Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 308: History Is Made Secretly

The Military State Inner Circle Command, Joint Headquarters.

Despite the significance of its name, this towering building at the heart of Command was quite plain.

Its only distinguishing feature was that its outer walls were fortified with Alchemic Steel, allowing it to remain intact even as the wooden snake wreaked havoc.

Before I could even enter the building, I heard a fierce argument taking place inside.

“This is unprecedented! Holding talks with the enemy that just ravaged this very place? Are we tucking our tails and fleeing before even fighting?!

An elderly general pointed an accusing finger and shouted.

His booming voice, infused with Qi, reverberated through the steel-clad walls of the building, but the recipient of his words brushed them off lightly.

“Unprecedented, indeed. I thought this would be another trap-filled negotiation, but you’ve just sat down and yelled at me instead.”

“You brat…! You’re still wet behind the ears, yet you’ve got no shortage of arrogance! If it weren’t for the orders, I’d teach you some manners right now!”

“Go ahead. Honestly, that’d be easier for me.”

Anger sparked between some of the generals.

Today, too, the Regressor was stirring up conflict.

Are you a piece of flint?

Why do you spark a fire every time you bump into something?

Sighing, I pushed the door open and spoke.

“Come on, generals. Don’t glare so menacingly at such a young brat. You’ll look like a bunch of old bullies.”

“And who are you now?”

Instantly, their fierce gazes turned to me.

I felt a bit suffocated.

Ah, the presence of these high-ranking generals isn’t good for my health.

I hid behind Historia to dodge the silent pressure.

“…That’s what Historia said.”

“Historia! The traitor of the Military State!”

“Were you not satisfied by the Military State’s benefits despite being a Star General??”

Immediately, their hostility shifted toward Historia.

Normally, this kind of childish tactic wouldn’t work, but since it was Historia, it seemed to hit harder.

The generals were glaring at her as if they were looking at a lost daughter who had run away from home and been deceived by some good-for-nothing scoundrel.

Historia glanced at me and muttered.

“…Yeah, I’m definitely being left out.”

After giving the generals a mandatory salute, Historia led me over to where the Regressor was sitting.

The Regressor, sitting alone and isolated, acknowledged us as we approached.

“Why did you take so long? I was stuck dealing with these old guys by myself. Tch, it would’ve been easier if we just fought. Arguing with words is tiring.”

“You should try resolving things with words sometimes. Most problems can be smoothed over with good conversation.”

As I pulled up a chair and sat down, the Regressor glanced at me and muttered under her breath.

Skyblade Art, Sound Transmission

Her voice whispered in my ears as if she were right next to me.

[Like that monster who calls herself the Camarilla?]

“Monster? She’s human too. She’s been generously cooperating to help us resolve our conflict.”

[Hmph. You restored Tyrkanzyaka’s heart and helped that monster recover her identity? What are you, some kind of errand boy for lost property?]

“Close enough. As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’m a magician. I’m pretty skilled at reading and manipulating people’s minds.”

[You sure talk big. If you’re that confident, why not show me your skills this time?]

Alright, challenge accepted.

“I understand, but before that, Mr. Shei, can you stop whispering in my ear like that? It’s kind of weird for two guys to be whispering so closely. It tickles my ear.”

“W-what?”

“I don’t usually think this way, but since I already have a strange impression of you, my face is flushing a little too.”

“No way! I’m not interested in you like that! Don’t bark out such nonsense like Azzy!”

Just then, Azzy poked her head in from outside and barked.

“Woof?”

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

Azzy tilted her head in confusion before disappearing from sight.

I bowed slightly toward the flustered Regressor.

“How about that? I can create this level of agitation with just a few words.”

Realizing she’d been tricked, the Regressor huffed, her face reddening.

“Don’t mess with me! Do it to them!”

“But those generals are old and serious. There’s nothing fun to poke at.”

“So you’re saying I’m fun to poke?!”

The Regressor was about to reach for my collar when someone else entered the room.

A completely ordinary-looking man with no particularly memorable features.

He wore a pitch-black uniform without a single medal and his buttons were lacquered black as well.

He was ‘Zigrund’.

“What a noisy bunch. If you want to have a private conversation, take it outside… Oh, wait.”

What the hell?

Did she just transform?

When did she finish changing into ‘Zigrund’?

Hilde, disguised as Zigrund, muttered as she looked at the Regressor.

“If it’s between men, I suppose you can’t do it outside.”

“Hey!”

“Ah, I’ll correct myself. Whether outside or inside, it’s a sin.”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

While the Regressor fumed, the generals greeted ‘Zigrund’ warmly.

“General Zigrund, we’ve been waiting!”

“Apologies for the delay. I was gathering information and consulting with Chief Command. I believe I have made sufficient preparations, so I’ll take over this negotiation.”

‘Zigrund’ took his seat at the head of the table.

The enraged Regressor pointed at him and shouted.

“Look who’s talking! Why are you dressed like that? You were a short woman just a little while ago!”

It was a feeble counterattack, but ‘Zigrund’ brushed it off casually as he flipped through his papers.

“Just because you like men doesn’t mean you could project your ideal onto me. Or wait, was that your real identity? A short woman?”

“What, you are clearly in disguise….”

But no one paid attention to the Regressor’s words.

The generals whispered amongst themselves, forgetting their anger for a moment.

“The Camarilla, a girl?”

“That’s absurd.”

“Is it some sort of mind-altering Qi art? I thought it was impressive for his age.”

The more the Regressor talked, the more the generals thought she was losing her mind.

Feeling unjustly mistreated, the Regressor looked at me with faint hope.

｢This is your chance! Show them what you can do!｣

I faithfully responded to her expectations.

“Mr. Shei, when slandering someone, it’s not about the truth, but the entertainment value. Even if what you say is true, it’s too random and not entertaining enough for them to react. Try doing it more like me.”

“So you’re admitting what you’ve been doing to me is slander!”

Next to me, Historia muttered with a bitter expression.

“…Seeing Cutie getting all flustered like this, I can’t help but feel like I’m watching myself.”

“I told you not to call me that! You don’t even know anything!”

“I know his true nature, so I somewhat understand your situation. There’s no need to explain further.”

“O-oh, really…?”

｢Does that make us allies…?｣

Don’t get too emotional about it.

How low is your emotional threshold?

While all this was going on, “Zigrund,” now seated, began organizing his papers and spoke.

“From the start, Chief Command had no intention of creating unnecessary conflict with these individuals. Engaging in a fight would be costly, and the benefits we’d gain couldn’t justify the loss. We tried to resolve it through intimidation or minimal espionage, but all of those efforts failed.”

“Damn… What was Command’s reason for this madness?”

“They claimed it was to prevent war.”

Bang.

A general slammed his fist down on the table.

The large round table, at least three meters in diameter, tilted violently.

The Regressor quickly placed Jizan at the corner, and the shaking table immediately settled as it was weighed down by the sword.

The general, feeling a bit humiliated, shouted in frustration.

“Ridiculous! Do you all believe that?! Do you think of us as idiots? There’s no way they could cancel such a major decision like that on a whim! Tell us your real objective!”

“Hmph. You won’t believe it. As expected….”

“Whether it’s believable or not doesn’t matter. Distrust is a general’s duty and the Military State will always judge by its own standards. This decision, too, is based on those standards.”

“Zigrund’s” voice had a strange resonance, compelling the listener to pay attention.

Cutting off both the general and the Regressor, he continued speaking.

“First, let me outline the damage caused by the recent attack. The losses among ordinary soldiers weren’t severe, but the entire stockpile of Chimera Beans, which had been reserved for military supplies, was destroyed. Since they were turned into wooden snakes, they can’t even be repurposed. This has severely impacted our warfighting capability.”

“All of this was caused by those intruders!”

“No. It’s the work of the druid who protects the Tree of Corruption.”

‘Zigrund’ swiftly dismissed the general’s protest.

“The Chimera Beans came from a holding company that excels at genetic engineering called Juji Forest. They risked their lives to approach the Tree of Corruption and brought back these great fruits, allowing the Military State to overcome its food crisis. However, as everyone knows, the Tree of Corruption has a guardian.”

In the lush forest south of the Military State, there stands a towering tree.

After the World Tree was burned down in a certain incident, the Tree of Corruption took root in its ashes and grew.

Rumor has it that all the world’s fruits grow from this single tree, so the Military State sent out a research team.

They discovered—or perhaps invented—the Chimera Beans and brought them back.

Of course, they had the tacit approval of Nevida, the guardian, but these generals likely didn’t know that.

“The druid Nevida…?”

“But Nevida said she didn’t care what we planted outside the Forest of Corruption! Why would she suddenly care about the Chimera Beans now?”

“I don’t know. I can’t know everything. Maybe these people summoned her. In any case, we must take this threat seriously and observe the situation for now. That’s the decisive reason this meeting has been called.”

The generals were clearly displeased with how the Military State was being shaken by external threats.

However, being soldiers, they understood that while they could handle a two-front war against their enemy, they couldn’t do it with a food shortage plaguing the army.

Turning his back on the generals, ‘Zigrund’ addressed the Regressor.

“Thus, Chief Command has decided to declare a temporary truce.”

This was essentially a declaration of surrender.

The generals grumbled in dissatisfaction, while the Regressor, shocked, blurted out in disbelief.

“What? Really? The Military State? A truce?”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been demanding all along? Is there a problem? Or do you have some hidden agenda?”

“Zigrund’s” sharp question made the Regressor, who had half-risen from her seat, sit back down and feign composure.

“No, I just thought you finally came to your senses.”

｢What? Are they actually doing it? Until now, they refused to stop no matter what—even if it meant total destruction!｣

Maybe it’s because you kept trying to annihilate them that they couldn’t stop, Regressor.

Ending the war by destroying the country—how is that any different from killing people to stop them from fighting?

“However, there’s a condition.”

“Of course. I’m sure there is. What is it?”

｢As expected, I can’t trust them. It’s the Military State, what do I expect? They’ll probably try something underhanded again! Maybe they’ll give us some impossible task to separate us for now?｣

Surprisingly, it wasn’t anything like that.

‘Zigrund’ laid out a reasonable condition as if mocking the Regressor’s suspicion.

“This meeting was arranged at your request. You will go directly to the Fallen Dominion and achieve the peace you seek. If you truly desire peace, you won’t refuse this offer.”

It was essentially granting them the authority to do whatever they wanted.

The generals were inwardly impressed by “Zigrund’s” proposal.

｢What a clever strategy!｣

｢The Fallen Dominion is a difficult foe. They won’t easily accept this agreement. But if we send these people, we can blame them for any mishaps during the negotiations!｣

As expected of the generals. They have some political insight.

Now, what about the Regressor….

｢Fallen Dominion… negotiations… If I go, I’ll have to deal with those lunatics. Ugh. Those guys are a pain. Ah, so that’s what they’re aiming for?｣

Ah, zero political insight, as expected. Everything inside your head comes purely from your experience.

Well, repeated experience can also turn into wisdom, I suppose.

“So you’re trying to dump this annoying task on us and try to provoke some military skirmishes along the way?”

“Good to know you’re not as stupid as I thought.”

“Whatever. You’re pretty full of yourself for someone who’s just tucked his tail between his legs.”

｢Well, there’s some benefit to going to the Fallen Dominion. It doesn’t matter. The Fallen Dominion isn’t going to reject a truce. In the previous timeline, they were defeated so badly that their lands were devastated in just a week. But even if the negotiations succeed, will the Military State accept the outcome? That’s still the issue…｣

With lingering doubt, the Regressor asked.

“Fine, we’ll handle it, but what if the negotiations don’t go as planned and you refuse to accept the results?”

‘Zigrund’ nodded and answered calmly.

“Of course. This is a matter between nations. You terrorist cannot be expected to know details of the proceedings between our officials. Your concerns are understandable.”

“I’m not worried about failing! I’m worried about you dismissing the results and making things even more complicated!”

“You’ve got your priorities wrong. You should be worried about your own incompetence first.”

“You’re the only one who’s confused about priorities!”

Sorry, I was also worried about your competence just a moment ago.

Count me in, too.

“One of our key figures will accompany you. They will act as both a skilled official and a hostage.”

“You have important people? First I’ve heard of it. You don’t even seem to value your generals.”

“We do. It seems the Military State’s information control is quite effective, given how little you know about us.”

‘Zigrund’ turned his head sharply.

Though the Regressor had more or less gotten what she wanted, she grimaced, feeling a strange sense of defeat.

｢That bastard always has the last word…! Tch, if I’d destroyed the Military State this round, I could’ve just punched him!｣

Hey, don’t try to destroy a country just because of that.

Having said all he needed to say, ‘Zigrund’ turned to the remaining generals.

“Do you have any further questions?”

“Is the meeting over?”

“Almost. However, you will have to leave now.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we will now discuss the ‘hostage’ to guarantee this agreement. If you’re aware of the hostage, it diminishes their value.”

“Hmm… Understood.”

The generals, somewhat reluctantly, nodded and left the room.

As they opened the door, they cast sharp glances at me and Historia.

｢That wretch…!｣

｢Damn it. This is why we shouldn’t trust young people with important responsibilities! They’re always too hot-headed and ruin everything!｣

Looks like I’ve made plenty of enemies.

Living on the Military State’s side might be difficult from now on.

Once the outsiders had left and only those directly involved remained, the meeting room in the Joint Headquarters fell into a brief silence.

“Pheww, I’m exhausted, so tired~”

Hilde, having returned to her normal form, slumped over the round table with a heavy sigh.

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