Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint -
Chapter 355: Extended Inspection
“Join the Military State’s war efforts. Oh, you don’t need to deal with the grunts—just take down the enemy commanders! That’s not an unreasonable demand, is it? After all, you’ve already dealt with the Gunmaster and defeated the Warforger. It’s only fair, right? Or as the Fallen Dominion would say, you’d be balancing the scales!”
Hilde boldly made her demand, sounding as if she were collecting on a debt.
No matter the circumstances, the Regressor had once pointed her sword at the very heart of the Military State’s Command.
Even if her actions had a greater purpose, she wouldn’t have chosen such a method if she didn’t harbor some personal grudge.
Feeling uneasy, the Regressor retorted.
“You’re asking me to become a soldier for the Military State?”
“Not a soldier! Just a temporary mercenary! If your strength combines with the Military State’s strategies, we can crush the army led by the Golden Lord effortlessly! A swift victory through overwhelming force—that’s true peace, isn’t it?”
Now that her true intentions were revealed, Hilde spoke with a smooth confidence that left no room for doubt.
The reserved attitude she had maintained up until now was completely gone.
Hilde had always been here to represent the Military State’s interests.
She had accompanied the peace talks out of concern that the Regressor might push for agreements unfavorable to the Military State under the guise of a truce.
Yet despite her clear allegiance, Hilde had adopted a seemingly indifferent stance until now.
The reason for her passive demeanor became evident now that the truce negotiations had fallen apart.
“So you planned this from the beginning?”
“Planned? That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Any peace envoy should prepare for failure, right? I just fulfilled ‘my’ duty!”
｢Of course, I planned it! From the Military State’s perspective, a decisive victory is far better than ambiguous peace. If we recruit the Human King on top of that, we’ll get the Vampire Queen as a package deal! A complete bargain!｣
The Human King is being treated as a clearance item—how fitting.
With my powers gone, I’m nothing more than an ordinary citizen now.
Though Hilde’s words were carefully veiled, her intentions were crystal clear.
“You really think I’ll do as you say?”
“Well, you could just walk away and let the war happen. Tens of thousands will die. You can just claim you tried your best and leave the aftermath to someone else! Turn a blind eye and leave everything behind!”
Although she framed it as an option, Hilde’s tone was an unmistakable accusation of irresponsibility.
Each of her barbed words twisted the Regressor’s expression further.
Pushing her to the brink, Hilde narrowed her eyes and asked.
“But Shei, is that really what you want? Don’t you need to stop this war?”
Their gazes locked.
The Regressor glared with an intensity that seemed ready to explode, but Hilde met her eyes with a sly smile, completely unfazed.
｢No sane person would run around trying to stop a war like this, but if Shei isn’t some naive pacifist, then he must be bound by a mission just like ‘I’ once was. That means he can’t walk away and leave this unresolved.｣
Not bad, Hilde. It seems you’ve figured out that understanding a character is the first step to playing your role.
See?
My Mind Reading isn’t that useful after all.
Spend enough time with someone and you can start to read them without Mind Reading.
At this rate, she might even uncover the Regressor’s deeper secrets.
Be careful, Shei.
｢Well then, what will you do? Abandon your mission or swallow your pride and join the Military State? I’m dying to find out!｣
Hilde watched expectantly. Meanwhile, the Regressor crossed her arms, deep in thought.
｢I hate the Military State. Fighting their war is the last thing I want to do. All I’d end up doing is slaughtering ordinary soldiers—just the thought of it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but as the Camarilla said, I can’t just throw everything away and run. I need to see this through for the next timeline if nothing else. If I’m going to do it, I need to do it the best way possible.｣
The Regressor’s deliberations never took long.
Once she had decided to do something, she charged forward until she broke.
That determination, born from having endless opportunities, showed itself again.
Before fully finishing her thoughts, the Regressor spoke.
“It’s not over yet.”
“What?”
“The peace negotiations. They’re not over.”
｢I know this is a long shot. It won’t be easy. I might even die, but… if I succeed, I’ll be one step closer to my goal.｣
The Regressor gripped her twin relics, Chun-aeng and Jizan, tightly as if steeling herself for what was to come.
“Just like I did with the Military State, I’ll put a blade to their throats.”
Wow.
All I could do was marvel.
To think she could push forward with such madness and sincerity—it was awe-inspiring.
Hilde, feeling a similar sense of admiration, blinked in surprise.
“Uhm… Shei? Do you really think that will work?”
“It’s not impossible. Whether the Golden Lord there is real or not, there has to be a core manifesting the Golden Palace. Otherwise, the palace wouldn’t remain within a defined range while moving across the Fallen Dominion.”
“And you’re going to destroy it?”
“Even if I can’t destroy it, I need to show them I can. Only then will they take us seriously.”
The Regressor’s eyes were resolute.
Hilde stood there dumbfounded, her face blank with disbelief.
｢How odd~? A zealot fulfilling her mission but not caring about her own life? Could ‘my’ expectations have been wrong? The Golden Lord is a Divine. What happens inside the Golden Palace wouldn’t even show up in the Saintess’s foresight, would it?｣
She can afford to act this way because she can reset if she dies.
That’s how the Regressor works—she can charge ahead at full strength without worrying about the consequences.
But that’s only true for her.
I can’t.
No matter how chaotic the world is, I can’t willingly plunge my head into a situation where death is certain.
Even if she intends to face the Golden Lord, I can’t join her.
To avoid any misunderstandings, let me clarify in advance.
“Uh, Mr. Shei? I don’t want to look like I’m backing out now that we’ve come this far, but I need to say this. I don’t have to fight the Golden Lord, right?”
“What?”
｢Why? We’re allies… Oh, wait. Right. He’d just be deadweight. Worse, I have to protect him, making it a liability to bring him along.｣
Exactly.
What use would I be other than to slow you down?
Still, it stings a bit to have my uselessness confirmed by someone else’s thoughts.
Suppressing the faint sense of disappointment with logic, the Regressor nonchalantly replied.
“Of course. I wasn’t counting on you anyway.”
“Don’t misunderstand me. It is because I value my life, but aside from that, I rely on petty tricks. I wouldn’t be able to harm the Golden Lord at all.”
“I know. We need someone in the rear anyway. Take the Witherarch and Azzy with you and retreat for now.”
A perfectly sound decision.
If this were anyone other than the Golden Lord, I’d happily munch on some corn at the back, watching the fight like a spectator.
Maybe I’d even pet Azzy’s head with one hand.
But this is an opportunity I can’t let slip.
Who else but the Regressor would dare to put a blade to the Golden Lord’s neck?
The more power and status someone has, the more cautious they are.
And the opponent isn’t someone who would even provoke a competitive spirit.
The Golden Lord is more akin to a natural phenomenon than a person.
It takes someone crazy—like the Regressor—to attempt a suicidal charge.
If it were just me, I’d never get close to the Golden Lord’s essence.
I wouldn’t even try—because I couldn’t and would die if I did.
But if the Regressor creates an opening… there’s a chance.
A chance to uncover the essence of the Golden Lord and learn what really happened between him and Elric.
“However, if it’s not a suicide mission, I might be able to lend a hand.”
The Regressor blinked, surprised.
What?
No response to my rare offer of assistance?
If I’m offering help, at least acknowledge it!
“I said I’ll help. Answer me.”
“Help with what? What can you do?”
“Do you remember? In the depths of the Abyss, when I held Jizan.”
“I remember, but… Ah!”
I nodded as I answered.
“I’m not fully recognized by relics. Even if I do get recognized, I don’t have the power to change the world, but if it’s just stealing, that’s possible.”
I am the Human King.
I can use human technology, human knowledge, human weapons—even human beliefs.
Even though I’ve lost my power and everything has been taken from me, the potential to reach those things has not.
My strength is lacking.
My capabilities are limited.
The conditions binding me prevent me from reaching them.
But as long as humans can do something, so can I—albeit on a much smaller scale than the original.
Even if it’s a Divine. If it originates from humans, I too…
“If you distract them, Mr. Shei, I’ll sneak in and steal the core of the Golden Palace. That much is possible.”
“Do you even know what the core of the Golden Palace is?”
“I have a pretty good idea. It’s just a guess, but if there’s a core, it can only be one thing.”
The golden bell hanging from the young Golden Lord’s waist.
The brass bell transformed through alchemy—the first ever gold transmuted since the discovery of alchemy.
That bell must be the Divine’s relic.
The first is unique until the next one emerges.
Thus, the first holds value representative of the whole.
“Time to shine, my old friend: pickpocketing.”
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