Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 270: The Country of Steel and the Faceless Men (11)

Command was bustling in preparation for the upcoming war.

They were busy with their usual war preparations and also responding to the hostile presence that had advanced to the alchemic steel refinery.

Even in the middle of the night, the entire base was as busy as a beehive disturbed by a bear.

Especially troubling for them were the escaped laborers.

The laborers I had freed caused significant chaos.

Unidentified laborers openly roaming the operational area caused mental distress among the Signallers and staff officers.

It would have been easier to kill them all, but there were too many, and among them were laborers from the refinery who were difficult to replace, making it impossible for them to act rashly.

Amidst all this, a military automaton carriage arrived at the entrance.

The soldiers asked for the passphrase, and a girl with light pink hair in a female officer's uniform responded as she stepped out of the automaton carriage.

The Princess, stiff in her military uniform, moved as awkwardly as her clothes.

The epaulets indicating her rank and the medals on her chest looked entirely out of place.

With her round, gentle features and soft pink hair, the uniform gave her an indescribable sense of incongruity.

The Princess saluted with a posture filled with tension.

"S-Salute. First Lieutenant Natalia of the Public Safety Department! Currently on a top-secret mission!"

Her speech was stuttered, and her salute was clumsy, like a child trying hard to imitate adults.

To the extent that the guards would feel guilty should he detain her.

However, the opponent didn’t have the will to do so.

The officer checking her epaulets narrowed his eyes and asked,

"Public Safety Department... you have the Alchemic Seal, right?"

"Y-yes, here it is."

"Check, Re... Verification complete. First Lieutenant, this is strictly my duty, so don't worry about it...."

First, the fact that she was from the powerful Public Safety Department, known for even dragging down stars hanging in the sky, chipped away at his will.

"I’m definitely not digging for confidential information... But this is a required procedure under semi-wartime conditions... Where are you headed, First Lieutenant, and who are those in the vehicle?"

"These are laborers who had contact with the hostile entity. Chief Zigrund ordered their transfer to the Public Safety Department for further detailed interrogation!"

"Chief Zigrund...?"

Secondly, the fact that she belonged to the Grandiomor royal family lessened his suspicion.

He didn't feel much suspicion or danger upon seeing her face.

Suspicion often stems from hostility towards the unfamiliar.

The Grandiomor royal family’s power erased even that small suspicion.

From ancient times, this kind of power had been exercised in such subtle ways.

Though not powerful, this power enabled the Grandiomor royal family to last for so long.

"Sorry for taking your time. You may pass. Next... hey! Stop! State your affiliation before entering!"

We passed through without incident.

The Princess tried to bow her head but hastily changed it to a salute before hurriedly climbing back into the automaton carriage.

The soldiers made way, and the military automaton carriage slowly moved further into the base.

The Princess sat down and stroked her chest in relief.

I greeted her cheerfully from the driver's seat.

"Well done! You were perfect!"

The Princess, sweating profusely, removed her cap and let out a deep breath.

"Whew... I thought my heart was going to burst..."

"You easily fooled those strict military officers. Well done! I'll rely on you again in the future!"

"No... I can't. It was only because they didn't particularly suspect me..."

"Of course. You had the Alchemic Seal left by Hilde. And your ability as a princess."

And there was also the passphrase I read from their minds.

There was no reason for us to get caught if we followed the proper procedures.

"However, this isn't the end. The reason we passed smoothly must have been due to the will of Command."

"The will of Command? Are you saying they allowed us to pass?"

"Yes. If the Signallers had alerted Command about a hostile entity approaching the base and warned all officers about our appearance, we would have been caught in some way."

If Tyr and the Regressor had been here, the response would not have been so mild.

They were too well-known, and the Military State would have pre-emptively prepared warnings and countermeasures against their power.

But we were different.

Historia was powerful, but her strength was that of an individual.

Moreover, until a few days ago, she was a loyal soldier of the State.

If Command understood the situation in Hamelin, they would know that Historia was following me and Shiati rather than hating the Military State.

While I couldn’t predict their exact actions, I understood the Military State's ideology.

The State was rational.

This wasn’t a war between nations, but a mere few rebellious individuals attacking the nation.

With Historia defecting and Hilde removed from their ranks, the Military State was weaker than ever.

If there was no reason to meet, create one.

Again, even if we aimed to resolve things verbally, we had to start with force.

I directed everyone to stay alert as we took a less-populated road.

"Alright. We're heading in the right direction! But stay on your guard. This is the Military State Command. High-ranking officers are everywhere. We don't know when a Star General might appear, so be cautious..."

『Observation complete. Manifestation rate 97.4%.』

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

In the darkness, a cluster of light gathered into a single point.

The light formed a human shape, outshining the dim headlights of Command.

With a pressed-down helmet, a body whose size was indiscernible due to the glowing light, and a long, thin sword of light.

The Envoy Eimeder.

The guardian angel of the Military State.

And possibly... the very incarnation of Command.

"Everyone, step back!"

Historia, who was the first to sense its presence, faced the entity, ready for it to attack us.

However, Eimeder did not point its sword of light at us.

Instead, it silently observed us.

A black mouth opened on the radiant face.

『I will guide you. Follow me.』

Without further explanation, it began to glide over the ground, expecting us to follow.

But the angel seemed to misunderstand human nature.

From a young age, we were taught not to follow strangers.

Historia, with her guard up, asked.

"Guide us? Where to?"

Eimeder's body creaked to a halt, seemingly not expecting our reaction.

The pure white angel turned its body and conveyed its intent.

『Didn't you come here for negotiations?』

"Negotiations? More like a conversation?"

『I will accommodate that. However, this body lacks sufficient means for communication. Therefore.』

Its concise manner of providing only information and its easily replaceable body... It was unmistakably similar.

As expected.

"In other words, you're guiding us to the meeting place? What a straightforward answer, I like it. Let's go."

『If you accept, I will guide you again. Follow me.』

Eimeder turned again and started moving somewhere.

Until now, Eimeder had been more of a monster that wielded its sword without a word.

It had no life presence, no mercy in its actions, and its strength was formidable enough to confront Tyr momentarily.

Such a monstrous angel now calmly appeared and guided us, giving us an overwhelmingly strange feeling.

The Princess, Shiati, and Historia looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Except for one.

"Myaa..."

Nabi was eyeing Eimeder's back with shining eyes.

What is that crazy cat doing?

Trying to ruin everything before the meeting.

Stop it... no, it's dangerous if I grab her.

"Azzy, catch her! Hold her tight so she can't move!"

"Woof!"

"Nyahaak!"

It’s not the time, not yet.

I brought you to counter their attack if necessary!

As we stuffed the struggling Nabi into the back seat, we drove the automaton carriage following the angel.

The angel glided over the ground swiftly and nimbly.

As it was made of light, it seemed to lack the concept of inertia, maintaining its speed even while changing directions.

If we took our eyes off it for a moment, it seemed like it would disappear from our sight.

Following the angel, we hurried past an armory filled with shells, turned right at a container filled with food supplies, and circled the equipment of the Engineering Corps.

Seeing a holy being like an angel walking on a land filled with steel and concrete was like combining two mismatched pictures.

"...Something feels off."

As we continued, the Princess mumbled while looking around.

"Why... is there no one in Command?"

It felt like half a day had passed, but we had been following Eimeder for only about ten minutes.

However, this was Command. A military capital with so many officers that you could trip over them.

It implied strict management where you couldn't find even a rolling pebble easily.

Unless someone planned it.

I glanced around and said,

"It seems Command doesn't want to show that they're meeting with us. They're clearing the area of people. Listen. Beyond this point, you can hear soldiers working noisily, right?"

"Why is that? We're just a small group. Wouldn't it be better for them to gather and put pressure on us?"

"Not necessarily. Right now, the Military State is about to negotiate with terrorists. Showing a humiliating negotiation process to a mere soldier can lower their morale."

The Military State was rational but didn’t trust everyone to be so.

That was why they restricted information and controlled actions among officers and generals.

The Princess, finally understanding their action, had a new question.

"How could they precisely clear only the path we're taking?"

"They must have used the Signallers."

Historia answered.

"The soldiers absolutely obey Command's orders, and the Signallers relay those orders. They must be directing soldiers away from our path."

"Oh, right. There are Signallers... Does that mean the Signallers are Command?"

"A priest relaying God's word isn't considered God, right?"

"But Command isn't God. Couldn't someone control the Signallers or twist their messages for personal gain? Why doesn't anyone suspect that?"

It was a sharp question, but Historia had an answer.

"The Signallers aren’t like that… No, to be precise they can’t. They don’t exist.”

“Huh? But the Signallers do exist, right?”

“Nobody has ever seen them. While some claim to have guided Signallers on rare occasions, they have no idea what they do or where they go. How could they have any greed when they don't even appear?"

There were countless examples of corrupt priests because they interacted daily with believers, extracting their faith and donations for selfish gains.

They could cause harm if they have greed.

But Signallers did not have contact with anyone.

They lived in a completely isolated world, communicating only through golems.

They could not even be considered as priests, just heralds, pure and simple.

A mere tool to convey words.

"Nobody knows what the Signallers do? Not even you, one of the Six Star Generals, the Gunmaster?"

Historia hesitated for a moment before answering the Princess's question.

"Yes... not even I, a Star General, know anything about them."

Suddenly feeling disheartened, Historia turned her head and fell silent.

｢Yes. I know nothing. I served the Military State to help a friend, but I don't know my friend or the Military State. Am I just a well-sharpened tool, knowing nothing and being used?｣

Once working under Command, Historia watched the passing scenery in quiet reflection.

In the uncomfortable silence, the automaton carriage continued rolling.

『We have arrived.』

Finally, Eimeder stopped under a large wall.

It was a seamless, smooth wall with no windows, doors, or even small vents.

It looked more like a box than a building.

I've seen something like this before.

It resembled the small crushed steel box that popped out of the ground when Tantalus turned the earth upside down.

Only this one was many times larger.

Eimeder raised its white sword and stabbed it into the wall without hesitation.

Historia watched closely.

｢There was a very fine seam. Eimeder inserted the blade without the slightest error.｣

The seam was so fine that I mistakenly thought of it as seamless.

A blade of pure light slipped into an imperceptible gap.

It seemed as though the blade had penetrated the wall, but Historia's keen eyes spotted the seam.

Thanks to reading her thoughts, I knew it too.

Whew, good thing I didn't pretend to know.

"T-The wall, it's being cut! It's like slicing through a steel wall like tofu!"

Oh dear.

Another person here with poor eyesight.

Tsk tsk. Let me open your eyes to the truth.

"Look closely, there's a tiny gap in the wall. The sword was inserted through that gap.”

"A gap? Oh, it does seem like there is...?"

Why would anyone insert a blade into such a gap?

To unlock the door of course.

Historia couldn't see beyond the seam, but having cracked a few safes myself, I guessed the structure of the building.

"A gap just wide enough for light. There's probably a lock inside. That light sword is the key.”

As I predicted, Eimeder raised the blade stuck in the gap.

There was a clicking sound as something was released.

Immediately, light poured from the fine seam in the wall.

Clang.

With a grinding noise, the tightly closed wall split apart.

The sound of gears turning reverberated along the wall, and a square door recessed inward.

Having fulfilled its role as a key, Eimeder stood still.

It didn't budge an inch, like an inanimate object that had stood in place for centuries.

Indeed, Eimeder was the key.

A windowless room that couldn't be entered without breaking through.

I had wondered how the Signallers got in and out and locked it... and now it made sense.

"And there mustn't be another being that uses a light sword besides Eimeder. Only the Military State's angel, Eimeder, can open this door. What does that imply?"

"The ones inside can summon or control Eimeder...?"

Correct.

The Princess is always on point.

Eimeder spoke in a resonant voice.

『Enter.』

"Can we all go in?"

『It does not matter.』

And as if it were a door itself, Eimeder tilted its body to make way for us.

I sent Nabi, still trying to reach out to Eimeder, and Azzy, holding her tightly, ahead, then gestured to the Princess and Shiati.

After sending in the two unpredictable beasts, I also stepped inside.

One of the Military State's greatest secrets was revealing itself to me.

Passing through the narrow gap, I found myself in a strange space.

There was a large round table filled with papers.

The table was covered with countless documents, and the walls were papered with torn pages from books.

The tiny letters on the walls contained classified information from the Military State.

The value lies in the sheer amount of information contained in the documents.

Disorganized letters in themselves, but of immense value to someone with the relevant knowledge.

And the entities creating that value...

『Request from A. for supply quantity adjustment due to the destruction of the alchemic steel refinery.』

『Inventory: 89,400 units. Expected maintenance period: 38 days. Total depletion is expected afterward.』

『Demand for increased production: 3,200 units. Current state achievement probability: 0.72%.』

『Value judgment required. To be discussed as a meeting agenda.』

Dozens of Magic Golems for communication.

It felt like entering a toyland.

Maybe to increase storage capacity? All the golems here were small or miniature.

There were golems as small as a palm, and the largest ones barely reached waist height.

Various small golems busily moved around, reading, writing, and transcribing.

Some skillfully wrote with fingers, others typed on tiny typewriters, and some shouted into megaphones.

The golems resembled nothing human, making the scene even more fairy-tale-like and charming.

Nabi, spotting the golems like toys, tried to rush them, but Azzy desperately held her back.

Yes, you need two beast kings.

One to cause chaos and the other to restrain the excitable one.

While the two beasts rolled on the ground, I noticed the doors along the far wall.

Steel doors at regular intervals.

The gaps between them were narrow; if I stretched out my arms, I could reach from one door to the next.

There were 26 doors in total.

Clearly, the doors were not used frequently.

If they were, there wouldn't be so many papers piled in front of them.

I read the labels above the series of doors.

『Inner Circle Command Direct Communication Headquarters. Module I.』

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