Interim Check
We ran away and hid in a corner of the corn field. The corn field was wide enough, and Golden Kyung was not good at searching. It gave us time to catch our breath.
But I can’t be relieved. The air surrounding this cornfield has obviously changed.
The sound of trudging footsteps passes overhead. Those who searched for us came all the way here. I held my breath until the sound of footsteps died away.
“Grunt. It seems like you’re walking around a lot.”
“It won’t be a homunculus. He won’t be able to roam outside the Golden Palace. Probably a soldier of oppressive society.”
“If you attack them, the homunculus will come for you, so it’s similar.”
Fortunately, they couldn’t even spot our shadows. Because we’re hiding in the ground right now.
After getting far enough away from the pursuit team, the regressor dug the ground with a jizan as if he was used to it. Usually, in this case, the excavated soil becomes a problem, but Jizan, a regressor, exerted an amazing ability to compact the pile of soil further into the ground. Thanks to this, a pleasant hiding place was completed, unlike a pit under the ground.
Beasts suffering from wild threats instinctively prefer dark and confined spaces. This is because the darkness shields me from the eyes of predators, and the narrow space protects me from outside attacks.
The same goes for humans, the lord of all things. I lay down in a corner and enjoyed this comfort.
“Ha ha. Relaxing.”
“Do you think so too? Me too. To be honest, I’m a bit dissatisfied with you guys these days trying to go outside during the day.”
“No, but if you are going to go around, you have to do it during the day. I can’t live here for a thousand years.”
… It’s not as good as a vampire, though.
“In addition, look at Peru now. You’re coughing. It must be because the air here is bad.”
“… Coke. It’s because of you….”
Peru said in a dying voice, frowning.
Eomsal-eun. My older sister says, but I’m ordinary. So, no matter how hard I hit it, the punch that didn’t even contain the qigong belonged to the ordinary axis. That’s good enough.
If you look closely, it’s the price of saving your life. If it is the price of life, I would be right in the hundred.
“Well, let me ask you again. Are you willing to cooperate with us?”
“… Coke, Coke. If it’s cooperation, you’ve done enough.”
“Hmm. I’m stubborn, so I can’t put it into words. Shay, Carl.”
I naturally reached out to the regressor.
“What have you entrusted to me? Why are you so proud?”
The regressor grunted and handed over a sleek dagger from subspace. It’s not a great treasure, but it’s a dagger made from the tusk of a precious beast. It is difficult to buy even with money, so if you bargain well, you can buy a house in a big city.
… How dare you put this stuff out there without hesitation? How much money do you have Don’t give it back, let’s hide it.
Hmmm. Anyway. I crouched down like a bully and pointed my dagger at Peru. I don’t intend to stab, but a sharp blade is a threat in itself. I can’t stand it anymore.
“Looks like you don’t waste your life. Even though he threatens with a knife like this, he doesn’t cooperate….”
The moment he pretended to stab, the tip of the knife turned black and then crumbled like dust. In an instant, the dagger made from the beast’s tusks disappeared leaving only a leather handle behind.
“What?”
Is my money in a pile of dust? Does Jannok’s power shatter beast teeth? What is this…. How did such a talented person come from the nations?
In case something else would break, I hurriedly retreated, throwing the leather handle. At that time, the regressor who was watching this side gave a sharp warning.
“Jannok Hoeju. Don’t misuse your abilities. You could die.”
I’m serious. Life is aiming at Peru’s throat. Since the cherry blossoms and Jizan do not rust with authority, even Peru will not be able to block the attack of the regressor.
However, Peru remained calm even before dying.
“… Kill Anyway, I… Coke. I can’t because I don’t have it.”
‘… If I use my strength, the material for the Golden Sutra will disappear…. Even if there’s a war, I can’t join. An ability that only destroys is worth nothing….’
Despite being in the middle of enemy lines, he is stubborn. It was a feeling closer to desperation than loyalty, so it seemed more difficult to change.
The regressor clicked his tongue.
“Sheesh. Hughes. I can’t even threaten you with a knife.”
“Then can I threaten you with money? Peru, cooperate with us and we will give you half of the nations. You will be rich.”
“… Coke! I do not need.”
Come to think of it, even if you have money, you can’t use it well because it’s broken? Hmm, that’s hard. People who have nothing are the scariest. Neither a knife nor money works for Peru, who practices acquired non-possession.
No matter how much I read my mind, there is no answer. If you are a human being, it is normal for your mind to be shaken by either the sword or the money. I grumbled.
“Not even a knife. Not even money. Why are you so loyal to the golden mirror? It looks like they don’t even pay a salary.”
“… It’s not a matter of good or bad. This land, I am food. The truth of alchemy. All of the nations originated from the Golden Sutra. He is all of the nations…. You will not understand.”
Hwang Hwang Keum-gyeong herself seems to be living in a forbidden country, but anyway, including that country, it’s all countries. Faced with an impasse, I scratched my head.
Peru is not greedy. The problem is that this is a rational result, unlike faith or belief.
The concept of owning is thin in Peru, which crushes everything. It is unconditionally advantageous to gain popularity by giving to others rather than what you have. If you use unique magic, everything you have will be a piece of toilet paper.
It is a reasonable and rational way of survival based on human sociality. Therefore, I cannot deny or correct that method. In other words, in the current situation, I have no ability to persuade Peru.
“What is the Golden Sutra?”
It was when I grumbled. There was a distinctly suspicious presence on the ground. We all kept our mouths shut as if we had promised, but the crowd wandered around for no reason and headed towards the entrance.
The regressor grabbed the cherry tree and stood up.
“Sheesh! You must have been caught talking!”
“This is because Peru coughed! Oh no way! On purpose to give clues that the cough is here too!”
“… Coke. The cough is because of you….”
“Didn’t all three of you raise your voice?”
Everyone chatted and glared at the hole leading to the ground. The entrance is covered with dirt and grass, but if you look closely, you won’t find anything. While exchanging opinions with stiff faces, a familiar voice leaked through the gap in the entrance.
“Smart tok tok~. Are you there? Peace messengers from military countries~?”
It was Hilde.
Well, I knew from reading your thoughts.
Hilde naturally slipped through the gap at her entrance. Seeing her carefree face, the regressor asked disapprovingly.
“How did you know and find it?”
“The corn you plowed through was pointing here like a compass? Even with ‘my’ basic tracking technique, it’s obvious! It was so blatant, how nervous I was that it might be a fake trace!”
“He is really good at catching stars.”
I should have said, “That’s great. Shay is disingenuous!”
“She never thought so!”
Hilde smiled and turned her body around and said in her theatrical style.
“More than that, everyone, it’s a big problem~. The golden gore is making weapons! It seems that he is seriously preparing for war!”
“Weapons?”
“Yes! For example, something like this!”
Hilde smiled lightly and stretched out her hand toward her entrance. She grabbed onto something she had left outside and pulled it down as hard as she could. The mound of dirt collapsed on her, dragging the rough metal texture of her armor down.
Gaiters, helmets, breastplates, and even gauntlets. The armor made separately for each part was separated and rolled on the ground. A crackling sound was deafening.
“It’s plate armor.”
“Yes! It’s full body armor! It was so hard that I could only crush it with my own strength! Are there any more armors that are this amazing!”
In a fight between armor and bare hands, it is natural for the armor to win, but it is different if the opponent is a master of qigong. The body becomes as hard as steel when surrounded by pores, and there is also a technique to destroy iron by penetrating pores into it.
So, if it is the only thing that can be distorted even under the attack of Yukjangseong, a master who has reached the state and the strongest power of the military, it would not be insufficient to call that armor the treasure of the century.
Still, armor like that can’t be common. Considering the high-quality alchemy steel and the smelting technology, it would cost a castle to make one suit… Only.
“These armors are lined up like corn in a cornfield!”
To the demon god of alchemy, Hwanggeumgyeong, it was nothing more than corn. No, maybe easier than corn.
“It’s not just this. Weapons, vehicles. Every single one of them had nasty things lying on the floor. I think Golden Kyung intends to build a huge arsenal beyond this corn field. I guess… It must have been something to use a weapon for, right?”
Nothing to say. Because Elric declared that he would start a war.
Hilde picked up her gauntlet and she dropped it, questioning her regressor.
“Hey, weren’t ‘we’ going to negotiate peace? How could this be? As the peace envoy of the military, can you briefly explain?”
“I will explain that.”
Since the regressor hasn’t been with you from the beginning, you probably don’t know what’s going on. Instead, I briefly explained what had happened in the Golden Palace. Elric to continue the war. A golden mirror that agrees with him. The homunculus came out one after another. And even the last escape film.
Everyone laughed as if Hilde was embarrassed scratching her head.
“Ahahahaha~. After all, a truce was impossible~. That’s a big deal. If Hwanggeumgyeong prepares for war from now on, will the planned strategy go awry?”
“Operation?”
“Yes. Mobile warfare using military signal soldiers. It was to break the shallow bonds of the members, cause chaos, occupy each area, and eventually advance to Claudia~”
Captivating her and letting out a sigh, Hilde twisted her hair and lamented.
“This is a big deal~. If Hwanggeumgyeong collects hoeju, the posture of the nations will not be easy. If a war breaks out like this, it will be an all-out war. There will be huge losses on both sides of the army and the nations. Ha. What should I do with this?”
Hilde’s words represented the position of her army. She said she was an envoy of peace and missed the golden time. It was planted to the point of awareness. Hilde’s words are cute, but if you put these losses into numbers, they’ll be staggering.
The regressor, who suddenly became a victim of torture, slurred his words.
“Ugh…. That.”
“It’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up too much, folks! Because you have a way to undo this great failure!”
As if she knew it would happen from the beginning, Hilde replied with a grin.
“If there is a war, it must end someday, right? Of course, it’s better to finish quickly with overwhelming power. That way you’ll die less and consume less. However, the power of the military was gradually reduced by Shay and everyone else. Mobility, one of my few strengths, was also lost because you pointed your sword at the headquarters and threatened me.”
The reason why the regressor attacked the military was to prevent a war that would be the starting point of chaos. However, if you fail to persuade the nations, you are on the side of the nations even if you don’t intend to.
This is clearly the fault of the regressor who threatened the military under the pretext of a ceasefire.
Hilde emphasized that point and continued her words.
“However, if everyone participates in the battle, the balance will be right!”
If you do something, take responsibility. Hilde pressed the regressor with her smile.