Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 255: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men (4)

The Princess could no longer become a king, and this country was no longer a kingdom.

This country has become a military state governed by soldiers, enforcing peace with guns and swords.

In a place where everything was carried out under the orders of Command, no one felt a sense of responsibility.

However, the Princess, the only descendant of King and Queen Grandiomor, felt responsible.

Not only for the remnants of the kingdom who became the Resistance but for all the citizens of this country.

Although my words might have sounded like a joke, the Princess took them seriously and promptly disagreed.

“Stop trying to test me. Such places shouldn’t exist! Even if they are criminals, eternal suffering has no place in reality!”

“You're not even a king, yet you care so much about the lives of the people.”

“I don’t think like that! I’m just following what’s right! Didn’t you also feel angry after seeing the scene inside?!”

“Oh, I wasn’t angry about that part.”

Barbarism is doing everything one can without hesitation.

In contrast, civilization began by determining what cannot be done.

Murder, theft, extortion, fraud, incitement, heresy, and rebellion.

Sometimes a few were omitted, and new taboos were added, but fundamentally, civilization castrated something from humans.

In that sense, if asked whether I am barbaric or civilized, though it doesn't sound good, I'm definitely barbaric.

I’ve committed every crime possible.

But I’m just a single individual, and the impact a single human could have is limited.

Even if I had a bad influence, catching and punishing me was enough.

I was actually punished, so I could be considered a perfect example of this.

But the Military State?

“There were those who behaved recklessly under the guise of the greater good and for the country. However, they did so to justify their actions. In contrast, this is real. They acted in the name of the country, and it feels like the country itself directed these actions.”

Building labor camps to exploit the people?

All for the State.

Governing everyone with strict laws?

All for the State.

Creating and distributing various inventions, though everyone knows they weren’t for the good of the people.

Hooks piercing into Bio-receptors.

Straitjacket made from Clothing Packets.

Standard Magic cast at the cost of one’s body.

Compressed canned food that only preserves nutrition.

Chimera Beans that disregard taste and happiness.

Thundergear that ran autonomously, forcing humans to adapt to them.

Meta Conveyor Belt powered by blood, sweat, and corpses, using humans as its lubricants.

The military State used these Seven Major Inventions ruthlessly as they all lacked affection for humans.

Everything was filtered out, leaving only utility.

The Princess agreed with me.

“Yes, other countries are similar, but the Military State is especially severe. The only relief is that the punishment is so harsh that no intermediaries are siphoning off resources...”

“Yes, especially so. The Military State does not tolerate anyone committing crimes except itself. Only the Military State can commit crimes in the Military State.”

“…Crimes?”

“The Military State has resources to spare. Wealth, happiness, time, and pride. They have a surplus of it, but they never share it and constantly stockpile it.”

The Princess, having forgotten her earlier outburst, focused on my words.

“…Then, Mr. Huey, are you angry at the behind-the-scenes power that controls everything in this country?”

“Who knows? How can I be angry at someone whose identity and existence are uncertain?”

“Oh, sorry. Let me rephrase my question. Mr. Huey, you want to find the entity that created all this, right?”

Finally understanding, the Princess cupped her fist and hit her palm.

Her earlier defiance had vanished.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Roughly speaking, yes. But I’ve wandered the Military State for months and lived in the capital for years, and I haven’t found them yet.”

As a mind reader, my ‘discovery’ operated on a different level than others.

Even if they were hiding as a lowly commoner, if they ever crossed paths with me, I would instantly know their identity.

Even if they were hiding in a secret base, a single encounter with me would reveal everything there is to know.

I haven’t found anything yet.

Well, It’s not a life-or-death goal, so I’ve been taking my time.

“So... you were testing me with the earlier questions.”

“Huh?”

Testing?

I’m good at solving problems, not creating them.

I know everything the other person knows but can’t think of what they don’t know, thus revealing my weakness in creating problems.

When I questioned her honestly, the Princess looked at me as if confused.

“You were testing me to see how I would react if I met that ‘someone.’ You suggested that the refinery’s existence might be beneficial to the Resistance to test me.”

?I understand now. Sir Shei’s colleague wouldn’t say something so heartless. I took it too seriously. Yerien Grandiomor, you need to do better!?

So that’s how she took it.

This Princess sees people positively.

She hadn’t been exposed to hostility, so she didn’t know how to be cautious of it.

Her mentality has been crippled because she lacked a sense of danger from birth.

Or perhaps ‘fool’ was a more fitting description for her.

A foolish princess.

“You’re quite perceptive.”

I nodded.

It was not a bad misunderstanding.

Originally, I intended to pique the Princess’s curiosity.

Piquing her curiosity would make her more active when we infiltrate Command later.

The Princess nodded bitterly.

“…You’re admirable. I was too shocked by the horrific scene to think beyond it, but you were looking ahead without getting caught up in the immediate situation... Please forgive my shortcomings. Instead of helping, I only made a fuss.”

No, the Princess would likely be a huge help.

An ability that prevented anyone from harboring hostility.

Despite nearly losing its brilliance due to a madman with gears in his head, I couldn’t let that fraudulent ability go to waste.

And...

“Well, it’s fine. That’s only possible if we safely get out of here.”

“Huh? Safely get out of here?”

?Haven’t we finished everything here? Destroy the refinery and head to Command... Oh, wait? Destroy it...??

She realized it.

This place was a trap.

A particularly nasty kind of trap.

One that trapped us in a dilemma rather than with force or physical power.

The Princess’s face turned pale.

?How? How do we destroy it? Do we kill all the irredeemable criminals or free the laborers? Who decides and how??

It’s hard to realize those things while inside the refinery because we are the ones contemplating.

To those moving within the script, the world outside the stage doesn’t exist.

That’s why the Princess and I needed to get out.

I explained to the Princess.

“The alchemic steel refinery is a critical facility. In some ways, it’s even more important than Command.”

Although Alchemic Steel was abundant, it was not infinite.

A resource consumed everywhere, like Alchemic Steel, would always be in short supply.

If production here was disrupted, any plan in the Military State would also be delayed.

The Military State, which operated like a machine, couldn’t afford a slowdown in its most crucial gear.

“That’s why the Military State set a trap here. And we walked right into it.”

They’ll stop us here, even by deploying a formidable force like the Camarilla.

...Actually, I didn’t realize it myself, I realized it too late after reading the Camarilla’s mind, but even I felt a sense of urgency after reading the script!

“But there were no troops here! Sir Shei checked before we came!”

“That’s why it’s a trap. There should be at least a delaying corp, even if it’s just a few seconds of delay. Even if it’s night, Tyr’s time, the Military State should have had some forces here.”

During the day, delaying corps cut the roads and fired artillery from afar.

They didn’t delay us much, but that’s the Military State’s way.

The Princess’s head was spinning.

“Then... What's happening? Did the Gunmaster set us up...?”

“No. Ria’s suggestion was the correct move. Thanks to it, they’re trying to trap us in a crude trap instead of overwhelming us with superior firepower and numbers.”

Historia’s strategy was typical of the Military State.

Conceal your actions and strategically strike critical facilities first.

However, such efficiency made it predictable.

When we turned toward the automaton carriage assembly plant, the Military State likely predicted our next target.

And Princess, the one who led us to a trap is your comrade Kerapald… who got interrogated by the Camarilla…

Stop shifting the blame.

If I weren’t keeping my mind-reading ability a secret, you’d be the first on the chopping block for questioning.

But that was not important.

“This place is a stage. From the refinery’s entrance to its deepest parts, the route showcases the laborers’ horrifying plight. The journey itself will burden the party with even greater dilemmas. Should they kill everyone, free them, or leave them? Ria and Mr. Shei will clash, Tyr and Shiati will join in, and it’ll be chaos.”

Historia was a general of the Military State.

She has the authority to command her subordinates to their deaths, so she doesn’t spare the lives of heinous criminals.

The Regressor moves to prevent future sins. For her, killing numerous helpless laborers all at once isn’t easy to accept.

Shiati would prefer to release all the laborers to incite greater chaos for the Military State.

Tyr, who is indifferent to life and death, might even suggest turning them into ghouls.

Zigrund wanted to separate the Princess, who can eliminate conflicts, and me, the Staff Officer, to create more chaos.

After stalling for time, she plans to encircle and wipe us out just before we act.

“Really, that might be it! What should we do?”

Having considered all possibilities, the Princess spoke with a pale face.

“No! Mr. Huey, knowing all this, why did you come outside...?!”

“Because the easiest way to ruin a prepared stage is an intrusion from outside.”

“Huh?!”

Magic and theater.

Both prepare a stage for the audience.

They also required performance.

But the difference lay in the genre’s obligation.

Theater must meet everyone’s expectations, but magic must exceed them.

This difference created many divergences.

The end was in sight.

The concrete wall that seemed to stretch to the Military State’s borders was nearing its end, and we had reached the opposite side of the refinery’s entrance.

I stopped the automaton carriage after arriving.

“The refinery is a building without doors. So, the farthest point from the entrance is the innermost part.”

The refinery has no doors.

The walls stretch endlessly like smooth skin.

Recalling that we hadn’t seen a single side door, the Princess was puzzled.

“Why didn’t they even make side doors? What if there’s a fire...?”

“Instead, the building is divided into sections. They probably intended to separate areas with partition walls.”

“But… In that case, the people in the burning section wouldn’t have an escape route.”

“Maybe the designer thought that was better.”

The Princess seemed shocked by my answer.

Leaving her there, I hopped off the automaton carriage and walked to a corner of the wall.

I pulled out a card and flipped it.

My favorite tool, the skewer, the Ace of Diamonds, greeted me with its usual familiarity.

“Long time no see, my friend. Did you miss me?”

“Woof! Not missed! Seen too often! Still glad!”

Calling a friend didn’t bring just any human friend.

I waved a hand at Azzy, who was following me.

“…Go fetch Nabi. We have work to do.”

“Woof!”

Azzy nodded eagerly and ran off to get Nabi’s box.

Meanwhile, I held the skewer in both hands and aimed at the gray concrete wall.

“Hup!”

With all my might, I thrust the skewer into the concrete wall.

...about 1 cm in.

“As expected of concrete. My strength barely affects it.”

For times like this, earthweave was extremely useful.

A power that was mistaken for Holy Power while trapped in the Abyss.

I drew a strong line with the skewer.

A small but sacrilegious scratch appeared on the smooth gray wall, like graffiti on a historical monument, making me want to do more.

“This is hard work...”

After forming a closed loop with the skewer, I wiped my sweat and took a deep breath.

Dust rose from the concrete.

Now, time to work.

I placed my hand on the wall, took a deep breath, and focused.

Remembering the vast earth and my insignificant existence upon it, I used earthweave.

Crack.

The earth I had marked with the skewer moved as I pushed, shifting as if it had been simply placed there.

The earth, seemingly eternal, is actually ever-changing.

Rising, sinking, and colliding, her surface ever-shifts like human skin.

Mother Earth also has a body that pulses with red-hot liquid beneath its surface.

What we think of as Earth is just plates on the surface of this molten blood.

These plates drift and collide, forming mountains.

What we call mountains are merely Mother Earth’s skin breaking out.

No wonder she became Divine.

“You cut through the wall with just a skewer...!”

?Mr. Huey must be a master swordsman! He just didn’t have the chance to showcase his skill! Amazing, there was no sound at all! It was as if he had mastered his Qi art!?

The Princess covered her mouth in astonishment.

She thought I had cut through the concrete with Qi art.

Are you blind?

It’s earthweave.

If my Qi art could penetrate concrete so lightly, would I be struggling here with a skewer?

Pushing the wall further with both hands, the cut section moved inward and fell.

A heavy sound echoed from the other side, revealing pitch-black darkness through the round hole.

Good. This part is ready.

“Meow... L-Let go. I-I won’t move… Meow…”

“Woof! No! Work time! No work, no food!”

Azzy, preaching the importance of labor, dragged Nabi by the scruff.

Nabi dug her claws into the ground, resisting, but against Azzy’s strength, her claws were no more effective than a plow.

Her claws were still sharp.

More than enough for demolition.

“All set. I’ll go first, followed by Azzy and Nabi.”

“Yes...!”

?He must have a brilliant plan! I’ll help in any way I can!?

The Princess clenched her fist and watched me carefully as I crossed the hole.

Good.

The more she thinks I’m capable, the more she’ll follow my plan later.

Oops.

The wall is thicker than expected.

Almost like a tunnel.

This hole might be a bit small...

Uh-oh.

“I’m stuck! Princess, could you give me a push?”

?...He must have a plan… right??

Are you doubting me already?

If you’re going to believe, believe fully!

Isn’t that faith too short-lived?

“Woof! Push! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

“Not you! Not you! Ouch! Don’t use your claws!”