Chapter 195 - A Tale from Afar. Those Left in the Military State

Making a mess is easy, but cleaning it up is hard... Surprisingly, that is nothing more than a misconception.

Making a mess takes a long time and sustained effort, but cleaning up takes only a moment. It only feels otherwise because it is a chore. However long a room has been left to grow messy, half a day of cleaning leaves it spotless. That makes it obvious which side has the advantage.

The Military State was an efficient slacker. It put off cleaning its room for as long as possible, then cleared out all the trash at once.

It had taken lengthy preparations and a willingness to die to cause this much unrest, but half a day was enough for the Military State to clean it up.

The military police force Historia had brought swiftly and simply, simply swept the backstreets clean, as though putting away scattered belongings. The trash that did not know when to stop and kept causing trouble was disposed of or arrested. Anyone connected to them was also dragged to the military police for rigorous questioning.

Those questioned were terrified.

The Military State treated its trash as kindling. It burned the human garbage it rounded up as fuel to keep the nation running.

And when cleaning a room, one inevitably throws away a few useful things along with the rest.

Even the entirely innocent could not rest easy. They entered the military police station prepared to suffer all manner of abuse.

Then they walked out with all their limbs intact, bewildered. Their unexpected good fortune gradually turned that bewilderment into joy.

Who cared about the truth? They were safe.

And so the things that had not been thrown away enjoyed their everyday lives, relieved simply to remain.

“... Did you plan for this too? You meticulous bastard.”

Historia muttered as she took a mana-herb cigarette from its pack.

The Pied Piper. The most mysterious figure even within the Hamelin incident, the Military State’s taboo. Now that he had revealed himself, uncovering the truth behind a mere disturbance in the Military State’s backstreets had become a secondary concern.

In fact, investigating the incident might instead expose information about the Pied Piper. Questioning ordinary citizens about Huey, Hughes, or the magician would itself give away clues.

Thus, the Military State ended its investigation after punishing the offenders whose crimes were out in the open. Instead, it devoted all its efforts to tracking down the Pied Piper.

“No. That bastard must have been mixed up in it from the start. Once I catch him, I can get the whole story.”

Muttering with her long legs propped on the desk, Historia put the cigarette in her mouth. As she habitually chewed on one end, she brought her pistol’s hammer up to the other and pulled it all the way back.

CLACK!

The hammer struck, throwing off a large spark. Having lit her cigarette with it, Historia took a deep drag, closed her eyes briefly, and spoke.

“Communications officer.”

『Communications Officer Captain AB reporting. Did you call?』

The golem beside Historia responded. Without even looking its way, she exhaled the breath she had drawn in. Her long sigh streamed out, colored with smoke, and curled upward.

Having stolen a moment from her busy schedule to enjoy a cigarette, Historia asked absently,

“Why did you stop guiding me?”

『Query. To which matter are you referring?』

“You know what I mean. Why did you stop guiding me right after the darkness swallowed me?”

Realizing she was being called to account, AB clasped her arms behind her back and replied.

『I will rectify my failure to comply with orders. However, in the judgment of the communications corps, myself included, further pursuit was not feasible.』

BANG!

Historia abruptly slammed her fist into the desk, leaving its imprint in the steel top.

Her expression remained blank, but her words came through clenched teeth, perhaps because of the cigarette in her mouth.

“Why the hell is that your decision?”

The golem remained unruffled despite Historia’s menacing demeanor.

『Even excluding the two Beast Kings, the opposing group contains two individuals on par with the Six Generals. By contrast, Major General, you are unequipped. Engaging them under these conditions would result in serious losses.』

“I told you I could handle it.”

『You are one of the Military State’s most powerful military assets, Major General. We cannot send such an asset out without any support.』

“Well, look who’s in charge now. The communications officer.”

『I will rectify that.』

The golem bowed its head. Losing the inclination to blame it further, Historia clicked her tongue and leaned back in her chair.

She stopped reprimanding the communications officer because even she knew she could not have pursued him alone.

“Tch. How did that bastard end up in Tantalus, anyway? It couldn’t have been for the Pied Piper incident.”

『He was arrested on charges of illegal gambling.』

“He was locked up in Tantalus for illegal gambling?”

『Negative. It was a hard-labor sentence.』

“That’s the same thing.”

『At the time, Tantalus had just undergone a mass escape led by Colonel Lankart. His circumstances were not as dangerous as one might expect.』

“Hah. Who cares about the danger? What matters is that he couldn’t ever come back up.”

The ember flickered every time Historia grumbled. The red glow flared and blackened in turn, as though drawing ragged breaths.

By the time she had smoked the cigarette down, she had finished thinking. She muttered,

“Someone must have suspected something. I’ll have to look at the case log later.”

『Shall I prepare it?』

“No. Later. Catching that bastard Huey will clear it all up.”

To a smoker who gains pleasure from burning cigarettes, are cigarettes objects of hatred or affection? At least one thing was certain: the cigarette did not love its smoker. Once it had served her for the length of its body, it left without so much as a farewell, leaving only white smoke behind.

Before long, the cigarette had heartlessly burned away. Their brief meeting was over; now came the wait through a long parting.

Historia ground the cigarette into the ashtray and spoke.

“So, what does command say?”

Smoke filled the air, but the golem, which did not breathe, was unbothered. It spoke without coughing or holding its breath.

『Relaying message. Your operational plan has been accepted, Major General. A decision has been made to pursue the Pied Piper and the four other individuals.』

“They approved it? That’s a surprise.”

『Further explanation. The Pied Piper is a key figure in possession of Hamelin’s secrets. Evidence suggests he was deeply involved in various incidents at Tantalus, and his threat level has risen sharply through his friendships with the Progenitor and the others. Furthermore, as his methods resemble those of Lankart, a Level 5 dangerous individual, military authorities will intensify efforts to apprehend him. That is command’s assessment.』

The cigarette was gone, but pleasant news had arrived. Historia grinned.

“Not bad. Even for me, searching this huge country alone would’ve been a bit much. Having the communications officers coordinate things should help.”

Her remark implied she would have abandoned her post and gone looking for him herself if permission had not come through. AB pretended not to understand that implication. Instead, as always, she conveyed only clear facts.

『After today, I will be absent for verification. Communications Officer UL will assist you from that point onward, Major General.』

“Absent? Why?”

『Warning. This information is classified. Do you wish to access it under your authority as a general?』

Access to orders concerning communications officers was restricted by default, even for generals. Had Historia been an ordinary officer, she would never have received an answer from the golem.

But Historia was one of the Six Generals. And she was not the sort to be sparing with her authority.

“Let’s hear it.”

『Request approved. I will explain.』

The golem straightened its posture and spoke.

『I was the communications officer assigned to Tantalus. Contact was lost immediately after the collapse of the bottomless pit, and I returned under my own power. During my stay in Amitengrad, I witnessed this incident.』

“Mm.”

『However, the possibility has been raised that I made contact with the Pied Piper during my return. I denied this, but the Pied Piper is an unknown entity whose identity and abilities remain unclear. Accordingly, I am to report to command, where my disposition will be decided following an examination for mental contamination.』

The golem relayed the facts as though they concerned someone else, but Historia pressed her lips shut at that. They called it deciding her disposition after an examination, but once this communications officer was hauled all the way to command, her future was clearly not going to be easy.

At best, she would serve as a switchboard relaying command’s orders elsewhere. At worst, she would simply be disposed of.

“That bastard’s ability isn’t anything like mental contamination. Are they even listening to me?”

Knowing a little of the truth about communications officers, Historia felt a little sympathy for AB.

Officers despised communications officers. Captains in name only, they had gained their rank through innate Unique magic without even attending a military academy. On top of that, they remained stiff and unbending regardless of whom they addressed, so officers felt all manner of unpleasant emotions when dealing with them.

“You’ve got it rough too. Stuck with a job everyone hates you for.”

Yet communications officers were ultimately only messengers. Seen not as individuals but as command’s voice or letters, they made that contempt seem almost pointless.

In the end, the officers were merely venting their resentment of unwanted orders on the communications officers.

With a very, very small measure of consideration, Historia spoke.

“You said you ran into that bastard, right? Then you’d be useful in this pursuit. Wouldn’t it be better if I requisitioned you?”

『Impossible. Testing communications officers for mental contamination takes priority over all else. Interference in communications affects the entire operation. There are many who can replace me. Please employ them instead.』

“... Is that so? Well, hang in there.”

There was nothing to be done. Historia had no obligation to do more for her, and she had more than enough important matters to deal with. She turned her attention away from AB.

Perhaps that was why.

『Thank you. I will do everything in my power to survive. Without fail.』

Historia failed to notice the faint warmth in the golem’s words.

AB ended the Synchronization.

Rising in an isolated communications room inside communications headquarters, she recalled her conversation with Historia and smiled wryly.

Mental contamination.

Unfortunately, that was true. A serious problem had developed in the mind of AB, a communications officer who was supposed to remain composed at all times.

She was overflowing with a desire to live.

Whenever she recalled happy memories, a smile rose unbidden to her lips.

She wanted to tell everyone about this elation, to share a joy too precious to keep to herself.

Those happy times remained as indelible marks. Because of them, AB feared death and clung to life.

What could one call this, if not mental contamination?

She was unmistakably, utterly different from before.

But now that she knew, she could not go back. Those days when she had lived with pleasure and fulfillment among people enjoying their own kinds of happiness. That time when she had gathered little pieces of happiness from the laughter of the boisterous crowd.

Those memories had changed her.

Not only her outlook, but even her Unique magic...

Savoring those happy times, AB brought both hands to her chest. Then she manifested her Unique magic.

Unique magic, Morning Glory.

The morning glory rooted in her chest stretched out in every direction. Leaves emerged in an alternating pattern from vines winding leftward around her arms and legs, her chest and neck. It was as though she were bound in thorny vines. Flowers grew from the morning glory vines coiled around her entire body.

Synchronization took place in the violet blossoms that bloomed on AB’s mana.

The duties that bound her were the vines; the role she had to fulfill was the flower.

That was why AB’s Unique magic was Morning Glory.

But now, it was a little different.

At the end of a vine that had climbed up her neck and face, a small, straight stem rose demurely. Poking its head out as though pretending to be a morning glory vine, it formed a large bud.

And blooming at its tip... was one small sunflower.

With its bright face turned to one side, a single sunflower longing for warm light gazed endlessly somewhere from atop the morning glory vine.

He would be at the far end of its gaze. AB knew that instinctively.

And so AB was always happy.

Because she knew the sun still existed.

Holding the sunflower to her chest, AB spoke into the morning glory facing command.

“Command, this is Communications Officer Captain AB. I am departing for command as of this moment.”