In the beginning, the Resistance operated as a kingdom restoration army under the leadership of provincial lords.
During that period, they had resources, courage, and spirit. They had the ambition to beco the saviors of the Kingdom, and did not rely on royal lineage for their cause.
However, too much ti had passed.
The Military State consolidated its authority through a structured system, achieving consecutive victories in civil conflicts.
The Resistance, bound by the Kingdom's outdated mindset, gradually receded and eventually retreated to obscurity.
It was around this ti that the Resistance brought in the Princess.
They were teetering on collapse without a central figure and hoped to rally around her leadership.
The Princess accepted her role, but just as the Resistance doubted her, she didn't trust them either.
After all, coexistence with the Military State wasn’t possible for her, leaving duty as her sole path forward.
However, the Resistance didn't just crumble.
There were positive factors as well.
abandoned by the Military State joined the Resistance, injecting new vigor into their ranks. However… this union resembled mismatched limbs sewn onto a terminally ill patient.
There was no way the youths who resisted unjust power could easily get along with the knights, who once wielded influence and power in the old kingdom.
The knights viewed these youths as their squires or private soldiers. They thought that if they could overthrow the State, taking them under their wing would be a sufficient reward.
On the other hand, the youths’ ambitions extended beyond restoring the monarchy; their goals were to reform the Military State or annihilate it entirely, driven by ideals of justice, revenge, or perpetual struggle
They couldn't understand each other. For now, they were united under the goal of overthrowing the Military State.
But their origins, birthrights, and visions were completely at odds with each other.
Amidst this turmoil, the Princess, nominally the Resistance's leader… didn't hate the Military State.
***
Shiati observed the interaction between the Princess and the Regressor with a sense of satisfaction. She felt genuinely pleased; firstly, because it was admirable to see the Princess, whom she felt close to, speaking with such courage, and secondly, because she had obtained important information.
Quietly listening, Shiati organized the details in her mind.
The command and control center. Command. Twenty-six signallers.
｢If they're signallers, they must be paired with those annoying surveillance golems. Signallers delivering orders from Command wouldn't be frequently exposed outside. Using golems is efficient. So it's reasonable to think they are stationed in a sparsely populated outer area rather than the central part.｣
Shiati's thought process, honed by a deep-seated hatred towards hunting the Military State, functioned like a predator sensing blood, assessing the prey's vulnerabilities with just a few pieces of information.
｢Since they use golems, there shouldn't be anything special in terms of their defensive forces. Even though there may be many golems, one person can only control dozens of them. The total number of signallers should be relatively small. Twenty-six is not a negligible number… If we kill them all, would it deal a blow to the Military State?｣
And she exuded a nacing killing intent.
Historia, sensing this aura nearby, hardened her expression.
“…Shiati. Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Don’t increase unnecessary casualties. Signallers are pitiful, they’re no better than kids.”
Shiati blinked in surprise.
Finding it hard to believe such words ca from one of the Six Star Generals, she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
“HA! AHAHAHA! You’ve beco so soft! NO WAY! To think you would say sothing like that!”
Despite facing Shiati's mad laughter, Historia didn’t avert her gaze.
Still chuckling heartily, Shiati shook her head repeatedly.
“No, Historia. Whether the signallers are pitiful or not doesn’t matter at all. What matters is their importance to the Military State, how big of a blow it would be, and whether I can do it!”
“The Princess intends to talk toith them. Are you going to ignore your Lord's wishes?”
“Princess Yerien is not my lord. She’s a friend. Like you and , a friend with a significant rank difference!”
Shiati sat beside Historia and pointed at the Princess, a girl with pink hair that ward the hearts just of those who looked at her. Despite her delicate appearance, there was an unmistakable strength in her eyes.
Shiati looked at her with a hint of envy.
“Our princess is sothing else, isn't she? She's grown remarkably strong. Not a sheltered flower in a greenhouse, nor a wild weed like . Hehe. Sotis it really hits just how different she is!”
Historia silently agreed.
Though she hadn't experienced the Kingdom, the Princess exuded a natural grace and nobility. She was the complete opposite of Shiati, who was rough and violent.
The Princess was the representative of the Resistance, yet did not fully trust it.
On the other hand, Historia,a Six Star General of the Military State, now found herself questioning its principles.
If there were polar opposites in the world, it would be the Princess and Historia.
“You two are so alike. Both born with sothing special, both given the chance to abandon it but held back by emotion… How ironic is that?”
“What?”
Shiati remained silent, her gaze now calr as she looked at the Princess.
“But the Princess is the Princess, and I am . We may be heading in the sa direction, but our goals are different. Maybe we won’t interfere with each other. Once she's done speaking with the signallers, I can kill them all, right? I can wait until then!”
“Let’s not repeat tragedies. One Halin was enough.”
“Just once? HAHA, AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Historia.”
Shiati smirked, her lips twisting into a smile.
Suddenly, without any warning, her prosthetic arm shot out and gripped Historia’s chin, tilting it .
The two glared at each other, their faces close enough that their noses almost touched.
“The tragedy isn’t over yet. For , it’s still the first ti. It’s in full swing.”
“…It’s ti to let go. I’ve spared you many tis. That should be enough.”
“You should have killed back then. Not killing has led to this.”
Hehe. Shiati let out a dry laugh, almost like a cough, and smiled faintly.
“I won’t die until I destroy the Military State. But if you kill , I’ll be satisfied. Leaving a deep scar on your heart would also wound the Military State.”
“Do you think I’ll listen to you?”
“You won’t kill ? Heh, then join the Resistance! Imagine, a Six Star General actually siding with the Resistance. It would shock all the citizens who revere the Daughter of the Military State! It’s the perfect scenario!”
“I’m not planning to beco a terrorist like you.”
“Who asked you to follow ? Follow the Princess who has high ideals instead! Idealists should stick together, right? You don’t really serve the Military State anyway…”
“Shut up!”
Historia shouted, but Shiati continued smiling.
Staring intensely at Shiati, Historia forcefully pushed her away and stood up abruptly. With a fierce gaze, she walked over to .
“Huey. Take with you. To where the Princess will et privately with Command.”
I blinked in surprise at her sudden request.
Historia was a Six Star General, a valuable hostage to the Military State.
Originally, I planned to treat her as such, maybe using her as leverage and then discarding her in a corner. However, the plan had been delayed so many tis it was on the verge of being abandoned.
Plans should be executed as soon as they were made.
“I’ll willingly follow you there. I promise not to resist. You can even keep tied up or leave untied, whatever, just take along.”
I cautiously asked.
“Why? To et the Command directly and betray us if it seems hopeless?”
“I won’t betray you. This ti, I’ll act on my own will.
From behind us, Shiati’s mocking laughter echoed.
The tragedy that had occurred because she was late still haunted Historia.
To shake it off, Historia begged with determined resolve.
“I won’t regret it like last ti. I’m not late this ti. I’ll see everything with my own eyes and judge for myself.”
***
[…There are more and more things getting attached to us. Hu, what should we do in such situation?]
Tyr, who had retreated into her coffin to conserve energy, let out a sigh.
I shrugged.
“I agree with that, but the more strength we have, the better. It’s not really a problem.”
[How is it that only girls are increasing? The space is narrow, and it is rather worrying. Soon we will be living shoulder to shoulder.]
“Are you worried about decorum?!”
She was worried about decorum but not about going against a country.
Was this the mindset of a vampire who has been in conflict with the Sanctum for over a thousand years?
Perhaps for her, conflicts with countries were everyday occurrences, impressive.
Tyr showed no tension about the upcoming battle.
She seed more preoccupied with sothing else.
[Moreover, look at that. The Princess’ eyes are filled with affection when she looks at Shei. But Shei’s eyes remain indifferent as ever.]
Clicking her tongue, Tyr pointed to where the Princess kept glancing at the Regressor during their conversation.
“I feel strange. Due to strict upbringing, I find n a bit difficult. But with you, I feel completely at ease.”
“Oh, that’s… Uh.”
｢I’m actually cross-dressing as a man. Right. Ugh, I don’t want this to change your perception of and make you wary of now…｣
That’s your first sin.
From the mont you decide to cross-dress, you start off on the wrong foot.
Just live as a man in this tiline.
Tyr murmured wistfully.
[Hu. Whenever I see that, my heart feels heavy and my throat tightens. Shei likes n, but why does the Princess harbor unrequited feelings?]
…Indeed. She liked n, and the feelings were unrequited.
Regardless of the misunderstanding, it was the Regressor’s fault anyway.
Bad boy—no, more like bad girl.
“Wait a minute. I feel like soone is slandering ?”
Such a sharp sense for useless things.
Tyr, enveloping the area in darkness to prevent soone from eavesdropping, suddenly spoke.
[It is rather surprising. From what I have observed, Shei tends to avoid troubleso tasks, so I thought she would reject the Princess' proposal.]
“I agree, but… Mr. Shei is strangely kind to certain people.”
The Regressor had a tendency to twist things and had a sharp tongue, but she showed exceptional kindness to those who beca her friends in previous tilines.
In fact, in the Abyss, she approached Tyrkanzyaka, the strongest vampire, without any initial wariness.
She was the first to step up when sothing happened to her.
The Princess would get no less consideration than that.
[Hu, does he not doubt your every move?]
“To balance his patience, he’s even more cold-hearted to so people. I guess I was one of those. It’s unfair, unfair I tell you. What’s wrong with ?”
[Exactly. I wonder why he is so suspicious of soone as trustworthy as you?]
Huh? Didn’t Tyr also find suspicious when we first t?
[More fickle than a new bride. How can one’s attitude change so drastically?]
“If I knew, I would have used it first. I don’t know the answer to that.”
Actually, I know.
I know, but I can’t do it.
To do so, I’d have to return to a previous tiline and build a trusting relationship with her.
Well, I said it with a grumble, but for the Regressor, it was understandable.
I couldn’t read mories from previous tilines, but the Regressor must have gone through many events and experiences.
Even if a new tiline began, the mories and experiences remained, so the level of intimacy was bound to differ.
“By the way, Tyr, are you really okay with helping us? The Military State is in conflict with the Sanctum, aren’t you afraid of losing allies?”
[Since when were human countries allies of vampires? I have seen countries fighting the Sanctum, but never has one allied with us. At most, there have been non-aggression pacts.]
“Still, isn’t it burdenso to fight a country alone?”
[Shei is striving to save the world, and so are you. Helping you will not cause any harm.]
Tyr spoke kindly and slightly opened the lid of her coffin.
Through the narrow gap, I caught the gentle smile of the vampire.
[I support you. Even if the world turns against you, I will always stand by your side.]
A sincere declaration from the Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka.
It was reassuring.
There was no need to doubt it, but I read her thoughts to understand better.
｢And then, if we end up in a situation where we are heavily pursued by the State, we will have no choice but to depend on each other. From then on, whether we like it or not, we will stick together. Is that not romantic?｣
Huh? What’s romantic about the life of a fugitive?
It’s just barbaric.
Wait a minute. Is Tyr constant support for my and the Regressor’s outrageous actions, and her help in doing whatever I want, all because….
“Tyr. In this raid on Command, are you planning to completely destroy it or just give it a good scare and retreat?”
Tyr answered as if it were obvious.
[What good would destruction and chaos do to the world? Let us give a stern warning and retreat. Manipulating the fate of a country at will is rather irresponsible.]
“But won’t the remaining people pursue ?”
[Do not worry. I will protect you.]
｢Sufficiently, For a long ti.｣
A cold sweat ran down my back.
Perhaps, without anyone realizing, I had fallen into a /genesisforsaken
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