Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

“What is it, Captain Abbey?”

There was a faint sense of resistance from Captain Abbey.

That was unusual.

Captain Abbey had never shown any resistance to me, no matter what I did.

Until now.

“… If things go as you intended, what will happen to the other Signallers?”

“They’ll find freedom. Just like you did, Captain Abbey.”

I said it without further thought, but Captain Abbey seemed to take it seriously.

She spoke earnestly.

“From what I’ve heard, your plan sounds like… you’re abandoning the Signallers.”

“Abandoning? Who’s abandoning whom? The Signallers are stronger than me. They’ve received officer training, can use Unique Magic, and are even the true power behind the scenes controlling the Military State.”

“That’s precisely why. Signallers hold immense strategic value. They are privy to many of the Military State’s secrets and have access to various facilities. If you expose the truth about Signallers and create chaos, they’ll be the first ones in danger.”

She’s right.

If someone were an enemy of the Military State, they’d target the Signallers first to extract information and disrupt the communication network.

And if they’re loyal to the Military State?

Would they protect the Signallers?

That would be difficult.

If people found out that mere Signallers have been giving them orders all this time, would they continue to follow those orders?

It was unlikely, both logically and emotionally.

They might even try to eliminate the Signallers.

I nodded in agreement with Captain Abbey.

“What you’re saying makes sense, Captain Abbey.”

“Then…”

“But I don’t see why I should care.”

Captain Abbey held her breath as I continued to restrain Yuel.

“The Signallers are the Military State’s way of absolving itself of sin. By stripping them of their lives and using them as tools, no one can hold them accountable. In fact, people don’t even know they exist. Because of this, the Military State, though created by humans, is becoming something greater than humanity itself—a country that rules over the human species.”

So far, kingdoms have been ruled by kings.

There has been much historical debate about the division of roles between a king and his country, but the king has always been human.

Until now, humans have been ruled by other humans.

But the Military State was not ruled by anyone.

“And among them, the Signallers’ situation is the most critical. They have access to all the Military State’s facilities, yet they rot away in rooms without even a drop of hot water. Because of this, every human is ruled by a Military State that doesn’t truly exist! If their whole purpose is to be used until they die in their dark, damp rooms, isn’t it better for them to die while walking the earth on their own two feet?”

“… Affirmative. I also believe that is better. I understand the value of joy and how precious it is.”

That’s right.

Captain Abbey struggled to accept the most basic joys of living, even when she knew her life was in danger.

It was a rewarding realization.

Given what Captain Abbey has experienced, I’m sure….

“But I believe there must be a better way.”

“A better way?”

Why does she have a different opinion?

Having seen the fierce lives of ordinary people up close, she should think similarly to me.

“I had you. Because of you, I was able to experience all the new things I encountered with joy. However, the other Signallers won’t have you. What I found to be joy, they will likely find to be a threat in the harsh world, and many of them may not be able to overcome that. I….”

She trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

For a Signaller who had always made objective judgments through the Military State’s eyes, it was hard to argue based on personal feelings.

After searching within herself, she found the words she needed.

“I don’t want that. Even if it’s irrational.”

If she doesn’t want it, there’s nothing more to say.

That alone could be a reason.

All things in this world have their laws, but it’s the heart that moves humans.

I nodded.

“I understand, but just because Captain Abbey doesn’t want it, it doesn’t mean I’m going to change my mind. Like you, I still feel some obligation to defeat the enemies of humanity.”

“The target you seek to destroy… You attack it because it isn’t human. Is my assumption correct?”

“Yes. The enemy of humanity is still human, no matter how vicious they may be. But in the end, they’re still human, right? Just because I have a stomachache, it doesn’t make my gut my enemy, and just because I accidentally hit my head with my right hand, it doesn’t mean I fight it.”

As I shrugged and answered, Captain Abbey hesitated slightly.

“…I am your ally, am I not?”

I read the flow of her thoughts.

Until just now, Captain Abbey’s mind was like a blank canvas, but now an image had formed.

The desire of the first-ever Signaller to rebel against the Military State.

“The Military State is a country that moves according to the ‘orders from Command’’ transmitted by the Signallers. Everyone believes in the existence of Command somewhere.”

“But it’s essentially the same thing, isn’t it? Command’s orders are just information processed by the Signallers.”

“It’s different.”

“What?”

Though I had a sense of where this was going, I pretended not to notice.

Captain Abbey, now filled with resolve, uttered a lie that no Signaller should ever tell—a lie that would now become a truth.

“I am Abbey, the first among the Signallers.”

Captain Abbey placed her hand on her chest and spoke.

“There is no hierarchy among Signallers, but their identification names are assigned based on their abilities. I am Signaller Abbey who held the position of A.B. which had been vacant for a long time. Excluding A who is the original Signaller, it can be said that I possess the strongest abilities among the Signallers. However, A was not a Signaller.”

Of course, that’s true.

She was a Saintess, after all.

Holy Power was different from Unique Magic.

There was a story of how the Saintess of Origin responded to the calls of her followers from afar.

Yuel used that Miracle to speak with the Signallers for communication.

The only difference was that it was just a conversation, not synchronization.

Synchronization between them was impossible because Saintess Yuel and the Signallers were too different.

Thus, the Military State became a country without a king.

But Captain Abbey rejected Yuel’s very act.

“Therefore, I am the strongest Signaller. I possess exceptional power among the Signallers and can dominate them. Hence, my will has the greatest influence on the collective will of the Signallers.”

It was a statement that narrowly avoided being a lie.

Truth or falsehood?

It was impossible to tell.

All the Signallers engaged in organic communication and even the will transmitted by a single Signaller was dispersed, mixed, and diluted throughout the collective will.

Just like human nerves.

Depending on how you look at it, it could be either a lie or the truth.

But the difference was that Captain Abbey spoke with unwavering conviction.

“The will conveyed by Command of the Military State originates entirely from me. I am Command.”

“… In other words, Captain Abbey, you are the king of the Military State?”

“Correct.”

Captain Abbey bowed her head deeply with a dignified motion.

She was trying to speak with gravity, but her gentle demeanor made it seem out of place.

“You say that, but just now you were being controlled by other Signallers….”

“I-It was possible because I allowed it!”

“Sure, let’s go with that. After all, puppets are not that rare in the world.”

So now the Military State is going to claim it was actually just another form of a kingdom under human control?

Sure, Captain Abbey might be an enemy to some, but she could never be an enemy of humanity. Captain Abbey is human, after all.

“This is just wordplay.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Indeed, Captain Abbey could do it. Captain Abbey, who has experienced life and desire, could take on that responsibility and guilt….”

As I muttered to myself, I let go of the wire I had been pulling.

The wire slackened, and Saintess Yuel regained her freedom.

She quickly clasped her bruised hands together and looked at me with suspicion.

If the Saintess were to unleash her power, if she were to summon an angel here, I’d be as good as dead.

Normally, I would never have done this, but right now, I have no choice.

I shrugged and spoke.

“Yuel, try killing Captain Abbey.”

“What?!”

Everyone in the room gasped audibly.

Yuel, in particular, was visibly shaken as if struck by an unexpected blow.

Why is she so surprised?

This is what she was planning to do anyway.

“Why act all shocked now? This is what you wanted to do, wasn’t it? You were going to deal with the rebelling Signaller. Weren’t you worried about this happening, a signaller becoming mentally contaminated and losing her purity, becoming an ordinary human?”

“If I were to kill someone, I’d kill you before that child.”

“Go ahead then, but you can’t touch the Military State until you kill Captain Abbey.”

I twirled the wire around my fingers, tying it into a tight knot before pulling it taut and transforming it back into a card. I shuffled the card back into my deck with a sigh.

“Humans cannot become enemies of humanity. Captain Abbey declared herself as Command, and she probably intends to fulfill that role. The other Signallers won’t be able to stop Captain Abbey, who has her own desires. Except for one person—you, who maintains this system.”

“…So you’re not asking me to kill her. It’s the opposite.”

“How you interpret it is up to you.”

Captain Abbey is human.

She is not an enemy of humanity.

But because she made that declaration of her own will, and because she actually has the power to back it up, she now has the qualifications.

So as long as Captain Abbey exists, the Military State will not be my enemy.

It’s a somewhat ambiguous conclusion for me.

I can’t stop someone who wants to become a king in my place.

All I can do is test them.

Yuel’s eyes trembled as she realized something.

“Did you just… appoint a king? In this Military State…?”

Captain Abbey approached Yuel, knelt on one knee, and looked her straight in the eye.

With a firm gaze, Captain Abbey spoke clearly.

“Yuel, please cooperate with me.”

Though Yuel was likely more powerful, it was she who averted her gaze.

“N-No. I can’t do that.”

“Think rationally. Anything is better than exposing the Signallers’ secret. Isn’t that what your assessment also concluded?”

“It’s different! Signallers shouldn’t have desires. If they do, the Signallers… No, you will move this country according to those desires. You’ll become a king. That would taint his dream… the dream of creating a country that doesn’t need a king.”

Captain Abbey glanced at the corpse and spoke.

“He is dead.”

“Even if he’s dead, his dream lives on!”

Clinging to denial, Yuel once again hugged the corpse tightly.

Covering the cold body with her own, Yuel cried out in a sobbing voice.

“The Military State is a masterpiece created by his ideals. It’s the child that he and I made together! And now, you’re telling me to give it up? No! I’d rather die here! I’d rather be buried with all the secrets! Then…!”

“If you do that, everything he created will disappear. The Military State will likely vanish too. Are you okay with that?”

Yuel drew in a sharp breath.

The reason why Yuel kept threatening but never actually followed through.

The reason why we were given enough time.

It was because the Warlord’s legacies, including his corpse, were still here.

She had been clinging to his corpse foolishly for nearly 20 years, unable to let go.

There was no way she could make such a decisive move.

Yuel’s inner conflict deepened.