Tyr, who was being teased by me, readily accepted the proposal when an excuse arose.
[Indeed. Seeing as it has been a while. Let us change seats!]
Suddenly, darkness covered my eyes. When I regained my sight, Azzy was blinking right before my eyes.
With this, was the order of our positions Ria, Tyr, Azzy, me, then the Regressor? Azzy, squeezed in the middle, seemed uncomfortable and thrashed about, shouting.
"Woof! I, want to! Go outside!"
"Azzy. Don't say such nonsense. Even though there is Tyr's darkness, the Military State’s searchlights are extraordinary at capturing human silhouettes."
The biggest reason for developing ultra high-performance lights was to catch people who escape. There couldn't be a more ironic comedy.
The Inner Circle was the darkest part of the Military State, teeming with exploited humans, yet it was also the most advanced; a secretive land gathering only the very essence of the Military State.
Therefore, we must move stealthily. The outside was full of people struggling with harsh labor day and night, with searchlights monitoring them in case they tried to escape.
However…"Woof Woof! Stuffy! Awoooooo! Guarantee rights to space!"
"Ssseup. It's great and all that she’s so lively that she doesn't get stressed from moving… But at times like this, it would’ve been more comfortable if she preferred tight spaces like a cat."
What to do.
A Beast King remained an idealistic entity and didn’t lose its generality. A dog behaved like a dog, a cat behaved like a cat.
Just like how Nabi, despite causing such a commotion, loves mana herb, burrows into tight spaces, and doesn’t forgive if things go wrong, Azzy has her own personality tailored to her race.
Amidst this barkfest, Nabi seemed to have woken up too, as a contented purring came from the box at my feet.
"Myaa. Stupid puppy who can’t get herself together if she doesn’t move… How pitiful meow. Have some dignity like me meow."
"Woof! Only she's comfortable!"
Still, it was somewhat a relief. If Nabi had freaked out too, we couldn't have moved this easily. It was better that Azzy was feeling claustrophobic than you causing a scene, Nabi. At least there was no bloodshed.
Though Nabi's attitude might be too pointed to be called friendly... In truth, Azzy, who didn’t harm humans, was the strange one. After all, if a beast approaches without hesitation and immediately tries to communicate, it's literally no different from being best friends with them. Hence, Nabi actually held tremendous favor for us.
If it were an ordinary beast, it would either flee far enough to be unseen… Or if it showed itself, it meant death was likely imminent in most cases.
Why else would the Human Regime try to collect cats and dogs? It was obviously because there was no other answer.
"Woof! Violent cat, comfortable! Good me, uncomfortable! Unfair! Awooooooo!"
"Just endure it, okay? It's only one night."
"Awooooo! Violence, consideration! Non-violence, unkind treatment! Woof Woof!"
"Sigh. Just give it a rest, will you? What do you even want me to do about it?"
"Eye, for an eye! Answer, armed protest!"
"Wait a minute. Isn’t that a weird conclusion to draw?"
This dog must have become an activist from all that exercise! Look at her trying to exercise her rights! This won't do. It's time for a handy tool!
"Alright! Fine! What do you want? Shares? Take what you want! Just calm down!"
"Woof! 10%!"
"Fine, take it!"
"Woof, got it!"
And then Azzy abruptly calmed down, ears drooping and lips pursed. I cocked my head.
"I feel like I've been taken advantage of and scammed…"
"Woof! No! Fair compensation!"
"What did you even do to deserve fair compensation... is what I want to say, but you did quite a lot, actually. Hmm."
Come to think of it, when I used Nabi to subdue Historia that time, I also took advantage of Azzy’s nature. Just the mere act of her siding with me over Historia was huge.
Yeah, fine. Let’s just give those meaningless shares to the dog. Even though she made a covenant with the Military State, when they declared default, Azzy only caused a commotion. Even if I tell her to sue me, she wouldn’t actually do it. After all, that would be nothing more than a death sentence for me. And she literally couldn’t do that!
Sure, cheering up Azzy wasn't too difficult in the first place, but getting a free carrot does feel good!
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Unaware of my feelings, Azzy moved around energetically. Ah, wait. It hurts if you flounder around like that in such a tight space...
[...King of Dogs. Stop wagging your tail. The way that it flutters around bothers me.]
"Woof Woof?"
[Nevermind, forget it. I shall handle it.]
Whoosh.
Darkness enveloped me again. For a moment, I felt like I was being swept somewhere. When my vision returned, what I saw... was the wall of the coffin.
The order now was Azzy, Tyr, Ria, the Regressor, and then me. Azzy’s tail was pointing towards the edge of the coffin.
[I should have sent the King of Dogs to the edge from the very start. What a nuisance...]
It was a reasonable choice, but it resulted in the Regressor and Historia lying face to face. Out of all the combinations, it just had to have been that one. Mixing us up randomly sure did produce some strange situations, huh.
Historia chewed her cigarette and spoke.
"Progenitor, I appreciate you moving me. But this is a bit much. Wouldn’t it be a bit too stimulating for the kiddo?"
“Stimulation, my foot!"
True to her words, Historia was still bound by both arms. Moreover, she was confined in a coffin so tight that there was no room to move, dressed only in a shirt because her outer garments were removed to dress the decoy doll.
Though she could take off the clothing packet even while bound, she couldn’t put it back on, leaving her in just her shirt.
It didn't look comfortable. Although she had mastered Qi Arts so wouldn't physically deteriorate, being bound so tightly would still be painful, even for Historia.
However, the Regressor promptly squashed any such complaints.
"Hmph, you should have just gone when I told you I’d send you back, you know? You asked to be taken along instead. The audacity to complain now."
"Better to be a captive than bait. At the very least, I will not be a nuisance to my allies."
"The red horse is bait. That’s the code you used. You’re telling me that isn’t a nuisance to them?"
Historia clammed up.
The red horse is bait. She had personally marked it with a military cipher in the form of braille.
Sure, it was a clue, but it was also devilish information that limited the opponent's thinking. The Military State would obviously guess it to be a decisive clue. Yet, Historia had still marked it without a moment’s hesitation.
Thinking she had cornered her, the Regressor provocatively baited Historia.
"Fine, sure. You didn’t exactly lie. It really was bait. But as you know, the Military State, having read it, would naturally think we’d still be in the belt, wouldn’t they?"
"...That’s true. I hadn’t thought of that."
"Aha, you hadn’t thought of it, you say? Is that how you’re going to play it?"
Historia avoided answering and looked away. Oooooh. The Regressor. Did she take the win for Season 1 of their verbal duel?
"I wonder… What could it be? What could possibly be the reason why one of the Six Star Generals is following us and acting so passively?"
"...What do you think?"
"Shall I guess?"
As expected, it’s certain. This punk isn’t loyal to the Military State. Other Star Generals, sans the Sunderspear, all show loyalty, but this one pretends to be loyal while being ready to abandon the Military State at any time….'
Glance. With such thoughts, the Regressor glanced at me subtly.
｢Maybe the Hamelin Incident and this guy had an impact? I’m sure Hamelin was a huge part, but it shouldn’t be the only influence. I get that they were close and all, but… Wait, can it be?｣
Uh, wait a minute. I feel like your thoughts are running off to meaningless places again. Regressor, stop thinking for a seco…
Before I could translate my thoughts into action, the Regressor quietly muttered a thought-provoking question.
"By any chance, were you... dating this guy?"
At this point, this too was a talent. The talent to change the atmosphere with a single sentence.
Silence fell inside the coffin. Originally, coffins were places to hold the dead, and the dead do not speak, so perhaps she actually guided it back to its natural order.
Caught off guard by the abrupt question, Historia blinked her eyes, trying to gauge what she meant.
But in the Regressor's eyes, there was only pure curiosity, albeit closely resembling her typical gathering of information for future regressions.
｢Really? Even when the Resistance’s uprising led to the founding of the Republic, this punk was oddly passive. It was the same when the Military State fell and the New Kingdom was established... Nahhh, there’s no way it was because of a man, right?｣
To be honest, no. It wasn’t entirely because of me. Though I had triggered it somewhat.
However, Historia didn’t exactly have a stellar personality. Nor was she one to let such a remark slide. With a sly smile and slightly lowered gaze, she spoke.
"...I know, right? Looks like I was left with such lingering attachments that I sold my country to come here."
"Uh, seriously? For real?"
"What reason is there for me to lie?”
The rhetoric of ‘It’s not exactly a lie’. I’ve used it often, so I know what she was playing at.
Sure, she was left with lingering attachments but not because we dated! The attachments Historia held were not of that kind!
｢Uh, um? Wait, really? Was it for real? Woah, woah! Now that I think about it, I've never heard about the Gunmaster being involved with anyone before! The reason for that is because?!｣
The Regressor, who had doubts despite being the one to ask, had her curiosity spark as she asked.
"Were you two dating? From back in Hamelin? Since which grade?"
"Who knows. Hard to say exactly. We were so close for so long that it's hard to pinpoint when it could have turned into that kind of relationship."
"Woah, aaaaah."
That's as far as this slander goes, Historia. I intervened before things could spiral out of control.
"Hey! Stop saying that! You’re making it all weird! We never had that kind of a relationship in the first place, so of course you can’t pinpoint when we presumably dated!"
As I shouted, the Regressor turned her head and yelled back.
"The whole coffin is echoing! It’s so noisy, so stay quiet if it doesn't concern you!"
"What? Hello? It's about me, though. How in the world does it not concern me?"
Regardless of my protests, the Regressor paid little attention to me and focused solely on Historia. What's this? It feels like she doesn't trust my words... Have I teased her so much that she doesn't take me seriously anymore?
And to be listening to Historia’s story of all things. That's a poor choice.
"R-Really? So, how did you get to know each other?"
"We were enrolled at the same time. We knew each other from the start. On top of that, Lankart, Huey, and I were well-known as geniuses from the moment we entered... Naturally, we saw each other as rivals."
Rivals? What a joke. I was always the undisputed 1st place. Who are you kidding? Who came second could vary depending on the matters of the state and the criteria, but there was no question about who was first.
"Who was 1st place then?"
"It was always close, but Huey was always first. And I was always second."
"Tch, was that actually true?"
｢I was hoping it was just a bluff!｣
Your thoughts are impure, you mere elementary school graduate. I manipulate your judgments, not deceive you with false information; I don't need to use lies to deceive you.
"In order to beat Huey, I tolled, devoted, and explored... Until at some point in time, I just got swept away."
"W-Woah."
See? Lies are unnecessary when it comes to you. You just get sucked into the story without abandon. Look at how easily you’re deceived. I don’t know if this’ll work, but let's try to intervene for now.
"Excuse me, Mr. Shei."
"I told you to be quiet!"
"I was speaking quietly, though..."
Sigh. Fine. Sure, yeah. Go ahead. Chew me out, why don’t you. I’m gonna stop caring whether you are fooled or not...
｢Mhmhmm. Past stories of Hu, is it... Well, it makes sense. If it’s Hu, many would have courted him... Somehow, it feels a little bittersweet, but let's hear it for now.｣
Hold up. Is it really fine to stop caring? The coffin is too narrow to take any sort of action already. If weird rumors are spread on top of that, it would be troublesome!
My anxiety went unnoticed as the Regressor kept digging for more.
"...H-However, that's a secondary military school, right? Everyone lives in the same place and instructors watch over you. How could anyone date there?"
"There are many ways if you really want to. During free sparring, we would choose each other as opponents. And we could get to know each other while sweating profusely from fighting."
"Wow..."
｢That’s honestly... quite romantic.｣
Romantic? Your brain must be made of muscles too, huh? Has the meaning of romance changed to unilateral beating these days?
“And we even shared a mana herb that one of us was smoking..."
"Uh, huh? What? You smoke those with your mouth, right?"
"Hooo. Yeah, I know, right? I wonder… How did we share it?"
"T-That’s… indirect..."
｢Woahhhhh. I can kinda feel my heart pounding a bit...｣
Utter disaster. We’re in trouble. The Regressor got caught in her own trap, becoming swept up too far. Her mode slightly switched. Where did the cold, information-gathering Regressor mode go? Are you seriously telling me it got lost in some fabricated story?
｢Is that truly the case…?! To think they shared a mana herb one was already smoking!｣
Throughout this, a dark energy approached from the other side. It was Tyr.
Ah, here's another one caught in the fabricated story. What's the big deal about sharing a mana herb anyw...
｢You used to fuss over every little drop of your blood in front of me. The audacity. You even made a huge fuss even over a small scratch! How dare you! What a truly big mouth you have!｣
While pretending not to care, Tyr was keenly listening to the conversation, shooting me a look as if her feelings had been hurt.
No, wait a minute. What does that have to do with this? Not all bodily fluids are blood, you know? I don't use blood as spit like a Vampire does. And why use the expression ‘big mouth'? How does that even make sense?
Moreover! The mana herb was forcefully smoked by her, so I couldn't resist! This is so unfair! I have been wronged!
Meanwhile, the Regressor, having completely abandoned the thought of gathering information, was sincerely asking questions now.
"In military school, from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep, you have a set schedule, right? There wasn't any time to meet, was there?"
"Huey and I were a part of a special curriculum. So we were exempt from several subjects and had plenty of free time. And of course, we shared that time together."
"Wow..."
Shared? Shared??????
I tried to sleep in by freeing up my mornings, but she always barged in and changed those hours to whatever she liked, saying we needed to do post-meal exercise! Shit, I ended up suffering from stomachaches every day from exercising right after eating!
Regressor, don't take such nonsense at face value!
｢If I had gone to secondary school too... Heh. At one point in my life, a time so long ago that I can barely remember, I used to dream about going to secondary school. And I was amazed when I heard that the Gunmaster, who was only a few years older than me, became a Star General… But what’s this? Now, here you are as my captive, tied up right before my eyes. Moreover, you’re even sharing ordinary school stories. You never know what life has in hold for you, huh.｣
This is a disaster. She’s reached the point where she started reflecting on her own memories. At this point, there’s no way for her to escape on her own…! From this black hole that is pajama talk!
As the Regressor nostalgically smiled to herself, a sudden question popped into her mind.
"Huh? Hold on a second. Then why were you trying to capture this guy?"
"Why else? I told you. Because of my lingering attachments."
"No, but… You didn't need to bring an entire army, right?"
At that question, Historia paused for a moment. It was because that inquiry had reached the core of her true feelings.
But eventually, remembering that I too was listening inside the coffin, Historia essentially spoke to me through the Regressor.
"...Back during Hamelin, Huey had run away all on his own. I might not have been able to catch him if I was alone, and also... he needed to be questioned."
"The incident where the students fell into the river? It was serious, but you just heard too, didn’t you? Ultimately, it was the Military State that killed them. So why interrogate this guy about it?"
"That’s..."
Historia stopped mid-sentence and chewed on the mana herb. Because it was not lit, she tasted nothing but the bitterness of the grass.
However, taste was essentially memory as well. She searched for the taste within her memories, and within that taste, she revisited those memories. To Historia, the mana herb symbolized that time.
"162 people disappeared all at once. Apart from a few who fell behind or chose a different path, my entire class just vanished. Graduation turned into a reminder of those empty seats. The children with whom I had shared memories and envisioned futures had sunk beneath the river. Sometimes, when I turn to look at the distant flowing river, it feels like I too am sinking deep into its depths."
Though she wasn’t even smoking the mana herb, Historia's focus seemed to blur momentarily, as if she was looking somewhere far away, not at this place.
"It’s not right for them to die that way. I wasn’t just one or two. For so many children... to die without even thinking of surviving… Isn’t it strange? If it was rather the Military State that killed them… I would have at least been disillusioned. But such methods shouldn’t exist."
Historia did not wish for her peers to die. She was different from Nicholas and Lankart.
Nicholas saw the students as a part of the Military State, thinking it was natural to ‘process’ them like trimming hair or nails. He used them arbitrarily as materials at his own discretion.
Lankart placed no value on them. Whether a stone by the lakeside drifted into the river was none of his concern. Whether they lived, died, or struggled, was outside his interest.
However, since I had been with them and he couldn't outright condemn the smart (or so I appeared) me, he tried to test me in his unique way. That was all.
"But... I'm not sure. The fact that I'm thinking this way now, might be because I felt something about that scene."
Compared to them, Historia sought a being with whom she could share her heart.
In other words, she was lonely. She hoped for those who were less capable than her to catch up to her. Despite their lack of talent and Qi, she desperately wanted them to try.
…It was just that her expectations were too high, so she was continually left disappointed.
"Still, that wasn’t it. It shouldn't even be thought of as a plan. If only he had spoken to me before..."
I can’t definitively say things would have been different. It was because I had asked for Historia’s help right before that event and she had, in fact, come right before my eyes.
However, she turned away, not wanting to ruin things for her peers or disrupt the graduation practical exercise.
And the regret of that hypothetical scenario was too terrible to consider.
｢If I had known everything beforehand. If I had known... Would I… have helped them? Would I, who had been born and raised in the Military State, have made the same choices that the me of the present would make?｣
Amid these poignant exchanges of real emotions, the Regressor noticed something, thus looking perplexed.
"Huh? You talk as if you saw that scene firsthand?”
"Ah."
At that, Historia snapped out of her reverie. Biting the mana herb in her mouth, she awkwardly turned her body while muttering.
"...Forget it. I'm just a captive. Think whatever you want about the rest."
"Uh, uh? Wait, hold on! We’re not done yet…!"
The questions were getting too prolonged. This won’t do. It’s time for drastic measures. I had to end this conversation.
I whispered as sultrily as I could into the Regressor’s ear.
"Goodnight, Mr. Shei."
"Heuuuuuuueeeeeek?!"
Wow. My voice alone made her arch her back and tremble. Was this the sensitivity of a stimulated Regressor?
"W-What do you think you’re doing!"
"What else? I’m the Sandman1. Everyone has a tough day ahead, so why not thank yourself for today's work and get some rest? Now then, let’s all go to sleep. That's it! Everyone disperse!"
[...I do not necessarily require sleep, though.]
"Tyr, you're the eldest here and yet the kids are still up at this hour—what have you been doing the entire time? Reflect on this! You should be making sure they get some sleep, not waking them up just because you don't need any!"
I abruptly shouted, ending the conversation forcibly. Complaints bubbled up here and there, from both the Regressor and Tyr, but I ignored them and exacted a lights out. I covered the small light source by my bed with a finger, causing darkness to envelop us.
｢You keep recycling phrases you used when you were class president… It seems you really haven't changed much, Huey.｣
Now, I'm slowly starting to feel all strange myself. Historia, why are you being like this? Were you really my ex-girlfriend or something?
***
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