde froze.
She stared into the empty air as if hearing something.
Her lips moved silently as if listening to something inaudible, and then she let out a small groan.
“Hmm. The Saintess says to stop messing around and get ready. What should we do, Father?”
Although I didn’t hear a sound, Hilde clearly responded to something.
She looked at me as if seeking guidance.
Is this the infamous “Call of the Saintess”?
It’s said that the Saintess can summon her followers no matter how far away they are.
But even with my Mind Reading, I couldn’t detect the “call” itself.
Well, I can figure out what it is from Hilde’s thoughts, though.
I decided to play dumb.
“You need to tell me what we’re preparing for before I can decide.”
Hilde smiled even wider and replied.
“A peace treaty of course!”
***
At that moment, the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was making her way into Command with a golem perched on her shoulder.
Vampires do not tire.
Perhaps that’s why their movement speed isn’t very fast.
Even at the height of their power, vampires couldn’t cross the Blessed Enver Great Plains. Sunlight that comes once a day, flowing water, and difficult-to-preserve food—if vampires had been faster, such weaknesses wouldn’t have been so emphasized.
So Shei had already dashed ahead, using the wind to bolster her speed.
The wind of Chun-aeng couldn’t carry someone with a huge presence like Tyrkanzyaka, so she took on a different role—one much simpler and cleaner.
Although she herself wasn’t too pleased with it.
“Why should I follow your words?”
Tyrkanzyaka asked the golem on her shoulder.
Reflecting her displeasure, the darkness around her swirled ominously, but the golem, being just a machine, didn’t notice.
[Cooperating will be beneficial for both me and yourself. Currently, the Inner Circle Command is in chaos due to external intrusions. They are unaware of our agreement. If we quickly resolve this chaos, it will reduce the risk to your other allies.]
“Can you not use one of your precious puppets?”
[Due to Maximilien’s abilities, all golems within Command are disabled. This is the only unit capable of remote communication within Command.]
At the mention of Maximilien, Tyrkanzyaka recalled.
“The one I saw on the road before? The one who reeks of rust? He is your ally, yes? Yet why?”
[Maximilien has defected from the Military State. He no longer works for us.]
“Hmph. The Military State can not even manage its own vassals properly. This country may not last long after all.”
[Partially affirmative. However, Maximilien has always followed his own path. The current situation was somewhat anticipated… though we didn’t expect him to have planted self-destruct gears in the communication golems.]
Tyrkanzyaka was intrigued by the term “self-destruct gears,” but another thought quickly replaced her curiosity. She covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled.
“Yes, I remember. He did say he was searching for the Human King… Hm. The Human King…”
Tyrkanzyaka fell silent, lost in her thoughts.
The King of Humans, who represented all humanity when they were still beasts.
It is said that the Saintess of Origin drove him away and brought civilization and order to the land.
Just thinking about the Saintess that was exalted by the Sanctum was enough to fill her with endless wrath.
Tyrkanzyaka’s hatred toward the Sanctum extended back in time, making the Saintess of Origin her natural nemesis—a nemesis she can only regret not being able to take revenge upon.
“The nemesis of my nemesis. Surely, that is what they would call him. Hmmm.”
Just as her thoughts were about to deepen, the golem interrupted Tyrkanzyaka’s slow musings.
[Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka. You agreed to cooperate. Are you ready?]
“So impatient. This is why those with short lives are….”
Tyrkanzyaka gave a small scolding directed at the golem before she grasped the darkness with her hand.
The Sanctum wields light, but Tyrkanzyaka, who has fought against it all her life, has learned how to hide from it.
She cloaked herself in darkness.
Within the embrace of her darkness, not even the Saintess can “see” her.
It’s a power she gained from generations of conflict with the Sanctum.
And through those long battles, the Progenitor has acquired other techniques for utilizing the darkness.
“Wait a moment. The sun is rising, so this will take a little longer…”
The darkness spread along the square roads.
Though the Inner Circle Command was vast and well-lit, there was still enough shadow to carry her voice.
Tyrkanzyaka spoke in a deep, resonant tone.
“It is done. Speak. The darkness will carry your voice across this place.”
The golem immediately began to speak.
Its voice, transmitted through speakers, flowed along the darkness.
[To all personnel within the Inner Circle Command, this is Captain Abbey, representing all Signallers.]
There was some commotion here and there, but nothing major.
Public announcements using Signallers had occurred frequently, so the soldiers were accustomed to hearing voices resound from all directions.
Some soldiers were alarmed, noticing that the sound source seemed to be the darkness itself, but it didn’t cause a major stir.
[The Military State’s Chief Command has decided to hold negotiations with the group responsible for the recent attack. The Chief of Public Safety Zigrund will attend the meeting. All stationed troops are to cease combat and focus on post-battle recovery. This has been a transmission from Signaller Abbey.]
The golem’s message was brief and to the point.
After finishing its transmission, Tyrkanzyaka released her grip on the darkness and muttered as she glanced at the golem.
“Your speech has grown more arrogant.”
[…? Unclear. The meaning of your word is difficult to understand.]
“You no longer rely on rules and regulations like you did in the Abyss. Back then, you seemed to need something to lean on. Now, it is less noticeable.”
The golem paused in thought for a moment.
Unlike Tyrkanzyaka, it had no need to rush.
She walked leisurely, patiently waiting for the golem’s response.
[Partially… affirmative.]
The voice that finally emerged from the golem carried more emotion than one would expect from such a machine.
Tyrkanzyaka smiled faintly and spoke.
“Good. Now show me the way. Where am I supposed to go?”
[The Joint Headquarters. I shall guide you, please follow me.]
Following the golem’s lead, the shadow of the vampire stretched long like footprints behind her.