Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Right after I expressed my intention to destroy this country, no one responded.

But then Yuel tried to clasp her hands together.

Her hands flowed fluidly, going through the motions she had performed countless times.

However, having been in seclusion for so long and never practicing Qi art combined with the fact I already read her thoughts, she wasn’t faster than me.

I flicked my fingers.

Just before her hands could meet, a card flew in between them.

The sharp edge of the card cut Yuel’s hand, making her gasp in pain.

“Ugh!”

“Stop using that fraudulent skill! Being invincible is unfair!”

The card I threw was the Eight of Diamonds, All Things Long And Thin.

I pulled a wire out from the card and quickly wrapped it around Yuel’s hands, pulling her toward me.

The sharp wire dug into her skin, forcing her arm to my side.

Meanwhile, I pressed down hard on her shoulder to prevent her body from following.

“Eek!”

“Just a reminder: the Princess is here! You can’t use any ‘we’re all going to die’ tactics now!”

Yuel tried to resist, but it was pointless.

I might not be an adept Qi Practitioner, but I’m a sturdy adult man who knows the basics of Qi art, so I’m not going to lose in a contest of strength against a reclusive Saintess.

Yuel’s restrained body trembled.

“…It’s impossible. You’ve lost all your power. You can’t destroy the Military State.”

“Destroying the Military State doesn’t require power. It’s not strength that has brought down bounced checks in the past, but a lack of trust. That’s how important credibility is.”

The method was very simple.

Didn’t I say it before?

The most deadly poison was a neurotoxin.

I whispered in Yuel’s ear.

“With Captain Abbey’s help, I’m going to make all the Signallers come out of their rooms. I’ll free all the Signallers across the Military State.”

“That’s impossible! Signallers must not leave their Windowless Rooms: that’s the rule! A single Signaller’s command won’t make them break that rule!”

“But what if it’s not just a single Signaller? What if a command comes from the Module itself? Then wouldn’t that command be as good as a direct order from Command itself?”

Command may be composed of Signallers, but that doesn’t mean a Signaller’s word becomes Command’s order.

For it to become Command’s decision, the Signaller must relay the information to other Signallers.

Only when the information has been processed by the Signallers and specialized Modules is it returned as an order from Command, like the human brain.

So, a single Signaller can’t impersonate Command’s orders.

But a strong Signaller can synchronize with nearby Signallers and control them.

“The Signallers upstairs seemed like the perfect canvas, pure, untouched, and innocent. If Captain Abbey and I take control of the Module and gradually liberate the nearby Signallers, what do you think will happen? Do you understand now?”

“…Are you planning to cause mental contamination across the Signallers?”

“If that’s what you want to call it, then sure, but I’m calling it liberation from oppression.”

Ah, that feels refreshing.

Now I understand why those third-rate villains blurt out their plans at the last moment.

What?

Spilling the plan gives the enemy a chance to counterattack?

Who cares?

I’m having fun right now!

If my words had been baseless, she would have laughed them off. However, the future I described was very possible, making it all the more terrifying.

Yuel, who seemed to have given up, felt a sense of crisis from my words.

“Do you think I’ll just sit back and watch?”

“And what will you do if you don’t? Pray? Unfortunately, with your hands tied, you won’t get the chance. You shouldn’t have stopped praying in the first place.”

As impressive as a Saintess’s power was, it was ultimately just a reenactment of the Saintess of Origins’ miracles.

It was special because it was miraculous, but that made it predictable.

With her arms restrained and the Princess here, she had no means to threaten me.

Oh, by the way, the Princess’s hands are free, aren’t they?

“Princess, could you come and hold this wire for me? I think I’ll need your help to take her out of here.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Even I can’t climb a ladder while holding a struggling woman, especially if she’s determined to die with me.”

The Princess was suddenly filled with fear.

“You want me to take someone like that up a ladder…?”

“You know as well as I do, Princess. No one can ‘intentionally’ attack you like how the King of Dogs can’t harm humans. Of course, it’s less absolute than the King of Dogs, who’s a conceptual being.”

The Princess didn’t fully understand my last words, but people don’t always need to fully understand something to be convinced.

The Princess hesitated but eventually reached out.

I kept the tension on the wire until the Princess grabbed it, as Yuel might try to shake off the restraint.

Hmm. Maybe I should put this wire around the Princess’s neck, so she can’t be shaken off…

No, if the Princess dies in an accident, Shiati would probably kill me.

Cancel that plan.

“We’ll go out, show the Warlord’s corpse, reveal the true identity of the Envoy Eimeder, and gradually liberate the Signallers. Then, the Signaller System that the Military State prides itself on will become a target of distrust. The Signallers are just girls, and all the orders that have come down so far were concocted by them! The distrust we spread will seep in and rot the Military State from within!”

“That kind of….”

“That kind of thing! I’m going to do it! I’ll do it!”

It can’t be helped.

This is like an occupational disease.

I listen to the desires of humans.

But the Military State isn’t human, so I can’t hear its desires.

And to the people of the Military State, the country could go to hell.

From a collective perspective, the Military State was better than the Kingdom.

Those who experienced both usually said so.

But the Military State was an oppressive country.

It took away choice, responsibility, and guilt from humans.

Therefore, all the misfortunes the people of the Military State suffered were blamed on the Military State.

As sins piled up and remained unresolved….

“You called me a destroyer of civilization, but I see it differently. I see you as someone who invented the most efficient human-killing machine in history. Unfortunately, that machine is beyond my comprehension.”

“We can’t return to the age of barbarism! Humans are not beasts!”

“Is it because it’s repeated so often? Many people sincerely believe it, but if you peel back just one layer from that statement, the truth is revealed. Humans are, at their core, beasts.”

That’s why I exist.

Fear and horror flickered across Yuel’s face.

Somehow, it seemed like she recognized me, and it terrified her.

｢No. This country is my only legacy. It’s the child that he and I created! Even if it fades away in history, it can’t be eaten away by barbarity…!｣

But Yuel had no means of resistance left.

She had secluded herself in sorrow for over a decade.

No one remembered her, so no one would come to protect her.

As despair filled Yuel’s eyes, the Princess raised her hand cautiously.

“Um… Mr. Huey?”

The Princess looked as if she was about to make an unreasonable request.

With my Mind Reading, I knew that usually, when I heard this tone, it was followed by a disagreement with my opinion.

What now?

I was puzzled, but since the Princess still had an important role, I replied gently.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Is it necessary to reveal everything that way? It’s too harsh.”

“Pardon?”

What is she talking about?

Is there such a thing as a gentle attack?

You can’t stab someone in the throat kindly, can you?

My disbelief must have shown on my face because the Princess, still timid but determined, continued.

“The Military State is indeed a ruthless country, but many people have adapted to its system and live by its orders. If all its secrets are exposed at once, unimaginable chaos will ensue.”

“Of course. Wasn’t that the point from the start? The more chaos in the Military State, the safer we are.”

“But many people will suffer. Right now, the Military State is on the verge of waging war against the Fallen Dominion. If Command is recklessly exposed now, the military could collapse. Historically, the disintegration of a large armed group has always brought suffering to the people. Sir Shei, who loves peace, wouldn’t want that.”

You fool. I know that!

That’s why I left the Regressor behind!

If the Regressor wanted the best outcome, she would have kept the Military State intact, whether it succeeded or failed.

The Regressor sought just enough chaos to turn things in her favor.

If things continued as they were, disaster would strike, but flipping everything upside down introduced too many variables.

She’d probably stop the conflict, preserve humanity’s strength, and then unleash it all against the weakened King of Sin.

But that can’t happen!

For many reasons!

I don’t know what kind of future that would be, but in it, I’d likely be the King of Sin!

“You said that we didn’t understand the Military State, but what I wanted to change was its ruthlessness and lack of compassion. I believe the Military State could change for the better with a bit more kindness.”

“So, Princess, are you going to be kind to the Military State?”

“I-It’s not that grand, but if I want to see kindness, I must show it first. The Military State deserves a second chance.”

The deaf cannot speak because they cannot hear. If you can’t hear a sound, you can’t learn to make it.

In a similar way, the bloodline of the Grandiomor royal family couldn’t feel hostility toward others.

No one has ever shown them hostility, so even if they learned it, they couldn’t internalize it emotionally.

Maybe that was why.

The Princess, a mere human, made a fantastical statement about forgiving a nation.

But…

I grabbed my head and screamed.

“Argh!”

“M-Mr. Huey?! What’s wrong?”

“Damn it. Why! Of all people, why does it have to be the Princess! Are you asking for more time?”

Humans could find their own king.

Therefore, they didn’t need the King of Beasts.

At least that was what they claimed when they overthrew the Human King, but all kingdoms eventually fell.

Yet they needed something to rule over them, thus humans now worship different things.

But the Princess remained.

And a Princess who hasn’t learned hostility didn’t hate the Military State.

As a result…

“Are you trying to become the king of the Military State? That is a unique way to restore the throne if I say so myself! Destroy your own country and then parasite on the one that emerges from its ashes! What a wonderful plan!”

“N-No, it’s not exactly like that.”

“Don’t twist your words! Even if you don’t think that way, the result is the same in the end! The Military State has potential, and you want to see more of it, right?”

Ugh.

And they said the King of Beasts wasn’t needed…

If the request came from royalty, I wouldn’t mind.

But there’s a problem.

According to the Regressor, the King of Sin is supposed to awaken soon.

I probably don’t have much time left either.

If I give any more reprieve….

Thinking about what’s coming for me in the future…

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

It doesn’t matter.

I’m not a Prophet and the future I can’t see for myself is none of my business.

I’m still stuck with these damned prophecies, but I won’t let the fear of an uncertain future limit my actions in the present.

I’ll leave that to the Prophets who love civilization.

I don’t refrain from breaking the law out of fear of the police coming someday.

I don’t stand by because I’m afraid things might go wrong.

If I can do it now, I will.

“Really?”

“But that’s not the problem. Princess, your desire has no way of being fulfilled.”

Only do what you can.

I’m not about to smash my head against an impossible task.

“Yuel’s power starts and ends with the Signallers, but the only power the Princess has is avoiding hostility. If we get out of here and Yuel tries to summon an angel to kill us, or if she communicates with another Signaller to move the troops, the Princess has no way to resist. Then the Military State wouldn’t change.”

“We can persuade Lady Yuel and get her to promise! Lady Yuel is rational, so she’ll accept it!”

“Absolutely not. An eternal country cannot have a king. That’s why Yuel created the Signallers, to painstakingly build a system without a king, even if it’s an illusion. For the Princess’s kindness to outweigh the other Signallers, your will must be much stronger, like a king’s relationship with their vassals.”

“Oh….”

If there’s no way to achieve it, nothing you do will make it happen.

Even if the Princess has the power to avoid hostility, it’s not omnipotent.

Her ability simply didn’t fit with the system, thus her cries will go unheard.

“It would be better if the Military State were completely destroyed. In the ensuing chaos, the Princess’s bloodline would stand out the most.”

“That’s not what I want!”

“I figured. Anyway, do you understand now? Then….”

I shrugged, trying to convince the Princess to give up.

“Wait…”

Captain Abbey quietly called out to me.